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This article reports on a study that was conducted to evaluate value addition in the learning attainments of students in higher education. The subjects in the study were telecommunication engineeri...

This paper aims to critically review the existing procedure of measuring tourism at the Icelandic border. The major benchmark in this endeavour is the new international standards on tourism statistics (named International Recommendations on Tourism Statistics 2008 – IRTS 2008) endorsed by the World Tourism Organization in 2008. The results indicate that in terms of tourism statistics produced at its border, Iceland is only partly complying with international standards. Therefore, several recommendations are proposed in order to improve the existing way of measuring tourism at the border in Iceland. Although at first sight measuring tourism at the Icelandic border seems easy since there is only one major entry/exit point to/from the country at the Keflavik airport, it is necessary to have an approach fully in line with international recommendations to produce reliable and internationally comparable statistics for the tourism sector in Iceland. In addition, the model of UK’s border survey can be ill...

Objectives: This study aimed to test the effects of alcohol prevention program, PALMSS (P = peer, A = alcohol knowledge, L = low-risk drinking, M = media-influence, S = social drinking and S = self-efficacy), on knowledge about alcohol among grade 11 students in Phayao province, where prevalence of alcohol consumption was high. Methods: A quasi-experiment was implemented in two high schools. One hundred fifty low-risk drinkers voluntarily participated in the program (Intervention, n = 75; Control, n = 75). Knowledge about alcohol was assessed four times: at baseline, exit point (4 weeks after baseline), 1 month, 3 month, and 6 months post-intervention. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Mann–Whitney test, independent t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: After adjusting for GPA and peer drinking, there was a positive effect of the PALMSS alcohol prevention program on the increase of alcohol knowledge after implementing the program until at 6-month follow-up (F(1,146) = 199.11, p value = ...

Development of xenobiotics that cross the blood-brain barrier in therapeutically-relevant quantities is an expensive and time-consuming undertaking. However, central nervous system diseases are an under-addressed cause of high mortality and morbidity, and drug development in this field is a worthwhile venture.We aim to familiarize the reader with available methodologies for studying drug transport into the brain. Current understanding of the blood-brain barrier structure has been well-described in other manuscripts, and first we briefly review the path that xenobiotics take through the brain - from bloodstream, to endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier, to interstitial space, to brain parenchymal cells, and then to an exit point from the central nervous system. The second half of the review discusses research tools available to determine if xenobiotics are making the journey through the brain successfully and offers commentary on the translational utility of each methodology.Theoretically, non-human mammalian and human blood-brain barriers are similar in composition; however, some findings demonstrate important differences across species. Translational methodologies may provide more reliable information about how a drug may act across species. The recent finding of lymphatic vessels within the central nervous system may provide new tools and strategies for drug delivery to the brain.

Subsequently introduced standards on exhaust gas emissions determine the development of motorization industry as well as stimulate the search for new environmentally friendly solutions for road transport. One of such pro-environmental solutions, directed toward reducing emissions of toxic exhaust components, has been a project concerning application of catalytic exhaust gas converters in mechanical vehicles which contained platinum group metals (PGM). Despite undeniable benefits, application of PGM in gas converters is not a perfect solution because of the possible emission of these metals to the environment with exhausts. Presently the problem of increasing PGM content in the environment is the subject of interest of numerous research institute workers all over the world. Results of PGM determinations can form an exit point to run environmental impact assessment of road transport because most of PGM present in the environment comes from vehicle exhaust gas converters. Taking under consideration all of the above, there is a necessity of running wide studies to monitor concentration levels of this polluting group in biological and environmental samples.

There has been a shift to a deterrent strategic doctrine with an offensive bias. India's strategic doctrine is thus potentially a compellent one. However, cognizance of the need for limitation to conflict in the nuclear age entails identification of the implications of compellence for both conventional and nuclear doctrines. On the conventional plane, the hiatus between pivot corps and strike corps offensives is taken as a key ‘exit point’ for war termination efforts. At the nuclear level, this article recommends a movement in India's nuclear doctrine from ‘massive’ punitive retaliation to ‘flexible’ punitive retaliation. This will bring about a concordance between the two levels – conventional and nuclear.

The theoretical analysis of twisting in the yarn formation zone of the friction spinning process is presented in this paper. By setting up and solving the twisting dynamic differential equation of the forming yarn that has a variable diameter and is undergoing a linear drawing movement along its axis direction, we obtained the distribution rules of the twist and the rotation speed of the friction-spun yarn in its formation zone. The analysis showed that the twisting zone of the forming yarn undergoing friction spinning consisted of three parts: the tip of the taper; the thick end of the taper; and the cylinder region. The yarn twist reached its maximum at the exit point of the yarn on the friction roller, and the emerging yarn from the friction roller did not obviously rotate.

The stochastic differential equations with a small parameter e, which for e=0 degenerate into a dynamical system with a repulsive type stationary point, are considered. The asymptotic behavior of the exit point distributions of the solution of these equations is described. An example when these distributions diverge is exhibited. This also gives the asymptotic behavior of the solutions of the corresponding perturbed Dirichlet problem.