Critical thinking (CT) is one of the crucial skills of the 21st century. Nevertheless, in the educational sector of Bangladesh, CT is still not appropriately taught and practiced to develop learners' expertise. This study aimed to investigate how EFL teachers facilitate critical thinking (CT) skills of the undergraduate low-proficient learners and what obstacles they faced in promoting CT skills in writing classes in Bangladesh. It integrated both quantitative and qualitative data to achieve the research goals. To conduct this study, the researchers collected data from twelve teachers from six universities in Chattogram, Bangladesh. The results show that the common challenges teachers face while facilitating CT skills are- their lack of proper knowledge and training, inadequate focus on promoting CT skills in the existing educational curriculum, lack of motivation of both students and teachers, difficulty in transitioning from a 'teacher-centric' to a 'student-centric' classroom, inconvenient classroom environment, and more focus on securing good grades. Findings also show that teachers in tertiary-level education did not pay enough attention to enhance CT and problem-solving skills. However, there are possibilities to enhance teachers' abilities to improve the CT skills of low-proficient EFL learners. The research findings will help tertiary-level EFL teachers understand the current practice of facilitating CT skills in Bangladesh and devise appropriate strategies for better action.


The observation that global finance is concentrated in only a small number of international centers and cities has raised the question if worldwide financial integration is being achieved at the expense of increased international urban inequality. This article examines the spatial organization of stock markets for some forty-five cities. While New York, London, and Tokyo are undisputed hosts to the largest stock markets in the world, the analysis shows that inequality among international financial centers and cities has diminished between 1980 to 1999 with increased competition from regional financial centers and emerging markets.


Introduction: The idea that oral infections spread to other systems has long been of interest to clinicians. On the other hand, there are researches suggesting the possibility of periodontitis and dental caries being a risk factor for low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB). The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between periodontal and dental health status with PTB. Methods: In this case-control study, 82 pregnant women were evaluated. The case group included mothers with preterm infants (gestational age of less than 37 weeks), while the control group involved mothers who had term labors (gestational age of 37-42 weeks). Oral examinations were carried out up to 48 hours after delivery. Periodontal and dental health indicators, including decayed, missed, filled teeth (DMFT), periodontal pocket depth, clinical attachment loss (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP) and gingival index (GI) were recorded. The data were analyzed using SPSS 17 software through Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U and Fisher exact tests. Results: DMFT was 7.34±4.45 and 5.68±4.29 for mothers with preterm infants and mothers in control group, respectively (P=0.023). CAL (P=0.001) and BOP (P=0.012) were significantly higher in mothers with preterm infants, but there was no significant difference in Pocket depth (P=0.57) and GI (P=0.51) between the studied groups. Conclusion: There is a relationship between some maternal periodontal and dental health indicators and PTBs signifying that elimination of any oral sources of inflammation may reduce the risk of premature birth.


A component-type chemical polymerization / by the combined light for dental restoration comprises a formulation A composed mainly (a.) An unsaturated polymerizable ethylenically compound, (b.) An initiator of photopolymerization and (c.) a reducing agent, and a formulation B comprising mainly (d.) a filler and (e.) an organic peroxide. Formulations A and B are packed separately and mixed for use.


The statement that slaves are dependent and freemen independent seems obvious: the slave belongs to his master and has no status of his own; freemen belong to nobody, strictly speaking, and are supposed to make their own (individual) decisions. In reality, however, the concepts of dependence and independence are not very well defined. The slave in the plantation system was certainly not wholly deprived of his own personality nor of the possibility of shaping his own destiny. His making for freedom, and especially his becoming a maroon, did not mean that he was now completely independent from his former surroundings. The ambiguities arising from these concepts may be illustrated by the history of the Surinam maroons.


An efficient approach to the tetracyclic bridged framework of the indole alkaloid subincanadine F by a 7-exo Heck cyclization of a 2-iodoindole upon a double bond included in a tetrahydropyridine system is described.


Development of robots capable of operating in unstructured environments or intended to substitute for man in hazardous or inaccessible environments, demands the implementation of sophisticated sensory capabilities, far beyond those available today. In this regard, the development of tactile sensors is one of the key technical challenges in advanced robotics and minimal access surgery. In this work we present arrays of 'taxels' (tactile elements) which will be placed on the distal phalange of the humanoid robot in our lab. We present two different designs and implementations. In the first one, microelectrode arrays(MEAs) of 32 elements, with 1 mm center to center distance, have been designed. The taxel is implemented by epoxy-adhering the sensing material (piezoelectric polymer film of PVDF-TrFE) on a microelectrode. Each taxel is intended to be used as an extended gate of an FET (external to the chip); the taxel collects the charge/voltage generated, as consequence of the applied stress, on the deposited piezoelectric polymer film (i.e. the extended gate itself). The second design and implementation integrates both the taxels array and the FET devices, on the same silicon die.


Practical contact resistance extraction methods have been applied to fabricated graphene field-effect transistors from different technologies. In contrast to other characterization techniques which require either the fabrication of additional test structures or elaborated models requiring internal quantities and a few number of fitting parameters, the methods used here enable a straightforward extraction of contact resistance values from the electrical characteristics of individual devices within the linear transistor operation using a drift-diffusion approach. Results are validated with other experimental characterization methods and with sophisticated models.


. We prove existence of and construct transition fronts for a class of reaction-diffusion equations with spatially inhomogeneous Fisher-KPP type reactions and non-local diffusion. Our approach is based on finding these solutions as perturbations of appropriate solutions to the linearization of the PDE at zero. Our work extends a method introduced by one of us to study such questions in the case of classical diffusion.


The computer science community has claimed for parallel languages and models with a higher level of abstraction and modularity, without performance penalties, that could be used in conjunction with advanced software engineering techniques, and that are suitable to work with large-scale programs. This paper presents general aspects about the # parallel programming model and its associated programming environment, designed to address the above issues.


San Francisco is in the process of doing something revolutionary: the City is heeding the warning of the moderate damage caused by the Loma Prieta earthquake, and may mandate strong rehabilitation measures for soft-story buildings to prevent catastrophe in future quakes. A study for the City, the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPSS), recently estimated the consequences of several moderate to large Bay Area earthquakes on multi-unit, soft-story wood-frame dwellings. The project estimates that tens of thousands of residents of these buildings would be displaced from their homes, many for years, after a large earthquake, but retrofits would greatly reduce these impacts. Remarkably, it was building owner and tenant groups, not structural engineers, who actively led the discussion about whether mandatory mitigation makes sense. The project, with support from many community groups, calls for mandatory retrofit of the most vulnerable of these buildings.


Many countries have recently started the search for new payments methods with the specific objective to encourage integration in health care delivery – teamwork of providers, their coordination and continuity of care. This paper suggests the typology of three major integrated payment methods – pay-for-performance, episode based bundled payment and global payment. A brief overview of these methods in the USA and Europe, including Russia, indicates that there is still no strong evidence of their effects on integration and other dimensions of medical service delivery performance. It is argued that relative to other integrated methods global payment is the most promising method, since it provides incentives for comprehensive organizational changes. The major pre-conditions for global payment implementation are risk bearing in integrated networks, shared savings schemes, performance transparency system, infrastructure for coordination and collaboration. It is also argued that global payment is hard to implement – mostly due to a high probability of excessive financial risks placed on providers in integrated networks. The activities to mitigate these risks are discussed based on the approaches piloted in Russia


We study (D,O)-species, which are a special case of species introduced by Yu. A. Drozd (1980). The representations of (D,O)species and modules over the corresponding tensor algebras of bimodules are considered. We find necessary and sufficient conditions on a special kind of (D,O)-species under which they are of bounded representation type. The conditions are given in terms of Dynkin diagrams and diagrams with weights. The connection of these (D,O)-species and corresponding tensor algebras with right hereditary semiperfect and semidistributive rings are studied.


Parents of children who are newly identified as deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) face many decisions surrounding communication and intervention, including where to receive early intervention (EI) services. This study explored the experiences and perspectives of parents of DHH children enrolled in a center-based, family-centered EI program focused on developing listening and spoken language in California. Seventeen families participated in biannual focus groups following a semi-structured interview protocol that focused on parental decision-making and experiences receiving center-based services. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to code transcripts of the focus groups. The data coalesced around three main themes: (a) a variety of influences on technology and communication decisions, (b) the value of center-based services, and (c) a sense of empowerment and drive for advocacy. Caregivers particularly valued connections to other families of DHH children and the expertise of center-based EI providers as they navigated the first few years following identification.


Kendra (1974) attempted to distinguish nonsuicidal people, attempted suicides, and completed suicides from one another utilizing their responses to the standard Rorschach. He did so, deriving regression equations based upon the scoring categories FM, Fc', C, P%, H%, and the W:M ratio. The values for these variables are substituted into the three regression equations (one each for nonsuicidal people, attempted suicides, and completed suicides) and the equation giving the highest score labels the protoco1.l The purpose of the present study was to examine whether Kendra's technique could distinguish murderers from suicidal people. Ss were 100 male murderers from a state penitentiary: 33 were black and 67 were white and the median age was 31 yr. (range 16 to 57). Data from the 100 murderers were inserted into the regression equations and each murderer classified as nonsuicidal, an attempted suicide, or a completed suicide. Of the murderers 77 were classified as nonsuicidal, 22 as completed suicides, and one as an attempted suicide. Assuming that the murderers were not suicidal, the percentage of hits was 77% and the percentage of false positives was 23%. This percentage of hits compares favorably with other predictors of suicide (Lester, 1970). Kendra's process for distinguishing suicides from nonsuicides may actually have been more successful than it seems (only 77% hits), for it is possible that some of the 22 murderers misclassified as completed suicides (false positives) may yet kill themseves! In any evenc, the present study has shown that Kendra's method for distinguishing suicides from nonsuicidal people does in fact distinguish suicide-potential rather than general aggressive acting-out.


Abstract Shallow lakes and deep wetlands in southwestern Minnesota are being used as rearing ponds for fingerling walleye Sander vitreus; however, information about the biotic and abiotic variables that influence walleye rearing success in these water bodies is limited and inconsistent. Our objective was to identify the characteristics that most influence fall walleye fingerling production in southwestern Minnesota lacustrine wetlands. We used principal component analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the data set. A subsequent correlation analysis using the created independent variables (i.e., principal components scores) indicated that walleye fingerling production measures were positively related to total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen and negatively associated with Secchi disk depth and water conductivity (r = 0.70–0.74). Invertebrate densities, particularly that of zooplankton, exhibited weak but positive associations with walleye fingerling production (r = 0.48–0.57). The n...


Facial-width-to-height ratio (fWHR) measured from 2D images using a fully automated method and a manual-landmark-placement method produce very similar results


Anchored by sparse investigations on Students' voices regarding online learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries context, this study aims to investigate the responses of EFL students to the effectiveness of the learning from home policy in an Indonesian University. Fifteen students of fourth semester studying at English department were recruited. This research employed qualitative design with a case study approach as the methodology.  Data were collected from semi-structured interview and then analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the students perceived that online learning from home was good policy initiatives. However, they also experienced ineffectiveness regarding the contents of learning that focus more on giving students the assignments than the learning process itself. Besides that, the students were not supported by conducive learning environment, enabling them to learn more effectively. Students experienced some problems during online learning from home, such as poor internet connection, electrical power disruptions, and day-to-day load expenses for prepaid internet access. The findings suggest that the lecturers should provide the students with appropriate learning instruction for online learning purposes and deliver teaching materials by making use of technology. Thus, policy recommendations are discussed in this article.


The development background,product design,consumer's choice,production process as well as economic benefit of anti-winkle cream were described.A final formula which obtained both instant and long lasting anti-wrinkle effects was achieved through analyzing the senescence of skin.Then the designing was completed through formula verification,mass production and product evaluation.Finally,it analyzed the economic benefit,and prospected the future application of this anti-wrinkle and moisturizing cream.


Radioactivities in ground water collected at Nevada Test Site since the underground nuclear explosions in Operations Plumbbob and Hardtack Phase II have not been significantly above background, due to the formation of silica glass by the explosion, and the ion-exchange properties of fission products in normal earth minerals and water. The glass formed by the high shock pressures releases less than 10 per cent of its radioactivity when leached with water, and the rock minerals crushed by the explosive-forces adsorb several tens of milliequivalents of fission products per 100 g. The distribution coefficients for adsorption range from 50 to 500,000, depending on the particular fission product and mineral. A theory pertaining to the flow of activity in an ion-exchange medium is developed, and equations for application of laboratory data to field experiments are included. Some of the available distribution coefficients are tabulated from the literature on waste disposal. It is concluded from existing information that hazards arising from underground explosions in other media will not give rise to serious contamination problems. Until more experience is gained, measurements of aquifer properties should be made prior to planned explosions to determine that safe conditions exist in each particular case.


AbstractThe construction sector is in need of further self-development due to recent innovations in technology. This is because the environmental problems which have been handled seriously all over the world in recent years, and studies related to the way of creating requirements and measures for healthy construction environments have been emphasized. For adoption of new technological construction products in that sector; a system which will encompass designers, contractors and users is required. For selection and widespread use of new technological products, the decision-making is not only sufficient but also cultural and socio-economic factors and conditions are gaining in importance.For the implementation and control of the new construction product assigned, a process of testing is required. The process of testing should be structured by allowing the use of new technological products in a system of continuous self-improvement by preventing the usage without change for a substantial amount of time. All of these processes have been examined within the scope of the doctoral thesis in model, which was developed for the adoption of technological innovation. In this study, the aim is to contribute to the creation of an appropriate adoption roadmap for constant self-renewal and self-improvement of construction environments, which are sensitive to the environment.


Experimental research is nowadays evidently the 'gold standard' of tax research. Simulations, especially with the so-called 'agentbased models,' are commonly used in economics as a research tool. Based on theoretical models, empirical results, and insights gained from experiments, simulations enable the study of whole societies structured by networks of agents, with respect to collective rather than individual reactions to taxation. The quality of the results, however, depends among other things on the inputs from empirical and experimental research employed to calibrate simulation models, as well as the structure of agent networks. Although simulations cannot in fact provide better explanations of tax compliance and evasion than economic and psychological research, they are nevertheless a new tool of research that yields additional insight into the aggregate dynamic behavior of agents in tax policy regimes.


Passing off personal defamation as substantive debate was an all too frequent feature of Cold-War American Soviet studies. That repugnant practice did not end, alas, with the Cold War or the Soviet Union. Thus, Peter Kenez writes of me (Kritika 4, 2 [Spring 2003], 372): "Stephen Cohen ... shows a hostility to contemporary Russia which, if anything, even surpasses his hostility to the United States." Both allegations—proSovietism, as implied in the first, and anti-Americanism—comprise the standard defamation in our profession. They are flagrantly untrue, and I deeply resent them. I don't know what Kenez means here by "Russia," but I feel only compassion for the tens of millions of Russians, probably the majority of the nation, whose lives have been degraded in essential ways, even shortened, by "reforms" that have benefited a small minority since 1991. (Presumably his sympathies lie elsewhere.) Nor have I ever felt the slightest "hostility" to my own country (certainly not to Kentucky, where I grew up; Florida, where I spent part of my youth; Indiana, where I went to college; New Jersey, where I taught for 30 years; or New York, where I now reside)—unless Kenez means by that my public dissent from some U.S. policymakers and specialists on Russia. If so, it is he who is hostile to fundamental American values. In that respect, the fitting reply to Kenez and others who persist in this reckless practice is a heartfelt statement made many years ago, in a different time, which he presumably will recognize: "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?"


In this paper,it is first reported that a new disease caused by one kind of endoparasitic ciliate has existed among the cage-cultured large yellow croakers(Pseudosciaena crocea)in Luoyuan Bay,Fuzhou,China.The temperature was 17 ℃ ~ 22 ℃ during the occurrence of the ciliate disease and its daily mortality reached 1~2%.Microscopic examination showed that this kind of ciliate parasitized in the body surface mucus,fin,gills,liver,spleen,kidney,intestine and brain tissue.Among which,of the great majority of the ciliate existed in the branchial vessels.The author has put up one dose of Chinese herbal formula,compounded of eleven kinds of traditional Chinese medicines,such as Stemona sessilifolia,Cortex Phellodendri Chinensis,Sophora flavescens,Fructus Cnidii,Poria cocos.After having given the treatment orally for 15 days,we have achieved a remarkable effect.This case has strongly indicated that the Chinese herbal formula can be used for large yellow croaker in the prevention and treatment of endoparasitic ciliate disease.


We discuss the phenomenological consequences of requiring the cancellation of quadratic divergences up to the leading two-loop order within the two-Higgs-doublet model. Taking into account existing experimental constraints, allowed regions in the parameter space, permitting the cancellation, are determined. A degeneracy between masses of scalar bosons is observed for tanβ ≳ 40. The possibility for CP violation in the scalar potential is discussed and regions of tanβ-M H ± with a substantial amount of CP violation are determined. In order to provide a source for dark matter in a minimal manner, a scalar gauge singlet is introduced and discussed. The model allows to ameliorate the little hierarchy problem by lifting the minimal scalar Higgs-boson mass and by suppressing the quadratic corrections to scalar masses. The cutoff originating from the naturality arguments is therefore lifted from ~0.6 TeV in the standard model to ≳ 2.5 TeV in two-Higgs-doublet model depending on the mass of the lightest scalar.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the plasma lipid levels among hospitalized patients with cardiovascular diseases in 1995 and 2005 in the Pearl River delta region.

METHOD
Representative samples of 8040 patients were obtained from 16 3A hospitals in the Pearl River Delta region and 2239 patients hospitalized in 1995 and 5801 patients hospitalized in 2005 were analyzed.

RESULTS
(1) Numbers of hospitalized patients with hypertension, hypertension and coronary artery disease (CAD) or CAD risk equivalent and patients with hypertension and CAD and CAD risk equivalent were significantly increased in 2005 compared with 1995 (all P = 0.000). (2) Triglycerides (P = 0.033) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.000) levels from hospitalized patients were significantly higher while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level (P = 0.000) was significantly lower in 2005 than those in 1995. (3) HDL-C levels of female patients were significantly higher than those of male patients in 1995 (P = 0.045) and 2005 (P = 0.000). (4) The highest cholesterol levels were found in patients with hypertension in 1995 and 2005. LDL-C level was the highest and HDL-C level was the lowest in patients with hypertension and CAD or CAD risk equivalent in 1995. The highest LDL-C level was found in hypertension patients in 2005.

CONCLUSIONS
LDL-C level in hospitalized patients with CAD related diseases were significantly decreased in 2005 compared that in 1995 partly due to the widespread use of lipid-lowering drugs. Proportion of hospitalized patients with hypertension, hypertension with CAD or CAD risk equivalent, hypertension with CAD and CAD risk equivalent were significantly higher in 2005 compared with that in 1995.


This paper presents results from the effort to validate a three‐dimensional boundary element eddy current model. Absolute cylindrical ferrite‐core real‐world probes have been studied for validation in terms of impedance changes due to well‐characterized fatigue cracks and EDM notches. The relationship between prediction and observation, including discrepancies at high frequencies, has been investigated, and a radial basis function neural network based transfer function has been proposed to compensate for the unknown sources of discrepancies. Good agreement has been observed between model predicted data and experimental data.


Stress rupture characteristics of a Ni base single crystal superalloy at different test conditions were investigated its fracture surface and longitudinal sections were examined by SEM. The results show that the fracture behavior of the alloy belongs to ductile fracture at range of 760 -1100 ℃. At low temperature (800 ℃) and high stress, γ' particles remain cubic shape, the fracture mode is pure shear fracture, and the alloy is not sensitive to the shrinkage porosity. At high temperature and low stress, directional coarsening of γ ' phases occurs, fracture mode turns to be microvoid coalescence fracture and the alloy is sensitive to the shrinkage porosity.


Breast cancer is currently the most common malignancy in females world-wide. In Japan, an estimated 89,400 women were affected by breast cancer in 2015. Multiple randomized trials have shown that adjuvant chemotherapy improves long-term survival for most women with breast cancer. However, mild to moderate cognitive impairment following adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, also known as "chemofog" or "chemobrain," are reported in 15%–75% of breast cancer survivors (BCSs).1–6 Several hypotheses regarding the etiology of chemotherapy-associated cognitive impairments have been proposed, including disruption of hippocampal cell proliferation and neurogenesis,7 chronic inflammation,8,9 increased oxidative stress,8 white matter disruption,10–12 and long-term changes in cerebral blood flow and metabolism.13 However, detailed mechanisms and interventions for chemotherapy-associated cognitive impairments have not been established.


We present novel results on the solution of a class of leavable, undiscounted optimal control problems in the minimax sense for nonlinear, continuous-state, discrete-time plants. The problem class includes entry-(exit-)time problems as well as minimum-time, pursuit-evasion, and reach-avoid games as special cases. We utilize auxiliary optimal control problems ("abstractions") to compute both upper bounds of the value function, i.e., of the achievable closed-loop performance, and symbolic feedback controllers realizing those bounds. The abstractions are obtained from discretizing the problem data, and we prove that the computed bounds and the performance of the symbolic controllers converge to the value function as the discretization parameters approach zero. In particular, if the optimal control problem is solvable on some compact subset of the state space, and if the discretization parameters are sufficiently small, then we obtain a symbolic feedback controller solving the problem on that subset. These results do not assume the continuity of the value function or any problem data, and they fully apply in the presence of hard state and control constraints.


University of Minnesota Master of Science thesis. December 2009. Major: Conservation Biology. Advisor: Susy S. Ziegler. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 182 pages.


Introduction: the fortunes of liberal naturalism John Skorupski 1. Language and logic John Skorupski 2. Mill, mathematics and the naturalist tradition Philip Kitcher 3. Induction and the scientific method Geoffrey Scarre 4. Phenomenalism and the self Andy Hamilton 5. Religion Alan Millar 6. Psychology and the moral sciences Fred Wilson 7. Utilitarianism Wendy Donner 8. Mill's political economy: Ricardian science and the liberal utilitarian art Jonathan Riley 9. Civilisation and culture as moral concepts John Robson 10. Democracy, socialism and the working classes C. L. Ten 11. The subjection of women Mary Lyndon Shanley 12. Mill and the classical world Terence Irwin 13. The Reception and Early Reputation of Mill's Political Thought Peter Nicholson 14. Mill in a liberal landscape Alan Ryan.


Background: Residence to industrial areas was associated with increased risk of health problems. Lacks of epidemiological data of ear disorders were noticed among Sudanese. Objectives: This study was set out to determine the prevalence of preventable ear disorders in Rabak city, White Nile province in Sudan. Methods: A well-structured open-ended (pro forma) questionnaire was used to screen 300 participants who suffered of ear, nose and throat (ENT) complaints in the industrial area of Rabak city. Ear examinations for participants complaining of ear disorders were conducted using illuminated and pneumatic otoscope, tuning fork and pure tone audiometry. Diagnosis, risk factors and therapeutic outcomes were evaluated. Data were analyzed statistically and manipulated in a suitable manner. Results: Of total (n = 300), only (n = 186) fit the study criteria. About 85 (28.6%) of participants aged 20 - 40 years old, whilst most 99 (33%) lived at urban-industrial part of the city. The participants who were not working 131 (43.6%) and those with basic level of education were 134 (44.6%). Otitis externa was prevalent in 50 (26.9%) of our participants. Around 44 (23.6%) were suffering of chronic otitis media and 40 (21.4%) were suffering of otitis media with effusion. Acute otitis media was detected in 27 (14.3%). Ear wax was detected in 13 (7.1%), and foreign bodies were found in 12 (6.6%) of the study population. Smoking was commonest amongst participants with otitis externa. Our results revealed that the preferred treatment modality was medical treatment and follow-up the participants which resulted in good outcome. Conclusion: Preventable ear diseases represent a significant health problem among participants of Rabak city. Amongst the ear problems, the incidence of otitis media and otitis externa due to industrial pollution was reported to be high. Creating comprehensive health education about the common ear disorders in this community can help reduce the prevalence of these conditions and is highly recommended.


The Correlation Between Sense of Humor and Occupational Stress of Nurses in Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit
xvi + 59 Pages+ 10 Tables + 2 Pictures + 13 Attachments
ABSTRACT

Job stress is a disproportionate response between the responsibilities and abilities of employees at work setting place and time. The Ministry of Health in Indonesia recorded 237,181 Indonesian nurses under conditions of work stress. Stress could increase the cortisol hormones, which is known as stress hormones. Cortisol might be lower the immune system and it impacted to the health condition. Previous studies found that humor can provide psychological wellness as well as stress coping for adults. Laughs from humor could decrease the cortisol that might be increasing the immune system. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between sense of humor and job stress on nurses in the emergency room and ICU. This study used a correlational quantitative method with a Spearman Correlation Rank test on 40 nurses and a value of α = 0.05. Data was taken using MSHS and ENSS questionnaires with the result r = - 0.368 and ρ 0.019 (<0.05). The result of this study indicated there was a significant negative relationship between the sense of humor and work stress of nurses in the emergency department and ICU. Nurses with a higher sense of humor might be more adaptive to job stressors than lower ones. Researcher suggested the hopital managament to pay attention to the job stress on nurse and provided evaluation of job stress once in 6 months.

Keywords : sense of humor, job stress, nurse
Bibliography : 40 (2008-2018)


During the twentieth century various biological disciplines tried to reconstruct and understand the origin and past history of modern humans. For anthropologists and human geneticists the study of microevolution, i.e. the factors affecting the variation of gene frequency patterns, has been the major field of investigation. In the early thirties, Fisher developed a systematic theory of evolution by natural selection and predicted that in a large population even slight selective differentials could replace a less advantageous twentieth with a more favoured one. At the same time Wright also developed a general theory of evolution and his argument was based on the fact that a species is composed of many small and nearly isolated subpopulations and within most there exist some boundaries to breeding. The size of these isolates is very important in the evolutionary process and assuming the population is randomly mating and there is no selection or mutation, such subdivisions will show genetic differentiation as a result of chance processes. When the isolation is partial the rate of divergence will depend on the amount of migration or gene flow. Gene flow between subpopulations retards the process of genetic differentiation. It is obvious therefore that in addition to conventional genetic factors, an understanding of demography, ecology, environment of the natural habitat, social behaviours and all other factors which promote migration and colonization are very important for understanding present day population structure. Since extensive information was available from historical records of the social and demographic structure of the human population, this led to the development of many classical models of population structure. More recently computer-intensive simulation methods have been developed which allow the study of migration and its effects through time, during the microevolution of humans.


With the rapid progress of digital technology, finance has also embarked on the fast lane of its development. Whether and how the development of digital inclusive finance can improve the efficiency of financial resource allocation have both been significant questions for the Chinese government to answer. This study adopted the super-efficiency DEA method to measure the allocation efficiency of regional financial resources in China, integrating with the Digital Inclusive Finance (DIF) index published by the Digital Finance Research Center of Peking University, to study the influences of Digital Inclusive Finance on the Financial Resource Allocation Efficiency (FRAE). After considering the spatial factors, we found that the development of DIF could significantly promote Financial Resource Allocation Efficiency mainly in three aspects of coverage, depth, and credit. Meanwhile, in the analysis of its mechanisms, we also discovered that DIF could promote FRAE through human capital and enterprise innovations. Finally, this study indicated that the differences in regions and overcapacity levels would also modify the influences of DIF on FRAE. The enlightenment from this study is that relevant government departments should actively promote the development of digital inclusive finance, thereby, not only improving the efficiency of financial resource allocation and the coordinated action between regions but also promoting the transformation and upgrade of economic development methods.


Sulfur K{beta} x-ray-emission spectra from carbonyl sulfide have been measured with resonant excitation at the sulfur K absorption threshold and compared with results of self-consistent field and singles-doubles configuration-interaction calculations. For excitation to the strong 4{pi} absorption resonance, a splitting of the main emission peak is interpreted in terms of influence of the 4{pi} electron on the final valence-hole states. The polarization selectivity of the emission spectrometer was used to distinguish emission polarized parallel versus perpendicular with respect to the polarization of the excitation radiation. The observed polarization dependence is consistent with the molecular symmetries of the calculated intermediate and final states. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}


This is a talk given at the conference ``Critical Dialogues in Cosmology'' at Princeton University, June 24-- 27, 1996. It gives a brief summary of our present theoretical understanding regarding the value of the cosmological constant, and describes how to calculate the probability distribution of the observed cosmological constant in cosmological theories with a large number of subuniverses (i. e., different expanding regions, or different terms in the wave function of the universe) in which this constant takes different values.


There is a considerable interest in the creation of vibrationally excited H2 molecules because of their application to H− volume-plasma sources, plasma chemistry etc. It was shown previously that a low-voltage discharge in Cs-H2 mixture might be used as an effective source of vibrationally excited H2 molecules. In the present communication, it is shown that vibrational distribution function (VDF) of H2 molecules may be very significantly improved if vibrational excitation occurs in a moving flux of H2 molecules penetrative through the discharge.The following theoretical model is considered. Hydrogen flux flows in a flat channel and passes through two sections one after another. The first section (I) is a discharge one, where low-voltage Cs-H2 discharge occurs and vibrationally excited H2 molecules are created. In the next section (II), the excited hydrogen flows in a plane channel, which walls are unheated. Because of a large value of the mean vibrational energy of H2 molecule, very significant intensific...


An observed disturbance in seismic traveltimes to a reflector can be caused either by an anomalous velocity zone between the surface and the reflector or by a structural variation in the reflector itself. This velocity‐depth ambiguity is formulated in terms of linear estimation theory. Such a formulation allows integration of various published results on velocity‐depth ambiguity and suggests improved methods of stabilizing the solution of a depth‐conversion problem. By solving a relatively simple problem that is amenable to analysis—a single reflector beneath an overburden with a variable velocity—the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) The velocity‐depth ambiguity is caused by traveltime errors and can be quantitatively related to those errors by closed‐form expressions if the velocities do not vary laterally (or vary very slowly). Among other things, those expressions show that for small spread lengths (shorter than haft the depth) the errors in velocity and depth are inversely proportional to the sq...


Detection of brain metastases is a paramount task in cancer management due both to the number of high-risk patients and the difficulty of achieving consistent detection. In this study, we aim to improve the accuracy of automated brain metastasis (BM) detection methods using a novel asymmetric UNet (asym-UNet) architecture. An end-to-end asymmetric 3D-UNet architecture, with two down-sampling arms and one up-sampling arm, was constructed to capture the imaging features. The two down-sampling arms were trained using two different kernels (3 × 3 × 3 and 1 × 1 × 3, respectively) with the kernel (1 × 1 × 3) dominating the learning. As a comparison, vanilla single 3D UNets were trained with different kernels and evaluated using the same datasets. Voxel-based Dice similarity coefficient (DSCv), sensitivity (S v), precision (P v), BM-based sensitivity (S BM), and false detection rate (F BM) were used to evaluate model performance. Contrast-enhanced T1 MR images from 195 patients with a total of 1034 BMs were solicited from our institutional stereotactic radiosurgery database. The patient cohort was split into training (160 patients, 809 lesions), validation (20 patients, 136 lesions), and testing (15 patients, 89 lesions) datasets. The lesions in the testing dataset were further divided into two subgroups based on the diameters (small S = 1–10 mm, large L = 11–26 mm). In the testing dataset, there were 72 and 17 BMs in the S and L sub-groups, respectively. Among all trained networks, asym-UNet achieved the highest DSCv of 0.84 and lowest F BM of 0.24. Although vanilla 3D-UNet with a single 1 × 1 × 3 kernel achieved the highest sensitivities for the S group, it resulted in the lowest precision and highest false detection rate. Asym-UNet was shown to balance sensitivity and false detection rate as well as keep the segmentation accuracy high. The novel asym-UNet segmentation network showed overall competitive segmentation performance and more pronounced improvement in hard-to-detect small BMs comparing to the vanilla single 3D UNet.


In this paper, the development of a software tool for linear parameter varying (LPV)/linear fractional transformation (LFT) modeling and data-based validation techniques is described. This tool represents a step towards industrialization of these techniques, which although still suffering from a certain theoretical complexity are increasingly shown to help deal effectively with important real world applications. The tool is a key component for the development of an integrated LPV/LFT framework for control modeling, analysis, and design which is also a necessity for successful transfer of LPV/LFT techniques to industry. The focus of this paper is on describing the development of the integrated modeling/validation software and examining the applicability problems associated with these techniques. The technical readiness of the tool is exemplified through the development of validated LFT models used for LPV control design and analysis of a nonlinear longitudinal model of the NASA HL-20 re-entry vehicle.


Scorpionate ligands, exemplified by the tris(pyrazolyl)borate (Tp) ligand, have been widely used to form metal catalysts across the periodic table. This class of monoanionic ligands commonly binds in either a bior tridentate fashion, and is capable of donating up to six electrons to the metal center. However, the B–N bond is susceptible to isomerization resulting in a loss of steric protection around the metal center. We set out to address this problem by developing a new class of scorpionate ligands based on oxazoline rings in which the B–N bond is replaced by a more robust B–C bond. The first example of this new oxazoline-based scorpionate ligand, tris(4,4-dimethyl2-oxazolinyl)phenyl borate, To, is prepared by reaction of 2-lithio-4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazolide and 0.30 equiv of dichlorophenylborane. The resulting lithium salt is found to be competent as a transfer agent to Group IV transition metals via salt metathesis. Both the protonated form of To and the thallium salt, HTo and TlTo, are also successfully prepared, and are found to transfer To to transition metals in higher yield than the lithium analog. The steric bulk of this ligand is greater than that of tris(3,5-Me2-pyrazolyl)borate (Tp), as quantified by solid angles of crystallographically characterized zirconium(IV) complexes. The unique steric pocket created by the To ligand led us to examine the reactivity of To main group metal compounds. When reacted with [AlMe3]2, To binds in a bidentate fashion to give -ToAlMe2. The reactivity of this compound is explored and compared to the bis(oxazolinyl)borate, {-PhMeB(Ox)}AlMe2, which is synthesized via a methide abstraction/oxazoline coordination reaction of the parent borane PhB(Ox)2 with [AlMe3]2. These compounds were found to be surprisingly robust, and were capable catalysts for the ring opening polymerization of lactide at high temperature.


A review of Adrian Parr's Hijacking Sustainability (MIT Press, 2009) and Richard Maxwell and Toby Miller's Greening the Media (OUP, 2012).


The current RT-qPCR assay recommended for SARS-CoV-2 testing in the United States requires analysis of three genomic targets per sample: two viral and one host. To simplify testing and reduce the volume of required reagents, we developed a multiplex RT-qPCR assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 in a single reaction. We used existing N1, N2, and RP primer and probe sets by the CDC, but substituted fluorophores to allow multiplexing of the assay. The cycle threshold (Ct) values of our multiplex RT-qPCR were comparable to those obtained by the singleplex assay adapted for research purposes. Low copies (>500 copies / reaction) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were consistently detected by the multiplex RT-qPCR. Our novel multiplex RT-qPCR improves upon current singleplex diagnostics by saving reagents, costs, time and labor.


The quasicongruence relation is defined by the normal subsemigroup M of a group G.The enlargement and contraction of quasicongruence relation are studied.The idea of prolongation and its properties are described.


Improving health status is one of the national development efforts to create a healthy, prosperous Indonesian society. Clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS) is an action to empower elementary school students to be able and willing to carry out clean and healthy living behaviors so as to create a healthy school environment. This community service activity aims to provide socialization and education for students at SD Negeri number 8 Sianting-anting, Samosir Regency. Activities consist of socialization in the form of counseling, discussion and question and answer. The activity participants consisted of 71 students from grades 1 to 6. The material presented was how to wash hands with soap and running water, consume healthy snacks, use clean and healthy latrines, exercise regularly, eradicate mosquito larvae, smoke free at school, dispose of trash in its place and work together to keep the school environment clean. Participants were very enthusiastic and gave positive responses and actively participated in socialization activities. The results of the activity evaluation showed that the participants were able to wash their hands properly, mentioned the PHBS components at school, and after the socialization activities, students also implemented PHBS at SDN 8 Sianting-anting, Samosir Regency. The statistical test using the t-paired test showed that the value of p = 0.001 (p <0.05) which means that there is a difference before and after being given PHBS education on the level of knowledge of students at SDN 8 Sianting-anting, Samosir Regency.


Multiconfiguration molecular mechanics (MCMM) is an extension of molecular mechanics to chemically reactive systems. This dual-level method combines molecular mechanics potentials for the reactant and product configurations with electronic structure Hessians at the saddle point and a small number of nonstationary points to model the potential energy surface in the reaction swath region between reactants and products where neither molecular mechanics potential is valid. The resulting semiglobal potential energy surface is used as input for dynamics calculations of tunneling probabilities and variational transition state theory rate constants. In this paper, we present a standard strategy for applying MCMM to calculate rate constants for atom transfer reactions. In particular, we propose a general procedure for determining where to calculate the electronic structure Hessians. We tested this strategy for a diverse test suite of six reactions involving hydrogen-atom transfer. It yields reasonably accurate rat...


In this paper, we find noticeable relationships between traditional factors, with evidence in favor of the B/M effect and little for the size effect. Using the Fama-Macbeth procedure, we find that the market risk premium is significantly positive, whereas the size factor is significantly negative. There is no evidence of a low volatility effect, the momentum effect is persistent and low dividend yield firms outperform firms with high dividend yields. Using the Chi-squared and GRS test, we find that the inclusion of various risk factors does lead to a fairly high proportion of variability of stock returns being explained. It also shows that the models suffer from significant pricing errors. Furthermore, the rank restriction test shows that there are several irrelevant risk factors, and most of the models used in this paper don't pass the HJ-distance test nor the LM test, except for the CAPM specification. Lastly, low volatility is priced, whereas momentum and dividend yield are not.


Multi-drug resistant bacterial β-lactamases evolve rapidly with hundreds of mutations as in TEM and OXA variants. More than twenty different distinct β-lactamases (including A-D groups) were sequenced and to overcome the drug hydrolysis, hundreds of new drug derivatives were introduced as in imipenem where the "S" atom of thiazoline ring of β-lactam was replaced by "C" atom. We found here that NDM-1 and KPC-1 βlactanase enzymes had selective hotspot mutations not found in mostly characterized class A and OXA class B enzymes. Such metallo enzymes differ catalytically with Class A serine β-lactamases that are unable to hydrolyse imipenem and β-lactamase inhibitor, cavulinic acid. KPC-2 and NDM-1 β-lactamae genes were activated in high expression mode plasmids and could hydrolyse all β-lactams (also cephalosporins and carbapenems), inhibitors and maintain severe disease phenotypes. NDM-1 variant had most hotspot mutation at amino acid positions 154 and 130. While in KPC-1 most amino acid mutations were found at positions 103, 174, 239 and 272. S174G mutation was found in all KPC clinical isolates studied. Two enzymes had distinct difference in amino acid sequence as well as mutational profiles. However, analysis of crystal data clearly stated that both enzymes could adopt a compact conformation to bind same substrate like imipenem. Further, we suggest that class B metallo-β-lactamase genes like blaKPC and blaNDM are capable to resist the mutation under antibiotic pressure. Such mutationsal analysis has profound implication to start combination therapy as well as to design common primers for PCR detection of clinical isolates necessary to understand the mode of transmission of MDR pathogens into human population worldwide.


Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of intraluminal brachytherapy with 192Ir to prevent recurrence of urethral stricture after operation.Methods 65 patients with urethral stricture were randomly divided into 2 groups after operation.The treatment group received intraluminal brachytherapy with 192Ir and was compared with the control group.Results The recurrence rate of urethral stricture in the treatment group was 12.5% and that in control group was 69.7% during the follow-up of 18 months.There was a significant statistical difference between(P0.05).Conclusion Intraluminal brachytherapy with 192Ir can effectively prevent recurrence of urethral stricture effectively after operation.


[1] Subpixel heterogeneity remains a key issue in the estimation of land parameters using satellite passive microwave sensors; the scales of spatial variability on land are typically much smaller than sensor footprints (tens of km). Disaggregation is a necessary component of any successful assimilation or retrieval scheme attempting to exploit satellite passive microwave observations to estimate parameters at the local scale. This paper quantifies the similarity between ground-based brightness and satellite brightness observations at 19 and 37 GHz for Arctic tundra on the North Slope of Alaska, identifying and quantifying sources of the differences. To the extent that this very homogeneous area represents a limiting case, the impact of subpixel heterogeneity in less homogeneous areas may be gauged. The ground-based radiobrightness observations were collected during the Radiobrightness Energy Balance Experiment 3 (REBEX-3) conducted on the North Slope in 1994–1995. A comparison was made of 381 days of brightness observations from a tower-mounted Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) simulator representing the full range of annual conditions with coincident satellite SSM/I observations. Issues such as instrument stability, the effects of atmospheric radiative transfer, and consistency of satellite pixel locations are considered. Linear correlations between tower-based and SSM/I brightness observations of 0.93, 0.94, 0.93, and 0.92 were observed for the 19V, 19H, 37V, and 37H channels, respectively. Footprint sizes were 2 � 4 m for the tower-based observations and 43 � 69 km for the resampled SSM/I observations. Atmospheric, topographic, and time-ofobservation effects can account for the differences between the best fit lines and the 1:1 lines, with calibration errors accounting for the residual differences. INDEX TERMS: 1823 Hydrology: Frozen ground; 1863 Hydrology: Snow and ice (1827); 3360 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Remote sensing; 6969 Radio Science: Remote sensing; 9315 Information Related to Geographic Region: Arctic region; KEYWORDS: remote sensing, microwaves, radiometry, Arctic, tundra, land surface


This study examined the relation between changes in clinical functioning and changes in verbal expression in 81 seriously disturbed and treatment-resistant young adults seen in a comprehensive, psychoanalytically oriented inpatient treatment. Clinical functioning was evaluated with a battery of clinical and social measures. Verbal representations were assessed using computer-assisted scoring of Thematic Apperception Test responses. Changes in the frequency of verbal content and style in the narratives of these patients covaried with changes in clinical functioning. Significantly different covariations of verbal and clinical change, particularly differences in covariates of referential activity, were found for patients with anaclitic versus introjective personality configurations. The implications of these findings for understanding and treating severe psychopathology are discussed.


A new and simple method to adjust the step-size (μ) of the standard Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) adaptive algorithm is proposed here. The value of μ is totally controlled by the use of a Pseudorandom Noise (PRN) uniform distribution that is defined by values from 0 to 1. Randomizing the step-size parameter eliminates much of the trade-off between residual error and convergence speed compared with the fixed step-size. The mean-square error (MSE) of using the new algorithm in the adaptation process of system identification over a defined communication channel is investigated here. The proposed uniformly distributed step-size variation in the adaptation process of the NLMS algorithm makes it possible to have similar convergence rate but lower steady state error compared with fixed µ.


This article aims to study the ellipse from the perspective of pure or synthetic geometry to the representation of points on a plane through the use of real numbers, as well as the representation and classification of this conic curve through the use of equations. The perspective developed in this article is based on the view of Rene Descartes, in considering that "the algebraic steps in a demonstration should really correspond to a geometric representation." The relevance of this article is to bring a reflection that eliminates the study of Analytical Geometry through ready-made and finished formulas, without satisfactory justification and without a logical chain that gives a greater meaning to the studied concepts. In general, the study developed in this article emphasizes the demonstration of results based on propositions adapted a priori, whose ability to be developed is aimed at establishing an "if...then" type of reasoning, making conjectures involving various knowledge already acquired and confirming such truths from a logical system, using definitions and propositions. Therefore, the demonstrations made in the scope of Synthetic Geometry will help to establish a connection with the equations obtained from the perspective of Analytical Geometry, serving as a consultation for students and professors of Analytical Geometry, thus avoiding sudden transitions between contents of degrees of distinct difficulties.


Three novel donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) type polymers P1, P2 and P3 could be synthesized from a diiodo substituted aza-borondipyrromethene (aza-BODIPY) derivative (M-1) with 3,6-diethynyl-9-octyl-9H-carbazole (M-2), 3,7-diethynyl-10-octyl-10H-phenothiazine (M-3) and 3,7-diethynyl-10-octyl-10H-phenothiazine-S,S-dioxide (M-4) via a Pd-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling reaction. These resulting aza-BODIPY-based conjugated polymers show narrow near-infrared emission in the range of 742–763 nm. The D–π–A polymers can also exhibit an interesting trend of visible color (cyan for P1, green for P2 and light green for P3) in solution by the choice of different monomer structures. The band gaps of the alternating polymers can be tuned in the range 0.96–1.14 eV by using three different donors, which can be attributed to the internal charge transfer from an electron-rich to an electron-deficient moiety.


Our goal has been to assign values for as many nutrients as possible for all foods in the Norwegian Food Composition Table. Where analytical values for foods sold in Norway could not be found, the table values have been estimated from recipes, borrowed from foreign food composition tables, or appraised in accordance with similar foods


In order to reduce the area and save the amount of engineering,the form of large plane bending and relatively short overall length were taken by preliminary design in cyclical water intake channel of a typical power plant.Two-dimensional turbulent model was used to simulate,and the adverse impact caused by curved helical flow movement in the curved diversion section was analyzed.Optimal design was obtained in the entrance of intake channel for containing the helical flow movement and adjusting velocity distribution.The herringbone column of cooling tower in front of the intake channel entrance was transformed into the diversion pier to control the water flow movement of the pilot section.The model test shows that the measure can effectively dealt with the direction of the water flow in the curved section and equalize velocity distribution,and the control effect can meet the requirements.


Gene expression-based heterogeneity analysis has been extensively conducted. In recent studies, it has been shown that network-based analysis, which takes a system perspective and accommodates the interconnections among genes, can be more informative than that based on simpler statistics. Gene expressions are highly regulated. Incorporating regulations in analysis can better delineate the"sources"of gene expression effects. Although conditional network analysis can somewhat serve this purpose, it does render enough attention to the regulation relationships. In this article, significantly advancing from the existing heterogeneity analyses based only on gene expression networks, conditional gene expression network analyses, and regression-based heterogeneity analyses, we propose heterogeneity analysis based on gene expression networks (after accounting for or"removing"regulation effects) as well as regulations of gene expressions. A high-dimensional penalized fusion approach is proposed, which can determine the number of sample groups and parameter values in a single step. An effective computational algorithm is proposed. It is rigorously proved that the proposed approach enjoys the estimation, selection, and grouping consistency properties. Extensive simulations demonstrate its practical superiority over closely related alternatives. In the analysis of two breast cancer datasets, the proposed approach identifies heterogeneity and gene network structures different from the alternatives and with sound biological implications.


Abstract : The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intends to enact new National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs). One of these NESHAPs is expected to directly impact many of the Department of Defense organic coating stripping operations that involve methylene-chloride- based paint strippers. Overall, there are two chemical depainting processes that will be impacted: "manual" (brush-on, scrape off) and "immersion" (dip tanks). The purpose of this effort is to investigate HAP-free alternative chemical paint strippers as potential replacements for the methylene-chloride- based chemical strippers currently used in both processes. Historically, methylene-chloride- based strippers have been faster and more effective at stripping the MIL-P-46168 chemical agent resistant coatings (CARC) system than many alternatives. Therefore, finding a HAP-free chemical stripper that will minimally impact the U. S. Army depots throughput rate is an important consideration. This report compares the performance of methylene-chloride strippers vs. HAP-free alternatives in timed laboratory paint stripping experiments to remove four different CARC systems: MIL-P-46168, MIL-P-53039, and MIL-P-64159 Type I and Type II from both aluminum and steel substrates.


The ongoing expansion in the Internet is the cause of continuous utilization and traffic behaviour changes. Due to diversity and fast changing properties, the Internet is a moving target. The tremendous increase in usage of the internet has necessitated the development of a tool that can model the suitability and quality of a network in terms of software metric. The effective management of any network requires quantification, measuring and modeling that can depict the nature of a network. This paper illustrates an approach to calculate the Activeness of a Local Area Network (LAN) and describes a tool called LAN Activeness Calculator (LANAC). The paper describes the Network Activeness Metric (NAM) which can gauge the degree of readiness of a LAN to give a response. General Terms Software Metric, Networking, Local Area Networks, Quality of Service (QoS)


Crisis communication training and skill development are critical to ensure the sustainability of the agriculture industry. The purpose of this study was to assess students' perceptions of knowledge, ability, and skills on select crisis-related skills, tasks, and activities in order to identify the potential effectiveness of a Second LifeTM (SL) simulation. Preand post-test data were collected to determine the potential changes in skill in the seven crisis communication constructs of (a) related knowledge; (b) mass, group, and intrapersonal communications; (c) contingency planning; (d) use of related supplies and tools; (e) identifying learning and training needs; (f) related areas of expertise; and (g) personality traits. Participants also identified their SL Performance Expectancy as it pertained to crisis communications training. Of the population of study (N = 15), 12 usable pairs (n = 12) were analyzed and described in the findings. Participants identified their current competency level in each of the crisis communication skill areas using a 6-point Likert-type scale that ranged from "no knowledge/experience" to "expert". A grand mean was calculated for each construct with differences between preand post-test scores being examined. The resulting difference in each of the seven crisis communication constructs represented a large effect when comparing pre-test/post-test scores. Based on data, participants increased in knowledge, ability, and skills on associated items. Each item could be used to improve a communicator's ability to effectively manage a crisis. Virtual worlds appear to be an effective training mechanism and additional research should be focused in this area. * Gregory C. Jernigan is a May 2013 graduate with a major in Agricultural Business in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. † Jessica R. England is a graduate assistant from the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education. § Leslie D. Edgar is the faculty mentor and an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education. I am from the Searcy area and graduated from Searcy High School in 2008. I graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business in May 2013. Throughout my collegiate career, I have been involved in multiple organizations including Sigma Pi Fraternity International. I plan to begin my M.S. degree program in Agricultural Economics in the fall of 2013 under the guidance of Dr. Jennie Popp. My concentration will lie in finance. I would like to give special thanks to Dr. Leslie Edgar, the mentor of this project. Without her guidance this would not have been possible. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities she created throughout this research. MEET THE STUDENT-AUTHOR


We present a new semi-empirical model for the funneling-assisted currents due to single events. It is then used to predict the collected charge due to the funneling process. Comparison with previously published simulated data using ISE CAD tools has shown that the relative error in the collected charge prediction is of about 0.8%. This model can be used for circuit simulations in space applications.


A method using a vaccine vector and the have the ability of eliciting an immune response against enteric bacteria are provided. The vaccine vector comprising a polynucleotide encoding a PAL polypeptide. The PAL polypeptide may be expressed on the surface of the vaccine vector. The vaccine vector may also include a second polypeptide encoding an immunostimulatory polypeptide (e.g. CD154 polypeptide or HMGB1 polypeptide).


This report describes the work performed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy`s Office of Nonproliferation and National Security, Office of Research and Development (NN-20). The work supports the NN-20 Broad Area Search and Analysis, a program initiated by NN-20 to improve the detection and classification of undeclared weapons facilities. Ongoing PNNL research activities are described in three main components: image collection, information processing, and change analysis. The Multispectral Airborne Imaging System, which was developed to collect georeferenced imagery in the visible through infrared regions of the spectrum, and flown on a light aircraft platform, will supply current land use conditions. The image information extraction software (dynamic clustering and end-member extraction) uses imagery, like the multispectral data collected by the PNNL multispectral system, to efficiently generate landcover information. The advanced change detection uses a priori (benchmark) information, current landcover conditions, and user-supplied rules to rank suspect areas by probable risk of undeclared facilities or proliferation activities. These components, both separately and combined, provide important tools for improving the detection of undeclared facilities.


Objective To explore the significance of gene mutation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR) C677T in the development of acute mesenteric venous thrombosis(AMVT).Methods Sixty-three cases of AMVT(AMVT group) and 128 healthy controls(control group) were recruited in the study.The concentrations of plasma Hcy and folic acid were respectively measured by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunity method.The polymorphism of MTHFR C677T was detected by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP).Results The plasma Hcy level of the AMVT patients was(23.5±8.8) μmol/L,Which differed significantly from that of the controls,Which was(12.7±6.9) μmol/L(P0.01).There was obvious negative correlation between the plasma Hcy and folic acid levels(AMVT:r=-0.42,P0.01,control:r=-0.39,P0.01).The prevalence of TT genotypes of MTHFR(C677T) between AMVT group and normal control group had significant difference(33.3% vs.17.2%,χ2=6.31,P0.05).Conclusions The higher plasma Hcy level might be a risk factor in the onset of AMVT.The homozygote of MTHFR C677T(TT) may be an important risk factor of AMVT.


Thailand's rice-pledging scheme has been widely criticized for its unsustainability. While the government argues that the program is beneficial for rice farmers, the opposition points out that the program has resulted in significant losses. Over the past few years, data have been used as a tool to support arguments from both the government and the opposition. However, the reliability of data utilized by both sides is questionable. This paper discusses problems surrounding data collection and usage, both of which have contributed to the controversy surrounding the policy.


1. Introduction: From Phosphate Springs to 'Nordstream': Contemporary Environmentalism in the Baltic States David J. Galbreath 2. Where Have all the Environmentalists Gone? Baltic Greens in the mid-1990s Timofey Agarin 3. Nature Conservation in Estonia: From Soviet Union to European Union Richard Caddell 4. Green, Black and Brown: Uncovering Latvia's Environmental Politics David J. Galbreath and Daunis Auers 5. Without a Tinge of Red: The Fall and Rise of the Estonian Greens Allan Sikk and Rune Holmgaard Andersen 6. Minority Environmentalism and Eco-nationalism in the Baltics: Green Citizenship in the Making? Tove H. Malloy 7. Sustainable Development in Lithuania: Between the Government Agenda and the Undiscovered Civil Society Nora Mzavanadze 8. Narva-Ivangorod: Integrating and Disintegrating Transboundary Water Networks and Infrastructure Jussi S. Jauhiainen and Tarmo Pikner 9. Environment and Energy: The Baltic Sea Gas Pipeline Ellen Karm


Rotated Image with Maximum Average Power Spectrum (RIMAPS) is a new image characterization technique that was recently described as a valuable tool for the analysis and characterization of technical and biological surfaces. The objective of this work was to ascertain whether RIMAPS may be used to obtain a quantitative description of patterns of development displayed by roots in hydroponics. Visual observations on roots of wild‐type barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grown in hydroponics by the sandwich method showed, before their submergence, an erratic growth with windings and turnings, which after several days created a tangle of roots above the water surface. This intricate morphology is difficult to study without disturbing the root development. Hence, RIMAPS is introduced as an original method for the quantitative description of root axes distribution in a nondestructive way. Accordingly, patterns of root development were recorded by a digital camera. The Gaussian fitting of RIMAPS spectra resultant from digital images of roots were used to analyze, quantify, and compare differences in the pattern of root development observed between the wild type and a barley root mutant. Additionally, a parameter Γ was introduced that is obtained from the Gaussian curve and quantifies differences in angles displayed by root axes during their development with regard to the axial direction.


To improve the efficiency of SVM's parameters selection and features selection,a simultaneous selection method based on the differential evolution algorithm(DE-SVM)was proposed. In the coding mode,the vectors of DE are divided into parameter dimensions and feature dimensions. The parameter dimensions are used directly to select the parameters,and by"integer-binary conversion"the feature dimensions are used to select the features.Several numerical experiments on UCI benchmark datasets show the effectiveness of the proposed method.Compared with the parameters and features simultaneous selection method based on particle swarm optimization(PSO- SVM),the DE-SVM has higher efficiency and stronger ability of features selection.


2-Hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (HMBATSC) has been synthesized and its analytical applications are investigated. A rapid, simple, sensitive and selective spectrophotometric method is developed for the determination of palladium (II) in aqueous dimethyl formamide (DMF). Palladium (II) forms a yellowish green coloured M 2 L 3 complex with 2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone in the pH range 1.0-7.0 at room temperature. The complex shows absorption maximum at 380nm with molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of 2.198 x 10 4 l mol -1 cm -1 and 0.049μg cm -2 respectively. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.426 to 4.257 μg ml -1 of Pd (II). A second order derivative spectrophotometric method for the determination of palladium (II) has also been proposed. Interference of various diverse ions has been studied. The proposed method is successfully applied for the determination of palladium in alloy steels and in hydrogenation catalysts.


Several supervised approaches have been proposed for causality identification by relying on shallow linguistic features. However, such features do not lead to improved performance. Therefore, novel sources of knowledge are required to achieve progress on this problem. In this paper, we propose a model for the recognition of causality in verb-noun pairs by employing additional types of knowledge along with linguistic features. In particular, we focus on identifying and employing semantic classes of nouns and verbs with high tendency to encode cause or non-cause relations. Our model incorporates the information about these classes to minimize errors in predictions made by a basic supervised classifier relying merely on shallow linguistic features. As compared with this basic classifier our model achieves 14.74% (29.57%) improvement in F-score (accuracy), respectively.


The paper explores a theory of persona expounded by John Clendon in 1710. We see that the theory depicts an eighteenth-century understanding that people had multiple and discontinuous personae, some of which may be public and others private. The same idea is noted in the elegy as William Shenstone theorizes it. As an example, the paper concludes with a reading of William Mason's and Thomas Gray's elegaic poetry, suggesting that Robert Lloyd and George Colman's satires demonstrate that one of Mason's and Gray's personae shows same-sex desire for each other.


New preliminary results obtained in the study of optical fiber properties, for the development of a new radiation dosimeter sensitive to high energy photon beams, are presented in this paper. Optical fiber has been exposed to high energy photon beam generated by ALIN 10 linear accelerator. The exposure of the optical fibers to the high energy photon beam has produced an increase in radiation induced attenuation (RIA), a physical quantity used to exposure dose quantification. Attenuation in the optical fibers was measured before, during and after irradiation, for two wavelength values. The experimental results show that the optical fiber has a good response to radiation exposure and, therefore, can be useful in achieving the purposes of this study.


Theory of ethnic group and ethnic identity has become one of the most important issues in anthropological research. Education and Ethnic Identity, wrote by Zhang Hui-zhen, explains that how the Huamiao people who live in Shimenkan construct the ethnic identity in Guizhou province. This paper is a reading notes about the book. It tries to analyze the thought, methods and ideas of the author.


The Pakistan Family Planning Program functions as an autonomous body through the Ministry of Health. The Minister of Health is chairman of the Family Planning Council which is the main policy and planning unit. Each province has a Provincial Family Planning Board responsible for implementation. The District Family Planning Board functioning within the province is in charge of publicity and education, distribution and sale of supplies, and provision of clinical services and facilities. The District Board has about 1000 workers--medical and paramedical in the clinics, family planning officers for education and motivation, lady organizers (local motivator and agent of sale of conventional contraceptives), and agents (outlets for conventional contraceptives). There are full-time clinics for IUD insertions, follow-up, and medical and paramedical training; part-time clinics; and mobile clinics for IUD service in remote areas. In 1967-1968 there were 938 clinics: 361 urban and 577 rural. There were 46 full-time and 315 part-time urban clinics and 158 full-time and 419 part-time rural clinics. 65,000 IUD insertions are done a month.


In this article the authors have analyzed possible accidental situations during the work with microorganisms, what confirms some degree of risk during the work with pathogenic bio agents of I-II groups. High professional standard of microbiological laboratories staff, information about potential sources and reasons of invasion can minimize occupational risk for the staff during their professional activity, connected with researching of infectious agents' characteristics.


This article examines the evolving character of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) as regards merger review and discusses how CCI has fared in meeting legislative expectations and what is to come—best studied through analysing CCI's substantive and procedural approaches, its stance in complex merger cases, initiatives for efficient case disposal, and the quirkier aspects of India's merger control regime. The analysis shows that, through constant reforms, CCI has evolved into one of the most dynamic regulators amongst major merger control jurisdictions globally, displaying a willingness to adopt a business-friendly approach while dealing with complex transactions. CCI appears to be sufficiently adaptable to meet new economy challenges.


Pf155/RESA (Ring Infected Erythrocyte Surface Antigen), is a Plasmodium falciparum protein discharged by the dense granules of merozoites during invasion and exported to the inner face of the erythrocyte membrane, where it interacts with spectrin in the young stages. Chromosome 1 subtelomeric deletion, eliminating amongst others the resa gene, may occur during adaptation of parasite isolates to in vitro culture. This is accompanied by erythrocyte membrane modifications of the red blood cell, such as increased adhesion and effect on membrane rigidity. It has been proposed that RESA was likely to contribute to these functional and rheological modifications. To assess this, we have constructed resa knock-out parasites in the FUP/CB strain. This results in negativating the erythrocyte membrane immunofluorescence of glutaraldehyde-fixed red blood cells (EMIF), indicating that RESA is critical for EMIF reactivity of hyperimmune human sera. Phenotypic and functional analysis of resa k.o. parasites indicated that loss of RESA expression neither affects membrane rigidity nor CD36 binding under flow conditions. Furthermore, infection of Saimiri sciureus monkeys showed that resa gene deletion does not account on its own for the greater adaptation and parasite virulence in this model.


Human activity and land management practices, in particular land use change, have resulted in the global loss of biodiversity. These types of disturbance affect the shape of macroecological patterns, and therefore analyzing these patterns can provide insights into how ecosystems are affected by land use change. We here use arthropod census data from 96 sites at Terceira Island in the Azores archipelago across four different land uses of increasing management intensity: native forest, exotic forest, semi-natural pasture, and intensive pasture, to examine the effects of land use type on three macroecological patterns: the species abundance distribution, the metabolic rate distribution of individuals, and the species–area relationship. The Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology (METE) has successfully predicted these patterns across habitats and taxa in undisturbed ecosystems, and thus provides a null expectation for their shapes. Across these patterns, we find that the forest habitats are the best fit by METE predictions, while the semi-natural pasture is consistently the worst fit, and the intensive pasture is intermediately well fit. We show that the direction of failure of the METE predictions at the pasture sites is likely due to the hyper-dominance of introduced spider species present there. We hypothesize that the particularly poor fit for the semi-natural pasture is due to the mix of arthropod communities out of equilibrium, leading to greater heterogeneity in composition and complex dynamics that violate METE's assumption of static state variables. The comparative better fit for the intensive pasture plausibly results from more homogeneous arthropod communities that are well adapted to intensive management, and thus whose state variables are less in flux. Analyzing deviations from theoretical predictions across land use type provides useful information about how land use and disturbance affect ecosystems, and such comparisons could be useful across other habitats and taxa.


An ultra-low energy wake-up timer suitable for heavily duty-cycled systems is presented. A prototype implemented in 0.18μm CMOS consumes 4.2pW of power for 18Hz of oscillation (0.23pJ/cycle). A dynamic 3-stage architecture, duty-cycled current-source, and low operating voltage (0.6V) enabled by a voltage boost circuit all contribute to the improved efficiency.


Research has demonstrated that young rice seedling accelerates growth and hull ashes ameliorates acidic soil. The objectives of the research were to gain information about appropriate dosages of hull ashes and about transplanting dates of local rice varieties. This research was conducted in September 2007 through February 2008 in Bengkulu City. Rice plant cv. Surya was planted at different seedling ages in pots. Split plot design was used and consisted of two factors which were seedling ages and ash hull dosages, which arranged in complete randomized block design. As main plot was seedling age which were 5, 10 on 15 days after sowing (das), whereas as sub plot was hull ash dosages which were 0; 62,5; 125 on 187,5 g pot-1
. Five das of seedling ages produced maximum tillers of 239,83 stems; however combination of 15 das of seedling ages and 187,5 g of ash hull dosages indicated highest seed number per stem (163.98).


This paper analyzed the main problem of initiating explosive device experimental teaching and explored the thought of establishing single emulational experiment and trengthening synthetical experiment. The practice shows it can utilize experimental resources reasonably and improve students' comprehensive quality effectively.


Novel polyhydroxyesterimides were prepared by the reaction between diglycidyl monomers and diimidodiacids at the molar ratio 1/1 in the presence of triethylbenzylamonim chloride as catalyst. Diimidodiacids (DIMDA) were obtained from Diels-Alder adduct of resin acids with maleic anhydride and two aromatic diamines, at the molar ratio 1:2. The chemical reactions between the diglycidyl monomers (diglycidylether of bisphenol A -DGEBA and diglycidyl ether of hydroquinone–DGEHQ) and diimidodiacids were monitored by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The chemical structures of the obtained monomers and polymers were established by means of elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR methods. Thermal stability of the obtained polymers was also investigated and showed that they are reasonably thermostable.


Welds in austenitic stainless steel pipes are notoriously difficult to nondestructively examine using conventional ultrasonic and eddy current methods. Survace irregularities and microscopic variations in magnetic permeability cause false eddy current signal variations. Ultrasonic methods have been developed which use computer processing of the data to overcome some of the problems. Electro-thermal nondestructive testing shows promise for detecting flaws that are difficult to detect using other NDT methods. Results of a project completed to develop and demonstrate the potential of an electro-thermal method for nondestructively testing stainless steel pipe welds are presented. Electro-thermal NDT uses a brief pulse of electrical current injected into the pipe. Defects at any depth within the weld cause small differences in surface electrical current distribution. These cause short-lived transient temperature differences on the pipe's surface that are mapped using an infrared scanning camera. Localized microstructural differences and normal surface roughness in the welds have little effect on the surface temperatures.


With the national low-altitude airspace open, small UAVs are widely used in urban space. But there are dense obstacles and complex electromagnetic waves, producing serious challenges for UAVs' safety. In the region UAV loses track, it should have the ability to fly automatically and to escape from this region. By imitating the human-beings' escaping thoughts, five flying principles(exploring principle, optimal path principle, dead zone escaping principle, neighbor gather principle and roominess tending principle) are proposed based on the combination of breadth first algorithm, exploring random tree structure, so a humanoid algorithm is constructed on the basis of the five principles. The contrastive simulation results have verified that the proposed method in this paper can not only avoid the problem in traditional algorithms that obstacles simplifying is not applicable to dense environment, but also greatly boost exploring efficiency by applying exploring random tree structure to breadth first algorithm.


At present, many refractive index sensors based on plasmonic structures are inefficiency in practical applications due to the presence of metal ohmic losses. Here we propose an all-dielectric metasurface and conduct a comprehensive analysis of the multi-Fano resonances in the structure with high Figure of Merit for the near-infrared regime. The structure is composed of two silicon elliptical cylinders with asymmetric minor axe on silica substrate coated graphene. The finite-difference time-domain method for three-dimensional model is utilized for investigating the transmission spectra and electromagnetic field distributions. The results show the Fano resonances are arising from the interactions between a radiant mode and a non-radiative dark mode by adding asymmetric parameter. Four sharp Fano peaks can be observed which the maximum Q-factor can exceed 104. According to the electromagnetic field distributions, we analyze the resonant modes of the four peaks in detail and investigate the influence of geometry parameters on the resonances. Furthermore, we find that the Fano resonances are very sensitive to the background refractive index. The results show that the sensitivity of the structure can achieve 400 nm/RIU and the corresponding figure of merit can reach 3074. The proposed structure has potential application as refractive index sensor.


Deregulation of the intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis by NMDA receptor activation leads to neuronal cell death. Induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPT) by Ca2+ is a critical event in mediating cell death. In this study, we used fluorescent Ca2+ indicators to investigate the effect of high concentrations of NMDA on cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]c and [Ca2+]m, respectively) in cultured striatal neurons. Exposure to NMDA resulted in an immediate, sustained increase in [Ca2+]c followed by a secondary increase in [Ca2+]c. This second increase of [Ca2+]c was prevented by pretreatment with N‐methyl‐valine‐4‐cyclosporin (NMV‐Cys). Exposure of neurons to NMDA also resulted in an increase in [Ca2+]m that was followed by a precipitous decrease in the rhod‐2 signal. This decrease followed the time frame of the secondary increase in [Ca2+]c. Preincubation of the neurons with NMV‐Cys prevented the decrease in rhod‐2 fluorescence. These dynamic changes in the rhod‐2 signal and [Ca2+]m in response to NMDA were confirmed by using confocal microscopy. The presented results indicate that MPT can be detected in living neurons using fluorescent Ca2+ indicators, which would allow the study of the physiological role of MPT in cell death.


Recent studies on properties of proton-rich nuclei in the A = 70 mass region brought insights into fundamental symmetries and interactions and produced characteristics required by the astrophysical scenarios on the rp-process path revealing coexistence phenomena which dominate the structure and dynamics of these exotic nuclei. Isospin mixing and related phenomena like Coulomb energy differences, mirror energy differences, triplet energy differences as well as superallowed Fermi beta decay in isovector triplets have been investigated. The interplay between isospin-symmetry-breaking and shape-coexistence effects on isospin-related phenomena in N ≃ Z nuclei as well as weak interaction processes under terrestrial and stellar x-ray burst environment have been explored in the frame of the beyond-mean-field complex Excited Vampir variational model. We used an adequate model space and the effective interaction was derived from a G-matrix starting from the charge-dependent Bonn CD potential. Results concerning the influence of shape coexistence and mixing on the structure and β-decay properties of exotic nuclei will be reviewed.


The quality of substation acceptance test relates to the operation level of substation after being put into operation.In view of the operation and maintenance,this paper discusses the problems in substation acceptance test,including the selection of acceptance test standard,the ratio confirmation of current transformer,the test items that should be done by user themselves,and the acceptance tests of secondary circuit and anti-misoperation system,DC system,voltage transformer and ferroresonance eliminator at voltage transformer primary side.In addition,the paper also gives opinion to those problems.


Multifaceted study of law, owing to complex social problems attached to it, calls for the combination of several methods of research. Integration rather than isolated application of methods of research leads to multi-method legal research (MMLR). It combines doctrinal and non-doctrinal research, qualitative and quantitative research, and a combination of various methods within each. This method is highly valuable as it looks at law from different angles, uses interdisciplinary research, collaborates with community or stakeholders, and avoids undetected errors arising from the use of mono-method. The synergy of using deductive and inductive reasoning enhances quality of research. The procedure of MMLR is not rigid. Therefore, research design should consider the suitability of combination; combination of methods should be linked with theory; sequential or simultaneous application of multiple methods should be carefully executed; and management of MMLR should be smooth. MMLR's use in research on vulnerable groups, development issues, and biographical and behavioural studies is of great importance.


Network media are the important component of government crisis management.An important issue in government crisis management is the accurate orientation of the network media by giving full play to its advantages to help government in crisis information dissemination and to perform its function as a link between government and public.The time sequence analysis model,coordination-interaction mechanism analysis model and decision-making process analysis model are set up in the paper in order to provide a comprehensive interpretation to the orientation and function of the network media in crisis management.


The nature of diffusivity and porosity in rock was studied as a function of various parameters. The phenomena of main interest were dead-end porosity, ion-exclusion and sorption. The rock types studied were rapakivi granite, granite and gneiss, and tracer techniques with 36 Cl, 22 Na + and 3 H (HTO) were used as a research method. A mathematical solution for outdiffusion from a porous cylinder was developed by applying a corrected form of Fick's second law for a case where part of the pores are so-called dead-end pores. With this model the theoretical curve could be closely fitted to the measured values. It was found that the rock-capacity factor is an increasing function of the ionic concentration of the solution in the case of Cl indicating ion-exclusion, while the opposite is true in the case of Na + indicating ion-exchange type sorption. The effective diffusion coefficient was also found to vary as a function of the salinity in the case of 36 Cl. In the case of 22 Na, the effect was opposite and weaker. The diffusion of tritium through the rock samples was clearly higher than the diffusion of 36 Cl. Part of the difference is explained by the smaller effective porosity for 36 Cl. The rest can probably be explained by the steric effects on the chloride ion caused by the negatively charged pore surfaces in the narrow pores.


Virtual surgical training systems play an active role in solving the problems brought by traditional surgical training and enhancing the operation security and the cure rate.After introducing the current status of the development of virtual surgery training system,the research progress of interaction device for virtual surgical training is highlighted.Constructive solutions are put forward to make up for the deficiencies existed in the current of interaction device,and its trends and prospects are analyzed.


Object: The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of tripartite motif 59 (TRIM59) on atherosclerosis (AS) of ApoE (-/-) mice and to determine whether its mechanism was related to the NF-κB signaling pathway. Methods: AS mouse models were established by continuously feeding ApoE (-/-) mice with a high-fat diet, and then the mice were grouped and injected intraperitoneally with 6 μg/kg, 12 μg/kg and 18 μg/kg TRIM59 recombinant protein respectively. The aortic arch lesions and plaque vulnerability were observed and the inflammatory factor levels and related proteins expression were detected. Results: After treatment with different doses of TRIM59 recombinant protein, the number of atherosclerotic plaques in ApoE (-/-) AS mice decreased at different degrees, the proportion of collagen fibers in the plaque increased significantly, and both extracellular lipid accumulation and the proportion of foam cells in plaques were significantly decreased. The levels of inflammatory mediators MCP-1, ICAM1, TNF-α and IL-1β in the serum were significantly decreased, and expression of NF-κB pathway-related proteins was also down-regulated. Conclusion: TRIM59 protein can ameliorate atherosclerotic lesions and improve the stability of sclerosing plaques, inhibiting AS inflammatory response. The mechanism may be related to regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway by TRIM59 protein.


This study investigates the panel Granger causality relationship approach and variance decomposition to test whether domestic economic growth promote tourists receipts, using international tourism receipts, real GDP per capita growth, exchange rate, financial development, and trade openness for Asian countries over the period of 1995-2014 and whether regional effects should be considered a product of incomes groups in selected Asian countries. Drawing on the selected Asian countries experiments, the empirical investigation of tourism's contribution to growth indicates that factors, as well as tourism-related factors, are conducive to economic growth. Based on the findings of the Panel Granger tests and variance decomposition analysis, tourism receipts and economic growth should be considered in the analysis, since they provide valuable information for policymakers. The interpretation of the causality test can help providing a tool to allocate limited resources in addition to developing appropriate tourism strategies.


CHEN Zi-long was an important writer of the literary world as well as a leader of Yunjian School of Ci-poetry in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty.Because of his good fame and influence,he had many disciples among whom are WANG Yun,SHAO Mei-fen,ZHANG Chu-hong,XU Hui-lang,XIA Wan-chun,DU Deng-chun,etc.They were outstanding representatives of CHEN Zi-long's disciples,and an important force in Jishe Society.


Combined with construction of large span steel truss in the bottom of an Archaized tower, stresses in key members, displacements in control nodes and temperature variation were monitored and measured before and after moving construction temporary constraints. The unloading process based on the rule which constraints were unloaded gradually from outer to inner and four steps were carried out in the field. Compared with measured and theoretical results, they can meet with each other perfectly. The mechanical sensibility of steel stresses with temperature changing were also revealed. Then the reasonable conditions of unloading for the steel truss were advised. The process and method given in this paper provides the basis for safely construction of the Archaized tower, which would be reference for similar load bearing transform of steel structrues.


Report on data of monitoring sediment in Yan'er gully Based on these data,tendency of reducing sediment amounts have been temporary analyzed.The result shows sediment amounts of Yan'er gully has being gradually reduced trend.And point out some problems existing in monitoring work presently in order to provide scientific evidence for special subject group.