commissioned a panel to review the State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS)/National Immunization Survey (NIS) and report its findings to the BSC. This preliminary report summarizes the review process, provides background information on SLAITS/NIS, describes the current status of the surveys, addresses factors affecting the surveys and the environment for health data collection and use, and presents a series of recommendations.


I, __________________________________, authorize Weill Cornell Medical Associates to release a copy of my medical record to: _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ [] Provide records on paper OR [] Provide CD of records in PDF format My doctor at Weill Cornell Medical Associates is/was: ________________________________ Reason for Request: []moving []changed insurance []transferring care for other reason []release info to specialist []other ______________ I specifically authorize the release of the following: _____ Pertinent Record (includes the previous 3 years of office notes, lab work, and ALL other pertinent tests) _____ Entire Chart (please be aware the charge for this may be several hundred dollars, depending on the size of the chart. The entire record will remain on file in our office for 7 years if there is ever a need to access it, and most physicians will not require the entire chart) _____ DO NOT RELEASE: _____ HIV test results _____ Other (identify) _______________________________


This article provides a proof of value for two lodging-property investment-value models presented by the authors in the December 1995 Cornell Quarterly (Volume 36, Number 6; pp. 62-69). Those models allow one to study the effects of two distinct lender-underwriting criteria: the loan-to-value ratio and the alternative debt-service-coverage ratio. The proofs verify the accuracy of those models and demonstrate the ability of the models to produce accurate, useful estimates. The proof is structured as a net-present-value problem that solves for value given the other input values (from the previous article).


It is shown in the literature that in the traditional lecture teaching mode, students are mostly passive and do not actively engage in the learning process. Not being engaged in the learning process, students are more likely to lose interest in the material and less likely to comprehend material at a deep level. Consequently, students in traditional lecturing are more prone to simply target meeting the minimum requirements to pass a course. In contrast, active-learning pedagogies have been designed such that students are given the opportunity to engage in the learning process as active participants in the classroom. This promotes better comprehension of the concepts involved. At Wayne State University, statistics on students' performance indicate that many students entering the Engineering Technology programs either drop or fail to pass courses with a C or better, with success rates being as low as 59% for some courses. To address this issue, the authors have adopted evidence-based active learning techniques in selected courses in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program. The Statics, Dynamics, and Applied Thermodynamics courses were targeted for this initial effort. Statics is a gateway course foundational to the rest of the program, Dynamics is taken right after Statics, and Thermodynamics is one of the most challenging senior level courses. These courses will serve as avenues for measuring the effectiveness (or otherwise) of using active learning techniques in engineering technology education. More specifically, the authors have adopted the following evidence-based techniques: in-class experiments, just-in-time teaching, team quizzes, and students as teachers. This paper describes the specific class activities that were undertaken when implementing the different techniques. The effectiveness of these techniques was measured using students' persistence in the target courses and the final grades. In addition, standardized concept inventory tests were administered at the beginning and the end of the semester as another measure of the effectiveness of this implementation. Preliminary findings from this study indicate that this project has successfully fostered students' interest, persistence, and performance.


It will cost long time and big avenue for the implementation and deployment of real large area video on demand. Proposes by using the combination of cable TV system and PSTN system to implement CATV network reachable video on demand. Meanwhile, points out that the combination of CATV network system, short message system and computer network system will bring benefit of video on demand for operators. On the above basis,puts forward functional architecture of multi-channel video on demand system.


Ti-B4C-Co powders were treated by spraying-drying method,and the excellent spherical powders with diameter of 10-50 μm were obtained. The oxygen content of powders greatly decreases after vacuum heat treatment at 750 ℃ for 1 h. Ti-B-C-N composite coating with thickness of 50-70 μm was prepared by reactive detonation spraying. The phases,microstructure and electrochemical behavior of the coating in artificial seawater solution were investigated. The results show that the phases of coating are different prepared at different parameters,and the oxide exists in the coating. The coating prepared at O2/ C2H2of 1∶ 0. 85 is denser and thicker and has the best anticorrosion property. The property of Ti-B-C-N composite coating is stable in artificial seawater solution. The corrosion potentials of coatings are more positive than that of the carbon substrate. The passivation zone obviously occurs during polarization,which indicates the anticorrosion property of coating is remarkably promoted.


Two patients with temporal lobe epilepsy experienced ictal fear and manifested interictal fear-related behavior. It is suggested that these cases lend support to Bear's sensory-limbic hyperconnection hypothesis, and that the behavioral changes observed in these patients are consistent with the predictions of that hypothesis.


Fungi and yeasts were cultivated on media prepared from Eucheuma carrageenan. The cultures were found to compare well with those grown on agar media.


The fluid dynamics of large area fires is considered. A critical review examines the use of asymptotic plume theories, rotating plume theories, and hydrocode simulations of fire-generated motions to describe a large area fire. A new model describing the strongly buoyant flow of the burning region and its transition to a weakly buoyant, free-convection column is reviewed. The new model simulates combustion processes by a volume heat addition, and allows large changes in density and temperature. Jump conditions applicable at the fire periphery are used to effect model problem closure, thus permitting calculation of the induced fire winds independent of a far-field analysis. Sample results show the turning and decay of a high-velocity inflow to form a nearly vertical flow, and illustrate how the generation of high-velocity fire winds is affected by the dimensions of the burning region, heat release, and the production of buoyancy and pressure gradients.


This paper uses data from the British Election Study 2015 to examine whether voters from wealthier backgrounds are more likely to vote Conservatives instead of any of the other political parties individually.


The Land Customs Administration at the General Authority of Customs (GAC) started the commercial cargo movement through the Abu Samra border yesterday. Activities to facilitate the commercial exchange procedures (import and export) between the State of Qatar and Saudi Arabia began following the conditions announced by the GAC. This development comes after the decision issued by the government of both countries in January to open the Abu Samra and Salwa borders. The border has since been receiving travelers from both countries. Based on the travel and return policy to and from the State of Qatar, applicable in light of COVID-19, and after coordinating with the relevant parties of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), it has been decided to apply various regulatory and preventive controls and procedures regarding the movement of imported and transiting goods from Salwa border port in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Abu Samra border port in the State of Qatar. Murshid Shaheen Al Kuwari, Director of the Land Customs Administration, said that as soon as instructions were received to open the land port between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Land Customs Administration addressed the appropriate departments to coordinate the return of work and to determine the readiness of customs operations inside the port. He also said that many x-ray inspection devices have been provided recently, working according to the best international specifications. The commercial cargo movement started at Abu Samra port according to specific requirements and procedures, including that truck drivers coming through Salwa border port must obtain a certificate authenticated by the Saudi Ministry of Health, proving that they have tested negative for COVID-19, at least 72 hours before the date of entry into Abu Samra port. Al Kuwari added that all exporters of goods through Abu Samara to the Salwa port should comply with the instructions issued by Saudi Customs before proceeding to export or re-export the goods, to avoid any delay or rejection of the goods upon arrival at the Salwa port. P2 MONDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2021 www.thepeninsula.qa 3 RAJAB 1442 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 8534 Sport | 12 Ooredoo Group announces QR1.1bn net profit in 2020 QSL: Ismaeel, Olunga on target as Al Duhail beat Al Rayyan 2-0


The research of the load distributions and bending stresses with helix deviations in power transmission systems is important for effectively improving gear load capacity. The equations of tooth surface with helix slope and form deviation were established by the given forming rack-cutter tool and the path for processing rack-cutter tool. And various kinds of engaged helical gear models with helix slope and form deviation were developed using finite element method software. Finally, tooth surface load distribution and tooth root bending stress were numerically calculated. The effects of the helix slope deviation, different shape, period, and amplitude of helix form deviation on tooth surface load distribution and tooth root bending stress were investigated and the results were compared to each other as specified by grades 5 and 7. It is found that the single helix slope deviation on tooth surface load distribution and tooth root bending stress shows "superposition" effect. Especially, the different shapes, periods, and amplitudes of helix form deviation exhibit significant effect on tooth surface load distribution and tooth root bending stress. Helix form deviation mainly affects the tooth surface load distribution and tooth root bending stress along the tooth longitudinal direction, while has little impact between tooth pairs. The study benefits gear load capacity analysis and provides valuable guidelines for improving the performance of power transmission systems.


Graphene oxide-based nanocomposites (NCMs) exhibit diverse photonic and biophotonic applications. Innovative nanoengineering using a task-specific ionic liquid (IL), namely, 1-butyl-3-methyl tetrafluoroborate [C4mim][BF4], allows one to access a unique class of luminescent nanocomposites formed between lanthanide-doped binary fluorides and graphene oxide (GO). Here the IL is used as a solvent, templating agent, and as a reaction partner for the nanocomposite synthesis, that is, "all three in one". Our study shows that GO controls the size of the NCMs; however, it can tune the luminescence properties too. For example, the excitation spectrum of Ce3+ is higher-energy shifted when GO is attached. In addition, magnetic properties of GdF3:Tb3+ nanoparticles (NPs) and GdF3:Tb3+-GO NCMs are also studied at room temperature (300 K) and very low temperature (2 K). High magnetization results for the NPs (e.g., 6.676 emu g–1 at 300 K and 184.449 emu g–1 at 2 K in the applied magnetic field from +50 to −50 kOe) and NCMs promises their uses in many photonic and biphotonic applications including magnetic resonance imaging, etc.


Abstract : A nonstatic problem is discussed in which the possibility of an SU(6) symmetry arises in a natural way. It is shown that if an SU(6) invariance actually holds, then the magnetic moment ratio generalizes to the form-factor ratio = -2/3.


The NPOESS spacecraft is designed to provide ample resource margins that can be used to support Potential Pre-planned Product Improvement (P3I). The P3I Program Plan supports the infusion of new satellite observational technologies, and the validation of new capabilities. This paper discusses status of the NPOESS spacecraft P3I resources and the planned processes for P3I implementation. In addition, the sensor interface requirements, the sensor information package needs, the schedule and milestones requirements for the NPOESS flights are discussed. The information will be used for the preliminary technical assessment by the government of candidate instruments/experiments programs. This P3I effort is ongoing and the material in this report provides a status of the work.


The adsorption characteristics of an anionic azo dye (New Coccine) on to sewage sludge ash were studied. Results showed that the ash could remove the dye effectively from aqueous solution. The adsorption rate was fast and could be expressed by the modified Freundlich equation. It was found that pH is the most important parameter affecting the adsorption characteristics. The experimental data were correlated well to the non-linear multilayer adsorption isotherm. The ash adsorption capacities for the dye were in the range 3.25–5.70 mol/g and were affected by the pH, ionic strength and temperature. Decreasing pH, ionic strength and temperature increased the adsorption density. The effect of electrical double-layer thickness on the adsorption was discussed. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption was an exothermic process. Values of the first-layer adsorption energy, ΔG10, ranged from −6.86 to −7.45 kcal/mol, suggesting that the adsorption could be considered as a physical process simultaneously enhanced by the electrostatic effect. The multilayer adsorption energy, ΔG20, ranged from −4.33 to −4.51 kcal/mol, suggesting that the adsorption was of the typical physical type. On the basis of the monolayer dye adsorption capacity, the specific surface area of the ash was calculated as 3.84–6.73 m2/g.


Biogas can be produced from any biomass source and is renewable fuel. The main drawbacks in the composition of biogas are the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which affect the storage devices. The removal of CO2 and H2S is of great interest today. Different methods for removal of both the elements were suggested by many researchers. The present work aims to remove the CO2 and H2S using combined effects of water scrubbing and algae. For this purpose a packed bed scrubber was designed using Solid Works and fabricated in our department. The present experimental investigation shows that upto 73% methane in biogas is obtainable with the mixing ratio of SCK: CD (25: 75), in which carbon dioxide is about 17% and hydrogen sulphide is 0.23%. By using a packed bed scrubber, the biogas was purified and after purification the methane percentage increased by approximately 27% and the CO2 decreased by 77%. And H2S decreased by about 94%.


The paper proposes a diffusion theory of the electrical contact resistance of a thermoelectric superlattice (TES) - metal couple. On its basis, the thickness of the transient contact layer and the value of the electrical contact resistance of TES - metal are determined. Moreover, the law of growth of the transient contact layer is found. It is shown that the upper limit of the electrical contact resistance for bismuth telluride-nickel couple at 500 K can reach 4·10 -5 Оhm·сm 2 . At the same time, it was found that the non-parabolicity of the band spectrum of the superlattice, described by the Fivaz model, depending on the degree of openness of the Fermi surface of the thermoelectric superlattice, can reduce this value by at least 60-100 times. However, the obtained experimental data, on the one hand, and the predicted significant difference in contact resistance for n- and p-type materials, on the other hand, give reason to assume that the electrical contact resistance of the thermoelectric material-metal for the bismuth-nickel telluride couple is due not so much to the diffusion of nickel in TES, as to the deviation surface of the semiconductor from the ideal plane and the presence of an oxide film on the surface of the TES.


Acknowledgements I am very thankful to my supervisor Jo Ebergen from the University of Waterloo in Canada for listening to me, answering my questions, and for carefully reading this manuscript. He made my stay in Waterloo very educational. I thank all members of the MAVERIC research group for some interesting discussions on designing up-down counters. In one of those discussions Peter Mayo gave me the idea for an up-down counter with constant power consumption. There are more people at the Computer Science Department of the University of Waterloo that deserve to be acknowledged. I will not try to mention all of them, because I would undoubtedly forget someone. Hereby I thank all of them. The International Council for Canadian Studies is acknowledged for their financial support. The Government of Canada Award that they awarded to me made my stay in Waterloo financially possible. I thank Rudolf Mak for getting me in touch with Jo Ebergen, and Franka van Neerven for helping with all kinds of organizational details that had to be taken care of before I could go to Waterloo. Finally, I thank Twan Basten for being patient with me and listening to me during the stay in Waterloo. i Abstract The goal of this report is to investigate up-down counter implementations in the framework of delay-insensitive circuits. An up-down counter is a counter on which two operations can be performed: an increment by one and a decrement by one. For N larger than zero, an up-down N-counter counts in the range from zero through N. In the counters we design, the value of the counter, or its count, cannot be read, but it is possible to detect whether the counter's value is zero, N , or somewhere in between. Up-down counters have many applications. For example, they can be useful in implementing queues or stacks. Various implementations for up-down N-counters are presented for any N larger than zero. All counter designs are analyzed with respect to three performance criteria, namely area complexity, response time, and power consumption. One of the designs is optimal with respect to all three performance criteria. Its area complexity grows logarithmically with N , and its response time and power consumption are independent of N .


Optical all-pass filters, which generate strong on-resonance optical delay while maintaining a unity transmission coefficient throughout the entire resonant bandwidth, are of great importance for constructing delay lines in optical buffer applications. We provide an analysis of optical delay lines based upon cascading multiple stages of all-pass filter structures. We show that the maximum capacity of such delay lines is determined primarily by the dimensions of each stage. Motivated by this analysis, we describe compact optical all-pass filters in two-dimensional photonic crystals. The accidental degeneracy of the cavity modes introduces a strong group delay and dispersion while maintaining total transmission.


Compared with conventional switched-capacitor (SC) converters with two operating phases, multi-phase SC converters can achieve the same conversion ratio with fewer capacitors and switches. This feature makes multi-phase SC converters an attractive candidate for applications with large conversion ratios. To further improve the performance by enabling soft-charging and soft-switching operations, SC converters can be transformed to resonant switched-capacitor (ReSC) converters with augmented inductor(s). This work presents an 8-to-1 multiphase ReSC converter design that features the least-possible number of switches and capacitors for the achieved gain. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results from a practical implementation are provided to demonstrate the benefits of the multi-phase resonant approach. A 48-to-6 V converter prototype with 40 A output current for data center applications was built and tested. The prototype achieved 98.6% peak efficiency (98.0% including gate drive loss) and 1675 W/in3 power density, achieving one of the best overall in-class performances.


A burst of x rays was observed at balloon altitude over Alaska with the onset of a sudden commencement geomagnetic storm at 0146 UT on June 27, 1960. The electron bombardment of the upper atmosphere that gave rise to the x rays occurred on a large scale, ionospheric absorption coincident with the x-ray burst being observed by riometers in Alaska, Sweden and Norway. (auth)


In performing a series of in-situ thermal response tests, the effective thermal conductivities of six vertical closed-loop ground heat exchangers were experimentally evaluated and compared one another, which were constructed in a test bed in Wonju. To compare thermal efficiency of the ground heat exchangers in field, the six boreholes were constructed with different construction conditions: grouting materials (cement vs. bentonite), different additives (silica sand vs. graphite) and the shape of pipe-sections (general U-loop type vs. 3 pipe-type). From the test results, it can be concluded that cement grouting has a higher effective thermal conductivity than bentonite grouting, and the efficiency of graphite better performs than silica sand as a thermally-enhancing addictive. In addition, a new 3 pipe-type heat exchanger provides less thermal interference between the inlet and outlet pipe than the conventional U-loop type heat exchanger, which results in superior thermal performance. Based on the results from the in-situ thermal response tests, a series of economic analyses have been made to show the applicability of the new addictives and 3 pipe-type heat exchanger.


Fragment based drug discovery employs growing and linking strategies for optimization. Here we report the binding mode prediction of multiple fragments bound to a single target using a sequential docking methodology employing Glide to support the identification and linking of fragment hits. Sampling and scoring accuracy for the first and second site binders in self- and cross-docking situations is assessed.


hat Daniel 9 contains perhaps the most significant prophecy for understanding most other OT and NT eschatological passages can hardly be denied. It has been described as "the 'key' to prophetic interpretation...the 'backbone' of prophecy."3 Desmond Ford says that it is "not only the devotional heart of the book but also contains 'the crown jewels' of Old Testament prophecy."4 Alva J. McClain claims that no other prophecy is "more crucial in the fields of Biblical Interpretation, Apologetics, and Eschatology."5 Henry Guinness claims that "of all prophecies in the Bible, Daniel's of the 'seventy weeks' is the most T


A tunable OPO pumped by a Yb:YAG laser is reported. The idler output energy is 1.5-mJ/pulse. The energy conversion efficiency is 23.4% to idler at 6.4-mJ pump energy, corresponding to about 70% overall OPO efficiency.


This paper presents a view-independent relational model (VIRM) for use in a vision system designed for recognizing known 3D objects from single monochromatic images within unknown environments. The aim if to establish a model of an object suitable for its recognition automatically without invoking pose information. To generate the VIRM, the system projects a wireframe model of the object from a number of different viewpoints, and performs a statistical inference to select relatively view-independent relationships among component parts of the object. These relations are stored as a relational model of the object represented as a hypergraph associated with procedural constraints. Three-dimensional component parts (model features) of the object, which can be associated with extended image features defined by simple 2D geometrical attributes, are used as nodes of the hypergraph. Co- visibility of model features is represented by arcs of the hypergraph. Other pairwise view- independent relations are used as procedural constraints associated with arcs of the hypergraph.


This thesis reports two exploratory studies on the use of computers in education in a third world context. One study looks at elementary school children in Dakar in order to elucidate a set of research questions such as whether there are gender differences and whether these are the same as what has been observed in the United States, whether there are differences related to social status or to degree of assimilation of French education and, more generally, whether it is possible to identify influences of Senegalese culture on the way children learn to use computers. The second study looks at two groups of illiterate adult women: one in Dakar and the other made up of immigrants from Latin America living in Boston. I believe that my results cast some light on scientific questions about how cultures affect learning. But my own interest goes beyond simply understanding. I want to develop educational methods that will use our diverse cultures as sources of strength for new educational methods rather than seeing them as "obstacles" to the exportation of ready made educational methods from "developed" to "developing" countries. My explorations are chosen with this intent and my thesis is colored with preliminary speculations about how to realize it. Thesis Supervisor: Seymour Papert Title: Professor of Media Technology To Papou, Adja, Ndeye Amie and El Hadj Dame


We establish and analyze an analytical framework by accounting for both the piezoelectric and flexoelectric effects in bimorph cantilevers. The focus is placed on the development of governing electroelastodynamic piezoelectric–flexoelectric equations for the problems of resonant energy harvesting, sensing, and actuation. The coupled governing equations are analyzed to obtain closed-form frequency response expressions via modal analysis. The combined piezoelectric–flexoelectric coupling coefficient expression is identified and its size dependence is explored. Specifically, a typical atomistic value of the flexoelectric constant for barium titanate is employed in the model simulations along with its piezoelectric constant from the existing literature. It is shown that the effective electromechanical coupling of a piezoelectric material, such as barium titanate, is significantly enhanced for thickness levels below 100 nm. The electromechanical coupling coefficient of a barium titanate bimorph cantilever increases from the bulk piezoelectric value of 0.065 to the combined piezoelectric–flexoelectric value exceeding 0.3 toward nanometer thickness level. Electromechanical frequency response functions for resonant power generation and dynamic actuation also capture the size-dependent enhancement of the electromechanical coupling. The analytical framework given here can be used for parameter identification and design of nanoscale cantilevers that can be used as energy harvesters, sensors, and actuators.


The solid lipid nanoparticles based on p-hexanoyl calix[4]arene and loaded with UV blocker trans-2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxy-cinnamate (t-EHMC) can control the photochemistry of the guest, eliminate the photodimerization pathway, and improve the photoblocking properties of t-EHMC.


1. I want to ask us the same question, "Why are we all here?" Really, there are three basic questions you must answer: (1) Where did I come from? (2) What am I doing here? (3) Where am I going? 2. We don't have to look too far to find some causes of our sense of futility and frustration. a. Fundamentally, the cause is a lack of understanding our purpose. b. If ever one should feel frustration, surely it is Jesus. He stands before Pilate who can dictate life or death. In answer to Pilate's question, "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37 c. Jesus is saying, in other words, "I am here for a purpose." d. We are here for a purpose.


A problem that is always present with those concerned with the measuring of mental and social phenomena is that of reduc ing to common terms quantities stated in terms of incommen surate units. To use a simple illustration, how may a subject's performance in a test of attention and his performance in a test of perception be reduced to terms that make precise comparison possible? Clearly, the crossing of the letter 'A' in the one case bears no manifest numerical relation to the addition of integers in the other. A new and serviceable method of effecting such commensuration will doubtless be of some interest to investi gators. The device ordinarily employed in biological studies to effect commensuration is the Galton percentile, which furnishes a method of comparing the performances of subjects in a series of tests. The method herewith suggested will, I believe, be found superior in point of accuracy and adaptability to the purposes of educational measurement. The unit of the system has been named the kental.1 A comparative demonstration of the two methods will serve to bring out their theoretical differences. Tables I and II record the performances of two groups of sub jects, U, a group from cities, and V, a group from villages, on two tests?Table I for the A/ test of attention,2 and Table II for the simultaneous adding test of perception. In these tables the third group, C, combines the groups U and V. Column S records the original scores of the subjects; column P gives their percentile ; and column K their kental equivalents. The percen tile, of course, represents the rank of a subject's performance in


Several C-terminal peptidyl-substituted bis- and tris(electrophiles) were prepared by starting from polymeric phosphoranylidenacetates as acyl anion equivalents. After C-acylations with amino acids and peptide elongation, the obtained peptidyl-phosphoranylideneacetate resins were either cleaved oxidatively, delivering peptidyl-diketo esters, or saponified, leading to immediate decarboxylation. The generated peptidyl-phosphorane could be treated with aldehydes to yield peptidyl vinyl ketones or could be cleaved oxidatively to yield peptidyl keto aldehydes. Ligation with various bis(nucleophiles) including hydrazines, hydroxylamine, diamines, amino-thiols, amidines, and guanidines were investigated in the formation of peptide-heterocycle chimera containing pyrazoline, pyrazole, isoxazole, isoxazoline, thiazepine, quinoxaline, and imidazolone heterocycles.


In this paper, a nonfiducial electrocardiogram (ECG, the process of recording the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed on the skin) identification system based on the common spatial pattern (CSP) feature extraction technique is presented. The single- and multilead ECG signals of each subject are divided into nonoverlapping segments, and different segment lengths (1, 3, 5, 7, 10, or 15 seconds) are investigated. Features are extracted from each signal segment through projection on a CSP projection matrix. The extracted features are then used to train a radial basis function kernel-based Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier, which is then employed in the identification phase. The proposed identification system was evaluated on 10, 20, …, 200 reference subjects of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) ECG database. Using a single limb-based lead (I) with 200 reference subjects, the system achieved an identification rate of 95.15% and equal error rate of 0.1. The use of a single chest-based lead (V3) for 200 reference subjects resulted in an identification rate of 98.92% and equal error rate of 0.08.


A set of three-dimensional models was developed for the different plasma species in a glow discharge, and these models were combined, to obtain an overall picture of a direct current glow discharge in argon. Typical results of these models include the electrical current flowing through the discharge as a function of pressure and voltage, the density profiles and flux energy distributions of the plasma species, the potential and electric field distributions in the plasma, information on collision processes, the crater profiles due to sputtering at the cathode and optical emission spectra due to radiative decay of excited atoms. The calculated data were compared with experimental observations to check the validity of the models, and the reliability of both modeling and experimental results is discussed.


VTRMC 2002/7. Let (an)n>1 be an infinite sequence with an > 0 for all n. For n > 1, let bn denote the geometric mean of a1, . . . , an, that is, n √ a1 · · · an. Suppose ∑∞ n=1 an is convergent. Prove that ∑∞ n=1 b 2 n is also convergent. VTRMC 2006/5. Let (an) be a monotonic decreasing sequence of positive real numbers with limit 0 (so a1 ≥ a2 ≥ · · · ≥ 0). Let (bn) be a rearrangement of the sequence such that for every non-negative integer m, the terms b3m+1, b3m+2, b3m+3 are a rearrangement of the terms a3m+1, a3m+2, a3m+3 (thus, for example, the first 6 terms of the sequence (bn) could be a3, a2, a1, a4, a6, a5). Prove or give a counterexample to the following statement: the series ∑∞ n=1(−1)bn is convergent. Putnam 2001/B6. Assume that (an)n≥1 is an increasing sequence of positive real numbers such that lim an n = 0. Must there exist infinitely many positive integers n such that an−i + an+i < 2an for i = 1, 2, . . . , n− 1? VTRMC 2004/7. Let (an) be a sequence of positive real numbers such that limn→∞ an = 0. Prove that ∑∞ n=1 ∣∣1− an+1 an ∣∣ is divergent.


'Brain activation and hypothalamic functional connectivity during human non-rapid eye movement sleep: an EEG/fMRI study'çits limitations and an alternative approach Sir, We have read with great interest the recent paper by Kaufmann et al. (2006) which describes the first study of human spontaneous non-rapid eye movement sleep using electroencephalography (EEG)-combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The mainstay of sleep imaging has been EEG-combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET) (Maquet, 2000). This methodology, however , cannot be used to study brief sleep phenomena such as spindles or K-complexes because of the limited temporal resolution of PET. This is different for EEG–fMRI which has been able to demonstrate brain activations with brief paroxysmal EEG events, such as thalamic activation in response to individual spike and wave discharges (Laufs et al., 2006b). Therefore, the paper of Kaufmann et al. applying EEG–fMRI to the study of sleep is of particular interest, and they present a number of interesting findings such as the involvement of the hypothalamus and mamillary bodies in sleep. The authors emphasize that—as they have used fMRI operating at a temporal resolution superior to that of PET—their findings cannot directly be compared with previous PET findings (Kaufmann et al., 2006). There are however limitations in the use of EEG–fMRI for studying sleep, which may also account for differences between their and previous findings e.g. compare results reported by Kaufmann in the occipital lobe during stage I sleep with those of others (Hofle et al., 1997; Kjaer et al., 2002; Nofzinger et al., 2002) or in the thalamus and cerebellum during slow wave sleep compared to wakefulness with those of others (Maquet et al. Here we discuss limitations of EEG–fMRI in the study of sleep and present a case in which we use the advantageous temporal resolution of fMRI to analyse transient sleep phenomena and present an alternative approach for the analysis of sleep data that avoids many of these limitations. We suggest that our approach makes better use of the advantages of EEG– fMRI over PET while still respecting the limitations imposed by the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI method. Using a seed region in the hypothalamus (compare Figure 2 of their paper), Kaufmann et al. show functional connectivity (fc) maps during wakefulness (indicating only the hypothal-amus) and NREM sleep (see also Fig. 1D of this Letter) during which several regions seem involved. However, large parts of the regions showing correlation with …


This study attempts to capture the full picture of educational development in an emerging country that is characterized by both high economic development and high socioeconomic inequality. A two-step model is used in this study. The first step uses the variables that are directly related to education to capture the educational efficiency of each municipality; the second step uses a statistical Tobit model to estimate the influence of the non-discretionary variables on the educational efficiency found in the first step. A previous categorization by clusters is also implemented to ensure a fair comparison among homogeneous municipalities. The results show significant discrepancies in the influence of socioeconomic variables on educational outcome, which depends on the welfare of the cluster.


: The Arctic is one of the rapidly changing regions remarkably influenced by global warming. Polar warming amplification (warming rate two times larger than the global mean) and rapidly declining sea ice lead to not only dramatic changes in the local environment, but also profound effects on weather and climate system in the mid-latitude. An in-depth understanding of seasonal and geographical features of long- term trends can contribute to policy responses to climate change and its consequence, supporting Arctic resource development in the future. Using gridded observational analysis datasets and the ERA- Interim reanalysis, this study focused on linear trends of surface air temperature, precipitation, and related extreme indices in the land area north of 60°N during 1979-2017. The results show that temperature changes highly agree with each other while precipitation changes are distinct across the multiple data sources, especially after 2008, which is possibly caused by sharply decreased gauges in use under the global financial crisis. The ERA-Interim dataset can well reproduce the upward trends of near-surface air temperature and precipitation over the Arctic land, about (0.57 ± 0.07) ℃ /10 a and (0.10 ± 0.05) mm/d/100 a for annual mean. The warming trend is strong in spring, autumn, and winter whereas weak in summer. Areas near the Arctic coasts have the largest warming rate, with local warming higher than 1.0 ℃ /10 a. The increasing trend of precipitation in autumn is the largest. The precipitation increases in Siberia are well linked to the local surface warming. During autumn, increases in both the mean and extreme precipitation in eastern Siberia can be as high as the thermodynamically constrained 8 %/K. No evident trend of diurnal temperature range is observed in summer. In spring, the diurnal temperature range in Alaska and northern Canada increases evidently whereas a decreasing trend emerges in other regions. Annual temperature range decreases in the Nordic, Alaska, and northern Canada while increases in western and eastern Siberia. In both winter and summer, warming trend of minimum temperature over the Arctic is larger than that of maximum temperature, which is also larger in winter than in summer. This study evidences that surface warming is an important driver of local precipitation increase over the Arctic land while circulation changes may create the geographical differences; decrease of observational stations has an obviously negative impact on monitoring the long- term trend of precipitation; ERA- Interim is an important alternative to observational analysis data in the Arctic land. Especially for regions with sparse weather stations and for periods when the number of available stations decreases, the ERA-Interim data can provide consistent and reliable climate change information.


Friedel–Crafts acylation of aromatic compounds with branched or polyfunctionalised aryl halides followed by in situ reduction of the resulting carbonyl–Lewis acid complex with triethylsilane or polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) polymer gives alkylated aromatic products in high yield.


Abstract In this study, a new approach is proposed to investigate the kinetics of sunflower oil and rapeseed oil transesterification in the presence of potassium hydroxide. Transesterification is a heterogeneous process which affected by a number of parameters, that are not readily available in the literature, such as mass transfer coefficients, partition coefficients, and specific surface area of the dispersed phase. However, under intense agitation condition, mass transfer restrictions may be neglected, and the two phases are supposed to remain in thermodynamic equilibrium, during the process. Therefore, a model was developed independent of the mass transfer coefficient and specific surface area, which is reliable for the intense agitation condition. According to the results, the model is valid at least for mixing rates over 500 rpm. The results of the model were used to study the effects of temperature, methanol-to-oil ratio, and catalyst concentration on the biodiesel conversion. Biodiesel production rate increases with increasing temperature, although rapeseed oil transesterification is more temperature dependent. The results show that the maximum amount of catalyst concentration is less than 1% (by weight); however, the optimum value depends on the operating temperature. The optimum value of the methanol-to-oil-ratio decreases with increasing temperature. Thus, at higher temperatures, less amount of methanol and catalyst are required, which leads to easier purification of biodiesel.


The objective of this work was to evaluate the simultaneous use of toxic bait and mating disruption technique using sexual pheromone for Anastrepha fraterculus and Grapholita molesta control, in commercial peach orchards. Three 0.5-ha orchards were used, with the following treatments: orchad 1, toxic bait (Biofruit 3% + Malathion 500 CE, 200 mL in 100 L) and mating disruption using sexual pheromone (Splat Grafo) in 1,000 points ha-1; orchad 2, conventional management, using contact insecticides 2 to 3 times a year; orchad 3, no pest control. Adult populations of both species, and sprout and fruit damages were monitored during the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 crop seasons. Simultaneous use of toxic bait and mating disruption technique decreased the captures of A. fraterculus and G. molesta in more than 90%. In the two crop seasons, the damages on sprouts decreased 62-85%, and 98-99% on fruit, compared to the untreated orchard.


markdownabstractThe premature fusion of skull sutures, craniosynostosis, occurs in approximately 1 in 1500 births and results in a altered skull shape and increased risk of intracranial hypertension. This thesis focused on several aspects of unisutural craniosynostosis, in which only 1 suture is affected and closed prematurely.
In conclusion, this thesis has travelled from prenatal detection to long term postoperative follow-up. Considering the above, the answer to the question posed on the cover of this thesis _'Unisutural Craniosynostosis: Simple or Complex'_ really is simple: complex. The full range of clinical care that is warranted in the care for patients with unisutural craniosynostosis demands a highly specialized center, with high standards of patient care, research and education.


ownload C2 has an important role in repair of DNA damage by homologous recombination. Adult Apc (min, le intestinal neoplasia) mice, wild-type or heterozygous for Xrcc2 deficiency, were sham-irradiated or 2-Gy iated. Spontaneous mammary and intestinal tumor incidences are lower in Apc Xrcc2 mice than in /+ Xrcc2 mice (mammary tumors: 14% and 38%, respectively, χ P = 0.03; intestinal adenomas in mice ng full life span: 108.6 and 130.1, respectively, t-test P = 0.005). Following irradiation, the increase in ary tumors was greatest in female mice heterozygous for Xrcc2 (7.25 ± 0.50-fold in Apc Xrcc2 mice red with 2.57 ± 0.35-fold in Apc Xrcc2 mice; t-test P < 0.001). The increase in intestinal tumor licity following irradiation was significantly greater in Apc Xrcc2 mice (Apc Xrcc2, 4.14 ± old, versus Apc Xrcc2, 3.30 ± 0.05-fold; t-test P < 0.001). Loss of heterozygosity of all chromosome rkers was greater in intestinal tumors from Apc Xrcc2 mice than in tumors from Apc Xrcc2 18 ma mice. These findings indicate that Xrcc2 haploinsufficiency reduces spontaneous tumor incidence on an Apc background but increases the tumorigenic response to radiation.Mol Cancer Res; 8(9); 1227–33. ©2010 AACR.


This paper describes the Inte148P SL Microprocessor and how the features are used to create robust, power managed portable computers. The Inte148P SL CPU is the latest member of the SL family. The power management architecture is compatible with the InteN8P SL Microprocessor, providing system vendors an easy upgrade for their systems and achieve a significant power reduction and performance increase.


The present invention is to provide a low thermal conductivity, and thermoelectric figure of merit of the thermoelectric conversion material obtained is further improved, a manufacturing method thereof, and a thermoelectric conversion module. The thermoelectric conversion material comprising a porous substrate having micropores, and a thermoelectric semiconductor thermoelectric semiconductor material layer formed on the porous substrate is formed, the porous substrate having a plastic film (A) formed on the plastic film (A) the polymer layer (B), the microporous layer is formed from the polymer (B) with plastic film (a) is a part. The method for producing the thermoelectric conversion material comprising a substrate made of the porous substrate forming step, the thermoelectric semiconductor material and a film on the porous substrate to form a semiconductor layer forming the thermoelectric project, wherein the substrate preparation step includes a step of , step 2 and step 3. The thermoelectric conversion module using the thermoelectric conversion material.


four pages, and Chile's political situation is given exactly twelve lines. The statistical section can best be described as sketchy. It may not be improper, therefore, for this reviewer to direct a question to the editor and the publisher of Inter-American Affairs. Would it not be possible to expand future volumes threeor fourfold? Without adding many new features, would it not be possible to devote nearly three or four times as much space to each of the articles now recognized as established features of the series? The answer may be No. Perhaps the inevitable increase in the price of such a large volume would place it beyond the reach of many present purchasers. But there can be no doubt that thousands of readers would profit by the change. Let editor and publisher ponder well before they cast aside this suggestion. AUSTIN F. MACDONALD University of California


Points with different types of visibility restrictions appear frequently in the literature on Starshapedness and Visibility Theory. In this note three distinct levels of low visibility are defined, compared and characterized.


Finding not typical financial operations is a complicated task. The difficulties arise not only due to the sophisticated actions of fraudsters but also because of the large number of financial operations performed by business companies. This is especially true for large companies. It is highly desirable to have a tool to reduce the number of potentially irregular operations significantly. This paper presents an implementation of NLP-based algorithms to identify irregular financial operations using comments left by accountants. The comments are freely written and usually very short remarks used by accountants for personal information. Implementation of content analysis using cosine similarity showed that identification of the type of operation using the comments of accountants is very likely. Further comment content analysis and financial data analysis showed that it could be expected to reduce the number of potentially suspicious operations significantly: analysis of more than half a million financial records of Dutch companies enabled the identification of 0.3% operations that may be potentially suspicious. This could make human financial auditing easier and more robust task.


K-ras gene mutation is commonly seen in lung adenocarcinoma.Cigarette smoking is thought to be an important reason for K-ras gene mutation.Studies have reported that K-ras mutations can influence the subtyping and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.Recently,the techniques to detect K-ras mutation have been continuously improved,greatly promoting the detection sensitivity of K-ras mutations,even in tissues with small amount of tumor component.Emerging data showed that K-ras mutation can induce primary resistance of lung adenocarcinoma to tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs) and decrease the efficacy of chemotherapy.Therefore,K-ras mutation has attracted considerable attention as a target for diagnosis and anticancer therapy.In this review,we summarize recent studies on K-ras mutations in lung adenocarcinoma,and discuss the development,diagnosis,and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.


I graduated from UCLA in 1966, having majored in Russian for the first two years (this involved some Greek, required for the Russian major), but then, after reading a thrilling article on the DNA double helix, switching to biochemistry (which added a year of coursework, and involved some German, required for the biochem major). But by the time I graduated, I was studying Greek again, and spending more time on that than on chemistry, showing where my true inclinations lay. (Here let me put in a plug for free in-state undergrad tuition at state universities. UCLA had free in-state tuition when I was there, and I hope this becomes the norm again, so that students will feel free to follow up on their interests.) But why Chinese? A friend introduced me to Bob Carlitz, who is a serious film fan. Early on we went to see the Jean-Luc Godard movie La Chinoise, in which French Maoist students trash and then clean up the apartment of their bourgeois parents, and sum it all up by saying that "the dream brought us closer to reality." Bob joked that we should brush up on our French and learn Chinese. He was joking, but I was intrigued, so I drove over to Los Angeles City College that week, and signed up for the evening class in first-year Chinese. I had taken Russian partly for political thrills: I grew up in the McCarthy era, and the Physiology teacher at my high school was rumored to keep a list of probable communist sympathizers (in high school!), and Russia was still the leading communist country–so studying Russian felt dangerously, excitingly subversive. But Chinese intriguedme for non-political reasons. I was fascinated by the little I knew about the language, which apparently had a structure and a writing system unlike anything I had studied before. After a year that I spent teaching ESL by day and studying Chinese by night, Bob and I moved to Princeton, where Bob had a postdoc in physics. During the two years we were there, I was able to continue with Chinese, as the teachers let me sit in on second and third-year modern Chinese and first-year classical Chinese. I'll always be grateful that these superb language teachers treated me as their own, though I was never an enrolled student. When I applied to the University of


The importance and the physical meaning of the integral and differential factors of the voltage (and current) harmonics are highlighted. The core part of the LabVIEW virtual instrument for the evaluation of the voltage harmonics integral factors is presented. The simulating LabVIEW verification by means of the meander signal has been accomplished.


Spinel LiMn2O4 powders were prepared by elctrolytic MnO2 preconditioning by nitric acid.The phase identification,surface morphology,and electrochemical properties of the powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,and galvanostatic charge-discharge experiments.The results show that LiMn2O4 powders prepared by preconditioning MnO2 have better crystallinity than the one prepared by MnO2.LiMn2O4 powders prepared by preconditioning MnO2 are homogeneous,smooth and without agglomeration.The capacity of the powders prepared by preconditioning MnO2 is 121.1 mAh/g when the discharge rate is 0.2 C,which is higher than 116.7 mAh/g for the one prepared by MnO2.The capacity rentention of the powders prepared by preconditioning MnO2 is higher than the one prepared by MnO2.


All-optical switching devices based on ultra-fast optical non-linearities are of considerable interest for use in high-speed optical signal processing and telecommunications systems. Several switching schemes utilising χ(3) in optical fibres1-4 have been reported, but, although fast, they have large switching thresholds (100 -1000W) and suffer from environmental instability. Recent work5-7 has concentrated on the fibre Non Linear Optical Loop Mirror (NOLM) (or non-linear Sagnac interferometer), since the configuration is inherently a balanced interferometer and therefore environmentally stable. Consequently, longer fibre lengths can be used and the switching threshold reduced to 10-100W, a figure which is unfortunately still too high for practical application.


The invention discloses a display panel manufacturing method, a display panel and a display device. The display panel comprises a first substrate and a second substrate. Polyimide films are formed on the first substrate and the second substrate respectively. The display panel manufacturing method comprises the steps that the polyimide film on one of the first substrate and the second substrate is subjected to alignment through a frictional alignment process, and the polyimide film on the other substrate is subjected to alignment through an optical alignment process. According to the display panel manufacturing method, since the frictional alignment process and the optical alignment process are used simultaneously in a combined mode, the display quality of the display panel can be effectively improved, and the defect that a certain property is lacked when one alignment process is used independently is avoided.


In a recent review of Acta Physiologica, Rodriguez et al1 suggests that the metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT) can be detected studied using 18 F-FDG-PET/CT. Although this method is commonly used in BAT research, it is very expensive and time-consuming and exposes the subjects to ionizing radiation. Therefore, more affordable and radiation-free methods have been developed, such as thermal infrared imaging (IR) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) 2 . This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Variation in flow direction requires extensive consideration in the practical application of riblet surfaces. However, studies scarcely examine the impact of flow angle α for riblet, which is usually adopted to reduce flow drag. Accordingly, this research conducted large eddy simulation for a wide range of flow angles. We explored the effect of 0° to 90° flow angle on the surface drag change of triangular riblet. The time-averaged statistical data and instantaneous flow details indicated that skin friction is decreased with the increase in α. However, pressure drag increased much faster than the friction decrease. Result revealed that skin friction reduction by 4.537% is obtained when α=0°, and it inhibits turbulence in the spanwise direction. When α≈20°, the total drag reduction disappeared. Within this range, the deviation angle showed little influence on the total drag reduction. When α=90°, skin friction is reduced by 73.3%; however the pressure drag and total drag increased, accompanied by an increased turbulence. The flow must be nearly parallel to the riblet to achieve drag reduction. Otherwise, the transverse riblet is an effective method to increase the drag.


Chinese companies have begun to 'go global'. High-profile examples include: Lenovo's $1.75 billion takeover of IBM's personal computer business in 2004; Huawei, which has implemented its telecommunications network equipment solutions in over a hundred countries, maintains a network of twelve RD and appliance maker Haier, whose brand ranked 86th in the top 500 most influential global brands (World Brand Lab, 2006). Less widely recognized, however, is the fact that scores of other, little-known Chinese companies have begun to carve out significant, sometimes even dominant, global market shares in numerous industries as diverse as port machinery, medical equipment, and pianos (Zeng and Williamson, 2007, p. 19). In analysing this recent emergence of Chinese multinationals, this chapter begins by outlining how leading companies from China have parlayed their CSAs into the FSAs (Rugman, 1981) that equip them to successfully compete in the global market. We then compare and contrast the strategies Chinese companies have used to leverage these FSAs globally with the typology introduced by Ramamurti and Singh to describe the emergence of multinationals from India. The remainder of the chapter focuses on how these strategies are allowing Chinese firms to harness the new 'gateways to entry' (Verdin and Williamson, 1994) that the globalization of the world economy is opening up, to build new multinationals with surprising speed.


This article talks about the roles of application of functional discourse cohesion theories in improving teaching quality and learning effect.


Objective: This study offers a new approach to analyzing life course inequalities and applies it to the link between divorce and poverty. Background: Previous research has suggested that divorce drives cumulative inequality between education groups during the life course. Two pathways play a role in this process: the educational gradient in the risk of divorce and the educational gradient in economic vulnerability to divorce. Both pathways should be studied simultaneously to understand how divorce drives inequality. Method: The authors used administrative data from the Netherlands, following the marriage cohorts 2003 to 2005 ( N = 179,018) during a period of 10 years. Decomposition analyses estimated the contributions of the gradients in divorce risk and vulnerability to poverty differences during the life course. Results: In the 10 years following marriage, the fraction of the educational difference in poverty


Gadolinium hexaboride is thought to have at least two magnetic phases in zero magnetic field. The structure of these phases, however, is still unknown. Due to the high neutron absorption of both Gd and B, studies by neutron scattering are not easy to do. We therefore used the alternative technique of x‐ray magnetic scattering. Experiments were performed with a rotating anode x‐ray source and CuKα radiation at temperatures down to 6 K. At the lowest temperatures two sets of superlattice reflections of the form (h/2,k,l) and/or (h,k/2,l) and (h/2,k/2,l) were observed. The intensity of both types of reflection remains roughly constant until 10 K. At this temperature the intensities of the (h/2,k,l) and (h,k/2,l) reflections increase sharply and reach a maximum around 11.5 K, while the (h/2,k/2,l) reflections rapidly disappear. At 12 K, only the former reflections are observed and they disappear discontinuously at TN =15.85±0.5 K. The results confirm the existence of two magnetic phase transitions in GdB6 and...


Fiber-integrated phase shifters of coherent fiber array laser systems allow extremely fast (GHz rate) control of transmitted beam phase offering the unexplored possibility for engineering of laser beams and turbulence mitigation for various applications.


Today, at the transition between the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the United States finds itself in a unique position. It is the only currently existing superpower and carries a very large share of the defense burden for the free world. At the same time, the United States must prepare for the next century, when a large part of remaining a superpower will depend upon our ability to grow our economy and provide a sustainable high standard of living for the American people. This need must be met in an era in which many nations are emerging with the capability and desire to be major world players and are establishing technology and education programs to stimulate rapid economic growth. In this environment, public policies that foster business competitiveness and the growth of high-quality jobs in the United States are paramount to the nation's well-being. In this context, trade and technology become fundamental elements of economic policy. From its inception, America has been a trading economy, but with the rapid growth of the global marketplace, the American economy and standard of living have never been more dependent on trade. Today, trade accounts for nearly one-quarter of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), and during the 1990s exports have accounted for almost one-third of real U.S. economic growth. Growth in trade translates into jobs. Every time we sell one billion dollars of American products and services overseas, we support about 14,000 U.S. jobs. In recent years, export-related jobs have grown six times faster than total employment, and those jobs pay wages that are on average fifteen percent higher than the average U.S. wage. Today, exports support about one in ten U.S. jobs. Exports are expected to grow faster than overall U.S. economic activity for the rest of the decade, with export growth rates averaging 8.5% to 10% annually, compared to 6.7% in the years since 1990. High-technology products account for about one-quarter of all U.S. goods and services sold in foreign markets. The United States is the world's leading high-tech exporter. However, U.S. technology trade is highly concentrated, with information technologies, aerospace, and electronics accounting for 85% of U.S. high-tech product exports. Our performance in global markets for high-technology products provides a commercially based evaluation of our use of science and technology. And in gauging our performance today, the news is mixed. A number of U.S. industries are especially strong performers in global markets. Aerospace produces the largest trade surplus of any U.S. manufacturing industry, followed by the chemical industry. We are world leaders in biotechnology and life sciences. We supply half of the $88 billion global market for medical equipment. We maintain a sizeable trade surplus in computer-integrated manufacturing technologies. The United States is a leader in the emerging Information Age, with U.S. companies holding 46% of the world market for information services and 75% of the $77 billion world market for packaged software. The U.S. computer equipment industry holds more than 75% of the world computer systems market through its global operations. In the past, much of the concern over deterioration in America's overall trade performance has been offset by better performance in areas traditionally regarded as those in which the United States has had a comparative advantage, especially in products embodying high-technology. However, recent data show that U.S. performance in high-tech trade, on both an industry and product basis, requires some serious analysis and review. We analyze our trade performance in high-technology based on two definitions of high-tech trade. The first identifies high-technology industries based on characteristics such as products produced using advanced technology processes or companies with high research and development (R&D) intensity. …


Heating of 1- and 2-naphthylamine hydrochlorides and of 5- and 6-tetralylamine hydrochlorides with diethanolamine hydrochloride produced naphthylpiperazines la and Ila and tetralylpiperazines Ilia and IVa. These secondary amines were treated with ethyl chloroformate or with acetic anhydride and then reduced; or underwent an addition of methyl acrylate or acrylonitrile and then were reduced; or finally underwent alkylation by 4-methoxyphen acyl bromide and 4-chloro^-fluorobutyrophenone to the corresponding N-alkyl derivatives which were evaluated pharmacologically. l-(6-Tetralyl)-4-methylpiperazine ( IVd) displayed a marked antireserpine effect in the test of eyelid ptosis in mice, 4-[3-(4-fluorobenzoyl)propyl]-l-(6-tetralyl)piperazine (IVk) was active neuroleptically. 1-Arylpiperazine derivatives have been often reported as neurotropic and cardiovascular agents; for the case that the aryl substituent is phenyl or a substituted phenyl, several examples of this type were reported recently1. The aryl in these compounds can also be bicyclic or tricyclic and can contain heteroatoms; thus, e.g., l-(2-pyridyl)piperazine derivative "azaperone" is a sedative used in veterinary practice2, the l-(2-pyrimidyl)piperazine derivative "piribedil" has the properties of a peripheral vasodilatant and a potential antiparkinsonic3 , l-(2-quinolyl) piperazine is the "quipazine"4 with serotoninergic and antitremorine activity, the l-(2-purinyl)piperazines are central depressants5, l-(thieno [2,3-d] pyrimidine-4-yl)piperazines show antihistamine activity6, l-(5-methyl-5if-pyrimido [3,4-6]-l,4-benzoxazin-3-yl)-4-methylpiperazine is the antidepressant agent "azaphene"7; on the other hand, l-(2- and 3-phenothiazinyl)piperazines displayed no interesting pharmacodynamic activity8. Little attention has been devoted to the napThthylpiperazines; patents9,10 report a central depressant activity for l-(l-aryl-2-propyl)-4-(naphthyl)piperazines and a sedative, myorelaxant and analgesic activity for l-(dihydronaphthyl)piperazines. The present communication contributes to the present knowledge of the pharmacodynamics of naphthylpiperazines and tetralylpiperazines. Prelog and Blazek11 described the preparation of l-(l-naphthyl )piperazine (la) and l-(2-naphthyl)piperazine (II a) by reactions of naphthylamine s with bis(2-bromo


Introduction: Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is an aggressive tumor occuring more frequently in childhood and adolescence, mainly observed during the first three decades of life. Microscopically consists of small round cells, with a high nuclear cytoplasmic index, originating from primitive neuroectodermal cells. Most often such tumor occurs in early childhood or adolescence. [1]
Ewing's sarcoma refers to tumors of the bone tissue : the limbs, ribs, and pelvic bone, but also it may occur in soft tissues, which means any localization in the human body. Among extra-skeletal localities, ES rarely occurs in the head and neck (2-3% of all ES) and extremely rare in the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses [1,2,3]. Diagnosis the primary of ES nasal localization is complex and mainly depends on histopathological research, as visual diagnostic methods (x-ray, CT, MRI) do not identify the type of tumor. MRI examination of tumors of such localization may suggest a malignant nature, so further differential diagnosis should exclude the following: malignant lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, moderately differentiated carcinomas, and ES. These tumors have common radiological features, so they require additional research [4,5].
From abovementioned, the following clinical case of primary Ewing's sarcoma in the nasal cavity in a 14-year-old girl seemed to be interesting . The patient complained on the difficulty of breathing, swelling in the right half of the nose wing. MRI showed a large neopasm of the facial skull on the right (pterygoid and subterranean fossa, right half of the nose, nasopharynx, latticed bone and paranasal sinuses). Histological examination of the samples revealed a solid neoplastic tissue consisting of monomorphic small circular or oval cells with a high nuclear-cytoplasmic index. Some exapnsion of the tumor cells around the vessels was observed, while part of epithelial lining and glandular structures were preserved in the same places. Foci of necrosis and extensive hemorrhages were visualized. The immunohistochemical study with the CD99 antibody showed a total positive membrane reaction with the closure of the stained membranes ( with the presence of membranes ring staining ). The reaction with anti Fli1 revealed total nuclear staining of tumor cells, except for the stromal cells.
Thus: as primary Ewing's sarcoma affects the sinus tract very rarely, diagnosis of the tumor in this location is difficult. MRI and other visual methods in these cases are not informative, because a number of tumors have common radiological features, that make the differential diagnosis very difficult. In this regard, the pathomorphological study including immunohistochemical research is the main method of diagnosing ES.


An animal litter composition comprising a mixture of an absorbant material Such as clay and Silica gel is disclosed. The Litter composition effectively absorbs liquid wastes and controls odors. Also disclosed are methods of making and using the litter composition.


There exist problems of small samples and heteroscedastic noise in design time forecast.To solve them,Gaussian margin kernel regression(GMKR) is proposed.First,the Gaussian distribution over weight vectors for the kernel-based regression is assumed for GMKR,and the optimization objective function of GMKR is designed by considering both the relative entropy and the sum of the natural log of the output probability densities.Then,the optimization problem of GMKR is simplified by assuming the covariance matrix of the Gaussian distribution to be a diagonal matrix,and its relevant optimization problem is solved based on particle swarm optimization algorithm.Finally,the effectiveness of GMKR is verified by our experiment results on the time forecast of plastic injection mold design.


Tommaso Fazello, a 16th century Sicilian historian, defined the site upon which Palermo arose as "an amphitheatre imagined by nature", thereby identifying the essentially theatrical vocation of the island's capital city. At the centre of this plain, on a hill, arose the ancient city, founded by the Phoenicians and then by turns a Greek, Roman and Byzantine settlement, ringed by walls. The structure of the city developed along a straight road, which ran from the port to the Acropolis. The arrival of the Muslims in Sicily, in 827 AD, would make Palermo, conquered after a long siege, the island's capital: the ancient fortified city began to be called al-qaṣr. The long, straight road running across it was paved, and lined with shops, oratories and mosques, amongst them the great mosque. The city outgrew its walls, with three quarters and a military and administrative citadel, known as the Khāliṣa, the elect. Keywords: Acropolis; al-qaṣr; Khāliṣa; Palermo; Phoenicians; Sicily; Tommaso Fazello


This paper investigates the use of high resolution (~100 m) surface soil moisture (SSM) maps to detect irrigation occurrences, in time and space. The SSM maps have been derived from time series of Copernicus Sentinel-1 (S-1) and Sentinel-2 (S-2) observations. The analysis focused on the Riaza irrigation district in the Castilla y León region (Spain), where detailed information on land use, irrigation scheduling, water withdrawal, meteorology and parcel borders is available from 2017 to 2021. The well-documented data basis has supported a solid characterization of the sources of uncertainties affecting the use of SSM to map and monitor irrigation events. The main factors affecting the irrigation detection are meteo-climatic condition, crop type, water supply and spatial and temporal resolution of Earth observation data. Results indicate that approximately three-quarters of the fields irrigated within three days of the S-1 acquisition can be detected. The specific contribution of SSM to irrigation monitoring consists of (i) an early detection, well before vegetation indexes can even detect the presence of a crop, and (ii) the identification of the irrigation event in time, which remains unfeasible for vegetation indexes. Therefore, SSM can integrate vegetation indexes to resolve the irrigation occurrences in time and space.


We need experimental research in cognitive neuroscience to reconsider interpretive methods. Foucault and his followers objected to empirical research on humans. The present critique of Foucault's Saussure-based conception of language derives from language conceptions supported by the latest experimental explorations of speech and visual recognition by neuroscientists. This critique is compatible with the concept of the "loosely structured actor" of practice theory as developed by Bourdieu, Giddens, Ortner, Sewell, and others. Besides being loosely structured, actors are also sites of emotional responses, as suggested by recent research in affective neuroscience. Interpretive methods that look beyond language to a larger array of phenomena once thought to be elements of "experience," find substantial support in recent neuroscience research.


Since the 1980's, deregulation and liberalization of capital markets have energized of an expansion of investment opportunities for international investors, led mainly by the stock markets of emerging South-Eastern Asian, South-Eastern American, South African, Middle Eastern and Eastern European Country's. From this point of view, as an emerging stock exchange, the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) has rapidly been essentially as an attractive alternative in terms of investments and portfolio diversification for the Turkish and international capitals. Becoming an attraction pole for the world-wide liquidity the ISE deserves special attention in terms of academic research. This is precisely what is proposed in this research by presenting a complete theoretical and empirical lighting of the recent development of this stock exchange. In conjunction to a presentation of the efficiency theory, the long memory process and the dynamic of groups, intented to a better understanding the operational environment of emerging financial markets, three empirical studies are realized to test empirically these three aspects of their development, by considering specifically the Turkish emerging financial market as the empirical support. At the conclusion of empirical tests, the ISE appears as the image of other emerging stock markets, such as: rejecting of the random walk hypothesis ; presenting a long memory ; presenting herding behaviour. Despite its attractiveness, the ISE has some difficulty in acquiring long-term stability and continues to be regarded as an stock exchange which should be approached with caution, and where there are regularly observed important variations in volatility.


This study is designed to see if there is a correlative difference in the interior design of child-care centers, depending on who establish them and what types of their building. The questionnaire survey was conducted in 126 teachers who have worked for child-care centers in Jinju. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Scheff-test and stepwise regression. The major findings were summarized as follows :
1. In the result of evaluating their interior design comparing with the ideal facilities, While the level of their evaluation on porch and nursing room were high, the level of teacher's room was low. In their satisfaction on the current facilities, they were satisfied the most with kitchen, whereas the lowest with teacher's room
2. The data were analyzed to see if there is any differences in the evaluation of the environment, depending on types of establishment and their building. As a result, the level of the interior design was effected greatly by types of the establishment rather than by types of their building.
3. In the analysis of the extent of their environmental satisfaction, the result showed that there were correlative differences in the satisfaction by types of the establishment; While those working in corporation's center were satisfied the most with their facilities, those who working in the centers attached to church were satisfied the lowest. In the contrast, types of building didn't showed any correlative differences in the satisfaction.
4. The variables which had great effect on the satisfaction were shown as space characteristics, facilities characteristics and furnishing characteristics. In the case of the center being located in apartment complex, their satisfaction was lower than that of the teachers working in the center of detached house. In the satisfaction on teacher's room, those who working in the private center were satisfied lower than those in the public center.


and stresses the interaction between hardware and software, To help the faculty advise students with their programs, an advisory examination is given early in the program, Students are required to take this examination, but every attempt is made to keep it from being looked upon as a hurdle to be gotten over. The faculty advisors use the results of this examination in planning (with the student) the remainder of the student's program. (If the examination is not taken early in the program it loses its effectiveness as an advising tool.) The examination covers five areas: i) Programming systems (software) 2) ~itchihg system deslgn 3) Computer organization and design 4) Discrete mathematics for computers 5) Electronics Each of these topics is covered at the level of the senior/beglnning graduate course. This means that an undergraduate who chooses his electives properly can take, in his B,S. program, all of the courses on which the examination is based. Attached are copies of some of the recent examinations. The students were asked to answer seven out of ten questions, including one from each area. l, Describe, in two minutes each, the meaning of the following terms in computer programming: a. indexing b, indirect addressing c. subroutine d. macro e, interpreter f. compiler g. translator h, simulator i. monitor j. operating system 2, We wish to write a piece of program in assembly language for the following machine and language. The machine uses 18 bit words (integers are 17 bits plus sign). (The leading digit is 1 if the integer is negative and O if it is positive or zero.) Overflow is not detected, but the sum of two positive numbers would be negative if overflow occurs. The machine has 8 general purpose registers. (Each can be used as an accumulator.) The assembly language instructions are of the form L OP 8,~ where L is a label 25


Enzymes of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family regulate angiogenesis and are involved in the endochondral ossification process. Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) and rickets are 2 disorders associated with impairments in this process, mainly in the vascularization of the avian growth plate. In this paper, we induced TD and rickets and studied the expression patterns of 4 members of the MMP family known to be important for endochondral ossification, MMP-2, 3, 9, and 13, in normal and impaired avian growth plates. The expression of MMP-3, 9, and 13 was reduced in the lesions and lined up parallel to the expulsion of blood vessels, which was extended up to the border of the


The article provides the analysis of the scientific education as a major factor of development of scientific creative thinking of students of institutions of vocational education, and is determined by its place in the system of vocational training.


The report presents results of the investigation to characterize the existing surface conditions at the Sheffield Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility, Sheffield, Illinois. The investigation is based on visual observations made in the field and detailed topographic surveying. The following information is presented: (1) Analyses of individual trench caps describing surface conditions and the ability of trench caps to minimize erosion and water infiltration into trenches; (2) A detailed survey of erosion at the site and a detailed description of the vegetation; and (3) A topographic survey. Numerous photographs are provided to document observations. Possible remedial actions, conclusion and recommendations for improving surface conditions are presented.


Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability in the world.Statistics from Uzbekistan show that over 60,000 new strokes occur each year. At the same time, more than 160 new cases occur daily in the country. In Tashkent alone, 25-30 cases of stroke occur every day. In Tashkent alone, 25-30 strokes are observed daily [1].The main risk factors for atherothromboembolic ischemic stroke are, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking and diabetes; and the main risk factors for cardiogenic ischemic stroke are atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease.


Energy efficiency is fundamental to enhancing homes affordability. There are several unique challenges to affordable housing that owner-developers need to address in order for energy efficiency to make significant economic sense. Issues such as Transaction Costs (TCs) plays a significant role in achieving building energy efficiency (BEE) for affordable housing delivery. It is evident that split incentives, information asymmetry, institutional transition, opportunistic behavior, and ill-informed users incur different levels of TCs and affect stakeholder's willingness to take part in BEE for affordable housing. A better understanding of the nature and structure of TCs is indispensable to enhance the market-drive and investment for BEE affordable housing. Uncertainty, specific investment, frequency, and bounded rationality seen as the key dimensions of TCs. The research focuses on how to minimize TCs involve in BEE affordable housing delivery. It was found in the literature that, the level of TCs for building energy efficiency estimated at 20.5% of total project costs. A conceptual competency-driven benefits realization model is proposed for minimizing TCs taking into consideration the peculiarities of the current housing projects delivery. This research aims to establish the significance of leveraging on BEE project team-competency and commitment organized within a strategic Benefits Realization Management framework to optimize client's benefits regarding minimizing TCs. The focus is on the aspect of a developer's competencies and their project team commitment concerning minimizing TCs that structured within a Benefits Realization Management (BRM) practice. This model is proposed as a pro-active enabler tool to achieve Value for Money in BEE affordable housing projects. This paper is part of a series of publications.


non-profit, non-partisan organization engaged in quantitative analysis of the American economy. This paper has not undergone the review accorded official NBER publications ; in particular, it has not been submitted for approval by the Board of Directors. It is intended to make results of NBER research available to other economists in preliminary form to encourage discussion and suggestions for revision before final publication. Any opinions expressed arc those of the authors and not those of the National Bureau of We study a growth model with an environmental asset which is a source of utility and an input to consumption and production. The stock of this asset follows its own ecological dynamics, which are affected by economic activity. We study the implications of an approach to ranking sequences of consumption and environment over time that place weight both on the characteristics of the sequence over any finite period and on its very long run or limiting characteristics. Chichilnisky [5] has called these "sustainable preferences". The criterion shows more intertemporal symmetry than the discounted utilitarian approach. which clearly emphasizes the immediate future at the expense of the long run. In this respect Chichilnisky's criterion captures some of the concems of those who argue for sustainability and for a heightened sense of responsibility to the future. To characterize optimal paths we define the "green golden rule", the path which maximizes long-run sustainable utility from consumption and environment .


Harmonia axyridis is a polyandrous insect.We designed different numbers of matings and observed fecundity,hatchability and adult longevity of female of H.axyridis.The results showed that the longevity of female decreased with increasing number of matings.The fecundity and hatchability increased with increasing number of matings.Maximum fecundity occured in the seven-mated group(88.71%±0.29%).The single-mated group laid 55.00±17.90 eggs,which is fewer than the multiple-mated groups in the first week after first mated.There were 102.29±11.97,93.60±13.09 and 93.38±14.95 eggs respectively in the four-mated,seven-mated and fourteen-mated group.Multiple matings can increase the fitness of female H.axyridis.


The author explores the phenomenon of voluntary childlessness in Poland. She presents the results of her own research as part of a broader analysis of the issue of intentional childlessness. The focus of the article is on the reasons why men do not take on a parental role. The first part of the article covers the socio-cultural context of the research into voluntary childlessness, while the second part discusses the results of qualitative research conducted using, among other things, focus group and in-depth interviews with voluntarily childless men. It shows the reasons why men do not assume a parental role and the types of male childlessness by choice.


The CdS nanowires is self-assembled in a simple reverse micelle solvent system containing cyclohexane,aqueous solution,n-pentanol and surfactant(C12E9).A mechanism involving the possible formation of nanomaterials based on surfactant microemulsion template is also proposed.


Pear vinegar was produced using pear juice as raw material after alcohol fermentation and acetic fermentation. Pear juice was treated by adding 1.2% pectinase and the problem caused by pectin in the juice was resolved. The fruit vinegar had a good flavor with fruit aroma and was a kind of health fruit vinegar.


Azerbaijan has undergone significant economic transformation and development since the country's independence in 1991. Azerbaijan has quickly transformed itself into an upper middle income country. The rapid economic development is mainly attributed to the exploitation of hydrocarbon resources (through production sharing agreements with foreign oil companies and foreign direct investment). Substantial reforms intended to support a market-based economy have been instrumental in facilitating economic growth. This paper applies the Slow Model to explain factors that drive the rapid economic growth in Azerbaijan. This paper discusses the theoretical role of capital, labor, and technology in economic growth and illustrates the impact of corresponding factors in practice, i.e., foreign investment, labor force, education, and technology, on Azerbaijan's economic growth.


This series of case studies is a representative sample of contemporary church planting among classically defined unreached peoples. Examples appear from the major blocs of unreached peoples: Chinese, Muslim, Hindu, Tribal and Buddhist. An urban population in Latin America is also included. Most are recent. All were initiated within the last generation. The point of these case studies is to explore the complexity and the feasibility of pioneer church planting in our day. You won't find simplistic formulas for success. You'll see ordinary people prayerfully developing unique approaches for different situations. Some cases are short, reduced to a rough outline of what took place. Each story reveals a great deal about how each movement was initiated and nurtured through embryonic phases. Compare and contrast the stories. Notice the crucial role of local workers laboring alongside expatriate missionaries. Observe how foreign workers enter culture and develop ways to communicate the gospel. Note how obstacles were faced and overcome, how partnerships were formed and bore fruit, the years required, the perseverance and creativity demanded. You'll see how community development can be integrated with evangelism. You'll notice setbacks, mistakes and disappointments along with dramatic breakthroughs. Take note of how prayer was lifted, suffering was endured and God's hand was extended in order to establish movements of obedient faith in Christ. The names of some authors, peoples and places have been changed at the author's request.


account for the general picture of ME belief and worship that are spoken about in the scholarly works of religious studies. Gill investigates the Anglo-American historical background around 1810 when an Indian is known to have talked for the first time about ME (Tecumseh in his speech to the white representatives). It appears that around that time a mythico-folkloristic conception of Indian Queen-Goddess was conceived (by the white settlers) as a symbol of America, to form a counterpart of European traditional symbols. Tecumseh, and many Indian leaders after him, uses the metaphor of ME to address the white man in a way that must have been felt to be appropriate or persuasive/convincing to the latter by the Indian. The fact that no references


The demand for aggressive image placement accuracy and CD uniformity for each generation is being increasingly accelerated by DPT deployment. The method of the correction with the scanner is in effect devised by obtaining the CD and IP maps of each mask after the mask pattern is drawn. We are developing a technology that generates CD and IP maps for each mask from the image data of inspection equipment with the ultimate goal of "in-die overlay improvement" optimizing scanner as well as writer performances. We evaluated the positional measurement function by using NPI inspection system with the evaluation mask.


The widening gap between memory and processor speed causes more and more programs to shift from CPUbounded to memory speed-bounded, even in the presence of multi-level caches. Powerful cache optimizations are needed to improve the cache behavior and increase the execution speed of these programs. Many optimizations have been proposed, and one can wonder what new optimizations should focus on. To answer this question, the distribution of the conflict and capacity misses was measured in the execution of code generated by a state-of-the-art EPIC compiler. The results show that cache conflict misses are reduced, but only a small fraction of the large number of capacity misses are eliminated. Furthermore, it is observed that some program transformations to enhance the parallelism may counter the optimizations to reduce the capacity misses. In order to minimize the capacity misses, the effect of program transformations and hardware solutions are explored and examples show that a directed approach can be very effective.


ARC WELDED steel framing for dwelling houses is representative of some of the recent experiments in modern building construction. Many advantages are claimed for the welded type of construction, among them being: rapidity and noiselessness of construction, flexibility of design, rigidity and solidity, low rate of depreciation, and a lower insurance rate resulting from the fireproof construction which this method makes possible. What is more important is the fact that all of these advantages may be realized without any appreciable increase in cost oyer older methods of construction.


Despite the integral role of the judiciary to democracy, and the importance of judicial trust for judicial system performance, we know relatively little about the bases of public trust in this institution. How does institutional quality affect judicial trust? We explore this question in the context of Latin America, using a multilevel data set comprising survey data spanning 2001 to 2016 and country-level institutional and economic factors. We find that the effects of institutional quality on judicial trust are highly circumscribed. Factors like rule of law and corruption impact the judicial trust of only the best-educated survey respondents. Among the broader public, however, judicial trust is shaped more strongly by individuals' subjective economic and regime evaluations, as well as one's personal experiences with the judiciary.


This paper describes a family of log-change indexes that nearly or exactly satisfy the strong factor-reversal test and that can also converge to the Vartia Indexes. Our family of log-change indexes includes the Tornqvist Index and the Walsh Index. Over the past few decades, the Vartia Indexes and the Tornqvist Index have become popular in theory and practice. Nevertheless, we have only limited information on the links between the Vartia Indexes and other log-change indexes. Our family of log-change indexes explains these links.

JEL Classification Numbers: C43


Although there is limited research and evidence base, it is reasonable to expect that high quality information technology is an integral factor in the success of today's healthcare sector. However, the healthcare sector is considered to be low level investor in information technology (IT) when compared to other sectors. There are studies that look at the sums spent on health IT as a basis for determining how effective the IT systems are. We support the idea that the effectiveness of IT systems is not an exact measure and a more systematic approach needs to be taken when evaluating success of an IT system. In this study, we have evaluated an assessment method, process based information systems effectiveness (PRISE), which is based on a novel model of information systems effectiveness in the healthcare domain. The results of our case series provide specific implications concerning the applicability of a general "information systems assessment" approach, in the medical context.


Let $K$ be a convex body in $\mathbb{R}^d$. Let $X_K$ be a $d$-dimensional random vector distributed according to the Hadwiger-Wills density $\mu_K$ associated with $K$, defined as $\mu_K(x)=ce^{-\pi {\rm dist}^2(x,K)}$, $x\in \mathbb{R}^d$. Finally, let the information content $H_K$ be defined as $H_K={\rm dist}^2(X_K,K)$. The goal of this paper is to study the fluctuations of $H_K$ around its expectation as the dimension $d$ go to infinity. Relying on Stein's method and Brascamp-Lieb inequality, we compute an explicit bound for the total variation distance between $H_K$ and its Gaussian counterpart.


Purpose – Past research has largely portrayed job choice as a relatively rational and goal‐directed behavior where applicants make decisions contingent on organizational recruitment activities, or evaluations of job and organizational attributes. Research now informs us that job choice decisions may also be based on social comparisons and social influence. The purpose of this paper is to add to this body of knowledge by examining reasons why social influence is a key factor in job choice decisions of relatively young job seekers.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on in‐depth interview data from graduating seniors at an elite business school in India.Findings – Respondents did not see themselves as acting based on social influence as much as they perceived others around them to be. Reasons they noted for others' socially influenced job choice decisions were: peers and seniors are seen as more accessible and trustworthy than organizations; organizations do not share all and/or objective data, ...


In oilseed rape breeding and other crops as well it is very important to understand the variability and interrelationships of basic phenotypic traits, especially agronomic, that help to determine the criteria for the selection of high yielding genotypes resulting from appropriate relations of these characteristics. This paper describes several graphical methods for presenting the results of field


Information as a resource in newspaper journalism is a widely‐discussed issue, for which surveys have revealed a range of findings and from which conclusions can be drawn. However, newspaper journalists exhibit a mercurial approach to formal information sources and often acknowledge their value even less substantially. Consequently, the value of newspaper articles as information sources in their own right has often been questioned and studies reveal how use of language can distort not only meaning but also interpretation.


Use of traditional plant as remedies to treat Diabetes mellitus plays a major role in the inexpensive alternative medicine with fewer or no side effects. Gymnema sylvestre is an herbal plant used by Indian natives for several years to treat Diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-diabetic activity of Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract. The anti-diabetic activity was studied using Streptozotocin induced diabetic wistar albino rats. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of the extract of Gymnema sylvestre shows the presence of phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, saponins, phenolic compound, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides and absence of carbohydrates, steroids. Methanolic leaf extract did not produce mortality or morbidity while acute oral toxicity studies in wistar albino rats at 500mg/Kg body weight. The anti-diabetic activity of Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract was confirmed by oral administration of the extract to a Streptozotocin induced diabetic rat.