Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of a therapy on improving characteristics of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) via single intravitreal injection of a humanized anti-human VEGF monoclonal antibody (PRO-169) versus bevacizumab in a rhesus monkey model. Methods To induce experimental CNV, small high-energy laser spots were used to treat several areas, around the macula in the retinas of monkeys at Day −21. Eighteen rhesus monkeys were used for CNV induction. The efficacy endpoints were fluorescein leakage by FFA and retinal thickness by OCT. FFA examinations were performed 19 days after induction. Appropriate animals were enrolled for treatment and randomly divided into 3 groups: bevacizumab (n=5, 7 eyes), PRO-169 (n=5, 7 eyes), and vehicle controls (n=4, 7 eyes). Results In 25 of 36 (69.4%) eyes, CNV lesions were identified. The average percent change of retinal thickness in the eyes of bevacizumab group was −159.3±62.2% and −154.0±45.1% (p<0.01 vs Vehicle) at Day 14 and Day 28, respectively; in the eyes of PRO-169 group it was −131.6±68.7% and −131.5±63.8% (p<0.01 vs Vehicle), respectively. The average percent change of leakage area in the eyes of bevacizumab group was −75.3±49.4% and −78.0±42.6% (p<0.01 vs Vehicle) at Day 14 and Day 28, respectively; in the eyes of PRO-169 group it was −82.0±19.3% and −81.4±21.0% (p<0.01 vs Vehicle), respectively. There were no abnormalities found in behavior, skin and hair, excretion and overall eye appearance before and after treatment in all groups. Conclusion After photocoagulation, the eyes enrolled in this studio showed CNV related characteristics including increased retinal thickness, and fluorescein leakage at laser spots. PRO-169 (1.25 mg per eye) can reduce the retinal thickness and fluorescein leakage area after treatment for 14 and 28 days in this rhesus monkeys model, without toxic effect or adverse events. These findings suggested that PRO-169 can inhibit CNV.


SYSNOPSIS This investigation was concerned with the description, treatment, and follow-up of a group of patients selected by age (18–55 years), diagnosis (psychotic), and the presence of work problems (unemployed for more than 12 months). The patients were of below average intelligence, and substantial numbers were characterized by low drive to return to work, unrealistic attitudes, a lack of self-confidence, and adverse attitudes towards the existence and extent of handicap. An evaluative and experimental study subsequently indicated that a rehabilitation programme was unsuccessful in changing attitudes and returning patients to industrial roles in the community. Aspects of outcome such as work status were predicted by earlier assessments of motivation, self-confidence, and patients' view of the presence and extent of handicap; outcome was not predicted by the initial assessments of work level, length of unemployment, intellectual level, and the realism of attitudes.


The invention provides an interactive learning system and a method of the interactive learning system. The interactive learning system comprises a shooting device and an interacting device. The shooting device is used for carrying out functional operation and converting the functional operation into using information; the interacting device is used for generating guiding information for guiding a user to operate the shooting device according to type information of the shooting device and transmitting the guiding information to the shooting device to control the shooting device to execute the guiding action corresponding to the guiding information. Due to the adoption of the interactive learning system and the method of the interactive learning system provided by the invention, the user can know whether the user correctly uses the shooting device at any time. By a learning menu, the user can also selectively learn according to functions which the user are interested in, so that the convenience of the interactive learning system is further added.


THE BALANCE of payments in an open economy plays an important role in determining changes in the stock of domestic money. International reserve inflows, for example, will increase the domestic stock of money if they are added directly to the money balances of residents, or if they are exchanged for domestic currency at the central bank.1 In Australia, reserve flows are an important factor, and occasionally a dominant one, in determining changes in the domestic stock of money.2 This observation raises the question, what are the major determinants of Australian reserve flows and what role, if any, do policy actions play in affecting reserve flows? Models of open economies that include a market for money have been developed by R. A. Mundell (1968, 1971), H. G. Johnson (1972), A. B. Laffer (1968), R. Komiya (1969), J. Frenkel (1971), and R. Dornbusch (1971), among others. These models suggest two equivalent ways of describing a reserve flow. One asserts that reserves flow in when residents demand less goods, services, and non-monetary assets from non-residents than non-residents demand from them, and the converse. The other description says that reserves flow in when residents desire to accumulate money balances faster than the rate at which policy actions and other domestic factors are increasing the stock of money. This highly simplified characterization implies that reserve flows result from the states of equilibrium in all non-monetary markets or, equivalently, from the state of equilibrium in the money market. In this paper the latter, and simpler, approach is taken. Reserve flows are related to factors determining growth in demand for money, and to policy and other domestically determined factors that contribute to growth in the stock of money. This money-market approach to the balance of payments is a slightly modified version of a model developed by H. G. Johnson (1972).


This study was carried out to evaluate the body and carcass linear measurements in rams fed diets in which maize and wheat offal mixture was replaced with biscuit waste (biscuit water meal (BWM)) and Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal (Llh) mixture 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%, respectively. The dietary treatments were designated as B0, B1, B2, B3 and B4, respectively. Twenty (20) apparently healthy Yankassa rams, 9 to 11 month old win an initial average live weight of 12.17 ± 0.33 kg were assigned into five groups of 4 animals per group, balanced for weight and randomly allotted to the dietary treatments in a completely randomized design experiment. Water was provided without restoration. Body linear measurements were obtained weekly during the trial that lasted for 91 days. At the end of the feeding trial, animals were subjected to a 16 h fast and slaughtered for carcass linear measurements. Results showed that treatment effect was significant (P<0.05) for all linear body variables except for body length and rump length of rams fed experimental diets. Also, carcass linear measurement of carcass length, internal and external cheat girt, length of distal parts of fore and hind legs, circumference of fore and hind legs, length and width of legs in rams improved significantly (P<0.05) when maize and wheat offal mixture was replaced with biscuit waste and L.. Luecocephala meal mixture in the control diet. However, the rams treated on 25 and 50% biscuit waste meal and L. leucocephala meal mixture exhibited significantly higher (P<0.05) body and carcass linear measurements than the rams on other diets.

 Key words: Body, carcass, linear, measurements, rams, biscuit waste, Leucaena leucocephala.


During the Golden Age of men's fashion, in the 1930s and '40s, Esquire magazine regularly featured an illustrated column that provided advice on style, often introducing novel ideas. The writing is witty, urbane, and tongue-in-cheek. This delightful work features 60 illustrations--40 in color--with their original captions that represent the fashions of the day.


Abstract : The eighteenth Annual Space Control Conference was held on 11, 12, and 13 April 2000. ESC acts as administrative sponsor of the event which is held at the Lincoln Laboratory facility on Hanscom AFB, and the program is coordinated with Mr Force Space Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory. The purpose of this series of conferences is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of space control issues. This Proceedings documents those presentations from this conference that were received in time for pre-conference publication. The papers contained were reproduced directly from copies supplied by their authors (with minor mechanical changes where necessary). It is hoped that this publication will enhance the utility of the conference.


To search for new resource of chondroitin sulfate(CS) for therapeutics,glycosaminoglycan(GAG) was isolated from nasal proteoglycan(PG) of mackerel(Pneumatophorus japonicus Houttuyn).The disaccharide composition of CS in the GAG preparation was determined by anion-exchange HPLC after digestion with chondroitinase.The molecular size of GAG was determined by gel filtration,and the interaction of GAG with growth factors was analyzed to determine the kinetic parameter ka(association rate constant)、 kd(dissociation rate constant) and KD(equilibrium dissociation constant) through surface plasmon resonance(SPR) analysis.The content of GAG was 1.09 μmol/mg PG(as disaccharide unites) or 651 μg/mg PG.CS is the major ingredient of the GAG preparation(1.03 μmol/mg PG).Unsaturated disaccharide units produced from CS were ΔDi-6S(38.8%),ΔDi-4S(46.3%),ΔDi-0S(8.4%) and ΔDi-diSD(6.5%).Molecular size of GAG(CS) was approximately 78 kD.The kinetic parameter ka((mol/L)-1·s-1),kd(s-1) and kD(nmol/L) of GAG(CS) with the growth factors were(2.77±0.17)×105,(7.74±1.56)×10-5 and(0.28±0.06) for midkine(MK);(1.05±0.22)×104,(4.16±0.80)×10-3 and(417±131.3) for pleiotrophin(PTN);and(7.04±0.94)×105,(7.84±2.82)×10-3 and(11.1±3.80) for hepatocyte growth factor(HGF),respectively.High affinity with MK and HGF and higher affinity with PTN was observed,suggesting that the CS chains in mackerel nasal cartilage may regulate growth factor signaling and have a potential for therapeutic applications to some diseases.


The Dual-Direction Silicon Controlled Rectifier (DDSCR) device has dual-direction electrostatic protection function and strong current discharging ability, which is widely used in ESD on-chip protection. In this paper, a high performance symmetric high voltage Dual-Direction Silicon Controlled Rectifier with floating P+ (HVDDSCR_FP+) is designed for CAN bus under 0.18 μm BCD process. In order to predict and verify the ESD performance of the device, TCAD two-dimensional device simulation and Transmission Line Pulse (TLP) test system were used. The experimental results show that the HVDDSCR_FP + structure has not only symmetrical positive and reverse I-V curves, but also the characteristics of high holding voltage and high failure current. Compared with the traditional HVDDSCR, HVDDSCR_FP+, at 25V forward and reverse trigger voltages (Vt), has increased its holding voltage (Vh) from 12V to 20V, failure current (It2) from 5A to 35A. In the actual tape-out process, it is found that the width of the N-well has a great influence on the performance of the device. After analyzing the reason and improving it, the leakage current of the device is reduced from μA level to nA level.


This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright © 2017 Korean Academy of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Effect of Robot-Assisted Phonological Awareness Training on Invented Spelling for Children with Reading Disabilities


DR. EDWARD A. STRECKER, Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College, read a paper on "Mechanisms in Hysteria and Neurasthenia". As the repressed minority in politics or business may prevent the harmonious working of a majority, so the minority complexes repressed into the subconscious or unconscious may hamper and harass the working of the majority forces in the conscious mind of an individual. The result of such dissociation may be sleeplessness, somnambulism, inordinate worry, increasing dissatisfaction, nervous symptoms, nervous breakdowns, nervous paralyses, etc. The introvert, faced with prolonged intolerable conflict reacts by continuing the sensation of emotions beyond normal limits and by super-appreciation of normal body sensations until a pathologic condition is suggested and this condition substituted for the complex. Such patients need training, not medication. The extravert faced with immediate pressure following a period of mental conflict reacts by rejecting totally the use of the organ or member directly involved in the conflict, securing this integrity of the individual at the expense of paralyses, anesthesiae, and loss of use of various sense organs. Here, too, training and not medication is indicated. The difference between neurasthenia and hysteria is that in the latter the conflicting complex is relegated to the unconscious and the result is a disowning of physical or physiological functions, while in the former the conflict is relegated to the subconscious and the result is the adoption of a substitute pseudopathological organic condition. The treatment in either case is a full recognition of the underlying conflict and the building of new healthful reflexes. F. J. A.


A study of the effectiveness of web reinforcement in reinforced concrete beams subject to axial forces is reported, involving the testing of 60 simply supported reinforced concrete T-beams and eight restrained reinforced concrete T-beams. The primary variables were axial force, the amount of web reinforcement, the concrete strength, and the shear span to depth ratio. Secondary variables were the web reinforcement yield point and the amount of flexural reinforcement. Measurements were made of applied loads, deflections, web reinforcement strain, and diagonal tension crack width. The effectiveness of the web reinforcement was found to be unaffected by the presence of axial forces. The design procedures for beams with web reinforcement contained in the ACI Building Code, ACI 318-63, were found to be conservative. Relationships are proposed which more closely reflect the variation of ultimate shear strength with variation of relevant parameters.


Learning Objectives • To understand each of the memory types. • To list the brain regions that have been associated with memory. • To describe the effects of removing the medial temporal lobes. • To pinpoint the visual sensory regions in the brain. • To identify the control regions in the brain. Memory enables us to have skills, to communicate with others, to make intelligent decisions, to remember our loved ones, and to know who we are. Although human memory has been studied for over two centuries (Aristotle, 350 BCE), the cognitive neuroscience of memory has only been studied for the last two decades. Section 1.1 of this chapter gives a brief overview of the field of cognitive neuroscience. Cognitive neuroscientists employ techniques that non-invasively track the functioning human brain. Section 1.2 details the fourteen different types of memory. In section 1.3, an overview of human brain anatomy is provided. Commonly known anatomic distinctions such as the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe, and the occipital lobe are reviewed and then more detailed anatomy is discussed. Section 1.4 highlights the importance of the medial temporal lobe in memory, which was discovered in the 1950s when this region was surgically removed from one unfortunate individual. In section 1.5, an overview of brain sensory regions is provided, such as the regions associated with visual perception and auditory perception. When a person remembers detailed information, such as the room they stayed in on their last vacation, the corresponding sensory regions of their brain are reactivated. In section 1.6, the regions of the brain that control memory retrieval are considered, which include part of the frontal cortex, the parietal cortex, and the medial temporal lobe. The final section, 1.7, provides an overview of the organization of this book. This book identifies the brain regions associated with different types of memory and details how activity in these regions changes over time. After the current evidence on the cognitive neuroscience of memory has been reviewed, the final chapter discusses the future of memory research. In the last decade, there have been many advances in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying human memory, but there is much to learn and the next decade promises to be even more exciting.


Animal studies, (Knapp & Mandell, 1973; Vetulani & Sulser, 1975; Campbell, Robinson, Lovenberg & Murphy, 1979; Robinson, Campbell, Walker, Statham, Lovenberg & Murphy, 1979), have shown that the chronic administration of various different groups of antidepressant drugs causes changes in aminergic processes which are not seen after acute drug administration. These observations are of formation are low, the drug induced increases in enzyme activity may facilitate the formation of these amines which in turn may affect cell function and might be of significance in the side effects induced by MAOI'S. Additionally, an induction of AAAD by MAOI may facilitate the conversion of dopa to dopamine, and this could be one aspect of the therapeutic action


A stable plane wave multilevel fast multipole method (SPWMLFMA) is presented for the simulation of the scattering at a very large number of scatterers using the T-matrix method. The method is used to accurately simulate the interaction of an incident field with a piece of metamaterial consisting of a large number of particles embedded in a host medium. From the scattering data it is possible to derive effective material parameters of the piece of metamaterial. We will show two examples. The first one consists of a metamaterial Luneburg lens and illustrates the interaction of the incident field with a large number of scatterers and the second one is a chiral medium composed from a large number of metal spiral like objects and illustrates the extraction of effective parameters.


In recent years, the number of community-based natural resource management projects for rangeland conservation and development has grown rapidly in Mongolia. Such projects seek to develop social capital through the formation of herder groups and pasture user groups, in order to enable the coordination of complex, collective tasks needed for sustainability. Through analysis of social networks, interviews and ethnographic data from two places where such projects have been implemented, Bayanjargalan, Dundgovi, and Tariat, Arkhangai, the paper demonstrates that the spatiality of pastoral social relations is much more extensive than assumed by these projects. Furthermore, rather than being neutral technical interventions, such projects are embedded in and proliferate politics. They often bolster the informal power of wealthy herders who gain more access to pasture, while at the same time leading to tensions between different levels of government and becoming objects of struggle between Mongolia's two dominant political parties. For all of these reasons, these efforts have tended not to build trust, and the 'communities' they create, in the form of herder groups and pasture user groups, have tended to be ephemeral.


Objective To assess the technical feasibility of implanting separating stent-graft into the canine thoracic aorta and to study its biocompatibility.Methods Twelve adult dogs were randomly and equally divided into three groups.The right femoral artery was cut open,through which the separating stent-graft was inserted and deployed in the canine thoracic aorta,with the proximal end of the graft being quite close to the origin of the left subclavian artery.The technical feasibility of the deployment process was assessed.Angiography was performed at 4,8 and 12 weeks after stent-graft placement to evaluate the position and patency of the stent-graft.Then the dogs were sacrificed and the specimens were collected for pathologic study.Both gross and microscopic examinations were made to evaluate the fixation of the stent-graft with the vessel wall,the endothelialization of stent-graft surface and the pathologic changes of the vascular wall.Results A total of ten separating stent-grafts were successfully deployed in the canine thoracic aorta,no migration or deformation occurred.One dog died of massive bleeding due to the rupture of the right femoral artery which occurred when the delivery system containing the inner bare stent was inserted through the right femoral artery.Death occurred in another dog as a result of the ascending aorta rupture caused by the migration of outer-layer stent-graft.Angiography was conducted at 4,8 and 12 weeks after stent-graft placement.No migration,deformation,rupture or stenosis of the implanted stent-grafts were observed.The formation of intima on the inner surface of the bare stent appeared at 4 weeks,which became more and more obvious with the time passing,and at 12 weeks complete endothelialization of stent-graft surface was observed.Conclusion Technically,it is feasible to deploy the separating aortic stent-graft into the canine thoracic aorta.Moreover,the separating aortic stent-graft carries excellent biocompatibility with the surrounding structures.


The twenty-first century has seen a notable growth in the availability of Arabic literature in English, with far more texts now being translated, including works of life writing. Also available in ...


For thousands of years, societies actively practiced the oppression, persecution, and dehumanization of sexual and gender minority (SGM) people (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals). Rekers and Lovaas' (1974) study is part of that history within behavior analysis. Following requests for retraction, the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and LeBlanc (2020) issued a formal Expression of Concern about the work. Continued conversation and debate have followed. First, we contextualize debate around retraction of Rekers and Lovaas and the history of behavior analysts' work on SGM issues. Second, we propose 5 steps that leaders in behavior analysis can take with relative immediacy, and we describe 5 research areas that individual behavior analysts could pursue. We conclude that behavior analysts can contribute much toward the liberation of SGM individuals if we begin to bring our science to bear on pressing, socially significant issues facing SGM communities.


Severe thrombocytopenia (TP) is a relatively rare finding, particularly in patients with coronary artery disease. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has traditionally not been an option for patients with severe TP, because these patients are felt to be at increased risk for bleeding complications resulting from the required periprocedural anticoagulation and postprocedural dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). This speculation is indirectly supported by a recent study in which the baseline TP emerged as an independent predictor of mortality in patients undergoing PCI [1]. Therefore, we collected data from 35 patients with severe TP undergoing PCI, illustrating their medical and interventional management as well as their clinical outcome. FromJanuary2006 toDecember2010, 5170patients received PCI in our institute. Thirty-five (0.6%) of these patients had a previous diagnosis of severe TP. Fifteen (43%) had immune thrombocytopenic purpura, five (14%) had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, three (8%) had chronic myeloid leukemia, two (6%) had chronic kidney disease (one during immunosuppressive therapy after transplantation), and 10 (28%) had chronic liver disease. SevereTP is definedas apersistent platelet countof < 50 · 10 L. Our institute has an guideline for the management of patients with severe TC that is briefly described below. The recommended medical and interventional strategy was bare metal stent (BMS) implantation, followed by DAPT for 1 month. After DAPT discontinuation, at least one antiplatelet drug (aspirin 75 mg) was recommended for life. Periprocedural antithromboticdrugswere administeredaccording to the operator s choice. Glycoprotein (GP)IIb–IIIa inhibitor use was discouraged. Nevertheless, each operator was free to choose, for each specific patient, the stent type and antiplatelet/antithrombotic therapy during and after PCI. The radial artery was selected as the first-choice access site. In all patients, platelet function was assessed before PCI with aspirin andP2Y12VerifyNow(Accumetrics, SanDiego,CA,USA) [2]. The results were expressed in aspirin reaction units (ARU) and P2Y12 reaction units (PRU), respectively [2]. Patients with ARU > 550 and PRU > 230 were considered to be aspirin and clopidogrel poor responders, respectively. Patients underwent outpatient visits every 6 months. The ischemic clinical endpoints were death, myocardial infarction (MI), stent thrombosis, and target vessel revascularization. Bleeding complications were classified according to the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction classification and BleedScore [3]. This study was approved by the local Ethics Committee, and all patients gave written informed consent. Continuous data were presentedasmeans ± standarddeviations, andwere compared by use of the t-test. Categorical variables were summarized in terms of numbers and percentages, and were then compared by use of the two-sided Fisher exact test. A P-value of< 0.05 was considered to be significant. Analysis was performed with STATISTICA 8 (StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA). Table 1 shows all available data for the study population. As expected, the cardiovascular risk factors were frequent. Nevertheless, the number of prior cardiovascular events was relatively low. The radial artery was used as the access site in all patients, with the exception of one. This patient s coronary artery angiography was performed by radial access, but the 7F guiding catheter was necessary for the performance of left main stenting, and so the femoral artery was used. Drug-eluting stents were used in only five patients, principally in the left main artery or in long lesions of the left anterior descending artery. The antithrombotic agent most commonly used was unfractioned heparin. Only in the last year was bivalirudin chosen for three patients. A GPIIb–IIIa inhibitor (bciximab) was used only in one patient presenting with ST-segment elevation MI. In this case, the operator was unaware of the existence of severe TP. Administration of immune globulin to increase the platelet count before PCI was used in five patients (platelet count from 24 ± 3 to 37 ± 6 U · 10 L). We suggested monotherapy with clopidogrel in seven (20%) patients. In one of these patients, clopidogrel was stopped after 7 months because of bleeding complications (no ischemic events were reported after clopidogrel discontinuation). In seven (20%) patients, we Correspondence: Gianluca Campo, Cardiovascular Institute, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria S. Anna, Ferrara, Italy. Tel.: +39 532 202143; fax: +39 532 241885. E-mail: email@example.com


Plasma soluble selectin may reflect the functional status of vascular endothelium and platelet,and reflect the vascular inflammation and immune status indirectly.The inflammation and immunity may be the main factors which lead to unstable plaque.Observing and interventing plasma soluble selectin may be assistant to the prediction and prevention and curing of acute coronary syndromes.We summarize the association between plasma soluble selectin and acute coronary syndromes in this article. flammati


KEMPERMAN, TH.C.M. and WILKINSON, C. [with biological data provided by KUROKO, H. and KUMATA, T.]. 1985. Japanese species of the genus Stigmella (Nepticulidae: Lepidoptera). Ins. matsllllZ. n. s. 32: 1-107, 241 figs. (46 pis.). A revision of the Japanese species of leaf·mining microlepidoptera in the family Nepticulidae is in progress for the first time. This publication comprises the genus Stigmella Schrank. Descriptions, diagnoses and bibliographies are given for 40 species, 37 of which are new. As far as possible the taxa have been compared with the known species from the western Palaearctic and Nearctic regions. The genus in Japan has been divided into 10 species·groups. The information given on biology and life·histories has been collated from rearing records, label data and herbaria. Pre·existing types have been examined and 37 holotypes have been designated. The genitalia of the adults demonstrate major diagnostic features and were essential in providing identification keys. The proposed groups were defined mainly on these structures. Wherever possible the host· plant associations are given and the mining habits of the larvae are discussed. Authors' addresses. TH.C.M. KEMPERMAN and C. WILKINSON: Dept. of Animal Systematics & Zoogeography, Sub faculty of Biology, Vrije Universiteit, Postbus 7161, 1007 MC Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [H. KUROKO: Entomological Laboratory, College of Agriculture, University of Osaka Prefecture, Sakai, Osaka, 591 Japan; T. KUMATA: Entomological Institute, Faculty' of Agriculture, Hokkaid6 University, Sapporo, 060 Japan.]


The innovation ecosystem term has increasingly been attracting the interest of scholars and practitioners for fifteen years. Contrary to the flourishing landscape, knowledge in this field is criticized as being fragmented. While past reviews revealed the conceptual and theoretical connections between innovation ecosystem and other related concepts, there is still a lack of comprehensive appreciation of the intellectual structure of state-of-the-art innovation ecosystem studies, hindering future research in this domain. To fill this void, this study utilized a systematic literature review approach combining bibliographic coupling and content analysis methods. Drawing on 136 studies reflecting the core and latest knowledge of innovation ecosystem literature, this study identifies five streams of the current innovation ecosystem research (i.e., technology innovation, platform innovation ecosystem, regional development, innovation ecosystem conceptualization and theorization, and entrepreneurship and innovation). Suggestions for future research are distilled via systematic analysis and discussion of these streams. Contributions of this study lie in decoding the intellectual structure of current innovation ecosystem research and offering targeted recommendations for future research.


69 6. ABSTRACT The worldwide climate change is influencing agriculture in Central Europe. The extreme weather conditions like drought and heat often result in poor crop yields. In Austria it is especially the Pannonic region which suffers from drought damages on crops. Due to this background a research project has been set up in October 2009 which is called "Winter wheat cultivars maintaining high yield under environmental stress". The participating countries were Austria, Germany and Hungary. A field experiment arranged in a randomized lattice design with three replications was set up at three locations in the East of Austria. At all three sites a core set of 25 winter wheat varieties and a supplemental set with 72 genotypes was studied. The objective of this master thesis is to test and evaluate the novel selection criteria (chlorophyll content SPD, canopy temperature OTE, stomatal conductance STO, osmotic potential OSP and electrical capacitance of roots EKA) for selecting drought tolerant genotypes and to determine their correlations to drought stress indicators, growth stages, plant morphology, yield and quality parameters. Significant genotype variability (p ≤ 0.05) was noticed for SPD, OTE, STO and OSP. EKA did not show differences among the varieties. SPD seem to be an effective selection criterion whereas OTE, STO and OSP were considered as critical traits. Due to the fact that EKA showed a non significant genotype effect and high variations within the replications of one plot, it has to be seen as a critical selection criterion too. Nevertheless many significant correlations were detected with EKA and therefore further studies are required. Regarding the correlations it was determined that in the core set no associations among the novel selection criteria were found. Significant interactions (p ≤ 0.05 and p ≤ 0.01) were shown between the novel selection criteria and the stress indicators, the growth stages, the plant morphology, the yield and the quality parameters. Further correlations were noticed between the stress indicators and the growth stages, the plant morphology, the yield and the quality parameters. The yield and quality parameters were significantly associated with the growth stages and plant morphology.


Pandemics represent significant threats to global health and impact all aspects of human life including physical and mental health, global economics, education, public policy and communication. The diversity of impacts associated with global pandemics as well as the speed of the resulting disease spread require multidisciplinary timely approaches to address the complex interplay of factors required for pandemic mitigation. Universities provide a critical national asset for addressing pandemic mitigation as these institutions possess broad intellectual capital that can be leveraged to guide national and global responses. Universities across the United States have approached the pandemic with a variety of strategies to link disciplinary expertise to target differing aspects of the problem. The University of South Florida adapted a rapid response research network approach that essentially integrates HIBAR principles (Highly Integrative Basic and Responsive research) to address wide ranging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This description of the USF Pandemic Response Research Network (USF-PRRN) highlights the HIBAR features of the network and how the USF-PRRN concept can be applied to other global sustainability challenges.


Abstract In case of pregnancies, one of the most common pathological conditions in internal medicine is aneamia with iron-deficiency. Furthermore, iron deficiency may also affect the mother and the fetus negatively. We wanted to find out which group of expectant mothers are mostly affected, which factors influence the development of aneamia. It was also observable in the case of those living at higher living standards that they take fetus-protecting vitamins with a significantly higher frequency before the pregnancy than those living at lower living standards. According to our research data, 67% of the sample developed aneamia. In our research the risk group consisted of young, vegetarian expectant mothers with low education and the multiparas. After conception, the timing of gynaecological consultation was appropriate and the majority of the sample had a clear idea of the ways of preventing aneamia. However, prevention was only realized in practice - based on the criteria - only with a frequency of 12%. It would be important to consciously plan pregnancy. After taking expectant mothers into care, they should - as soon as possible - be screened for the deficiency and in need, supplements should be started. Risk groups should be given greater attention. In their case, a routine supplement of iron would be desirable even before the development of a deficiency. During pregnancy care, awareness must be raised and an iron-rich diet should be established at the beginning. Beyond these, general practitioner, health visitors have the opportunity - through the close relationship with the expectant mothers - to control laboratory tests, provide appropriate information, recommend vitamin preparations as well as check taken medications.


Gaussian-mixture probability hypothesis density(GM-PHD) filter is a suboptimal Bayesian method for multitarget tracking based on random finite Set theory.This article proposes a GM-PHD based multitarget tracking algorithm for the image plane of a scanning optical sensor.By analyzing the scan characteristics,a target dynamic model and an observation model are established respectively for the typical cone scan type and shave scan type.The principle of GM-PHD is introduced.To handle the low efficiency problem of the original GM-PHD in high clutter density circumstances,some improvements are presented by using the gating technology in traditional multitarget tracking methods.Finally,A multitarget scenario is set up,which contains crossing targets,parallel targets and approaching targets,Monte Carlo simulations are used for the two scan types mentioned above,and the results show that the new algorithm is able to adapt to time-varying number of targets,depress clutters strongly,and enhance efficiency by 10 times as compared with the original method.


Multi-agent imitation learning (MA-IL) aims to inversely learn policies for all agents using demonstrations collected from an expert group. However, this problem has only been studied in the setting of Markov games (MGs) allowing participants for concurrent actions, and do not work for general MGs, with agents inconcurrently making decisions in different turns. In this work, we propose iMA-IL, a novel multi-agent imitation learning framework for general (inconcurrent) Markov games. The learned policies are proven to guarantee subgame perfect equilibrium (SPE), a stronger equilibrium than Nash equilibrium (NE). The experiment results demonstrate that compared to state-of-the-art baselines, our iMA-IL model can better infer the policy of each expert agent using their demonstration data collected from inconcurrent decision-making scenarios.


The mechanism by which biphasic defibrillation shocks lower defibrillation thresholds compared to monophasic shocks of the same energy remains not well understood. We have recently developed an active bidomain finite element model of anatomically accurate rabbit ventricles complete with fiber orientation. We utilize this model to simulate an episode of ventricular fibrillation initiated by rapid pacing. Biphasic defibrillation shocks are applied at various times after initiation of sustained fibrillation-like reentrant activity. In all cases, the biphasic defibrillation thresholds are lower than the defibrillation thresholds for the equivalent monophasic shock. Our simulations reveal that the difference is due to the decreased dispersion of refractoriness, absence of deexcitation, and the ability of biphasic shocks to excite all regions of membrane polarization, regardless of polarity.


The question whether wall vibrations of wind instruments can aect their radiated sound has not finally been answered yet. It was and still is a very controversial issue. Acousticians hold that it is the resonant air column which is responsible for the radiated sound and wall vibrations neither have enough potential to radiate nor to significantly aect the standing waves inside the instrument. On the other hand, musicians and instrument makers assert a strong claim, that wall thickness, material and production techniques are crucial factors for sound quality and response of wind instruments. Although they got some support from scientists who seemingly were able to reproduce the claimed eect, there is no plausible theoretical explanation for it. Therefore such experiments have been questioned by sceptics as being inaccurate and not repeatable. New experiments have therefore been made in order to address this legitimate plea. A Viennese Horn was constantly excited by an artificial mouth in an anechoic chamber while its bell vibrations have been damped using dry sand. The radiated sound has been recorded while sand was dropped into a solid box housing the instrument to increase the factor of damping continuously. In order to rule out feedback of structural vibrations to the mouthpiece as a possible cause, the coupling was achieved with a short piece of flexible rubber tube. The experiment was repeated several times to obtain enough spectral data for statistical analysis. Strong and statistically significant correlations between spectral characteristics and bell vibrations have been observed.


The proportions of quality costs in engineering budgets are higher than 30% on average and in manufacturing budgets higher than 20%. Measuring and analyzing quality related costs have proven to be beneficial. Although it is a well discussed topic in literature, the implementation rate in industry is still low. However, market leaders have significantly lower quality costs when compared to their competitors. This paper presents data regarding quality related costs and the effects after using quality tools and techniques. The study was carried out as an online survey of quality experts of German companies from three industries: Automotive, Mechanical Engineering and Electronics. Survey results are compared to literature, discussed and conclusions drawn. Findings indicate that the implementation rate of quality tools and techniques and the amount of total quality costs vary starkly among industries. Furthermore, evidence shows that there is untapped potential for increasing profits if quality related costs are reduced. The greatest barriers to attaining this potential are limited resources and access to data. There is a strong need for tools and techniques to facilitate the cost reduction exercise. Since existing models are theoretical in nature, the collaboration with real-world companies is required. Accompanying and coaching the client during the implementation phase is a key success factor to sustainably integrated solutions. Practical models can be derived from learnings of those projects as a guide to others.


Lampung has some spots of mangrove forests which one of them namely Lampung Mangrove Center (LMC). LMC has a potential resources for ecotourism development on the condition that the management is running well. This research aims to analyze the perceptions of key individuals and tourists about ecotourism management . Research location was in Lampung Mangrove Center , Margasari Village , East Lampung District . S nowball sampling interview and literature study was conduc ted in April 2017. Th is study result ed different perception of key individuals and tourist s about ecotourism in Margasari Village. Key individuals assess ed the management has been running well (100%) , but the t ourist s rate d the management is still bad (80%). The entire tourist s (100%) requested the need for improvement for ecotourism infrastructure. The existing issues of ecotourism development in Margasari Village, according to t ourist s and key individuals were minimal access to public transport, less synergize between district g overnment with the community for ecotourism management , and bad image of East Lampung district as conflict areas of sand mining . Keywords : Margasari village, ecotourism, mangrove forest, perception.


Method for operating a light-emitting diode comprising a strained active layer based on a group III nitride compound semiconductor being impressed in the method, the operating current of the active layer with a modulated operating voltage and the operating voltage between a low voltage value of a voltage in backward direction of the pn junction of the light emitting diode or a low voltage in the forward direction at low current corresponds and a high voltage value, corresponding to a high voltage in the forward direction at high current, is modulated so that - during a period of high operating voltage, charge carriers are injected into the active layer, and - can be carried out a strong radiative recombination of the carriers of the active layer during a low operating voltage.


One of the most important elements in decision-making is the availability of information which is used in the management of organizations. In this paper, we present the method SIMBIOSIS (System of Indicators for Managing Business Intelligence Oriented Strategic Information System). This method considers the two basic levels of decision-making in organizations; these levels are named strategic and tactical. In addition, the method looks at the minimal business intelligence objective of providing the right information to the right person at the right time as a variable. The conjugation of these two points of view permits us to generate a set of indicators. Using these indicators, with a system of information status identification we have proposed, help in the tagging of each component. The information analyzed by these indicators and the status identifiers provide the organization with an extended view of an information system that can aptly be adapted into business intelligence solutions. This also allows a vision of not only the organization but also the extended organization (i.e. organization that includes its environment).


painting the mastery of the third dimension was only now acquired (p. 340) : surely it was acquired at the end of the fifth century B.C. Not enough is made of the peculiar characteristics of Trajanic sculpture (p. 352) ; there is a return to something like Republican severity, which accords with other features of the Emperor's reign. Hadrian is a revolt against this and is the beginning of the softness of the Antonines. Of quite exceptional interest is the Vatican slab with the decursio (p. 370) ; here really is the beginning of Byzantinism, in this new idea of perspective. Finally reference might well have been made to the curious Classical revival under Constantine which produced the Jupiter Verospi and the Dioscuri of Montecavallo.


Agriculture exhibitions an important role in the progression and enlargement of the economy of any country. Prediction of crop yield will be useful for farmers, but it is difficult to predict crop yield because of the climatic factors such as rainfall, soil factors and so on. To tackle these issues, we are implementing a novel algorithm called Lemuria by applying data mining in agriculture especially for crop yield analysis and prediction. This novel algorithm is the hybridization of classifiers for pre-training, training and testing: deep belief network for feature learning, k-means clustering together with particle swarm optimization (PSO) to get the global solution as well as naïve Bayes clustering with PSO for testing. The performance of the Lemuria algorithm is evaluated in Python, which provides an accuracy of 97.74% for crop prediction by considering the rainfall dataset and also stated that this gives the optimum results in comparison with the existing methodologies.


Since the early days of Tomita-Takesaki theory, it is known that a von Neumann algebra $M$ that admits a state $\varphi$ with trivial centralizer $M_\varphi$ must be a type III$_1$ factor, but the converse remained open. We solve this problem and prove that such ergodic states form a dense $G_\delta$ set among all faithful normal states on any III$_1$ factor with separable predual. Through Connes' Radon-Nikodym cocycle theorem, this problem is related to the existence of ergodic cocycle perturbations for outer group actions, which we consider in the second part of the paper.


Autonomous vehicles are dependent on High Definition (HD) maps. The process of generating and updating these maps is slow, expensive, and not scalable for the whole world. Crowdsourcing vehicle sensor data to generate and update maps is a solution to the problem. In this paper, we propose and evaluate an end-to-end pose-graph optimization-based mapping framework using crowdsourced vehicle data. The in-vehicle data acquisition framework and the cloud-based mapping framework that fuses data from a consumer-grade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, an odometry sensor, and a stereo camera is described in detail. We focus on using stereo image pairs for loop-closure detection to combine crowdsourced data from different sessions that are affected by GNSS biases. We evaluate our framework on a data-set of more than 180 km recorded around the Eindhoven area. After the map generation process, the results exhibit a 56.23% improvement in maximum offset error and a 24.39% improvement in precision around the loop-closure area.


A new and simple method is presented for random vibration fatigue life prediction. Usually, the first order modal frequency was used as component's average frequency in calculating its damage amount. Here, the characteristic frequency calculated from measured PSD of component was used as average frequency. Results given by a typical component's test data processing show that the new method is reasonable.


We consider relativistic collisions of heavy hydrogen-like ions with hydrogen and helium atoms in which the ion-atom interaction causes both colliding particles to undergo transitions between their internal states. Using an approach enabling one, for the first time, to give a detailed description of this important case of the relativistic quantum few-body problem we concentrate on the study of the longitudinal momentum spectrum of the atomic recoil ions. We discuss the role of relativistic and higher order effects, predict a surprisingly strong influence of the projectile's electron on the momentum transfer, draw the general picture of the recoil ion formation and show that the important information about the doubly inelastic collisions could be obtained in experiment merely by measuring the recoil momentum spectrum.


Women suffering from pemphigus or from benign mucous membrane pemphigoid were examined gynaecologically. In thirteen of sixteen in whom the test was carried out, Nikolsky's was positive on the cervix uteri. It was consistently negative in control subjects.


Constructing tight wavelet filter banks with prescribed directions is challenging. This paper presents a systematic method for designing a tight wavelet filter bank, given any prescribed directions. There are two types of wavelet filters in our tight wavelet filter bank. One type is entirely determined by the prescribed information about the directionality and makes the wavelet filter bank directional. The other type helps the wavelet filter bank to be tight. In addition to the flexibility in choosing the directions, our construction method has other useful properties. It works for any multidimension, and it allows the user to have any prescribed number of vanishing moments along the chosen directions. Furthermore, our tight wavelet filter banks have fast algorithms for analysis and synthesis. Concrete examples are given to illustrate our construction method and properties of resulting tight wavelet filter banks.


A significant part of the recently published ACM and IEEE-CS report "Computing Curricula 2020: Paradigms for Global Computing Education" [1] was the development of visualizations of any computing degree and the comparison with the ACM and IEEE-CS approved curricula. This visualization covers discipline areas that have approved curricula: Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology and Cyber Security. The CC2020 report developed a "Landscape of Computing Knowledge" table (see table 1) aggregating all the topic areas of all six approved curricula into 34 topic areas and then assigned a minimum and maximum value for each of topic areas. As part of the visualizations project an online application has been developed (see Figure 1) where stakeholders can assign a minimum and maximum value to each of the topic areas that are required in their degree program and then that program can be matched against the current ACM/IEEE-CS approved curricula and other degree programs globally. This will have significant importance for educators and other stakeholders of computing degree programs.


line 2, "hypertropy" should read --hypertrophy-Column 16 line l, "... " should read Column 20 line 11, " . " should read --, -Column 36, line 38, insert -through the column. Passage of 5ml of a li solution of CHT-after the word "pass" Column 39 line 26, "(0.5" should read -0.5Column 51, line 27, "form" should read --from-Signed and Sealed this Twenty-fourth Day of August, 1993.


The coastal freshwater wetlands of western Arnhem Land in the monsoon tropics of the Northern Territory of Australia are subject to new and increasing pressures from a range of land uses. Wetland history is needed as a basis for management decisions. Radiocarbon dates and pollen analyses of samples from fifty surveyed sites on the Magela floodplain show mangrove vegetation encroaching as sea level rose from about 8000 BP to 6000 BP. The extensive Rhizophora forest established at that time lasted until about 3000 BP, when the sediments built up above the upper tidal limit for these mangroves. Avicennia and other mangrove genera became more abundant in the subsequent transition phase. The floodplain has been a freshwater wetland since about 1300 BP. High resolu- tion pollen analyses of contiguous 1 cm samples through the transition at two sites show parallel sequences of vegetation changes. Large-scale spatial and temporal stability of the two mutually exclusive ecosystems, mangrove forest and freshwater wetland, contains considerable small- scale variation. Maximum diversity and variability occurred during the time of least environmental stability in the transition phase. Vegetation change was discontinuous, with each major shift followed by variation around a new mean. A rise in sea level of 0.5-1.0 m could destroy the present freshwater wetland and allow some mangroves to return to the Magela.


The main research objective of this paper is to critically reassess the conceptual foundations and the methodological and methodical development of the Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) - as a relevant representative of the emancipatory paradigm - in order to determine the conditions, ways and achievements of its application in structuring the coercive management problems in organizations. The scientific instrumentarium corresponding to this research aim is critical systems thinking with its three key commitments to: a) critical awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of any research instrument - a theory, a methodology, a method, a technique, a model - for managing the problem situations, including the CSH, as the emancipatory systems approach to management, b) improvement of structuring those coercive problems in organizations, in which the sources of coercion can be identified, and c) pluralism - respect the different perceptions and interpretations of problem situations in organizations, and enable the combined use of selected research instruments. The main research result is the knowledge that the CSH - considering its conceptual foundations, and methodological and methodical development - enables to reveal the normative contents of the proposed designs of organizational systems, i.e. enables to identify the stakeholders who benefit from the proposed changes implementation. Based on this finding, it can be concluded that through the use of the critically heuristic categories and dialectical debate between those involved and those affected by the designs, but who are not included in decision making, the CSH endeavours to - in application - support the process of improving the position of all stakeholders.


The demographics of the renal population have evolved, such that the elderly are the fastest growing group. Consequently, the multidisciplinary renal team often encounters clinical issues associated with advancing age. In this chapter, frailty, falls, and cognitive impairment are discussed as underrecognized geriatric syndromes in patients with chronic kidney disease. A case history illustrates how these syndromes tend to co-exist and affect quality of life and survival. The risk factors, management strategies, and future research priorities are discussed, recognizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the management of elderly patients with kidney disease.


Due to the immanent complexity of Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) partnerships and their underlying service technology, a sustainable management proofs to be highly challenging and inefficient. Being confronted with multidimensional business relations and complex services meshes, the accounting and charging of service costs can be opaque and therefore incalculable. In this paper we propose a novel approach for service-oriented utilization-based cost accounting and cost charging. The presented model is based on a self-developed semantic service catalogue following the IT Service Management principles of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). The derived results eventually enable IT service providers to offer highly innovative services with operational expertise and a contracted level of service quality at a predictable cost level. The illustrated "Proof-of-Concept" gives evidence of the practical relevance in service-oriented scenarios as well as the high flexibility and adaptability of the presented cost model.


Cyberspace constitutes a place where people can build personal relationships and share norms or expectations that are meaningful and real for them (Paccagnella, 2002). Rooted in the social constructivist tradition (Berger & Luckmann, 1966), this study examines the role of religiosity and the Internet in the discursive strategies of single Mormons seeking relationships on the Web. The findings add to the literature addressing both virtual and religious communities by demonstrating how a virtual community is built and sustained by the religious discourse of its members.


—A considerable amount of research has been de- veloped lately to analyze social media with the intention of understanding and exploiting the available information. Recently, irony has took a significant role in human communication as it has been increasingly used in many social media platforms. In Natural Language Processing (NLP), irony recognition is an important yet difficult problem to solve. It is considered to be a complex linguistic phenomenon in which people means the opposite of what they literally say. Due to its significance, it becomes essential to analyze and detect irony in subjective texts to improve the analysis tools to classify people opinion automatically. This paper explores how deep learning methods can be employed to the detection of irony in Arabic language with the help of Word2vec term representations that converts words to vectors. We applied two different deep learning models; Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM). We tested our frameworks with a manually annotated datasets that was collected using Tweet Scraper. The best result was achieved by the CNN model with an F1 score of 0.87.


This chapter provides an overview of the key issues in public economics arising from the process of territorial decentralization that has taken place in Spain since the restoration of democracy and ratification of the Constitution of 1978, which resulted in the emergence of the " Autonomic State ". The first section of this chapter focuses on the assignment of competencies between central and regional levels of government and explains in detail the methodology used to quantify the "effective cost" of the services devolved to the Autonomous Communities (hereinafter ACs). We have paid special attention to health services, which are the most significant item for regional budgets in quantitative terms. The second section deals with revenue assignment and describes the two systems established to finance regional expenditures. These two systems are the "ordinary system" (regimen comun), which is applied in the majority of the ACs, and the "charter system" (regimen foral), which is based on the historical rights accorded to the Basque Country and Navarre . The last section gives an appraisal of the decentralization process and notes some emerging issues of debate.


Original Research Ar cle 1* 1 Thapa AS, Yadav RK Thapa AS et al 1. Lecturer, Department of Anaesthesiology and Cri cal Care College of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan. Nepal 2. Assosciate Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology and Cri cal Care College of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan. Nepal © Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publica on with the work simultaneously licensed under Crea ve Commons A ribu on License CC BY 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and ini al publica on in this journal. * Corresponding Author Dr. Ajay Singh thapa Lecturer Department of Anaesthesiology and Cri cal Care College of Medical Science Teaching Hospital Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal Email ID: firstname.lastname@example.com ORCID ID: h ps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3196-9925 Affilia on A R T I C L E I N F O Received : 28 June, 2019 Accepted : 25 November, 2019 Published : 31 December 2019


The present research work has the purpose of demonstrating that the Didactic Program Based on Problem Solving influences significantly in the students learning in the mathematics course of the civil engineering school of the University Cesar Vallejo (2015-2016), to in this, deductive, inductive and technical methods have been used, such as: documentary analysis, entrance and exit test.
The research had an experimental group of 45 students of whom applied the Didactic Program Based on Problem Solving. It used the pre experimental methodological design.
It was demonstrated with the results obtained that the Didactic Program Based on Solution of Problems influences significantly in the learning of the subject of mathematics.
Finally, it is concluded that quantitatively the application of the Didactic Program allowed to improve the qualifications of the students in comparison with the traditional method.


In this paper, we present a new support vector fuzzy inference system (SVFIS) for nonlinear system modeling. The proposed SVFIS is constructed using the support vector machine which does not have a bias term. The number of fuzzy rules is reduced by adjusting the parameter values of membership functions using the gradient descent method. Once a structure is selected, the parameter values in the consequent part of the Tagaki-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy model are determined by the least square method. The simulation result illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed SVFIS.


The paper is devoted to the tree centroid properties clarification. Attention of the authors was attracted by the popular problem of (binary) partition of a graph. The solution is known only by brute force algorithm. It was found that for a "economical" partition of a tree it makes sense to consider partitions in the neighborhood of centroid vertices, the definition of which is presented. In the paper, we proposed proofs connected with the limitation of their weight. It is also proved that if there are two centroid vertices in a tree, they are adjacent. In what follows, it is noted that three such vertices can not be in the tree. The corresponding statements are made. According to the first one, any vertex of a tree with a certain restriction on its weight is centroid. According to one of the points of the second statement, if there are two centroid vertices in the tree, the order of the tree is an even number. The third statement says that if a tree has a centroid vertex of limited weight, there is another centroid vertex of the same weight and adjacent to the first one. To prove the propositions, we consider the branch of greatest weight with a centroid vertex and take in this branch another vertex adjacent to the centroid. In this paper, Jordan's theorem is used, three images are used in the presentation of the material.


Summary: A local resident at is requesting the removal of a city tree located on the right o f way adjacent to her property at 81 Twenty Fourth St, in Ward 6. Over the last few years the tree has become home to an ever increasing flock of Starlings. The Starling is not a bird native to Canada. Starlings drive native birds out of their territory and the homeowner has observed fewer types of other birds near her home then used to be seen in the neighbourhood. Starlings are well noted for their flocking habits, and the homeowner has seen increasing numbers nesting in the tree each year. The number of starlings is now creating a huge nuisance roosting next to her home. The number of birds is overwhelming the home owner. There is large scale build-up of feces from this flock in the yard and on the home of the resident. The homeowner has concerns regarding the damage to the plants in the yard and has been advised that the feces and urine can lead to structural damage of the house, as uric acid in the feces will corrode stone, metal and masonry. The bacteria, fungal agents and parasites in the feces are posing a serious health risk. As well the Starling nest in the tree cavity is accumulating material that is unsightly and could represent a fire hazard, because Starlings do not remove material from old nests but keep adding year after year to what is there. The nest is used in successive seasons and smells foul. Starlings are very difficult to get rid of, as they will return to the old nesting site each year, in increasing numbers. The homeowner has attempted various methods of deterring the birds from nesting in the area to no avail. The homeowners neighbour across the street, in spite of numerous requests, continues to feed the birds, making it more difficult to discourage them from nesting in the area, and attracting more birds.


Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems continue to demonstrate that they play a significant role in developing working relationships between Indigenous communities and the world. By narrowing TEK's application to ecologically distinct regions, we begin to understand that Indigenous peoples' local knowledge of a place is experienced and observed over time, and how the incorporation of these knowledge systems can strengthen community initiatives. The study of Alaskan Native knowledge (ANK) that is the focus of this article is specific to cultural regions of Alaska and to areas where certain communities live. To better understand the importance of this "Local ANK," the author explored its incorporation during a timber harvest in Fort Yukon, Alaska and completed first-person interviews with project personnel of the wood-to-energy project. Local ANK is paramount in the planning and implementation of industrial projects that move Alaskan Natives towards self-determination.


In the last decades the practice of geotechnical engineering has evolved in a way that it is now possible to model and analyze complex structures as well as soil / structure interaction problems through numerical modeling (for instance: using the finite element method or finite differences). Numerical methods are a tool with great potential, but the validity of the results obtained by their application depends on the constitutive models adopted to describe the behavior of the geomaterials. This dissertation summarizes the various elements necessary for the formulation of constitutive models used to reproduce soil behavior, and implements constitutive equations in an incremental format for two non-linear elastic models: K-G model and Jardine model (also known as small strain stiffness model), in the commercial software, PLAXIS. The validation of these models is done through the simulation of laboratory tests. In addition, two algorithms for stress integration – Euler and Modified Euler, with and without substepping were implemented and compared.


Introduction A number of acquisition and reconstruction techniques have recently been proposed to extract the orientations of the white matter fibres within each imaging voxel from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data. Of these, the diffusion tensor model is currently the most commonly used, but is limited in that it cannot resolve crossing fibres [1]. Constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) has recently been proposed to address this problem [2]. However, the method has only been assessed using simulations. In this study, we present a validation of CSD using real phantom data, and compare the results with those obtained using Q-Ball Imaging (QBI) [1], a well-known method for resolving crossing fibres that has recently been validated using a phantom for a 90º fibre crossing [3]. However, white matter fibres will not in general intersect at 90º, and fibre-resolving techniques may prove unreliable for other angles, as suggested in a recent simulation study [4]. We therefore present results obtained using a phantom model of fibres crossing at 45º.


Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs as they are called, have been a hot topic in higher education in the last couple of years. Yet, while MOOCs have received considerable attention in the popular media, little attention has been paid to them in academic journals, especially in hospitality and tourism. Therefore, this paper explored hospitality and tourism educators' knowledge, use, and perceptions of MOOCs, particularly in hospitality and tourism education. Insights and implications of the uses of MOOCs in hospitality and tourism were provided.


In this study, we investigated the effects of an endocrine disruptor, 17β-estradiol, on the reproduction of freshwater shrimp, Paratya compressa improvisa (Natantia, Decapoda, Crustacea). Female shrimps with fertilized eggs were exposed to 0.1, 1.0, and 10μg·l-1 17β-estradiol. Larval mortality after 14 days of hatching for these female shrimps significantly increased from 2.0% in the control group to 66-80% in the exposed groups. On the other hand, when larvae of this species, obtained within 24 h after hatching, were exposed to 0.1, 1.0, and 10μg·l-1 17β-estradiol, larval mortality after 14 days of hatching slightly increased from 2.0% in the control group to 3.9-9.2% in the exposed groups. The sex ratio (female/male) of adults exposed to 17β-estradiol changed markedly from 1.1 in the control group to 0.5 in the exposed groups at 1.0 and 10μg·l-1. Female shrimps with fertilized eggs were observed after 150 days of hatching in the control group and the exposed groups at 0.1 and 1.0μg·l-1. The larval mortality of the next generation after 14 days of hatching gradually increased from 0.8-3.4% in the control group to 8.1-16% in the exposed group at 0.1μg·l-1 and 64-84% in the exposed group at 1.0μg·l-1. These results suggest that this compound affects the reproduction of this species.


In a series of 300 electro‐clinical observations adversive epilepsy has been often encountered in children. The most frequent causes have been obstetric traumata, traumatic damage to the skull, atrophic cerebral lesions, more rarely tumours, abscess and meningo‐encephalitis.


The solution heat treatment at temperatures 500°C to 600°C of binary technical Mg-Sc. Mg-Gd and Mg-Nd alloys with relatively high solute concentration has been characterised by electrical resistivity measurements at 77 K and 293 K. Linear concentration dependences of resistivity at 77 K and 293 K have been observed for all solutionised alloys. The resistivity contributions of I at.% of Sc. Gd and Nd in magnesium have been determined. Ageing of Mg-Gd alloys resulting in development of DO 19 precipitates decreases the slope of resistivity-concentration dependence. Negative deviations from Matthiessen's rule have been found in all solution treated alloys and in age hardened Mg-Gd alloy.


The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tracks the health and dietary habits of the US population using periodic surveys and examinations. Dietary intake of individuals, assessed by 24-hour dietary recall, allows for examination of temporal trends in dietary patterns and their relation to social factors associated with health, such as race, income, and educational attainment.1 Using data from 8 NHANES cross-sectional surveys between the years of 1999 and 2014, Zhang et al2 examined whether dietary patterns of adult recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have changed over this 15-year period. Unfortunately, they report a persistent poor diet score among SNAP recipients over the 15-year period, based on the American Heart Association's 2020 Strategic Impact Goals for diet. There was little or no improvement in sodium intake and worsening disparities in intake of both healthy foods (nuts/seeds, whole grains, and fish) and unhealthy foods (processed foods and added sugars). Participants in SNAP reported eating an average of only 1.3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This is below the intake of the higher-income group (2.0 servings per day) and far below the 7 to 9 servings per day recommended by the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet,3 the dietary pattern recommended by the American Heart Association for optimal cardiovascular health. In contrast, those in the higher-income group showed overall higher dietary quality with the initial survey and significant improvements in diet score over the 15-year period. These results are consistent with prior reports of lower diet quality among low-income individuals4 and document its persistence. The reasons for this trend are likely multifactorial, including lack of availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income neighborhoods (food deserts), targeted marketing of unhealthy foods in poor communities, lack of education to inform food purchases, or the fact that foods with lower nutrient quality are less expensive and stretch the SNAP dollar farther than buying fresh foods. The authors and others suggest that modifications to the SNAP program might be a tool to promote healthier purchasing patterns given the evidence for continued poor-quality diets in recipients.5 Determining whether modifications to the program are possible requires an understanding of the history of SNAP (formerly called food stamps). In 2017, SNAP provided financial assistance for food purchasing to more than 42 million Americans with allowances of approximately $30 per week per person at a cost of 57% of the budget of the US Department of Agriculture (<1% of the federal budget). The 50-year history of the program is complex and dynamic, and changes to the program have been driven by altruism and human compassion as well as political and economic realities.6 It is hypothesized that improvements in food quality for SNAP recipients would ultimately save money by reducing the cardiovascular disease risk and health care costs of its recipients. Funds for SNAP are distributed by a debit card system to individuals for purchasing food at supermarkets, convenience stores, or farmers' markets. While there are a few limits on purchases (alcohol, tobacco, and nonfood household items are ineligible), SNAP has no nutritional standards for purchases. Periodically there are proposals to restrict SNAP purchases of various categories of food, such as junk food, sugar-sweetened beverages, or foods considered luxury items. However, Congress and the US Department of Agriculture have repeatedly rejected these proposals based on both the administrative burden that restrictions may add and the perception that control of purchases would violate the right to make personal choices. In 2018 the Trump administration launched a new + Related article


After a scrupulous reading,it can be found that there is a recessive three-dimensional-intersect mode in Amy Tan's novels,especially in her fourth novel The Hundred Secret Senses.This essay aims at creating a new researching way,setting out from the tridimensional thought of the scientific research to analyze Amy Tan's works by taking The Hundred Secret Senses as a case and to probe the three-dimensional-intersect mode of her novels.


In this article is considered way of raising efficiency one-cycle resonance converter with two-semi-period rectification. Method of the calculation regulation feature and graphics dependency of output voltage from the electrical parameters circuit are also shown


The housing price-to-income ratio (PIR) is an important indicator for measuring the health of the real estate market and detecting residents' housing affordability. Including data of 336 cities in China from 2009 to 2020 as the research unit, the PIR's spatial and temporal evolution characteristics are explored by using the urban rank-size rule and Markov chain, and its influencing factors are explored using the random forest model. The results show the following: (1) The PIR is in a normal distribution pattern, and there was a significant positive spatial correlation, which tended to increase. (2) Spatially, the PIR shows an overall distribution trend of "high in the east and low in the west", and a rising trend of fluctuation is shown in the average PIR. (3) The PIR's time evolution has high stability. China's urban PIR is primarily the stable type from 2009 to 2015 and mainly the upward transfer type from 2015 to 2020. (4) The influence of economic, demographic, social, and expected factors on the PIR decreases, among which real estate investment density, industrial structure level, residents' consumption level, and real estate activity are the dominant factors enhancing trends and showing a complex nonlinear relationship.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the structural integrity and the operability of the solenoid valve that is safety related equipment and active equipment for nuclear power plant piping system. To do this, the solenoid valve was designed per the requirement of ASME Code Section Ⅲ Subsection NB is performed the functional qualification test in accordance with ASME QME-1 and the modal/structure/thermal stress analysis using ANSYS finite element code.


The overall program designs digital control system of active power filter,including the main circuit DC bus voltage constant,while the output current to track the current command signal and detailed design of a zero synchronous signal generating circuit and the PWM control signal to the direct control of the switching device turn on and off.The article uses the instantaneous reactive power theory of harmonic current detection methods and the model of the active power system simulation in Matlab,the results show the effectiveness of harmonic current detection method and control scheme is feasible,it can better achieve the dynamic harmonic suppression and reactive power compensation.The overall design streamlines peripheral;you can achieve more control algorithm.


Transient aseismic deformation is observed using dense geodetic measurements across the northern Jordan Valley Fault (JVF) segment of the Dead Sea Fault (DSF). The fault was creeping until 2013 at a rate of 2.6 ± 0.3 mm/yr. It stopped creeping between 2013 and 2018 and then started creeping again at a similar rate. These transitions between the creep and locked modes of deformation correlate well with the 2013 and 2018 seismic sequences that occurred near the tip of the northern JVF creeping segment. The creep caused the accumulation of Coulomb stresses near the fault tip, which promoted earthquake nucleation in this region. The 2013 seismic sequence, with a maximum moment magnitude of 3.7, was probably too small to release these stresses, and they were released during the 2018 seismic sequence, with a maximum moment magnitude of 4.5, which allowed the fault to creep again. We suggest that seismic activity will continue to occur near the tip of the northern JVF creeping segment.


We have investigated the effect of substitution of magnetic impurities for copper in YBa2Cu3-xMxO7 (M=Fe, Co) superconductors by developing a Fourier transformed effective potential (FTEP), which involves the influence of two dimensional (2D) acoustic phonons and plasmons. We have demonstrated that 2D acoustic plasmons have introduced 20–25% enhancement over the phonon contribution to the transition temperature (TC) at various compositions (x). Further, we have found that the increase in the values of the plasmon coupling parameter (λpl=0.0 to 0.5) enhances TC from 70 to 300 K. These achievements clearly indicates that the inclusion of the effect of 2D acoustic plasmons is essential for proper description of the mechanism of high TC superconductivity.


We propose a particle number conserving formalism for the treatment of isovector-isoscalar pairing in nuclei with $N>Z$. The ground state of the pairing Hamiltonian is described by a quartet condensate to which is appended a pair condensate formed by the neutrons in excess. The quartets are built by two isovector pairs coupled to the total isospin $T=0$ and two collective isoscalar proton-neutron pairs. To probe this ansatz for the ground state we performed calculations for $N>Z$ nuclei with the valence nucleons moving above the cores $^{16}$O, $^{40}$Ca and $^{100}$Sn. The calculations are done with two pairing interactions, one state-independent and the other of zero range, which are supposed to scatter pairs in time-revered orbits. It is proven that the ground state correlation energies calculated within this approach are very close to the exact results provided by the diagonalization of the pairing Hamiltonian. Based on this formalism we have shown that moving away of N=Z line, both the isoscalar and the isovector proton-neutron pairing correlations remain significant and that they cannot be treated accurately by models based on a proton-neutron pair condensate.


Objectives: To investigate the influence of atherosclerotic plaque and different drug-eluting stent (DES) spacing on drug deposition in the curved artery wall. Methods: Based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, the numerical investigation on distributions of drug concentration in the artery wall was carried out considering three different interstrut distances and five values of the plaque diffusion coefficients. The results were compared with those of the model without plaque. Results: Under the same stent spacing, drug deposition weakly increased with the increasing plaque diffusion coefficient. When the same diffusion coefficient value was taken, drug deposition presented steady growth with the expansion of stent spacing. When the stent spacing was of 1-strut length or the diffusion coefficient of plaque was much smaller than the diffusion coefficient of tissue (an order of magnitude or more), the drug deposition would be evidently reduced. Conclusions: In a curved artery, the stent spacing is still an important factor in drug deposition. The diffusion coefficients of plaque have little influence on the average drug concentration, but they show a relatively obvious effect on drug distributions.


Over 500,000 Americans die each year from atherosclerotic heart disease. Recent studies have shown that serum cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has formulated guidelines for the screening and treatment of hypercholesterol emia. We have written a computer program which individualizes these guidelines for a given patient based on their serum cholesterol level and epidemiological characteristics. The health care provider enters data on each patient and receives recommended screening procedures and treatment options. This program can then be used aR a reliable instrument in clinical trials of the efficacy of screening for hypercholesterol


In this paper, I summarise the recent results of our study on the core‐collapse supernova and related phenomena. Among the issues addressed are (1) long‐term ID simulations of core‐collapse supernovae, (2) global asymmetry of supernova, and (3) collapse of more massive stars and neutrino signals. In the first topic, I report our latest 1D simulations for more than a second after the bounce and demonstrate that the difference of EOS's manifests itself more clearly in the later phase of the core collapse. In the second part, I discuss hydrodynamic instabilities as a possible cause for the global asymmetry that may be a generic feature of core‐collapse supernova. The mode analysis of the non‐spherical instability of the standing accretion shock is presented. Inelastic scatterings of neutrino on nuclei are also discussed in this context. Finally, I mention the gravitational collapse of more massive stars which will produce not a neutron star but a black hole. Particular attention is paid to the neutrino signa...


The invention is installed in each substation for supplying DC power (power) in the train in the electric railway power supply system relates to a ground fault protective relay system having a ground fault protection, and more specifically to detect a ground fault when an earth fault occurs and at the same time by detecting with the direction it caused an earth fault having a ground fault detection signal to the adjacent substation in that direction at the same time receive a ground fault detection signal from the adjacent substation to trip the feeder breakers in the direction of separating only the accident region from the grid direction differential relates to a ground fault protective relay system and a control method, characterized in that. Applying direction differential ground fault protection relay system proposed by the present invention, the train when the ground fault occurs in the electric railway system that is operated quickly separated with minimal ground fault occurs interval of the remaining healthy sections can continue normal operation the effects are expected to make.


Electric vehicle charging technology has come a long way and seen progressive outcomes toward a wide adoption of EVs. To further accelerate the EV evolution, though, the recharging time of electric vehicles will require much improvement. In order to address such a challenge, it is critical to develop a technology that would enable faster, more efficient, and more effective ways of charging an electric vehicle. In order to address such a challenge, it is critical to develop a technology that would enable faster, more efficient, and more effective ways of charging an electric vehicle. The current fast-charging solution involves a heavy and bulky MV-LV transformer, which adds installation complexity for EV charging stations. Therefore, this paper presents an alternative power-delivery solution utilizing a medium-voltage (MV) dual-active-bridge (DAB) converter. The proposed architecture is designed to directly interface the MV grid for high-power, fast-charging capability while eliminating the need for the installation of the MV-LV transformer. The MV DAB converter utilizes 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs to realize the next 800 V EV charging system. This paper also provides an extended zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) scheme for the MV DAB converter by varying the input (DC-Link) voltage and the switching frequency of the converter. With the system specifications and requirements, a scaled-down 12 kW MV DAB prototype was developed, and its charging operation along with the extended ZVS scheme was simulated and verified by experiments.


The fundamental notions involved in measuring the performance of a document retrieval system are examined, and it is concluded that there are two different viewpoints which may be taken depending on one's basis assumptions. The rationale for each of these is examined and the differences between them is discussed. Some illustrations are given with respect to the effect of the evaluation viewpoint on precision vs. recall measures.


This invention relates to a system and method to generate a private, auditable, evidentiary quality record of the location-history of an asset or person. This invention addresses ten critical improvements over existing systems that are proposed or used for metering for payment services for tolling roads, parking or pay-as-you-drive insurance, namely: 1 cost-effective location accuracy in harsh signal environments; 2 evidentiary assurance of location estimation; 3 handling of dynamic and stationary positioning in a single device; 4 high-ratio compression for a set of stationary positions in urban canyon; 5 high-ratio compression for a dynamic tracklog in urban canyon; 6 high-ratio compression for a set of asset motion behaviors; 7 a method of remote device health check, including anti-tampering; 8 removal of residual price assignment errors; 9 anonymous use without on-board maps; 10 a method of deconsolidating payments to multiple payees with multiple payment regimes This system can beapplied to road-pricing, congestion-pricing, metered-by-the-minute parking and pay-as-you-drive insurance, incorporating privacy management, and legal admissibility of the evidentiary record. This same device can also be applied to vehicular fleets, military ordinance, or other location audits for assets whether motorized or not, as might be needed in evidence of contract fulfillment or other forms of non-realtime geofencing audits.


History and Terminology. A Systematic Approach to Foot and Ankle Examination. Examination of Specific Systems. Basic Foot Kinematics. Evaluation of Frontal Plane Mechanics. Disorders of the First MTP Joint. Lesser Toe Deformities. Metatarsalgia. Heel Pain. Tendon Disorders About the Ankle and Hindfoot. Assessment of the Acutely Injured Ankle and Foot. The Foot in Systemic Disease. Evaluation of In-Toeing in Children


BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet reactors that are used for drinking water disinfection need to be tested to ensure they are delivering the required doses and achieving the desired level of pathogen inactivation to protect public health. Testing methods can use biological, chemical, or particle surrogates, although not all approaches have been approved for reactor validation. The non-pathogenic bacteriophage MS2 and Bacillus subtilis spores are currently recognized as the standard challenge organisms for reactor validation because they are more UV resistant than most waterborne pathogens. However, an important group of potentially waterborne viruses, the adenoviruses, is considerably more UV resistant than other pathogens and the standard MS2 and B. subtilis biodosimeters. Based on the high UV resistance of adenoviruses, the USEPA's Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) and Ground Water Rule (GWR) require a UV dose of 186 mJ/cm for 4-log inactivation of viruses. This level of MS2 inactivation is achieved with a dose of approximately 85 mJ/cm, thereby limiting the utility of MS2 for reactor validation at the high doses required for virus inactivation credit, or other high-dose applications. An alternative challenge organism is required that has similar or higher UV resistance compared to adenoviruses. The ideal challenge organism would be non-pathogenic, easily grown to high concentrations, easily enumerated in a growth or infectivity assay, display minimal shoulder (lag) or tailing of the dose response curve, stable for relatively long periods with minimal die-off, robust under typical testing conditions, and effectively model the reactor's disinfection efficiency toward the target pathogen.


Using the global 21-cm signal measurement by the EDGES collaboration, we derive constraints on the fraction of the dark matter that is in the form of primordial black holes (PBHs) with masses in the range 1015–1017 g. Improving upon previous analyses, we consider the effect of the X-ray heating of the intergalactic medium on these constraints, and also use the full shape of the 21-cm absorption feature in our inference. In order to account for the anomalously deep absorption amplitude, we also consider an excess radio background motivated by LWA1 and ARCADE2 observations. Because the heating rate induced by PBH evaporation evolves slowly, the data favour a scenario in which PBH-induced heating is accompanied by X-ray heating. Also, for the same reason, using the full measurement across the EDGES observation band yields much stronger constraints on PBHs than just the redshift of absorption. We find that 21-cm observations exclude f PBH ≳ 10-9.7 at 95% CL for M PBH = 1015 g. This limit weakens approximately as M 4 PBH towards higher masses, thus providing the strongest constraints on ultralight evaporating PBHs as dark matter over the entire mass range 1015–1017 g. Under the assumption of a simple spherical gravitational collapse based on the Press-Schechter formalism, we also derive bounds on the curvature power spectrum at extremely small scales (k ∼ 1015 Mpc-1). This highlights the usefulness of global 21-cm measurements, including non-detections, across wide frequency bands for probing exotic physical processes.


Oil prices have been rising significantly in recent years. The result is a steady lowering of the economic break-even point of nuclear power plants. Already, our actual oil price level allows nuclear dual-purpose plants to become efficient below a thermal power of 800 MW. Two special applications of an Integrated Pressurized Water Reactor System use the waste heat of the turbine for district heating or water desalination. An integrated system of heat pump and nuclear heat source avoids the usual transportation losses from the power plant to the compressor of the heat pumps.


Within the scope of the Economical Analysis of Law, it has been expounded that efficiency constitutes or rather, could plausibly constitute the basis of the legal system and institutions. This article examines the problems that face the most frequent normative criteria of Normative Economics in general, and the Economical Analysis of Law in particular, in order to found property tights at initial conditions: rights that all in all, have not yet been an object to transactions


According to the analysis of Shanxi electric power industry development condition,existing problems,difficulties and advantages,the safeguard measures are proposed,such as arrangement of power sources optimization,electric power program confirmation enhancement,power rate reform advancement,electric power construction and technical upgrade input increase,small thermal electric generation unit quit mechanism improvement,market access of power sources program strict regulation,and relevant sound financial policy establishment,based on the ideal guide of Shanxi Electric Power Industry Adjustment and Promotion Plan and the practical circumstances of Shanxi electric power industry.


This article makes an analysis on the combusting test of the biochemical fuel additive on oil boiler.Based on this analysis.the article points out that the fuel additive is an effective technology for energy conservation,which shows benefits both in energy conservation and environment protection.


In this paper,computational formulae for the number of compositions with only one odd part and only one even part was got. Several new combinatorial properties of n-colour compositions by "even-odd" partitions were showed.


Bioconversion of farm wastes with agro-industrial wastes into enriched compost is an important possibility in need of research. In this article, changes in chemical and microbiological parameters were evaluated to determine the maturity of composts prepared from mixture of farm and agro-industrial wastes over a period of 150 days. Seven different composts were prepared by using a mixture of different farm wastes with or without enrichment with rock phosphate (RP), agro-industrial wastes and the inoculation of microorganisms. As composting proceeded, the organic C, water-soluble C (WSC), bacterial and fungal counts decreased, whereas total N, P, electrical conductivity (EC) and actinomycetes count increased gradually. Our results suggest that WSC <1%, C:N ratio < 20, neutral pH and a decrease in bacteria and fungal counts, along with an increase in actinomycetes count and stability at the end of composting, may be accepted as an indicator of compost maturity. Changes in organic C, EC, total N and P concentrations over time also proved to be reliable indicators of the progress of the composting process for establishing stability and compost maturity. Addition of RP, agro-industrial wastes and inoculation of microorganisms showed potential in improving the N and P contents of the composts.


Abstract : Freezing of water or melting of ice are phenomena that underlie many important scientific and engineering studies of cold regions. Mathematical methods of treating these phase-change heat transfer problems are critical to understanding and dealing with the problems that freeze-thaw causes. While convection may be an important heat transfer mode, it can often be neglected without significant error. This report deals only with problems for which conduction is the basic heat transfer mode or for which the solutions can be obtained in terms of conduction-like problems. Where possible, exact solutions are presented, but since these are quite limited for phase-change problems, approximate solutions are examined in some detail. The approximate methods are 1) the perturbation method, which leads to quasi-stationary techniques, 2) the heat balance integral method, and 3) Biot's variational principle. THe theory associated with these methods is discussed in the appendixes. THe available exact solutions are derived and explained. Graphical solutions are used to generate design curves-such as those for phase-change depth, temperature, and heat flow vs time. The results are presented so as to be easily accessible to practicing engineers without recourse to elaborate calculations. This is especially true for application to soil systems.


The Finger of the Scribe shows how ancient Israelite scribes learned to read and write. It demonstrates that early alphabetic curriculum developed at the end of the second millennium, while Egypt still ruled over Canaan and scribes used cuneiform as a lingua franca. This political and social context provides the background for the emergence of early alphabetic literacy in Israel. Using comparisons from Mesopotamia and Egypt, archaeological evidence, and fresh interpretations of old and new Hebrew inscriptions, this book pieces together the early Israelite scribal education. A basic principle in scribal literacy was the adaptation of their education for doing their day-to-day work as well as for the emergence of new literary genres. In this way, The Finger of the Scribe illustrates the many ways in which scribal education shaped the writing of the Hebrew Bible itself.


This paper contrasts Military Power of the People's Republic of China from the year of 2000 to 2009 and Military and Security Developments Involving People's Republic of China from the year 2010 to 2013 with corpus analysis. It distinguishes the new reports' differences from the old ones and tries to explore American's discourse colonization and discourse hegemony through corpus software WordSmith 5.0—


This article examines the influence of the poems of John Lydgate in Scotland in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The nature of this influence is assessed particularly through the evidence aff...