v Perhaps the most important competitive advantage, as well as the largest liability, that family businesses share is their relationships. Family relationships, shareholder relationships, and intergenerational relationships comprise the basis of the family enterprise itself as well as provide distinct areas for study, evaluation, and future action. By evaluating such relationships, business owners, managers, and practitioners can determine the ability of these relationships to build business and family value and can chart a course to cultivate and develop relational strengths. In this issue, we examine family business relationships in several contexts. By tracking the study of these relationships, we can examine, understand, and bring them strength. The might of a family business cannot exist apart from the power of these relationships—the bonds of family, the teamwork that forges managers into a cohesive operating unit, and the talents of those who contribute their ideas and labor. Management relationships within the business have come under much public scrutiny during the past year with the disclosure of accounting improprieties, expropriation of funds, and mismanagement at several large U.S. public companies and also at several large, nonpublic, professional service providers. These questionable behaviors have contributed to the decline in investor confidence in capital markets worldwide. To restore trust, the business community must proactively enact changes in management structure and processes and in governance oversight. In the context of corporate governance, popular media traditionally views family-owned business as a dusty backwater of cronyism, secrecy, and harmful nepotism. In light of the widespread public scrutiny being focused on "professionally managed" companies, family businesses are finally gaining recognition as an example of traditional values and practices that can reap superior rewards for their stakeholders. In a timely analysis, "Corporate America's Search for the 'Right' Direction: Outlook and Opportunities for Family Firms," A. Frank Adams, III, Sheb L. True, and Robert D. Winsor discuss several areas where longevity, stability, and family stewardship add value to the entire enterprise and protect the interests of both family and nonfamily shareholders. The authors' survey of the research demonstrates that across an entire spectrum of relationships, third parties such as customers, employees, contracting partners, and financial stakeholders rate family businesses higher than nonfamily businesses in metrics such as performance, trust, and dependability. The authors also suggest a role for restructuring long-term executive compensation away from fixed-price stock options to less volatile incentives such as restricted stock. Finally, it is noted that increased equity ownership by managers and directors may also play a part in ensuring adequate oversight and stewardship of the business, with a focus on long-term growth and stability, instead of shortterm profit. Although many people proffer best practices for corporate governance, many practices should be tailored for the exigencies of the business and ownership configurations. In "Governance and Flexibility in Family-Owned SMEs," Paolo Gubitta and Martina Gianecchini examine a variety of corporate governance relationships, with a focus on the efficacy of these relationships in facilitating business growth. In their review of different governance structures, the authors focus on the impact on strategic decision making, information sharing, and relationships both among family member shareholders and between family shareholders and nonfamily management. They hold that a proper balance of high-level oversight and hands-on attention can facilitate dynamic growth, maximize family member participation, and encourage contribution from nonfamily members. The authors argue that governance models operate most effectively when they remain flexible in design, to allow for growth in individual performance and cooperation among the various participants. When a governance system can adapt itself to conform to the realities of the business, it creates an environment for effective decision making and successful execution. Commitment is important to any relation-


In a series of NATO subsidized publications, under contract RG 001/88, scientists from various NATO countries (D, F, NL, SP, UK, and USA) have executed comparative studies on the aquatic biotas, in particular the stygofauna, of various mid-Atlantic islands: Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, and Ascension. We were fortunate enough to receive NATO support again (under reference CRG 940976) for a follow-up study on another island in the central Atlantic, St. Helena.


Buildings account for 40% of the European Union's energy consumption. Deep energy renovation of residential buildings is key for decarbonization and energy poverty alleviation. However, renovation is occurring at far below the needed pace and depth. In this context, building renovation one-stop shops, which bring all project phases under one roof and provide advice, support, and finance to households, are highlighted as a promising solution. Nevertheless, this model is still absent or under-developed in most European countries and remains understudied in the scientific literature. Therefore, the present research goals are as follows: (i) to provide a critical review of emerging one-stop shop models; (ii) to streamline the deployment of building renovation digital one-stop shops by piloting a sequential multi-staged approach for Portuguese households and proposing it for replication elsewhere; and (iii) to compare case-study insights with other one-stop shops and discuss the notion in the context of the European Renovation Wave. In total, for the Portuguese case-study, five steps were conducted. The first three—stakeholder mapping, expert interviews, and customer journey—aimed to gather intel on the local energy renovation market. The results from these stages informed the design of the platform (fourth step). Finally, a post-launch market consultation survey gathered user feedback (fifth step). Insights from this study suggest that digital one-stop shops, while providing a helpful tool to close information gaps and activate specific audiences, may be insufficient on their own. As such, a more comprehensive set of instruments supporting households is needed to accelerate building renovation.


The insole kinematical data was obtained by using the measurement system of foot-bottom pressure distribution from female professional speed wheel slide in order to reveal the features of double-push,to correctly understand the principles of double-push,and to seek a more advanced and effort-saving technique.Conclusion: in one single-step slide,with the increasing speed,the traces change of the insole pressure center on the X-axis and the Y-axis was less.Double-push helps more to keep balance during fast sliding.The maximum pressure aroused mainly in the heel area or the first metatarsal-phalange area.The maximum pressure area was also the area where biggest pressure changes appeared;the features of insole pressure distribution and the techniques were in consistency;changes with time in the insole pressure were one of the main factors that affect the speed of speed wheel slide.


Morinda citrifolia, known commercially as noni, is considered as a medicinal plant with various therapeutic values. The significant values of this plant lead an attempt to produce a better plant by introducing foreign genes to the plant through transformation. Prompted by successes in earlier studies of Agrobacterium-mediated in planta transformation procedures in Arabidopsis, similar approach is applied to transform M. citrifolia. This study aims to carry out Agrobacteriummediated
in planta transformation on M. citrifolia by using seed transformation method and also to reconstruct transformation vector carrying a novel promoter. The presence of the GUS
fragment that has been detected by PCR using GUS-e primers suggests that this plant has been successfully transformed. However, an attempt for reconstructing vector with the novel promoter was unsuccessful.


The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), as the largest autonomous region in China, experienced an unprecedented combination of economic reforms, exploration of natural resources, and population growth in last three decades. Using the 8 day composite 500m resolution MODIS reflectance data, we examined interannual variation of vegetation greenness and water body surface area in this area from 2000 to 2014. The annual mean NDVI was increasing in the entire region, with 34.02% significantly improved and only 3.2% deteriorated. The surface area of major lakes in plain area showed a significant shrinking trend. As a case study, their relationship with human settlement development was examined in Manas river valley with multi-temporal Landsat data. Our results indicate the anthropogenic impacts on environmental change in dryland Xinjiang in addition to climate change.


For the problems of nonparametric hypothesis testing we introduce the notion of maxisets and maxispace. We point out the maxisets of $\chi^2-$tests, Cramer-von Mises tests, tests generated $\mathbb{L}_2$- norms of kernel estimators and tests generated quadratic forms of estimators of Fourier coefficients. For these tests we show that, if sequence of alternatives having given rates of convergence to hypothesis is consistent, then each altehrnative can be broken down into the sum of two parts: a function belonging to maxiset and orthogonal function. Sequence of functions belonging to maxiset is consistent sequence of alternatives.
We point out asymptotically minimax tests if sets of alternatives are maxiset with deleted "small" $\mathbb{L}_2$-balls.


Transit performance indicators are useful means of monitoring existing systems and planning for future systems. The development of one type of transit performance indicator, a service-sensitve indicator, is discussed. The purpose of the service-sensitive indicator is to succinctly summarize the effectiveness and fairness of short-term route changes. Included in the indicator are considerations of the important performance variables perceived by riders: in-vehicle time, transfer time, walking time, waiting time, requirements to wait, and requirements to transfer. The service-sensitive indicator is applied to a case study - the improvement of transit service to the Milwaukee County Institutions Grounds, where major public medical care facilities are located. Because questions of equity are of greatest importance, the indicator is separately calculated for each of the potential rider groups. It is shown that the indicator measures the impacts of route alignment and route extensions on relevant population groups and does so without the need for extensive travel survey data. (Author)


ProM is a generic open-source framework for implementing process mining tools in a standard environment. The ProM framework receives as input logs in the MXML (Mining eXtensible Markup Language) and XES (eXtensible Event Stream) formats. These formats follow a specified schema definition, which means that logs do not consist of random and disorganized information; they rather contain all the elements needed by the plug-ins at a known location. In this paper, we chose PromImport as a framework to extract MXML log from the data source. The data was received in form of the Database in Microsoft Access. It contained various tables recording information about students' registration in one of the universities in Thailand. Once the relevant data was located, the extraction and conversion sound fairly straightforward but yet the challenge was how to support event data matched with MXML format. To do this, initially, four tables with a certain structure were filled with data. Secondly a Visual Basic script was written and finally an ODBC connection with Access Database was established.


Direct Torque Control (DTC) method is an excellent technique for torque and flux control for a brushless doubly-fed reluctance machine (BDFRM). The advantages of the DTC method are simple implementation, fast response and little dependence on the machine parameters. However, the conventional DTC method has high torque and flux ripple and variable switching frequency problems. This paper proposes an improved DTC method for the BDFRM when used in wind power generation systems. The Space Vector Modulation (SVM) method is used for reducing the torque and flux ripple, and also for holding constant the switching frequency of the inverter. The control method is implemented in SIMULINK®/MATLAB® and the results show that the proposed DTC method can overcome the issues and problems associated with the conventional DTC method and improve the system operation performance.


Most of the papers related to the automotive sector have concentrated on the description of the mechanical nature of vehicles yet very rarely on the study of the electronic nature of new vehicles. In order to show the profound transformations that have occurred over the past four decades, it is necessary to integrate into the explanation, the way in which electronic components and systems have transformed the nature of automotive vehicles. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the nature of evolutionary processes implied in the vehicle's transition from complex system into complex adaptive system.


This work aims to show the result of an analysis conducted in the State ofTocantins (Brazil) in order to determine the optimal points for the installation ofplants for the manufacture of biodiesel. For this analysis were considered variables such transportation, production, storage, supply of raw materials such as grease, oil or any other product that canbe used to produce biodiesel. We know that in modern times to get a good result, companies have to focus on a rigorous analysis of the logistics chain, aimed at a lower cost may make the products and services are available somewhere where necessary. To get the results we use in our mathematical model Mixed Integer Linear Programming (PLEM) and after scenarios related technique to obtain a satisfactory result.


We present a theory of the quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) systems that appear near the surface of SrTiO${}_{3}$ when a large external electric field attracts carriers to the surface. We find that nonlinear and nonlocal screening by the strongly polarizable SrTiO${}_{3}$ lattice plays an essential role in determining 2DEG properties. The electronic structure always includes weakly bound bulklike bands that extend over many SrTiO${}_{3}$ layers. At 2D carrier densities exceeding $\ensuremath{\sim}$${10}^{14}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$, tightly bound bands emerge that are confined within a few layers of the surface.


3521 Background: MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators that bind to complementary sequences on target messenger RNA transcripts, usually resulting in gene silencing. Microarray technology is a powerful high-throughput tool capable of monitoring the expression of thousands of small noncoding RNAs at once. In the present study we aimed to investigate whether MiRNA signature was predictive for sensitivity to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies in mCRC. Methods: A total of 183 mCRC from two independent cohorts (cohort 1: 74 cases; validation cohort: 109 cases) treated with cetuximab/panitumumab either alone (n=19) or in combination with chemotherapy (n=164) were included onto the study. MiRNA arrays were analysed using Agilent's miRNA platform. Results: MiRNA array analyses identified the cluster miR-99a/Let7c/miR-125b located on 21p11.1 as associated with different outcome to anti-EGFR therapies. In the first cohort, individuals with high signature (n=25, 33.8%) had a significantly longer progre...


Ovarian follicles were isolated from estrous rats and cultured in vitro for 1–6 days. After one day of culture there were no changes in the morphology of the follicles. In about 40% of the follicles cultured for 2 days, oocytes showed signs of degeneration. This was followed by the appearance of luteinized nests of cells in the theca and/or granulosa layers. On the 3rd day of culture all follicles had degenerated oocytes, and luteinization became more intense. Progestin was synthesized at a steady rate throughout the 3–day culture period. In contrast, estrogen was synthesized only from days 0–2 of incubation and showed a consistent decline on day 3 in all cultures. Very significant increases in progestin syntheses were obtained by the addition of 10 ng of LH to the culture medium. One hundred ng produced a significant but erratic increase in progestin syntheses. The addition of 10 ng of LH produced a minimal increase in estrogen synthesis while the 100 ng caused a very significant rise during days one and...


A scale for building assessment. This paper shows the results of the elaboration process of a questionnaire suggested by the authors to assess the environmental features of buildings. It is hypothesized that the users' perception of the building is structured in 5 basic dimensions: evaluation, temperature, space, air, and noise. A sample of 224 students from the faculty of Psychology was used. The results from a confirmatory factor analysis show that the predicted factorial structure fits the data. It has been also investigated to what extent the descriptive factors of buildings assessment can contribute to predict users' satisfaction with environment and building itself. In that sense, the evaluation factor appears as the most powerful predictor for users'satisfaction against physical dimensions, which explain a much lesser percentage of variance.


Establishing the 1∶ 10 000 foundation geography information database is the foundation of achieving geography information public service.The area of Xinjiang is very big and its data is numerous and jumbled,comparing with other provinces.Its database construction work has specialty.This paper did the design and implementation based on investigating and using for reference of advanced experience of other province,combining local reality,and adopting the newest theory and technology.The implemented database accomplished data processing and coordinating and putting into database with high efficiency quality checking.It also solved the key technology of magnanimity data celerity constructing database,data dynamic updating,history data management,graphics and database integrating,multiple sources space data management,strong and powerful inquiry statistics,accomplishment shows,and so on.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD ) – a common disease associated with abnormal deposition of triglycerides in the li� ver tissue , which is not always a benign and may be associated with an increased risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular car� cinoma. Moreover, NAFLD is associated with the development of cardiovascular disease, especially in individuals with type 2 diabetes who take the leading place in the structure of mortality in Russia. Objective. To study the frequency and risk factors for NAFLD among residents Novokuznetsk for early diagnosis of the dise� ase and preventive and curative measures. Materials and Methods. A single program, including questionnaires, anthropometry , biochemical blood tests and ultraso� und diagnostics , examined 133 patients who applied to the local therapist for various reasons.


BACKGROUND: Ifosfamide (IFO) is an alkylating cytostatic agent with nephrotoxic properties. Most often it causes dis- turbances in proximal tubular function manifesting as glycosuria, albuminuria, hyperphosphaturia with hypophos- phatemia, tubular acidosis, and hypokalemia. Impairment of renal glomerular function is less frequent and manifests as reduced glomerular filtration or distal tubulopathy along with the symptoms of diabetes insipidus. A significant per- centage of patients also develop neurotoxic side effects. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of side effects in patients treated with IFO for neoplastic diseases. METHODS: This was a prospective study on all admitted patients that received Ifosfamide for chemotherapy. After full physical examination and performing necessary paraclinical examinations (sodium, potassium, calcium, BUN, creatinine, uric acid, SGOT, SGPT, bilirubin and ECG), information forms for all of them were filled out at admission and in follow up visits to be used in final assessment. Renal function was assessed at the beginning of chemotherapy and then regularly during subsequent cycles. RESULTS: Sixty-six cases were male and 34 cases were female. Mean age was 36.4 years. Alopecia was recorded in 70 cases (70%) and nausea and vomiting in 43 cases (43%). Nephropathy (increased BUN and creatinine, gross hematuria, phosphaturia, glucosuria) was not observed in any patient. In 8 patients, microscopic hematuria was detected. Twenty- three patients had bone marrow suppression, and 7 cases showed severe neutropenia and broad spectrum antibiotics were prescribed for them. I did not find any culture positive infection. Serum electrolyte imbalance, diarrhea and severe allergic reactions were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Ifosfamide may potentially produce both mild and severe renal side effects. Side effects of IFO should be evaluated in different populations with different genomic profiles.


Channel 4's Dispatches on the media coverage of the Gaza dispute was an excellent exposition of the effects of the Israeli media blockade. Now Channel 4 have staged a debate with members of the public, experts and media practitioners. Here is a report on the debate by Polis researcher Molly Kaplan.


The paper analyses scientific publications and regulations regarding quality control of general and special purpose foam concentrates for fire-fighting. It is established that most of the available scientific publications are devoted to the study of the influence of nature of surfactants and functional additives on the properties of compositions that allow generation of air-mechanical foam using appropriate equipment as well as the development of formulations of foam concentrates. There are a small number of publications related to the development and evaluation of the objectivity of the methods for determining the quality of foam concentrates. The experience gained in Ukraine in applying test methods for foam concentrates for fire-fighting is generalized, and their disadvantages and advantages are revealed. Emphasis is placed on the need to improve the national regulatory framework governing handling of foam concentrates for fire-fighting at different stages of their life cycle. The main differences between the editions of the national standard DSTU 3789 are revealed, and the expediency of using gasoline-solvent for the rubber industry of «Nefras C-2-80/120» grade instead of petrol during tests to determine the fire-fighting efficiency of foam generated of foam solutions of general and special purpose foam concentrates. The need to revise the «Instruction on the use and testing of foam concentrates for fire-fighting», in particular, in terms of standardization of quality assessment of fire extinguishing agents stored at fire and rescue divisions and tanks of fixed fire-fighting systems, and to develop appropriate national standard to replace it. The essence of the envisaged changes is described taking into account the results of previous works as well as the directions of additional research that need to be carried out are outlined.


This paper has two main purposes. The first is to define and describe the main cycles of growth and convergence of the Portuguese economy, during the twentieth century The second purpose of the paper is to explore the causes of economic growth and slowdown over the century, within a growth accounting framework. We conclude that the acceleration of growth after World War II was due to capital deepening and total factor productivity growth and that the downturn after 1973 can be ascribed to the decline in factor productivity growth. The paper proceeds by exploring the causes of the post-1973 slowdown in factor productivity. We propose an explanation that is based on the effects of structural change in the industrial sector, which was induced by the increasing integration within the European Union market.


Chronic pain has a significant impact on quality of life. Measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is essential in the assessment of pain management outcomes, but different instruments have produced varying results. We assessed the validity of two HRQoL instruments, EQ-5D and 15D, in patients with challenging chronic pain. 391 chronic non-cancer pain patients referred to tertiary pain clinics completed EQ-5D, 15D and a broad set of questionnaires mapping socioeconomic factors, self-rated health, pain intensity and interference, depression, pain acceptance, pain-related anxiety, and sleep. The two HRQoL instruments were compared with each other, and head-to-head comparisons were made with self-rated health and the symptomspecific questionnaires.15D and EQ-5D showed moderate agreement (rho = 0.66), but there were also considerable differences between the instruments. 15D correlated better with self-rated health than EQ-5D (rho = -0.62 vs. -0.45, p < 0.001). EQ-5D appeared less sensitive than 15D especially in those chronic pain patients who had a better health status.The principal component constructed from measures of pain intensity and interference, anxiety, pain acceptance, depression, and sleep, had higher standardized beta coefficients with 15D than with EQ-5D (p = 0.038). The principal component explained more variance in the 15D (R2 = 0.65) than in the EQ-5D (R2 = 0.43).The study identified differences in the pain-related variables between the EQ-5D and the 15D. In patients with chronic pain, both instruments are valid, but 15D appears somewhat more sensitive than EQ-5D.


In order to search for information security of microgrid transaction, the channel mechanism and encryption algorithm of blockchain network are proposed. Aiming at the confidentiality and anti-aggression of microgrid transaction, the security of microgrid power trading information is studied. Firstly, ensure privacy of each transaction based on blockchain alliance and channel isolation mechanism. Then information security encryption algorithm is used to ensure transaction security of both sides in the process of point-to-point transaction. Finally, the transaction consensus is reached by the verified transaction party, and the transaction is completed on the blockchain network. It provides more methods for rebuilding the trust system of microgrid transactions and the order of market management.


Development of the corn combine harvester is needed in support of food self-sufficiency program in particular Pajale program (Rice, Maize and Soybean). Currently the paddy harvesting machine (combine harvester) imported from China and Japan as well as adaptation of domestic rice harvest machines (such as Quick products) already known and introduced in the community either through the provision of government assistance programs as well as procurement by the private sector and farmer groups. However, research related to the development of the design of corn combine has not been done in Indonesia. Though the presence of corn harvester machine is needed. Corn combine introduced today is modified from rice harvesting machines (i.e. by CMG Ltd, BB-Mektan, etc.) but the reliability and performance is questioned because corn stalks are harder than in rice. The research in this paper is the basic and applied research to support the development of special designs corn harvester. Medium-term goal of this research is to support government programs, especially the corn commodity in Pajale program. The method used in this study was the measurement of the physical and mechanical properties of the plant and the corn associated with the processes in the corn harvesting machine. Measurements of these characteristics carried out in the field and in the laboratory. The physical characteristics are plant height, stem size, the number of plants per hole, planting distance. The corn physical characteristics include: high of cobs from the land, the length, diameter of the cobs. While the mechanical characteristics include tensile strength and compressive strength of the stems of plants, plant flexural strength, shear strength of the stems, tensile strength of the cobs, force to release the husk, force to thresh the corn, and the force to break the cobs. Keywords: corn combine harvester, characteristic of maize plant, mechanical properties of maize


The invention provides a dust collecting, mopping and drying integrated cleaning cart and solves the problem that an existing dust collector is single in function of dust collecting and cleaning and is time and labor wasting when cannot realize multiple cleaning tasks simultaneously. The dust collecting, mopping and drying integrated cleaning cart comprises a closed cart housing, a pushing handle is fixedly arranged at the tail end of the cart housing, wheels are arranged on a chassis of the cart housing, a dust collecting and drying pipeline is arranged in the cart housing and provided with a front dust collecting port and a rear air outlet and is sequentially serially connected with a dust collecting barrel, a fan and an air heater from front to back, a wet rotating mop and a dry rotating mop extent out of the chassis of the cart housing, the wet rotating mop is connected with a water supply device, the dry rotating mop is connected with a driving device, and the dry rotating mop and the wet rotating mp are in transmission connection. The dust collecting, mopping and drying integrated cleaning cart is capable of orderly completing serial cleaning steps of dust collecting, wet wiping, dry wiping and air drying, can guarantee good cleaning effect and doubly improve cleaning efficiency, and is timesaving and laborsaving.


The elucidation of the structure, function and metabolism of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has led to the current global revolution in the recombinant DNA technology, with the possibility to modify these molecules in many ways for the benefit of man and animals. In this review, we considered the basic principles of genetic engineering (gene cloning), bioinformatics, and its applications in medical and veterinary sciences. The issue of ethical questions and fears about biotechnology is also discussed. The ultimate goal of this paper is to re-invigorate the interest of medical and veterinary personnels, biochemists and related scientists to this technology, which is well able to have an effect on the way all the biosciences will be practiced in this new millennium.


New information and telecommunication technologies in the transport sector, often named 'Advanced Transport Telematics' (ATT), play a key role in the new European network economy, as they have the potential to offer new solutions to the emerging transport problems in Europe. However, the successful exploitation of ATT in European transport markets depends on the technology being implemented in a way which meets the distinct needs of the different road user groups in order to achieve social acceptance and thereby politica1 approval. It is therefore vitally important that decision makers (i.e. those influencing the adoption of ATT) have sufficient information on the needs of (commercial) road users and on the way they perceive ATT options in addressing those needs. The ATT market comprises a large number of actors from both the public and the private sector. At the demand side, some major potential market sectors can be identified. In addition to private users, there are intermediate or collective users (e.g., road authorities) and commercial users (e.g., the freight sector). In the latter case ATT may play a strategie role by facing the need of the freight sector to orient itself towards the opportunities offered by the European intemal market, which has far-reaching impacts not only on organisations operating in intemational networks, but also on those operating nationally. The aim of the underlying study is to investigate the potential ATT market among these main user and interest groups, where the range of telematics applications wil1 be restricted to those applied to inter-urban road transport. The focus wil1 be on collective users (road managers) and commercial users (road freight operators). Surveys and in-depth interviews have been used to gather relevant information on the views, attitudes and expectations of these potential users. This empirical information provides interesting and policy relevant insights into the potential of ATI' applications for each of these market segments. 1 . The Strategie Role of Information and Telecommunication Mobility and interaction are essential features of spatial networks. Europe is gradually but steadily moving towards a network society, characterized by economie integration, politica1 coordination, regional autonomy and mobility of people. Networks correct people and places and are able to generate socioeconomie added value tbrough synergy and interaction. Such networks may be physical, immaterial, organisational or club-oriented in nature, while exhibiting a wide spectrum of multi-layer configurations, e.g. roads, railways, telecommunications, e-mail etc. New network tecbnology has promoted satellite and fïbre optic networks for communications, the ensuing reductions in costs of computing and networking have provoked "real time" decisions in business strategies, and huge data bases are available to assist in policy decisions of both the private and the public sector. The move to the post-industrial society has revolutionised the ways in which existing networks are used and has created opportunities for new forms of communications through city networking, data exchange and research networking (Knowles 1993). Connectivity to (tele)communication and information networks becomes increasingly a critical success factor for urban and regional development (see also Cape11


After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, many proposed that this state-generated, ethnically loaded "nationalist boost" enhanced the state's legitimacy by replacing the previous social contract between the Russian state and the people. This article argues for a more nuanced understanding of nationalism in contemporary Russia by asking how exactly the state leadership has portrayed the Russian nation in 2012–2019. Analyzing presidential speeches in this period, the article traces three distinctive but closely interconnected narratives of "Russianness": the narrative of the victorious nation; the narrative of the moral nation; and the narrative of the multinational but ethnically hierarchical nation. A Vladimir Putin began his third term as Russian President in 2012, and in particular following the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in the spring of 2014, media and, to some extent, scholarly analyses have turned to nationalism to explain the seemingly abrupt change in Russian 518 Demokratizatsiya 28:4 (Fall 2020) politics.1 However, nationalism as a label does not sufficiently illuminate the self-presentation of the Russian state because it is a concept of several— even conflicting—meanings that often remain undefined. Moreover, the purely instrumentalist interpretation of the concept fails to cover the full complexity of nationalism as a source of legitimacy for a political actor. In order to add an original and empirically tested argument to the scholarly discussion, the current article sets out to analyze references made to the nation in presidential discourse over the past eight years, that is, after the "wave of nationalism" hit the shore. It explains how the Russian state leadership has formulated its nationalist argument in 2012–2019 by asking what constitutes "Russianness" in the narratives produced by the president, and who, on those accounts, belongs to the nation? With the help of the scholarly literature, I contextualize this argument by discussing key policy shifts and societal attitudes related to the narratives. The past and present of Russian nationalism(s) remains a well-studied theme. Scholars have focused, among other topics, on ethnic Russian nationalism and radical nationalist movements in Russian history,2 state nationalism as a consolidating policy,3 and the role of memory politics and media in the nation-building process.4 In many of these studies, an overarching theme has been the tension between state nationalism and "bottom-up" nationalism. Helge Blakkisrud and Pål Kolstø, leaders of the extensive research project NEORUSS, note that "a 'nationalist turn' in Russian state policy makes sense only if we can also assume that there exists a pool of nationalist sentiment in the Russian population the rulers believe they can tap into,"5 a view endorsed in this article. According to 1 See, for example, Richard Arnold. "Surveys Show Russian Nationalism Is On the Rise." The Washington Post. May 30, 2016, At https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/ wp/2016/05/30/surveys-show-russian-nationalism-is-on-the-rise-this-explains-a-lot-aboutthe-countrys-foreign-and-domestic-politics/, accessed September 17, 2019; Charles Clover. "The Return of Russian Nationalism." Financial Times. October 13, 2017, At https://www. ft.com/content/edb595d8-aeba-11e7-beba-5521c713abf4, accessed September 17, 2019. 2 Robert Horvath. 2005. The Legacy of Soviet Dissent: Dissidents, Democratisation and Radical Nationalism in Russia. Oxon: Routledge; Thomas Parland. 2005. The Extreme Nationalist Threat in Russia: The Growing Influence of Western Rightist Ideas. Oxon: Routledge. 3 Yitzhak M. Brudny. 1998. Reinventing Russia: Russian Nationalism and the Soviet State, 1953–1991. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; Marléne Laruelle. 2009. In the Name of the Nation: Nationalism and Politics in Contemporary Russia. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 4 Olga Malinova. 2015. Aktual'noe proshloe. Simvolicheskaia politika vlastvuiushchei elity i dilemmy rossiiskoi identichnosti. [Current Past. The Symbolic Policy of the Ruling Elite and the Dilemmas of Russian Identity.] Moscow: ROSSPEN; Olga Malinova. 2017. "Political Uses of the Great Patriotic War in Post-Soviet Russia from Yeltsin to Putin." In Julie Fedor, Markku Kangaspuro, Jussi Lassila and Tatiana Zhurzhenko, eds., War and Memory in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies; Stephen Hutchings and Vera Tolz. 2015. Nation, Ethnicity and Race on Russian Television: Mediating Post-Soviet Difference. Oxon: Routledge. 5 Pål Kolstø and Helge Blakkisrud. 2018. "Introduction." In Pål Kolstø and Helge BlakkisNew Generation of Victors 519 Luke March, in order to study nationalism in Russia in a holistic manner, research considering both the "ideational influence of nationalism and policy contents of its proponents" is needed.6 The "influence" of the narratives remains outside the scope of this article, but the way in which these narratives are constructed reflects the state actors' reasoning as well as their assumptions about popular moods. The term "social contract" has often been used when analyzing regime legitimacy in post-Soviet Russia.7 The contract was seriously tested in 2011–2012, when tens of thousands of Russian citizens gathered to protest against Vladimir Putin's plans to return to the presidency. As a result, after Putin's third term as president began in 2012, the state authorities not only limited possibilities for political contention in the public space and in the media but also sought to appeal to the conservative part of the society by promoting traditional, "spiritual-moral" values as the core of Russian national identity. Simultaneously, efforts to connect these values to national security intensified.8 This change in politics, often described as an "authoritarian" or "conservative turn,"9 serves as the start of this study's time frame: it focuses on state nationalism after that turn, which encompasses another watershed, the annexation of Crimea in the spring of 2014. The annexation created a wave of patriotism that many interpreted as a new form of the social contract: on this view, instead of economic security, the people were given a "boost" of nationalist great-powerness in exchange for loyalty to the state in a time of a crisis.10 However, "increasing" nationalism in order to enhance the legitimacy of the incumbent is a risky strategy, the potential success of which does not necessarily endure. Moreover, as Henry E. Hale et al. argue, Russia's political system rud, eds., Russia Before and After Crimea: Nationalism and Identity, 2010–17. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 6–7. 6 Luke March. 2018. "Nationalism." In Andrei P. Tsygankov, ed., Routledge Handbook of Russian Foreign Policy. London and New York: Routledge Handbooks, 95. 7 Aleksey Makarkin. 2011. "The Russian Social Contract and Regime Legitimacy." International Affairs 87: 6: 1459–74. 8 Jardar Østbø. 2017. "Securitizing 'Spiritual-Moral Values' in Russia." Post-Soviet Affairs 33: 3: 200–216, 202. 9 Mikhail Suslov and Dmitry Uzlaner. 2019. "Dilemmas and Paradoxes of Contemporary Russian Conservatism: Introduction." In Mikhail Suslov and Dmitry Uzlaner, eds., Contemporary Russian Conservatism. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 3–35; Magnus Feldmann and Honorata Mazepus. 2018. "State-Society Relations and the Sources of Support for the Putin Regime: Bridging Political Culture and Social Contract Theory." East European Politics 34:1: 57–76. 10 Emil A. Pain and Lev D. Gudkov. 2014. "Beseda na temu: 'V ozhidanii chuda: rossiiskoe obshchestvo posle krymskikh sobytii." [Discussion on the Topic: 'Waiting for a Miracle: Russian Society after the Crimean Events']. Politicheskaia kontseptologiia 1; Eduard Ponarin and Mihail Komin. 2018. "The Russian Elite's Imperial Nationalism and the Russian Society: The Emergence of a Grand Consensus." Sociology Compass 12: 12; Yuri Teper. 2018. "Kremlin's Post-2012 National Policies: Encountering the Merits and Perils of Identity-Based Social Contract." In Pål Kolstø and Helge Blakkisrud, eds., Russia Before and After Crimea. Nationalism and Identity, 2010–17. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 68. 520 Demokratizatsiya 28:4 (Fall 2020) should be understood as inherently dynamic. The Kremlin employs both structural and ideational improvisation, and this process by no means reached its end after the "Crimean consensus."11 In a similar vein, Magnus Feldmann and Honorata Mazepus point out that the social contract can be re-negotiated.12 As of the time of writing, it is clear that even if the majority of Russians still support the annexation of Crimea, the "patriotic boost" no longer serves as a significant source of legitimacy for the current leadership. Indeed, challenges related to state legitimacy have become even more acute in recent years, as socio-economic problems, corruption, and electoral fraud have triggered widespread protests. In the near future, the repercussions of the global Covid-19 pandemic will exacerbate these challenges. The process of "re-negotiating" the social contract between the state and the people is not over in contemporary Russia; by analyzing the narratives of the nation produced by the political leadership, we can gain some insight into the forms it may take in the future. Political Narratives as a Way to Generate Meaning The article draws on critical nationalism studies that treat the nation as a result of a deliberate construction process. As Yitzhak M. Brudny points out, shared beliefs about a nation's distinctive origins, culture, and history, among other things, are not immutable.13 These beliefs are also subject to manipulation. To a large extent, the construction of a nation is innately political, which is why I have found John Breuilly's concept of nationalism as an argument useful. The nationalist argument consists of three assumptions: that there exists a nation with an explicit character; that the interests


There are many factors that can influence students' vocabulary mastery in foreign language learning. This study aims to determine the relationship between logical thinking skills and students' mastery of German vocabulary. Research is an experimental study involving only the experimental class without the control class. Data collection techniques are done through writing test and logical thinking test in the form of Intelligent Structure Test (IST). The sample in this study were 21 high school students selected through random sampling techniques. The results of the analysis of this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between the ability to think logically with students' mastery of German vocabulary. Students who have good critical thinking skills, tend to more easily remember and understand new vocabulary in learning foreign languages.


Based on the characteristics of transmission line management requirement,the design scheme of a GIS-based 3-D transmission line planning design system,which uses digital elevation model(DEM),3-D equipment model,massive data processing technology,and 2D GIS,etc.,is implemented.An integral data model that contains design data,planning data,equipment model,and equipment properties,is developed through rational database design.The functions of this system satisfy requirements of transmission line planning,design,training simulation,etc.,and it is also capable of maintaining and querying the spatial and property information of equipment and facility.


In order to improve the construction quality of the photovoltaic power plant, the paper puts forward several measures about the design and execution in the construction of the mountainous region photovoltaic power station.


The present study explores the issue of teacher motivation as an essential factor for classroom effectiveness and improvement. Teacher motivation has to do with teachers' desire to participate in the education process. 133 foreign language teachers at the department of service English in the school of foreign languages at Hacettepe University participated in the study. Data was collected by using a questionnaire designed and developed by the researchers and validated by a team of the field experts. The reliability level was found .82 (Cronbach Alpha). Analysis of data revealed that the participating teachers differ in four issues: (a) teaching profession, (b) research, (c) physical conditions, and (d) social facilities. At the end of the study some recommendations were made on these issues.


The utility model discloses a particle surface dust separator, which comprises a chassis, a dedusting tumbling cylinder, a drive unit, a dedusting blower and a shell; wherein, the dedusting tumbling cylinder, which is inclined upwards and rotatably supported by the chassis, comprises a bulk material unit and a screener; the bulk material unit is a closed cylinder in which a bulk material pipe and lifting blades are arranged; the lifting blades are fixed on the inner wall of the bulk material unit; the bulk material pipe is arranged on the central axis of the bulk material unit and firmly connected with the lifting blades by supporting bars; the screener is a screening cylinder; the outer wall of the cylindrical body of the bulk material unit of the dedusting tumbling cylinder is surrounded by a circle of ring gear; the screener of the dedusting tumbling cylinder is covered by the shell; the bottom of the terminal of the shell is orderly provided with a fine sand-discharging outlet and a finished product-discharging outlet; the terminal of the shell is connected with a frustum-shaped dust-collecting hood and a dust-collecting tube; and the dedusting blower is communicated with the dust-collecting tube. The utility model has the following advantages: (1) the content of fine particles below 0.5mm is greatly reduced; (2) the dust content in the product is greatly reduced, the dedusting effect is good, and the effect on the environment is reduced.


The author outlines the seminal texts that frame the cooperation of ICOMOS with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and their joint efforts for the preservation of cultural property: 1) the ICOMOS statutes and charters; 2) convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage (1972); and its implementation. Appendices: list of States having deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance or accession to the convention (Oct. 1987); properties included in the World Heritage list in November 1986. -- ICCROM


Three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement of fringe projection profilometry (FPP) with high speed and accuracy is required in many applications. The measurement speed of FPP system is mainly limited by the low frame rate of pattern projection. Although defocusing binary patterns can be used to increase the measurement speed greatly, it will decrease the measurement depth. To this end, a novel triangular pattern generation method is proposed in this paper. By designing and projecting binary strip patterns with focused projector, images of triangular patterns can be then acquired with high frame rate. Fast and accurate 3D shape measurement can be finally obtained by using phase-shifting triangular patterns. Compared with the traditional sinusoidal patterns, the proposed method can improve the projection rate more than 4 times. Moreover, the proposed method will not decrease the measurement depth. Experimental results are given to confirm the validity of the proposed method.


The utility model discloses an integral structure for a carbon-fiber made bicycle handle. The structure comprises a left handle, a right handle and a vertical tube lock shaft which form a hollow tube by integral shaping with a carbon fiber layer. The left handle, the right handle and the vertical tube lock shaft are equipped with at least a carbon fiber reinforced rib which integrates with the inside wall of the left handle and the right handle and the vertical tube lock shaft on the base of strength provision, which can increase force-bearing strength of the wall and reduce wall thickness. Compared with prior art, the utility model not only reduces the wholly gravity of a bicycle, improves the structure strength, lowers manufacture cost and extends service life of bicycle but enhances market competitive power.


Abstract
 In this chapter, ten entrepreneurs who have led the establishment of their companies and are vigorously leading their development, share their motivations and insights. Hear from those who now lead international well-established enterprises to those who are emerging from the start-up or pilot phase and continue to work towards that first significant grant, or angel investment, that will enable them to take the first step to scale up.


Although there is considerable research on Employee Involvement and Participation (EIP) in Western European contexts, much of it to do with the decline in collective institutions much less is known...


Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography has become a standard procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatobiliary disease. Like any invasive procedure, it carries a small, but significant rate of serious complications such as duodenal perforation. Primary surgical closure is the treatment of choice for the cases of duodenal perforation. However, there have been some case reports in which endoscopic metal clip closure of an iatrogenic duodenal perforation was successful. We experienced three cases of successful treatment of the iatrogenic duodenal perforation using endoscopic clipping and fibrin glue injections during a duodenoscope insertion. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2011;42:57-61)


Smartphones allow permanent connectivity to the Dermatology student. Classically they have been described as distraction tools in healthcare and hospital settings. It is possible to use it as a didactic tool during the Dermatology consultation being a didactic support for those connectivist and constructivist professors.


Previous research in fair classification mostly focuses on a single decision model. In reality, there usually exist multiple decision models within a system and all of which may contain a certain amount of discrimination. Such realistic scenarios introduce new challenges to fair classification: since discrimination may be transmitted from upstream models to downstream models, building decision models separately without taking upstream models into consideration cannot guarantee to achieve fairness. In this paper, we propose an approach that learns multiple classifiers and achieves fairness for all of them simultaneously, by treating each decision model as a soft intervention and inferring the post-intervention distributions to formulate the loss function as well as the fairness constraints. We adopt surrogate functions to smooth the loss function and constraints, and theoretically show that the excess risk of the proposed loss function can be bounded in a form that is the same as that for traditional surrogated loss functions. Experiments using both synthetic and real-world datasets show the effectiveness of our approach.


Purpose: Investigating using medicines in rehabilitation patient to understand risks predicted from the effects of those drugs to promote safe rehabilitation. Subjects & Methods: 1039 patients (age mean 75.6±16.91), 392 males (74.05±17.49) and 647 females (76.54±16.60), who receive PT, OT and ST at four medical institutions. The survey items included age, sex, prescribed medications, presence or absence of medication logbook and medical record. The drugs collected in the questionnaire were classified according to the general table of contents of pharmacotherapy specialized book in Japan. Results: 6477 prescription drugs (62 types) for 1039 patients. About 6.23 drugs were prescribed per patient. In order of appearance, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (742), Peptic ulcer treatment (740), Antihypertensive drugs (699), Laxatives (451), Antipsychotics, Antidepressants, Mood stabilizers and Psychostimulants (423), Infusions and nutritional products (365), Anti-anxiety drugs and Sleeping pills (282). Conculsion: One-third of the patients who participated in this study are at increased risk of falls due to the effects of the drug. Also, the risk of falls increases as the number of drugs increases. Taking more than 5 medications increases the risk of falls from 1.1 to 2.4. The study found that they were taking an average of 6.23 medications and were at high risk of falling. Importantly, PT, OT & ST are not pharmacological experts. We propose that therapists make efforts to understand how prescribed medications affect patients for rehabilitation safety.


Chapter 1: Brief overview of the catalytic enantioselective functionalization and kinetic resolution of alcohols Chapter 2: Kinetic resolution of syn-diols by catalytic enantioselective sulfonylation Chapter 3: Significant improvement on catalytic enantioselective silylation of syn-diols and triols through the use of a tetrazole additive


Cooked soybean paste containing 10% lactic culture (Streptococcus thermophilus: Streptococcus lactis=1:1) was prepared. After adding 2% sodium chloride and inoculating P. caseicolum as a mold starter, the paste was ripened for 3 weeks under a definite condition. Cooking of soybean at 120•Ž for 30min was more suitable for making fermented soybean paste than at 100•Ž for 2h because of lower browning of soybean, higher acidity and protein degradation of paste during ripening. On ripening at 15 and 23•Ž, the mild flavor product was obtained on ripening at lower temperature. By addition of lactic acid bacteria to the paste, acidity in the paste was increased at 1 week, but the acidity rapidly decreased with progress of ripening and pH value in a ripening product raised to 8.0 at 3 weeks. The ratio of water soluble nitrogen to total nitrogen (Protein solubility ratio) reached to approximate 60% in the product at 3 weeks. Total free amino acid amount was 869mg/100g and the highest concentration of liberated amino acid was glutamic acid (187mg/100g). Linoleic acid was the highest amount of liberated fatty acid in the product at 3 weeks (484mg/100g). (Received Jun. 24, 1987)


We report here an experimental study of the Hughes and Southwood model of the transmission of electromagnetic signals from the ionosphere/magnetosphere to the lower atmosphere. The electric field data were obtained from one of eight high-latitude balloon payloads launched above the south geographic pole during the South Pole Balloon Campaign in the 1985–1986 austral summer. The magnetic field data are from the South Pole magnetometer. The balloon payloads were instrumented with double-probe electric field detectors and bremsstrahlung X ray detectors. One of the events from flight 7 (January 8, 1986, at 1500–1800 UT (1130–1430 MLT)) had an amplitude in the range of 10–20 mV/m and a period of several minutes. In the magnetosphere, the wave was probably an Alfven mode. The wave event was superimposed on background fluctuations that can be attributed to turbulence. The results agree with the predictions of the model in that the best coherence is observed between parallel components of E versus B. The results disagree with the predictions of the model in two respects. First, we find a frequency structure not predicted by the model, and second, we find intervals where the electric and magnetic field polarizations are of opposite handedness. The first discrepancy was modeled by taking account of the measured electrostatic turbulence. The second problem remains a puzzle.


The cross‐sensor field of an array consists of all products of the narrow‐band quadrature signal measured at one sensor multiplied by the complex conjugate of the quadrature signal measured at a second sensor. Three algorithms which use the cross‐sensor field to determine the level and direction of a set of acoustic waves incident on a billboard array are compared. These are correlation (conventional) beamforming, maximum likelihood estimation, and iterative decomposition.


the role of business. In this review, attention is generally restricted to the largest corporations and their corporate elite. At present there are more than two million business enterprises in the US, and nearly all are very small; in 1973, for instance, nine out often companies commanded assets of $1 million or less. Despite their large numbers, however, even in the aggregate these small companies are dwarfed in economic significance by the several thousand largest corporations. This dominance can be ex pressed in many ways; one index is the proportion of resources com manded by the approximately two thousand firms whose stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. These large companies accounte d in 1971 for 40% of all corporate assets, 60% of all corporate revenue, and 88% of all corporate income. 1973, the 1,000 largest industrial firms


In this paper, Fluent dynamic mesh and UDF technology are used to simulate the steady flow characteristics of the three-dimensional model of the full-opening valve and the transient flow characteristics during the closing process of the stop valve. The flow field distribution and parameters of each flow condition are obtained. The resistance coefficient of the fully open valve, the relationship between the different closing modes and the pressure of the water hammer are calculated, and the influence of different valve closing methods on the water hammer pressure is analyzed. The results show that the resistance coefficient obtained by simulation is close to the experimental results, and the error is 1.47 %. The pressure of water hammer decreases with the increase of closing time under certain closing mode. Under the condition that the closing time is certain, the water hammer pressure is affected by the valve closing mode, and the deceleration closing method can minimize the impact of the water hammer.


A site-selective annulation reaction between cyclic α-chloro eneformamides and cyclic anhydrides which provides direct and modular access to pharmaceutically pertinent izidinones and isoquinolones, is presented.


Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of ankle strategy exercise on balance ability in the women of octogenarians. Methods: Ankle strategy exercise group(n=14), leg strengthening exercise group(n=14) were measured an balance ability by Berg Balance Scale(BBS) scores and...


In this paper we present the composition, seasonal dynamics and fluctuations in diversity of the
phytoplankton in the Danube River over 24 years. Weekly samplings were conducted at one section of
the river at God, in the 1669 river kilometer segment. The change in the phytoplankton community
structure was analyzed in relation of water temperature and discharge means. Our findings support the
opinion that the Danube is very rich in species, although many of the species are rare and could be
described only as coloring species. Results indicate trends in the phytoplankton abundance, which are
only detectable in long-term studies. By the help of diversity indices we have observed an increase in the
phytoplankton community diversity. With the relevant information, an explanation of the significant
changes in diversity and richness was formed. Our goals were a construction of a solid database of the
phytoplankton, examining the seasonal dynamics of the phytoplankton through a 24 year long study and
to see the most important changing factors of the community. The results of this study are to assist and
help future model developments to predict the phytoplankton seasonal dynamic patterns.


Problems associated with assembly and packaging of two accelerometer Micro Electro Mechanical Sensors (MEMS) and associated Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) into a single compact package as per customer requirements were discussed, analysed and a High Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (HTCC) solution was suggested.


The Raman spectrum of hydrogen peroxide in the vapor phase has been measured for the first time by means of an Ar+ laser source. Three parallel bands were found at 3607 (v1), 1393.5 (v2), and 863.5 (v3) cm−1, with relative intensities of about 10:3:12. In deuterium peroxide the corresponding frequencies are 2668.5, 1028.5, and 867.0 cm−1, and the relative intensities, 20:3:12. Thus, the OO stretching frequency is appreciably lower in the free molecule than in condensed phases (880 cm−1). The shift corresponds to a bond shortening of about 0.01 A in the latter, in agreement with X-ray and neutron diffraction data for various crystals. The slight shift to higher frequency of the OO vibration in D2O2 is due primarily to coupling with the OD bending, as indicated by a normal coordinate analysis.


....................................................................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 4 AN HISTORY OF FEMINISM AND ITS STUDIES................................................................................................... 5 AIM OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................. 7 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................................... 8 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM ............................................................................................................................ 8 CONCEPTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 IDENTITY ................................................................................................................................................... 10 GENDER .................................................................................................................................................... 12 NARRATIVE STUDIES .................................................................................................................................. 13 SOCIAL REPRESENTATION THEORY .............................................................................................................. 15 METHOD ......................................................................................................................................................... 16 PARTICIPANTS .............................................................................................................................................. 16 MATERIALS AND PROCEDURE ...................................................................................................................... 16 WORD ASSOCIATION SURVEY (WAS) .......................................................................................................... 17 IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS............................................................................................................................... 19 DATA ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................................... 20 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY.......................................................................................................................... 21 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 22 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 23 CONTENT ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................... 23 STRUCTURAL RECONSTRUCTION ................................................................................................................ 23 NARRATIVE RECONSTRUCTION ................................................................................................................ 28 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................... 31 CONTENT ANALYSIS– FIRST ASSOCIATION CATEGORY AS THE CORE OF SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS ............... 31 STRUCTURAL RECONSTRUCTION – FAMILY, WOMAN SWEDEN & THE OTHER ............................................... 32 NARRATIVE RECONSTRUCTION – "WE ALL THINK ALIKE BECAUSE WE ARE ALIKE" ....................................... 34 CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 37 OBSERVATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ..................................................................................................... 37 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................. 39 APPENDIX 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 42 APPENDIX 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 46 APPENDIX 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 47


It is apparent to all who are familiar with the modern methods of plant sociology that the definition of a plant association is arrived at purely from a statistical study of the vegetation (BRAUN-BLANQUET, 1932). The very fact that this statistical method has been accepted internationally makes it irreproachable. Nevertheless it may be open to criticism from the b i o c h e m i c a 1 point of view, and in 1945 BHARUCHA suggested that a biochemical proof should be brought forth to test the validity of the statistical method of the plant sociologists. An investigation was started in this laboratory on plant associations which are influenced primarily by one 'dominating edaphic' factor, namely, the nitrophilous plant association which is governed by the nitrates of the soil or the calcicolous association which is conditioned by the calcium carbonate of the soil (BHARUCHA, 1949). During the investigation of the nitrophilous associations of Bombay the suggested biochemical theory was tried by methods based upon the following two premises:


The main purpose of the work was to test the applicability of bioclimatic modeling methods to mosses. Due to tiny size bryophyta are confined to micro-habitats, which can transmute the influence of climatic factors. Crossidium squamiferum was taken as test object. Potentially suitable climatic area of the species in the world was simulated using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling on base of four datasets different in volume (from 24 to 267 points). All the models are characterized by valid AUC values (from AUC=0.72 to AUC=0.96). According to the calculations, the most important variables determining the distribution of C. squamiferum are BIO4 (Temperature seasonality) and BIO8 (mean temperature of the wettest quarter). Habitats of the species in southern Siberia mark the Northern climatic boundary of the species area in Eurasia.


The rates of solid-solid phase transitions have been measured by nonspectroscopic techniques, such as differential thermal analysis (DTA), dilatometry, and x-ray powder diffraction. With DTA, the accuracy of the activation energy is rarely better than ±15% in part because good thermal contact between the sample and, the pan is difficult to maintain. Dilatometry measures the volume change accompanying a thermodynamic first order phase transition. Crystal decomposition and out-gassing of trapped solvent molecules complicate the method. High temperature x-ray powder diffraction is restricted to relatively slow phase transformations. If the solid phase transition is quenched and the intensity of a characteristic peak measured, errors can be incurred in determining the concentration. Internal standards may alleviate this problem, but sample homogeneity becomes an issue.


This study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of quality management of industrial training management services by CUIC UUM. The study essentially utilizes the SERVQUAL service quality study model as a theoretical framework and the development of questionnaires. The questionnaires contained demographic information and 49 measurement items. Fieldwork was conducted from June 2014 to January 2015, i.e. the training session of the UUM's student industry training or the respondents. The unit of analysis used is the individual, who is a UU CUIC customer. A total of 827 questions were analyzed. The results show that there is a strong relationship between the quality of service quality produced by CUIC UUM with the level of customer satisfaction. The five dimensions of service quality, namely reliability, assurance, empathy, sensitivity, and reliability as well as the role of marketing or promotion communication indicate the varying strengths of relationships in influencing customer satisfaction of service dominating organizations such as CUIC UUM.


Positive‐unlabeled (PU) learning considers two samples, a positive set P with observations from only one class and an unlabeled set U with observations from two classes. The goal is to classify observations in U. Class mixture proportion estimation (MPE) in U is a key step in PU learning. Blanchard et al. showed that MPE in PU learning is a generalization of the problem of estimating the proportion of true null hypotheses in multiple testing problems. Motivated by this idea, we propose reducing the problem to one‐dimension via construction of a probabilistic classifier trained on the P and U data sets followed by application of a one‐dimensional mixture proportion method from the multiple testing literature to the observation class probabilities. The flexibility of this framework lies in the freedom to choose the classifier and the one‐dimensional MPE method. We prove consistency of two mixture proportion estimators using bounds from empirical process theory, develop tuning parameter free implementations, and demonstrate that they have competitive performance on simulated waveform data and a protein signaling problem.


In this paper, a nonlinear distortion analysis of power delivery network and the impact of nonlinear characteristics of DC-DC converter on the PDN output have been analyzed. The harmonic components for an equivalent PDN model have been estimated using Volterra series for 50 Hz input ripples. The mean relative error between analytical and simulated results for the fundamental (H<inf>1</inf>(jω<inf>1</inf>)), the second (H<inf>2</inf> (jω<inf>1</inf>, jω<inf>2</inf>)) and the third harmonic (H<inf>2</inf>(jω<inf>1</inf>, jω<inf>2</inf>, jω<inf>3</inf>)) responses are 3%, 1% and 7%, respectively. For input intercept points (IIP<inf>2</inf> and IIP<inf>3</inf>), the difference between analytical and simulation results are 0.5 dB and 2.8 dB, respectively.


We begin with a brief outline of what could be defined as the state of inte? gration of immigrants in Italy today. The overall picture that emerges is some? what patchy,' with a mixture of light and dark areas.1 In relation to the statistics and real life, the picture seems to be mostly positive. There is an increasing number of family reunifications. Whereas approximately 92,000 permits were in effect on January 1, 1992, this totaled over 270,000 by January 1, 1999. In 1998 more than 56,000 permits were granted, an increase of 26.4 percent from the previous year. The number of foreign students in Italian schools has also increased. In the eight year period between the school years 1989-90 and 1997-98, the number of Italian stu? dents fell from 8.5 to 7.7 million, while the number of foreign students increased from 13,700 to over 70,600, reaching more than 85,000 in the year 1998-99. In the current school year the approximate estimate is close to 100,000 foreign students. Membership in trade unions has risen considerably (the number of foreign members in the CISL doubled between 1992 and 1998, increasing from 44,000 to nearly 89,000; at the end of July 1999, the


Performance evaluation of government activities is essential in any democracy. Government, no matter the level (central/federal, state, or local), should be accountable and responsible to the electorate and a host of other stakeholders. Accountability involves, among other things, an assessment of policy outcomes, along with the means and processes used to deliver the policies. Were the policies suitable for the problems that the electorate wanted to be solved? Were the policies implemented efficiently and effectively? Did the electorate, taxpayers, and users of public services (often these aw distinct groups) obtain value‐for‐money?


Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in air is characterized applying current measurement, numerical simulation and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). For OES, a non-calibrated spectrometer is used. This diagnostic method is applicable when cross-sectional area of the active plasma volume and current density can be determined. The nitrogen emission in the spectral range of 380 nm- 406 nm is used for OES diagnostics. Electric field in the active plasma volume is determined applying the measured spectrum, well-known Frank-Condon factors for nitrogen transitions and numerically- simulated electron distribution functions. The measured electric current density is used for determination of electron density in plasma. Using the determined plasma parameters, the dissociation rate of nitrogen and oxygen in active plasma volume are calculated, which can be used by simulation of the chemical kinetics.


Enterprise credit,the action of keeping promises and meeting engagements,is the rational economical conduct of enterprises to pursue the greatest benefits,while enterprise integrity keeps its own faith that enterprises should make and take the duty and responsibility for the society.These duties and responsibilities are determined through exchange contract.Enterprise credit and integrity differ in the theory of human nature,Yi-Li conception,establishing and consummating system,directedness,and reflective thinking.The discriminatory relation between them shows that developing enterprise integrity culture has fundamental significance.


These notes accompany some lectures given at the autumn school "Tresses in Pau" in October 2009. The abelian Reidemeister torsion for 3-manifolds, and its refinements by Turaev, are introduced. Some applications, including relations between the Reidemeister torsion and other classical invariants, are surveyed.


The aim of this paper is to analyze La luz argentina (1983), by César Aira, based on the verification that it constitutes the first urban-themed piece in the writer's work. Our hypothesis is that the prolific series that makes up the urban cycle in Aira's work, identified almost exclusively with the Flores cycle, is actually inaugurated with this novel. Although La luz argentina tells a story of interiors in which the city appears mostly indirectly, the characters' refuge of intimacy does not constitute a hermetic and impermeable space but, on the contrary, is haunted by the outside. Thus, the city imposes its ghostly presence even in domestic life and not only through the nocturnal excursions of the characters.


This paper aims to estimate Russian cancer incidence and mortality derivatives given limited access to medical and demographic data. We use the population model of cancer proposed by J. Duchêne, which is a special case of a well-known multiple-decrement life table that makes it possible to obtain otherwise inaccessible indicators, such as the prevalence of cancer in the population. Applying this model to the publicly available Russian cancer incidence and mortality data, we were able to estimate the following indicators: average age at disease onset, average duration of disease, prevalence of malignant cancer, and average age at death from malignant cancer in Russia. We aimed to determine whether the prevalence of cancer is on the rise in the Russian Federation and, if it is, whether this increase is occurring due to an expansion of morbidity.


This thesis provides an original framework to
study the relational dimension of local innovation systems
(LIS). More specifically, this work aims to explore which
configurations of network structure and network
portfolio composition are associated to high performing LISs by conducting a Social Network Analysis of the benchmark case of Greater Boston Biopharma ecosystem and by
interviewing key stakeholders in the area.


In general E6 inspired model which has two additional U(1) symmetries at the string scale whose one combination is a light enough vector boson Z(θ), we compute the contribution of Zθ to the $\gamma e^-\rightarrow e^- \bar \nu \nu$ scattering at the aim of calculating the energy loss. We find that the two U(1)'s must be combined at 90° to have a significant contribution.


With the development of China's market economy, variety of enterprises have made considerable development. And they made great contributions on strengthening the comprehensive development for China. The problems existed in human resources management has restricted the further development of the enterprise. By doing comprehensive research on the present situation of human resource management of an enterprise in Tai'an city, we try to analyze the specific problems existed in human resource management and to put forward a series of solutions.


This paper presents a vision servo system for high-voltage-live-working robot, which consists of image acquisition subsystem, image processing subsystem and robot control subsystem. It uses binocular stereo camera which mounted on the hand of robot to get the image of the working scene, and then uses binocular stereo vision algorithms together with target tracking algorithm to get the 3-Dimensions information of the power equipment. The robot control subsystem receives the 3-Dimensions information, and then guide the robot moving to the target location to implement the high-voltage-work. The proposed system can implement the high-voltage-work without Human involvement and improve works level of automation and efficiency.


The growing attention to metadata is evidence of the current trend of the World Wide Web to evolve towards forms more suited to scientific communication. This would be structured in such a way as to allow the retrieval of relevant information that is safeguarded from the point of view of its authenticity and security. We can therefore say that the trend is towards "quality information", which can be defined by four key words: structured , enriched by metadata , updated , certified . The article means to focalize attention on metadata, taken as a decisive clearance junction of this evolutionary phase of the Web, in which the interests of the specialists of information for the structuring and standardization of data and the "economic" interests of those who offer commodities and services on the net are united. While it is impossible to examine all the current experiences in this sector, it intends expounding the information and occasions for reflection that emerged from the work of the group in relation to some cases of actual application of metadata: the digitalization of Italian parliamentary papers, the creation of metadata to integrate parliamentary papers already in digital form, the creation of specific metadata for legislative provisions, within the sphere of the project Norma in rete (Regulations on the Internet). The metadata actually make it possible to more easily and precisely carry out the three basic activities that an information system must ensure: identification, use and conservation of electronic resources. Although all the resources present on the Web are provided in some way with metadata, there is a lack of the homogeneity and consistency that are by now usual in the world of analogic information (from the form of presentation of the documents to cataloguing); on the other hand digital resources offer a much greater complexity and variety, and therefore the fundamental problem of standardization is presented in a completely new way. The research proceeds according to two complementary guiding principles: one consists in structuring homogenous, even if complex, sets of metadata, aimed at specific applications and projects and therefore addressed to a definite area of digital resources; the other aims at developing a standard for universal diffusion. This would be very simple and based on the principle of description by the author. The ultimate objective is that of interoperability. On the one hand this is pursued by paying special attention to the compatibility of specific sets with the standard, in such a way as to be able to map different sets and even traditional description standards. On the other, because of the complexity of some information systems, the presence, with regard to the resources themselves, of different sets by function (e.g., one for the description of the contents and one for preservation) and by complexity (a rapid description can then be followed by a more complete one) is allowed, and devices for hosting them in a common architecture are being studied. Particular attention is devoted to the Dublin Core, a tendentially universal standard, characterized by a limited number of elements defined through clear and universally intelligible semantics and prepared for ensuring interoperability with other standards and tools for the search of online resources. The article sums up the state of the discussion regarding the development of the elements of the set and their descriptors in order to satisfy the most specific requirements of different communities of users, which are likewise free to use the syntax deemed most opportune. If the Dublin Core can be offered as a model for the "semantics" of the metadata, there can also be interesting developments as regards the "syntax" from the adoption of the RDF (Resource Description Framework) model which, by exploiting the potential of the XML language, proposes an approach based on the concept of relation between data and metadata . Other interesting occasions for reflection come from the extensive and increasingly felt problem of the preservation of electronic resources, both with regard to the permanence of access and the guarantee of authenticity. In outlining the main strategies for preservation of electronic resources, the role that metadata play within these latter is emphasized: both in the so-called "migration" strategy and, especially, in the "emulation" strategy, they constitute a structured attempt to describe the requirements for the long-term management of electronic documents. A special mention must be made of the OAIS (Open Archival Information System) model, developed especially to respond to the requirement of long-term preservation of digital resources. Although originated from the world of scientific research, it is of great interest for anyone who produces and means to preserve electronic resources. It offers a dynamic vision of the metadata for conservation, seen as an integral part of an AIP (Archival Information Package), formed from the digital resource that is intrinsically linked to its metadata. Different projects of the library area, such as CEDARS and NEDLIB are currently developing parts of the OAIS model within projects that also include testing of the emulation strategy.


Risk communication is an interactive process which aims to reduce public concerns about health- and environmental risks through gaining trust and confidence. PFASs (Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances) is more addressed today amongst Swedish municipalities because there are concern for surface- and groundwater pollution and concern about long-term health risks. This study aims to investigate by qualitative interviews how four Swedish municipalities handles their risk communication about PFASs. Also, what important factors that are needed for successful risk communication and future needs for the development of risk communication handling long- term risks. This study shows that the municipalities work with communication strategies which includes both intern and extern cooperation's for communicating about PFASs. They reach the public by websites, social networks and media. There are no active risk communications within the municipalities today, due to establishing that PFASs does not lead to acute effects. The public are silent and their concerns are considered low, which also contributes to that the municipalities does not conveys information about PFASs today. The results showed several needs for development of risk communications about long-term risks such as increased knowledge about PFASs effects on health and the environment, governance, guidelines and support for the development of important communication-factors. The municipalities need to address changes regarding developing a more preventive and proactive way of dealing with long-term risks. Which requires cooperation and guidance from central authorities. Successful risk communication includes key factors such as planning of the information, to recognize the responsibility and involvement of key stakeholders, trust and confidence, a full accounting, presentation of the uncertainties, transparent and an open process, a long-term and proactive risk communication. The importance of a responsible risk communicator is to act immediately and to be accessible at all time. (Less)


For a directed graph G on vertices {0,1,...,n}, a G-parking function is an n-tuple (b_1,...,b_n) of non-negative integers such that, for every non-empty subset U of {1,...,n}, there exists a vertex j in U for which there are more than b_j edges going from j to G-U. We construct a family of bijective maps between the set P_G of G-parking functions and the set T_G of spanning trees of G rooted at 0, thus providing a combinatorial proof of |P_G| = |T_G|.


Birth asphyxia is a major cause of hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates and often associated with mortality, neonatal seizures, brain damage, and later life motor, cognitive, and behavioral impairments and epilepsy. Preclinical studies on rodent models are needed to develop more effective therapies for preventing HIE and its consequences. Thus far, the most popular rodent models have used either exposure of intact animals to hypoxia‐only, or a combination of hypoxia and carotid occlusion, for the induction of neonatal seizures and adverse outcomes. However, such models lack systemic hypercapnia, which is a fundamental constituent of birth asphyxia with major effects on neuronal excitability. Here, we use a recently developed noninvasive rat model of birth asphyxia with subsequent neonatal seizures to study later life adverse outcome.


Computer-assisted composition, first used for primary journals in the 1960s, became an important component of publishing in the 1970s and the dominant production method of the 1980s. During the last half of this decade, the availability of word-processing tools and the affordability of computer systems have made electronic submission of manuscripts common in many publishing applications and have intensified discussions of the practicality of electronic submission for other applications. Authors and publishers share a common interest but have different perspectives on requirement and expectations. Utilization of electronically submitted material at any stage of the publication process would significantly impact that stage, with peer review, technical editing, and production being the principal targets for change. Challenges exist in the translation of tables, mathematical expressions, chemical structures, and other graphics from a variety of word processors to formats required for composition. Database applications demand the additional requirement of data-element identification


In-service loading conditions usually generate complex cyclic stress states. As such, the choice of an appropriate multiaxial fatigue criterion plays a crucial role in obtaining correct fatigue predictions. In the case of high cycle fatigue, the observation of the stabilized behavior is generally required to build either stress-based criteria or energybased criteria. The different energy-based approaches can be classified according to the kind of energy which is assumed to drive the fatigue process. Indeed, the total strain energy is not entirely dissipated into heat since a fraction is stored in the material. While the link between fatigue damage and dissipated energy remains unclear, the interest for stored energy approaches is motivated by the correlation that exists between stored energy and fatigue damage accumulation. More specifically, energy storage and fatigue damage are both related to the behavior of dislocations. Energy storage corresponds to an increase of the free energy associated with the multiplication of defects (e.g. dislocations, vacancies) while fatigue damage often results from the evolution of the dislocation substructure. Consequently, constitutive laws must include a correct description of the energy balance to obtain robust estimations of the fatigue life under uniaxial and multiaxial loading conditions from energetic approaches. In the present work, it is proposed to study the evolution of the energy balance at both macroscopic and microscopic scales. The studied material is a medium carbon steel which is submitted to a uniaxial cyclic loading with different stress amplitudes. The evolution of stored and dissipated energies at a macroscopic scale is experimentally determined from strain and temperature measurements by using an appropriate thermomechanical framework. To gain insight into the energy balance at a microscopic scale, a polycrystalline model is proposed. The proposed model, which is based on FFT homogenization techniques, is developed within a crystal plasticity framework. An alternative definition of the internal variables associated with isotropic hardening is proposed to reproduce the diminution of the average stored energy per cycle which is experimentally observed with an increasing number of applied cycles. From the simulation results, it is observed that both the stored energy and dissipated energy fields are strongly scattered. The dispersion is mostly explained by the crystallographic orientation distribution and the internal stresses whose development is facilitated by the presence of a two-phased microstructure.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) is the gold reference for diagnosing urolithiasis and became highly available in emergency rooms (ER). We aimed to analyze pattern...


In a recent series of important works \cite{wei-zhang-1,wei-zhang-2,wei-zhang-3}, Wei-Zhang proved several vanishing theorems for non-simple blow-up solutions of singular Liouville equations. It is well known that a non-simple blow-up situation happens when the spherical Harnack inequality is violated near a quantized singular source. In this article, we further strengthen the conclusions of Wei-Zhang by proving that if the spherical Harnack inequality does hold, there exist blow-up solutions with non-vanishing coefficient functions.


Has being a dad changed him [Chris Martin]? 'Well, in the same way I can't believe that I've been allowed to be in Coldplay, I can't believe I'm allowed to be Apple's dad.' He takes a ruminative suck on his cocktail. 'It's extraordinary. Every day I treat it like, "Wow, so you want to hang out with me!" It's made me see things in more extreme colour. If we're going to do something with the band, I want to do it properly and to the power of 10. [. . .] Things that seemed threatening seem even more threatening – on a very simple level, things like environmental stuff.' (McLean 2005)


Abstract Disclosure: R. Thapa: None. B. Bany: None. ATOH8 is a member of the vast basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein family that is widely known to play a role in various physiological and pathological processes. However, the functional significance of ATOH8 expression in the endometrium during implantation and in the first trimester of pregnancy in women is still lacking. In the mid to late secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, elongated fibroblast-like mesenchymal cells in the uterine endometrium begin to trans-differentiate into polygonal epithelioid-like (decidual) cells. During pregnancy, this process continues more broadly and supports successful embryo implantation and early placental development. We employed an established in vitro model using uterine fibroblast (HuF) cells derived from the decidua parietalis of term patients to investigate the function of ATOH8 during in vitro decidualization. All experiments were carried out using cells isolated from at least six independent patients (N=6). We measured the expression of classical decidualization marker genes and the characteristic shape change from small fibroblast-like cells to large epitheloid-like decidual cells to assess decidualization. Treating cells with steroids plus a membrane-permeable cAMP analog (EPC) for 48h caused in vitro decidualization of these cells, while treatment with vehicle alone had no effect. We discovered that ATOH8 expression was dramatically upregulated during this decidualization at both the mRNA and protein levels, with the protein primarily localized to the nucleus. The functional role of ATOH8 during decidualization was investigated using lentivirus-mediated shRNA knockdown or overexpression of ATOH8. When ATOH8 expression was silenced, we discovered that the ability of the cells to undergo decidualization was greatly and significantly diminished. On the other hand, overexpression of ATOH8 enhanced some aspects of decidualization. The addition of recombinant BMP2 alone had little effect on ATOH8 expression. However, in the presence of EPC it significantly enhanced ATOH8 expression. This effect of BMP2 on ATOH8 expression was inhibited by preincubating the cells with 500 nM DMH-1 (an ALK2/3 inhibitor) for one hr prior to inducing decidualization. Steroids alone did not affect ATOH8 or BMP2 expression. However, the addition of cAMP alone represented the major effect of EPC on ATOH8 expression while having a slight impact on BMP2 expression. A robust increase in BMP2 expression required the presence of both steroids and cAMP together. Our results indicate that ATOH8 plays a crucial role in human endometrial stromal cell decidualization. Further, our results suggest that ALK2/3 receptors are most likely involved in mediating the effect of BMP2 on increasing ATOH8 expression. Keywords: ATOH8, Decidualization, Embryo Implantation Presentation: Thursday, June 15, 2023


In a modern, networked production, the possibility of optimizing the machining process can be achieved by the use of work pieceand toolside sensors and actuators. Thereby, the application possibilities of sensors and actuators move closer to the process due to a progressive reduction of their size. The use of intelligent tool systems allows recording data of the machining process near the cutting zone and applying them for inprocess control of process parameters.


Almost two decades after the popularization of commercial Internet in Brazil, its harmful use continues to be debated. Contrary to this trend, the present paper aims at highlighting something that receives little attention in the context of psychology and psychoanalysis: the positive effects of the Internet. D. W. Winnicott's concepts of potential space and play are articulated to the virtual space created by the Internet. Observations of daily life, bibliographical references and an investigation carried out with Brazilian Net users support our view that, at least for some, the Internet can play the role of potential space and also act as a place for play.


Ultra wide band (UWB) systems based on impulse radio have the potential to provide very high data rates over short distances. This paper presents the analysis and simulations of an UWB MB-OOK transceiver in the 6-8.5GHz band. This study is focused on the bandpass filter bank in the transceiver's architecture. The transmitter behavior is simulated employing the software package HP-ADS. The use of a Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) filter bank in the transceiver is considered. Finally, system performance in terms of throughput, error probability and covered distance are estimated for the proposed architecture..