To explore factors associated with a higher likelihood of seeking audiology services by adults with hearing impairment in Cape Town, South Africa. A prospective questionnaire-based survey involving participants from predominantly historically disadvantaged communities in Cape Town was conducted. A total 1247 participants took part in this study and were screened for hearing impairment. Those who did not pass hearing screening underwent diagnostic hearing assessment. Hearing impairment was confirmed in 166 of the participants; 106 females and 60 males, median age 31, range 18-92 years old. Thirty-five (21%) of the participants with hearing impairment reported seeking help for their hearing impairment. Self-perceived hearing impairment was found to be strongly associated with a higher likelihood of seeking audiology services. Severity of hearing impairment, age, gender, level of education, family history of hearing impairment and employment status were not associated with a higher likelihood of seeking help for hearing impairment. Out of the 54 (35%) participants with disabling hearing impairment, only two reported ownership (use) of hearing aids. In conclusion this study showed that majority of individuals with hearing impairment in Cape Town did not seek help for their hearing impairment even when they had a disabling hearing loss. However, those who perceived their hearing status to be impaired were more likely to seek help irrespective of whether they had a clinically confirmed hearing impairment or not.


Abstract Evaluating substance abuse services in ordinary treatment environments requires the use of instruments to measure various dimensions of the intervention process in order to link those processes with client outcomes. This paper reports on the further validation of the Alcohol and other Drug Self-Efficacy Scale (AODSES), designed to measure social workers' perceived self-efficacy with regard to the implementation of substance abuse services. In the first validation study, Kranz (2003) employed exploratory factor analysis to reduce the original 98 items to six factors (43 items) that accounted for 76% of the variance, and demonstrated excellent internal consistency. The current study is a reanalysis of the same data using confirmatory factor analysis, a more stringent test of construct validity. Results were strongly supportive of a 5-factor model with seven of eight indices showing excellent fit of the observed data to the model, and high internal consistency for all subscales. Potential practical applications for clinical evaluation in substance abuse environments and limitations of the study are discussed.


The benign swellings in the foot and ankle are very rare in occurrence when compared to the other regions of the body and they may mimic malignant tumours, thereby being a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Myositis ossificans is one such lesion which commonly occurs around large joints, can occur very rarely in the foot and mimic a malignant lesion both clinically and on histopathological studies in the early stages of the disease. A 30-year-old male presented with bony swelling on the medial aspect of the heel which was insidious in onset with gradual progression. There was no antecedent history of trauma. A calcified mass on the medial aspect of the calcaneum was seen on radiographs. Computed tomography images showed mineralisation indenting on the medial aspect of the calcaneum. Magnetic resonance images reported calcified mass in the quadratus plantae muscle encasing the Tibialis posterior, Posterior tibial artery and nerve, Flexor hallucis longus and Flexor digitorum longus. Excision biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Hence an unusual site of presentation of a commonly presented mass is reported here


This paper presents the activities of the 'Eurasien-Abteilung' of the German Archaeological Institute in different countries of former USSR. Many of these projects have just begun; consequently the paper does not discuss the results of these investigations, but details their scientific purposes. The investigations cover an area which extends from the Black Sea to northeastern China. The principal objects of these investigations include: the transition from the Late Bronze to the Early Iron Age in the Pontic area north of the Black Sea and the Greek colonization of that area; the activities of the Scythians and the Sassanians in Transcaucasia, urbanism and metallurgy in the Bronze Age of Central Asia; and, finally, cultural developments from the Early Bronze Age to the periods of the Scythians and the Huns period in southern Siberia.


Gerrymandering (partisan redistricting) is widely believed to deprive citizens of meaningful participation in the democratic process. It is seen as an obvious conflict of interest because there is ample evidence that lawmakers use redistricting to protect both their personal electoral prospects and their party's legislative advantages. The impression that an inherent conflict of interest occurs when legislators determine the composition of the population that will vote for them has revived efforts to reform the ways states handle redistricting and reignited scholarly disputes over the degree to which the ills ascribed to partisan redistricting are accurate. The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to revisit its redistricting jurisprudence, making it timely to revisit the contending academic arguments about the political effects of gerrymandering and the existing constitutional jurisprudence.


I Employers frequently seek protection from the competition of former employees through the use of restrictive covenants in employment contracts.' In most states covenants not to compete are recognized as valid2 as long as the restrictions do not exceed what is reasonably necessary for the protection of the employer and are not unduly oppressive upon the employee. This rule, however, does not admit of easy application and the subject abounds with litigation.' Where covenants not to compete have been adjudged unreasonably broad when viewed as a whole, most courts have endeavored to grant partial enforcement by the use of the doctrine of severability. As first applied in England to restrictive covenants,4 the doctrine provided that if in terms appearing on the face of the instrument the excessive restraint were severable from what was found to be a reasonable restraint, the excessive restraint could be disregarded and the remaining part of the covenant enforced.6 Conversely, if the excessive I Protection from competition by the use of restrictive covenants is more frequently sought by purchasers of proprietary interests. 2 A few jurisdictions have statutes which render void employees' covenants not to compete. Consult note 26 infra. Similar agreements by sellers of business concerns are not prohibited in any jurisdiction.


This paper presents an intuitive pointing method for measuring the perceived direction in 3D localization experiments. The method uses a motion tracked toy-gun as pointing device and can be used from all positions in any nearly convex surrounding hull or loudspeaker setup, as the pointed direction is computed from the piercing point of the gun's direction and the surrounding surface. The reference point for the pointed direction can be chosen freely. The computation is implemented in real time open-source software and works with any 6 degrees of freedom tracking system. In this paper the accuracy of the method is measured for the static and hand-held case using 2 tracking systems in 2 rooms/surrounding hulls.


ABSTRACT During the last decade consumption of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) has been highly recommended, based on the presence of secondary plant metabolites with health protective effects. Apart from these compounds, broccoli might apport high levels of minerals, however, they are likely to be affected by cultivar, environment and type of inflorescence. Bioavailability of calcium (Ca) in broccoli is compared to milk, reinforcing the importance of this vegetable in human diets. In this study the phosphorus (P), potassium (K), Ca, magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), and chloride (Cl) content was determined in the primary and secondary inflorescences of 11 broccoli cultivars grown in early and late seasons in order to highlight genotypical differences and seasonal effects on the mineral content. Results showed that the levels of all studied minerals, except K, were influenced by season. Calcium and Cl were higher (P<0.05) in spring/summer than in summer/winter whilst the opposite occurred for the other minerals. Calcium, S, and Cl levels were higher (P<0.001) in the secondary than in primary inflorescences whilst no difference was noted for the other minerals. Only Ca, Mg, and S seem to be dependent on genotype, which justifies the selection of a particular cultivar to increase the intake of these minerals. In this study the cultivar with the highest Ca levels was, on average, Tokyodome.


A novel defect segmentation method, which utilizes both the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and the Graph Cut Model (GCM), is presented to solve the defect segmentation problem of the hot image for the fiber splicing process on our industrial robot system. Since the fiber has a plastic surface, the LED lamp will create a highlight region in the fiber center when the camera collects the image data during the splicing process. Unfortunately, this highlight region always submerges the defect region. To solve this problem, both the image samples of normal mode and those of the defect mode are employed as the prior information to improve the segmentation performance. When implementing our method, first the GMM and the image samples of normal mode are used to build the statistic illumination model of the spliced fiber. The log histogram is tuned by the GMM components. Once the GMM is built, it can be utilized to restrain the highlight of the defect images. Then the GCM and the image samples of defect mode can be employed to segment the defect region and analyze their region features. Many simulation results have proved the effect of our proposed method.


The authors explore unique needs and requirements of local area networks (LANs) used by deployed tactical units and assess some commercially available architectures. They consider deployability issues, LAN (local area network) components, LAN standards, and performance issues. They give general recommendations with regard to standards, fiber optics, topology and protocol, and LAN specialists. They note that no single definitive answer exists; a more definite answer would require an in-depth study of specific mission needs and requirements of the deployed units.<<ETX>>


Idempotent structure of compact monothetic semitopological (separately continuous) semigroups is investigated by the methods of harmonic analysis. The pathology is shown to be arbitrarily bad in a sense made precise.


In this paper, we present the number sequence method which can treat accurately with continuous quantity and discrete quantity solving questions in mathematic analysis and some applied examples from different aspects.


Deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries result in 20 percent of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and are the major source of CO2 emissions after the fossil fuels usage. In light of this, the establishment of REDD+ has been discussed as an international framework to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The basic concept of REDD+ is to provide economic incentives such as funding or credits to developing countries for REDD activities (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) and "+" activities (reducing CO2 emissions and CO2 levels in the atmosphere by carbon sequestration). Thus, in order to estimate the changes in the amount of carbon stored in forests, monitoring using scientific approach is essential. This study aims to develop a method for estimating forest carbon stock at national or subnational level for REDD+ implementation using a combination of remote sensing techniques.
Study area is located in Kompong Thom Province, Cambodia. In this study area, evergreen forest, deciduous forest, mixed forest and regeneration can be seen. We established 30 sample plots (30A—30 m or 50A—50 m) and determined the coordinates at the centre of each plot by using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver so that we could superimpose the plots on high-resolution satellite images. We also carried out simplified survey for estimating forest carbon stock at 60 points. We measured the diameters at breast height of all standing trees in the sample plots and the carbon stock in each plot was calculated.
Three types of remotely sensed data were used in this study; airborne laser scanner data, high resolution satellite data and Landsat data. The airborne laser scanner data were acquired in January 2012. The sampling density of the laser scanning was 18.7 laser pulses/m2. QuickBird panchromatic and multi-spectral data were acquired on 1 February 2010. The data were geo-registered to the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system (WGS 84, zone 51) with 0.7 m and 2.8 m ground resolution using the nearest neighbor method for resampling to maintain original reflectance properties. Landsat-8 data were acquired on 17 March 2013 and 24 Oct 2013.
To get ground truth data for estimating forest carbon stock from Landsat data widely, object-oriented classification was carried out for high resolution satellite data and forest carbon stock in each object was estimated from digital canopy model (DCM) derived from airborne laser scanner data.
The digital elevation model (DEM) and digital surface mode (DSM) of the study area were generated from the airborne laser scanner data with a 50-cm cell size. The DEM was generated from the last returns of the laser pulses, and the DSM was generated by assigning the highest first-return value of the laser pulses for each cell as the cell's value. A DCM, which describes the canopy height above the ground level, was calculated by subtracting the DEM from the DSM. Penetration of laser pulse through canopy in laser scanning and forest degradation might have relation. We investigated the penetration rate of the laser pulses through the canopy reaching the ground. The laser pulse penetration rate in each 1-m2 cell for the study area was calculated as the ratio of the number of laser pulses that reached the ground to the total number of laser pulses transmitted into the cell.
The relationship these two parameters derived from airborne laser scanner data and forest carbon stock was investigated using the regression analysis. Forest carbon stock of each object in the area of airborne survey was classified into 6 classes by 50 ton/ha as reference data and all objects where airborne survey was implemented was used for the supervised object-based classification as training data.
Segmentation in the object-oriented approach is characterized by the integrated use of spectral and textural information in comparison to the single use of spectral information in conventional pixel-based classification. We investigated the effect of the parameter concerning heterogeneity in segmentation in the object-oriented approach, on the number and average size of generated objects. The segmentation of high-resolution satellite data was conducted using eCognition software for object-oriented classification. Generated objects were used for this analysis. The average and standard deviation in digital number of panchromatic data and that of the four bands of multispectral data for these objects were calculated. The average and standard deviation of NDVI were also used for the analysis.
Using the average and standard deviation in digital number of panchromatic data, those of the four bands of multispectral data and those of NDVI, the generated objects were classified into four carbon stock classes. Information on canopy height and canopy perpetration rate of laser pulses was used as training data in the classification. Forest carbon stock was estimated and mapped by object.
Forest carbon stock mapping was carried out for Landsat data. Object-oriented classification was used for Landsat data to obtain segments and relationship between properties of each band of Landsat data and forest carbon stock obtained from high resolution satellite data was investigated.


As oral contraceptives influence the function of the Beta cells of the insulin apparatus of the pancreas it is believed that they could aid in the development of sugar diabetes. This activity is noted most often in woman with a hereditary burden of diabetes with preliminary signs of diabetes or in women with weight problems. For this reason it is necessary to determine the oral tolerance to glucose and its character. In the case of necessary application of oral contraceptives preparations should be used with the slightest damaging effects on the carbohydrate metbolism and a diet should be observed that will not disturb the function of the Beta cells.


The Belarusian book history in the context of bibliological research and events in Belarus The main trends in the contemporary bibliographic studies on the history of Belarusian book are considered. The problems and new methodological approaches are identified, in the context of the book culture paradigm. Special attention is paid to research publications and conference proceedings concerning the 500th anniversiry of Belarusian printing.


Using the theoretical framework of Administrative Ecology, the essay discusses the features and problems of "Prismatic Administrative Model" in China; then it points out the importance and necessities of governability reform under the pressure of transformation of new administrative ecological factors in the new century, which includes the emergency of information authority, the out-drive of China's entrance into the WTO etc. Finally, the essay provides the feasible ways to modulate the governability relationship and several specific choices to reform the governability, in order to meet the WTO system's requirements and to get in pale with the information era.


In June 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in Shelby County v. Holder that states with a history of racial discrimination no longer needed to approve proposed changes to their voting procedures with the federal government. The court ruled that the coverage formula was based on 40-year-old data that was not applicable to current needs. Thus the 2016 presidential election was the first in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. The objective of this paper is to examine the changes in voter turnout between the 2012 and the 2016 national elections due to the changes in the Voting Rights Act. Using data from the voter file vendor Catalist and information from the U.S. Census Bureau, this paper examined changes in turnout rates for different racial/ethnic groups between 2012 and 2016. The findings indicated (1) African American turnout declined substantially; (2) white turnout increased considerably; (3) Latino American turnout increased, and (4) in the key swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, fluctuations in voter participation were especially strong. Voter enthusiasm and perceived voter suppression efforts had a huge impact on voter turnout. In addition, not being able to identify with candidates or properly researching candidates' political goals hampered the desire to vote, especially in Black Americans.


Alexander Jan Isaac Gogel (1765-1821) was a fascinating person who had a very interesting career in a turbulent time. He held various official functions in the Batavian-French period (1795-1813), always on the basis of his financial expertise. Gogel used his expertise to establish a national financial foundation, a formidable achievement.
With his pioneer work he fused together the seven federated provinces of the old Dutch Republic into a unitary Batavian state with a single tax system, a transparent budget and a common currency. However, his interests and influence were broader than engagement with public finance alone. In Gogel's opinion the political desideratum of equality before the law, linked to the unitary state, also entailed the free entry to a profession. Therefore he was a fierce advocate of the abolition of the guilds. Furthermore, he participated intensively in the debate about the constitutional arrangements of the new state. His cultural interest which was also inspired by the Patriot ideology induced him to establish the National Art Gallery, the forerunner of the present National Museum ('Rijksmuseum'). This political biography intends to provide nuances and so readjust the traditional image of Alexander Gogel.


With the analysis of vehicle braking drum overheated which has caused brake invalid,this paper put forward a kind of research way to improve the problem of braking drum overheated. Through auto control it spurts water to lower the temperature to the overheated hub to solve the problem of brake invalid which is caused by braking hub overheated,improve the constancy of braking efficiency,guarantee the security of vehicle drive.


To investigate the protective effect of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) on spleen injury and its influence of Bcl-2/Bax/Caspase-3 signal pathway in radiation rats, 60 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into 5 groups randomly: the normal group, the model group, low-, middle-
 and high- dose of ASP groups. On the 15th day after the appropriate medication, all the rats except the normal group received the 60Co γ-ray irradiation once with a total dose of 4.0Gy. The levels of NF-kBp65 and IKKa in serum, the contents of MDA, GSH and SOD in spleen of
 each group were detected with ELISA after 24 h of irradiation, and the protein expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, HSPBP1 and TIMM8B in spleen of each group were detected by western blotting. The results showed that compared with the model group, NF-kBp65, IKKa and MDA contents were
 decreased while GSH and SOD contents were increased in the middle and high dose groups. The level of Bcl-2 and TIMM8B were increased while Bax, caspase-3 and HSPBP1 were decreased in all groups. In conclusion, Angelica sinensis polysaccharide can reduce the expression levels of Bax
 and caspase-3, while increase the level of Bcl-2 in spleen of rats induced by radiation and antagonize the body injury caused by radiation by regulating Bcl 2/Bax/Caspase 3 signaling pathway.


Monitoring singlet molecular oxygen (1O2) produced by photodynamic therapy (PDT) can lead more precise and effective cancer treatment. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has developed a singlet oxygen monitor based on a pulsed diode laser technology. In this paper, we present results of singlet oxygen detection in the solution phase and in a rat prostate cancer cell line, as well as PDT mechanism modeling. We describe an improved detection approach for singlet oxygen monitoring that employs a fiber-coupled optical set-up and fast data acquisition system.


In present research, an attempt was made to explore the pharmacological potential of Sonchus asper. The crude extract of Sonchus asper and its resultant fractions were tested for the carbonic annhydrase and urease inhibitory actions. The chloroform fraction of Sonchus asper exhibited maximum carbonic anhydrase II inhibition of 58.0%, followed by the plant crude extract, n-hexane fraction and aqueous fraction with 42.6, 30.2 and 21.3% inhibition respectively. In urease inhibitory bioassays, n-hexane fraction possesses highest urease inhibition capacity of 24.1%, followed by chloroform fraction (19.1%), crude extract (5.4%) and aqueous fraction (3.4%). These results indicate that Sonchus asper exhibits carbonic anhydrase and urease inhibitory activities. The higher carbonic anhydrase and urease inhibitory profile observed respectively for chloroform and n-hexane fractions of Sonchus asper propose concentration of respective active compounds, which warrants further detail studies for their isolation and molecular identification. [Ihsan Ullah Khan, Naser M. AbdEIslam, Farman Ullah Khan, Arif-Ullah Khan, Muhib Ullah, Syed Badshah, , Hidayatullah Khan, Riaz Ullah. Carbonic Anhydrase and Urease Inhibitory Effects of Sonchus Asper. Life Sci J 2013;10(1):2705-2707] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 320


Purpose: To reveal, what changes of fibers of a pattern of urine at sick are connected by a chronic heart failure (CHF) with increase of a functional class (FC) of disease. Materials and Methods: 90 patients with CHF II-IV FC are surveyed. Control group practically healthy 30 patients. Differentiated allocation separate proteins and fibers of urine of patients made by means of weights-spectrometry. Results: At patients CHF in structure of fibers of urine markers of alteration of kidneys, connected with structural transformation. Progressing CHF up to a final stage it is connected with increase of occurrence β-sarcoglican, similar to tolloids fiber 2 and L-antigen. Among contracting fibers in process of increase FC CHFoccurrence cation-transport ATP decreases, and isoforms 1 fiber 6, connected with microtubuls – raises, that causes reduction of activity of receipt of calcium in sarcoplasmic rethiculum in nephrocytes and endoteliocytes vessels of kidneys. Summary: Changes of an albuminous spectrum of urine at patients CHF it is information are significant for the forecast of progressing of a basic disease.


The thermal method developed in this Laboratory for the measurement of the ultrasonic absorption coefficient in liquids has been used elsewhere in a modified form. Re-examination of this new technique reveals that it is not capable of giving a value for the ultrasonic absorption coefficient of liquids.


This study examines the link between consumer weight level, food type, and consumer attitude toward both food and food advertisements. Further, this research explores how food advertisements containing emotional or informational claims influence the attitudes of overweight and normal-weight consumers. Two experiments were conducted to study the interaction between weight levels, food types (meat vs. vegetables), and advertising appeals (emotional vs. informational). The results showed mixed support for the six hypotheses. The findings indicate that consumer weight level interacts with food types, and emotional/information appeals affecting food evaluation and attitudes toward food advertisements. Managerial implications for food manufacturers and advertisers are discussed.


Most of the contributions presented in this Special Issue originated in the workshop "What's Not New in the New Europe: Ancient Answers to Modern Questions," at ISSEI's 15th International Conference on "What's New in the New Europe? Redefining Culture, Politics, Identity," which was held at the University of Lodz, Poland, July 11–15, 2016. Our workshop provided an opportunity for scholars of various backgrounds to reflect on the relevance of classical antiquity to the modern world: we were looking at the similarities between the political, social, and economic challenges faced by twenty-first-century Europeans and by the people of the ancient Mediterranean. The scope of the present volume is both narrower than the theme of the workshop, in focusing exclusively on ancient Greece, and broader, in looking for clearer connections between the ancient and modern thought and experience. In both instances, we were particularly interested in researching practical, ideological, and philosophical responses to crisis and change, including shifts in political power, military conflicts, economic and humanitarian crises, alliances and agreements, social and legal innovation, and political ideas and ideologies. A number of the issues that now contribute to the common perception of "Europe at the crossroads" were present in the ancient world, often in quite similar but sometimes in utterly different forms. Throughout antiquity, members of Greek states and communities were faced with numerous threats to their lives and livelihood, and felt the need to defend the social and political entities that defined them. They lived in a world of constant economic crises, wars, destruction of entire cities, and social instability. The remedies for these pressing problems and their causes were the subject of public deliberation and theoretical reflection in the constant search for a more stable and viable existence. To seek answers in ancient Greece to the kind of problems that beset Europe today may at first glance seem an exercise in academic futility. Long gone are the days when Shelley could write "we are all Greeks" and be understood by his readers with no further explanation, when the continuity between "them" and "us" could simply be asserted or presupposed, as it was by the philhellenes of German Romanticism and Victorian Britain. The second half of the twentieth century, with all its cultural and intellectual changes, saw a radical turn in this


Impedance spectra of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells often comprise an "inductive loop" at low frequencies from 1 Hz to 1 mHz additionally to the typically polarization resistances with capacitive behavior between 1 MHz to 1 Hz.


Image quality is affected by rain streaks that have an adverse effect on the applications which involves the ideas of surveillance, automatic path navigation. Hence it is important to process the information present in the images affected by water droplets caused by the rain or the mist. So this forms the basic need to identify the problem which does not have any mathematical correlation about the same. This research tries to work on the methodology which will denoise the criteria based on Convolutional neural network (CNN). CNN modelling helps in finding out the connections between the noise input image and rain streak. The proposed method uses synthetic database available publicly.


other hand, the book was published by an obscure Viennese house that specialized in socialist tracts and brochures; it probably sent no review copies abroad. But why was it not translated in the 1920s and 1930s, after its author had achieved a measure of political prominence? The book is basically an intelligent layman's attempt to understand and explain the intricacies of money, credit, and finance in complex economies. Divided into five parts, its first four deal with commonplace matters (even if not well or easily understood): "Money and Credit"; "The Mobilization of Capital. Fictitious Capital"; "Finance Capital and the Restriction of Free Competition"; and "Finance Capital and Crises." The fifth part, with chapters on "The Export of Capital and the Struggle for Economic Territory," "Finance Capital and Classes," and "The Proletariat and Imperialism," gained the book most of its notoriety as anticipations of and inspirations for the works of Rosa Luxembourg, Lenin, Zinoviev and Bukharin. It will be welcomed by non-German-reading historians of socialist economic thought.


THERMEC suplemental proceedings are collections of research papers from active and well known researchers in materials science and engineering, manufacturing, processing and applications of advanced materials ranging from ferrous and non ferrous materials to biomaterials, nanomaterials, metallic glasses, fuel cells, hydrogen storage technologies, surface engineering, welding and joining, modeling and simulation and, intelligent and smart materials processes.


Hourly UV Index values at 45 sites in Canada and 52 in the USA were estimated using a statistical relationship between UV irradiance and global solar radiation, total ozone, and dew point temperature. The estimation method also takes into account the enhancement of UV irradiance by snow using an empirical correction derived from Brewer UV measurements. Different characteristics of the UV Index distribution over North America were estimated from the derived UV irradiance for the period 1979-1987 and then presented in the form of monthly maps. Brewer UV measurements at 11 Canadian and 20 US sites and erythemal UV estimates from TOMS data were used for validation. Direct comparisons with Brewer measurements at 7 Canadian sites for the period in the 1990s when both pyranometer and spectral UV data were available demonstrated agreement within 2-3 percent except for periods of melting snow when variations in snow albedo yield higher errors in the derived UV irradiance.


Design wet bulb temperature is important in ensuring that a cooling tower will produce the desired leaving water temperature at design water flow and design operating conditions


The problem relating to the polyace is the reciprocal of that relating to the polygon, and is not separately discussed. By the k-partitions of a polygon, the author means the number ®f ways in which the polygon can be divided by (k-1) diagonals, no one of which crosses another; two ways being different only when no cyclical permutation or reversion of the numbers at the angles of the polygon can make them alike: it is assumed that the polygon is of the ordinary convex form, so that all the diagonals lie within its area.


Hospital performance management,which is centered on the evaluation of the staff's activities and results,is an effective means for the realization of hospital's strategic goals.The management plays a vital role in developing hospital performance-oriented culture.Based on the requirements of the Ministry of Health,this paper puts forward a solution to the problems in the performance management in tertiary hospitals


Practicing for 20 years, regulatory detailed planning plays a certain role in China's urban construction and management. In view of present major problems, the paper studies how to realize the dynamics and flexibility of the regulatory detailed planning with the feedback mechanism of the market. Based on the preliminary study of FAR, the article proposes a "three steps" analysis for the enactment of FAR.


Two amide-imdie diacids (AIDA-Ⅰand AIDA-Ⅱ) were synthesized from trimellitic anhydride, toluene diisocyanate and m/p-phthalic acid. Then, poly(ester-amide-imide) polyols were prepared via melt-copolycondensation of AIDA-Ⅰ or AIDA-Ⅱ, adipic acid, neopentyl glycol, and glycerol. The poly(urethane-amide-imide) films were successfully obtained from the mixtures containing stoichiometric poly(ester-amide-imide) polyols and cresol-blocked polyisocyanate. These results show that these poly(urethane-amide-imide) films exhibit better tensile strength and higher thermal stability and more excellent solvent resistance than the polyurethane film not containing amide-imide unit. The poly(urethane-amide-imide) film modified by AIDA-Ⅱ has better mechanical properties than that modified by AIDA-Ⅰ.


This study examined the effects of banana peel powder on the quality of noodles. Five different wet noodle samples were prepared with various ratio of KF (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%). The properties of banana peel powder and wheat flour (WF), the color values, cooking properties, texture, antioxidant activi...


In 2019 SMP Negeri 3 BP Peliung received assistance in the amount of 63 Gadget Units (Tablets) of the Evercross brand from the government with the aim that teachers can use them in learning. However, it has not been used properly. This is because the internet network at the school is not supported and the teacher's digital literacy is very low. The solution to this problem is to increase the ability of teachers in digital literacy in the use of Gadgets (Tablets) for learning media both offline and online by implementing Augmented Reality (AR) to optimize Gadgets (tablets) as learning media in the form of training and mentoring activities. The result of this training activity is that there is an increase in the understanding of the importance of teacher ICT literacy and understanding of AR as an innovative learning medium by 95.6%. Increased Teacher Digital Literacy by 87% and teacher skills in using AR by 78.2%.


The crucial techniques,performance test and model parameters identification of 500kN large-scale magnetorheological(MR) damper with large damping force are reported.On the basis of the key characteristics test of MR fluid,including maximum yield shear stress,sedimentation-proof stability and response time,the sedimentation-proof stability of MR fluid is confirmed,and the other two performance indexes meet the requirements of the design and application of large-scale MR damper.Then several crucial techniques of 500kN large-scale MR damper,including inner disk spring accumulator,magnetic-flux leakage preventing design and leading wire protection are introduced.According to the performance test results of the MR damper,the modified Bingham model parameters of MR damper are identified using damping least square method,and the theoretical results agree well with the experimental ones.Research results demonstrate that it is very important to prepare the high-performance MR fluid and adopt the proposed crucial technologies for the fabrication of large-scale MR damper.


The authors describe a 120 Gbit/s (4/spl times/30 Gbit/s) OTDM system in which the transmitter and the receiver are based on electroabsorption modulators operating at 30 GHz. Error-free operation with an average 120 Gbit/s sensitivity of -22.6 dBm is achieved.


Water quality and phytoplankton diversity were investigated in Gopeswar temple pond of Assam, India. Altogether 45 species of phytoplankton were recorded representing Chlorophyceae (16), Cyanophyceae (10), Bacillariophyceae (14), Euglenophyceae (3), Chrysophyceae (1) and Dinophyceae (1). Phytoplankton peaks were observed in summer and monsoon periods. Correlations of phytoplankton density with different water quality parameters were evaluated and the water body was found to be moderately polluted. Presence of Microcystis aeruginosa along with Navicula cryptocephala throughout the year also indicated its cultural eutrophication and hence, needs management intervention DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjb.v41i2.13446 Bangladesh J. Bot. 41 (2): 181-185, 2012 (December)


In this paper, we propose two iterative synchronization schemes for distributed beamforming (DBF) with sidelobe control. The scenario that we address is that of a wireless sensor network surrounded by one intended base station (BS) and multiple unintended ones (serving otherWSNs). We consider two specific synchronization schemes with soft and hard constraints in terms of the received signal strength acceptable at the unintended base stations. The schemes merely require partial CSI at the BSs plus the broadcast of one-bit feedback messages from the intended BS messages to the sensor nodes.


Salted egg is one of the most traditional and popular preserved egg products. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the changes on the characteristics of duck egg salted at different times. Currently, diversification of product salted egg could be used Liquid Smoke (LS). Split Plot in time with a basic design Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used throughout the research. They were run triplicate. The viscosity of egg white control was significant compared with salted egg of LS treatment (p 0.05). Significant of total solid along was increased during salting time (p < 0.05).


Numerous papers have been written regarding glass characteristics and its influence on the production of containers. The benefits of Press and Blow as compared to Blow and Blow are now well established. Computer Aided Design and Manufacture together with simulation packages are being used in industry to the benefit of producing better quality containers with reduced scrap rates. However we now need a systematic approach where there is a scientific approach to solving the problem of glass requirements, design parameters, manufacturing process and machine characteristics all of which need to be specified in order to produce World Class Products associated with the Glass Container Industry. The paper addresses some of the issues and presents some scientific data which, if utilised systematically, should have a major impact on the future glass container industry. The information presented is a result of work carried out by the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, in collaboration with industry and should prove to be useful to Designers and Manufacturing Engineers in the Glass Container Industry.


The current wind turbine leading-edge erosion research focuses on the end of the incubation period and breakthrough when analysing the erosion mechanism. This work presented here shows the benefits of splitting and describing leading-edge erosion progression into discrete stages. The five identified stages are: (1) an undamaged, as-new, sample; (2) between the undamaged sample and end of incubation; (3) the end of incubation period; (4) between the end of incubation and breakthrough, and (5) breakthrough. Mass loss, microscopy and X-ray computed tomography were investigated at each of the five stages. From this analysis, it was observed that notable changes were detected at Stages 2 and 4, which are not usually considered separately. The staged approach to rain erosion testing offers a more thorough understanding of how the coating system changes and ultimately fails due to rain droplet impacts. It is observed that during microscopy and X-ray computed tomography, changes unobservable to the naked eye can be tracked using the staged approach.


Objective: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common problem in the elderly but often difficult to manage in primary care. In literature, traditional nonsurgical managements, consisting of physical therapy, lifestyle modification, and pharmacologic therapy such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are often ineffective or do not alleviate symptoms adequately. Viscosupplementation is a newly available option for patients with symptomatic knee OA that involves a series of intra-articular (IA) injections of hyaluronic acid (HA). Materials and Methods: In our study, we included 300 patients with primary knee OA who did not have diabetes mellitus as comorbidity. We gave IA injections (HA, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and corticosteroid) to all patients with both unilateral and bilateral knee OA, under strict aseptic conditions, and followed them up for 18 months. Results: The exact mechanisms of action are unclear although increasing the viscoelasticity of the synovial fluid appears to play an important role. IA corticosteroid injections reduce inflammation and that can give pain relief. About 95% of our patients got pain relief at the end of 3 injections and remained pain free or had bearable pain till 25 months of follow-up. Conclusion: Based on our study, we can conclude that the combined IA injections (HA along with PRP and corticosteroid) for knee OA and is an effective and safe nonoperative modality of treatment, at least in the short term. The results were promising for relieving pain, improving knee function and quality of life, especially in younger patients and in mild-to-moderate OA cases and especially in those who were unwilling or medically unfit to undergo total knee replacement arthroplasty.


Summary: The effects of a number of variables on the compressive strength of concrete, heated by an alternating electric current passing through it, have been examined and tests made at refrigerati...


Donohue (1) criticizes our x-ray diffraction studies of DNA structure and, especially, our use of Fourier syntheses (2, 3). He asserts that we are wrong to conclude that the Watson-Crick basepairing scheme is clearly preferable to alternative schemes proposed by him (4) or by Hoogsteen (5). The structure of DNA has unique importance in biology: therefore we agree that it would he most desirahle that, if there are weaknesses in the evidence for the generally accepted structure, these be brouLght to light. However, in this con1nection Donohue's article is not useful. It misleads, not only by direct statement. but by implication and by omission. The article is concerned with the very real limitations in the x-ray data froml DNA. What is misleading is DonohuLe's implication, despite our published statements (2, 3), that we have not adequately taken these limitations into account in our studies. He claims that Fourier analysis in the form of IF,,I syntheses would not form a satisfactory basis for otur conclusions. He implies that we based our results only on 1F,,f syntheses and claims therefore that our conclusions are unjustified. But we did not base our conclusions on IF,I syntheses: we based them on difference syntheses. Donohue makes no mention of these. We give here some brief comments on Donohue's article. A more technical criticism is presented by one of uls (6). Donohue presents, as electron density maps, IF,J syntheses of variouis base pairs, pointing out that such svntheses do not enable one easily to discriminate between alternative models. His exaimples show this clearly. Examples as good have already heen provided by LIS (7). The well-known principle reiterated by Donohue that a synthesis involving observed intensities and phases derived from a model is weighted


The evolution of development is an important ongoing question in developmental biology, and to study it, we examine evolution in the context of fundamental processes underlying development, gene expression and regulation. In this paper, we present the results of utilizing a biologicallymotivated model which implements gene expression and regulation to evolve genetic regulatory networks that express proteins in an oscillatory manner similar to a "repressilator" network. The networks were artificially evolved via genetic algorithm by manually bootstrapping the initial population with a set of randomly generated networks. The genetic algorithm then utilizes a two-part strategy combining sudden small changes which alter connections in the network with a gradual "paring down" of the network to expose higher-fitness components.


By analyzing heat transference of porous layer and internal as well as side refrigerator demonstrating complicated flow inside and diversity.Refrigeration side transference intensified due to the suction effect causing punching hole upper flow heat transference strengthening.Down-flow caused destruction to the boundary layer.Bottom layer assaulted by flowing ejecting current but affect spot areas.Impact surface formed by jet caused vast regions with considerable quantities of heat transference coefficients.Side panel with gas fueling formed intensive membrane that cause intensive shocking thus affected holes that ultimately leading to both apparent intensity of mixing porous plate with distinct coefficients.


PURPOSE: Provided is a transplant for an artificial cochlea which stimulates the auditory nerves by inserting an electrode into the cochlea, thereby recovering damaged auditory functions. CONSTITUTION: The transplant has an electrode part(200), having an electrode(270) to be inserted into the cochlea to stimulate the auditory nerves; a package part(100) releasably bound to the electrode part to protect a circuit part; and a fastening member(300) to fix the package part to the electrode part. The circuit part receives and processes signals transmitted from a voice processing device out of the body and sends a stimulating signal to the electrode part. The package part includes a package main body(110); a package feedthrough disposed at one side of the main body to electrically connect the electrode part and the circuit part; a package feedthrough supporting plate(220) to support the package feedthrough(230); and a package ring(120) disposed between the package main body and the package feedthrough supporting plate.


Background: Decompressive craniotomy (DC) is a known risk factor for the development of posttraumatic hydrocephalus (PTH) in the patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Herein, the present study reported the development of PTH requiring ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt after DC for TBI. Methods: Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) were searched from 1983 to April 2018. The studies evaluating the prevalence of PTH requiring VP shunt after DC in the patients with TBIwere selected without language restriction. A random-effects meta-analysis using event rate (ER) and 95% confidence intervals(CIs), was runby RevMan5.3 software. Results: Out of 355 studies obtained from the databases, 25 studies were included and analyzed in the meta-analysis. The studies included 2402 patients undergoing DC for TBI, 354 of whohad PTH. The pooled ER of hydrocephalus in the patients undergoing DC for TBI was 17.7% [95%CI: 13.2 to 23.4%; P<0.001]. In addition, the pooled analysis showed that ER of hydrocephalus was 13% in adults [95%CI: 9 to 18.5%; P<0.001] and 37.6% in children [95%CI: 27.79 to 48.7%; P=0.029; I2=0%]. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that DC after TBI was associated with the development of PTH, especially in children compared to adults.


Summary: The isolated urinary bladder of the toad was used to compare the effects on O2 toxicity of 1-min and 5-min intermittent normoxic exposures during a prolonged period of hyperoxic exposure (OHP). Various intermittent exposure schedules were tested at 5 atmospheres (ATA) including 4–1 (4 min 100% O2 followed by l min 4% O2) 6–1, 9–1, 10–5, 15–5, and 20–5. With all schedules tested, intermittent normoxic exposure significantly protected the SCC (active sodium transport) against the inhibition by 5 ATA of O2. Two intermittent schedules (4–1 and 15–5) were tested at 10 ATA using 4% O2 for the reduced O2 pressure exposure. A significant decrease in the rate of SCC inhibition was observed using both intermittent exposure schedules. The observed SCC protection by intermittent exposure (at 5 and 10 ATA) was not entirely a result of the decreased time of exposure to OHP. Four intermittent schedules were tested at 5 ATA, and the effects of intermittent oxygénation on the SCC were compared with the effects of continuous normoxic exposure. During a 5-hr exposure period, no significant SCC stimulation occurred using a 2–1, 4–1, or 9–1 intermittent schedule. Using a 5–5 intermittent schedule, however, a significant stimulation of SCC was observed at 4 and 5 hr. It was concluded that intermittent normoxic exposures as short as l min can afford significant protection against O2 toxicity.Speculation: Pulmonary oxygen toxicity often limits the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome. Intermittent normoxic periods as brief as 1 min can be protective against in vitro oxygen toxicity. This, combined with the previous demonstration that intermittent normoxia is protective against pulmonary oxygen toxicity in man suggests that brief intermittent periods of air breathing might decrease the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infants requiring oxygen therapy.


Gnedenko and Kolmogorov [3, pp. 181-182] have shown that if X n with law F(x) belong to the domain of normal attraction of a stable law of index 0<α<2, i.e. if partial sum S n/an1/α converges in distribution to some stable law Vα, a>0 then there exist c1 and c2 such that and


: In this note, we shall define the balancing Wieferich prime which is an analogue of the famous Wieferich primes. We prove that, under the abc conjecture for the number field Q ð ffiffiffi 2 p Þ , there are infinitely many balancing non-Wieferich primes. In particular, under the assumption of the abc conjecture for the number field Q ð ffiffiffi 2 p Þ there are at least O ð log x= log log x Þ such primes p (cid:2) 1 ð mod k Þ for any fixed integer k > 2


Objective:To study the activity of NF-kB in human umbilical vein endothelial cell(HUVEC),HUVEC induced by TNF-α and the relationship between NF-kB and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)pathway.Methods:After the cultured HUVEC was treated with TNF-α,the activity of NF-kB in HUVEC was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay(EMSA)and the expression of IκBα was measured by western blotting.In addition,PD098059(an inhibitor of ERK),SP600125(an inhibitor of JNK),SB203850(an inhibitor of p38MAPK)and PDTC(an inhibitor of NF-kB)were evaluated for their influence on the activity of NF-kB in cultured HUVEC induced by TNF-α.Results:In HUEVC induced by 10ng/ml of TNF-α,the activity of NF-kB was increased in time-dependent manner,at the same time,the expression of IκBα were decreased in time-dependent manner;PD098059 and PDTC,but not SP600125 and SB203850,attenuated the activity of NF-kB in HUEVC induced by TNF-α.Conclusion:In HUEVC,TNF-α can induce NF-kB activation through degraded IκBα;moreover,p38MAPK,but not ERK and JNK,is involved in TNF-induced NF-kB trans-activation.


The efficiency of flushing of marinas in regions of low tidal range may be improved by generating a suitable velocity distribution within the marina. Laboratory experiments and simple calculations provide the basis for design recommendations for such marinas.


We describe in this paper a serial learning information reasoning method(Tree Tracking Method, TTM) that is flexible, smart education, culture place optimized for content planning and producing. The user participation centered online education platform that is based on N-Screen (multi device) so that user can direct lifelong learning. Learners of the field of producing contents use and share easily necessary information and recorded meta information such as role models by each competency. Both of instructor and learner are able to produce data and share them under the online environment since the list of classes and training data is set by tree structured classification of the 'top skill group' where the specific job training function from the basis of competency. We point out practical and functional limits of a common online learning system and the manner of lecturing. In the near future, we will show TTM is the proper education platform for the production affiliates with adopting open course ware and flipped learning. Received (September 07, 2015), Review Result(September 23, 2015) Accepted(October 08, 2015), Published(December 31, 2015) 617-716 Division of Digital


South African higher education is moving towards a programme-based higher education system. The National Commission on Higher Education proposed that the funding formula should be based on programmes and not on institutions per se. As a result, all higher education institutions are in the process of getting programmes registered on the National Qualifications Framework to be accredited by the South African Qualifications Framework Authority. In future, institutions will increasingly have to prove the quality of their programmes. One way of doing this is to invest in programme self-evaluation. In this article it is argued that programme self-evaluation is a prerequisite: (1) for bringing policy for a programme-based higher education system into practice; and (2) to promote quality assurance in higher education.


The invention discloses a plunger pump health assessment method based on a wavelet packet and Laplacian Eigenmap, and belongs to the field of equipment health monitoring. The method includes the steps that firstly, a vibration signal at an outlet of a plunger pump is measured in a plunger pump experiment table, the wavelet packet is used for decomposing an original signal, and an effective feature group used for describing the health state of the plunger pump is extracted from the original signal; and secondly, an extracted high-dimensional feature group is used as an input, dimensionality reduction is conducted through Laplacian Eigenmap, the corresponding relation of feature vectors and health states is set up, a classifier is used for verifying the health assessment effect of the plunger pump, and the quantitative assessment requirement of hydraulic pump health state monitoring is met. The method is mainly used for health state assessment and life prediction of the plunger pump, the health state of the plunger pump can be prejudged, and therefore key components of the plunger pump can be repaired or replaced during the key period before the plunger pump has faults; the service life is prolonged, production efficiency is guaranteed, and accidents are prevented.


In this papera new modelandapproachis presentedfor the lexicographiclinking andpresentationof two closelyrelatedlanguages. As acase-in-pointDutchandAfrikaansaretaken. Theproposedmodeldiffers from thetraditionalbilingual dictionaryin that thetypeof word pair determinesthepresentationandtreatment,e.g.tafel / tafel (table) will betreateddifferentlyfrom aanschuiven /aanskuif(shuffle along, draw up) becauseof, amongothers,formal characteristics. Semanticandpragmaticdifferenceswill alsocomeinto play. Although in the databaseitself the frame for the datacate goriesremainsthe sameall over, the actual representationof thedatain thedictionary, will bedeterminedby thetypeof word, the typeof useras well asthetypeof word pair. With this new model,applicablebeyond theDutch-Afrikaanscaseitself, theauthorshopeto stimulateresearchin thisneglecteddomainof bilingual lexicography.


Melanistic coloration has been observed in the populations of Vipera renardi in Krasnodar Region. Various forms of melanistic pattern of coloration and its development with age are analyzed.


A very lengthy, rambling letter on health (the firm would have approved a months holiday but finances were not enough to take up the opportunity), and looking forward to a trip across the straits with Witton. Has read all the reports of Clark's candidature which shows that he has made great strides in public opinion. Talks at length about literature and how Witton and he have glorious talks on their Saturday or Sunday rambles.
C4/C153


The volatile compounds in the headspace of various virgin coconut oil (VCO) samples prepared by different methods (i.e. centrifuge, fermentation with heat, fermentation without heat, and expeller), were analyzed by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME-GCMS). The following compounds were identified: ethyl acetate, acetic acid, 2-pentanone, hexanal, n-octane, 2-heptanone, limonene, -dimethyl--pentalactone (tetrahydro-3,3-dimethyl-2H-furan-2-one), nonanal, octanoic acid, ethyl octanoate, -octalactone, ethyl decanoate, -decalactone and dodecanoic acid. Quantification was carried out by determining the method response factor of each compound using standards. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for each compound were also determined.
 Application of principal components analysis (PCA) to the chemical data reveals that VCO produced through the centrifuge and expeller methods can be distinguished from samples produced by fermentation. However, the variability observed in the chemical profiles of the VCO samples produced by both physical and fermentation processes suggests variability in the quality of VCO products.


We use a new approximation scheme for the centrifugal term, and present approximate analytical solutions of bound states for modified Poschl-Teller potential with the arbitrary angular momentum states. The normalized wave functions and energy equation for bound states are given. The numerical results show that our results are in good agreement with those obtained by using the Mathematica package, and that the new approximation scheme is better than the old approximation scheme.


Abstract : The acoustic pressure in water due to a plane vave incident on an elastic plate is considered. The plate is backed by air and by an infinite array of parallel stiffeners (or mechanical resonators). The acoustic pressure on the plate is calculated as a function of the spacing between the stiffeners or resonators, the plate thickness, the angle of incidence, and frequency. (Author)


This study has conducted an ethnic comparison on the strength of the association between Individuation, a subscale from the Emotional Autonomy construct presented originally by Steinberg and Silverberg in 1986, and adolescent outcomes in terms of self-esteem and susceptibility to negative peer pressure. Consistent with what was expected, the association between Individuation and lowered self-esteem was more salient among 287 Asian-American adolescent boys than among 1,353 Euro-American adolescent boys. Contrary to what was hypothesized, the association between Individuation and susceptibility to negative peer pressure was more pronounced among 1,573 Euro-American adolescent girls than among 292 Asian-American adolescent girls.


Background: The bacterial homolog, 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin synthase, of the eukaryotic 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase enzyme acts on the same substrate but produces different products. Results: Structural and biochemical studies trace the differential reactivity to four residues. Conclusion: Differential reactivity between the enzyme homologs is a result of small changes in the enzyme active site. Significance: This work furthers our understanding of how novel activities may arise from common protein-folds. 6-Pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS) homologs in both mammals and bacteria catalyze distinct reactions using the same 7,8-dihydroneopterin triphosphate substrate. The mammalian enzyme converts 7,8-dihydroneopterin triphosphate to 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin, whereas the bacterial enzyme catalyzes the formation of 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin. To understand the basis for the differential activities we determined the crystal structure of a bacterial PTPS homolog in the presence and absence of various ligands. Comparison to mammalian structures revealed that although the active sites are nearly structurally identical, the bacterial enzyme houses a His/Asp dyad that is absent from the mammalian protein. Steady state and time-resolved kinetic analysis of the reaction catalyzed by the bacterial homolog revealed that these residues are responsible for the catalytic divergence. This study demonstrates how small variations in the active site can lead to the emergence of new functions in existing protein folds.


Introduction Vein of Galen anomalous malformation (VGAM) is a rare congenital vascular malformation. The Children's Acute Transports Service (CATS) transport neonates with VGAM into the national treatment centre. Antenatal diagnosis may be suggestive of a larger malformation however it permits prompt intervention and may reduce the incidence of high output cardiac failure. Aim To investigate any difference in survival rates for neonates diagnosed antenatally (AN) or postnatally (PN) with VGAM. Methods Case note review from March 2009 to July 2015 (76 months). All VGAM cases in the neonatal period requiring the first admission to the neurovascular centre. Results 38 cases were identified, 12 AN and 26 PN diagnosis. Median age at referral differed between groups (AN 0.5 days, PN 2.5 days). The PN group predominantly presented with heart failure (10, 38%) or cardiomegaly (7, 27%). AN diagnosed neonates were more likely to be transported intubated (42% vs 31%) and less likely to require inotropes (33% vs 54%). 42% PN children were transferred twice before admission to the neurovascular centre. Overall, survival was 15/36, 42% (AN,50% PN,37%). Those requiring inotropes at transfer demonstrated 28% survival; those without an inotrope requirement had a 56% survival. These survival rates are summarised in figure 1. Conclusions Antenatal diagnosis of VGAM appears to increase the chance of survival with a decreased incidence of high output cardiac failure. Neonates not requiring inotropic support during transfer are twice as likely to survive than those who do. The small sample size is acknowledged, however, we believe this is the largest recent case series of neonates with VGAM requiring their first admission to the UK national neurovascular centre.Abstract 091 Figure 1 Survival rates from VGAM


The room temperature tensile strength of uncoated and two types of pyrolytic boron nitride coated (PBN and Si-rich PBN) Hi-Nicalon SiC fibers was determined after 1 to 400 hr heat treatments to 1800 C under N2 pressures of 0.1, 2, and 4 MPa, and under 0.1 Mpa argon and vacuum environments. In addition, strength stability of both uncoated and coated fibers embedded in silicon powder and exposed to 0.1 MPa N2 for 24 hrs at temperatures to 1400 C was investigated. The uncoated and both types of BN coated fibers exposed to N2 for 1 hr showed noticeable strength degradation above 1400 C and 1600 C, respectively. The strength degradation appeared independent of nitrogen pressure, time of heat treatment, and surface coatings. TEM microstructural analysis suggests that flaws created due to SiC grain growth are responsible for the strength degradation. In contact with silicon powder, the uncoated and both types of PBN coated fibers degrade rapidly above 1350 C.


The paper presents an overview of research activity for development of relatively low-power (10-100 W) submillimeter CW gyrotrons at the IAP RAS The design of CW IAP RAS gyrotrons on the second harmonic of gyrofrequency in the range 0.2-0.8 THz is discussed in this paper. The choosing of the operating mode was made basing on the one hand at the density of the parasitic mode spectrum, especially on the fundamental harmonic and on the other hand on possibility of formation of the electron beam in a magnetron injection gun. Optimization of the cavity profile for these gyrotrons was made and the maximum efficiency for reasonable accelerating voltage from 5 kV to 20 kV and current of the electron beam up to 1 A was determined. The main results of these calculations are presented in table 1. Also for these gyrotrons the influence of parasitic modes at the fundamental and second harmonics of the cyclotron frequency was investigated. One of these devices -0.26 THz gyrotron was developed, manufactured and tested at IAP RAS. The maximum CW output power of 200 W for accelerating voltage 16 kV and beam current 0.3 A was obtained at the experimental tests. During more than 8 hours CW operation tests at the customer's site (BRMZ of Frankfurt University) the frequency and power stability of 5*10-6 and 1 % respectively was demonstrated.


Polyacrylate nanoparticles are widely applied and typically prepared by many polymerization methods. However, poor long-term storage stability of nanoparticles limited their use, so some methods are carried out to overcome it. In this paper, we investigated a series of fluorinated polyacrylate nanoparticles to improve the long-term storage stability of polyacrylate nanoparticles. We found that increasing fluorine content resists the aggregation of nanoparticles during long-term storage. Furthermore, a higher content of fluorine can improve the hydrophobicity of latex polyacrylate film and increase the refractive index of latex polyacrylate film. The properties of the polyacrylate nanoparticles and latex film can thus be controlled by changing fluorine contents, which in turn provides key insights into the design of functional polymer material.


Scotus' mark on Suarez's metaphysics can be perceived not only in his elaboration of intellectual knowledge of the singular, but also in the idea that prime matter is not pure potency, but possesses its own act, as well as in the thesis that states that the accident possesses too its own being. Of these two ideas, in addition to the tendency towards hypostatisation (or substantialisation) both regarding matter and accident, comes the breakdown of the unity of material substance both in the substantial and accidental planes, something that Suarez, in a way very similar to Scotus, tries to remedy by appealing to the modes of union. Lastly, a fundamental consequence of the hypostatisation of the accident is phenomenism, as seen in the works of authors such as Locke and Kant.


The therapeutic outcome of photothermal therapy (PTT) remains impeded by the transparent depth of light. Combining PTT with immunotherapy provides strategies to solve this problem. Regulating metabolism‐related enzymes is a promising strategy to stimulate immune response. Here, a nanosystem (NLG919/IR780 micelles) with the properties of photothermal conversion and regulation of the tryptophan metabolic pathway is used to suppress the growth of the tumor margin beyond effective PTT and promote tumor PTT and immunotherapy. It is revealed that mild heat treatment promotes the growth of the tumor margin beyond effective PTT for the upregulation of heat shock protein (HSP), indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO), and programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1). The NLG919/IR780 micelles can effectively inhibit the activity of IDO but do not affect the level of IDO expression. NLG919/IR780 micelles can effectively accumulate in the tumor and can migrate to lymph nodes and the lymphatic system. In vivo antitumor studies reveal that NLG919/IR780 micelles effectively suppress the growth of tumor margin following PTT in primary tumors. NLG919/IR780 micelle‐mediated PTT and IDO inhibition further stimulate the activation of T lymphocytes, inhibiting the growth of distal tumors (abscopal effect). The results demonstrate that the NLG919/IR780 micelles combine PTT and immunotherapy and suppress the tumor margin as well as distal tumor growth post photothermal therapy.


inpainting was historically done manually by painters for removing defect from paintings and photographs. Fill the region of missing information from a signal using surrounding information and re-form signal is the basic work of inpainting algorithms. Here in this paper we have studied and reviewed many different algorithms present for doing image inpainting and explain their approach. We have briefly explain some algorithms for video inpainting applications. This paper contain work done in the field of image inpainting and guide newcomers who are willing to work in image inpainting field.


Problems that occur CV. Mustika Rajawali, which deals with laptop sales ranking and forecasting, is how to predict future laptop sales based on previous sales data. Forecasting is very influential in determining the sales target that must be achieved by CV. Mustika Rajawali. The method has not been used in predicting laptop sales at CV. Mustika Rajawali so that consumers' needs can be seen, whether it has met the sales target or not. The products to be developed in this study are laptop sales ranking and forecasting using the TOPSIS method and double exponential smoothing. To calculate the potential sales as accurately as possible, it can be done using data mining techniques using double exponential smoothing, while the TOPSIS method is used for ranking. Ranking of laptop sales using the TOPSIS method obtained the sales order of Asus A490JA laptops, Asus A409JP, Asus A409MA, Asus E402YA, Asus TP203NAH. Prediction of laptop sales at CV. Mustika Rajawali with a value of α = 0.1 to α = 0.9 obtained the smallest MAE value using α = 0.9, which is 178,237,067 so that the prediction of CV sales. Mustika Rajawali with the exponential smoothing method using a value of α = 0.9.


Raw foods of animal and plant origin are the most likely to be contaminated with either spores or vegetative cells of Clostridium. Molecular detection of the Clostridium spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one useful method for detecting Clostridium spp. in some samples such as food raw materials. Clostridium detection was performed using 16S rDNA-based PCR method with Clos 58 - f and Clos 780 - r primers. A study of the specificity of the primers used revealed a reaction to Salmonella and Proteus. Therefore, the scope of PCR with these primers can be food products that have undergone high-temperature processing, for example, sterilized meat or meat and vegetable preserves, as well as ingredients after inactivation of vegetative forms of microorganisms.


Pesantren prioritizes spiritual improvement and good character for students based on the five souls (panca jiwa). When the soul or mind is stable, it can automatically reveal good character and qualities. The value of the five souls is a combination of various crystallizations of pesantren values, which must be integrated and taught in all santri (Islamic Students) activities. Five souls are enthusiastically assimilated in doing all activities to awaken other positive characters. The discussion aims to find out the form of internalization of character education based on the five souls at the Tahfizul Quran Boarding School in West Sumatra. This research approach is the descriptive-qualitative approach. The discussion results showed that the five young souls are honest, independent, brotherly, and free spirits to prepare the concluding virtuous, noble, and meaningful individuals in better directions in life. Values were instilled by the following methods: the exemplary method, the habitual method, giving advice, methods of motivation and threats, methods of persuasion, and the story method. Supporting factors for implementing character education have good management performance, the active role of the kiai as the pesantren leader and the ustaz with high discipline. The obstacles are students' lack of awareness and willingness to follow the pesantren education system, the difficulty of adjusting to pesantren activities, and not all students being able to comply.


The present paper proposes to speak about the interrogation of the OLAP cubes, by using the multidimensional analyses. The first part of the paper deals with the dynamics of the business environment, a fact which triggers the necessity of the informatics systems for decision assistance. The second point of the paper is the presentation of the online analytical processing (OLAP). Connected to this point is the declarative interrogation language MDX, which assures the access to the OLAP interrogation, functions, offering us the possibility of defining the calculated members of the dimensions. A few examples show us how they work. In the end, we draw the conclusions, stressing the importance and the benefits of the intelligent solutions.


Abstract: This study analyzes the importance of the geographical indication (GI) process and other efforts in favor of the institutionalization process of special coffee in Brazil. The study is justified by the fact that Brazil is a world reference in coffee production and in what refers to the special coffee production, the market is promising. The term special coffee has a connotation of a segment type where the quality and experience are privileged, this consumption being differentiated. The Northwest of Minas (MG), Alta Mogiana (SP) and Matas de Minas (MG) regions were chosen for the analysis, which are the most representative in the national scenario. The results show a positive advance in favor of the institutionalization process, in which the main agents involved play an important role, namely, the government, entrepreneurs and producers.


This paper demonstrates the potential usefulness of the NVivo7 software for developing grounded theory through semantic analysis and for making grounded theory more accessible to students and researchers. Use of qualitative data analysis software early in the research process can impact research design, including the creation of interview protocols and survey instruments. It can also be useful later in the process for content and discourse analyses. NVivo is a software program designed to facilitate coding and analysis of qualitative data; it includes "query" functions, which are specific searches that the software can perform on data.


The principle of istihalah in shariah is concerned with substance transformation, either naturally or through chemical and other forms of intervention. When a forbidden substance is transformed such that it is no longer the same, then so are the rules of shariah concerning it. Thus, when alcohol turns into vinegar through exposure to open air or other chemical processes, istihalah will apply. Istihalah may be characterized as a nonreversible change of a substance to a different substance with differences in taste, color, and odor. The changes that so occur include a change of salient properties and the transformation of impure materials into pure ones. Istihalah can thus be understood as a complete physical and chemical transformation of one substance into another substance.


Background : Incidence of HIV infection by mother to child transmission has been increasing for the past few years. This study aimed to determine the association between maternal, obstetric, infant factors, and the risk of HIV infection in infant. Subjects and Method : This was an analytic observational study using case control design. This study was conducted at Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Surakarta. A total of 68 study subjects, consisting of 34 HIV infected infants, and 34 non HIV infected infants, were selected for this study by fixed disease sampling. The dependent variable was HIV infection. The independent variable included maternal nutrirional status, opportunistic infection, antenatal care, type of labor, birth weight, and prematurity. The data were collected by a set of questionnaire and analyzed using logistic regression model. Results : Maternal HIV opportunistic infection (OR= 10.09; 95% CI= 1.99 to 51.20; p=0.005) and pervaginam labor (OR=5.21; 95% CI=0.92 to 29.58; p=0.063) increase the risk of HIV infection in infant, and they were statistically significant. Maternal body weight (BMI<18.5)(OR=2.71; 95% CI=0.44 to 16.53; p=0.280), antenatal care <4 times (OR=1.94; 95% CI= 0.42 to 9.00; p=0.395), birth weight <2.500 gram (OR=1.09; 95%CI=0.19 to 6.05;p=0.924) and prematurity (OR= 1.65; 95% CI=0.36 to 7.61; p=0.523), each increased the risk of HIV infection but statistically non-significant. Conclusion: Maternal HIV opportunistic infection and pervaginam labor are strong and significant predictors for the risk of infant HIV infection. Health personnel should pay special attention on these significant risk factors when assisting birth delivery, in order to prevent HIV infection in infants. Keywords : maternal, obstetric, infant risk factors, HIV infection. Correspondences:  Deni Nur Fauzia Rahmawati. Masters of Public  Health Program, Sebelas Maret University. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Journal Maternal  and Child Health (2016), 1(2): 73-82 https://doi.org/10.26911/thejmch.2016.01.02.02


It seems that Tadeusz Rozewicz's poem titled Francis Bacon or Diego Velazquez in a Dentist's Chair is dedicated to the works of the author of Studies of Crucifixion. In fact, Rozewicz writes about the impression that Bacon's art left on him when he saw it in galleries and museums. This poem is also about fascination. Contrary to what may seem intuitive, it is not an attempt to describe the poet's own way of interpreting these works; and even if so, this is only true to a limited extent. For Rozewicz, Bacon's works were just a pretext to look at himself, especially at his own early poems, from a distance – from a somewhat ironic distance. In this way the poet is able to present himself as "the other", thus referring to the title of Paul Ricoeur's book.


Surface relief caused by the formation of lower bainite in an Fe-C-Si-Mn alloy has been investigated by STM. It was discovered that the subunit which is the lowest structural unit observed by TEM is actually made up of sub-subunits. The surface relief due to the formation of sub-subunit is tent-shaped, and of a non-IPS type, which indicates that the sub-subunit cannot be formed by shear. The height of relief is 60-140nm, and the maximum shape deformation is ca. 0.23. The multi-layer structure of bainite and the effect of carbon and silicon on the fine structure of bainite can be interpreted by sympathetic nucleation-ledgewise growth mechanism.


The aim of the current research is to select the main sorghum cultivars widely produced and processed in Burkina Faso in order to refine their biochemical and end-use qualities, which are determinants for food utilisation. Comparison of levels of starch and its properties, amylase activities, phenolic content, and oxidative enzymes are determined. Physical properties of the kernels such as hardness, grain color (visual and Lab Hunter L, a, b parameters), kernels purity, presence of testa layer, and the germinative energy powers are determined. Comparison of kernels biochemical composition and end-use qualities before and after germination will give direction on nutritional qualities and technological properties of widely available sorghum cultivars from Burkina Faso.


Many Chinese Canadians (CCs) have experienced increased racism and xenophobia since the beginning of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This study focused on how this rise of anti-Chinese discrimination, in addition to the threats posed by the pandemic itself, affects not only CCs' well-being, but also their Chinese and Canadian identities. We surveyed 874 CC adults from across Canada, M (age) = 42.09;47.7% females;628 foreign-born, first-generation (G1) and 246 Canadian-born, second or later generation (G2). The reported rates of discriminatory experiences were alarming: More than half of the respondents reported that they had been treated with less respect because of their ethnicity (G1: 60.6%;G2: 56.8%), and over a third reported that they had been personally threatened or intimidated (G1: 35.2%;G2: 39.8%). Generational status moderated CCs' pandemic experiences, such that G1 CCs perceived more health, financial, and cultural threats due to the pandemic, but G2 CCs reported more personal and group discrimination. Perceived discrimination was associated with CCs' negative affect even after controlling for pandemic threats. The type of discrimination had different implications for heritage and mainstream cultural identities. For both groups, personal discrimination was negatively associated with Canadian identity, whereas group discrimination was positively associated with Chinese identity. Only about 10% of CCs who experienced harassment reported their encounters to authorities or on social media;CCs' perceptions that others saw them as perpetual foreigners undermined their reporting of harassment. The findings' implications for acculturation, identity, anti-racism strategies, and empowerment in reporting harassment are discussed. Public Significance Statement COVID-19 pandemic poses various threats for all Canadians, but Chinese Canadians have also faced increased racism. For example, the present study found that two-thirds of respondents had been treated disrespectfully and over a third were openly threatened or harassed during the pandemic. As a result of this discrimination, not only is Chinese Canadians' physical and psychological well-being undermined, but also their sense of belonging to Canadian society. Generational status affected the relative impact of pandemic-related challenges, such that foreign-born Chinese Canadians experienced more health, financial, and cultural threats, whereas Canadian-born Chinese perceived more personal and group discrimination. As the prejudice and discrimination against Chinese Canadians are likely to continue, there are ongoing challenges for research and the community to work together in combating racism, encouraging anti-racism reporting, and supporting Chinese and other Asian Canadians' resilience and recovery from the pandemic.


ABSTRACT To be able to compare various response strategies for oil spill response a Net Environmental – Economic Benefit Analysis model (NEEBA) has been developed by TNO. This model consists of an oil behaviour module, a response module and an ecological effect module. In the oil behaviour module a quantitative division of the oil volume over the different compartments (air, water surface and water column) is determined on the basis of spreading, transport and weathering. This module determines also the fate of the remaining oil after one of the response options has been applied. With the ecological effect module the effects on organisms at the water surface, in the water column and on the sea floor are determined. In order to come up with one benefit score a simplified weighing method has been chosen to compare the effects on different species. The NEEBA score is therefore expressed in costs, using the costs of fish as basis. The "costs" of the other organisms in relation to fish are dependent on their p...


The great majority of wireless devices are used close
to the human head. These changes the antenna performance
compared to free space situation. The human head absorbs an
amount of power from the antenna radiation. In this sense, it is
important not only to increase the robustness of the antenna
performance, but also to reduce the amount of power absorbed
by the human head. A coupled monopole and a PIFA antenna
are evaluated in terms of antenna performance in presence of
the human head. The most significant parameters (SAR,
efficiency and return losses) are obtained at two different
positions of the antenna as a function of the frequency band, to
finally evaluate the impact of the human head to the antenna
performance, and the effect of the antenna on it. Despite both
antennas have a similar efficiency value at Free Space,
monopole antenna has more sensitivity to the interaction with
the human head.


In 2014 DLR started research activities focused on premixed monopropellants consisting of nitrous oxide and hydrocarbons. Those propellants offer promising characteristics as they are non-toxic, deliver a high Isp consist of components with low cost and could simplify a propulsion system due to self-pressurized operation. Initially DLR chose a mixture of nitrous oxide (N2O) and ethene (C2H4). In the course of the project, a mixture of nitrous oxide and ethane (C2H6) was included to the research activities. The activities are part of DLR's Future Fuels project and divided into five main parts: 1) investigations of the combustion behavior of the propellant in a rocket combustor, 2) testing and developing of flame arresters, 3) development and reduction of reaction mechanisms, 4) numerical simulations of the combustion process and 5) basic miscibility investigations. The emphasis within the project is on the first three tasks, while the last two tasks are used to widen the knowledge about the


The key aspects and features of the Egyptian Revolution of January 25, 2011 that led to the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are discussed. The same was indicative of the struggle between brite force and moral force.


《Standard of Drinking Water Quality》(GB5749-2006),which is issued in 2007,points out much stricter requirements on drinking water quality.The present situation of drinking water quality in Kunming iron steel Co.Ltd are analyzed.How to improve the drinking water quality in Kunming iron steel Co.Ltd is discussed.


We propose and demonstrate a 20 ps time-to-digital converter (TDC) in 90 nm digital CMOS. It is used as a phase/frequency detector and charge pump replacement in an all-digital PLL for a fully-compliant GSM transceiver. The TDC core is based on a pseudo-differential digital architecture that makes it insensitive to NMOS and PMOS mismatches. The time conversion resolution is equal to an inverter propagation delay, which is the finest logic-level regenerative timing in CMOS. The TDC is self calibrating with estimation accuracy better than 1%. Measured INL is 0.7 LSB. The TDC consumes 1.3 mA from a 1.3 V supply.


The variation of Cd-tolerance in Brassica parachinensis(cv.No.31,Sijiu,Shipai) and corresponded mechanisms were studied by hydroponic culture.Cadmium(1,3,6 μg/mL Cd2+)induced a decreases in biomass of B.parachinensis significantly,indicating that Cd inhibited plant growth of B.parachinensis.Upper part was the main part of Cd-toxicity in B.parachinensis since root/shoot ratio of B.parachinensis increased under Cd stress.Cadmium resulted in the increases of Cd and MDA content in leaves.However,there was significant genotypic variation in growth,Cd and MDA content,and activities of POD and CAT in leaves among cultivars.The highest relative biomass and activities of POD and CAT were found after the treatment with Cd2+(3,6 μg/mL) in Sijiu,while Cd and MDA content in their leave were the lowest.By contraries,under Cd stress,No.31 had the lowest activities of POD,CAT and the highest content of Cd and MDA in the leaves,and Shipai was between in Sijiu and No.31.These results indicated that Sijiu was Cd-tolerant cultivar,while No.31 was sensitive one and the difference in Cd acumulation and activity of antioxidant enzymes in leaves would involved in the resistance of B.parachinensis to Cd toxicity.


Abstract The aim of this study is to determine and compare the views of primary school teachers on the implementation and effectiveness of the new primary school mathematics curriculum. For that aim, a 32-item Likert-type Mathematics Curriculum Scale was developed. The reliability of the scale was tested through Cronbach Alpha (.98), Spearman-Brown (.93) and Guttman split half (.93) and the scale was found to be reliable. The scale includes four sub-scales. The population includes 792 classroom teachers working in 64 pilot schools where the new primary school mathematics curriculum was in trail in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Kocaeli, Van, Hatay, Samsun, and Bolu. The data were analyzed in terms of city, classroom, gender, teaching experience, education level, and student number variables. Independent samples t-test, Kruskal Wallis H test, variance analysis, Mann Whitney U, Scheffe, and LSD tests were used to analyze the data. Statistically significant differences were found between the views of the teachers in terms of city, classroom, gender and student number variables. It was determined that the learning attainments, content and teaching learning activities in the new mathematics curriculum were found to be effective by the teachers. But the evaluation part of the new curriculum was not found to be effective in practice. Teachers are advised to have systematic and effective in-service seminars to learn and use the evaluation techniques aimed at the new primary school mathematics curriculum. Key Words Primary School, New Primary School Mathematics Curriculum, Student-Centered Instruction, Constructivism Primary school education, that includes an eight year continuous process, is both compulsory and a right for individuals in Turkey. Students gain the basic skills in primary school education. This is the reason that it has a great impact in determining the future of a child (Gurkan & Gokce, 2002). Training qualified individuals depends on having qualified curriculum (Gozutok, 2001). The developments in the field of technology, democracy, and human rights make it necessary for the curricula to be changed (Guleryuz, 2001) and the new developments should be reflected upon curriculum development activities (Gozutok, Akgun & Karacaoglu, 2005). Schools that can foresee the future tendencies lead changes (Ozden, 1999a). Curriculum-centered instruction is replaced by student centered instruction and the information society is built on human intelligence and creativity (Ozden, 1999b). As the result of fundamental changes needed in the field of education in the process of European Union in Turkey, a new primary school curriculum was prepared and implemented in 120 pilot schools in nine cities as a pilot application in the 2004-2005 academic year. The new curriculum is based on constructivist approach and the principles of activity, student- centeredness, and thematic curriculum. It also aims to use the principles of multiple intelligence based on individual differences. Gozutok, Akgun, and Karacaoglu (2005) report that the curriculum based on such a theoretical basis can be effective in teaching-learning process. Fosnot, Brooks, and Brooks express that constructivism is a more of a learning theory rather than a teaching (Cannon, 1997; Hosgorur, 2002; Duman, 2004; Akar & Yildirim, 2004). It is also claimed to be a learning philosophy (Yesildere & Turnuklu 2004). It is necessary for student to be active both in and out of the classroom in constructivist approach and the individual constructs the new knowledge upon his/her past experiences. So, acquiring new knowledge is not a result, it is a source to produce new knowledge (Akar & Yildi rim, 2004). Cooperstein and Kocevar-Weidinger (2004) and Altun (2004) express that the learner makes a connection between new knowledge and the old one. In this process, the learner compares, investigates the new knowledge, and either accepts it or refuses the old knowledge (Cooperstein & Kocevar-Weidinger, 2004). …


Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are stimuli-responsive materials with the ability to undergo a large recoverable deformation upon the application of an external stimulus. International research interest into the shape-memory effects (SMEs) of these polymers is rapidly growing. Unique polymer composites combining the properties of existing SMPs with electroconductive polymers (CPs) have been produced via direct laser writing or multiphoton fabrication (using a Photonic Nanoscribe). The modified SMPs will be reported for the first time, in addition, their properties are investigated and prove insightful for potential applications of these materials.


Background and objective The authors present a national survey determining the current practice of postoperative analgesia after major thoracic surgery in the United Kingdom. Methods Two hundred and forty anaesthetists from 36 thoracic centres were surveyed and the response rate was 78%. Results The commonest analgesic technique after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is paravertebral block combined with patient-controlled analgesia with morphine. In open thoracotomy procedures, although epidural analgesia was used by a majority of the respondents, paravertebral block combined with patient-controlled analgesia with morphine is gaining popularity as an alternate technique for postoperative analgesia. Conclusion The present survey demonstrates the increasing use of paravertebral block as an alternate regional anaesthetic technique to epidural analgesia after major thoracic surgery in the United Kingdom.


Below you will find summaries of four published articles that describe research on the prevention of urinary incontinence and the reduction of complications related to catheters. For additional details about the studies, we suggest that our readers review the original articles.


An MMIC active bandpass filter at 5.8 GHz is designed using a negative resistance supplying circuit to compensate for the losses of the resonators. Also, using additional inductors inserted at the input and output ports of the circuit, a stopband response is achieved to be as desired.


The OPERA experiment has reported measuring neutrino velocities that are faster than the speed of light. The neutrinos appeared to arrive 60 ns early after traversing 730 km from CERN to the OPERA neutrino detector at the Gran Sasso Laboratory. The measurements were made with great care, but there may be some systematic error that explains the surprising results. We suggest a possible source of such error.


One of the most relevant tasks in network analysis is the detection of community structures, or clustering. Most popular techniques for community detection are based on the maximization of a quality function called modularity, which in turn is based upon particular quadratic forms associated to a real symmetric modularity matrix $M$, defined in terms of the adjacency matrix and a rank-one null model matrix. That matrix could be posed inside the set of relevant matrices involved in graph theory, alongside adjacency and Laplacian matrices. In this paper we analyze certain spectral properties of modularity matrices, which are related to the community detection problem. In particular, we propose a nodal domain theorem for the eigenvectors of $M$; we point out several relations occurring between the graph's communities and nonnegative eigenvalues of $M$; and we derive a Cheeger-type inequality for the graph modularity.


Solutions of the stationary and time-dependent equations of diffusion are presented for contamination when scanning a rectangular area in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). A method is described to record the thickness of the contamination layer by the signal of secondary or backscattered electrons and to measure the influence of electron current density, beam energy, and specimen cooling on the contamination rate.


Since the Arab Spring, Yemen became the center of worst humanitarian crisis in modern history. This paper investigates the fundamental causes of the current conflict in Yemen and also explicates the legal dimension of International humanitarian law. Political marginalization, social disenfranchisement, economic collapse, the failure of the Yemeni government to address and resolve the socioeconomic frustration of ordinary citizens and corrupt leaders are few reasons which led to the brutal civil war in Yemen. This systematic failure of government and intervention of regional players for their dominance and ascendency created political uprising, violence, and institutional collapse. Thousands of civilians have died, millions of people had been displaced and millions are on the brink of starvation. Several solutions were proposed by introducing the federal system, decentralization of state's power, improving basic infrastructure, negotiations with Houthis but none of these reforms implemented properly. This paper also scrutinized the intervention of regional actors in this ferocious conflict and how regional and international actors violated International Humanitarian law.


FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION by POLLY NG B.Sc., The University of British Columbia, 2007 B.A., The University of British Columbia, 2007 A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE (PLANNING) in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES School of Community and Regional Planning We accept this project as conforming to the required standard ...................................................... ..................................................... .....................................................