Lymphangioma may be present anywhere but may rarely affect the oral cavity. If tongue is affected, anterior dorsal part of the tongue is the most commonly affected site. Pathognomonic features of lymphangioma of the tongue are irregular nodularity of the surface of the tongue with gray and pink projections forming a pebbly surface that resembles a cluster of translucent vesicles or "frog egg" or tapioca pudding appearance.[2] It may lead to macroglossia with speech disturbances, poor oral hygiene, and bleeding from tongue associated with oral trauma.[3]


Abstract A dual-station high-frequency Wellen Radar (WERA), transmitting at 16.045 MHz, was deployed along the west Florida shelf in phased array mode during the summer of 2003. A 33-day, continuous time series of radial and vector surface current fields was acquired starting on 23 August ending 25 September 2003. Over a 30-min sample interval, WERA mapped coastal ocean currents over an ≈40 km × 80 km footprint with a 1.2-km horizontal resolution. A total of 1628 snapshots of the vector surface currents was acquired, with only 70 samples (4.3%) missing from the vector time series. Comparisons to subsurface measurements from two moored acoustic Doppler current profilers revealed RMS differences of 1 to 5 cm s−1 for both radial and Cartesian current components. Regression analyses indicated slopes close to unity with small biases between surface and subsurface measurements at 4-m depth in the east–west (u) and north–south (υ) components, respectively. Vector correlation coefficients were 0.9 with complex ph...


Honduran coffee is one of the best coffees worldwide. Its cultivation and subsequent quality control require the use of expert cuppers. In this work a fuzzy logic type-2 expert system is used as a tool to obtain the quality level of a Honduran cup of coffee based on subjective criteria used by cuppers. A case is shown to prove the effectiveness of the expert system. The system was tested in more than 500 cases of which 97% of the time cuppers agreed with the results of the expert system.


PURPOSE: An information processing system, an integrated information processing system, a calculating method of execution load, and computer program are provided to decide execution load easily in the information processing system by displaying execution load to a user. CONSTITUTION: A graphic processing system includes a graphic processor(2) for carrying out image processing, a control processor(1) for producing a drawing ready signal to enable the image processing, and a time counter(3) for determining process time for the image processing. The graphic processor begins execution of the image processing in response to the reception of the drawing ready signal and produces a drawing complete signal upon completion of the image processing. The drawing complete signal represents the completion of the image processing. The time counter begins determination of the execution load on the processor in response to the reception of the drawing ready signal and terminates the determination in response to the reception of the drawing complete signal.


The first report of mass mortality in migratory birds was received by the Rajasthan Forest Department on 10 November 2019. A joint team of forest, revenue and animal husbandry officials visited the Sambhar lake area the same day, and samples were collected to test for bird flu. It was decided on the spot that carcasses would be collected and buried in deep pits with limestone due to the fear of disease spread. Due to the threat of bird flu, the local staff was advised to adopt appropriate prophylactic measures such as the use of masks and gloves during their field visits and while handling the carcasses. Preliminary findings gave a negative result for bird flu. Thereafter, water samples and biological samples were sent to multiple Government laboratories for further analysis. The Sambhar Salt Lake (26°52′–27°02′N, 74°54′–75°14′E) is situated in the Jaipur, Ajmer, and Nagaur districts of Rajasthan, India, spread over 230 km area (Figure 1). It is India's largest inland saline wetland and has been recognized as a wetland of international importance and was designated as a Ramsar Site in 1990. The Lake is fed by four seasonal rivers, namely Mendha, Rupangarh, Kharian and Khandel, forming a catchment area of 5700 km. The lake has an asymmetrical drainage pattern; the northern and eastern portions are poorly drained, whereas the western and southern parts serve as a confluence of streams. The Lake is an extensive saline wetland, with water depth fluctuating from 60 cm (24 in) during the dry season to about 3 m (10 ft) at the end of the monsoon season. The Lake is a revenue area, part of which has been leased out for salt-making, accounting for 9% of the total salt production in India. The salt production is mostly managed by a Government-owned company and the State Government of Rajasthan. The Sambhar Salt Lake is rich in biodiversity; being an inland salt lake, its unique ecosystem supports a highly specialized group of organisms. Both the lesser flamingo and greater flamingo are the flagship species of this Lake. It is probably the most important site for flamingos in the Indian subcontinent, outside the Rann of Kutch. This Lake is also an important bird area and reportedly hosts a large number of migratory birds every winter. The migratory birds that arrive at Sambhar either use the Lake as a stopover site en route to their wintering grounding areas in peninsular India or beyond, or spend the entire winter months there. A total of 83 species of waterfowl have been recorded in Sambhar. Some commonly reported waterfowl species are greater flamingo, lesser flamingo, northern shoveler, common coot, northern pintail, gadwall, mallard, garganey, common teal, pied avocet, Kentish plover, and ruff. The entire rescue operation was aimed to remove the source of infection, viz. dead birds from the site to avoid feeding healthy birds on carcasses, and to prevent ingestion of preformed botulinum toxin. As the disposal of dead birds had to be carried out quickly, the species-wise record of birds that had died could not be maintained. However, all birds were waders and dabbling duck groups. Northern shoveler, Kentish plover, black-winged stilt and common coot were the most affected species. Daily collection of dead birds was done and a total of 22,983 dead birds were collected in the Jaipur and Nagaur districts of Sambhar Salt Lake (Figure 2). The combing operation was carried out using drones and inflatable boats. About 1293 birds were rescued from the Sambhar Salt Lake (Figure 3). The rescued birds were treated on-site and after stabilization they were shifted to the rescue centre. After recovery, the ringing of the birds was done and they were released into the wild. A total of 515 rescued birds were released in the wild after treatment. It was noticed that the affected birds were of waders and dabbling duck groups, which are carnivorous and omnivorous respectively. Flamingos and other local birds were not affected. Also, in the freshwater lake Ratan Talab near the affected site, no bird mortality was reported. The dead birds belonged predominantly to the three orders mentioned below. (a) Order Charadriiformes. (i) Waders: 16 species, viz. curlew sandpiper, marsh sandpiper, common sandpiper, little-ringed plover, ruff, black-winged stilt, Kentish plover, red-wattled lapwing, whitetailed lapwing, little stint, Temminck's stint, pied avocet, common redshank, common greenshank, dunlin and Eurasian curlew. Most of them feed by probing into the mud or by picking items off the surface. (ii) Gulls: Four species, viz. Pallas's gull, black-headed gull, brown-headed gull and steppe gull. The diet of gulls (Laridae) is highly varied and includes fish, small birds, rodents and a wide range of invertebrates (by active predation), as well as carrion garbage and vegetable material. (b) Order Anseriformes. Family Anatidae: Seven species, viz. northern shoveler, common teal, ruddy shelduck, garganey, mallard, gadwall and common pochard. They feed on aquatic


Social networking is the use of Internet and communications technologies to build human relationships between individuals via sharing and exchange of personal information over designated web sites and services such as Facebook and Twitter. The explosion in popularity of Social Networking over the past several years has resulted in a remarkable increase in Internet usage among the general population. Understanding how this technology is affected by human emotions and personality can help us understand how and why this technology has been so successful in enhancing human communications. Our study found that higher levels of introversion lead to higher likelihood of Social Networking use. However, higher levels of extraversion lead to higher frequency of Social Networking activity. Surprisingly, there are no positive emotions that influence whether someone uses social networking or not. Three emotions do correlate with use, but in a negative fashion. The amount of time people spend on social networking is positively related to being enthusiastic and proud and not being irritated or disappointed. Finally, we examine how often people visit social networking sites. Frequency of visits is related to enthusiasm and lack of disappointment. Gender and age correlations are also discussed.


In the last two decades, in the city of Barcelona, Spain, there has been a growing interpenetration between art practice and political activism. The MACBA, Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona, played a key role in promoting 'direct action as one of the Fine Arts'. Rancière's theories of the politics of aesthetics have been very influential at the MACBA. Describing different events of political conflict around the MACBA in the recent past, this article investigates the contradictions in the relation between art, activism and the politics of aesthetics in Barcelona, and advances a critique of the limits of Rancière's notion of politics.


The paper outlines the problems surrounding Health and Safety issues in the Film and Television production in Australia, with a particular focus on the industry in Queensland. In particular it identifies the lack of any uniform OHS system or practice operating nationally within Australia. It argues for the introduction of a general safety induction Blue Card for the Screen Industry and in addition that accredited courses are introduced within Queensland to support this card.


North Korea and South Korea separated as a result of the agreement between the United
States and Russia at the end of World War II. Both are officially separated in a line called the
line of 38 degrees or known by demilitarized zone (DMZ). Russia occupied North Korea and the
United States occupied the area of South Korea. It makes both Korea has a system of
government that are different from each other. Since the two countries agreed on a cease-fire in
1953, although the peace agreement has been reached, such as July 4, 1972, the Joint
CommuniquA© between North Korea and South Korea and the Joint Declaration of 15 June 2000
between the two Korean leader at the time, but the conflict is still ongoing, seen from the
intensity and action of North Korean propaganda that quite high. North Korea continually held
a nuclear test and missile launches as coercive diplomacy. To suppress the provocative actions
of North Korea , the United States uses the largest dispute resolution forum Korean Peninsula
called Six Party Talks ( SPT ) , while on the one hand , South Korea actually wants a resolution
of the conflict between South Korea and North Korea through the negotiating forum . However,
SPT which composed of the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and both Korea came to a halt
since the release of North Korean negotiating table in 2009. The existence of third parties who
are trying to achieve these interests by utilizing the Korean Peninsula as a game arena make this
conflict more complex. It also shows that the Korean conflict resolution strategies using multiple
mediators are ineffective. The emergence of new parties in the form of a single mediator is
needed to remove the deadlock. Indonesia, a country whose position and its potential should be
reckoned, having the opportunity to take this role.


An electron-photon coincidence technique has been used to study the coherence of the excitation of the 32P state in sodium. The total polarisation of the decay photons has been determined by measuring the linear and circular components of the Stokes's vector. Analysis of the reduced degree of polarisation mod P mod shows that the excitation is coherent for electrons which have been scattered through the angular range from 3 to 10 degrees . The concept of reduced polarisation assumes that the Percival-Seaton hypothesis applies to the collision. Thus the authors deduce that the nuclear spin plays no role in the excitation process at this energy and over these scattering angles. Scattering parameters have been deduced from the individual components of the Stokes's vector. These have been compared with those predicted by calculations based on the first Born and distorted-wave polarised orbital approximations. It is found that neither theory adequately describes the interaction.


This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of cumin powder on microbial and sensorial characteristics of cottage cheese. Each cheese sample (60 g) was packed into polyethylene plastic bag and put into containers. The containers were tightly closed and stored at room temperature for one week. Sensory evaluation was carried out at zero-day and microbial analysis was carried out at 0, 3 and 5 days interval. All sensory attributes were affected by cumin powder concentration. Cumin powder showed a strong antimicrobial effect and all sensory attributes were affected by cumin powder concentration. Treatment of cheese with 1% cumin powder is recommended for antimicrobial and sensorial quality.


The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a ceramic thermal barrier coating on a component for use in compressor and turbine components by means of a vapor deposition process, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a ceramic vapor for deposition on the component; b) deposition of the ceramic vapor on the component to form a columnar or columnar-like structured thermally insulating layer, said pillars or stems are oriented substantially perpendicular to a component surface; and c) varying at least one process parameters during process step b), such that the resulting thermally insulating layer comprises columns or stalks that have to alternately decreasing and increasing in diameter. The invention further relates to a thermal barrier coating for components for use in compressor and turbine components, wherein the thermal insulation layer of a columnar or columnar-like structured ceramic thermal barrier coating consists and the columns or stems are oriented substantially perpendicular to a component surface. According to the invention the columns or stem decreasing and increasing diameters to alternately.


This review outlines the progress of the types, occurrence, structures, extraction, separation, bio-assay and induction of Solanaceous phytoalexins. The future perspective is also discussed.


Optimization allocation of land-use structure was the core content of land-use planning and that was the important way to realize the sustainable utilization for land resources. Given the powerful data management and spatial analysis function,GIS was used widely in the field of land-use structure optimization research. In this paper the author summarized the application of GIS in land use structure optimization study, expounded the advantages and disadvantages of different optimization methods and analyzed the development trend of the future period of application of GIS in optimization of land use.


Background: - Risky sexual behaviors are any behavior that increases the probability of adverse sexual and reproductive health problems. Risky sexual behaviors predispose adolescent and young people to a variety of sexually associated problems such as sexually transmitted infection, Human immune virus and unwanted pregnancy. Yet, little has studied about risky behaviors in the context of night students in Ethiopia at large and study area in particular.\r\nObjective: - To assess the magnitude and factors of risky sexual behaviors among grade 9-12 night students in Awi Zone, North west Ethiopia, 2020.\r\nMethods: -A cross-sectional study was conducted. The total sample size was 801. Participants were selected through simple random sampling technique and data were collected using a pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire. Epi data for data entry and SPSS for analysis were used. P-value less than 0.05 at multiple logistic regressions was considered as statistically significant.\r\nResults: -One hundred twenty (40.4%) have risky sexual behavior. Mean age of first sexual initiation was 18.64(SD± 2.16) and quite large proportion of respondents (30%) had initiated sex before 18 years. Grade level (AOR=2.52, 95% CI, 1.12-5.69), practicing sex in hotels (AOR= 2.82, 95% CI, 1.11-6.94), having sex at school compounds ( AOR= 3.27, 95% CI, 1.05-10.17), exposure to pornographic films (AOR= 5.49, 95%CI, 2.45-12.28) ,peer pressure (AOR= 4.86, 95% CI, 2.31-10.22) and permissive type of parenting style (AOR=0.27, 95% CI, 0.10-.70) are significantly associated factors with risky sexual behavior at P- value <0.05.\r\nConclusion: -Considerable proportions of night students engage in sexual activity and practice risky sexual behaviors. Place of sexual intercourse were associated with risky sexual behavior. Students from grade 9-10, Pornographic film exposures, parenting style and peer pressure, were factors exposing participants to risky sexual behavior.\r\n\r\n


The power load terminal management system can monitor power's usage and status,provide data support for electric power enterprises to schedule the national power resources reasonably.Thereby it reduces the pressure on corporate management and operation costs,improves efficiency,and creates significant economic value.Here takes a B/S structure power load terminal management system recently developed by an Electric Power Company in Chongqing for example,it discusses the system architecture of the power load terminal management system and describes the function modules in detail as well as the relationship between programs.


Acclimatization of in vitro plantlets is one of the key steps in successful tissue culture propagation. Gaseous atmosphere during in vitro culture can influence the rate of ex vitro acclimation of the plantlets produced. In the current study, effects of elevated CO2 concentration on the leaf water loss dynamic responses of in vitro–produced walnut leaves during ex vitro desiccation were investigated. Elevated CO2 concentration in the headspace of culture vessels caused a considerable decrease in stomatal aperture. Although the traits related to stomatal size were not influenced by CO2 elevation, the number of small stomata was increased, and the number of large stomata was decreased at elevated CO2 concentration. Higher CO2 concentration resulted in a lower transpiration rate and a higher relative water content (RWC) during ex vitro desiccation. This improvement was due to decreased stomatal aperture during the first phase of water loss. Osmotic potential (cs) was decreased under an elevated CO2 concentration, but no influence was observed on the concentration of compatible solutes. In conclusion, increasing the CO2 concentration of culture vessel headspace can be an efficient tool for improving acclimation of in vitro–grown walnuts without negative effects on plantlet growth. Conventional in vitro propagation can result in production of plants with low survival capacity (Crane and Hughes, 1990). Variable and often insufficient CO2 concentration, high relative humidity (RH), and accumulation of ethylene or other gases in the headspace of the culture containers can cause problems for plantlets during and after in vitro propagation (Hazarika et al., 2004; Kozai, 2010; Lamhamedi et al., 2003; Pospisilova et al., 2007). Headspace of tissue culture vessels is characterized by high RH and low vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Low VPD, through its impact on stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, can influence water relations of in vitro plantlets (Fuchigami et al., 1981; Grout and Aston, 1977; Nogues et al., 1998). Long-term exposure to high RH decreases the closing ability of stomata because of low foliar abscisic acid (ABA) levels (stomatal malfunctioning). As a result, the capacity of leaves to control water loss decreases when plants are exposed to conditions of increased evaporative demand (Aliniaeifard and van Meeteren, 2013, 2016; Aliniaeifard et al., 2014; Fanourakis et al., 2013; Rezaei Nejad and VanMeeteren, 2005, 2007). The consequence of low water conservation capacity of in vitro plants can be high mortality of plantlets after transferring to ex vitro conditions (Crane and Hughes, 1990; Shim et al., 2003). Various methods such as ventilation (Cui et al., 2000; Shim et al., 2003), lids permeable to water vapor (Ghashghaie et al., 1992), and others (Cha-um et al., 2003, 2010; Tanaka et al., 1992) have been used to decrease the RH in the headspace of culture vessels. However, growth retardation, low efficiency, and contamination have been reported as negative side effects of those techniques (Sallanon and Maziere, 1992). Photosynthesis of in vitro plantlets is often restricted by low CO2 concentration, low light irradiance and presence of high sugar concentration in the medium (Kubota, 2002). Tissue culture media are typically supplemented with sugar as the source of carbon to maintain a positive carbon balance (Kwa et al., 1995). On the other hand, an increase in CO2 concentration in the headspace of culture vessels during darkness and decreased CO2 during light periods have been reported (Fujiwara et al., 1987; Thomas, 1999). Low CO2 concentration and high sugar levels limit the activity of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase during most of the photoperiod (Donnelly and Vidaver, 1984; Kilb et al., 1996). Therefore, plantlets are forced to develop heterotrophy or photomixotrophy under in vitro conditions (Fujiwara et al., 1987; Kozai et al., 1997). Low CO2 concentration in the atmosphere surrounding the leaf results in low internal CO2 concentration in the substomatal cavity (Ci), producing a signal to open the stomata. Conversely, high CO2 concentration in the atmosphere surrounding the leaf results in high Ci, causing closure of the stomata (Allaway andMansfield, 1967; Uehlein et al., 2003). Observations in tobacco and grapevine plantlets showed stomata closed in response to high CO2 (During and Stoll, 1996; Posposilova et al., 1999). It has been shown that elevated CO2 concentration can enhance the effect of ABA on stomata closure (Pospisilova et al., 2000). Low in vitro CO2 concentration combined with high RH in the headspace of culture vessels appears to promote an enduring open stomatal state in in vitro–produced plants (Hazarika, 2006). As a result, the water retention capacity of their leaves during ex vitro acclimation is inhibited. Because low water retention is thought to be due largely to high stomatal transpiration during ex vitro acclimation, the aims of this study were 1) to alter stomatal morphology during in vitro growth; 2) to determine the water loss characteristics of in vitro–generated leaves during ex vitro desiccation and; 3) to determine if increased CO2 concentration during in vitro development can increase the water retention capacity of leaves during ex vitro acclimatization. CO2 enrichment can be achieved by growing the explants in tissue culture containers sealed with gas-permeable films, direct supply of CO2 in the vessels by forced ventilation, or using CO2-generating chemicals in containers (Kozai, 1991; Solarova and Pospisilova, 1997; Xiao et al., 2011). In the current study, to prevent problems due to ventilation (Sallanon and Maziere, 1992), increased CO2 was achieved by CO2-generating chemicals isolated from the medium. Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) was chosen for this study because of 1) difficulties in its propagation through vegetative reproduction (Aviles et al., 2010); 2) the commercial importance of mass propagation of high quality, disease-free, and uniformly multiplied cultivars with desirable traits through in vitro propagation (Payghamzadeh and Kazemitabar, 2011) and; 3) difficulties in acclimatization after in vitro production. Material and Methods Plant materials and growth conditions. Microshoots of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L. cv. Chandler) (20 ± 2 mm length) were selected from previously established cultures; transferred every 3–4 weeks to fresh medium; cultured on the DKW (Driver– Kuniyuki Walnut) medium (Driver and Kuniyuki, 1984) supplemented with IBA Received for publication 9 Mar. 2017. Accepted for publication 22 May 2017. We would like to thank Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), Center of Excellence of Walnut Improvement and Technology of Iran, and University of Tehran for their supports. Corresponding authors. E-mail: email@example.com or email@example.com. 1006 HORTSCIENCE VOL. 52(7) JULY 2017 (0.01 mg·L), BAP (1 mg·L), and sucrose (3%); and solidified with Gelrite (2.2 g·L). Four vessels for each treatment and two explants per vessels were used. Vessels were 65 mm in diameter and 85 mm in height ( 350 mL), and each vessel contained 50 mL of DKW medium; therefore, the volume of headspace atmospheric space was 300 cm. Plantlets (nodal explants with leafy part) were grown under photomixotrophic conditions (DKW medium supplemented with 3% sucrose). Medium pH was adjusted to 5.5 before autoclaving for 20 min at 121 C. Work was conducted in a growth chamber with 100 mmol·m·s light intensity at 25 ± 2 C under 16/8 h light/dark cycle for 30 d, without further transfer of the plant material. Growth chamber supplemented with fluorescent lamps with 15 cm vertical distance between the lamps and culture vessels. Increasing CO2 in the headspace of culture vessels. Plantlets were exposed to two different CO2 concentrations in the headspace of culture vessels: a) vessels with 3 mL of mixed NaHCO3 and Na2CO3 solution (3 M) in the ratio of 73/27 (v/v), respectively. The mixed solution, autoclaved and placed into 4-mL vials, released 40 ppm/ m CO2 in to the atmosphere of the vessel headspaces (Solarova and Pospisilova, 1997). This is the CO2-releasing potential of the mixed solution; however, when and how it releases depends on many factors and is not possible to calculate, and b) vessels without the CO2-releasing solution which were considered as control plantlets. Concentration of CO2 in the headspace atmosphere of the culture vessels can also be influenced by some plant metabolic processes (e.g., photosynthesis and respiration); therefore, in many previous publications, the exact amount of CO2 in time have not been mentioned (Joshi et al., 2009; Mitra et al., 1998; Suthar et al., 2009). Work stages are presented in Fig. 1. Vegetative characteristics. At the end of the experiment, the microshoots were removed from the culture medium and vegetative characteristics were measured. Shoot lengths were measured with a ruler, fresh shoot weights were taken, and then leaf areas were scanned and analyzed using ImageJ (U.S. National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD; http://imagej.nih.gov/ij/). Dry weights of shoots were obtained by placing the samples in an oven at 70 C for 48 h. Specific leaf area (SLA), leaf water content per unit area (LWCA), leaf mass area, and leaf water content (LWC) were measured according to the equations of Aliniaeifard et al. (2016). The relative chlorophyll (Chl) content was measured with a portable leaf chlorophyll meter (SPAD; Konika Minolta). Stomatal morphology. To investigate the differences in stomatal morphology between CO2-treated shoots and control shoots, the lower epidermis of the second lateral leaflets from the apex (adaxial surface) of five tissuecultured shoots for each treatment were coated by a thin layer of nail polish. After a few minutes, a strip of transparent sticky tape was applied on the dried polish. Sticky tapes were peeled from leaves and along with nail polish were mounted on microscopic slides. I


This study aimed to determine the epistemological beliefs of student teachers and whether these beliefs are affected by certain variables (department, year of study, location, educational level of mother and father, SSE score). The study sample consisted of a total of 380 student teachers from Gazi University Vocational Educational Faculty, 191 of whom were freshman students and 189 of whom were senior students. Data were collected using Schommer' Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire. It was found that student teachers beliefs that learning depends on effort were more sophisticated the others. Further, it was found that last year student teachers at child development and family economics departments had more mature beliefs than first year students, and that students with a OYS score of 300 or above had more developed epistemological beliefs than those with a lower score.


The Ba(Zr 0.1 Ti 0.9 )O 3 (BZT) ceramic target is fabricated as the depositing target of BZT thin films, and the BZT thin films are successfully deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrate under optimal radio frequency (RF) depositing parameters with different RF power. The RF power has large effect on the crystalline orientation, thickness and roughness of BZT thin films. The metal-ferroelectric- metal structure is fabricated for the characteristic measurement. The influence of RF power on the dielectric constant and leakage current density of BTZ thin films will be investigated. As RF power is equal to 160 W, the maximum dielectric constant and lower leakage current density can be obtained.


Purpose: This study analyzes the effects of organizational justice on the performance of tasks in the justice sector, divided by activity and position.
Design/methodology/approach: We applied structural equations to a sample of 474 employees of the Public Prosecutor.
Findings: A direct and positive effect of distributive justice and interactional justice on task performance was discovered. However, aspects of procedural justice do not have a significant relationship with task performance. The performance of non-core activities is positively influenced by interactional justice and the final activity by distributive justice. As for the positions, the interactional dimension has a significant magnitude in the position of analyst, while the distributive and procedural justice affect the performance of the technician's positions.
Practical implications: These findings provide an understanding of how organizations can build their organizational structure between middle and end activities, to increase the perception of justice of their servers, and consequently improving the performance of activities.
Originality: The article explores in an unprecedented way the perception of organizational justice in different work functions - the core activity and the non-core activity.


The World Bank has set 2030 as the year for the cessation of routine natural gas flaring in countries concerned. Nigeria is among the most consistent natural gas flaring nations on earth and natura ...


We demonstrate completely integrated tunable coupled cavity InGaN/GaN lasers with emission wavelength centered on 409 nm. Threshold currents are 650 mA per cavity for 8.7 um wide laser ridges. Experimental tuning map is explained with estimation of refractive index change due to free carrier injection and the Vernier effect. Multimode laser emission with the average full width half maximum of 0.3 nm, electronic tuning range of 1.6 nm and thermal tuning range of 2.4nm is observed.


Whip smut of sugarcane is considered as the most important disease of sugarcane and occurrs in almost all sugarcane producing regions of the world, including Pakistan. In many cases, the use of the chemical fungicides becomes indispensable to combat destructive plant diseases, which otherwise cause heavy economical losses. Fungicides not only eradicate smut from the planting material, but also prevent re-infection when they are used as a pre-plant treatment of setts. During the present investigation, setts are inoculated with teliospores suspension of Ustilago scitaminea and treated with eleven different fungicides. Pre-inoculated setts are dipped for 30 minutes in hot fungicide solution, ambient fungicide solution. Hot and ambient water without fungicides serves as control. Most of the fungicide treatments significantly improved sett germination and check the smut development. For most of the quantitative and qualitative parameters, Bayleton, Bavistan and Tilt provide better results, as compared to the other fungicides. Based on the results we conclude that the effectiveness of fungicides increase more when applied as hot water fungicidal dip than ambient fungicidal dip.


Urban infrastructure systems shape the interactions between civilized society and the natural environment. Whilst these urban systems are the most visible impact of humanity upon the environment, sustainable development of them is also crucial to minimize the impacts of human activities on the environment. Coordination among different agencies involved in the urban infrastructure development is an essential factor to achieve sustainability in the process. Co-ordination is a key enabler that brings together these agencies to make their endeavors more compatible with the interests of environmental, economic and social aspects, the triple bottom line of sustainability. From a sustainability point of view, this paper by identifying and analyzing the effects of lack of coordination, aims to delineate the role coordination in the context of sustain-able urban infrastructure development.


Acne vulgaris, typically caused by Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) involves chronic inflammation of the sebaceous follicles and is the most common skin disease, afflicting 85% of adolescents. We previously isolated 2 novel phenolic glycosides, 2-caffeoyl-3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric 4′-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy-3′-hydroxybenzyl ester (citrulluside H [CH]) and 2-caffeoyl-3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric 4′-β-d-glucopyranosyloxybenzyl ester (citrulluside T [CT]), from young fruits of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). Both compounds suppressed UVB-induced photoaging in human fibroblasts by scavenging intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thus might be useful as natural skin care ingredients. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effects of these phenolic glycosides on C. acnes growth and C.acnes-induced inflammation. Neither phenolic glycoside inhibited the growth of C. acnes. However, they both significantly suppressed toll-like receptor (TLR) 1/2 or TLR2/6/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling in heat-killed C. acnes (hk-C. acnes)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Additionally, both phenolic glycosides decreased the expression of M1 macrophage biomarkers (cluster of differentiation [CD] 80, CD86, and inducible NO synthase [iNOS]), suggesting that they attenuate M1 macrophage activation. These results indicated that both CH and CT are potential therapeutic substances against C. acnes-induced skin inflammation.


The 'Provocations' series returns with a funny and thoughtful anecdote about the relationships between industry 'insiders', and the consequences for patients.


The derangements of digestion to which the term dyspepsia has been applied, constitute a morbid condition very variable as to its forms. Nevertheless, however varied these may be, there are but two conditions to be fulfilled; combat the cause of the affection, and oppose to the latter a system of treatment applicable to its principal characters. When dyspepsia is connected, as is frequently the case, with a persistent cause of a moral nature, it is very difficult of cure, unless it be by diverting the attention of the patient from his own condition. But sometimes dyspepsia is symptomatic of an unhealthy condition of the digestive canal. Under these circumstances, Dr Beau prescribes,? Ipecacuanha powder, . . 15 grains. Tartar emetic, . . . 1J grains.


The invention discloses a preparation method of a compound doped and cladded lithium ion cell anode material LiFePO4, comprising the following steps of: mixing, pulping and drying raw materials to obtain a powdery precursor; pre-sintering the powdery precursor; and performing secondary burdening and ball milling on the pre-sintered product, and sintering the obtained mixture to obtain the lithium ion cell anode material LiFePO4, wherein the raw materials comprise a lithium source, an iron source, a phosphorous source and compounds containing doped metal elements which are Nb, Mg, Ti, Mn and Zn. According to the invention, five metal elements are doped in the lithium ion cell anode material LiFePO4, D50 is 1-2mu m, the specific surface area is 16-21.5m /g and the tap density is not less than 1.5g/m . The preparation method is simple and easily-controlled in process and low in production cost. The obtained product is even in component and excellent in physical and chemical properties and electrical property.


Wound healing is an intricate process that involves orchestrated cell migration and proliferation. During wound healing, cell evolution is controlled by both biochemical and mechanical cues. Traditionally, continuous convection-diffusion-reaction models are used to study different aspects of the healing process, such as wound closure [1], wound contraction [2] and angiogenesis [3]. In all these models, cell random migration and chemical diffusion of growth factors are modelled with Fick's second law. Despite providing valuable results, this law is suited only for homogeneous media. However, skin, as any other biological tissue, is highly heterogeneous which may cause that cell migration exhibits different behaviours through the different layers of the skin. Fractional partial differential equations are known to cope with heterogeneities in a natural way, as well as to be able to tune in memory aspects [4] or variable speed travelling waves [5].


Accelerating the rate of orthodontic tooth movement would be beneficial to the shortening of treatment time and to diminish adverse effects in orthodontic treatment. The acceleration of tooth movement should be achieved by new simple technique without risks and harmful procedure. Objectives In this study, the effects of mechanical stimulation by vibration were evaluated on tooth movement and cytokine secretion. Materials & Methods Ten subjects (2 males and 8 females, mean age 20.5 years) who received the upper first premolar extraction from both sides for canine distalization were participated. With the split mouth design, canine on the experimental site was applied with orthodontic force (60 g) in combination with the vibratory stimulation from the electrical toothbrush for 1 month compared to orthodontic force alone. The amount of canine movement was measured from the study model. The gingival crevicular fluid was collected from both mesial and distal region of each canine at each appointment. IL-1β level was analyzed by ELISA. Results Tooth movement in the experimental group was significantly (p<.05) greater than in the control group. Enhanced IL-1β secretion was observed in the distal site of the experimental group after vibratory stimulation for 1 month which was significantly (p<.05) increased over the control group. Clinically, there were no pathological findings in either group. Conclusion The application of vibration in this study can accelerate orthodontic tooth movement via enhanced IL-1β secretion in the gingival crevicular fluid.


Background Analysis of Twitter data is a relatively new and developing form of qualitative health research. It allows access to how issues and experiences are socially shared and constructed amongst communities of health service users and providers, in ways that traditional or individual-based qualitative methods may not. In the UK, Crisis Resolution Teams aim to provide intensive home-based support to adults in mental health crisis. However, there are known problems with user satisfaction, and wide variations in implementation. Aim To explore how Crisis Resolution Teams were discussed on Twitter and compare this with data collected via interviews and focus groups in a related study.1 Methods Twitter's advanced search function was used to retrieve relevant Tweets on Crisis Resolution Teams (2010–2018). A form of thematic analysis was conducted on 500 "relevant randomly selected Twitter posts. Principles of refutational synthesis were applied to compare themes with those identified in interviews and focus groups. Results The most popular 'hashtag' search term was '#CrisisTeamFail'. Negative comments about Crisis Resolution Teams were found in 40.8% of Tweets, principally relating to access and quality of care. There were some overlaps between themes identified in both datasets, including the importance of rapid access to care and planned discharges. However, views expressed on Twitter were generally more critical than those obtained via face-to-face methods. This may be because people post about experiences with mental health services as they happen, and because Twitter communities include individuals who are less engaged with services. Conclusion By looking at stakeholder views expressed on social media alongside traditional qualitative methods, researchers can capture a wider spectrum of opinions than with one method alone. Twitter can be a valuable resource for future health research which could feed into improving user engagement and collaboration in service design and improvement. Reference Morant N, Lloyd-Evans B, Lamb D, et al. Crisis resolution and home treatment: stakeholders' views on critical ingredients and implementation in England. BMC Psychiatry2017;17(1):254.


PURPOSE: to check the effect of speech and language therapy on a group of mouth breathers, as well proposing a minimum therapy for mouth breathing treatment. METHOD: longitudinal prospective study, casuistic on 40 mouth breather subjects who were patients from the Otorhinolaryngology Ambulatory of UNICAMP Hospital. On weeks 0, 12 and 24, we proceeded photographical documentation, clinical assessment, and protocol application in order to categorize the breathing mode, posture (lips and cheeks), strength and movement (lips, cheeks and tongue). The applied therapeutic proposal consisted of practicing and awareness on nasal breathing; maneuvers to warm and vascularize the orofacial muscles; application of points and motor zones on the face; passive maneuvers; use of distal impulse; myofunctional exercises and register of patients' perception on their olfactive conditions and nasal obstructions. A non-parametric two proportion equality test was used, p < 0.05. RESULTS: nasal breathing function was adjusted. Increase on lip, tongue and cheek strength. Improvement on the movement: lips pouted to the right and left, snap and lip vibration. Vibration and snap of tongue. Simultaneous inflation of the cheeks, inflation of left and right cheeks alternately. The highest therapeutic gain occurred on 12 weeks. From such data it was possible to come up a protocol made up of 12 structured sessions using the strategies from this study. CONCLUSION: the study has demonstrated the effectiveness of using myofunctional rehabilitation for mouth breathers, and the highest therapeutic evolution took place during the 12th week.


There have already been many papers to study traditional and common optimal design method to design tractor's final transmission,but none is about reliability optimal design method. Comparing with common optimal design method,the reliability optimal design method is more effective to solve the complicate problem because it can not only analyze and solve the working product's reliability quantitatively,but optimize its function parameters. In the paper,the method is studied that how the reliability optimal design model of tractor's final transmission of external single-stage spur gear is built while its minimum volume is taken as the objective function. Then the sequential quadratic programming algorithm of optimization toolbox of MATLAB which is better than the penalty function one is used to solve this model. The optimal results show that this design method is very effective and reliable.


Purpose: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the failure risk and marginal bone loss of dental implants inserted by flapless or flapped procedure. Materials and Methods: Studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library within 10 years, along with a hand search of the reference lists of the retrieved articles. Results: A total of 2717 articles were filtered after the searching strategy, and 31 studies were finally selected. Failure rate of dental implants was statistically affected by different insertion procedures (flapless or flapped) with a risk ratio (RR) of 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–2.55; P = 0.01; heterogeneity: I2 = 0.0%; P heterogeneity = 0.97). Subgroup analysis indicated that in the situation of immediate/early loading, the flapless procedure showed a higher risk of implant failure comparing with flapped procedure (RR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.05–4.78; P = 0.04; heterogeneity: I2 = 0.0%; P heterogeneity = 0.91). Mean difference of marginal bone loss between the flapless group and the flapped group was −0.10 mm (95% CI: −0.18 to −0.02; P = 0.02; heterogeneity: I2 = 82%; P heterogeneity = 0.00). Conclusions: This meta-analysis revealed that flapless procedure may increase the failure risk of the dental implants, especially in the situation of immediate/early loading. Nevertheless, flapless procedure showed a superiority in preserving bone tissues.


Abstract In 1865 Alexander Gardner published an album entitled Rays of Sunlight from South America, contammg 70 prints made from negatives taken in Peru by H. D. W. Moulton (Figure 1). The size of the edition is unknown but examples are exceedingly rare, and little has been published about the photographer1. As his biography reveals, Moulton was an adventurous expatriate. His work not only met Gardner's standards but endures as a significant documentation of the internationally important guano trade.


This book examines the acquisition of syntax in Seselwa and Morisyen children. Seselwa and Morisyen are historically related creoles spoken in the Seychelles and Mauritius, respectively. Working within Chomsky's (1981) framework, Adone focuses on the acquisition of (non-)reflexive pronouns, double object constructions (DOCs), passive and serial verb constructions (SVCs).


In this paper, the impact of the p-n-p bipolar transistor gain on the short-circuit behavior of high-voltage trench insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) is analyzed. The short-circuit ruggedness against high-frequency oscillations is strongly improved by increasing the hole current supplied by the collector. By doing so, the electric field at the emitter of the IGBT is increased and less influenced by the amount of the excess charge (i.e., the electric field is fixed). The charge-field interactions during the short circuit event, leading to periodic charge storage and charge removal effect and provoking miller capacitance variations, can be mitigated. The effectiveness of using IGBTs with a high bipolar gain is validated through both simulations and experiments, also a design rule to tradeoff the IGBT's losses and short-circuit robustness is provided.


The impact factor, which originally was developed to measure the citation impact of journals, is currently used for evaluating researchers despite the many problems that this use involves. To overcome those problems, recently J.H Hirsch proposed a new index, known as the h-index or Hirsch index, to be adopted in evaluating researchers and research output. Anyway, some weak points have been found also in the h-index and solutions have been proposed. Those and other citation indeces, like the immediacy index and the cited half-life index, are also used in collection development. In this article, new and old citation indeces are discussed as for their use both in collection development and in evaluating research


Based on the research of key problems in diamond brazing,technology feature about diamond in pellets and in films is discussed.The filler's advantages in diamond brazing is analyzed,the result shows: Ni-Cr is fit for brazing diamond abrasive,which could be used to make diamond instruments;Ag-Cu-Ti is fit for brazing diamond film,which could be used to make diamond cutting tools.


Abstract Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) applied to histological sections of ovinemuscles, infected naturally with sarcocysts, showed that only macroscopic "fat" Sarcocystis tenella had PAS-positive secondary cyst-walls after fixation only. Macroscopic "thin" S. medusiformis and microscopic S. ovicanis sarcocysts had cyst-walls that were not positive despite fixation.


Wisconsin dairy farmers produce more corn (Zea mays L.) silage than any other state in the U.S. A University of Wisconsin corn silage research consortium evaluated corn hybrids and found that the range for NDF and digestibility among commercial hybrids is narrow, but more importantly, yield and quality differences among corn hybrids were repeatable (Coors, 1996). In 1995, an extension program was begun to evaluate commercial corn hybrids for silage yield and quality traits. Desirable corn hybrids should have traits that include high dry matter yield, high energy content (high digestibility), high intake potential (low fiber), optimum dry matter content at harvest for acceptable fermentation and storage, and high protein content (Carter et al., 1991). Predicting animal performance and relating it to corn silage quality improvements whether from breeding or management is complex. Differences in fiber and digestibility translate into differences in animal performance (Bal et al., 2000).


A thermometric method is described for the determination of some carboxylic acid anhydrides. The anhydride is added to a methanolic solution of morpholine and the unreacted morpholine is titrated with a methanolic solution of hydrochloric acid. In most instances, the presence of large amounts of the parent acid has no effect on the determination and for 0·5 mmol of anhydride the accuracy is about ±1 per cent.


FRIEDRICH HEILER has achieved an almost sensational rise to theological fame during the years that he has been teaching in the Philipps University at Marburg. Not only has he become an authentic voice among theologians in his own country, but he has gained the hearing of scholars and preachers in England, Sweden, America, and other lands wherever interest in German religious thought obtains. Dean W. Ralph Inge, writing in the Quarterly Review a few years ago, ventured the comment that "Professor Heiler is, in the opinion of men well qualified to judge, the most outstanding among the younger theologians of Germany." It may not be extravagant to add that he is rapidly ascending Germany's theological "high mountain" approaching the company of such seers as Schleiermacher, Ritschl, Herrmann, and Harnack. One of Heiler's earliest works, and undoubtedly his greatest work to date, is his study on prayer entitled, Das Gebet,' published in 1921, which Friedrich von Hiigel described as an "extraordinary book."'2 Another impressive production is his book on Catholicism, Der Katholizismus, seine Idee und seine Erscheinung,3 characterized by Dean Inge as "the most important book on the subject,"4 Heiler has contributed valuable studies on oriental mysticism, e.g. Die Buddhistische Versenkung, Sadhu Sundar Singh, and Christlicher Glaube und Indisches Geistesleben. He has also written extensively on the liturgical movement. In


This paper assesses the different patterns of investment finance in the main EMU member economies - France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Aggregated balance sheet data are used to analyse the net sources of finance (following Mayer, 1988) for firms of different sizes. The main finding that emerges is the importance of long-term debt as a source of investment finance for small and medium-sized firms, and its reduction in the later part of the 1990s. While large firms have benefited from the creation of a pan-European pool of capital in terms of greater access to debt, the evidence suggests that smaller firms are losing out - with potentially damaging effects for their investment and hence European employment and growth prospects.


Despite its optical clarity and good weatherability, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cannot meet the needs of special occasions due to its deficient thermal and mechanical properties. To overcome these shortcomings, a type of novel bio-based monomer, mono-acrylated isosorbide, was used as a comonomer for the poly(methyl methacrylate) via a solution polymerization process. The chemical structure, the thermal and mechanical properties of the copolymerized PMMA were characterized. When the molar content of the mono-acrylated isosorbide was increased from 0% to 15%, the glass transition temperature Tg of the copolymerized PMMA was increased from 151.2 °C to 172.5 °C, and the initial decomposition temperature (T5%) was increased from 323.1 °C to 396.3 °C. Moreover, the impact strength of copolymerized PMMA increased from 10.59 kJ m−2 to 17.19 kJ m−2 and the tensile strength improved from 84.02 MPa to 97.56 MPa when the mono-acrylated isosorbide was incorporated with different contents. The incorporation of rigid and thermally stable isosorbide could contribute to the improved thermal and mechanical properties of PMMA, which would find important applications in the military and aeronautical materials under harsh service environments.


The paper describes in short a natural language processing system based on lexico-syntactic patterns and developed for automatic extraction of event information from unstructured Russian analytical texts of financial dailies published in Internet. The results of experimental evaluation of the applied extraction method is presented and discussed.


OF THESIS In my introduction I analyse the state of research in my subject. No detailed study of the i subject has been conducted in recent years, hence there exists no work which takes £ .Î account of recent conclusions in the examination of Sensibility in its entirety. I, I therefore, consider it important to trace the origins of a movement in European culture. f I draw attention to possible influences from pMosophy and psychology which have tended to be neglected in favour of too exclusive emphasis on Empfindsamkeit as secularised Pietism. The main part of my thesis is devoted to detailed interpretation of ;| five novels covering a period 1747 to 1776. This study yields various conclusions. In the novel as a genre, as in theoretical works on Empfindsamkeit, there is no polarity between the Enlightenment and Sensibility. Each of the novelists analysed is concerned to proclaim the necessity of achieving a balance between reason and emotion. In the novels of GeUert and La Roche this is explicitly stated in the form of moral instruction | to the reader, while the fate of the heroes of Goethe and Miller perhaps suggests indirectly that such an equilibrium might be desirable. In particular the earlier authors I study equate moderation in feeling with virtue. Here these novelists advocate only feeling in the cause of virtue, wlüle at the same time arguing that those who are capable of "true feeling" are by definition virtuous. In the sphere of religion, all novelets show a tendency to regard Christianity as a matter of emotion on the one hand and of practical ethics on the other. While there was a shift in emphasis from Tugendempfindsamkeit to the cultivation of feeling for its own sake, perceptions of the nature of religions and virtue remained constant. (295 words)


Using laser ranging observations of the LAGEOS satellite collected during 1985 - 1990,the change rate of he baseline vector between the QUINCY and MNPEAK stations has been estimated with the SRD method.The results aredBx = -15.0 3.4 mm/a,dBy=20.2 2.5 mm/a,dBz=15.2 2.6mm/a,dB = -26.9 2.1 mm/a.The standard error (repeatability) of the baseline length determined by one day observation is 3.0 mm,or 3.4e-9.The results show that this method does offer a good alternative for studying regional crustal deformation with high accuracy and especially with high temporal resolution.


The utility model discloses a part contact height measuring instrument. A metal block separated by an insulating layer is arranged on a base vertically corresponding to a contact of a part to be measured; a push block which is positioned by a guide plate and then can slide to an area in which a positioning structure is positioned is arranged on the base opposite to the vertical line of the contact; a metal sheet is arranged in front of the push block, and a spring which enables the push block to slide away from the area in which the positioning structure is positioned is arranged between the guide plate and the push block; a handle capable of pushing the push block to slide to the positioning structure and a stop pin for preventing the push block from sliding out of the guide plate are arranged on two sides of the guide plate; the heights of the metal block and the metal sheet are respectively set as the upper deviation and the lower deviation of the height specification of the contact of the part to be measured; and a super upper limit indicating lamp and a lower limit indicating lamp are arranged on one side of the base, the anodes of the super upper limit indicating lamp and the lower limit indicating lamp are respectively connected with the metal block and the metal sheet, the cathodes of the super upper limit indicating lamp and the lower limit indicating lamp are connected to the cathode of a direct-current power supply, and the anode of the direct-current power supply is connected to the base. The measuring instrument is convenient to operate and accurate in measurement.


Abstract
 Plant secondary metabolites are important traits that can benefit an invasive plant in its new environment. In the case of rapid evolution in the invaded area, the chemical weapons of introduced plants may diversify, and novel combinations or extreme concentrations of these secondary metabolites may be expressed. The invasive Fallopia species complex (F. japonica, F. sachalinensis, and the F. × bohemica interspecific hybrids) is a good model to assess how chemical traits can vary during post-introduction evolution. We analyzed and compared the composition of secondary metabolite extracts in F. × bohemica hybrids and in the parental species grown in the introduced area. HPLC-DAD profiles were obtained for each Fallopia species, and the main peaks of the HPLC chromatograms represent phenolic compounds. Analyses based on secondary metabolite profiles showed that F. × bohemica hybrids are closer to F. japonica. The F. × bohemica hybrids expressed the compound families described in F. japonica and F. sachalinensis, with quantitative variations between them. Hybrid chemical cocktails showed a diversification of chemical weapons. Furthermore, transgressive segregation was observed. Three dianthrones were identified for the first time in a Fallopia species and were more highly expressed in F. japonica and F. × bohemica hybrids. These results suggest an evolution in the chemical traits of Fallopia taxa in invaded areas such that certain genotypes may well have acquired new chemical cocktails resulting from post-introduction hybridizations.


ABSTRACT New technologies have been argued to drive a more inclusive heritage discourse that accommodates a plurality of narratives. This article aims to examine this assumption based on the analysis of the heritage digitalisation strategies of Doha and Singapore. These cities have made significant investments in heritage preservation and digital technologies, positioning themselves as smart, creative, and culturally diverse urban centres. At the core of these strategies are transmedia heritage districts, which, despite having limited physical remnants of the past, revive their heritage across a range of online and offline channels. Based on an analysis of policy documents and on fieldwork in these cities, this article raises questions regarding the transformative power of the digital and its ability to democratise and pluralise the heritage discourse. I argue that while heritage digitalisation can function as a tool to showcase openness, strategically empower co-opted civic dynamics, it can also reinforce the prevailing heritage narrative. The transmedia heritage district serves as a policy instrument that displays the civic potential of digital heritage technologies in order to enable urban transformation and incorporate selected minority voices into the authorised heritage discourse.


The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is replacing the Allegheny River Bridge near Pittsburgh, PA. Twin 2,350' cast-in-place concrete segmental structures will be constructed above the river, active rail lines, and a state highway, all vital links in the valley's surface transportation network. The new bridge will be adjacent to the existing bridge and will span the navigable waterway with a 532' main span. A low bid of $190 million was offered by Walsh Construction in May 2007 and construction has begun. The bridge will accommodate six lanes of traffic, plus acceleration/deceleration lanes for the interchange and toll collection facility. Gently curved piers, reflective of the parabolic box girder superstructure, utilize an inlaid stone pattern and were selected by the PTC in an owner's charette. This paper focuses on the unique aspects of the bridge design, including the 532' main span and aesthetics, which will be achieved economically.


The paper discusses theoretically and examines empirically the influence of the relationship commitment on collaborative behaviour in supply chains. In today's unstable business environment companies should collaborate to achieve mutual goals and competitive advantage. Defining relationship commitment and collaboration in supply chains (from social exchange theory point of view) is the basis of the research of this paper. Our aim is to examine the influence of relationship commitment on collaboration in supply chains in Slovenian economy. The qualitative research part discusses if the relationship commitment between partners in supply chain influences the collaborative behaviour between partners and which are the antecedents of relationship commitment. The research is based on a quantitative analysis of the online questionnaire survey made on the Slovenian economy. The research results show strong influence of trust and relationship commitment on collaboration between partners in supply chains.


Bank Efficiency and Bank Competition: Empirical Evidence from Ghana's Banking Industry by Kofi Adjei-Frimpong The Ghanaian banking industry has undergone considerably transformation since 1988 as a result of the gradual but steady implementation of financial service reforms. The main purpose of implementing the financial reforms is to build competitive and stable banking industry to enhance banks' efficiency and ultimately stimulate economic growth and development. Using annual data spanning from 2001 to 2010, this study investigates the level of bank efficiency and the degree of bank competition and their determinants in Ghana. In addititon, the study also examines the causal relationship between bank efficiency and competition. The results suggest that Ghana's banks are, on average, inefficient and competitively weak, but the level of efficiency has increased significantly from 2001 to 2010. This study also reveals that well-capitalized banks in Ghana are pure technically efficient and competitve but are cost inefficient. In addition, bank size influences bank pure technical efficiency suggesting that larger banks are pure technically efficient but have no influence on cost efficiency and competition. There is no indication that fee income has an impact on bank competition. The findings also exhibit that loan loss provision ratio has no effect on bank efficiency and competition in Ghana. Furthermore, this study finds GDP growth negatively influences bank cost efficiency while the rate of inflation positively affect bank pure technical efficiency, but has no impact on bank cost efficiency and bank competition. The results also reveal that lagged cost efficiency tends to persist from year to year.


The paper deals with the development of the theory and methodic approach to the management of innovation potential in an industrial integrated structure. Contrary to the mono enterprises this form of the business organization offer the following advantages : a big potential to realize the strategy of competitive advantages; the ability to diversify production scale and to create closed circuit technology; flexible response to changing market conditions; increased resistance due to the transfer of risk operations to subsidiaries. To achieve this goal a number of following objectives had to be solved: to clarify the content of the "innovative capacity" category; to formulate the basic requirements that must be considered when developing estimation method of the innovative potential of an industry integrated structure based on the analysis of different resources in different activity fields; to substantiate the critical values of indicators that form its structure. The result of the study can be applied to the practical activity of industrial integrated structures, as well as on the range of disciplines, which take into account the issues of innovation management.


ABSTRACT
The problem of this research is the tahfidz Al-qur'an learning management model the  purpose of this study is for orphans and ruhama Islamic boarding schools in bogor because in the orphans and Islamic school of ruhama memorized the holy qur'an The results of this study indicate that first, planning in Rumah Yatim and Pesantren Ruhama Bogor carried out activities (1) developing a strategic plan, which included vision and mission, objectives, strategic programs, implementation strategies, monitoring and evaluation; (2) arranging the rules of the santri (3) compiling technical guidelines for the implementation of activities. Second, organizing in managing Rumah Yatim and Pesantren Ruhama Bogor, including (1) arranging the organizational structure and the map of the program's responsibility (2) preparing the tasks and positions of each personnel (3) structuring the program. Third, the mobilization in Rumah Yatim and Pesantren Ruhama Bogor was said to be (1) motivating; (2) coordination; (3) leadership and (4) maintaining good relations with ustadh, santri and staff. Fourth, controlling in Rumah Yatim and Pesantren Ruhama Bogor is divided into (1) monitoring and evaluation (2) assessment. Fifth, the constraints of management of Islamic education institutions in the Islamic program in Rumah Yatim and Pesantren Ruhama Bogor consist of, (1) financial activities and operations in Rumah Yatim and Pesantren Ruhama Bogor still rely on permanent donors; (2) makeshift facilities; (3) Inadequate human resources. The six obstacles faced in the tahfiẓ al-Qur'an program are (1) the saturation and laziness felt by the santri in carrying out established programs; (2) guarding the memorization of the Qur'an that has been memorized (3) guarding themselves from immorality. This type of research is qualitative research, namely research that produces descriptive data, namely a type of research that seeks to present data and actual facts about the management of Islamic education institutions in the tahfiẓ al-Qur'an program in Ma'had Umar Bin Al-Khattab University Muhammadiyah Surabaya. Data collection techniques used in this study were (1) interview (2) observation (3) documentation. For data analysis using descriptive techniques, the application is carried out in three activities, namely data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion or verification.  The results of this study indicate that (1). There are internal and external factors (2). The impact caused in the application tahfidz lerning management model memorizing the holy qur'an program that high enthusiasm and motivation in memorizing the holy qur'an (3). The need to develop a comparative management of Islamic education institutions in the holy qur'an program, specially the management of Islamic education institutions of Rumah Yatim and Pesantren Ruhama Bogor.
Keywords: Al-Qur'an, Management, Learning, Tahfidz Al-Qur'an, Pesantren


More comprehensive teacher education programs are required to provide adequate attention to the liberal arts and teaching field content and to enhance what is known about effective teaching.


Manufacturing strategy is a plan for moving a company from where it is to where it wants to be. Determining the best manufacturing strategy is not easy because of the wide range of choices and constraints a company faces. Manufacturing strategy frameworks or models are helpful because they identify the objects that comprise manufacturing strategy and organise these objects into a structure that enables a company to understand and use the objects to develop strategy. This paper examines a company's international manufacturing network. It identifies and examines six manufacturing strategy objects (generic international strategies, manufacturing networks, network manufacturing outputs, network levers, network capability, and factory types), linkages between objects, and the manufacturing strategy framework that follows from these objects and linkages. Then the paper applies the framework to the manufacturing networks of three companies in the global steel industry: Arcelor (Luxembourg), Mittal (India), and Dofasco (Canada).


The paper sheds light on the importance of rent which is impetus to push the institution of land property evolve.Just because of existence of rent,local government became initial action group to gain the effective management experience.The article is based on the rural analysis of traditional land property and it point out that the traditional land property conceives of contradiction which lead to latter innovation.In the process of innovation,rent is divulged into three parts: experiment rent,double-track rent,leak rent.Different rent have different effection on parties which push the land property institution forward.


Chinese language has been us ed generally by the Hui people.But in Si chuan,the Huis also preserves some Huis' ancient language and extends the meaning of some Chinese words.These special wor ds can only be understood among the Huis .This linguistic phenomenon has exerted a great influence on their spiritual and material culture.


A quantum-mechanical model of the amplifying two-coupler ring resonator based on the continuous-modes theory of quantum optics is used to show certain noise resonances of the output fields.


We prove global existence of strong solutions to the drift-diffusion-Maxwell system in two space dimension. We also provide an exponential growth estimate for the $H^1$ norm of the solution.


As China and Russia supplement each other in economy sphere, there exists big potential for development of trade and economic relations between the given countries. A uniform strategic choice of both countries is the display of available advantages, strengthening of mutually advantageous cooperation, realization of joint development and prosperity. As favorable conditions for development of technical and economic cooperation between Xinjiang (China), Altai territory and the Republic of Altai it was noted: 1) SCO has created the mechanism of consultations and co-ordination for the given bilateral cooperation at governmental level; 2) strategies of economic growth are internal motive power of development of two countries; 3) the richest natural resources have put in pawn the important base for bilateral cooperation; 4) corresponding agreements and contracts between China and Russia have created legal base for bilateral cooperation. Along with favorable conditions for the development of technical and economic cooperation between regions, there are some deterrents: insufficiently developed economy, weak transport and communication systems, the complicated information interchange, low level of trade and economic cooperation structure, insufficiently wide range of cooperation, the unfinished mechanism of cooperation, weak legal maintenance, absence of direct overland trading transition.


Denationalization reform of Japanese state Enterprise becomes a matter of commen concern of the whole country through its planned and organizational survey and propaganda.The structure of property right is regulated by means of legislation,which reform can be based on.Meanwhile,competition is introduced,clecision-maleing power of enterprise is transferred a tower level,Management is tightened up,the way to obtain employment is widened.This succersful experisence can be used for reference by our seate Enterprise reform to the off the hook.


Concrete block pavers were first manufactured in israel in 1975. Since then, production has increased rapidly to a total area of about 10 million square metres, half of this in the last three years. This rapid growth necessitated the development of a design method suited to local conditions. This paper reviews the progress in the development of an interim design procedure, which was a modification of an existing flexible pavement design method, using the concept of materials equivalencies. Lack of time and financial resources meant that the procedure had to be derived without experimental investigation and validation. However, the interim designs were compared with overseas designs and found to be suitably conservative. Proposals for future investigation and/ or validation of the interim design method are outlined (a).


In Oregon, efforts to eradicate Phytophthora ramorum from forested areas have included use of herbicides to kill infected plants. Use of herbicides on disease-infected plants leads to various outcomes, from decreased spread of disease to greater spread of disease, depending on the plant-pathogen system being examined. In this study, viburnum (Viburnum) cuttings, rhododendron (Rhododendron) cuttings, and chestnut oak (Quercus prinus L.) seedlings were treated with herbicides at standard application rates for woody shrubs 4 days after their roots had been infected with P. ramorum. The amount of inoculum in runoff samples over time was studied using a quantitative assay analyzed as a mixed model regression, and the percent colonization of roots at the end of each experiment was analyzed by a general linear model. In preliminary experiments, the effect of 2, 4-D amine, glyphosate, and triclopyr were studied in samples taken every 3 days over a period of 19 days, which was sufficient time to observe physiological impairment of treated plants. In those experiments, herbicide had no effect on the amount of inoculum produced from roots or on percent root colonization. In studies lasting 35 days, long enough for herbicide-treated plants to completely die and non-treated plants to become well infected, weekly samples were taken, with three replicates per herbicide. Root-infected viburnum cuttings treated with glyphosate gave off significantly more inoculum than untreated cuttings (at days 14, 21, and 28, p < 0.007), but there were significantly more colonized roots on cuttings that had not been treated with herbicide (p < 0.001). Triclopyr-treated viburnum cuttings gave off slightly more inoculum than non-treated plants on days 28 and 35 (p < 0.03), but root colonization was not affected; imazapyr had no significant effect on inoculum production, but reduced root colonization (p < 0.009). When glyphosate was applied to root-infected chestnut oak seedlings, the herbicide-treated seedlings gave off more inoculum than non-treated ones on days 14, 21, and 28 (p < 0.007), but no difference in root colonization was seen. In a similar experiment using infected cuttings of Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White,' herbicide-treated cuttings gave off less inoculum at some sampling times than untreated plants on days 14, 21, and 28 (p < 0.009), but no effect on root colonization was observed. These results suggest that while herbicide treatment had some effect on the behavior of P. ramorum, generally increasing inoculum production while decreasing root colonization, it did not have effects of ecological significance on either.


Summary In this paper, we introduce approaches for forward modeling and model constructing, and model a real complex structure. The selection of offset and datum affects the imaging quality of the synthetic data. Comparison of field data and synthetic data confirms the geologic interpretation.


The spread of political activism in a society can be modeled as a diffusion process in a network (1–3), using models from epidemiology (4), physics (5), or computer science (6), most of which focus on the link between network properties and diffusion dynamics (7,8). A crucial difference between these disciplines and the social sciences is, however, that in the latter an individual, i.e. a vertex in the underlying network, makes a decision on whether or not to become active based on her information and preferences (9–11), whereas in the former they simply become active if a threshold in their neighborhood is crossed. So, results in the social sciences that are derived from these models should be treated with caution: factoring in human behavior requires heterogeneous agents with potentially incomplete information who can communicate


This paper discusses the relationship between contract law, justice and democracy. In particular, it addresses the question whether the presence or absence of an unfair price rule could make a system of contract law, and thus the society to which it belongs, become unjust. The question is not merely a theoretical one, as recent legislative developments in EU contract law have illustrated. The main argument of the paper is that principles of justice that would be reasonably acceptable to all, as they should be in a society like our own which is characterised by a reasonable pluralism of worldviews, are unlikely either to prohibit or require an unfair-price rule, while the main existing substantive theories of justice that do clearly require such a rule (eg in the name of the virtue of corrective justice) or proscribe it (eg because of the value of liberty), are too partisan ('too thick') to be acceptable to citizens holding different reasonable worldviews. This means that a system of contract law can be just independent of whether or not it contains an unfair price rule. As a result, the question of whether our contract law should contain a fair price doctrine remains a matter for the legitimate democratic lawmaker to decide upon, in a debate where controversial worldviews are also admitted. The more procedural ('thinner') principles of justice will still require that the law can (and will at some point) be justified in non-sectarian terms, but given that such more neutral grounds are readily available on either side of the debate, both the presence and the absence of a fair price rule is compatible with a legitimate and just contract law regime. *Corresponding author: Prof. Dr. Martijn W. Hesselink, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid, PO Box 1030, NL-1000 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands, E ˗ Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com ERCL 2015; 11(3): 185–196


Newer genetic sequencing methods confirm the presence of a lung microbiome in healthy individuals. Microbiome imbalances can contribute to disease as they disrupt normal micro-environmental stimuli for the human host. Recent studies in chronic lung disease suggest that imbalances of the lung microbiome are associated with disease pathogenesis. The most common changes in the microbiome in chronic lung diseases are a decrease in diversity and the predominance by Proteobacteria. Additional changes in the lung microbiome have been described in various diseases when the clinical state changes from stable lung disease to respiratory exacerbation. Understanding the impact of the microbiome with robust and innovative tools on chronic lung disease pathogenesis, progression and exacerbation may ultimately lead to microbiome directed therapies. (BRN Rev. 2017;3:102-20) Corresponding author: Sanjay Sethi, firstname.lastname@example.com


Introduction and 2"d MRI findings were normal. Although the effective therapeutic strategy for hypoxic ischemic injury after birth asphyxia has not been known, early diagnosis is very important for developing the therapeutic method. However, imaging techniques and clinical evaluations are sometimes misleading for newborn infants less than 7 days old. In this study, we evaluated 'H MR spectroscopy for detection of early abnormal changes in the brain of hypoxic ischemic injury after birth asphyxia in newborn infants. and the sensitivity over MR imaging was evaluated in a series of follow up examinations over 2I5 months. MRS Results.The plots in Figure I show that the pAA/Cr] ratios for infants with abnormal developmental outcomes are similar to those with normal outcomes when examined within 1 week: and their [NAAICr] ratios decreased after 2 weeks. However. the elevated [LacMAA] ratios for infants with abnormal developmental outcomes were observed when examined within I week.


1. Introduction David Sobel and Steven Wall 2. Intention, belief, and instrumental rationality Michael Bratman 3. Reasons: practical and adaptive Joseph Raz 4. The explanatory role of being rational Michael Smith 5. Practical competence and fluent agency Peter Railton 6. Practical conditionals James Dreier 7. Authority and second-personal reasons for acting Stephen Darwall 8. Promises, reasons, and normative powers Gary Watson 9. Regret and irrational action Justin D'Arms and Daniel Jacobson 10. Mackie's motivational argument Philip Clark 11. The truth in ecumenical expressivism Michael Ridge 12. Voluntarist reasons Ruth Chang.


Abstract Globalization in higher education has highlighted the obligation to provide information on the level of academic quality provided by higher education institutions. This has resulted in the design of university ranking systems, respectively in creating of global and regional ranking tables. This information can and should be a contribution to the advancement of quality education in the country. Kosovar institutions that are competent in this field should show the courage to, in addition to providing information from international rankings, establish a credible national system for providing data, respectively the ranking list of higher education institutions in the country. This may help to identify important issues and information that will serve to create sustainable academic policies. This paper is exclusively based on empirical data provided by a questionnaire. As such it analyzes whether the ranking of higher education institutions in our country are needed and what will be the impact of academic quality measurements. These data enable the country's institutions to measure the public interest in the rate and dynamics of higher education development in the country, identifying the direction of university development. In these circumstances there should be no doubt about the obligation to provide this data, and only on the basis of it, the harmonization of public policies and legislation on quality in education and its role in the market.


Urbanization interacts with climate change through the way cities are organized and built (land cover/ land use, urban morphology). Increased energy consumption and consequently CO2 emissions, combined with emissions from city functions (urban metabolism, anthropogenic heat sources) intensify urban climate change. The effects from more frequent extreme weather events and natural disasters etc. are already observed in cities in multiple spatial and temporal scales. Especially for the Athens basin, there has been an urban expansion of 28% from 1987 to 2010, a burden on human thermal comfort and a deterioration of the thermal environment in the suburban areas leading to social and economic inequalities within the urban complex of Athens.
The above highlight the necessity to develop an Urban Resilience Indicator (URI) as well as its spatial and temporal mapping over the Athens Basin. The indicator is based on the use of Earth Observation and census data and it allows the identification of urban units that exhibit limited resilience to climate change and the related factors. Moreover, the URI mapping will allow the identification of specific interventions that enhance resilience to climate change and the drafting of comprehensive plans for adapting and mitigating urban climate change.


This appendix section of the book contains a list of research institutes of CASS. This book is a socio-political history of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). It is an analysis of the role of CASS in national policymaking from the start of the reforms in 1978 and of the ways in which the reforms have shaped CASS.Keywords: CASS; research institutes


In recent years there has been a dominant migration stream from north to south in Ghana of female youths, moving independently of their families, and mainly towards the cities of Accra and Kumasi. Young girls from rural areas, particularly the northern regions move to markets in urban centres to serve as kayayei, female porters, who carry goods on their heads for a negotiated fee. Away from support from their home communities and families, most end up living and working under very poor conditions and are exposed to both physical and reproductive health risks. The paper examines the characteristics of young female migrants working as head load porters (kayayei) in three markets in Accra and their livelihood strategies as they move into the wage market. It also examines the processes through which migration is used to address livelihood needs through an analysis of the intersecting social relations of gender, poverty and vulnerability. It discusses the survival strategies used to overcome poverty and to deal with issues of risk and vulnerability, especially in respect of their reproductive and health rights. The implications for migration policies and poverty reduction strategies are discussed.


ABSTRACT: This essay is based on a keynote speech at the 2014 Journal of International Accounting Research (JIAR) Conference. That talk was built upon a 2009 American Accounting Association (AAA) A...


The acquisition of an IL‐4‐producing phenotype in Th2 cells requires IL‐4 signaling through the STAT6 pathway during T cell differentiation. In this study we demonstrate that, unlike in naive T cells, IL‐4 is not necessary for the development of an IL‐4‐producing phenotype in mast cells. Bone marrow‐derived mast cell precursors from STAT6–/– mice can differentiate into mature cells that express IL‐4 levels comparable to those of wild‐type mast cells. In differentiated mast cells, activation in the presence of neutralizing anti‐IL‐4 antibodies or mutation of the consensus STAT6 sites does not diminish IL‐4 promoter activity, indicating thatIL‐4 is not required for active transcription. Taken together, these data suggest that mast cell IL‐4 production is not STAT6 dependent, providing evidence that these cells could generate IL‐4 needed for the initiation and amplification of an effective Th2 immune response.


Risk-taking in investment decision-making has been a means to create individual wealth. Investor psychological factors and information searches receive substantial attention in risk-taking in investment choices. This article aims to test the role of information search between individual psychological factors, risk aversion and self-control, and investment preferences. 233 experienced investors were surveyed and structural equation modeling was employed. We find that both risk aversion and self-control have strong direct effects on stocks/options investment preferences, and have indirect effects on mutual fund preferences through the demands of information searches including digital information search and seeking advice (this is especially true for the latter.) Implications for financial consultants are discussed as well.


We consider scheduling problems involving two agents (agents A and B), each having a set of jobs that compete for the use of a common machine to process their respective jobs. The due dates of the A‐jobs are decision variables, which are determined by using the common (CON) or slack (SLK) due date assignment methods. Each agent wants to minimize a certain performance criterion depending on the completion times of its jobs only. Under each due date assignment method, the criterion of agent A is always the same, namely an integrated criterion consisting of the due date assignment cost and the weighted number of tardy jobs. Several different criteria are considered for agent B, including the maxima of regular functions (associated with each job), the total (weighted) completion time, and the weighted number of tardy jobs. The overall objective is to minimize the performance criterion of agent A, while keeping the objective value of agent B no greater than a given limit. We analyze the computational complexity, and devise polynomial or pseudo‐polynomial dynamic programming algorithms for the considered problems. We also convert, if viable, any of the devised pseudopolynomial dynamic programming algorithms into a fully polynomial‐time approximation scheme. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 63: 416–429, 2016


This work introduce a technique to vary the DC part voltage of DSTATCom based on the load harmonics. This is achieved using simple DC-DC boost converter and an appropriate PI controller. Neutral capacitor topology is used for mitigating high neutral current in the DSTATCom. Power quality can be increased by Compensating unbalance in phase currents, harmonics, neutral current and reactive power needed by 3-phase non-linear loads placed at the distribution side. The DC part voltage can be pull down to a smaller value, thus curtailing the voltage-stress across inverter switches and decreasing the switching losses during lesser load at the distribution side. Reference Compensating current is produced using ISCT. DC part reference voltage can be derived using this reference filter current and some other parameters. The variation of DC part voltage is provided using the outCome of a boost converter which requires DC voltage supply. DC source required can be fed from a PV panel or any other renewable energy source. Using the DC part reference voltage, gating pulse for the switch in the boost converter is acquired. And the original DC part voltage is varied continuously according to the load harmonics. For evaluating the system performance, a DSTATCom with changeable DC part voltage fed from boost converter has been simulated.


AbstractThe ever-increasing penetration of intermittent renewable energy generation from wind farms (WFs) and photovoltaic (PV) plants has significant impacts on the stability of the power system c...


The polynomial approximate system of a general nonlinear power system model is expressed by using the semi-tensor product method.And based on the characteristics of the polynomial approximate system for the general nonlinear power system model,the equilibrium points (EPs) and the stability region of the original system are analyzed.A single-machine infinite-bus system and a three-machine system are tested to verify the validity of the studying of the EPs and the approximate boundary of the stability region of the original system by using its polynomial approximate system.


Microring resonator-based photonic interconnects are being considered for both on-chip and off-chip communication in order to satisfy the power and bandwidth requirements of future large scale chip multiprocessors. However, microring resonators are prone to malfunction due to fabrication errors, and they are also extremely sensitive to fluctuations in temperature. In this paper we derive a fault model for microring based optical links that can be used by computer architects to make informed design choices. We evaluate different schemes for improving resilience, such as retransmission versus error-correction, using an optical fault simulator based on our fault model. We show how meeting a target mean time between failures (MTBF) affects the choice of resilience scheme - our investigation indicates that until fault rates are in the range of 10−21 to 10−24 per cycle, error detection/correction schemes will be needed in order to meet a 1M hour MTBF. We also evaluate how the resilience scheme impacts the performance of the link, which will help an architect choose the appropriate scheme based on the throughput requirements of a particular design.


This article presents a new class of computational methods, known as the dimensional decomposition methods, for calculating stochastic sensitivities of mechanical systems with respect to probability distribution parameters. The methods involve a hierarchical decomposition of a multivariate response function in terms of variables with increasing dimensions and score functions associated with the probability distribution of the random input. The decomposition facilitates univariate and bivariate approximations of stochastic sensitivity measures, lower-dimensional numerical integrations or Lagrange interpolations, and Monte Carlo simulation. Both the probabilistic response and its sensitivities can be estimated from a single stochastic analysis without requiring performance function gradients. Numerical results indicate that the decomposition methods developed provide accurate and computationally efficient estimates of sensitivities of component or system or reliability, including stochastic design of mechanical systems.


ABSTRACT Children in the United States and in other English-speaking countries often learn a good deal about letters before they begin formal reading instruction. We suggest that one important and previously unrecognized type of knowledge about letters is knowledge of the phonological structure of the letters' names. In two experiments, preschoolers with a mean age of 4;8 judged whether various syllables were letters. The children made significantly more false positive responses to syllables such as /fi/, which have a phonological structure shared by a number of letters, than to syllables such as /fa/ and /if/, which sound less like real letters. This was true even for children who could recite the alphabet without error. Learning the alphabet, we conclude, forms the basis for generalizations about the structure of letter names.


ArH+ is isoelectronic with HCl. The J = 1-0 and 2-1 transitions of 36ArH+ near 617.5 and 1234.6 GHz, respectively, have been identified very recently as emission lines in spectra obtained with Herschel toward the Crab Nebula supernova remnant.1 On Earth, 40Ar is by far the most abundant isotope, being almost exclusively formed by the radioactive decay of 40K. However, 36Ar is the dominant isotope in the Universe. In the course of unbiased line surveys of the massive and very luminous Galactic Center star-forming regions Sagittarius B2(M) and (N) with the high-resolution instrument HIFI on board of Herschel, we detected the J = 1-0 transition of 36ArH+ as a moderately strong absorption line initially associated with an unidentified carrier.2 In both cases, the absorption feature is unique in its appearance at all velocity components associated with diffuse foreground molecular clouds, together with its conspicuous absence at velocities related to the denser sources themselves. Model calculations are able to reproduce the derived ArH+ column densities and suggest that argonium resides in the largely atomic, diffuse interstellar medium with a molecular fraction of no more than ˜10-3. The 38ArH+ isotopologue was also detected. Subsequent observations toward the continuum sources W51, W49, W31C, and G34.3+0.1 resulted in unequivocal detections of 36ArH+ absorption. Hence, argonium is a good probe of the transition zone between atomic and molecular gas, in particular in combination with OH+ and H2O+, whose abundances peak at a molecular fraction of ˜0.1. Moreover, argonium is a good indicator of an enhanced cosmic ray ionization rate. Therefore, it may be prominent toward, e.g., active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in addition to supernova remnants.


Many low-vision people have impaired visual function due to macular scotomas. When scotomas involve the fovea, the low-vision patient must use an eccentric retinal area. Training may help some of these patients compensate for their scotomas. Using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO), ophthalmologists can measure scotomas and train the patients to use an appropriate retinal area for visual tasks. This task is difficult because the patients may move their eyes consciously or unconsciously during inspection or training. We present a Hough-based registration method combined with feature-based SSD technique to help ophthalmologists perform more accurate and efficient eye registration for inspection and training. Mathematical morphology is used to preprocess each frame to extract a small but relevant set of feature points.


We investigate the suitability of the Microsoft Kinect device for capturing real-world objects and places. Our new geometry scanning system permits the user to obtain detailed triangle models of non-moving objects with a tracked Kinect. The system generates a texture map for the triangle mesh using video frames from the Kinect's color camera and displays a continually-updated preview of the textured model in real-time, allowing the user to re-scan the scene from any direction to fill holes or increase the texture resolution. We also present filtering methods to maintain a high-quality model of reasonable size by removing overlapping or low-precision range scans. Our approach works well in the presence of degenerate geometry or when closing loops about the scanned subject. We demonstrate the ability of our system to acquire 3D models at human scale with a prototype implementation in the StarCAVE, a virtual reality environment at the University of California, San Diego. We designed the capturing algorithm to support the scanning of large areas, provided that accurate tracking is available.


The first sentence of this gem of a book drew me in: A fox crossed my path is about mental illness: my own over a period of 40 years.It continues: This mini book shows how creative and therapeutic ...