The present study was designed to evaluate the antiurolithiatic activity of Prosopis farcta (P. farcta) ethanol fruit extract in ethylene glycol (EG) induced urolithiasis in male albino rats. Lithiasis was induced by oral administration of EG 1% in male albino rats for 28 days. Seventy eight male albino rats weighing 250-300g were used and divided into six experimental groups. Group A is a control group received standard rat chow and tap water ad libitum, while, rest of groups namely group B, C, D, E, F animals received 1% EG in water for 28 days, then from day 15 to day 28 in addition to EG administration, group C received cystone, group D, E and F received 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight (B.W.) of ethanol fruit extract of P. farcta respectively. On day 28, blood was collected for serum biochemical (serum uric acid, creatinine, urea, electrolytes measurements, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) determinations. While urine was collected to microscopic analysis of formed crystals besides the kidney weight/ B.W. ratio and B.W. gain/ loss values were determined. Intermediate dose (200mg/kg B.W.) of P. farcta extract significantly decreased serum creatinine, urea, MDA and non-significantly recovered SOD toward control value in group E as compared to group B, also significant elevation in kidney weight/ B.W. ratio and reduction in B.W. gains in group B occurred as compared with group A. In conclusion: P. farcta fruit extract has potentially therapeutic effects on EG induced kidney stone which can be used as effective antiurolithiatic agent rather than cystone.


Microblog sentiment analysis aims at discovering the users' attitude of hot events. Difficulties of microblog sentiment analysis lie on the short length of text and lack of labeled corpora. Para2vec based on deep learning attracts people's attention recently and the low-dimensional paragraph vectors trained by para2vec get excellent results on sentiment analysis. But when applying it for sentiment analysis on microblogs, we find it does not work so well as on ordinary texts. In this paper, we analyse the weakness of microblog sentiment analysis based on paragraph vectors. And then, we propose two categories of methods, model extension and emotional tendency vectors, to improve the model para2vec. The experimental results confirmed the rationality of our methods. Data analysis shows that our improved methods can effectively reduce the adverse effects of the short text and greatly improve the accuracy of sentiment analysis.


The concepts, design, development, testing, and flight results of the command and service module stabilization and control system are discussed. The period of time covered was from November 1961 to December 1972. Also included are a functional description of the system, a discussion of the major problems, and recommendations for future programs.


MSMEs boost Indonesia's economy. MSMEs create jobs and reduce poverty in Indonesia, accounting for 56% of business investment and 97% of household work. The number of coffee shops indicates market interest in them. Coffee shops are now used for studying, meeting, and hanging out with friends. Teenagers visit Bandar Lampung City's MSME businesses. Shop and cafe owners benefit from the market segmentation of young people. Even though young people and teenagers love it, a coffee shop must innovate and grow to survive because so many businesses can copy it. This study used quantitative and descriptive qualitative methods. This method collects, analyzes, and interprets data. This chapter's matching and decision stage matrices use EFE, IFE, QSPM data. Early in strategy formulation, the input tool measures subjectivity. The strategist can better generate, prioritize, evaluate, and choose strategies in the Quantitative Strategic Planning matrix by making minor decisions about the relative importance of external and internal factors in the input matrix


The invention relates to a detection method for simulating the full load brake performance of an automobile via bench test loading. According to the method, the automobile is placed on a roller counterforce type brake bench, and the brake performance is detected by simulating the dynamic axle load detection, in which the full-load driving brake heavy load moves forwardly, via the zero load static automobile state. According to the design or calculated distribution proportion of axel braking forces of the type of detected automobile, the whole braking force of the prescribed full load automobile is deposited into required braking forces Fi required by each axle, or G is deposited into loading axle loads Gi of different axles, and it is ensured that the loading axle load is not lower than Fi/theta. The maximal braking force and the braking force balance of wheels are determined in the pull-down stable loading axle load, non-locking of the wheels can be used detect the real braking force of the wheels usually, serious defects of zero-load automobile detection are overcome, and the braking safety during driving of the full load automobile can be ensured.


The paper deals with how to do a good job of discipline construction in an effort to bring into full play its advantages in talents,sources,scientific research and management.Here are the points of view:the development orientation of key discipline should be clearly defined;the application for scientific projects should be checked on;the mid-and-late-term management of the projects should be strengthened and laboratories of high-quality should be constructed.


Received: 30-04-13 Accepted: 19-12-13 Abstract Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The annual frequency of this pathology in developed countries is estimated to be between 6.5 and 14.5 cases per million people. Most GISTs (50-70%) originate in the stomach. Symptoms vary from nonspecific abdominal complaints to abdominal pain with or without a palpable abdominal mass. Some of these patients are diagnosed incidentally when they undergo screening or upper endoscopy to diagnose bleeding. We present a case of GIST which was initially discovered because of upper gastrointestinal bleeding during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.


Two experimental flight simulator programs have been carried out in which a number of characteristics of a roll-rate-command/bank-angle-hold system have been investigated for t ransport aircraft in the approach and landing flight phase. The results indicate that t he existing roll response criteria are in many cases too lenient. This s urprising observation s uggests that advanced flight control systems must comply with stricter criteria than conventional systems to obtain the same degree of pilot approval. It is concluded that a pilot, having available a more precise flight control system, increases the i nternal "standard" according to which he judges handling qualities. Based on these results existing criteria are redefined and new criteria formats are proposed. List of symbols


Web spam has become one of the severest problems for today's network systems .Overseas researchers have proposed many techniques to combat web spoofing based on the content of and/or the links in a Web page.These techniques have been proved to be useful in detecting spam Web pages.However, most of these techniques are only applicable to pages in foreign languages, and in particular English.So far, little research is done to deal with Web spam in Chinese.Based on related works, we propose a novel Chinese Web spam detection method using machine learning technologies.Experimental results show that the proposed method can detect Chinese Web spam effectively.


We analyze the effects of the passing energetic particles on the resistive ballooning modes (RBM) and the energetic particle driven modes in JT-60SA plasma, which leads to the prediction of the stability in N-NBI heated plasma. The analysis is performed using the code FAR3d that solves the reduced MHD equations describing the linear evolution of the poloidal flux and the toroidal component of the vorticity in a full 3D system, coupled with equations of density and parallel velocity moments for the energetic particle (EP) species assuming an averaged Maxwellian EP distribution fitted to the slowing down distribution, including the effect of the acoustic modes. The simulations show the possible destabilization of a 3/2−4/2 TAE with a frequency (f) of 115 kHz, a 6/4−7/4 TAE with f = 98 kHz and a 6/4 or 7/4 BAE with f = 57 kHz in the ITER-like inductive scenario. If the energetic particle β increases, beta induced Alfven Eigenmodes (BAE), toroidal AEs (TAE) and elliptical AEs (EAE) are destabilized between the inner-middle plasma region, leading to the overlapping of AE of different toroidal families. If these instabilities coexist in the non-linear saturation phase the EP transport could be enhanced leading to a lower heating efficiency. For a hypothetical configuration based on the ITER-like inductive scenario but an center peaked EP profile, the EP β threshold increases and several BAEs are destabilized in the inner plasma region, indicating an improved AE stability with respect to the off-axis peaked EP profile. In addition, the analysis of a hypothetical JT-60SA scenario with a resonant q = 1 in the inner plasma region shows the destabilization of fishbones-like instabilities by the off-axis peaked EP profile. Also, the EPs have a stabilizing effect on the RBM, stronger as the population of EP with low energies (below 250 keV) increases at the plasma pedestal.


The invention discloses a high-adsorption-capacity room-temperature nitrogen oxide adsorbent and a preparation method thereof. The room-temperature nitrogen oxide adsorbent comprises activated carbon and metal oxides loaded on the activated carbon, wherein the activated carbon is selected from one or more of coconut shell carbon, nutshell carbon, wooden carbon, or coal carbon charcoal, and after the pretreatment of oxidizers formed by nitric acid and other liquid acids and hydrogen peroxide, the activated carbon is loaded with two or more oxides of zirconia, copper oxide, gadolinium oxide, manganese oxide and potassium oxide. The high-adsorption-capacity room-temperature nitrogen oxide adsorbent is an adsorbing material capable of oxidizing NO into NO2 at low temperature and absorbing, and after the adsorption of nitrogen oxide achieves saturation, the nitrogen oxide is pumped into an inert atmosphere or a reducing atmosphere, and the adsorbed nitrogen oxide and the reduced N2 are released after heating; and the adsorbent after regeneration treatment can be reused. Accordingly, the high-adsorption-capacity room-temperature nitrogen oxide adsorbent of the invention can be applied to the purification of nitrogen oxides in closed or semi-closed systems such as highway tunnels, underground car parks and the like, and has broad application prospect.


Faecal A. suum egg counts were carried out on 69 bacon pigs of which 50 harboured A. suum. Correlation was found to be poor between the egg counts and (1) the total number of Ascaris, (2) the weight of the worms, and (3) the ratio between male and female worms. Only 4 out of 50 Ascaris infected pigs harboured macroscopically detectable juvenile stages of A. suum. It is concluded that the size of A. suum burdens is not to be judged from the number of eggs in the faeces except, perhaps, at very low levels of eggs, i.e. <30 e.p.g. (eggs per g of faeces). Additionally, it is suggested that A. suum burdens are not continuously established once the pigs are infected.


The variable reactors are efficient equipment for long transmission power lines, a typical role is to compensate the reactive power, which is related with the transmission loss and over voltage due to the dynamic system situation. This paper presents a novel three phases controllable reactor based on a key orthogonal flux magnetic valve. It has virtues in high safety, less loss and lower harmonics. Firstly, the structure and basic concepts of the reactor are introduced. Secondly, the magnetic behaviors subject to a semi-rotating field is analyzed. Finally the performance of the novel reactor is acquired under the 380v supply.


Abstract This paper describes the recent changes in the Water Resources Management System of Brazil and its proposed approach on how to be more effective when dealing with extreme events. The geographic extent of the country, its regional differences, and the difficult economic conditions lead to a comprehensive reform in the water resources sector in order to increase efficiency of the water uses, to reduce costs, and to promote development. The major change occurred in 1997, with the promulgation of the National Water Resources Management Act, which established the National Water Resources Policy and the National Water Resources Management System. A primary strength of the new system is its decentralization. Different geographical regions of the country must cope with different extreme events. The developed South suffers with frequent flood events due to large urbanized areas and impervious floodplain areas and with water scarcity due to excessive use. The rural Northeast is frequently devastated by severe drought periods with consequences such as migration and poverty. In both cases, the decentralized decision process is a powerful tool to better manage such problematic areas. In fact, to help controlling extreme events is one of the major objectives of the new system, as stated in the law. In intermittent rivers of the Brazilian Northeast, participation of users associations can help finding the best water allocation scheme. When it comes to flood control, community participation in the selection of solutions is essential. Flood protection is a community rather than individual benefit. Decision on the land use will only be accomplished with the participation of different government levels together with the community.


BEARDMORE and LEVINE ( 1963) compared populations of Drosophila pseudo-obscura kept under a constant temperature of 22°C with populations kept under a 24 hour sinusoidal temperature oscillation of 17" to 27°C. The offspring of the variable temperature populations had higher larval viability than the off spring of the constant temperature populations, whether measured at 17", 22", 27", or in the 17"/27"C fluctuating temperature. The individuals tested had not been exposed to different environments, so the differences in viability are likely to have been a consequence of genetic differences resulting from the effects of natural selection in the two environments. temperatures of be robust against unequal variances when all classes have equal numbers of observations (SCHEFF~ 1959), and Badett's test failed to show a significant inequality of variance among environments except in one of the thirteen tests, the egg-to-adult survival on normal food in 1968. Pooling the variances over environments therefore seems justified. A subjective judgment had to be made concerning the appropriate number of standard deviations to use in calculating the least significant difference between environments. If comparisons were to be made between just two of the environments by the standard t-test, a difference of 2.31 standard deviations would be significant at the 5% level. If the three comparisons between variable environments and the constant temperature control were to be made by the method of Dunnett, a difference of 2.88 standard deviations would be required. If all 25 possible comparisons among environments and groups of environments were to be made by the method of SCHEFF~, a difference of 3.43 standard deviations would be required. I decided that five of the possible comparisons were of interest: the three Dunnett comparisons of variable environments with the constant temperature environment, the variable environments as a group with the constant temperature environment, and the two long-term variable environments with the two environments remaining constant from generation to generation. I chose three standard deviations as the level at which I would attribute significance to observed differences.


CNN-based analog visual microprocessors have similarities with the so-called Single Instruction Multiple Data systems, although they work directly on analog signal representations obtained through embedded optical sensors and hence do not need a frontend sensory plane or analog-to-digital converters. The architecture of these visual microprocessors is illustrated in the paper through two prototype chips, namely: ACE4K and ACE16K. In both cases, as in other related chips the architecture includes a core array of interconnected elementary processing units, surrounded by a global circuitry.


Known properties of cyclic codes are used to give a unified description of many classical decoding algorithms for Reed-Solomon codes up to half the minimum distance. This description allows also simplified proofs for these decoders. Further, a novel decoding algorithm is derived using these properties directly and variants of a new error/erasure decoding algorithm are given. For decoding beyond half the minimum distance, a basis of all solutions for decoding is derived. This basis allows to use side information in order to decode beyond half the minimum distance. Other methods where this basis can be used are power decoding, also known as virtual syndrome extension, where additional equations are generated by taking powers of the received symbols, and interleaved Reed-Solomon codes. The extended Euclidean algorithm, which calculates the greatest common divisor, plays an essential role in many presented methods.


The theory of nonlinear differential inclusions in Banach spaces has been developing fast because of its extensive practical applications such as free boundary problems and moving boundary problems for partial differential equations (see [1, 20, 21]), feedback stabilisation and optimal control problems (see [2, 5, 8, 9, 22]). In this paper we study the existence of solutions to the following semilinear evolution differential inclusion


Operadora Comercial Sinergia, S.A. is a company that, in 2014, decided to enter the market of the agricultural amendments selling gypsum producers of coffee in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Seven percent of the national production of coffee is produced in this Department. Amendments are used with the purpose of fertilizing, improve soil structure, and correct acidity for increase the crop yield. The objective was to identify the business opportunity that has the company, determine the degree of competitiveness of companies, understand patterns of consumption and behaviour of customers. The SWOT matrix was performed to evaluate the company's internal and external way, analysed the amendments from the competition through a benchmarking and surveys were carried out to coffee producers who were stratified according to yields per acre. The company has a portfolio of clients which can take advantage of, begin to develop lines of amendments to meet the needs of producers of coffee and create brand loyalty. Competition in the market is variable because there are high quality as also generic products. Most of the producers apply amendments once a year, which are purchased directly House commercial to be used in the dry season (May-June) for the purpose of fertilization and therewith improve the crop yield.


Over the last five years, the departments of transportation in 12 coastal states threatened by hurricanes have developed plans for the implementation of contraflow traffic operations on freeways during evacuations. Contraflow involves the use of one or more inbound travel lanes for the movement of traffic in the outbound direction. It is a logical and cost effective strategy because evacuation traffic can be loaded into underutilized inbound lanes, thereby significantly increasing outbound capacity without the need to construct additional lanes. This report presents the results of two closely related studies to evaluate the implications of contraflow evacuations on freeways. The research focused on what are widely regarded to be the most critical locations of contraflow segments, the initiation and termination points. The termini configurations are important because they effectively dictate the capacity of these segments because they control how many vehicles can get in and out. In the research, traffic simulation models were developed to simulate the operation of planned configurations under varying levels of traffic demand to assess their operating characteristics. The results showed that many of the current designs of the initiation and termination points will likely restrict the ability of these segments to be used to their maximum effectiveness. Another key finding was the extent to which the spatial and/or temporal spreading of traffic demand can yield significant benefits to the overall effectiveness of contraflow freeway evacuations. With an increased awareness of these issues, these findings can be used to enhance the effectiveness of existing evacuation plans.


A long and detailed study of the relationship leading hydrogeologists underground hydrosphere, the conditions for the formation and retrieval of oil and gas deposits have established the possibility of forecast evaluation of oil and gas, as whole regions and individual local structures, using practical geology hydrochemical indicators.


The evidence base for 'what works' for patients detained in high secure hospitals has predominantly been established from a clinical perspective, with the voices of those at the centre of care, the expert by experience, absent. Neglecting this voice renders an important source of information for evidence-based practice inaccessible to outcome evaluators. Twelve high secure patients considered 'ready' to be discharged were interviewed to explore what in their view had helped or hindered their progress to this stage. Thematic analysis steps were applied to interviews and eight themes were generated that represented valued elements of high security: temporary suspension of responsibility, collaboration in care, learning from others, supportive alliances, specific interventions (medical and psychotherapeutic), a safe environment and opportunities for work. Narratives demonstrated the complementary and unique contribution of the patient experience in informing 'what works', and are discussed alongside existing theories relevant to promoting clinical change and risk reduction.


Re-bordering is an aspect of globalization. Borders have become impervious to national, political and even cultural boundaries. All regions of the world are permeable to political, economic, cultural, social, environmental and epidemic factors. People's identities and identifications are no longer seen as being stable and fixed, but ratherthey are constantly in a state of flux Canada is a country of immigrants and the last census (2006) put the number of visible minority people at 16.20% of a population of nearly 34 million people (Statistics Canada, 2007). Canada is known as a country with a broad immigration policy and one of the top destinations for immigrants. Canada is also seen as a leader in refugee protection and ranks first among the G8 major industrialized countries in the number of refugee status claimants per capita of its population. In 2001, the Immigration Act of 1976 was replaced by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) (Bill-11), at which point Canada began to accept approximately 25,000 refugees a year. OECD figures indicate that in 2008, 34,800 people sought asylum in Canada. Since 9/11 there has been a significant change in how cultural and religious minorities, especially those from certain parts of the world, are viewed. People from South Asia 1 more if they are identifiable as Muslims – are viewed with suspicion. Globalization and international migration, as well as refugees from the wars in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have been bringing people from the sub-continent of India to Western countries in larger numbers than ever before. South Asians (SAs) are the largest source of immigration in Canada, and in fact, one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in North America. This trend is not likely to change given the need for immigrants for a graying population and a below sustainable birthrate. Many SAs come to Quebec which has around 80,000 people with origins in the sub-continent, and they are mainly concentrated in Montreal. Resume "Retracer les frontieres " est un aspect de la globalisation. A travers les frontieres, les bornes nationales, politiques et meme culturelles sont devenues impermeables. Toutes les regions du monde sont permeables aux facteurs politiques, economiques, culturels, sociaux, environnementaux et epidemiques. Les notions d'identites et d'identifications du genre humain ne sont, desormais, plus considerees comme etant stables et fixes, mais plutot sont-elles constamment en etat de fluctuation. Le Canada est un pays d'immigrants, et le dernier recensement (2006) a avance le nombre des minorites visibles a 16,20% d'une population de pres de 34 millions d'habitants (Statistics Canada, 2007). Le Canada est reconnu comme un pays ayant une vaste politique migratoire et est l'une des destinations preferees des immigrants. Le Canada est egalement percu comme un leader dans la protection des refugies et occupe la premiere place parmi les grands pays industrialises du G8, dans 1 South Asia refers to the sub-continent of India which remains a multicultural, multi-religious region even after the partition of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan and later Bangladesh, The region also includes Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Afghanistan is also included. 2 Although the 30 year war ended in the defeat of the Tamil Tigers on May 18, 2009, hundreds of thousands of Tamil people were displaced and fled as refugees to many parts of the world as refugees. On August 13, 2010, 492 Tamil asylum seekers arrived in Vancouver by ship. But their claims are under consideration at this point.


To better quantify the rates at which key trace gases interact with sea-salt aerosols, the kinetics of uptake of HOBr, HNO3, O3, and NO2 by deliquescent NaCl aerosols at 75% relative humidity (RH) and room temperature have been studied using an aerosol kinetics flow tube technique. Results for HOBr indicate that the uptake coefficient (γ) is larger than 0.2 for highly acidic aerosols at pH 0.3 and for aerosols that have been buffered to pH 7.2 using a 0.25 M NaH2PO4/Na2HPO4 buffer. For unbuffered NaCl aerosols, the HOBr uptake coefficient due to reaction is less than 1.5 × 10-3. For HNO3, the uptake coefficient on unbuffered, NaCl aerosols is greater than 0.2, being driven by the very high solubility of HNO3 in aqueous salt solutions. Both NO2 and O3 show low reactivity on pH neutral aerosols with upper limits to the uptake coefficients of 10-4. With acidic aerosols, slight O3 loss occurs either on the walls of the flow tube or on the aerosols, giving rise to Cl2. These experiments are the first reported ...


Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) are beneficial in heart failure with reduced ejection failure (HFrEF) but are associated with acute declines in eGFR. Prior studies evaluating thresholds of eGFR decline while using ACEIs in HFrEF have not taken into account this medication-driven decline. Using the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trials (n=6245), Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios of all-cause mortality and heart failure (HF) hospitalizationassociated with %eGFR decline at 2-weeks and 6-weeks after randomization to enalapril versus placebo. In reference to placebo with equal degree of %eGFR decline, any eGFR decline in the enalapril arm was associated with lower hazard of both outcomes.. Under a conservative estimate using 0% eGFR decline in the placebo arm as the reference,up to a 10% decline with enalapril was associated with mortality benefit (HR=0.87 [0.77, 0.99]) while up to a 35% decline was associated with decreased risk of HF hospitalization (HR=0.78 [0.61, 0.98]). Under the intermediate estimate, up to a 15% decline with enalapril was associated with a mortality benefit (HR=0.86 [0.77, 0.97] and all levels of eGFR decline were associated with decreased risk of HF hospitalization. There was no %eGFR


Contents: Preface. Leaving the Marketplace. Dialogical Classrooms: Foundations of a New Foundation. Teacher Preparation as the Basis for Praxis. The Politics of Grammar and Vocabulary. Canon Fire: Why Literature Still Has Its Place. Critical Disclosure and Visual Analysis as Pedagogy. Crossing the Lines: Interdisciplinary Possibilities. A Small Virtual World After All: Communities in Cyberspace. Reconcile! Toward a Unified Discipline. Appendix: Language Spoken at Home for the United States: 2000.


The Asturian Central Coal Basin in northern Spain has been a highly exploited coal mining area for many decades and its network of tunnels extends among more than 30 mines. Parts of this infrastructure will soon become available for alternative uses since most of the coal mining facilities in Spain will fade out in 2018 (European Decision 2010/787/UE). By 2020 it is intended that the country produces 20% of its energy from renewable sources, therefore replacing the energy based on coal and gas. Then, one of the main challenges for making this happen is the energy storage system, which creates a robust network that balances surplus and peaks of energy demand over short coverage intervals. Pumped storage hydroelectricity from mine water in the closured coal mines has proved to be an effective solution for this purpose.


The paper is devoted to the consideration of issues related to legal regulation in the field of biological safety. The study highlights the features of the licensed regime for the production and circulation of biomedical cell products both in Russia and abroad. The author conducts a differentiated analysis of the concepts of "legal regime" and "licensed regime" of the turnover of biomedical cell products, studies the organizational and legal features of the general and special licensed regimes circulation of biomedical cell products. The paper identifies priority areas of legislative activity in terms of ensuring the functioning of special licensed treatment regime for biomedical cell products. It is established that in the domestic legislation there is no definition of the licensed regime in general and the licensed regime for the production and circulation of biomedical cell products in particular, the features of the special licensed regime for the circulation of biomedical cell products have not been fixed. The author concludes that the formation of the regulatory framework of the licensed regime for the production and circulation of biomedical cell products is one of the leading directions in ensuring biological safety both in Russia and abroad. The absence of a normatively fixed set of preventive measures aimed at minimizing the risks of the spread of infectious diseases because of the use of biomedical cell products can significantly harm the biological safety of the state.


Through a targeted trapping survey we provide important new records and habitat descriptions for the Carpentarian pseudantechinus (Pseudantechinus mimulus) on mainland Australia, including the first records from landscapes dominated by rocks other than sandstone. We hypothesise that continued invasion by an introduced pasture grass may constitute an emerging threatening process to this rare species.


Whenever superstructures are under large lateral loading, designers prefer to use piles. Pile design always has been attractive for engineers as numerous factors are involved. However, few studies ...


Recent advancements in upstream therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) production have posed significant challenges to the downstream purification platform. Protein A affinity chromatography has been identified as a potential process bottleneck due to limitations in throughput, scale-up, and cost. Affinity precipitation is a promising non-chromatographic alternative because it combines the selectivity of an affinity ligand with the operational benefits of conventional precipitation. After binding to a target protein in solution, phase transition is induced through crosslinking with multivalent affinity ligands (primary effect; multimeric protein only) or using stimuli-responsive affinity ligands (secondary effect; monomer or multimer). Primary effect affinity precipitation is not widely used due to low precipitation yields, but there are several examples of mAb purification using protein A ligands conjugated to a responsive domain of synthetic or natural origin. Our group has demonstrated the feasibility of using a recombinant antibody binding domain (Zdomain) genetically fused to a temperature responsive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) biopolymer (Z-ELP) for mAb capture and precipitation. However, the high temperature and salt concentrations and the heating/cooling steps required for reversible Z-ELP phase transition impacted antibody stability and operational efficiency. We proposed a two-part solution: Increase the affinity ligand multivalency and dimension by scaffolding Z-ELP to a nanoparticle using site-specific conjugation. We suspected that this would enable primary effect mAb-nanoparticle crosslinking, while also improving ELP precipitation by enlarging the scale of aggregate formation. The first objective was to engineer and characterize the functionalization of Z-ELP to a selfassembled, thermostable E2 nanocage (Z-ELP-E2), derived from Bacillus stearothermophilus using Staphylococcal Sortase A bioconjugation. We demonstrated a significant decrease in ELP transition temperature and an increase in aggregate size upon antibody binding at isothermal solution conditions. We concluded this was due to multivalent antibody-Z-ELP-E2 interactions that nucleated into a crosslinked network. The second objective was to develop an affinity precipitation process capable of purifying industrial monoclonal antibodies at ambient temperature with minimal added salt. We discovered that the nanoparticles rapidly aggregated upon mixing with mAb cell culture harvests due to multivalent crosslinking into large, insoluble particles. After optimization of key process steps, the affinity precipitation mAb yield and impurity clearance was found to meet or exceed Protein A chromatography performance. Our third objective was to establish a platform that can be applied to any target mAb or Fccontaining protein with minimal optimization of process parameters. Z-ELP-E2 affinity precipitation was evaluated using four industrial mAbs (mAbs A–D) and one Fc fusion protein (Fc A) with different molecular properties. For all molecules, a molar binding ratio of 3:1 Z:mAb was sufficient to precipitate > 95% mAb in solution at ambient temperature and without added salt. After centrifugation, the pelleted mAb-nanoparticle complex remained insoluble, and was capable of being washed at pH ≥ 5 and eluted at pH < 4 with > 90% mAb recovery for all molecules. The target proteins were purified using optimal process conditions and > 94% yield and > 97% monomer content were obtained. mAb A–D purification resulted in a reduction of 99.9% host cell protein and > 99.99% DNA from the cell culture harvests. However, Z-ELPE2 regeneration yields of < 90 % limited the potential for reuse in subsequent purification cycles. We suspected the regeneration yield may be improved by increasing the ligation density of Z-ELP on the E2 nanocage. Low conjugation efficiency was observed for the Sortase A functionalized nanoparticles due to the reversible nature of enzymatic Sortase A ligation. A 5-fold molar excess Z-ELP reactant was required to drive the reaction to a maximum conversion of ~50%. In our fourth objective, we report an improved conjugation system using the split SpyTag/SpyCatcher isopeptide bond formation between SpyTag-E2 and Z-ELP-SpyCatcher fusion proteins. E2 ligation efficiencies exceeding 90% enabled the facile production of nanocages at any target Z-ELP density for tunable aggregation and mAb binding properties. 100% ligation Z-ELP80-Spy-E2 nanocages were capable of selective precipitation using 0.1 M ammonium sulfate at 23C and improved the nanocage regeneration recovery to > 90%. The fifth objective was to apply mAb-nanoparticle crosslinking to quantify mAb concentration in cell culture harvests. Existing mAb titer assays typically require expensive equipment or are limited by lowthroughput or complicated protocols. We developed a quick and cost-effective alternative assay by measuring crosslinking-dependent turbidity after mixing 100% ligation Z-ELP80-Spy-E2 nanoparticles with a mAb cell culture sample. A simple logarithmic regression was found to fit (R = 0.99) the turbidity data for mAb concentrations between 100-1000 μg/mL. The optimized assay procedure was validated using two industrial mAb cell culture harvests and a bridging study with Octet RED96e biolayer interferometry confirmed accurate and reproduceable results. Our final objective and aim of future work is to generalize the nanoparticle crosslinking strategy for the turbidity-based detection or purification of any target protein (monomer or multimer) using functionalized nanobody-ELP affinity ligands. Nanobodies are small, single-domain antibody fragments that can be engineered to bind to target proteins with high specificity. In addition, multiple nanobodies with orthogonal binding motifs on the same target can be identified through common screening methods. We hypothesized that the conjugation of two or more orthogonal binding nanobodies may induce crosslinking with monomeric proteins. We established proof of concept monomeric protein-nanoparticle crosslinking and turbidity-based quantification using a model green fluorescent protein (GFP) and two orthogonal GFP nanobody-ELP80-SpyCatcher functionalized SpyTag-E2 nanoparticles.


Germanium is known to become a direct band gap material when subject to a biaxial tensile strain of 2% (Vogl et al 1993 Phys. Scr. T49B 476) or uniaxial tensile strain of 4% (Aldaghri et al 2012 J. Appl. Phys. 111 053106). This makes it appealing for the integration of optoelectronics into current CMOS technology. It is known that the induced strain is highly dependent on the geometry and composition of the whole system (stressors and substrate), leaving a large number of variables to the experimenters willing to realize this transition and just a trial-and-error procedure. The study in this paper aims at reducing this freedom. We adopt a finite element approach to systematically study the elastic strain induced by different configurations of lithographically-created SiGe nanostructures on a Ge substrate, by focusing on their composition and geometries. We numerically investigate the role played by the Ge substrate by comparing the strain induced on a bulk or on a suspended membrane. These results and their interpretation can provide the community starting guidelines to choose the appropriate subset of parameters to achieve the desired strain. A case of a very large optically active area of a Ge membrane is reported.


Cell Ig-like receptors (KIRs) for self HLA class I molecules and their HLA class I ligands (KIR ligands) on recipient cells. When faced with mismatched allogeneic targets, these NK clones sense the missing expression of self HLA class I alleles and mediate alloreactions. KIR ligand mismatches in the GvH direction trigger donor vs. recipient NK cell alloreactions which improve engraftment, do not cause GvHD and control relapse in acute myeloid leukemia patients (Ruggeri et al., Science 2002, 2006). The mechanism whereby alloreactive NK cells exert their benefits in transplantation has been elucidated in mouse models. The infusion of alloreactive NK cells (1) ablates leukemic cells, (2) ablates recipient T cells which reject the graft, and (3) ablates recipient dendritic cells (DCs) which trigger GvHD, thus protecting from GvHD (Ruggeri et al., Science 2002). Unexpectedly, in these mouse models we now find that NK cell alloreactivity also boosts very rapid rebuilding of donor adaptive immunity to infections. Conditioning with TBI plus the infusion of alloreactive NK cells promotes an extremely accelerated recovery of donor-type B and T cell precursors and dendritic cells (DCs). In clinical transplantation, NK alloreactivity, in addition to controlling AML relapse, offers statistically significant protection from infectious mortality in AML and in ALL patients. The mechanisms underlying NK-mediated accelerated immune rebuilding are under active investigation and will be presented at the meeting.


The idea of applying anthropometry to medical clinical practice was first proposed by Ales Hrdlicka in his monograph, Anthropometry (1920). His suggestion was largely ignored, except for studies of overall growth and development, primarily height and weight, which had begun generations earlier and which continue to this day. The idea was resurrected by physical anthropologists like Wilton M. Krogman and J. Lawrence Angel in the 1950s and 1960s, but such use of anthropometry is still rare. Among craniofacial treatment centers, for example, only Medical City Dallas has a professionally trained, full-time physical anthropologist doing clinical work with patients undergoing reconstructive surgery.


We establish Erdos-Renyi limit laws for Lipschitz observations on a class of non-uniformly expanding dynamical systems, including logistic-like maps. These limit laws give the maximal average of a time series over a time window of logarithmic length. We also give results on the rate of convergence in the limit law.


We show how the results on forward-backward SDEs driven by L\'evy processes obtained in our previous paper can be applied to portfolio selection in a L\'evy-type market. Our approach allows to characterize a class L\'evy driven FBSDEs which allows to select an optimal portfolio.


A discussion of the attribution to Daniel Defoe of a pamphlet entitled 'Legion's Humble Address to the Lords'. Argues that there is much evidence to associate one John Pierce with this pamphlet, and he may well have been the author, though it is possible that he and Defoe collaborated on it.


An articulatory synthesizer has been written for general educational and research use. It has been named Educational Articulatory Synthesizer, EASY, and written in the MATLAB programming language. In its current instantiation, the synthesizer performs calculations in the frequency domain and includes the effects of wall‐vibration, viscous and thermal boundary layer loss, and radiation loss. Sources anywhere from the glottis to the mouth can be specified. Further, the code allows for side branches other than the nasal tract so that sounds such as laterals can be specified. A low‐frequency aerodynamic module has also been included. Midsagittal shape is controlled by a hierarchy of flesh points. Points high in the hierarchy specify the overall shape by determining reference positions for points lower in the hierarchy, which, in turn, determine the shape locally. [Work supported by grant NIDCD‐001247 to CReSS LLC.]


The n-alkanes in sediments from the north of the South China Sea is in range of nC_(15)~nC_(33),two modes that the first with low carbon range for nC_(19)~nC_(22) and the second with high carbon range for nC_(27),odd carbon-number preference in the range above nC_(24) OEP being 2.13,nC_(23)~-/nC_(24)~+ being 1.53 in the average.The nalkanes in sediments from the south of the South China Sea is in range of nC_(15)~nC_(33),two modes that the first with low carbon range for nC_(19)~nC_(23) and the second with high carbon range for nC_(27) or nC_(29),OEP being 1.58,nC_(23)~-/nC_(24)~+ being 2.15 in the average.The research indicated that the quantity of the contribution of the terrigenous origin compared with oceanic biology is the key determined the composition index of the n-alkanes in the sediments from the South China Sea.In this paper,the molecular assemblace features of n-alkanes in sediments,which gone through modern sedimentary process,from the South China Sea are compared with the n-alkanes from the sea areas of Yellow Sea,Bohai Sea and Donghai Sea.The research show that the material source effect of the molecular assemblace features from the Bohai Sea to the South China Sea.Some organic substances in the coascal muds lose or are enriched more or less wing to the climatic change,showing the climatic effect of the molecular assemblace features.


This work unveils the enigmatic link between phonemes and facial features. Traditional studies on voice-face correlations typically involve using a long period of voice input, including generating face images from voices and reconstructing 3D face meshes from voices. However, in situations like voice-based crimes, the available voice evidence may be short and limited. Additionally, from a physiological perspective, each segment of speech -- phoneme -- corresponds to different types of airflow and movements in the face. Therefore, it is advantageous to discover the hidden link between phonemes and face attributes. In this paper, we propose an analysis pipeline to help us explore the voice-face relationship in a fine-grained manner, i.e., phonemes v.s. facial anthropometric measurements (AM). We build an estimator for each phoneme-AM pair and evaluate the correlation through hypothesis testing. Our results indicate that AMs are more predictable from vowels compared to consonants, particularly with plosives. Additionally, we observe that if a specific AM exhibits more movement during phoneme pronunciation, it is more predictable. Our findings support those in physiology regarding correlation and lay the groundwork for future research on speech-face multimodal learning.


This paper presents an adjustable knee mechanism for walking assistance devices for the elderly to provide physical gait assistance. The adjustable knee mechanism can assist in flexion/extension motions of the knee joint and compensate for the transitional movements of the knee in the sagittal plane as well as aligning the frontal plane. In order to compensate for the center of rotation, the proposed adjustable knee mechanism is implemented by connecting several rolling cams with unique and precisely calculated contact geometries. The key idea of the proposed mechanism is to realize linear motion and accurate torque transmission by a pulley method using the rolling joint in which the distance of the center between the rolling cams is changed. The proposed articulated joint can effectively deliver the torque required for assistance while adapting to the joint motion of the wearer. This paper describes the mechanical design of this knee mechanism and its implementation on a wearable robot and in preliminary experiments. The performance of the proposed mechanism was verified by simulations and experiments.


Significance How an organism changes with age and why the pattern of change differs across species are questions that have intrigued biologists since Aristotle. Patterns of change can be described by trajectories of birth and death rates over age. For humans and many other mammals, mortality increases and fertility declines with age among adults. For other species, however, a remarkable variety of patterns has been observed. Although roughly constant mortality and fertility trajectories have been reported for some species, the data are problematic because sample sizes are small, especially at older ages. Here, we present compelling evidence for constant mortality and reproduction of Hydra using data from careful, large-scale studies over 8 y with 2,256 individuals. Senescence, the increase in mortality and decline in fertility with age after maturity, was thought to be inevitable for all multicellular species capable of repeated breeding. Recent theoretical advances and compilations of data suggest that mortality and fertility trajectories can go up or down, or remain constant with age, but the data are scanty and problematic. Here, we present compelling evidence for constant age-specific death and reproduction rates in Hydra, a basal metazoan, in a set of experiments comprising more than 3.9 million days of observations of individual Hydra. Our data show that 2,256 Hydra from two closely related species in two laboratories in 12 cohorts, with cohort age ranging from 0 to more than 41 y, have extremely low, constant rates of mortality. Fertility rates for Hydra did not systematically decline with advancing age. This falsifies the universality of the theories of the evolution of aging that posit that all species deteriorate with age after maturity. The nonsenescent life history of Hydra implies levels of maintenance and repair that are sufficient to prevent the accumulation of damage for at least decades after maturity, far longer than the short life expectancy of Hydra in the wild. A high proportion of stem cells, constant and rapid cell turnover, few cell types, a simple body plan, and the fact that the germ line is not segregated from the soma are characteristics of Hydra that may make nonsenescence feasible. Nonsenescence may be optimal because lifetime reproduction may be enhanced more by extending adult life spans than by increasing daily fertility.


The use of a Boltzmann machine to search for the shortest path in a directed graph (digraph) whose edge weights are equal is discussed. The adjacency matrix of the digraph is employed in the Boltzmann machine topology such that each entry in the adjacency matrix corresponds to a computation node of the Boltzmann machine. The quadratic performance function, for which the Boltzmann machine finds minima, is defined using the syntactic constraints that a path specification has to satisfy. An example application of the proposed method employing a 10-node digraph is demonstrated.<<ETX>>


The authors present parallel algorithms for recognizing the chordal graphs and k trees. Under the PRAM (parallel random-access-machine) model of computation with concurrent reading and writing allowed, these algorithms take O(log n) time and require O(n/sup 4/) processors. The algorithms have a better processor bound than an independent result by A. Edenbrandt (1985) for recognizing chordal graphs in parallel using O(n/sup 3/m) processors. >


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to explore the needs of nurses predisaster and postdisaster.

DESIGN/METHODS
This study involved an exploratory mixed methods approach, with semistructured in-depth interviews followed by a 10-item survey of resilience.

SETTING
The study took place in the PI's office in Tuscaloosa, AL.

SUBJECTS
Ten English speaking nurses from an area hospital who were on duty during the April 2011 tornado. Participant recruitment involved distribution of flyers in break areas and other well-populated areas within the hospital.

INTERVENTIONS
Each interview was audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Interview transcripts were reviewed and analyzed for themes, which were categorized, coded, and thoroughly examined. The survey was administered to the participants at the conclusion of the interview.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Study used an exploratory method; to gain an understanding of the needs of nurses predisaster and postdisaster.

FINDINGS
All 10 participants were found to have higher levels of resilience than the general population. Results of the interviews included valid concerns for more disaster planning and education, as well as postdisaster counseling.

CONCLUSIONS
Organizations have the responsibility to keep the nursing workforce happy and healthy. Because disaster response can be both emotionally and physically damaging, it is imperative to increase disaster training and education to those who have the potential to be involved in a disaster event. Postdisaster counseling is also needed to help nurses deal with the stress that occurs during and after a disaster.


This situation is often exacerbated because these persons, due to their "invisibility"from ambulatory society and even the medical profession, do not receive timely medical care to head off developing medical problems. They are often isolated and disenfranchised, and their physicians may not have seen them for years because they are unable to leave their homes and their physicians can't or won't come to them. By the time their health has deteriorated to an advanced stage (the condition in which hospital emergency rooms usually find them), these patients are often on a downward slope from which they may be only partially or not at all extricated. They often wind up consigned to a nursing home or return to the unforgiving home environment that allowed their terminal disease and/or disabilities to progress to the point of no return. Alternatively, they may be admitted to a hospital for well-meaning but misguided "care," giving the patient, their families, and even their physicians the mistaken expectation of some beneficial result. Unless the patient has a fixable acute complication of his/her chronic illness, this expectation will rarely be achieved.


Microfluidic heat sinks are regarded as an efficient cooling solution in
 microelectronic systems. However, as the hydraulic diameter of the
 microfluidic heat sinks shrinks, the blockage problem may occur due to the
 particles caused by cooling components? abrasion, which limits the application
 in long-term operation. This paper proposes an unconstrained microfluidic
 heat sink (UCMFHS) with high anti-blockage capacity for multiple hotspot
 systems, which aims to solve the blockage problem. The position and shape of
 the micro pin fins in UCMFHS are optimized by the computational fluid
 dynamics(CFD) model. According to the test requirements of anti-blockage
 capacity and cooling performance, the test platform is built, which adopts
 the thermal test chips (TTCs) as heat source array. The results show that
 when the coolant particle concentration is 0.5%, the pressure drop
 variation is less than 0.3 kPa in UCMFHS, which is 99.43% lower than the
 control sample. The average temperature and temperature non-uniformity
 coefficient of 16 hotspots under the condition of 1200 W/cm2and 125 mL/min
 are 141.1 ?and 0.049, respectively. Therefore, the UCMFHS has both
 anti-blockage capacity and cooling capacity and is considered to have a high
 application prospect in long-term multi-hotspot cooling.


Lagrangian velocity and energy statistics are studied in inhomogeneous turbulence. A Rλ = 285 flow between two oscillating grids, with regions of nearly homogeneous and highly inhomogeneous turbulence, is studied. Large data sets of three-dimensional tracer particle velocities have been collected using stereoscopic high speed cameras with real-time image compression technology. Lagrangian structure functions conditioned on the instantaneous large scale velocity are measured in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous regions of the flow to assess the effects of the large scales on the small scales in turbulence. At all scales, the structure functions depend strongly on the large scale velocity, the dependence showing clear signatures of inhomogeneity near the oscillating grids. But even in the homogeneous region in the center, a strong dependence on the large scale velocity remains at all scales. The conditional structure function measurements are powerful tools in assessing the effects of inhomogeneity and intermittency of the large scales on the small scales in turbulence. There is a bias present in the measurement of Lagrangian structure functions at all timescales due to the finiteness of the measurement volume. A method we developed to estimate such bias for different timescales in our data is described. Our method gives an extrapolation based on the structure functions for different artificial volumes, revealing the estimates of errors at different timescales. Analysis of structure functions is limited to the timescales whose errors do not exceed 17%. Components of the turbulent kinetic energy budget are estimated to identify the chief agents of turbulent energy transport using Lagrangian energy measurements. Our estimation of the terms in the turbulent energy equation identifies pressure transport as being significant, along with the velocity transport term, in turbulent energy transport. These energy measurements provide a basis for further studying Lagrangian and Eulerian energy transport in turbulent systems. Lastly, we study the average decay of the kinetic energy of a particle as it enters a measurement volume in the shape of a slab or a cube. We see that the bias due to trajectory length affects the energy measurement. When this sample bias is removed, particles lose two-thirds of their energy during their residence time.


This research is inserted in the context of the activities related to the process of language acquisition, involving elementary school students, teachers and the school community as a whole. It is inserted in the scope of the research Reading Activities at Schools, whose initial objective was to map the reading activity systems and, currently, it has as objective to develop artifacts and protocols of support to the activities of production of narrative texts. The present dissertation focuses on the context of exploring the school environment related to the activities of reading and producing texts, and then on the development of a specific artifact for the production of narrative texts in the format of a board game, containing 47 imagery cards, among them 05 scenario cards, 16 object cards, 06 action cards and 20 character cards. The objective is to analyze this artifact in its context of use, focusing on both individual issues of children's actions and more collective issues, involving the school community. In short, the research aims to analyze the interpretation of the images of the cards by the children for the production of narrative texts, describes a set of four discursive operations besides the identification of the elements of the system of textual production activities. The research is based on the foundations of Information
Design, in the sense of analyzing visual messages of an artifact that mediates learning and on the analytical principles of Activity Theory as a methodological support, in order to delve into the issues of use of artifacts by humans to objectives. The results showed the efficiency of the Hierarchical Structure of the Activity, a principle of Activity Theory, as a guide for the creation of the so-called discursive operations, which allowed to analyze how the students created the narratives besides indicating new pedagogical uses, thanks also to the flexibility of the board and set of cards.


This study aimed to speculate on perception on basic occupational competence in beauty art and preparatory behaviors for employment and conducted a crosstabs to identify whether there would be difference in them. The subjects of the study were 296 2-year college students who were majoring in beauty art. It was intended to help with counselling and instruction on basic occupational competence and preparation for employment in 2-year college students. The results are presented as follows: When this study analysed competences that was considered the most important in doing their job in beauty art, it was discovered that the subjects considered communication or technical skills the most important, but in makeup and nail art, they considered technical competence or self-development competence the most important(p<.001). When this study analysed competences the subjects considered the best in doing their job, it was discovered that they considered personal relations competence the best in hair and skin care while they considered communicative skills the best in makeup, and communicative skills and self-development competence in nail art(p<.001). When this study analysed what they considered the most important for preparation for employment, it was discovered that in hair, skin care and makeup they considered acquisition of licenses the most important while in nail art they considered career in beauty art the most important(p<.001).


A new species of oribatid mites of the family Peloppiidae, Metapyroppia gigantea n. sp. , is described from Nepal. The genus Metapyroppia is recorded for the first time from the Oriental region. Metapyroppia gigantea n. sp. differs from the type species, Metapyroppia doratosa Woolley, 1969, by the absence of notogastral setae c 2 and c 3 , presence of pointed rostrum and the adanal lyrifissures distanced from the anal plates. The morphology of gnathosoma and legs are presented in detail for the first time for any member of this genus.

 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EEE741F4-4C86-4625-B3FD-48E1DDA1D2D3


This paper describes the continuum structural design based on the concept of cellular automata. Cellular automata simulation is performed according to the local rule. The local rule is derived analytically from the objective functions and the constraint conditions. Derived rule is applied to the design of the continuum structures.


COPYRIGHT © 2023 Abbas, Abbas, Raza, ur Rehman and Saeed. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Editorial: Novel and alternative therapeutic agents for controlling infectious diseases of poultry


Recently the research community has proposed methods to construct virtual coordinate systems in wireless networks where no position information exists. Such constructions often rely on a subset of beacon-nodes that lie far apart, yet the means to identify such nodes is largely absent from the current body of knowledge. In this paper we propose the local convex view (lcv) method in which a node first constructs a local coordinate system, then reports it lies on the network boundary if it lies on the convex hull of its neighbourhood. We show via simulation that lcv works well in networks of varying density.


From introducing the concept of the"norm changing", this article points at present out the li- braries in China is in the period of the"norm changing"and they should meet the different needs with the open thoughts, methods and service.


A micromodular radiometric thermometer is described for thermal monitoring during intracavitary microwave hyperthermia treatment with ALMHP-01 Radmir apparatus. The design of the inexpensive radiometer is based on front-end RFICs. This design allows for the capabilities of microwave hyperthermia equipment to be expanded and for radiometers to be used in monitoring internal body temperatures during treatment.


The article discusses the process of understanding the mobility of Romanian citizens in Spain. The analysis proposes three levels of analysis in order to fi nd answers to three research questions: how the immigrants negotiate their mobility; what their experiences of mobility are; and how they understand this process. This study was carried out using the qualitative method of in-depth interviews, which were conducted both at origin and at destination. The analysis is organized into three levels: negotiation is linked to practical considerations; mobility experiences are accompanied by partial return; and understanding of the migration process is refl ected in the sense of fl exible identity. The levels of analysis interact and help fi nd ways to assimilate mobility and the creation of the mobile citizen in the European framework.


If events are arrivals of electrons at the anode of vacuum tube, (l l) represents the noise current. The formulation (1.1) is due to J. L. Doob ί 1 ) Formally, the extensive analysis of random noise was done by S. O Rice, in the case \ t Ct) is a trigonometric polynomial. The object of this paper is to prove some results, in connection with Rice theory, with X, (t) defined by (1.1) in a rather rigorous way from mathematical view points. The proofs of some known results are contained, because of completeness


ABSTRACT Clostridium sp. Bc-iso-3 is a cellulolytic strain isolated from a Swedish industrial-scale biogas digester. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of this strain, which consists of four contigs with a total length of 4,327,139 bp and an average coverage of 312.97×.


Deployment of smart cell's importance in the LTE system provides support in bandwidth requirement and consumption of power in the network. The system proposes scheduling algorithms for improvement in the throughput of the system. It uses the Hungarian algorithm for optimization and for packet success rate improvement. The main objective is to improve the throughput of the system by using the optimization scheduling method. The new planning calculation will bring about a worthy throughput and gives some reasonableness between clients. The result shows the improvement in throughput distribution and packet success rate (PSR) by the use of Hungarian optimization. All the simulations have been done in the MATLAB software.


A facile and general route to synthesize hierarchically porous metal oxide nanostructures was reported here. The results indicate that the hierarchically porous metal oxides show high sensitivity to toxic or dangerous gases. The signal sensitivity of the gas sensors exhibits a good linear relation with the VOC gas concentration. As one of the as-synthesized hierarchically porous metal oxides, ZnO exhibits the lowest detection limit of 15 ppb for formaldehyde, which is much lower than the limit value of indoor formaldehyde (60 ppb). Furthermore, the sensitivity of the ZnO porous nanosheets decorated with Au nanoparticles is 10 ppb for formaldehyde, which is about 1.5 times higher than that of the unmodified ZnO porous nanosheets.


Increasingly, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being used in intelligence, surveillance, and recognition missions. They are capable of surveying large areas of terrain, but it is timeconsuming and cumbersome for human operators to assess all the recorded images. In particular, where a specific object, such as a car, is being sought, an intelligent surveillance system could direct the operator's attention to the most likely areas. The first attempt, in 1964, to automate pattern recognition was the matched spatial filter.1 Information about a reference pattern is stored optically. An optical processor assesses the similarity of a test pattern to a reference pattern by calculating the 'cross-correlations' of the two patterns. It does this by calculating the Fourier transform of the test pattern with a reference beam of light. It superimposes this on a hologram—a recording of interference fringes of the Fourier transforms of the reference pattern with the reference beam—before computing the reverse Fourier transform of the superposition, which gives the crosscorrelations of the two patterns. All these operations are done at the speed of light and in parallel. In 1969, Caulfield and Maloney built on this by processing linear combinations of the cross-correlations.2 This improved the ability to distinguish between similar patterns (discriminate) and to recognize a distorted pattern (tolerance), for instance, when the test pattern was rotated relative to the hologram. In this seminal work, Caulfield and Maloney were also the first to introduce the concept of training the hologram, that is, of learning from feedback on performance. Although this early work laid the foundations of future efforts, the variety of pattern recognition tasks in the open environment means that discrimination and tolerance to distortions are still fundamental issues Figure 1. Sixty-eight cars in a parking lot are detected with one missing.


Support of training has been a very important instrument of active labor market policy in East Germany. This paper attempts an evaluation of the employment and wage effects of training supported by public income maintenance outside of a firm. After describing the labor market developments in East Germany, we illustrate the evaluation problem. Then, we estimate a simultaneous model for participation in training, employment, and wages. Taking account of selection effects before participation, our findings mostly suggest positive though only partially significant long-run effects of training on employment or wages. Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine merchandise performance-based financial productivity of offshore vs reshore sourcing scenarios for fashion/seasonal products with higher demand uncertainty, using computer simulation software.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Sourcing SimulatorTM, the researchers generated a data set of 530 simulations concerning merchandising performance measures for offshore and reshore sourcing scenarios. Analysis of covariance was conducted for data analysis.

Findings

Results show financial productivity differs, depending on a sourcing decision between offshore and reshore sourcing scenarios as well as on the levels of volume error and assortment error. The reshore sourcing scenario through "Made-in-USA" domestic production strategy can have a better profitability, including gross margin return on inventory with service level, in cases of under-volume error and over-assortment error, than the offshore sourcing scenario.

Research limitations/implications

Findings from this study are based on simulation data, which may have a gap between simulations and reality concerning the competitive advantages of "Made-in-USA" domestic production strategy. "Made-in-USA" domestic production strategy can be more agile and responsive to the uncertainty of markets and customer demands when the supply chain systems are well-integrated and fully implemented.

Originality/value

Results from this study contribute to fill the literature gap about differences of financial productivity between offshore and reshore sourcing scenarios for apparel manufacturers and retailers. This study also offers an insight of which decision response may be better to uncertain customer demands, while satisfying financial productivity.


Objective
To study the influence of different 3D-printed polycaprolactone scaffolds coated with platelet-rich plasma on the adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of dental pulp cells (DPCs) .

Methods
DPCs were seeded on the scaffold of three groups. Cell attachment, proliferation and ALP activity were evaluated with immunofluorescence staining, CCK-8 assay and ALP kit, respectively. The expression of osteogenic genes was determined with RT-PCR.

Results
More cell attachment was found on the freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffold (1999.33/field) than the rest (1043.33 and 843.00/field, F= 19.36, P<0.01) . In the cell proliferation test, the amount of cells was increased in all groups but there was no statistically significant difference between groups of the same day. The number of migrated cells at the bottom of the transwell chamber in the freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffold group (279.75/field) was significantly higher than that of the gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffold group (167.00/field) and the bare PRP-PCL scaffold group (134.75/field) (Ff-b= 7.45, Fg-b= 1.88, P<0.01) . There was no significant difference in the migrated cells between the gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffold and bare PRP-PCL scaffold. The ALP activity of the freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffold (ALP7 d= 12.57 U/gprot, ALP14 d= 23.20 U/gprot, ALP21 d= 58.98 U/gprot) was significantly higher than that of the gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffold (ALP7 d= 6.65 U/gprot, ALP14 d= 13.35 U/gprot, ALP21 d= 47.83 U/gprot) and the bare PCL scaffold (ALP7 d= 5.93 U/gprot、ALP14 d= 15.56 U/gprot、ALP21 d= 53.74 U/gprot) on 7, 14 and 21 d (F7 d= 3.20, P7 d<0.01; F14 d= 5.34, P14 d<0.01; F21 d= 6.04, P21 d<0.01) (F7 d= 3.60, P7 d= 0.04; F14 d= 4.14, P14 d<0.01; F21 d= 2.84, P21 d= 0.01) . However, no statistically significant difference was found in the ALP activity between the gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffold and the bare PCL scaffold except for that on 21 d. Except for the expression of OCN by DPSCs on the gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffold on 14 d, the expression of RUNX2 and OCN by DPSCs on freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffold (OCN7 d= 4.67, RUNX27 d= 2.32, RUNX214 d= 5.88) and gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffold (OCN7 d= 2.60, RUNX27 d= 2.23, RUNX214 d= 4.67) on 7 and 14 d were significantly higher than that on the bare scaffold (OCN7 d= 1.00, RUNX27 d= 1.00, RUNX214 d= 1.00) (F7 d= 11.1, P7 d<0.01; F7 d= 3.20, P7 d= 0.04; F14 d= 11.80, P14 d<0.01) . The expression of OCN on7 d and RUNX2 on 14 d on the freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffold (OCN7 d= 4.67) was significantly higher than that of gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffold (OCN7 d= 2.60, F= 6.26, P<0.01) . However, no statistical significance was found in the expression of OCN on 14 d between the freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffolds and the gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffolds.

Conclusion
The freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffolds were more favorable for the adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of DPCs compared with the gelatinous PRP-PCL scaffolds.

Key words:
Platelet-rich plasma; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Polycaprolactone; Tissue scaffold; Dental pulp cells; Biological functions


To achieve high-bit-rate transmission in a mobile communication system, adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) having lots of variation levels in accordance with fading channel variation is a promising technique. In this paper, we compare the performance of AMC methods with cluster in an OFDM system. The AMC schemes applied into each cluster or cluster group are selected by the minimum or the average SNR value. It is important to compare the simulation result by different cluster patterns because AMC performance can be varied according to the number and position of the cluster. It is shown by computer simulation that the AMC method outperforms the fixed modulation one in terms of bandwidth efficiency and its performance can be determined by the position and number of clusters. Also, the AMC scheme with average SNR shows better the outage and bandwidth efficiency performance than the scheme having minimum SNR value.


A low-noise amplifier (LNA) with high gain is presented. The LNA is the outer most part of a transceiver and it is responsible for providing enough gain to the signal with the least distortion possible. This system uses current-reuse technique to achieve high gain with minimal noise. The CMOS 0.18μm technology has been chosen for the design of the LNA at the transistor level. Agilent's ADS tool has been used to simulate. The LNA achieves S11 maximum of -41.3 dB, average S21 of 12.9 ± 2.9 dB, and an average NF of 3.2 dB over the 2-12 GHz frequency band.


The authors analyse how corrections Delta V in the potential propagate in the two-body T-matrix. They investigate in detail the case in which V is approximated by a separable representation, so that the defect Delta V is defined as the difference between the exact potential and its separable expression. Two forms of the Gell-Mann and Goldberger (two-potential) formula are explored, which propagate the correction Delta V in the T-matrix in two different ways.


The purpose of this study is to determine: (1) differences in student learning outcomes experimental class and control on the subjects of business economics class XI Accounting SMK N 6 Sukoharjo. (2) improvement of students' experimental class learning outcomes and control on business subjects class XI Accounting SMK N 6 Sukoharjo. This research includes the type of quantitative research with experimental research design. The population in this study are students of Class XI Accounting SMK Negeri 6 Sukoharjo which amounted to 106 students. The sample is taken by simple random sampling technique by drawing the class that the result of class XI Accounting 1 as the experimental class and class XI Accounting 2 as the control class. Data collection techniques use documentation, tests and questionnaires. To test the instrument using test validity and reliability tests as many as 30 students XI Accounting 3 taken by way of drawing. Data analysis technique used is prerequisite test analyst and hypothesis test. From result of hypothesis test (t test) can be stated that result of pre test Ho accepted because t count ttable (1,995 ). So it can be concluded that there is difference from before treatment (pre test) and after treatment (post test), and result of questionnaire of student learning total of experiment class percentage 51,1%, while control class 49,8% it can be concluded that there is a difference between the experimental class and the control class. For average results of pre test of experimental class 69,6389 and average post test value 77,5. While the average value of pre test control class 67,5882 and the average post test 74.1176. With the data it can be concluded that there is an increase in student learning outcomes.


This article investigates whether economic forces that have led to increasing wage inequalities also place structural constraints on the ability of welfare states to protect the most vulnerable in society. Throughout the past two decades, the capacity of minimum income packages to lift low-income households above the poverty line has stagnated or decreased across much of the European Union and the United States. In evaluating the determinants behind these trends, this paper introduces a framework to conceptualize the tensions facing modern welfare states in their attempt to (1) provide poverty-alleviating minimum income protections, (2) achieve employment growth, and (3) keep spending levels in check. We argue that, due to downward pressure on low-skilled labor, it has become more difficult to balance each of those three objectives; accordingly, we observe that the stagnation of low gross wages contributes to a 'structural inadequacy' around minimum income protections for the jobless. Albeit with large differences in both levels and trends, these structural constraints span across all welfare state 'regimes'. Our findings have direct implications for future policy changes to minimum income protections, as well as growing public and academic interest in the potential of a universal basic income.


Objectives: In response to reported increases in ratios of adenocarcinomas to squamous cell carcinomas of the lung in other populations, to investigate and consider public health and clinical implications of time trends in lung cancer incidence by histological type in South Australia.


The aim of this paper is to compare neural networks and decision trees in the ability to trade financial futures. Emphasis is made on correctness of comparison from practitioner's point of view. Contrary to other papers, we implemented actual trading strategy simulation with slippage and commission fees. Many research papers do not pay attention to correctness of experiments from practical point of view. Predictions are incorporated into trading algorithm and trading profits and Sharpe ratio are calculated. Experiments using 30 technical indicators and 45 different futures is repeated 16,895 times and evaluation is made using out of sample data. Results show that both methods have comparable accuracy and perform similarly.


Deformable mirror is used to correct radially varying group delay in a nonlinear optical microscopy setup aiming to improve signal generation and image resolution. Simulations and experiments which support the efficacy of our method are presented.


Citrus fruits infested with California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), and yellow scale, A. citrina (Coquillett), were collected from a total of 68 orchards in four counties in the San Joaquin Valley of California over three seasons to test for insecticide resistance. California red scale populations were collected from Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties. Yellow scale populations were fewer in number and were found only in Tulare County. The results of laboratory bioassays of the infested fruit suggest that resistances to the organophosphate insecticides chlorpyrifos and methidathion are developing in the two armored scale species in this region. Armored scale resistance to the carbamate insecticide, carbaryl, appears to he less intense than for the organophosphates at this time. The populations showing the lowest percentage of mortality to any of the tested insecticides were located in eastern Tulare and Kern counties. An insecticide resistance management strategy for this citrus growing region is discussed.


All‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been reported to exert major effects on the immune system, including monocytes/macrophages. The present study was designed to determine whether ATRA would modulate macrophage‐associated liver injury induced by Propionibacterium acnes and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats. All‐trans retinoic acid administration alleviated the liver injury and reduced the incidence of death following hepatic failure. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels 5 h after, and survival rates within 12 h after the administration of LPS were significantly lower in the ATRA‐treated group (134 ± 119 IU/L and 72.7%) compared with the control group (713 ± 411 IU/L and 18.2%; P < 0.05). Histological findings supported these results. These effects may be due to suppression of tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and superoxide anions produced by activated macrophages. Serum levels of TNF‐α 1 h after LPS administration were significantly lower in the ATRA‐treated group (60.5 ± 7.0 ng/mL) as compared with the control group (105.2 ± 39.3 ng/mL; P < 0.05). Formazan deposition that was generated by the perfusion of the liver with nitroblue tetrazolium, also suggested suppression of the release of superoxide anions from hepatic macrophages. These results suggest that ATRA acts as an immunomodulator in liver injury by suppressing the activation of liver macrophages.


Purpose – Studies of capability building and organisational learning through networked arrangements have been growing in recent years. In high‐technology industries, in particular, small and medium‐sized enterprises overcome problems of resource and information limitations by becoming a part of a knowledge network. This paper seeks to examine innovation networks of the Australian high‐technology small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by focusing on the linkages employed by small businesses to learn, adapt to technological change, and innovate.Design/methodology/approach – To study the innovation networks of high‐technology firms, research was conducted on biotechnology firms within the Sydney region and information and communication technology (ICT) firms within the metropolitan area of Melbourne. A mixed methodology approach for this research was adopted and a combination of quantitative and qualitative data was collected, via the means of a questionnaire and face‐to‐face interviews.Findings – The paper rep...


We consider the locally one-dimensional model of thermal dynamics of sea ice. This is a boundary-value problem of heat conduction with a free boundary and nonlinear boundary condition. For this problem we construct the lattice numerical method and prove that the lattice solution and its lattice derivatives are bounded uniformly with respect to the lattice steps. This implies the convergence of the lattice solution to the weak solution to the boundary-value problem. A difficulty is the Dirichlet boundary condition of the water-ice boundary: we consider a sequence of problems with Neumann conditions with consequent passing to limit.


Recent studies have revealed extensive genetic differentiation among some populations of marine taxa that were previously believed to be essentially homogeneous because larvae are widely dispersed in ocean currents. Acanthopagrus pacificus is a commercially and ecologically important teleost fish that is endemic to shallow coastal waters and estuaries of some tropical and sub-tropical areas in the West Pacific Ocean. Here, we examined genetic structure and the inferred demographic history of A. pacificus populations from mtDNA control region sequence data. A 677–678 base-pair fragment was sequenced from 159 individuals sampled at three localities across the West Pacific Ocean. Haplotype diversity was high, ranging from 0.915 to 0.989, while nucleotide diversity was low to medium, ranging from 0.8% to 2.60%. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed significant genetic subdivision (FST = 0.155, p < 0.05) among sampled populations while pairwise FST estimates also revealed strong genetic differentiation among populations indicating that gene flow was restricted. Two distinct cryptic lineages were identified that were estimated to have diverged during the Pleistocene. In summary, contemporary factors including regional oceanic currents and self-recruitment are considered to have played significant roles in producing the population structure in this fish. In particular, the genetic information generated in the current study will allow appropriate fisheries management and conservation strategies to be developed for this important local fish in the waters around Iriomotejima Island, a World Heritage site.


In 2001, as the result of a revision of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act in Japan, basic dyes became available for use in the cosmetic industry. Therefore, in order to utilize basic dyes for the hair cosmetic industry, the mechanism of hair dyeing with Basic Blue 9 as a typical basic dye and the evaluation of discoloration resistance of the dyed hair have been investigated in this study. The mechanism of hair dyeing with Basic Blue 9 proceeded by sorption, in which the diffusion of dye was dependent on the concentration gradient of dye and the electrostatic interaction between dye and hair fiber. For hair dyed with Basic Blue 9, an increase in pH used during the dyeing resulted not only in an increase in shade depth but also an improvement in the discoloration resistance of the dyed hair. For both Basic Blue 9 and ORANGE 4 no significant difference in dyed shade or discoloration resistance was found in comparison to corresponding acidic dyes. These results revealed that basic dyes have great potential for hair dyeing under alkaline conditions.


New Orleans, La., and vicinity and Athens, Ga., and vicinity. These examinations have yielded a great variety of parasitic forms, many of which appear to be new to science. Collections were made personally from the various places mentioned in the text, and all animals were brought into the laboratory before being examined. Except in instances in which only a very few animals were collected from any one given locality, the hosts were examined at various times after collections were made. By this method those parasites collected immediately after the hosts were brought into the laboratory could be checked against those parasites having had a longer time in which to mature. This procedure seemed advisable, since in a great many instances specific diagnosis of trematodes depends to a greater or lesser extent on the differences in dimensions of the various organs in the mature stage. All parasites were studied first while living and then after being fixed. The worms considered in this paper were killed with cold


First lines: In the context of the COVID 19 crisis, the city-as-place approach gained new momentum as part of efforts to ensure safe distancing, accommodate demands for public space and reimagine the post-pandemic city.


The invention relates to a triaxial micromechanical gyroscope, comprising a substrate and a gyroscope main body fixedly mounted on the substrate, wherein the gyroscope main body comprises a plane detection unit and a Z-axis detection unit; the plane detection unit comprises a support structure, a drive electrode and a first mass block; the Z-axis detection unit comprises two modules which are symmetrically distributed around the central point of the substrate along the X-axis; each module comprises a support beam, a decoupling beam, a drive beam, a second mass block and a detection electrode. The integral structure of the triaxial micromechanical gyroscope disclosed by the invention adopts a single-drive design, and the gyroscope is driven by a comb electrode; in a plane, the X-axis and Y-axis are detected by a plate capacitor, the Z-axis is detected by a comb capacitor, and the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis realize decoupling of drive and detection; the triaxial micromechanical gyroscope is compact in structure, simple in manufacture process, low in cost, high in performance and capable of achieving high measuring precision and sensitivity.


Inflation can be caused by many factors, including demand, supply, and expectations. Each factor individually or together can influence inflation differently over a period of time. Inflation Control in Indonesia faces structural challenges and is influenced by regional characteristics so that it requires different handling. Important things that need to be considered in controlling inflation are commodities that have high volatility, share, depending on supply availability especially seasonal / weather constraints, and other policy instruments. It can be understood, that before the Idul Fitri religious holidays there is an increase in the prices of goods and services in almost all regions in Indonesia, not least in Tegal City. The efforts to control regional inflation carried out by the Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID) carried out are no more than routine activities so that they are often ineffective in achieving the expected inflation control goals. As part of inflation control risk management in Tegal City, it is necessary to do any commodity-commodity inventory that contributes both the frequency and contribution of influencing inflation in Tegal City on every momentum of the Idul Fitri religious holidays, so that the handling of inflation is more effective and measurable. The author takes the inflation data at the momentum of Eid al-Fitr 4 (four) years from 2015-2018 which is processed simply using the Microsoft Excel program and mapped through 4 (four) awareness namely quadrant I, II, III, and IV which shows the frequency and contribution of 10 (ten) commodities that often appear in inflation at the moment of Eid al-Fitr. Furthermore, 3 (three) priority commodities are chosen for the most frequency and share in quadrant I for treatment through the strategic formulation of the things that need to be done. From the mapping done, it was concluded that the commodity of Chicken Meat, Chicken Eggs and City Transportation appeared as the cause of inflation and needed a handling strategy according to the inflation control roadmap in Indonesia, namely 4K (Supply Availability, Price Affordability, Smooth distribution, and Effective Communication). Keyword: Inflation Control, Prices of Goods, Prices of Services, Commodity, Influencing Inflation


The economy of Greece from dictatorship to its entry into the Economic Monetary Union (EMU) and fiscal policy followed by the era of government by political parties which formed the bipartisanship until the two-party coalition government until 2012, will be the basis for the analysis of the issue of this work elaborated.

Our main goal is to highlight similarities and differences in Greek and Portuguese economies, focusing on analysis and our interest in the course of the macroeconomic aggregates during the last global economic crisis that erupted in the United States of America ( USA ) in 2007 and expanding its impact on the European world by 2009 . Moreover, we will examine whether the inclusion of Greece and Portugal in the International Monetary Fund and a multi surveillance system helped or worsened the state of their economies highlighting strengths and weaknesses of policy Troika.

In addition, special mention will be made in macroeconomic fundamentals of the Portuguese economy and the trend over the last decade (2002-2012), comparing the findings with the state of the corresponding Greek aggregates. Basis for comparison of these indicators will be the articles of Oikonomakis George, Androulakis George and Markaki Mary «Profitability and crisis in the Greek economy (1960-2012): an investigation-2013» and also «Extraversion and crisis Greek economy-2014".


Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) was introduced outside of Asia in the early 19th century and is now invasive to varying degrees on every continent, except Anarctica, and many archipelagos. The basic ecology and life history of Japanese honeysuckle are well known and described here; however, research needs on the underlying causes of the voracity and subsequent ecological impacts of this species are many. Virtually all ecological experimentation with Japanese honeysuckle has been conducted in the southeastern U.S., thus more data are needed in other regions, particularly South America and Africa. Although Japanese honeysuckle is naturalized in many areas where it has been introduced, there still may be hope for the control of local infestations and its further spread in areas that have a fairly recent introduction history. Japanese honeysuckle may be secure throughout much of its introduced range, but land management principles that discourage its use and public education to prevent further dispersal are recommended strongly.


Why do peacekeeping missions succeed or fail? Prior work has focused primarily on the behavior of the organization supplying the mission, the mandate and resources devoted to the mission and the characteristics of the conflict into which the mission is being sent. Missing from these analyses is an analysis of how the belligerents help shape the peacekeeping mission that ultimately arrives in country and what those efforts mean for the mission's outcome. Peacekeeping missions almost always go to a conflict with at least one party's consent. Thus scholars have worked from the assumption that consent is a signal of long-term peaceful intentions, rarely considering the strategic behavior belligerents exhibit in their interactions with peacekeeping institutions. This paper demonstrates that the mixed record of peacekeeping is evidence that presence or absence of consent is not a powerful enough indicator of intentions to settle. Next, the paper offers an alternative source of information about belligerents' commitment to peace. Drawing from formal theories of war termination, I hypothesize that the nature of the belligerents' peacekeeping "offer" is more informative than the presence or absence of consent. Starting from the perspective that consent serves as a mechanism for bargaining leverage, I argue that what belligerents try to negotiate with respect to the peacekeeping mission may serve as a clue to their true interest in committing to lasting peace. I expect belligerents who try to negotiate weaker peacekeeping to be more likely to violate ceasefires and/or attack missions, with important consequences for the effectiveness of the mission. I demonstrate these dynamics with empirical tests on new data that capture the terms of consent for peacekeeping missions sent to civil wars. The data include UN missions, regional organization missions and peacekeeping operations conducted by single states. Preliminary results suggest that missions operating under limitations set by the belligerents are more likely to experience renewed violence. Further tests also suggest that the predictive value of any signal is strongest for predicting behavior in the short term following a mission, while longer-term measures of mission success are subsumed by other factors. I discuss the ramifications of these results for the overall effectiveness of peacekeeping missions.


T. was reported to have a long history of aggressive, as-saultive, and unpredictable behavior, angry and irritablemoods, impulsivity, hyperactivity, enuresis, and a history ofnightmares and flashbacks. T. had experienced four priorpsychiatric hospitalizations. Prior to the current transfer,during an approximately three-month stay at a private hos-pital, T. was reported to have become increasingly aggres-sive, assaultive, and impulsive, requiring frequent as-neededmedications including intramuscular injections of lo-razepam, haloperidol, and chlorpromazine. Lorazepam andother benzodiazepines were thought to cause disinhibitionand worsened his behaviors. Upon transfer to the state chil-dren's psychiatric hospital, T. carried diagnoses of mixedbipolar disorder, thyroid abnormalities, asthma, and possi-ble fetal alcohol syndrome.Upon transfer, T.'s medications included risperidone 3 mg,clozapine 200 mg, valproic acid 750 mg, guanfacine 4 mg, anddesmopressin 0.6 mg. His as-needed medications were chlor-promazine 50 mg every two hours, with a maximum of fourdoses daily, Benadryl 50 mg every four hours, and albuterolinhaler two puffs every four hours with a maximum of fourdoses daily. The clozapine dose had been adjusted downwardin the previous hospital due to sedation and drooling.


edTPA is a performance-based, content-specific assessment process designed by educators to determine whether new teachers are ready for the job. This chapter provides a thorough description of how two departments at the University of North Carolina implemented edTPA in teacher licensure programs and how candidates were supported through the process. Elementary, Middle Grades, Secondary, Teaching English as a Second Language, and Foreign Language Education programs are described and implementation details of edTPA are provided. Formative supports for each program are presented. Finally, the chapter discusses future directions and next steps.