A study entitled Study of soil fertility status in KVK farm Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India was carried out during 2020-21. Soil Samples collected from different depths viz. 0-15 (Surface), 15-30 cm (Subsurface) were processed and analyzed for chemical properties. Soil pH, EC and OC ranged from 8.13-8.73, 0.20-0.28 and 0.41-0.76 at surface and all the samplers belongs to moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline range. Soils of KVK, Shahjahanpur classified based on pH, EC ( 1:2.5 soil: water ratio), and OC were low to medium, majority of soils falls under low EC and low to medium organic carbon, the available nitrogen of samples was in the range of 201.19 to 287.84 kg ha-1and were in low nutrient index range (1.38 NI), the available phosphorus of samples range between 16.34 to 21.67 kg ha-1for and falls in medium nutrient index range (2NI) while the available potassium of samples range between 357.54 to 484.98 kg ha-1 and falls in high nutrient index range (2.67 NI) where correlation acted positive in many of the cases. The soils of KVK, Shahjahanpur were categorized into low-medium-high (LMH) category based on available N, P and K concentrations. Ca/Mg ratio of the study area varied from 1.99-2.01 while Mg/K ratio varied from 1.20 to 2.26. Soils of study area were found in sufficient range for available Cu, Zn and Mn except of (Fe) Iron range found in marginal to sufficient. In these range of available nutrients wheat, rice, maize, fodder crops, pulses and some vegetables can be grown very well.


Fajrin Ilham Hartanto/A310140123. DEVELOPMENT OF STAD AND LEARNING STUDENT LEARNING MODEL IN INDONESIAN LANGUAGE CLASS VIII IN SMP NEGERI 5 KLATEN. Essay. Faculty of Education, Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta. In May, 2018.
Learning is an act of making people or learning beings, both academic and non-academic. Implementing learning in the classroom requires learning models, such as lectures and STAD. Lectures model more use of learning methods using oral narrative. STAD learning model is a type of learning in groups. This method is intended so that students are able and accustomed to learn cooperatively and cooperation between friends. The purpose of this research is to know the level of satisfaction of STAD learning model and lecture. The research method used qualitative descriptive method with R & D model. Based on the students' enthusiasm analysis to learn, the number of students interested in STAD is 13 people, while the lecture is 7 people. Based on the analysis of the level of understanding of material to STAD as many as 15 people, while the lecture as many as 12 people. Based on the analysis of excitement level for STAD 14 people, while the lecture is 7 people. Based on the analysis of STAD difficulty level only one person, while the lecture as much as 6 people. Based on STAD anxiety level analysis 5 people, while giving lectures as many as 11 people. Similarly, the level of success and learning skills for STAD is higher than that of college.
Keywords: learning, satisfaction level, STAD, and lecture.


We deal with the properties of derivative of Jones polynomial for algebraically split links. In particularly, the properties of νn(L) and ϕn(L) are discussed.


This study, drawing on the ideas associated with teachers' beliefs, aims to suggest that we should explore teachers' instructional practice and provides insight to examine how English teachers make instructional decisions, choose instructional materials, and select certain instructional practice in applying communicative language teaching (CLT). This approach has been socialized and applied for years at least since 1984 English curriculum. There was enough time for English teachers to be familiar with the teaching of English using CLT both in theory and practice. However, it seems that the CLT has not been applied optimally yet in class. Being difficult for Islamic Junior High School students to communicate in English indicated that the teaching of English with CLT based curriculum did not make any meaningful or distinctive progress for the students' communicative competence nor linguistic competence. For this, it was considered necessary to find out the teacher's beliefs about CLT and how it was implemented in classroom.

This study applied qualitative case study method. Data were collected through questionnaire with five continuum of scale for the former, semi-structure interviews with three English teachers in Islamic Junior High School in Jambi and direct observations completed with observation checklist for the later.

Result indicated that the teachers' beliefs, which came from their own language learning experience, teaching experience and expectation from the school inform their instructional practice in CLT tend to be strong, especially regarding to group work or pair work and student role. Whereas the implementation in classroom teaching in general is inconsistent since teachers brought their own model of teaching.

Based on the findings, teachers should get more chances to be involved in in-service training focusing on putting the theory into practice to make them familiar with applying CLT principles in their classroom teaching. In addition to the government effort in providing teaching media, teachers should be creative in preparing their teaching suitable with the purpose and the context of the lesson being taught to the students by using authentic materials and the real object, as well as do self-reflection to improve their professional instruction.


As a payment method, letter of credit is widely used around the world for its equal and high protection for both parties. While, nothing is perfect, for its specialty and its technique, it is easy for foreign trade companies to make some mistakes. Besides, the banks deal with documents but not the goods, therefore the seller has the opportunity to present fraudulent documents; meanwhile some of foreign trade companies lack experiences and knowledge about letter of credit, which may cause the other party or the bank to dishonor the payment. The risks of using L/C also exist, which has greatly threatened the payment collection of foreign trade companies. Under the theory of L/C and according to the appearances of L/C risks, the author classifies the risks into different types and puts forward some measures to evade risks of using L/C.


This study aims to understand the cohesion structure of consumer responses to overseas direct purchases and the path of cognitive response to emotional response. For this purpose, an online community, in which information on overseas direct purchasing is mainly shared, was selected as a resource, and a network text analysis was conducted after collecting postings. As a result, low price, diversity of choice, ease of payment and enjoyment were the main positive responses to overseas direct purchases. The low price of overseas direct purchases is strongly linked to the relatively high price of domestic commodities, which has created resistance to the domestic market and the retail industry. On the other hand, consumers responded negatively to overseas direct purchases, such as slow delivery, difficulty in return/refund/cancellation, poor Received (March 1, 2018), Review Result (March 9, 2018) Accepted (May 11, 2018), Published (June 30, 2018) Corresponding Author (Jin-Myong Lee) 34134 Assistant Professor, Department of Consumer Science, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Korea email: firstname.lastname@example.com * 이 연구는 2017년도 충남대학교 학술연구비에 의해 지원되었음. A Study on Consumer Responses to Overseas Direct Purchases through Network Text Analysis Copyright c 2018 HSST 48 after-service, and the burden of surcharges. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary for the domestic retail industry to provide consumers with the benefits they are seeking and to improve the efficiency on the distribution structure. The government needs to strengthen the information policy and introduce the global standard electronic commerce system for the enhancement of consumer welfare.


We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for a sequence of ergodic sums (i.e. Birkhoff partial sums) to be almost surely uniformly distributed mod $1$. Applications are given when the sequence is generated by a Gibbs-Markov map. In particular, we show that for almost every real number, the sequence of denominators of the convergents of its continued fraction expansion satisfies Benford's law.


The large range of uranyl bond lengths is a classical problem. The authors present here an ab initio study of the underlying mechanism, supposing it to be an intramolecular one, taking place inside an axial + equatorial, [(O[sub ax]UO[sub ax])(O[sub eq])[sub n]][sup 6[minus]] (n = 4) distorted octahedral model cluster, including the UO[sub 2][sup m+] (m = 0-2), 'anituranyl' UO[sub 4][sup 2[minus]](D[sub 4h]) and cubic UO[sub 6][sup 6[minus]] limits.


Materials and Methods We performed a single-center, prospective, casecontrol study including 164 HCC patients and 422 controls between 02/2007 and 11/2008. The serum concentration of AFP and DCP, and the percentage of AFP-L3 were determined using the Wako LiBASys clinical auto-analyzer by a liquidphase binding assay. Results AFP, DCP and AFP-L3% were significantly elevated in HCC patients compared to controls (P < 0.0001). AFP and DCP showed equal sensitivities, but in combination the sensitivity was elevated from 28.7% for AFP alone (cutoff level of 400 ng/ml) up to 78.0% for all HCC patients using cutoff levels of 10 ng/ml for AFP and 5 ng/ml for DCP with a specificity of 89.3%. Even within earlystage (BCLC) patients the sensitivity could be elevated to 64.6%. The area under the ROC was 0.88 and 0.87 for AFP and DCP, respectively, and could be elevated to 0.91 for all biomarkers together.


Computer viruses can do fatal damage to your information system, the ability to damage is basically decided by their mechanisms of regenerating, not decided by the longer computer virusespsila program or the shorter ones. Today, many of mechanisms and much of computer virusespsila ability to damage that, quite an initial knowledge of peoplepsilas for new computer viruses are still to take much time to research and solve. So all anti-viruses software already existed are too difficult to kill a variety of computer viruses. This paper will introduce a new practice method of preventing a variety of computer virusespsila creeping in networks based on AI-Properties of VCN. It is also called method of that, while in Rome, do as the Romans do; or method of kidnapping & interrogating.


Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were widely used in the past for a number of industrial applications due to their thermal and chemical stability, dielectric properties and flame resistance. This type of xenobiotic compounds is very stable, which explains their difficult elimination and persistence in the environment. PCB is considered a POP (persistent organic pollutant). This pollutant is really dangerous being related with health issues due to their carcinogenic and endocrinedisrupting features. The Stockholm Convention on POPs, that is an international treaty, was developed to mitigate this global problem. The main purpose was to convey means to achieve PCBs waste elimination by 2028.


Simple Summary Regarding the topography of Chile, livestock have to travel for long distances (1240 km), including road and sea transport. During this journey food and water deprivation, overstocking and handling issues have been reported as common problems. The lack of adequate conditions onboard can produce adverse consequences for the welfare of livestock in transit. In the current study the physiological and behavioural implications of two different space allowances and the lack of food and water during the long-distance transport has been studied. The current space provided in Chile to the cattle onboard (1 m2/500 kg) appears to be detrimental to their welfare. Lack of room to allow postural adjustment in combination with limited access to food and water resulted in poor nutrition and dehydration. Behavioural responses to the low space were also affected. Cattle increased the time spend eating and ruminating when 30% extra space and more feed was provided. We conclude that, under the current Chilean standards for the long-distance transport, the welfare of the livestock is adversely affected. This research can provide valuable information for the reform of welfare standards for the transport of livestock in Chile. Abstract Long distance transport of livestock from Patagonia to central Chile involves both road and sea transport and has a potential impact on the welfare of animals. Fifty Bos taurus cattle of approximate age six months were exposed to a journey of four days, with both the sea and road components undertaken in a truck (roll-off roll-on system) with two pens of different dimensions. Thirty-two and eighteen cattle were randomly allocated to two treatment groups: Low and High welfare standards, which were provided 0.66 m2/head and 0.86 m2/head, respectively, and a fixed amount of feed and water daily to each pen, 1.25 kg hay/head and 3.1 L water/head in the Low welfare treatment and 2.22 kg/head and 5.6 L/head in the High welfare treatment, respectively. Low welfare animals had increased plasma total protein and albumin, which is suggested to be due to limited water availability, and also haptoglobin, suggesting inflammatory responses. Cattle in the High welfare treatment spent more time eating and ruminating than those in the Low space allowance, but they had increased cortisol at the end of the journey, perhaps reflecting increased fighting with more space. Cattle welfare in both treatments was adversely affected by the limited feed and water supplies, with increased beta-hydroxybutyrate at the end of the voyage; total protein was increased in just the low welfare standard group where low space allowance and less food and water was provided. Creatine phosphokinase also increased after the journey, compared with before, indicating bruising. Limiting feed and water availability to cattle in the low welfare treatment resulted in physiological evidence of undernutrition and low hydration status, but it also reduced the stress response, probably because there was less fighting.


Tens of axial flow fans are arranged in an array in the direct dry cooling system.It is benefit to the design and operation of air-cooled condensers to investigate the aerodynamic behavior of the array of axial flow fans,in which the inlet flow characteristics of axial flow fans are key issues.The numerical simulation and model experiments were presented to clarify the inlet flow characteristics of axial flow fans.The results show that the flow distortion induced inlet flow angle is so high that the exterior flow area of the axial flow fan has small velocity when the axial flow fan is independently running.It is improved when the axial flow fan is running together with other fans.The inlet flow distortions are deteriorated for the exterior fans in the array of axial flow fans,resulting in the low flow rates for the exterior fans.The location coefficient was proposed to evaluate the inlet flow characteristics of six axial flow fans,which is of importance to further clarify the cluster operation of axial flow fans in direct dry cooling system.


Pre-diabetes is the beginning of diabetes. Pre-diabetes is not yet included in diabetes but can become Diabetes Mellitus. Pre-diabetes is characterized by fasting blood sugar levels of 100-125 mg/dl and blood sugar 2 hours after eating 140-199 mg/dl. The pre-diabetes condition can naturally develop diabetes but can be prevented. Therefore, it is very important to know the attitude in preventing pre-diabetes and its complications so that behaviors that lead to healthy life can be achieved. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of pre-diabetes and describe the attitude of pre-diabetes prevention and its complications in Bangsal District of Kediri.


In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework for the analysis of the impact of ultra-wideband (UWB) interference on systems that use the popular combination of bit- interleaved coded modulation (BICM) and orthogonal frequency- division multiplexing (OFDM). For the UWB interference we consider multi-band OFDM (MB-OFDM), direct-sequence UWB (DS-UWB), and impulse-radio UWB (IR-UWB) formats following recent IEEE/ECMA standards and standard proposals. Our analysis is applicable to generic BICM-OFDM victim systems including IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs), IEEE 802.16 wireless access systems (WiMAX), and 4th generation mobile communication systems. Besides the exact analysis we also calculate the bit-error rate for the case when the UWB interference is modeled as additional Gaussian noise. Our results show that in general the BER of the BICM-OFDM system strongly depends on the type of the UWB interference and the sub-carrier spacing. While the Gaussian approximation is very accurate for DS-UWB, it may severely over- or underestimate the true BER for MB-OFDM and IR-UWB interference.


The weak antilocalization (WAL) effects of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in high mobility AlxGa1−xN/GaN heterostructure as well as beating patterns in the Shubnikov–de Haas (SdH) oscillatory magnetoresistance have been investigated by means of magnetotransport measurements before and after illumination. The zero-field spin splitting mainly arising from the Rashba spin-orbit coupling effect is studied using the weak antilocalization and beating patterns analysis, respectively. The Rashba spin-orbit coupling constant α deduced using the weak antilocalization analysis showed a good agreement with that estimated from the analysis of the beating patterns for the sample before and after illumination. For our sample, the electron motion in the high mobility system is in the ballistic regime, the experimental WAL curves were fitted by a simulated quantum conductance correction according to a model proposed by [Golub [Phys. Rev. B 71, 235310 (2005)].


Double queue concept has gained its popularity in dynamic user equilibrium (DUE) modeling because it can properly model real traffic dynamics. While directly solving such double-queue-based DUE problems is extremely challenging, an approximation scheme called first-order approximation was proposed to simplify the link travel time estimation of DUE problems in a recent study without evaluating its properties and performance. This paper focuses on directly investigating the First-In-First-Out property and the performance of the first-order approximation in link travel time estimation by designing and modeling dynamic network loading (DNL) on single-line stretch networks. After model formulation, we analyze the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) property of the first-order approximation. Then a series of numerical experiments is conducted to demonstrate the FIFO property of the first-order approximation, and to compare its performance with those using the second-order approximation, a point queue model, and the cumulative inflow and exit flow curves. The numerical results show that the first-order approximation does not guarantee FIFO and also suggest that the second-order approximation is recommended especially when the link exit flow is increasing. The study provides guidance for further study on proposing new methods to better estimate link travel times.


A 19-year-old male Siberian tiger was presented with inappetence and paralysis of hind limbs. In a computed tomography (CT) scan, intervertebral disk disease at L3–L4 was detected. Cardiac arrest occurred during the surgery. At autopsy, myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) and eccentric hypertrophy of the left heart were noted. The diagnosis was congestive heart failure caused by MMVD. Microscopically, myocardial and pulmonary fibrosis were observed in addition to the disintegration of the fibrosa layer and accumulation of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans in the spongiosa layer of the mitral valve. This is the first case of congestive heart failure with MMVD in a Siberian tiger.


As a part of their very wide range of applications, international standards also represent an excellent technical support to the legislation on comfort and health at the workplace. The existing standards on thermal comfort and on indoor air quality both include limits of acceptability which strongly depend on the category chosen for the investigated work environment. Therefore, the same situation can easily meet compliant or largely exceed specified limits depending on which category is applied. Unfortunately, no clue is currently provided on how to select the appropriate category, and the end-user is left uninformed. In this paper, we present a method to assign limits of acceptability to any work situation whose thermal comfort and indoor air quality must be assessed. The method extends previous work developed specifically for thermal comfort and is based on an algorithm which takes into account three quantities that provide a comprehensive description of the work environment, the activity which is carried out and the sensitivity of individuals. The scheme's simple modular structure can easily accommodate both changes and additions, should other hypothetical elements be identified to be as relevant to the classification scheme.


ABSTRACT Crumb rubber represents a series hazardous waste that causes environmental pollution that needs to be treated. Such a problem consumes a high budget in controlling its consequences. The main objective of this study is to get maximum benefit from this waste and use it as a filler in green processing to obtain useful materials such as heat insulators. Thus, the black filler was removed from the natural rubber mixes and crumb rubber from waste in different ratios was used instead to form rubber composite that contains a small amount of organo modified nanoclay to maintain the mechanical properties of the vulcanized rubber composites. A controlling mix containing black carbon filler was used to compare the obtained results from crumb/NR nanocomposites. These mixes were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the graphs revealed that at higher ratios of crumb rubber in the mix, crumb forms a dispersible network within the rubber blend matrix which enhances the miscibility between the rubber and all other ingredients. TGA data indicated high thermal stability of all crumb/NR nanocomposites. All results showed that the addition of crumb to natural rubber nanocomposites enhanced the levels of the properties especially for the mix of the ratio 4:6 for crumb:natural rubber. Results of thermal conductivity measurements assured that such mix acts as an insulating material and may be used in constructural applications for shielding purposes.


In Vol. XII of the Journal N. Y. Ent. Soc., pp. 93-IO4, 1904, I published a review of Vol. IV of Catalogue of Phalanoe, etc., then recently issued. This volume, the first of the series on the Noctuids, by Sir George F. Hampson, contained some changes in the accepted synonymy as based on previous studies and comparisons. I was not quite ready to accept all of these references of species nor the use of genera in the way Hampson typified them. As to the genera the difference is due to the fundamental rule accepted for the determina tion of generic types and agreement cannot be reached until a uniform basis is agreed upon by zoologists. As to the species it was matter for further study of the original types. In September, i906, it was my good fortune to be able to spend some time in London; for a week I went over the Noctuid collection, and Sir George was good enough to look over with me all those species about which our conclusions were at variance. Taking up the species in the order of my notes, the following memoranda were made. Pyrocleptria californica Hamps. This is Annaphila aurantiaca Hy. Edw. That the species was not an Annaphila I pointed out in my Catalogue of I893 and also stated that it was an Heliothid for which I had no satisfactory place. In I895 Mr. Grote created his genus Incita to receive it; but evidently without specimens and without recogniz able description. At any rate aurantiaca is type of nci/a Grt., and so the species must be known, with californica Hamps., as synonym. The type of Pyrocleptria is cora Gn., and if that species is really con generic with aurantiaca the name Pyrocleptria must sink as a synonym of Incita. Heliothis luipa/us Grt. This is the Xes/ia chloropha of Hubner without very much doubt, and it disposes of another of those miser able species that have remained so long unidentified in our catalogues. Hampson first suggested this synonymy in a letter and after com paring my only specimen with the figure, I have no doubt that he is correct. I am not aware that he has published the reference, but the credit for it belongs to him at any rate. The species is not at all


Objective: In Nigeria Trypanosomes are transported from one research laboratory to another by inoculating into live animals or carried in canisters of liquid nitrogen. This study investigated alternative ways of transporting the parasite. Methodology and results: Blood obtained from a heavily parasitemic rat (1x10 8 ) per/ml blood was diluted at a ratio of 1:0.5 in phosphate buffer saline glucose and phosphate buffer saline in Eppendorf tubes and stored at 4°C and 27°C, respectively. In both buffers, parasites stored at 27°C did not survive after 12 hr. Parasites in phosphate buffer saline glucose stored 4°C survived for up to 7 days. Conclusions and application of findings: The findings indicate that T.congolense could be kept at low temperatures in blood - phosphate buffer saline glucose or nutrient medium supporting growth of the parasites and transported over long distances instead of using live animals which could be susceptible to stress.


ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING and important developments in psychiatry in many years is the concept of comprehensive community mental health as discussed by Harris5 in a recent issue of CALIFORNIA MEDICINE. Treatment of acute psychiatric illness is shifting from the isolated mental hospital into the community, and is of shorter duration. Outpatient programs are more effective, and a variety of alternatives to staying in hospital the clock around are now available. New techniques of prevention are being developed, utilizing mental health education and consultation to agencies in the community providing caretaker services to the emotionally disturbed.


Ruling party-owned conglomerates (Parbus) are emerging in some postconflict African economies following state capture by ethnic parties. We offer an analytical framework, buttressed by four country case studies of "developmental ethnocracies" in Africa and Asia to identify when Parbus dominance can be redistributive wealth-seeking and when wealthcreating. Four regime characteristics underpin the prospects for wealthcreation over rent-seeking: legitimization angst, organizational capacity, ideology, and degree of state centralization. Three evolutionary paths (perhaps stages) suggest themselves: paragonist that is inclusive and growth friendly, parasitic engendering a poverty-tyranny trap and mutualist exemplified by a destabilizing contest among party, state and private interests. [R] [See Abstr. 64.1877]


Become a source of progress, the importance of management control has been at length considered as a strategic value to all types of organizations. It is a discipline having as a goal the motivation of the responsible and their incentive to the execution of the activities that help to achieve the objectives fixed. According to R. Anthony's (1965) most widespread definition: "Management control is the process by which managers ensure that resources are obtained and used efficiently and effectively for the goals of the organization"


We have demonstrated that the elevated expression of BAFF receptor (BR3) on monocytes is involved in the pathogenesis of primary Sjogren's syndrome and BR3 is a therapeutic target to treat pSS. In our previous study, we have discovered two pyrrolopryimidine derivatives, BIK12 and BIK13, which inhibit binding of BAFF to BR3, using our original high-throughput screening system. In this study, we investigated inhibitory effects of these compounds on BAFF signaling pathways in monocytes and B cells in vitro. In addition, we analyzed the effects of the compounds on serum level of an anti-dsDNA antibody in autoimmune disease model mice.

 Peripheral monocytes were stimulated with soluble BAFF (sBAFF) and cultured in vitro with or without peripheral B cells in the presence of BIK-12 or BIK-13. IL-6 production by monocytes and IgG production by B cells were measured by ELISA. MRL/lpr and NZBWF1 mice were treated with these compounds three times a week at a dose of 1.0 or 0.2 mg/kg for 6 months. The titer of an anti-ds DNA antibody was measured by ELISA.

 sBAFF-induced IL-6 production by peripheral monocytes and IgG production by B cells co-cultured with sBAFF-stimulated peripheral monocytes were significantly suppressed by BIK12 and BIK13 in a dose dependent manner. Interestingly, the titer of an anti-dsDNA antibody in both MRL/lpr and NZBWF1 mice received BIK13 was significantly lower than control mice after 16 weeks' treatment, indicating that the compound was also efficacious in vivo.


Objective To determine the enhancing effect of the volatile oil from cablin patchouli herb on the transdermal absorption of diclofenac sodium.Methods The transdermal absorption of diclofenac sodium was carried on intact rat skin and on the stratum corneum removed skin respectively pretreated with the volatile oil from cablin patchouli herb and Azone for 12 hours.The concentration of diclofenac sodium in transdermal perfusate was detected at different intervals.The cumulate penetrated amount,penetrating rate and stable flux were calculated.Results The volatile oil from cablin patchouli herb and Azone can enhance the percutaneous absorption of diclofenac sodium,but the effect of the volatile oil from cablin patchouli herb on diclofenac sodium was significantly different with that of azone(P 0.05).The lag time of Azone was shorted,and the lag time of the volatile oil from cablin patchouli herb was lengthened.The two permeation enhancers in the intact skin could not decrease the deposit effect of diclofenac sodium.The two permeation enhancers in the treated skin whose stratum corneum removed could decrease the deposit effect of diclofenac sodium.Conclusion The volatile oil from cablin patchouli herb promotes the percutaneous absorption of diclofenac sodium.


Objectives To evaluate the effect of carvedilol on chronic heart failure(CHF). Methods Fifty-nine in-patients diagnosed as CHF from between January 2005 to March 2006 were included and divided into carvedilol group(n=30)and controls(n=29)randomly. The patients in control were treated by metoprolol. The clinical symptoms and heart function parameters before and after treatment were collected. Results Carvedilol improved both clinical symptom and heart parameters significantly(P0.05). Carvedilol was more effective than metoprolol in both decreasing left ventricular end-diastolic dimension(LVEDd) and increasing left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF). Conclusions Carvedilol can treat CHF effectively, and is superior to metoprolol in decreasing LVEDd and increasing LVEF.


Two original personalities, Henry Corbin and Mircea Eliade, have revived a positive notion of the imagination, understood not merely as fantasy but as the scene of an encounter with other worlds. In their own respective works they both recovered a metaphysics of the imagination that, despite superficial resemblances, differs significantly from a Romantic conception. The aim of this article is to uncover the implicit intentions expressed in their approaches and thus to try to answer whether it is possible today to envisage an underlying, common spiritual path shared perhaps not only by Eliade and Corbin, but by all human experience as it participates in the questions that humankind has asked itself.


Extant literatures have found that tax revenue influence infrastructure and economic growth without considering if infrastructure can possibly affect the tax revenue collected. This study examined the dynamic relationship between tax revenue, infrastructural development and economic growth in Nigeria, using an annual secondary time series data from 1981 – 2018. The unit root properties of the series were examined using both Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test and Phillip Perron (PP) test, while the Johansen Cointegration test was employed to examine if the series are cointegrated. The results reveal that the series are all integrated of order 1 and non cointegrated. To examine the direction of causality and the interrelationship among the variables, a vector autoregression (VAR) causality test was carried out, and a VAR at-first difference model was estimated. The results reveal a unidirectional causality running from tax revenue to economic growth and from economic growth to infrastructure, while a bi-directional causality is found between tax revenue and infrastructural development. Findings from the impulse response results show that while tax revenue influences economic growth and infrastructure, infrastructure does not influence economic growth, but significantly influence tax revenue collected. The study recommends that government should better embrace fiscal responsibility by being more accountable to tax payers in terms of providing infrastructures of higher quality that can truly promote economic growth.


The Ebola virus epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has become the most severe outbreak since the virus species was first recognized in 1976. To what extent have population's fear and hostility contributed to the spread of the contagious disease? To address this question, our study attempts to estimate the impact of communities' fearful and hostile reactions towards medical workers and institutions on epidemiological outcomes. Our empirical strategy is to compare virus disease progression in (administrative) areas that faced such incidents with virus disease progression in areas that did not, before and after the incidents. Our results across countries suggest that prior to the incidents the progression of total cases was similar across areas while after the incidents the progression significantly accelerated in areas that faced the incidents compared to areas that did not, and so by 0.76 standard deviations (std. dev.) within six weeks and up to 2.01 std. dev. within twenty-four weeks. Our estimates across countries also suggest that the incidents triggered an increase in total deaths, where the impact is estimated at 0.53 std. dev. within six weeks and up to 2.64 std. dev. within twenty-four weeks. Our results within countries and for specific classifications of cases and deaths are also consistent with the view that population's panic and resistance have aggravated the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. ⇤I would like to thank Elise Huillery for helpful comments and suggestions throughout this research project. I am also thankful for the advices I have received from my classmates. I am responsible for all remaining errors.


The article focuses on the place and role of local government in the structure of civil society, the importance of its democratic and free development. The main conclusion is that local government has the dual nature of, which acts as an element of the state, and as a element of civil society, its important role in the harmonious union of the interests of the state, society and the individual.


On 3 November 1970, the British daily newspaper The Financial Times comments on the position of the European Commission with regard to the achievement by stages of economic and monetary union. The Commission is generally in favour of the proposals contained in the Werner Report, but — well aware of France's reservations over some federalist elements of the plan — it proposes that the transfer of national powers be limited to what is absolutely necessary to ensure the efficacy of the Community's action.


Stock option takes effect in inspiring managers to improve the long-term performance of company,attracting elites and so on.But in the present China's corporate governance,its effect is limited.The author analysis this problem in three aspects:control of internal staff,choosing system of manager and capital market.


Objective:Construct IFN-α2a-GFE-1 fusion gene expression vector and obtain high quality products.Methods:Amplified IFN-α2a gene and changed its enzyme digestion sites of C-terminus by PCR.Got a 13-amino acid peptide GFE-1 from phage-display library which can bind lung tissue specifically and effectively.Synthesized the nucleotide fragment encoding GFE-1 and linked it with IFN-α2a,the fusion gene was cloned into pGEM-3zf and identified by DNA sequencing.Cleaved out the fusion gene from pGEM-3zf and cloned it into pBV220 expression vector.After expressed in E.coli,a purification procedure to obtain high quality fusion protein was set.Results:The enzyme digestion sites of C-terminus of IFN-α2a gene changed successfully and linked with GFE-1 gene.The fusion gene was cloned into pGEM-3zf cloning vector and identify positive clones with DNA sequencing.pBV220-IFN-α2a-GFE-1 expression vector was constructed and its expression induced in E.coli by temperature change.Purify the expressed fusion protein,SDS-PAGE showed that target protein purity was over 95% and activity assay showed the activity was 5.8×109IU/mg.Conclusion:IFN-α2a-GFE-1 fusion protein was successfully cloned,expressed and purified,its activity was assayed.The research showed that it may be useful and effective in targeted-drug therapy of diseases such as lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis.


Thyroid dysfunction is common in patients with Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal disorder. Thyroid hormones are important for normal growth, neurodevelopment, and metabolism, highlighting the importance of quantifying the levels in patients with DS. However, current methods have cross-reactivity that result in inaccuracies in quantification. We aimed to develop a new analytical method for quantifying the total 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine (TT3), total 3,3',5,5'-tetraiodo-L-thyronine (TT4), 3,3',5'-triiodo-L-thyronine, and reverse T3 (rT3) levels using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Repeatability and reproducibility with coefficient of variation values of 2-9% and 3-13%, respectively, were acceptable, suggesting that the assay was suitable for measuring serum thyroid hormones. We measured the serum thyroid hormone levels of patients with Down syndrome but without thyroid dysfunction (age, 3-20 years) and compared the levels to those of control individuals (patients with idiopathic short stature; age, 3-17 years). When thyroid hormone levels were summarized by age group, the serum TT4 concentrations were not significantly different between the controls and patients with DS across all age groups. Meanwhile, the serum TT3 concentrations differed according to age. In addition, the serum rT3 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with Down syndrome than those in controls, except for those in the 12-14-year group. We also calculated the T3/T4 and rT3/T4 ratios to elucidate the reason for the higher rT3 in patients with DS; however, no useful findings were obtained. Thus, further investigation is needed to clarify our findings.


Purpose . To analyze levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) in plasma in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Materials and methods . The identification of concentrations of IGF-I in 71 patients with acute coronary syndrome, comparison groups and control. Results. IGF-I in myocardial infarction is lower than in the comparison group. Increased IGF-I in unstable angina pectoris has no significant differences with control groups and comparisons. The highest IGF-I levels in the comparison group, the lowest in cases of mortality. Patients older age group have lower concentrations of IGF-I and lower regenerative capabilities to repair damaged vascular wall and myocardium. In the aspect of the «cardiovascular continuum» reparative role of IGF-I is also defined for acute kidney injury in patients with ACS. Correlation of IGF-I with the basic laboratory parameters of renal system reflect the nature of the protein impact, an opportunity for an expanded range of applications. IGF-I in patients with ACS within the first 24 hours acts as a vector of mortality. Conclusions. IGF-I is a new highly sensitive biochemical marker of vascular inflammation and damage, can be used in the laboratory diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. IGF-I levels decline with increasing age of patients with ACS. In the aspect of the «cardiovascular continuum» reparative role of IGF-I is systemic in nature, exerting its beneficial effects on the kidneys.


Objective: American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) experience poor overall survival. The specific aim of this study was to analyze disparities in survival between AI/AN and white patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Method: We identified all incident cases of oropharyngeal, oral cavity, and hypopharyngeal/laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma among AI/AN and white patients from 1996 to 2007 using the SEER database. Univariate, multivariate, and sequential Cox proportional hazard models were fit to analyze racial differences in sex, age, stage, treatment patterns, and overall survival. Results: For cancer of the oropharynx, AI/AN experienced decreased overall survival after adjusting for age, sex, stage, and type of treatment (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.4, P = .008). For cancer of the oral cavity, AI/AN experienced decreased survival after adjusting for patient age and sex (HR =1.3, P = .05). This difference was eliminated after adjusting for type of treatment (HR=1.2, P = .17). AI/AN were significantly less likely to receive surgery (odds ratio=0.57, P = .02). For hypopharyngeal/laryngeal cancer, AI/AN experienced decreased survival after adjusting for patient age and sex (HR = 1.6, P = .04). Adjusting for stage at diagnosis eliminated the disparity (HR =1.4, P = .12). Conclusion: Significant disparities in survival exist among AI/AN patients with head and neck cancer. These disparities are variably related to stage at presentation and differential treatment patterns. Future research is needed to understand how to implement programs to reduce these differences in care and outcomes.


Purpose: To describe a methodology for reconstruction of doses due to medical exposures for members of the Techa River Cohort (TRC) who received diagnostic radiation at the clinic of the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine (URCRM) in 1952–2005. To calculate doses of medical exposure for the TRC members and compare with the doses that resulted from radioactive contamination of the Techa River. Material and Methods: Reconstruction of individual medical doses is based on data on x-ray diagnostic procedures available for each person examined at the URCRM clinics and values of absorbed dose in 12 organs per typical x-ray procedure calculated with the use of a mathematical phantom. Personal data on x-ray diagnostic examinations have been complied in the computerized "Registry of x-ray diagnostic procedures." Sources of information are archival registry books from the URCRM x-ray room (available since 1956) and records on x-ray diagnostic procedures in patient-case histories (since 1952). The absorbed doses for 12 organs of interest have been evaluated per unit typical x-ray procedure with account taken of the x-ray examination parameters characteristic for the diagnostic machines used at the URCRM clinics. These parameters have been evaluated from published data on technical characteristics of the x-ray diagnosticmore » machines used at the URCRM clinics in 1952–1988 and taken from the x-ray room for machines used at the URCRM in 1989–2005. Absorbed doses in the 12 organs per unit typical x-ray procedure have been calculated with use of a special computer code, EDEREX, developed at the Saint-Petersburg Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene after Professor P.V. Ramzaev. Individual accumulated doses of medical exposure have been calculated with a computer code, MEDS (Medical Exposure Dosimetry System), specifically developed at the URCRM. Results: At present, the "Registry of x-ray diagnostic procedures" contains information on individual x-ray examinations for over 9,500 persons including 6,415 TRC members. Statistical analysis of the Registry data showed that the more frequent types of examinations were fluoroscopy and radiography of the chest and fluoroscopy of the stomach and the esophagus. Average absorbed doses accumulated by year 2005 calculated for the 12 organs varied from 4 mGy for testes to 40 mGy for bone surfaces. Maximum individual medical doses could reach 500–650 mGy and in some cases exceeded doses from exposure at the Techa River. Conclusions: For the first time the doses of medical exposure were calculated and analyzed for members of the Techa River Cohort who received diagnostic radiation at the URCRM clinics. These results are being used in radiation-risk analysis to adjust for this source of confounding exposure in the TRC.« less


Continuous development is the basic strategy for China's national economy and social development. In the current situation that the society calls for continuous development, this article,from the level of an enterprise and from the point of business management,studies the environmental changes which have been brought to the modern enterprises by the continuous development and also studies the adjustment and reform measures which should be adopted for the businers management strategy.


This study is a life‐cycle analysis of the balance of system (BOS) components of the 3·5 MWp multi‐crystalline PV installation at Tucson Electric Power's (TEP) Springerville, AZ field PV plant. TEP instituted an innovative PV installation program guided by design optimization and cost minimization. The advanced design of the PV structure incorporated the weight of the PV modules as an element of support design, thereby eliminating the need for concrete foundations. The estimate of the life‐cycle energy requirements embodied in the BOS is 542 MJ/m2, a 71% reduction from those of an older central plant; the corresponding life‐cycle greenhouse gas emissions are 29 kg CO2 eq./m2. From field measurements, the energy payback time (EPT) of the BOS is 0·21 years for the actual location of this plant, and 0·37 years for average US insolation/temperature conditions. This is a great improvement from the EPT of about 1·3 years, estimated for an older central plant. The total cost of the balance of system components was $940 US per kWp of installed PV, another milestone in improvement. These results were verified with data from different databases and further tested with sensitivity‐ and data‐uncertainty analyses. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) is a hybrid frequency-hoped, direct sequence spread spectrum system that utilizes a (31, 15) Reed-Solomon (RS) code and cyclical code-shift keying (CCSK) modulation for the data packets, where each encoded symbol consists of five bits. In this paper, an alternative waveform compatible with the existing JTIDS direct sequence spread spectrum channel waveform is analyzed. The system considered uses the same (31, 15) RS encoding as the original JTIDS but uses 32-ary orthogonal signaling with 32 chip baseband waveforms such as Walsh functions instead of CCSK. Currently, the JTIDS waveform is received noncohe-rently at the chip level, but in this paper the performance of the alternative, JTIDS-compatible waveform is evaluated for coherent as well as for noncoherent demodulation in order to ascertain the performance possible if coherent demodulation were practical. For coherent demodulation, each pair of five-bit symbols at the output of the RS encoder is assumed to undergo serial-to-parallel conversion to two five-bit symbols, which are then independently transmitted on the in-phase and quadrature component of the carrier, with the result that the data rate for coherent demodulation is twice that for noncoherent demodulation. The performance of the alternative waveform for the relatively benign case where additive white Gaussian noise is the only noise present as well as when pulse-noise interference is present is investigated for both coherent and noncoherent demodulation.


Cloud computing [12] and its security with user's multi-label data is provided security by different module by different author. The security in terms which provided either encryption or in terms of hashing which aims to provide integrity verification. In this paper a lock box technique which aims to provide a highly secure mechanism for data sharing and its authenticity maintain is proposed. That technique uses proxy re-encryption and lazy encryption technique to provide an enhanced encrypted. That technique leads in data processing using data hiding and key sharing among the given selected user. The result were monitored in terms of computation time at server end and also security measures which claims the high level of security is provided in the proposed work. Our work is deems to be an innovative work with cloud security and its architecture.


We report on the laser performances of Pr-doped Sr0.7La0.3Mg0.3Al11.7O17 (Pr:ASL) at 647 nm and 726 nm using a frequency doubled Ti:sapphire and a multi-emitter diode module as pump sources.


The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only existing species within the Tremarctinae subfamily and is endemic to South America. It can be found trough the Andes, from Venezuela to Brazil. This species is characterized by its tendency to herbivory and within their diet have been found over 80 different resources. Diet plays a major role as a conductor in speciation and diversification processes and for this reason, modifications in the intestinal microbiome allows the exploitation of new resources. The objectives of this study consisted in characterizing the composition of the fecal microbiome of T. ornatus and make an approximation to know the major diet components. To that end 22 fecal samples of T. ornatus were obtained from Guatavita "municipio", the V4 region of the 16sRNA was amplified and from this amplicons genomic libraries were generated and were sequenced in the Ion PGM , for the analysis of these amplicons a trimming was executed and the diversity and assignation of OTUs was done with Qiime. To assess diet, macroscopic identification of components was performed in feces and germination tests as well. 5.137.231 sequences were generated with an average size of 157pb. It was found a predominance of Proteobacteria (74.89%), Firmicutes (11%) and Bacteroidetes phyla, the presence of cellulolytic bacteria was observed. A Shannon index=4.1 was calculated. It was found that Chuqueae sp., Clusia multiflora, Vaccinium meridionale and some Bromeliaceae are the main components of their diet. Results suggest that the intermediate state of T. ornatus, regarding the diversity index between omnivores and strict herbivores, could be an indicator of the specialization course presented by this species for herbivory. In addition, identification of bacteria associated with cellulolytic activity, evidence adaptations in the microbiome community for the access to an herbivorous diet.


The results of this study through research method and data analysis was as follows: 1. In the case of physical fitness, 10M shuttle run were all significant in the between two groups, the time progress of pre-post, and the interaction effects of groups and pre-post. Standing broad jumps was significant in the time progress of pre-post. But chin up and sit up were all no significant in the between two groups, the time progress and the interaction effects of groups and pre-post. Moreover, in the case of measurement values of pre-post, generally there were no large changes, but control group was generally increase more than experimental group in measurement values. 2. In the case of protein component, there were all significant, that is, total protein in the time progress of pre-post, albumin and globulin in the time progress of pre-post, in the interaction effects of groups and pre-post. Besides, total protein, albumin, globulin were to all increase, but albumin showed a tendency to decrease in control group. 3. In the case of enzyme component, LDH and GOT were significant in the interaction effects of groups and pre-post, but other enzyme component was no significant. Moreover, all enzyme component was to increase in experimental group but control group showed a tendency to decrease. 4. The navy who was on duty in naval vessels showed a tendency to suffer stress more than otherwise, that is, the more age was much, the more educational level was high, the more marriage was, the more duty time was long, the more work was much, the more rank was high. Moreover, they didn`t suffer stress in the fear about sea, the collision of naval vessels, sinking etc., but they showed a tendency to suffer above 80% stress in otherwise naval vessels environmental factors,


April 2005 The Priestly Vocation, Thomas B. Dozeman, 117-128 The Prophet Jeremiah and Exclusive Loyalty to God, Kathleen M. O'Connor, 130-140 "Follow Me": The Imperious Call of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels, F. Scott Spencer, 142-153 "The One Who Called You..." Vocation and Leadership in the Pauline Literature, A. Katherine Grieb, 154-165 The Called Life: An Essay on the Pastoral Vocation, Richard Lischer, 166-178


1. Lipid extracted from breast and leg muscle of 10-week-old turkeys was fractionated by preparative thin-layer chromatography and five individual 'neutral' and eight individual phospholipid fractions, representing 95% by weight of the extractable lipid, were recovered from the plates for analysis. The 'neutral' lipids from breast and leg muscle consisted mainly of triglyceride (202–497 and 1644–2333 mg/100 g), together with cholesterol (74 and 103 mg/100 g), free fatty acid (27 and 123 mg/100 g), diglyceride (17 and 66 mg/100 g) and cholesterol ester (9 and 12 mg/100 g). The phospholipids contained phosphatidylcholine (367 and 500 mg/100 g), phosphatidylethanolamine (157 and 279 mg/100 g), phosphatidylinositol (60 and 109 mg/100 g), sphingomyelin (43 and 62 mg/100 g), phosphatidylserine (31 and 61 mg/100 g), 'cardiolipin' (23 and 35 mg/100 g), lysophosphatidylcholine (9 and 11 mg/100 g) and 'origin fraction' (6 and 7 mg/100 g), accounting together (700 mg and 1070 mg/100 g for breast and leg muscle respectively) for 98% of the lipid phosphorus extracted. Partial replacement of carbohydrate in the cereal-based diet by beef fat (2·5%) or anchovy oil (2·5 or 5·0%) had no effect on the amount of any of the lipid fractions, except for triglyceride, which varied considerably and was lowest in tissue from groups receiving 2·5% anchovy oil.


In this month's article, I thought it would be pertinent to focus on the most important component of the organisation - its people. With the labour unrest we have experienced over the past few months, the critical nature and the importance of employees was once again heavily underlined.


A general method for calculating the polarization of the outgoing photon beam in any reaction is presented. As an example the method is applied to the high-energy photon beam produced in Compton scattering of a laser beam by a high-energy electron beam. The Stokes parameters of the outgoing photon beam, relative to a unit vector normal to the photon momentum and including their dependence on the polarization of incident photon and electron beams, are obtained explicitly. It is expected that this method will be useful, both in photon production reactions and in the subsequent high-energy photon reactions.


The divi-divi trees on Aruba grow only to one side, to the west. Gnarled and beset in unsheltered soil, they are tugged by the trade winds that sweep in from the northeast and that are tugged, in turn, by the force of the earth's rotation. Rumor has it that divi-divis can grow straight and true in tended hotel courtyards for the visitors who arrive daily, but even tourists are drawn to the near iconic twist in the wind that blows steadily toward the international dateline and a sudden tomorrow. On Aruba, as in the backward glance of these five volumes on commemorative practices, an insistent wind blows almost invisibly toward the future. It is the shared task of these several studies to chart the commemorative winds that have reshaped the past, especially particular pasts in particular places like Gettysburg, Washington, San Antonio, Richmond, and Chu Lai. In assembling their archives, some of these scholars hanker after Aruba's courtyard truth and a dispassionate objectivity as they describe chaotic events and subsequent efforts to reckon with trauma. But since their common focus is commemoration, always in these volumes a public and protracted process by definition, they all finally tell the story of the wind, which is the story of conflicting interests, differing allegiances, and buffeted contest. The wind can come from different quarters, however, as scholarly disciplines shift the vectors of analysis. Historian Carol Reardon traces the glory of a disastrous charge to the later agendas of the Richmond press and Virginia's historical associations, while art historian Kirk Savage discovers the failure of emancipation in the postwar disinclination to revise sculpture's race-bound poses. Geographer Kenneth E. Foote sees commemorative sites inscribing consensual myths of origin on the American landscape, while legal scholar Sanford Levinson examines the inculcatory function of art against the backdrop of the Constitution's plural "We, the People," and literary critic Milton J. Bates concentrates on a series of social tensions out of which the Vietnam War and stories about US entanglement have inevitably spilled. These differing Pickett's Charge in History and Memory By Carol Reardon University of North Carolina Press, 1997


In his classical formulation on qfnah meter in Hebrew poetry K. Budde ( 1882, pp. 1-52) presented five propositions for its analysis: I) the rhythmical unit-the bicolon in our terminology-is divided into two unequal parts and the longer precedes the shorter; 2) the parts (cola) of this unit most commonly consist of three words and two words respectively; 3) variations occur in which the longer part (colon) may consist of four words and the shorter part may consist of three words or simply two words; 4) beyond these features for comparison there are no other constant relations between the two parts of the rhythmical unit. While more modern poetic analysts might describe these metrical relations in different terms and measure them by other standards, the gist of these principles enunciated by Budde have stood the test of time. Where Budde got off the track was in his attempt to read this form all the way through Hebrew laments. This thorough-going approach was stated in his other proposition, in which he held that the parts of the rhythmic units in laments were never evenly divided. For those cases in which both parts appeared to consist of two words each, Budde found it necessary to lengthen the first part by taking its two words as "heavier" than the two words in the second part. This is the principal part of Budde's formulation that has been rejected by his critics, as it is obviously an inaccurate description of the extent to which qfnah meter was employed in Hebrew laments. Because of its character the book of Lamentations has played a central role in the discussion and identification of qfnah meter. In criticizing the study of this book by Budde, G. B. Gray (1915, p. 118) utilized the statistics compiled on it by E. Sievers to point out that only one-half of the sixty-six divisions in the acrostic poem of Lamentations I were written in qfnah meter. While accepting the existence of qinah meter and its common use in laments, Sievers and Gray thus pointed out that it was not as dominant a meter as Budde had made it out to be.


There has been a sharp conflict between the concept of unique importance of emotion and that of unique importance of meaning.The crisis of modern art shows that art can only meet its doom if it attaches importance to only meaning or reason.The literary and art works that can last forever all give equal emphasis to emotion and meaning with each supporting the other.From the perspective of Zen-Buddhism's cognizing mode of emotion and tenets supporting each other,the ontology of art is that" emotion and morality are incorporated and form an entity".


In this article, which is fourth in a series of six articles, I address the fourth concept of consciousness that the Oxford English Dictionary ("the OED") defines in its six main entries under the word consciousness. I first introduce this fourth concept, the concept of consciousness4. by (a) identifying the previous three OED concepts of consciousness, which I have already discussed in this series of articles, and (b) by indicating how that to which we make reference, respectively, by means of those three concepts is related to the referents of the concept of consciousness4. I then address the latter concept more directly by pursuing for the remainder of the article where the OED's fourm entry leads. Among other things, I am led to consider two competing accounts of consciousness4 that figure prominently in the OED entry, namely the intrinsic, self-intimational account of William Hamilton and the inner-eye, perceptionlike account of John Locke. Both kinds of account are very much with us today.


Background: In this study a series of basic dosimetric proper es of a lowdensity (LD) gel dosimeter are inves gated. The dose response is studied regarding to linearity, sensi vity, dose-rate and energy dependence as well as lung ssue equivalence. Materials and Methods: The LD gel was made by mixing the polymer gel with expanded polystyrene spheres. Energy dependence was studied at two different energies: 1.25 MeV and 6 MV photon beams which were produced by 60 Co and Linac machines. Inves ga on of dose rate dependence was performed in the low, medium, and high absorbed dose regions. Also reproducibility of dose response was studied in three sets of LD gel with iden cal prepara on, irradia on and imaging procedure at three different days. Moreover the linearity and sensi vity were inves gated up to 30Gy. Results: The results showed that the dose response was reproducible. The gel response was found linear up to 22Gy with r 2 =0.981 and sensi vity of 0.814S -1 Gy -1 . In the measured ranges, the dose response of LD gel was independent of beam energy within less than ±0.02 and dose rate had no effect on the gel response. LD gel was nearly lung ssue equivalent with mass density 0.37 to 0.4g/cm3 and rela ve electron density 0.41. Conclusion: MAGAT LD gel dosimeter appears to be a promising dosimeter in all aspects of dosimetric proper es evaluated in this study. In addi on, its high linearity together with no dose rate dependence in different level of absorbed doses makes it a suitable dosimeter to measure 3D -dose distribu ons inside a non-homogeneous media.


The service KQIs by the general definition method makes little different with the network KPIs, so this paper proposes a new method based service features. The method includes 6 procedures: creating service model according to service content, defining KQIs composing view, determinating the KPIs composing KQIs, revising the KPIs weight, reformulating KQIs composition, instantiating and applying the KQIs. Furthermore this paper composes the Internet access service KQI by this method and procedures.


This paper proposed the technique to protect the embedded devices from the timing analysis attack using a side-channel attack. Embedded devices have the advantage of excellent accessibility. However, because of the excellent accessibility, embedded devices are vulnerable to hardware attacks. In the case of the password matching function, the attacker can see the execution time of the function and infer which digits are matched monitoring the power consumption and using the timing analysis attack. In this paper, we proposed the clock scrambling method to hide the execution time of the instruction. It can help to protect embedded devices from the timing analysis attack by randomizing the execution time of the instruction. Our hardware model costs 2.56 % additional area for clock scrambler, and costs on average 28% in execution time and 27 % additional power consumption for scrambling power pattern.


Cottonseed kernel/full-fat soy flour blends of different proportions were cooked in a Brady low-cost extruder. Total and free gossypol, available lysine, proximate analysis, and PER and NPU values varied directly with composition. Reduction in free gossypol as a result of extrusion was constant, and independent of composition (ca. 90%). The 25 and 50% cottonseed blends exhibited low free gossypol (within limits permitted for human consumption), high available lysine, high PER and NPU values, and amino acid patterns equalling or exceeding the FAO/WHO (1973) children's pattern, except for moderate deficiencies in total sulfur amino acids and small to negligible deficiencies in valine. Both blends resembled full-fat soy products in proximate analysis. These results indicate that extension of soy with cottonseed products up to a level of 50%, utilizing the procedure described in this work, would be feasible.


This paper discusses an analysis of the bandwidth of freight transport forecasts for The Netherlands with the strategic freight transport model 'BasGoed'. The strategic freight transport model Basgoed was developed over the past years as a basic model, satisfying the basic needs of policy making, based on proven knowledge and available transport data. Starting point for the analysis are the recent long term scenarios for the Netherlands of CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (WLO scenarios: Future outlook on welfare, prosperity and the human environment). These scenarios describe two base cases: the High and Low scenario. Both scenarios include a consistent set of assumptions on economic development (domestic growth by industry sector and international trade), infrastructure development, fuel prices, and logistic efficiency. The bandwidth of freight forecasts is further explored in five distinctive sensitivity analyses: different development in fuel prices, energy markets, CO2-pricing, dematerialization and modal shift in the port of Rotterdam.


Healthcare financing has been on the political agenda around the world for more than a century (Starr 1982). As health systems worldwide grow both in their capacity to improve human well-being and in their cost, governments must increasingly pay attention to the financial aspects of these systems. Recently, healthcare financing has moved to the forefront of Hong Kong's policy agenda (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, 2000; Hsiao, Yip et al., 1999), as it did in the 1980s and 1990s (Scott, 1985; Hay, 1992). As with many post-colonial economies, Hong Kong has established a dual medical economy in which the government has been significantly involved in both the funding and provision of health services mainly through tax financing, whereas the private sector operates in a loosely organised manner as individual clinics that dominate or populate the ambulatory care sector (Gauld, 1998).


The aim of this study was to evaluate of the left ventricular (LV) myocardial radial and circumferential functions in the patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) by the strain (S) and strain rate (Sr) echocardiography. The study included 30 isolated rheumatic MS patients and 30 healthy subjects. Conventional and color tissue Doppler echocardiographic recordings were obtained from standard apical and parasternal axis imaging. Radial S and Sr measured from anterior wall, circumferential S and Sr measured from septal and lateral walls at the LV short axis imaging. Additionally time to peak systolic S (Ts) and Sr (Tsr), tissue Doppler systolic (Vs), early (Ved) and late (Vad) diastolic velocities were analysed. There were no difference between patients and controls for LV dimensions and systolic functions. Mean mitral valve area measured 1.4±0.3 cm 2 in the patients. S, Sr, Vs and Ved values in the patients significantly lower than in the control subjects. There were no differences between patients and controls for Ts and Tsr, and Vad. Tsr were significantly lower than Ts in the all subjects. Left ventricular myocardial radial and circumferential functions are impaired in the patients with rheumatic MS who had normal systolic function in conventional echocardiography. However Ts and Tsr values are similar in the patients and healty subjects. Radial and/or circumferential deformation indices (S, Sr) acquired from LV short axis imaging may be used as practice and alternative method for the detection of early subclinic LV dysfunction in the rheumatic MS patients. (Anatol J Clin Investig 2010:4(4):181-185).


The main directions and problem aspects of improving medical-psychological support to military personnel are considered. This term denotes an integral part and logical continuation of military professional psychological selection, which, due to a number of reasons, is less developed than professional psychodiagnostics in the interests of selection and rational distribution of military personnel. The main idea of the article is to prove the necessity of a unified theoretical basis of the whole complex of medical-psychological support to military personnel. The appropriateness of modern psychological theories of personality, closely associated with neurophysiology (in particular, G. Grays theory) is emphasized. The possibility of practical use of some achievements of the foreign project Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) in interests of diagnostics, examination and monitoring of professional mental health of military personnel is noted. With the purpose of dynamic estimation of functional states of the military personnel it is suggested to create a psychodiagnostic tool on the basis of the concept of interaction of stress-activating and stress-limiting systems. The questions of artificial intelligence application for psychophysiological diagnostics, necessity of further development of psychological riskology and preventology for the purpose of medical-psychological support of the military personnel improvement are discussed. The elaboration of a modern scientific basis for the development of the system of medical-psychological support will make it possible to use a multilevel approach to the evaluation of mental health of military personnel, taking into account the socio-cultural, psychosocial and biological levels of mental disorders and behavioral deviations. The transition to continuous and comprehensive prevention as a preventive branch of military, clinical psychology and psychiatry will be greatly accelerated.


Objectives: To determine the self‐selected exercise intensity of older adults who report that they walk briskly for exercise. An additional aim of the study was to assess the contribution of self‐reported physical activity to self‐selected exercise intensity.


This supplement contains 6 papers examining aspects of mental health status and mental health service provision in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Publication of this supplement is partially motivated by a 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (CFMHS)—a landmark source of updated information on mental health in the CAF. A prior survey was conducted in 2002, bracketing an eventful 10-year span that most notably included the Afghanistan mission. Mental health in the CAF has attracted a lot of attention in the lay press in Canada and has triggered much public debate, especially around the issue of suicide. This supplement provides a welcome opportunity to examine these important questions through the lens of epidemiological data, providing much needed evidence on this topic.


T he concept of beauty regarding the shape of the body has varied considerably over the years. The exuberant figures frequently portrayed in old paintings are a far cry from the slim forms of today. This idea of beauty reflects the dynamic pace of modem living and a new consciousness about body harmony, healthier living habits, balanced diets, and exercise. In addition, the considerable exposure of the body in warmer climates, as in California and Rio de Janeiro, among other locations, has led to a strong awareness of body contouring anomalies. Each of us possesses a unique body. Energy is required to propel this body. A body contouring deformity can be viewed as a barrier to energy flow and may disrupt our capacity to perceive our own body unity. 25 Correction of these different acquired or congenital body contouring anomalies has been our main concern. We have described a few techniques which, when well understood and executed, have guaranteed satisfying results. 22 However, the onset of lipo-suction has consequently led to other concepts regarding the management of body alterations and has established new procedures and confirmed former ones. 57 These developments have been advantageous to patients, since they allow for treatment of areas previously not treated, do not invalidate previous procedures, and even permit combining of previous procedures with the use of lipo-suction. We believe that the first step toward preventing body contouring surgical sequelae is the correct indication of the procedures to be used for each case, always basing this on an evaluation that takes into account not only the organic, but also the psychological profile of the patient. For our purposes, we will focus on treatments of various deformities and discuss them according to anatomical regions.


Abstract Small Extracellular Vesicles (sEVs) are 50–200 nm in diameter vesicles delimited by a lipid bilayer, formed within the endosomal network or derived from the plasma membrane. They are secreted in various biological fluids, including airway nasal mucus. The goal of this work was to understand the role of sEVs present in the mucus (mu‐sEVs) produced by human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. We show that uninfected HNECs produce mu‐sEVs containing SARS‐CoV‐2 receptor ACE2 and activated protease TMPRSS2. mu‐sEVs cleave prefusion viral Spike proteins at the S1/S2 boundary, resulting in higher proportions of prefusion S proteins exposing their receptor binding domain in an 'open' conformation, thereby facilitating receptor binding at the cell surface. We show that the role of nasal mu‐sEVs is to complete prefusion Spike priming performed by intracellular furin during viral egress from infected cells. This effect is mediated by vesicular TMPRSS2 activity, rendering SARS‐CoV‐2 virions prone to entry into target cells using the 'early', TMPRSS2‐dependent pathway instead of the 'late', cathepsin‐dependent route. These results indicate that prefusion Spike priming by mu‐sEVs in the nasal cavity plays a role in viral tropism. They also show that nasal mucus does not protect from SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, but instead facilitates it.


The conventional Fuzzy C-Means(FCM) algorithm is sensitive to noise because it does not take the spatial information into account when judging the adscription of current pixels. To improve the accuracy of image segmentation, the punishment term of spatial constraint information is imported, and thus the target function in original FCM algorithm is modified. The testing experimental results on the synthetic and real images prove the robust to noise of the proposed method.


In this paper, a novel manufacturing strategy named as tube pack-rolling (TPR) was proposed. In the process, Mg-6Al-1Zn-0.3Mn (wt%) (AZ61) bar was packed by stainless-steel tube to be rolled at elevated temperature. In order to compare the advantage of TPR, AZ61 bar was also rolled without stainless-steel tube which is named naked-rolling (NR). The stainless-steel was picked as the pack material because of its high strength and hardness which can completely restrain the deformation of magnesium alloy. Numeral simulations were employed to analyze the strip shape and formability. The optimized parameters of contour control are discussed. Tensile tests at room temperature show that specimen rolled by TPR at 673 K exhibit good comprehensive mechanical properties, and the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength reached 213 MPa and 305 MPa with the elongation of 23.2%. The microstructure was investigated by optical microscopes (OM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). The AZ61 alloy strip rolled by TPR at 673 K exhibited homogenous almost fine dynamically recrystallized equiaxed grains (about 5 µm) with a weak texture. Meanwhile the microstructure evolution mechanism also shows the temperature has significant effect on TPR processing.


The interaction of a specially purified hide powder, the preparation of which is described, and a series of pure dye acids has been investigated by determining the distribution of the colouring matters at equilibrium, usually at ten points on the titration curve. Reciprocal plots gave a mean saturation value of 1·00 milliequiv/g collagen. The following affinities (kcal/mole) were obtained at 25°C: C.I. Acid Orange 7–10·6 ± 0·3, C.I. Acid Orange 8 -11·0 ±0·3, C.I. Acid Red 88 –11·7 ±0·2, C.I. Acid Red 13 –16·5 ±0·6, and C.I. Acid Red 27 –21·2 ± 0·6. At 45°C the affinity of the first dye acid was –10·9 ± 0·4 kcal/mole, leading to a heat of dyeing of – 6 kcal mole and an entropy of 15 cal/deg.


The hypothesis that obese women compensate for the prejudice of others was tested by having obese and nonobese women converse by telephone with someone who they believed, correctly or incorrectly, could or could not see them. Partners rated obese women's social skills negatively when the women were visible (thus activating the partners' prejudice) but thought they were not. Obese women rated themselves as more likable and socially skilled than nonobese women did when the women thought they were visible to female partners. Judges' ratings of the women's contribution to the conversation indicated that there were no obvious differences in the impressions created by their verbal or nonverbal behaviors. Results support the hypothesis that obese women who were aware of the need to compensate for their partners' reactions to their appearance were able to do so.


In this article we study the out-of-sample real exchange rate forecasts of an Artificial Neural Network model, an AR model and a random walk model. The results confirm the relevance of nonlinear adjustment in the dynamics of the real exchange rate.


Multiple Angiomata.-H. W. BARBER, M.B. D. B., female, aged 10 weeks. The child is one of twins, the other being normal. There are an enormous number of angiomata of various sizes scattered over the whole body: there are also some on the mucous membrane of the mouth. Discuss8on.-The PRESIDENT asked whether, in the experience of Members, cavernous angiomata disappeared spontaneously. He saw a large number in infants and children which were removed with carbon dioxide snow and other methods of treatment, but he had rarely seen them in the adult. : ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. .......... :...


During mid-Yuan Dynasty, three documents on Mount Wudang appeared successively: A Collection of Records of Mount Wudang as A Paradise(Wudang Fudi Zong Zhenji), A Collection of Scenic Spots in Mount Wudang(Wudang Jisheng Ji), and Records of God's Enlightenment(Xuantian Shangdi Qisheng Lu). The three documents appeared in different forms, and each of them serves as a supplement to one another. They provide reference to the development of documents on Mount Wudang.


To compare the effectiveness and safety of self‐expandable, sirolimus‐eluting Stentys stents (SES) and second‐generation drug‐eluting stents (DES‐II) for the treatment of the unprotected left main (ULM).


Photograph of Andy and Mara Silich in their Kola costumes, taken ca 1936 by an unknown photographer. Mara Silich was lead girl in the Dargaville Yugoslav Social Club's Kola group.
Quantity: 1 colour original photographic print(s).
Physical Description: Dye coupler print (copy) 24.5 x 17.6 cm


Sulfide photocatalysts, CdS and CdZnS, were synthesized using a simple precipitation method and their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The effects of four inorganic salt additives, KCl, NaCl, K3PO4, and Na3PO4, on the photocatalytic reaction were examined and the role of K, Na, Cl and PO4 ions during photocatalytic reaction was discussed. The added inorganic salts were shown to have a remarkable effect on the photocatalytic reaction. It was also found that the anions in inorganic salts have a much more profound effect on the reaction rate, as compared to the cations. Under the present experimental conditions, PO4 revealed a significant inhibitory effect on the degradation rate whereas Cl enhanced the rate slightly. This work pointed out that the consideration of additive effects is needed in the photocatalytic reaction for wastewater treatment.


ALX3 is a multi-agent version of ALX with a rst-order description language. ALX, a modal action logic, combines ideas from H.A. Simon's bounded rationality, S. Kripke's possible world semantics, G. H. von Wright's preference logic, Pratt's dynamic logic, and Stalnaker's conditional logic. ALX avoids important drawbacks of other action logics, especially the counterintuitive necessi-tation rule for goals (every theorem must be a goal) and the equally counterin-tuitive closure of goals under logical implication. ALX3 is sound and complete, and is already proving its practical use in the formal representation of modern organization theory.


Fermat learned his number theory from the books of Diophantus; it was in the margins of his copy that he wrote down that he had discovered a truly marvelous proof of the fact that X + Y n = Z has no solutions in natural numbers for n > 2, and that the margin was too small to contain it. The books of Diophantus, including these remarks, were published posthumously by his son. By the early 1800s, all of Fermat's theorems, claims and conjectures had been settled except for this one, which then became known as Fermat's Last Theorem. The idea that led to the proof by Wiles is due to Frey, who, for any triple A,B,C of integers with A + B + C = 0 considered the elliptic curve


Gaze tracking presents an intuitive interface for technology in today's society, with its application focus in controlling electronic devices. This paper concentrates on the design and application of an automatic gaze tracking system utilizing commodity equipment. Compared to preceding low-cost methods, the proposed method is significantly simpler, lowering the barrier of entry for this type of device, and can potentially afford more accurate tracking. Through the careful placement of the infrared (IR) light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) on the monitor and coaxially to the optical axis of the camera, the pupil was illuminated and reference glints became visible on the cornea. These glints were captured by a camera capable of detecting IR light, and were used to determine the users line of sight relative to the monitor. A linear model was used to address the horizontal and vertical components of the glints in the users eye and match them to the corresponding location point on the monitor. K-means clustering was utilized to classify the separate gaze regions with promising results.


In this paper, a review has been conducted on various types of methods which are available for utilizing solar energy for refrigeration purposes. Solar refrigeration methods such as Solar Electric Method, Solar Mechanical Method and Solar Thermal Methods have been discussed. In solar thermal methods, various methods like Desiccant Refrigeration, Absorption Refrigeration and Adsorption Refrigeration has been discussed. All the methods have been assesed economically and environmentally and their operating characteristics have been compared to establish the best possible method for solar refrigeration. Also, the various available technologies for Cooling Thermal Energy Storage (CTES) have been discussed in this paper. Methods like Chilled Water Storage (CWS) and Ice Thermal Storage (ITS) have been compared and their advantages and disadvantages have been discussed. The results of the review reveal Solar Electric Method as the most promising method for solar refrigeration over the other methods. As far as CTES systems are concerned, ITS has advantage over other methods based on storage volume capability, but it has a comparatively lower COP than other available techniques.


Adults with witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are more likely to survive when given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders. For cardiac arrests of presumed cardiac cause in adults, outcomes are similar whether bystanders administer chest compressions only or use conventional CPR (compressions combined with rescue breathing); in these situations, the American Heart …


Background and Aims:rHu EPO is widely used in the treatment of anemia but its application is limited due to short half life. PEGylation ,the covalent attachment of PEG to proteins, can increase drug volume so decrease its renal clearance. Although PEGylation decreases in vitro biological activity due to less binding capacity to receptors, in vivo biological activity is prominently increases. Methods: In acidic pH conditions PEGPropionaldehyde of 20 KDa was reacted with N – terminal amino group of rHu EPO, because the PKa of this amine is less than other existing amine groups. After 15 h the reaction was stopped following Anion-exchange chromatography and size –exclusion chromatography to prepare a purified mono N –Terminally PEGylated rHuEPO. UT-7 cell lines assay was used to assess biological activity of PEGylated –EPO. Results: Results showed declined in vitro biological activity in comparison to unmodified EPO .whilein vivo activity would be increased significantly as a result of long duration of action. Stability test was performed in 4°C , the results showed more stability in PEGylated –EPO evaluated by in vitro biological activity. Conclusions:N-Terminal PEGylation of Recombinant Human Erythropoetin was performed and the product showed enhanced stability and half life as a sheilding effect of PEG moiety. Although in vitro biological activity decreased as a result of PEG conjugation to protein molecule, long maintenance of protein would compensate this limitation to a larger extent.


McDowell describes her experiences as a student in Asheville when schools were integrated. After working for the air traffic controllers organization (PATCO), she joined the Army. Family needs brought her back to Asheville, where she learned mediation techniques and now facilitates conflict resolution with students at Asheville High School.


Suburban America is often characterized as a world of conformity in which everyone looks and acts the same, but a new study shows that suburban communities are, in many ways, as diverse as cities. Matthew Hall and Barrett Lee (Urban Studies, January 2010) use data from the 2000 United States census to examine the composition of suburban rings and the individual communities within them. They find that suburbs and cities have comparable levels of diversity in residents' ages, types of households, and levels of education and income. Despite this variety, suburban diversity falls short in one area: race. So, it seems conventional wisdom isn't wrong, just greatly oversimplified. This may be an example of an American tendency to think of diversity in strictly racial terms, ignoring other factors that influence our identities and our communities. J.M. Ph ot o by W oo dl ey W on de rw or ks vi a C re at iv e C om m on s the uses of homophobia


A magnetic resonance force microscope was used to demonstrate three‐dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance imaging with micrometer‐scale spatial resolution. The sample was mounted on a silicon nitride cantilever that served as a micromechanical force sensor. A nearby magnetic tip generated a field gradient of 22 G/μm. A three‐dimensional magnetic resonance force map of the 1H spins in the sample was produced by lateral scanning of the magnetic tip relative to the sample and by varying the rf frequency of the spin excitation. The real‐space spin density of the sample was reconstructed from the force map by means of a deconvolution technique. The spatial resolution achieved in the experiment was ∼3 μm in the axial direction.


Significance: Matviitsuk and Denmark report a Lewis base-catalyzed enantioand diastereoselective sulfenoacetalization of alkenyl aldehydes. The key cationic donor–acceptor complex formed between the chiral selenophosphoramide and electrophilic sulfur source 1 transfers the sulfenium ion to the olefin to generate an enantioenriched thiiranium ion, which is subsequently opened by the tethered aldehyde functionality. The resulting oxocarbenium ion is then intermolecularly captured by HFIP to form the corresponding products in high yields and with excellent stereoselectivities. Comment: The Denmark group laid the foundation for the concept of Lewis base activation of Lewis acids and pioneered many of the early studies on such systems in catalytic asymmetric addition reactions to carbonyl moieties (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 6199). More recently, the group has exploited this type of activation mode to functionalize simple olefins through the stereoselective formation and subsequent nucleophilic capture of both seleniranium (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 15752) and thiiranium (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 15308) ions. Here, the authors expand the capacity of such systems to include carbonyl motifs as competent nucleophiles to form sought-after dihydropyran and 1,3-disubstituted isochroman motifs. R1


The terrestrial larvae and pupae of Helichus suturalis and Helichus productus (Coleoptera: Dryopidae) are described, illustrated, and their biologies discussed. Larval duration was determined to be two or three years for H. suturalis and four or five years for H. productus. Newly emergent females exhibit a full complement of thoracic muscles, enabling dispersal flight. Older females lack flight muscles, necessitating an ambulatory search for oviposition sites. Two experiments conducted in the laboratory determined that the pupal gin-traps aid in eclosion rather than as a defense mechanism. The absence of larval stemmata and opercular claws warrants a further investigation into the limits of the genus Helichus, perhaps the erection of new genera for species that are not allied with the H. lithophilus-group. For over one hundred years there has been much confusion as to the identity of the larvae of the dryopid beetles of the Nearctic genus Helichus. This confusion is centered around their unique biology. Unlike most aquatic or semiaquatic Coleoptera, in which both larvae and adult live in similar habitats, adults of Helichus are aquatic, whereas the larvae are terrestrial. The preconception that the larvae and adults share the same habitat has led to erroneous associations of larvae found in streams with adult Helichus.


Equivalent circuits are developed for gain-distributed feedback filters. The filters can be tuned by endloading. Side-coupling of the filters to a signal waveguide results in channel-dropping filters. These active filters suppress undesired resonances more effectively than passive filters. >


a synchronization region detection means for detecting a synchronization region from the video signal, extracting a synchronization signal therefrom and outputting a resultant synchronization region detection signal; a coring means for removing upper and lower level noise components of the synchronization region detection signal to form a noise-removed synchronization signal; a transient width detection means for detecting a transient width of a transient edge of the noise-removed synchronization signal; an enhancement means for varying a frequency band of the video signal according to the transient width of a transient edge of the noise-removed synchronization signal; an attenuation means for attenuating the enhanced video signal to form an attenuated video signal; a delay matching means for delaying the video signal by a predetermined time period to match the attenuated video signal and to form a delayed video signal; and an adding means for adding the delayed video signal and the attenuated video signal to provide a resultant video signal.


The purpose of this research is to identify factors and conditions that improve the affective commitment of employees so as to increase the chances of organizations to retain their employees. This research took the form of a multiple regression analysis and assessed the ability of Perceived Investment in Employee Development and Perceived Organizational Support to predict Affective Commitment controlling nationality. The Perceived Investment in Employee Development questionnaire, Perceived Organizational Support assessment tool, and Affective Commitment survey have been utilized as instruments to collect data and a nonprobability purposive sampling technique involving 250 full-time employees in the service industry in Shanghai was carried out.

It was observed that Perceived Investment in Employee Development and Perceived Organizational Support are significant predictors of Affective Commitment among various categories of employees that were distinguished in this study. It was found that employees welcome developmental programs where Perceived Organizational Support is high. It was suggested that endeavors to retain employees in China should not just implement observations made in Western countries but consider the socio-economic realties of the country so as to be effective. More light needs to be thrown on the predictors of Affective Commitment in China and this research recommended areas that require further investigations.


1. In figure 2 panel D Authors show the repression of NOTCH signalling pathway in Ishikawa cells transfected with SHARP1. However, regarding the expression NOTCH1 the authors do not report if they have analyzed the expression of full-length NOTCH1 or its active form NOTCH1 intra-cellular domain (N1ICD). Presumably, Authors show the expression of full-length receptor while also the expression of N1ICD should be analyzed as marker of the receptor activation. Moreover, in the same panel of the same Figure the Authors should confirm the repression of NOTCH1 pathway also in HEC-1B cells transfected with SHARP1 as showed in panel C of Figure 2 looking for the EMT markers.


The indoleacetic acid (IAA) is a natural auxin and one of the main growth regulators in higher plants. The extracellular indoleacetic acid (IAA) amount produced by the green microalga Scenedesmus obliquus culture was detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It was evaluated the effect of three process variables in the extracellular IAA production in these cultures using 23 factorial design for screening methodology. The experimental design variables were agitation, illuminance (intensity of luminous flux) and carbon source (CO2/air v/v (%) mixture) at three different levels. The IAA concentration and the specific growth rate were used as response variables. The HPLC analyses showed that under experimental conditions, the IAA amount that is released to the medium by S. obliquus depends only on the illuminance variable. The light effects and the carbon concentrations in culture medium were significant (p < 0.05) for specific growth rate.


Purpose – Studies have shown that schoolteachers are familiar with instructional materials on the web and integrate them into classroom teaching. In Taiwan, there are a number of online instructional materials, with the Learning Fueling Station being a leading web site. Using this popular site as an example, this study seeks to investigate how schoolteachers navigate online instructional materials and for what types of instructional materials they are looking.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 30 elementary schoolteachers were interviewed in their offices using computers to connect to the Learning Fueling Station web site, and web pages were visited as needed during the interview. Participants were asked to search for any topic in which they were interested, and the interviewer observed and recorded their search behavior.Findings – All schoolteachers reported that they use the internet prior to designing their instructional activities. The two main reasons they gave for using the internet were to re...


Disclosed is a methanol fuel cell cartridge which is composed of a container having a polyester resin layer. The polyester resin layer has a methanol vapor permeability coefficient at 40°C of not more than 3 Vg. mm/m2.hr and a cation index in methanol immersion test of not more than 30, and is produced by using a titanium catalyst. The methanol fuel cell cartridge is excellent in impermeability to methanol and oxygen (barrier performance), and can be smaller in size, lighter in weight and more transparent. In addition, the methanol fuel cell cartridge does not cause deterioration in battery performance of the fuel cell during operation, and can be produced at low cost.


Epoxidized plant oil (EPO) thermosets usually exhibit poor performance due to the short, brittle, and amorphous cross-link structures. To fabricate fully biobased high performance EPO thermoset, we synthesized dicarboxyl-terminated polyamide1010 (NYL) oligomers from castor oil derived monomers, i.e., sebacic acid and decamethylene diamine, and used the NYL to cure epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) to fabricate all plant oil derived epoxy thermoset through a catalyst-free curing method. Chemorheological study indicated that the curing rate decreases with increasing NYL chain length. The cross-link density of the epoxy thermoset decreases while the crystallization enhances with increasing NYL chain length, which results in drastic enhancement in tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation at break of the resultant thermosets, enabling those parameters to enhance by up to 59, 145, and 18 times, respectively, compared to sebacic acid cured ESO thermoset. The melting temperature and thus the heat resistance o...


This study aims to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy‐induced alopecia (CIA) distress on body image, psychosocial well‐being, and depression among breast cancer patients.