First report of the ticks Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini et Fanzago, 1878, Haemaphysalis parva (Neumann, 1897) and Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer, 1776) (Acari, Amblyommidae) from humans in Lebanon

Purpose: Knowledge on ticks infesting humans is scarce for the middle East. In this work, tick specimens (Acari: Amblyommidae) infesting humans in Lebanon were identified. Methods: Ticks that were found on humans were received in the Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences. The specimens were preserved in alcohol for their further morphological identification morphological identification. Results: Three tick species were identified: a red sheep tick Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini et Fanzago, 1878, a Mediterranean ear tick H. parva (Neumann, 1897), and an ornate sheep tick Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer, 1776); all isolated from human hosts. Conclusion: This is the 1st report of Haemaphysalis punctata, H. parva and Dermacentor marginatus from central and North Lebanon infesting humans

A Citation-Based Ranking of Strategic Management Journals

Rankings of strategy journals are important for authors, readers, and promotion and tenure committees. We present several rankings, based either on the number of articles that cited the journal or the per-article impact. Our analyses cover various periods between 1991 and 2006, for most of which the Strategic Management Journal was in first place and Journal of Economics & Management Strategy (JEMS) second, although JEMS ranked first in certain instances. Long Range Planning and Technology Analysis & Strategic Management also achieve a top position. Strategic Organization makes an impressive entry and achieves a top position in 2003-2006.Journal rankings; Citation analysis; Strategic Management; Academic impact; Strategy

Balanced Allocations: A Simple Proof for the Heavily Loaded Case

We provide a relatively simple proof that the expected gap between the maximum load and the average load in the two choice process is bounded by $(1+o(1))\log \log n$, irrespective of the number of balls thrown. The theorem was first proven by Berenbrink et al. Their proof uses heavy machinery from Markov-Chain theory and some of the calculations are done using computers. In this manuscript we provide a significantly simpler proof that is not aided by computers and is self contained. The simplification comes at a cost of weaker bounds on the low order terms and a weaker tail bound for the probability of deviating from the expectation

DEFINING ARTISTIC IDENTITY IN THE FLORENTINE RENAISSANCE: VASARI, EMBEDDED SELF-PORTRAITS, AND THE PATRON'S ROLE

Readers of Vasari's Vite will be aware of the lively Renaissance tradition of the artist's embedded portrait within commissioned works. We are told of numerous embedded self-portraits, a notion that earlier authors including Alberti, Filippo Villani, and Ghiberti, corroborate. This dissertation argues that the Vite, our most extensive source on the subject, set up ideas and expectations that continue to pervade our understanding of their purposes and functions. A primary aim here is to move beyond Vasari's assumptions and examine self-images from the standpoint of their audience rather than their creators. Chapter One examines aspects of our current knowledge concerning Vasari's historical context and his motivations as an artist, courtier, and writer in order to understand how his views informed his interpretation of the genre. Chapter Two examines a manuscript self-portrait by Pietro da Pavia and a sculpted self-portrait of Andrea Orcagna. It investigates issues of artistic identity and authority and how these notions were displayed and commemorated to discern how self-portraits may have served the aims of the commissioner(s). The third and fourth chapters delve into the history of Quattrocento Florentine embedded self-portraits. First with Masaccio's self-portrait in the Brancacci Chapel, and then with self-images of Benozzo Gozzoli, Botticelli, Filippino Lippi and Domenico Ghirlandaio, these chapters examine aspects of the Renaissance culture of art commissioning to establish the patron's role with regard to embedded self-portraiture. Discussion here suggests ways in which a patron might have understood the artist's embedded self-portrait during the early Quattrocento. It further explores the notion that while professional, intellectual, and social-status driven concerns may have dominated the creation of embedded self-images, not all of these were the concerns of the artists. The final chapter investigates transitional images between the embedded and autonomous self-portrait traditions by examining two fictively autonomous self-images - one by Perugino in Perugia's Collegio del Cambio and the other by Pintoricchio in Santa Maria Maggiore, Spello. The case-studies presented here illuminate neglected aspects regarding Renaissance embedded self-images, and cast light on both sides of the transaction between artist and patron that resulted in the inclusion of the artist's embedded self-portrait in narrative paintings

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF THE FLAVONOIDS ISOLATED FROM HELIOTROPIUM SINUATUM RESIN USING ORACFL, DPPH AND ESR METHODOLOGIES

Indexación: Web of Science; Scielo.The antioxidant capacity has been determined for a number of flavonoid compounds from Heliotropium sinuatum, a plant that grows in arid areas in the north of Chile. The methodologies used were: ORAC(FL) (oxygen radical absorbance capacity - fluorescein), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) bleaching and electron spin resonance (ESR). These compounds were studied in homogeneous and heterogeneous media. The results showed that the 7-o-methyleriodictiol and 3-o-methylisorhamnetin are those with the highest antioxidant capacity.http://ref.scielo.org/m82cz

Effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss Essential Oil and Grape Seed Extract on the Shelf Life of Raw Buffalo Patty and Fate of Inoculated Listeria monocytogenes

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss essential oil (ZEO) and grape seed extract (GSE) on microbial and chemical changes in raw buffalo patty at a temperature of 8C. First, chemical composition and minimum inhibitory concentration of oil against Listeria monocytogenes were identified. Then, ZEO and GSE were added in raw buffalo patties and analyzed for spoilage microorganism count, lipid oxidation, pH, sensory attributes and inoculated L.monocytogenes survival at 8C for 9 days. Results revealed that samples containing 0.1 ZEO+0.2 GSE showed significant decrease in the growth of all tested microbial groups as well as the most decrease in the level of lipid oxidation at the end of storage period. Control and samples with 0.1 ZEO were the most preferred samples by sensory panelist, indicating that ZEO and GSE can be practically applied in food systems especially in meat in order to extend the shelf life. Practical Applications: Buffalo meat is highly prone to microbial and chemical spoilage as they are rich in essential nutrients and putrefying in nature. The adverse effects of various chemical preservatives caused to attract the consumer's attention to natural alternatives. Therefore, in order to increase the shelf life and quality characteristics of meat, new processing technologies and new ingredient systems that are associated with natural and organic foods are applied. These results demonstrate the potential combined use of grape seed extract and Zataria multiflora Boiss essential oil to the meat industry in the development of novel healthy meat products with improved shelf life and superior product quality. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Modeling of a Cantilever-Based Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscope

We present a detailed modeling and characterization of our scalable microwave nanoprobe, which is a micro-fabricated cantilever-based scanning microwave probe with separated excitation and sensing electrodes. Using finite-element analysis, the tip-sample interaction is modeled as small impedance changes between the tip electrode and the ground at our working frequencies near 1GHz. The equivalent lumped elements of the cantilever can be determined by transmission line simulation of the matching network, which routes the cantilever signals to 50 Ohm feed lines. In the microwave electronics, the background common-mode signal is cancelled before the amplifier stage so that high sensitivity (below 1 atto-Farad capacitance changes) is obtained. Experimental characterization of the microwave probes was performed on ion-implanted Si wafers and patterned semiconductor samples. Pure electrical or topographical signals can be realized using different reflection modes of the probe.Comment: 7 figure

Silicon-etalon fiber-optic temperature sensor

A temperature sensor is described which consists of a silicon etalon that is sputtered directly onto the end of an optical fiber. A two-layer protective cap structure is used to improve the sensor's long-term stability. The sensor's output is wavelength encoded to provide a high degree of immunity from cable and connector effects. This sensor is extremely compact and potentially inexpensive

Introduction: Ways of Machine Seeing

How do machines, and, in particular, computational technologies, change the way we see the world? This special issue brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to explore the entanglement of machines and their ways of seeing from new critical perspectives. This 'editorial' is for a special issue of AI & Society, which includes contributions from: María Jesús Schultz Abarca, Peter Bell, Tobias Blanke, Benjamin Bratton, Claudio Celis Bueno, Kate Crawford, Iain Emsley, Abelardo Gil-Fournier, Daniel Chávez Heras, Vladan Joler, Nicolas Malevé, Lev Manovich, Nicholas Mirzoeff, Perle Møhl, Bruno Moreschi, Fabian Offert, Trevor Paglan, Jussi Parikka, Luciana Parisi, Matteo Pasquinelli, Gabriel Pereira, Carloalberto Treccani, Rebecca Uliasz, and Manuel van der Veen