Objective:
 The objective of this project was to describe the effect of tailored cardiovascular (CV) patient education on beliefs and knowledge about medication in a nurse managed CV risk reduction clinic.

 Methods:
 This prospective project was conducted on patients 18 years of age or older referred to usual care at a risk reduction clinic. The primary analysis was change in scores on the Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire (BMQ) pre and post customized CV education. Education included a background/risk assessment, personalized general information, disease management education, and therapeutic lifestyle intervention. The BMQ evaluates 2 domains: necessity and concerns about medications; and general overuse and harm of medications. Secondary analysis included pre/post scores on a patient knowledge assessment (2 questions: I have received education on the importance of continuing (1) cholesterol medications and (2) antiplatelet medications) and the relationship between specific demographics and BMQ scores pre/post. A power calculation determined 45 patients were needed. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests.

 Results
 Forty-five patients were enrolled and 40 completed the project. Average age was 64 years, 55% were male, and average number of medications was 4.5. Results of the BMQ demonstrated significant improvements in response to the following (scale 1 [strongly disagree] - 5 [strongly agree]): "my medications are a mystery to me" (average score pre=2.7 vs. post=2.2, p<0.05) and medications do more harm than good (average score pre = 2.1 vs. post = 2.0; p<0.05). Scores on all other questions were not significantly different pre/post. A higher number of patients responded "yes" that they were instructed on the importance of continuing cholesterol medications and antiplatelet medications pre/post (p<0.05 for both). Age, gender, and education level did not correlate with BMQ scores pre/post. Patients receiving primary prevention therapies showed significant improvements in score in 4 components of the specific necessity and concerns (p<0.05 for all). In 2 areas of general overuse and harm, there were both increases and decreases in scores, respectively (p<0.05 for all). Patients receiving secondary prevention therapies showed significant changes in scores in 12 components. With regard to specific necessity and concern, scores improved in 4 components (p<0.05 for all). A decrease in perception was seen in 1 component (p<0.05). General overuse and harm scores showed improvements in 5 components (p<0.05 for all). A decrease in perception was seen in 2 components (p<0.05 for all).

 Conclusions:
 Customized CV education results in improvements in patients' beliefs and knowledge about medications. These data have provided a basis to further evaluate education methods in this CV practice. Future implications are to investigate changes in BMQ scores with clinical markers such as LDL and blood pressure goal attainment.


After twenty years' development, our insurance industry has made great achievements. However, after we entered WTO we also face many challenges. How to grasp the opportunity to work out good measures pres-ents an urgent task for our national insurance industry.


A force, F, which stretches the spring an amount, x, according to F = -kx, where k is the spring constant, is known as Hooke's law. One notes that k is the proportionality constant in the linear relationship between F and x. It is to be noted that F = -kx hold when all the coil of the spring are acting (that is, separated from each other). It too should be realized that the spring itself has mass with the lower coils hanging on the upper coils, which contributes to the motion. The theoretical period, T, of a vibrating mass, m, hanging on a spring is given by the equation


Abstract : A suggested device for particle detection and measurement is described in which the intersection of a high energy particle's trajectory with a detecting plane may be measured with a potential precision of O.Olmm or better. (Author)


Despite the recent upsurge of scientific work on the Sovereign Wealth Funds' (SWFs) phenomenon, little is known on the role played in a country's economy by a subcategory of SWFs: Strategic Funds ("SFs"). As an explicit form of governmental intervention in the economic system associated with a new model of State capitalism, SFs acquire strategic (equity) stakes in enterprises of national interest with the purpose of enhancing the home country's growth and competitiveness. The aim of this article is to investigate the rationale, public policy objectives and investment strategies pursued by SFs, thus contributing to the SWF literature in three ways. First, we provide a definition of State-Owned Private Equity (SOPE) as referred to the activity of SFs and develop a conceptual framework to strategically position them within the PE industry. Second, we conduct a peer analysis of SFs operated by European national governments on the basis of which we propose a taxonomy of such PE entities classified into competitive and defensive ones. Third, we discuss how a SF can contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of the home country through amelioration of its macroeconomic fundamentals (e.g., value added, employment) associated with the adequate management of portfolio companies. To do so, we illustrate the case study of the SF operated by the Italian government, named as Fondo Strategico Italiano (FSI).


Every curve or surface can be defined by a set of parametric functions. For instance, (x,y,z) coordinates of the points of the curve can be given by:) (), (), (t Z z t Y y t X x = = = t being the parameter and X, Y, Z being polynomial functions in t. If X, Y and Z are 1 st degree polynomials, a line segment will be defined. In that case, two knowns only (i.e. two points or a point and a slope) will be sufficient to define this curve. If X, Y, Z are 2 nd degree polynomials, a parabola segment will be defined and 3 knowns will be necessary to describe it (i.e. 3 points or two points and a tangent). For higher degree polynomials, describing the curve will involve more knowns. This number of knows is what we call the order of the curve, and is always the degree of the polynomial plus 1. Most of the time, cubic polynomials 1 are used to represent curves. Indeed, more knows are needed for higher degree polynomials, what makes modelling difficult to handle. On the other hand, lower degree polynomials describe too restrictive curves, being either lines or parabolas, which are always planar curves. Various approaches have been imagined by mathematicians, for instance, Bézier curves, Hermite curves, Catmull-Rom splines and B-Splines. More information on those curves can be found in [CGPP].


Methodological questions about the interactions of theology with the sciences have often been framed as the relationship between 'science and theology', understood as two distinct and monolithic entities. This paper offers a different way to think about these interactions by asking how scientific insights should contribute to theological understanding of particular questions. With reference to a particular case study - the scientific study of religion - five types of theological engagement with science are explored, and conclusions drawn about the merits of each.


Anew method for one lung anaesthesia in thoracic surgery is described. Separate lung ventilation is obtained with selective main bronchus intubation. by means of an appropriate cuffed tube inserted through a standard orotracheal tube. Ventilation is carried out separately through the bronchial tube on one side and the residual tracheal tube lumen on the other side. This method greatly simplifies the technique of bronchial intubation and offers many advantages over commercially available double–lumen tubes.


The standard set of terminology herein described was compiled by the SCS Technical Committee on Model Credibility as a report to the general membership.


When this work appeared in 1928, it was probably the most intensive study of any form of the Binet tests ever made, based upon the largest group of preschool children ever reported.


Through pot cultivation,potherb mustard was used as a test material in order to study the photosynthetic characteristics of plants with heavy metal(Pb) in soil and by different fertilizations.The results showed that the different fertilizations significantly stimulated the photosynthesis of plants and enhanced the chlorophyll content of the plant and adapted to light level.All the fertilizations enhanced the net photosynthetic rate(Pn),light saturation point(LSP),apparent quantum yield(AQY) and reduced the light compensation point(LCP) of the plant.The right fertilization maintained higher net photosynthetic rate(Pn),light saturation point(LSP) and apparent quantum yield(AQY),especially the use of phosphate.The Fv/Fm of all the fertilizations were higher than 0.8.The results showed that the plants were not restrained by light.The right fertilization improved the photosynthetic characteristics of potherb mustard on Pb polluted soil and made the plants grow better.


Stress is placed upon contextual issues and for this reason we will theoretically consider aspects of the modern society that are working in conjunction with the mobile phone to alter the public/private dichotomy. The article focuses upon the themes of: emergent practices, community, authority, domestication and etiquette, and notions of space. Rather than focusing solely on perceived change we shall also consider continuities and adaptation in social action, drawing on a range of ethnographic research.


We compare four paradigms that have recently been the subject of considerable attention: mobile agents, distributed shared memory (DSM), coordination paradigms, and self-migrating threads. We place these paradigms in a common framework consisting of three layers--the computational model, its implementation on a physical architecture, and the interface to the system's environment--to demonstrate that self-migrating threads subsume the other three paradigms in terms of their capabilities to organize and coordinate computation, map the concurrent activities onto a multicomputer architecture, and provide an interface for interaction with their environments on the underlying host computers.


The hexcirclic structure of water and its biological functions have been studied by means of theoretical analysis and experimental verification.The studies show that in most water exist molecular clusters of hexcirclic structure after being processed through low temperature and supersonic harmonic vibration at a fixed frequency.Such a structural water plays a very important role in the activity of biological protein,nucleic acid,cell and organization.The results obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) prove that the anti thermodenaturation ability of lysozyme has been raised through hydration of lysozyme with structured water.


This study provides evidence on how venture capital (VC) investment affects startup firms' sustainable growth and performance. Despite the rich and abundant research on the relationship between VC investment and startup performance, there is no clear evidence about the contribution of VC investment on the performance and market value of invested firms. In order to accurately measure the impact of VC investment, this study explored how VC investment at each stage of growth affects a startup's sustainable growth and performance. Based on signaling theory and information asymmetry, this study proposed a positive link between initial-stage VC investment and a startup's growth and performance. Using a sample of 363 firms listed from 2000 to 2007, this study demonstrated that startups are sustained and perform better as they receive their VC investment at the initial stage. The level of potential absorptive capacity positively moderated this association, unlike realized absorptive capacity, which did not show significant moderating effects.


The effect of current density distribution in tokamak plasmas is examined on the access to the second stability regime of high‐n ballooning modes. The main factor in determining access to the second stability regime is to lower shear sufficiently on each flux surface. This is achieved by broadening the current profile. A general method of finding equilibria with access to the second region of stability is presented. The value of on‐axis safety factor q0 is found not to be a good measure of the type of profile required for second region access.


In Turkey, the urban population including the elderly people is today higher than the rural population. Hence, a vast number of services for different age groups such as children, adults, and elderly are planned according to the population residing in the city. However, the elderly people, in particular, who live in rural area under poor health conditions, live alone, are with no place to stay at or illiterate are ranked among the groups at risk in terms of access to social services. This directly affects the living standards of Social Sciences Studies Journal (SSSJournal) 2018 Vol:4 Issue:21 pp:3141-3151 sssjournal.com Social Sciences Studies Journal (SSSJournal) email@example.com 3142 the elderly living in the rural area and even prevents them from active aging. Because it is important for the elderly to have an access to various services on time and with ease for active aging. In this context, it is quite significant to approach active aging in rural area in terms of physical environment and health services as well as economic, social, individual and behavioral determinants so as to enhance the welfare of elderly. In this collected study, it is aimed at discussing social service needs of elderly in rural area of Turkey in the lights of active aging determinants with reference to the fact that there has been no study having been conducted in national and international social work literature. This objective is considered to be a guide to social work interventions at the micro, mezzo and macro level.


Lake Rawapening in Semarang regency is one of the priority lakes to be addressed related to eutrophication  issues. High concentration of Nitrogen (N) and Phospor (P) in the water that cause eutrophication of the lake has fueled the high growth of the water hyacinth. The nutrients can come from agricultural land such as irrigated rice field, rainfed and vegetable farms. Objectives of this study were to determine the total amount of nutrients supply from agricultural land on each catchment area of the lake and provide alternative solutions to reduce nutrients concentration. Information of agricultural land can be obtained from Indonesia Topographic Map (RBI) scale of 1:25.000 and updated with SPOT-2 image recorded in July 5, 2006. Surface water samples were taken during the dry and rainy season from agricultural land as much as 3 samples for each agriculture land types, therefore 18 samples were collected. The result shows, Ringin Sub-watershed has the most extensive irrigated rice field (662.94 ha). While, Panjang Sub- watershed has the most extensive of rainfed  (988.49 ha) and vegetable farms (643.74 ha). The agriculture land in the catchment area has supplied N and P nutrients of 2.181,71 tons and 420,04 tons to water of the lake, annually. Panjang river has supplied the highest N and P nutrients, ie 769,025 ton and 105,432 ton annually, while Kedung Ringin river has supplied lowest N and P nutrients, ie 19,479 ton and 4,790 ton, annually. Buffer zone around the lake sould be developed necessary to reduce  the nutrients  supply to the lake.


Purpose of this study is to check the effect of opening of the organized retail stores on the economic conditions in terms of job opportunities, income and purchasing power of farmers of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The scope of the study is only those farmers who are linked with Mother Dairy, Reliance Fresh and Walmart. The data has been collected through the help of a questioner filled from farmers and analyzed by applying one way ANOVA. It has been found that farmers have different opinion regarding positive effect of retail companies on farmer"s income, job opportunities, purchasing power and timely payments to the farmers on the basis of the procurement area. The income effect has been found more in case of Reliance Fresh, favoritism is more in Walmart, purchasing power has increased of Walmart and Reliance Fresh linked farmers. One of the finding is that as the people are becoming older and older their perception towards retail companies is keep on changing. Further, it is concluded that as the education level of the farmers increases they become more cautious. The marginal and relatively small farmers believe that their income has increase after linked with retail companies. Retail companies do not favour large sized farmers over small farmers. Most of the farmers accept that payments are made in time and job opportunities for rural people may increase. During visit I observed that most of the labours and employees of retail companies are of other states.


Abstract Dynamic conditions in nature have led to the evolution of behavioural traits that allow animals to use information on local circumstances and adjust their behaviour accordingly, for example through learning. Although learning can improve foraging efficiency, the learned information can become unreliable as the environment continues to change. This could lead to potential fitness costs when memories holding such unreliable information persist. Indeed, persistent unreliable memory was found to reduce the foraging efficiency of the parasitoid Cotesia glomerata under laboratory conditions. Here, we evaluated the effect of such persistent unreliable memory on the foraging behaviour of C. glomerata in the field. This is a critical step in studies of foraging theory, since animal behaviour evolved under the complex conditions present in nature. Existing methods provide little detail on how parasitoids interact with their environment in the field, therefore we developed a novel multi‐camera system that allowed us to trace parasitoid foraging behaviour in detail. With this multi‐camera system, we studied how persistent unreliable memory affected the foraging behaviour of C. glomerata when these memories led parasitoids to plants infested with non‐host caterpillars in a semi‐field set‐up. Our results demonstrate that persistent unreliable memory can lead to maladaptive foraging behaviour in C. glomerata under field conditions and increased the likelihood of oviposition in the non‐host caterpillar Mamestra brassica. Furthermore, these time‐ and egg‐related costs can be context dependent, since they rely on the plant species used. These results provide us with new insight on how animals use previously obtained information in naturally complex and dynamic foraging situations and confirm that costs and benefits of learning depend on the environment animals forage in. Although behavioural studies of small animals in natural habitats remain challenging, novel methods such as our multi‐camera system contribute to understanding the nuances of animal foraging behaviour.


Matrix-assisted laser desorptionhonization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) allows the detection of large molecules such as those present in synthetic and natural macromolecules. Synthetic polymers may show a wide range of molecular weight distributions (MWD), according to the synthetic method used in their preparation. We have studied several poly(methylmethacry1ate) (PMMA), poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(ethyleneg1ycol) (PEG) samples with varying MWD, and also a number of condensation polymers such as Nylon-6, poly(carbonate) and poly(ester). Measurements of MALDI-TOF spectra in the linear mode were used in our work to estimate the molecular weight (MW) and MWD of the polymer samples. Our results show that the molecular weight estimates provided by MALDI-TOF measurements agree with the values obtained by conventional techniques, such as gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), only in the case of polymer samples with very narrow molecular weight distribution. However, when the polydispersity reaches values around 1.10 the difference between the MW measured by GPC and measured by MALDI may amount to up to about 20%. At higher dispersions, the MALDI spectra fail to yield reliable MW values.


Department of Urology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan Purpose: To determine the clinical efficacy of endoscopic transurethral incision (TUI) for boys with refractory daytime incontinence due to a posterior urethral valve with or without nocturnal enuresis. Patients and Methods: A total of 20 boys with daytime incontinence were assessed. Twelve boys underwent TUI (TUI+ group) and eight boys continued receiving oral drugs (TUIgroup). The primary endpoint was the cure rate associated with TUI or NE in both groups. Results: Only two boys achieved daytime continence 6 months after TUI, but no boys were cured of nocturnal enuresis 6 months after TUI. The median time to daytime continence was significantly longer in the TUI+ than in the TUIgroup (52 vs 27 months, respectively; log rank P = 0.041) and the median time to dry nights was significantly longer in the TUI+ than in the TUIgroup (56 vs 36 months, respectively; log rank P = 0.021). Conclusion: TUI might be not effective in boys with refractory daytime incontinence.


Background: Obstetric fi stula is a condition that results from obstructed labour, which occurs when the baby cannot pass through the mother's birth canal because it either does not come head fi rst or is too large for her pelvis. Prompt medical intervention, often including Caesarean section, permits a safe delivery for both mother and child. Despite this possibility, yearly, thousands of women across the country receive no such aid and their labour is a futile agony lasting between three and fi ve days, with uterine contractions constantly forcing the baby, usually head fi rst, against the organs of the pelvic and unyielding pelvic bone resulting in Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF). The main thrust of this study was to examine how health system factors aff ect health seeking behaviour of women with obstetric fi stula in Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi States, Nigeria. Methods: Qualitative and descriptive research approaches were adopted for the study and a total sample of two hundred and sixteen (216) respondents comprising of one hundred and fi fty (150) post fi stula repair operative patients and sixty six (66) health workers were purposively selected using simple random techniques. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and tables of frequency. Results: The respondents views showed that availability of treatment centre and quality of health care services infl uenced health seeking behaviour of women with obstetric fi stula in Nigeria. Conclusion: The study indicated that health seeking behaviour of women with obstetric fi stula is a major challenge in Nigeria. Establishment and proper equipment of obstetric fi stula treatment centres as well as subsidization of the cost of treatment to allow women with this health problem to access health care services are strongly recommended. Therefore, government at all level and non-governmental organizations need to educate the women and create awareness on the causes and dangers of VVF.


The purpose of this study was to investigate food habits and food preference of obese children. This survey was carried out through questionaries, 48 subjects were selected as an obese group and 96 subjects were selected as a control group according to their Rohrer index among the 756 children of 6th in elementary school in Taegu. In the statistical analysis of the data, percentage calculation and chi - square test were used. The results were summarized as following. In average score of food habits, obese group got 2.35/3.0 and control group got2.38/3.0 and had the similar food habits. Preference for protein food (hamburger, fried chicken, fishes, and soybean) of obese group was significantly higher than those of control group(p Preference of carbohydrates was significantly in two groups respectively and the statistically meaningful foods of the two groups are cola and cider(p Obese group showed high preference for deep fried foods compared to control group(p <0.05).


Based on HCNC-1HA CNC milling machines, this paper analyses some existing problems in the use of theCNC milling machine, and puts forward some ways to deal with them.


After receiving a standard 6-month course of anticoagulation with warfarin, a patient with unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) is at high risk for recurrence unless anticoagulation is continued. Indefinite therapy with warfarin prevents most cases of recurrent VTE (e.g., during the first year, risk is reduced from around 10% to 1%); however, cumulative risk for serious bleeding complications is not trivial, and patients must tolerate the inconvenience of ongoing international normalized ratio (INR) monitoring and …


3. When Na+ is excreted under similar conditions into 0 1 M-KC1 with NaCl ranging from zero to 1-0M, little reduction in the rate of Nae excretion occurs up to an extemal Na+ value of 0-2M. At an extemal value of 0 43M the Na excretion is approximately 50% that at zero Na+ concentration. 4. The existence of two separate carriers for Na (outwards) and for K (inwards) is shown by the relative specificity of the transport in each case and the different action of inhibitors. Where Na ions (0.1 M) without any K ions are present in the suspending fluid Na ions can be carried inwards on what may be regarded as normally the K carrier. 5. The Na carrier excreting Na is inhibited by cyanide (0.002m) and anoxia; it is not inhibited by azide (0-002M) or 2:4-dinitrophenol (0-002M). 6. The K carrier involved in the uptake ofK+ (or of Na+ if no K+ is present outside, and Na+ is present in quantity) is inibited by anoxia, and by cyanide, azide and 2:4-dinitrophenol at concentration of 0-002M. 7. The results are shown to support strongly the theory of a 'redox pump' for the biological performance of osmotic work. 8. Various metallic ions can greatly inhibit the active excretion of Na ions into 0 1 m-KCl. Inhibition depends on themagnitude ofthe atomic number and on the presence of 18 electrons in the second outermost orbit, and not more than two in the outermost.


In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in three source rocks of the Alaska North Slope, including the lower part of the Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Kingak Shale. In order to identify organic shale potential in the absence of a robust geochemical dataset from the lower Kingak Shale, we introduce two quantitative parameters, ∆DTx and ∆DTz , estimated from wireline logs from exploration wells and based in part on the commonly used delta-log resistivity (∆log R) technique. Calculation of ∆DTx and ∆DTz is intended to produce objective parameters that may be proportional to the quality and volume, respectively, of potential source rocks penetrated by a well and that can be used as mapping parameters to convey the spatial distribution of source-rock potential. Both the ∆DTx and ∆DTz mapping parameters show increased source-rock potential from north to south across the North Slope, with the largest values at the toe of clinoforms in the lower Kingak Shale. Because thermal maturity is not considered in the calculation of ∆DTx or ∆DTz, total organic carbon values for individual wells cannot be calculated on the basis of ∆DTx or ∆DTz alone. Therefore, the ∆DTx and ∆DTz mapping parameters should be viewed as first-step reconnaissance tools for identifying source-rock potential. Introduction In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in three source-rock systems (fig. 1) of the Alaska North Slope: (1) the Triassic Shublik Formation; (2) the lower part of the Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Kingak Shale; and (3) the Cretaceous pebble shale unit, Hue Shale, and parts of the Paleogene Canning Formation, collectively called the Brookian shale (Houseknecht, Rouse, Garrity, and others, 2012). Maps of inferred source-rock richness were constructed using three parameters because of differences in lithology and wireline-log response among the source rocks. The map used for the Kingak Shale is highly generalized (fig. 2) because no quantitative mapping parameter had been defined. The study summarized in this report was initiated to evaluate the efficacy of the delta-log resistivity (∆log R) technique (Passey and others, 1990) for estimating an objective and quantitative parameter for evaluating source-rock potential from wireline-log data. This parameter may be useful as an evaluation tool for individual wells and, when calculated for multiple wells, as a mapping parameter. However, due to software limitations for digital calculation of ∆log R and the absence of a robust geochemical dataset for calibration of ∆log R, we sought to develop a modified version of ∆log R that yields two parameters that may serve as proxies of source-rock quality and volume. This report documents the digital workflow developed for calculating a modified version of ∆log R and presents the results of applying the technique to evaluate source-rock potential of the lower Kingak Shale. Geologic Background The Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Kingak Shale contains both marine and terrigenous organic matter deposited in a marine siliciclastic setting influenced by pulses of syndepositional uplift of the Beaufort rift shoulder (also known as the Barrow arch; see figs. 3 and 4) during opening of the Canada Basin (Magoon and Claypool, 1984; Hubbard and others, 1987; Bird and Houseknecht, 2011). Houseknecht and Bird (2004) identified four depositional sequence sets in the Kingak Shale (fig. 3, K1–K4) that define a northern-sourced southward-offlapping succession of Beaufortian strata in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA), and these sequence sets subsequently have been mapped eastward beyond the NPRA on the basis of seismic and well data. The basal K1 sequence set is 1,000 to more than 1,250 feet (ft) (300 to 380 meters [m]) thick across a broad area in the north-central NPRA that extends to the south as a lobe in the central NPRA (fig. 4). North of the zone of 2 Modified Method for Estimating Petroleum Source-Rock Potential Using Wireline Logs, With Application to the Kingak Shale


To the Editor: Prior to this project, all patients having cardiac surgery at the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, received a routine chest radiograph (CXR) immediately following surgery. The rationale for routine CXR was that it is standard practice following central venous catheter (CVC) insertion and cardiac surgery. Concerns were raised that routine CXRs were not of benefit and rarely affected management, and with evidence showing that the postoperative CXR is of little clinical use there was desire to draw up guidelines for which patients should receive imaging. CXRs have an associated risk in the form of ionizing radiation and not insignificant cost, with Royal College of Radiologist guidelines and UK ionizing radiation regulations requiring diagnostic imaging to have proper justification. Further risks include displacing the endotracheal tube, CVC, or arterial line, and there are anecdotal reports by radiographers in our hospital of increased rates of back pain and associated sick leave from sliding in the X-ray detection plate.


The determination of the effective factors on economical growth rate of the countries was always taken into attention by economists and policy makers. In the theories presented in economical growth, some factors as Export diversification, research and development, human capital are emphasized and considering the openness of the economy and financial development in growth models, we can deal with achieving high growth of economy. In this study, analysis of economical growth in Islamic conference countries are studied by emphasis on the role (Export diversification, human capital, research and development, openness of economy and financial development) (2000-2009) by econometric technique of panel data. The results show that the effect of Export diversification, human capital, research and development, openness of economy and financial development were positive and significant. The results of the study showed that for higher economical growth of the investigated countries, a strategic view should be prevalent in Export diversification variables, human capital, research and development, openness of economy and financial development.


Two controlled source experiments were conducted in Nevada in 2006 and 2007 to study infrasound signal propagation at distances less than 300 km from the source. In 2006 three temporary infrasound arrays were deployed at distances of 76, 108, and 157 from the source. In 2007 the site at 157 km was reoccupied, and data was also recorded at 288 km from the source. Interesting results were derived from the travel time analysis. In 2006 the site at 76 km recorded both tropospheric and stratospheric arrivals, while at 108 and 157 km only stratospheric arrivals were recorded. In 2007 the site at 157 km recorded both tropospheric and stratospheric arrivals, while at 288 km both stratospheric and thermospheric arrivals were recorded. Atmospheric modeling with the InfraMAP software failed to predict returning rays or pressure levels similar to the observed data. Because of the large amplitude variations we attempt to estimate the yields of the explosions using the predominant frequency content of the signals. The ...


An optical mirror assembly (2) for guiding the beam has a mirror base (6) supporting a reflecting surface (5). The mirror body (6), below the reflecting surface (5) at least in sections a solid foam region (9, 10). This is related to the reflection surface (5) in heat-conducting connection. The solid foam region (9, 10) via at least one fluid port (14 to 17) to a fluid source (4) connectable. The latter is connected via at least one fluid channel (27, 29; 32, 33; 36, 37) in fluid communication with the solid foam region (9, 10) for generating a fluid flow of at least one heat transfer fluid through the solid foam region (9, 10). The result is a mirror assembly, in which a temperature level or a reflection surface of the mirror base body and / or a temperature gradient that is present on the reflecting surface of the mirror or base body, can be adapted to demanding specifications.


Lean Manufacturing (LM) is a business strategy that was developed in Japan. The main contribution of lean manufacturing is the identification and elimination of waste. Companies apply LM to sustain their competitiveness over their competitors by improving the manufacturing system's productivity and quality enhancement of the product. The goal of this paper is to apply one of the most significant lean manufacturing techniques called Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to improve the production line of a company that produces several components for vehicle assembly line by decreasing the waste and non-value added activities. First, the current value stream map of production line was developed using personal interviews, observations and secondary data of the company. Subsequently, the future value stream map was proposed based on the lean manufacturing principles to improve total production lead time and value added time. Based on the final result it can be concluded that VSM is a useful and applicable approach that can help managers conceptualize the different kind of wastes and defects. Final result showed that the production lead time and value added time improved up to nearly 80 % and 12 % respectively by eliminating the wastes based on lean principles and VMS method.


In this paper we initiate the study of how collusion alters the quality of solutions obtained in competitive games. The price of anarchy aims to measure the cost of the lack of coordination by comparing the quality of a Nash equilibrium to that of a centrally designed optimal solution. This notion assumes that players act not only selfishly, but also independently. We propose a framework for modeling groups of colluding players, in which members of a coalition cooperate so as to selfishly maximize their collective welfare. Clearly, such coalitions can improve the social welfare of the participants, but they can also harm the welfare of those outside the coalition. One might hope that the improvement for the coalition participants outweighs the negative effects on the others. This would imply that increased cooperation can only improved the overall solution quality of stable outcomes. However, increases in coordination can actually lead to significant decreases in total social welfare. In light of this, we propose the price of collusion as a measure of the possible negative effect of collusion, specifying the factor by which solution quality can deteriorate in the presence of coalitions. We give examples to show that the price of collusion can be arbitrarily high even in convex games. Our main results show that in the context of load-balancing games, the price of collusion depends upon the disparity in market power among the game participants. We show that in some symmetric nonatomic games (where all users have access to the same set of strategies) increased cooperation always improves the solution quality, and in the discrete analogs of such games, the price of collusion is bounded by two.


K-cores are maximal induced subgraphs where all vertices have degree at leastk . These dense patterns have applications in community detection, network visualization and protein function prediction. However, k-cores can be quite unstable to network modifications, which inspires the question: How resilient is the k-core structure of a network, such as the Web or Facebook, to edge deletions? More specifically, we study the problem of computing a small set of edges for which the removal minimizes the k-core structure of a network. This paper provides a comprehensive characterization of the hardness of the k-core minimization problem (KCM), including innaproximability and parameterized complexity. Motivated by these challenges, we propose a novel algorithm inspired by Shapley value—a cooperative game-theoretic concept— that is able to leverage the strong interdependencies in the effects of edge removals in the search space. Our experiments, show that the proposed algorithm outperforms competing solutions in terms of k-core minimization.


In this paper a fast fractal coding method based on fractal dimension is proposed. Image texture is an important content in image analysis and processing which can be used to describe the extent of irregular surface. The fractal dimension in fractal theory can be used to describe the image texture, and it is the same with the human visual system. The higher the fractal dimension, the rougher the surface of the corresponding graph, and vice versa. Therefore in this paper a fast fractal encoding method based on fractal dimension is proposed. During the encoding process, using the fractal dimension of the image, all blocks of the given image first are defined into three classes. Then each range block searches the best match in the corresponding class. The method is based on differential box counting which is chosen specifically for texture analysis. Since the searching space is reduced and the classification operation is simple and computationally efficient, the encoding speed is improved and the quality of the decoded image is preserved. Experiments show that compared with the full search method, the proposed method greatly reduced the encoding time, obtained a rather good retrieved image, and achieved the stable speedup ratio.


The marital life of women at the bottom of society was very worrying in the early Republic of China in Beijing, with high suicide phenomenon. The main causes are poverty, couple conflict, contradiction between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, as well as the persecution of traditional concepts such as "men are superior to women", and "preserve chastity after the death of the husband". Under the overall layout of building a modern country, Beijing local government tries to bring marriage crisis and women's suicide into the scope of social intervention on police and government agencies, but there is always a huge tension between policy plan and concrete practice.


Simulation of the rectangular patch linear 2x2 array antenna by strip line feeding technique is presented for the vehicular communication applications (v2x) under the IEEE p 802.11 & ITU-T X.1372 standards by resonating at 5.94 GHz are discussed in this letter. The Simulation process of the presented array MSPA is carried out in ANSYS Electromagnetic Suite version 20 and analyzed the electromagnetic parameters. This presented array MSPA is simulated using the FR4 dielectric material with the dielectric constant of 4.4 by using this dielectric constant the length & width of the radiating patch is assigned and achieved less signal scattering in transmission with high efficiency in signal radiating with compact dimension of 21 x 25 x 1.6 mm3.


Marina industry is growing as a higher value-added business. This study aims to develop a tool that measures marina service quality from marina users` perspective. As the result of empirical analysis, five of marina service quality aspects including physical facilities, support services, activity programs, employees` attitude, and safety were drawn. In addition, 20 measurement items whose reliability and validity were verified were suggested. The scale developed by this study is not only an important tool to measure marina service quality but also contributes to marina service quality control, and seem, to provide useful information for establishing marketing strategies.


The present study examined stereotyping in the representation of gender, age and ethnicity in positive and negative award-winning commercials. Commercials were coded for the presence of males and female, different age groups and different ethnic groups, as well as for stereotyped portrayals of these groups. Overall results indicated that women and the elderly are underrepresented in both types of commercials, while ethnic minorities are represented in both types of commercials comparable to their proportions in society. Generally, negative award-winning commercials show less stereotyping in the representation of women, and there are no differences in the degree of stereotyping present regarding the elderly and ethnic minorities in both types of commercials.


Endometrial Carcinoma (EC) is the abnormal proliferation of endometrial tissue and constitutes more than half of all gynecological cancer diagnosis in USA. In Mexico, is also the second most common carcinoma? Pathological classification is a relevant element of disease management. EC is classified into two types: Type I, is known as endometrioid carcinoma and comprise 90% of adenocarcinomas. Type II, known as non endometrioid carcinoma, conforms 10% of the adenocarcinomas and is poorly differentiated. Objective: The purpose of this review is to introduce the role of genetics in this type of adenocarcinomas, as well as update the current information regarding EC. In Type I, the most relevant genetic alterations are the inactivation of PTEN gene, the altered expression of PAX-2 , the mutation in β-catenin/ CTNNB1 and the microsatellites instability. Due to the fact that Type I adenocarcinoma is the most frequent type of endometrial carcinoma, we focus on the genetic alterations on PTEN and PAX-2 . Methods: To make this review, we used the research engines PubMed, OVID, MEDLINE and SciELO with the following keywords: Endometrial


In order to obtain the real-time spectrum recovery of spectrum information such as battlefield laser,atmospheric pollutants gases,poisonous gas,etc.the real-time spectrum acquisition and analysis system based on FPGA was designed.The spectral information was abtained by using a Michelson interferometer and HgCdTe detector,and the collected date was transmitted to FPGA.Using hardware language Verilog HDL on the chip of Xilinx FPGA,the system achieved real-time processing of the spectrum data from interference pattern based on FFT.The simulation result indicates that the spectrum distribution information calculated by 1 024-point radix 2-FFT with FPGA is the same as the theoretical calculation result of Matlab,which can meet the requirement for real-time spectral detection.


In Omnisubjectivity: A Defense of a Divine attribute, Linda Zagzebski reflects on how the modern discovery of subjectivity should influence the way we think about God's attributes. Her examination of recent conceptions of omnipresence and omniscience reveals that if God truly has all possible cognitive perfections, then a new attribute should rightly be applied to God which the 'traditional attributes' do not address: omnisubjectivity. Zagzebski describes omnisubjectivity as the complete and accurate grasp of every conscious state of every conscious being from that being's first person perspective. Thus, God is not only omniscient, knowing that Mary sees red. But God is omnisubjective, knowing, from the first person perspective, the quality, qualia, and phenomenal consciousness of what it is like for Mary to see red. In this intriguing lecture, Zagzebski examines exactly why God must be omnisubjective and addresses the possible moral and ethical concerns of what it means for God to be fully present in His creatures' subjectivity.


In this paper, a method called Adsorption-Biological Contact Oxidation was used to deal with the sulfide wastewater. The process contains two stages, and each stage plays a different role in the removal of the pollutants. The first stage is called adsorption, and the second is biological contact oxidation. After adsorption, the organic pollutants will be oxidized by the aerobic microbe. The results indicate that the process already has good effect on the removal of COD, NH3 - N and S2-. When the influent concentration of COD, S2- and NH3-N is respective 1039.13 mg/L, 26.63 mg/L and 180.36 mg/L, the effluent concentration of COD is below 100 mg/L, the effluent concentration of S2- is lower than 2 mg/L, and the effluent concentration of NH3-N is below 10 mg/L. The removal rate of COD, S2- and NH3-N is respective 93.96%, 99% and 60%.


The ship cabin fire is different from other types of fire,because the surrounding bulkheads of cabin are usually made of steel,which is a good conductor of heat.When fire occurs,the air and bulkhead temperature would rise up quickly and lots of heat would transfer to other cabins through the bulkhead.Investigating the law of air and bulkhead temperature rising in the steel cabin during the fire would have an important meaning to guide the fireproofing design of the cabin.This paper has done an experiment about the temperature rising of a steel pan under a diesel fire,then uses the fire simulation software FDS(Fire Dynamics Simulator) which has a large eddy simulation turbulence model to simulate the simple test to prove that FDS has the ability to estimate the temperature of the steel structure in oil fire.At last,a simulation of full scale cabin fire experiment finished by U.S.Coast Guard has been carried out.The result shows that FDS would give a reasonable prediction of the bulkhead temperature and air temperature in the middle and above part under an open fire.The result also reaches the demand of the fireproofing design and can be a reference parameter during the design.


PurposeCrowdfunding, an alternative funding source to support entrepreneurial initiatives, has increasingly attracted the attention of scholars. However, knowledge of the drivers and outcomes of crowdfunding is currently scant. This study thus presents a review of the extant literature on new ventures soliciting crowdfunding.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of peer-reviewed articles, identifying and thematically analyzing 58 publications.FindingsThe thematic analysis revealed six main themes: a) founders and crowdfunding, b) signaling and crowdfunding, c) digitalization and crowdfunding, d) outcomes, e) geography and crowdfunding and f) success factors. In addition, crucial research gaps are identified to guide future research.Practical implicationsBeyond classifying the material on the basis of the thematic analysis and identifying potential future research avenues, the study has main implications. The authors detailed how crowdfunding, as a source of entrepreneurial funding, differed from other funding sources and explored entrepreneurial challenges that may be encountered in managing crowdfunding campaigns. The findings may thus help in the design of crowdfunding campaigns and serve educators in various disciplines when teaching and training participants on designing and promoting crowdfunding campaigns.Originality/valueAfter identifying and integrating results from relevant articles on crowdfunding, the authors explained dominant themes in the literature and proposed a conceptual framework wherein the authors highlight factors that influence crowdfunding outcomes. The authors highlight the increasing relevance of crowdfunding for new ventures and elucidate avenues for future research.


Hybrid beam-plasma microwave amplifiers and oscillators based on electron beam interaction with plasma-cavity slow waves were investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The dispersion characteristics of the coupled bulk-wave system in arbitrary magnetic field were determined by the partial domain method. The coupling impedance and energy fluxes were determined as functions of frequency. A theory of electron beam interaction with waves of a longitudinally nonuniform plasma-cavity system was derived. The theory involved integrodifferential field equations and motion equations in Lagrangian variables. The energy and frequency characteristics of sealed-off cermet beam-plasma amplifiers were measured. The microwave oscillation stochastization processes were studied in oscilators based on delayed feedback beam-plasma amplifiers. The stochastic microwave generation was observed in broad frequency spectrum modes and in modes with frequency spectrum compression due to an external low-power control signal. The physical mechanisms of oscillation stochastization as well as the amplitude and frequency characteristics of output and control signals were investigated. 21 refs. 8 figs.


Today's GUI interfaces require considerable visual attention for their operation. Consequently, interface events use up precious screen real estate and disenfranchise blind users from current software usage. If interfaces move to the realm of auditory and tactile designs, these problems are mitigated. However, it is not clear how much useful HCI research, particularly performance time models, will transfer from the visual to the non-visual. This paper attempts to answer a small part of this question by considering performance time models for menu selection in a non-visual bullseye menu. We chose to study non-visual bullseye menus because we have found them to be highly useful in non-visual interfaces: they can serve as effective non-visual replacements for several visual linear menus.


OF THE DISSERTATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES xii LIST OF EQUATIONS xiii CHAPTER 1 OPTIMAL PORTFOLIO SELECTION BASED ON QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE SIGNALS 1 1.


Full wave inversion (FWI) suffers from convergence toward local minima because of the inaccuracy of the initial model and the lack of low frequency data. Noises in seismograms further deteriorate the imaging quality. To relax the dependency on high quality low frequency data, we present an ensemble full wave inversion method with source encoding (EnFWI), which is an ensemble approximation of the total inversion proposed by Tarantola. The method refines the velocity model iteratively by incorporating the observation, while the nonlinear evolution of the covariance is approximated by ensemble covariance. Encoded simultaneous-source FWI (ESSFWI) is applied to improve the representation for the low rank ensemble approximation, and to increase the rate of convergence. Experiments show that EnFWI achieves larger convergence range and better tolerance to data noise with less computational costs than traditional FWI methods.


The conference in Rust (Austria) on the "Central American Challenge" represented an experimental application, by Carl Rogers and his associates, of the person-centered approach to conflict resolution in an international context. Despite several limiting factors, the outcome of the meeting allows for a cautious optimism regarding the application of this approach to dispute resolution at all levels: intercultural, interracial, and international.


In this paper we show that every bounded linear operator T on a Hilbert space H has a closed non-trivial invariant subspace.


Purpose – This study aims to utilized the item response theory (IRT) rating scale model to analyze students' perceptions of assessment practices in two universities: one in Jordan and the other in the USA. The sample of the study consisted of 506 university students selected from both universities. Results show that the two universities still focus on paper-pencil testing to assess students' learning outcomes. The study recommends that higher education institutes should encourage their teachers to use different assessment methods to assess students' learning outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The convenience sample consisted of 506 selected university students from the USA and Jordan, and participants were distributed according to their educational levels, thus: 83 freshmen, 139 sophomores, 157 juniors and 59 seniors. (Note: some students from both universities did not report their gender and/or their educational level). The USA university sample consisted of 219 students from three colleges at a maj...


The paper is devoted to the combat actions of the German navy and aviation in the Arctic during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on the Northern sea route. The Northern sea route is the most important sea communication of Russia in the Arctic. It connects the European part of the country with the Far East by the shortest route, and therefore has a special strategic importance for the cargo shipping logistics. This route passes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean and, despite the complexity of navigation in the Arctic seas, is the only communication that provides supply to the Polar Regions and cities of Siberia in the absence of railways and roads. No less important is its military and strategic importance, as the Northern sea route allows for inter-theater maneuver between the Northern and Pacific fleets. At the same time, due to its vast length and uninhabitability of the nearby territories, the Northern sea route is very vulnerable militarily, which can be used by a potential enemy of Russia in case of international relations aggravation in the Arctic, the violation of this route inflicts a heavy blow to the logistics of Maritime transport in the North. The main attention is paid to the creation by the Germans of military bases and weather stations network in the Soviet sector of the Arctic, to the organization and composition of these bases. The paper also analyzed the organization of the meteorological service of the German Navy operation "Wunderland" ("Wonderland") and mine-laying off at the coast of New Land, the causes of the German fleet failure on the Northern sea route.


Objective To investigate the effect of epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG) on growth inhibition in transitional cell carcinoma of bladder cell line T24 and on p16 gene regulation.Methods The T24 cells were cultured with EGCG.The induced growth inhibition of T24 cell was assayed by MTT.The T24 cell cycle was analyzed by FCM.The methylation status of the p16 gene in T24 cell line before and after treatment with EGCG was detected by the nested-methylation specific PCR.The p16 mRNA of were determined by RT-PCR.Results In comparison to the control,all the three different concentration of EGCG was able to inhibit the growth of T24 cell and increase the cell number in G0~G1 phase.The p16 mRNA greatly strengthened after 48 h disposal of EGCG,the methylation level was apparently down-regulated.Conclusions EGCG can activate and up-regulate the expression of p16 mRNA which inhibits the proliferation of T24 cell by inducing the G0~G1 arrest,through inhibiting the methylation of p16 gene.


The current study was conducted in Basrah province during the period from Dec. 2020 to Oct. 2021. The purpose of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies of toxoplasmosis in cancer patients in Basrah province, southern Iraq, using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This study was conducted on 173 people, including 123 people with cancer who were taking chemotherapy and 25 healthy people as a first control group and 25 people with cancer who were not taking chemotherapy were considered as a second control group. The results showed that the incidence of chronic) IgG) toxoplasmosis was 31 and acute (IgM) toxoplasmosis was 0.8%.


The utility model discloses a plate surface automatic cleaning device, which comprises one pair of end traveling transmission boxes, a middle traveling section, a first cleaning device and a second cleaning device, wherein the pair of end traveling transmission boxes are symmetrically arranged and are clamped at the two ends of a to-be-cleaned plate surface, the middle traveling section, the first cleaning device and the second cleaning device are sequentially arranged on the pair of end traveling transmission boxes and are positioned between the pair of end traveling transmission boxes, and the end traveling transmission boxes, the first cleaning device and the second cleaning device are respectively connected with the middle traveling section. The plate surface automatic cleaning device has the advantages that the defects of large manual workload, large water consumption amount and small applicable range of prior art are overcome, the manual workload is little, the water consumption is not needed, and the applicable range is wide.


Zinc hydrogen phosphates is used as main salt,and high effective phosphating solution containingz cinc at low-temperature was given.Applicating this low-temperature phosphate liquid,the results show that the surface could get compact phosphatize,corrosion reistance of the phosphating coat obtained is increased 7 times.


The Ensemble Monte Carlo method is used to calculate the transport characteristics of two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at a ZnMgO/ZnO hetero structure. The spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations are considered and there is no intentional doping in either material. Numerical Schrodinger and Poisson equations are solved self consistently to obtain the scattering rates of various scattering mechanisms. The density of carriers, each energy sub bands, potential profile and corresponding wave functions are obtained from the self consistent calculations. The self consistent sub band wave functions of acoustic and optic phonon scattering and interface roughness scattering are used in Monte Carlo method to obtain transport characteristics at ZnMgO/ZnO junction. Two dimensional electron gas confined to ZnMgO/ZnO hetero structure is studied and the effect of temperature and Mg content are investigated.


The field-aligned anisotropy of the solar wind turbulence, which is quantified by the ratio of the parallel to the perpendicular correlation (and Taylor) length scales, is determined by simultaneous two-point correlation measurements during the time period 2001–2017. Our results show that the correlation scale along the magnetic field is the largest, and the correlation scale in the field-perpendicular directions is the smallest, at both solar maximum and solar minimum. However, the Taylor scale reveals inconsistent results for different stages of the solar cycles. During the years 2001–2004, the Taylor scales are slightly larger in the field-parallel directions, while during the years 2004–2017, the Taylor scales are larger in the field-perpendicular directions. The correlation coefficient between the sunspot number and the anisotropy ratio is employed to describe the effects of solar activity on the anisotropy of solar wind turbulence. The results show that the correlation coefficient regarding the Taylor scale anisotropy (0.65) is larger than that regarding the correlation scale anisotropy (0.43), which indicates that the Taylor scale anisotropy is more sensitive to the solar activity. The Taylor scale and the correlation scale are used to calculate the effective magnetic Reynolds number, which is found to be systematically larger in the field-parallel directions than in the field-perpendicular directions. The correlation coefficient between the sunspot number and the magnetic Reynolds number anisotropy ratio is −0.75. Our results will be meaningful for understanding the solar wind turbulence anisotropy and its long-term variability in the context of solar activity.


Dozens of mutations in the KRT1 gene have been found in people with epidermolytic hyperkeratosis. This condition is a skin disorder characterized by red, blistering skin at an early age and thick skin (hyperkeratosis) later in life. People with KRT1 gene mutations typically have PS-type epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, which features thick skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet (palmoplantar hyperkeratosis) in addition to other parts of the body.


This is the annual report of the Electric Power Committee for 1979. It reports on legislative and judicial developments, and issues relevant to the Electric Power Committee.


Soybean oil has been partially hydrogenated in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrochemical reactor, with H2 gas as the anode feed and source of hydrogen. The reactor is similar in design to that used in a H2/O2 fuel cell, with a membrane electrode assembly composed of a Pd-black powder cathode and a Pt-black powder anode fixed to the opposite surfaces of a Nafion 117 cation-exchange membrane. The PEM reactor was operated at a moderate temperature (60−90 °C) and 1 atm of pressure using commercial-grade soybean oil as the cathode feed. The effects of the current density, temperature, and oil flow rate on oil hydrogenation current efficiency and product selectivity were investigated. The oil hydrogenation current efficiency (the efficiency of electrogenerated H2 addition to fatty acid double bonds) increased with temperature, decreased with current density, and ranged from 45 to 97%. Partially hydrogenated oil products were characterized by a low percentage of trans-fatty acid isomers (which are known c...


The position-variable model was developed as a means to characterize and predict a variety of binaural lateralization, discrimination, and detection phenomena. The model was motivated by a desire for a more complete understanding of the putative mechanisms by which interaural time and intensity differences were combined, as well as the extent to which results in interaural discrimination and binaural detection experiments are mediated by cues based on subjective lateral position. This paper will describe recent efforts to unify and extend the predictions of the model, as well as to develop a publicly accessible version of the model within the framework for comparing evaluating binaural models described by Dietz et al. in this session. Predictions of the model are based on computation of the centroid along the internal-delay axis of the patterns of activity of the display of information proposed earlier by Jeffress and Colburn, derived from the auditory-nerve response to the experimental stimuli. Some of t...


Multiobjective optimization refers to optimization of multiple conflicting objective functions simultaneously. Clustering problem is often formulated as a multiobjective optimization problem where multiple cluster quality measures are simultaneously optimized and Pareto based approaches are popular in solving that Pareto based approaches yield a set of solutions known as Pareto front where all the solutions are non-dominated with respect to each other. A single solution is selected by the decision maker according to his/her preference. But when the number of non-dominated solutions is large in number, then it is difficult for the decision maker to choose the one solution. The selection of a solution from the given Pareto front is known as Post-Pareto optimality analysis. In the past many approaches were proposed for solving the aforementioned problem, but most of these involve the decision maker. In this paper, we have proposed an approach to obtain a single solution from a set of non-dominated solutions by combining these solutions without the intervention of the decision maker. We have evaluated our approach on the set of solutions obtained after application of a newly developed multiobjective based clustering technique on bibliographic databases like DBLR.


The HDO/H2O abundance ratio is thought to be a key diagnostic for the evolution of water during the star and planet formation process and thus for its origin on Earth. We here present millimeter-wavelength high angular resolution observations of the deeply embedded protostar NGC 1333-IRAS4B from the Submillimeter Array targeting the 312–221 transition of HDO at 225.6 GHz (Eu = 170 K). We do not (or only very tentatively) detect the HDO line toward the central protostar, contrasting the previous prominent detection of a line from another water isotopologue, H182O, with similar excitation properties using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. The non-detection of the HDO line provides a direct, model-independent, upper limit to the HDO/H2O abundance ratio of 6 × 10−4 (3σ) in the warm gas associated with the central protostar. This upper limit suggests that the HDO/H2O abundance ratio is not significantly enhanced in the inner ≈50 AU around the protostar relative to what is seen in comets and Earth's oceans and does not support previous suggestions of a generally enhanced HDO/H2O ratio in these systems.


PARTNERSHIPS and sole principal businesses are probably still the most common trading structures for veterinary practices, although some have adopted one of the more commercial entities, such as a limited company. However, partnerships are not always successful and may eventually break down. The chances of this happening could be greatly reduced with some forethought and planning. To ensure a successful working relationship, it is important to be clear from the outset of the reasons for taking on a new partner and of the type of person who will fit that role, as Christine Stobbs explains.


This study aims to offer basic empirical data that will realize differentiated business strategies and marketing strategies in order to cope with customer desires and views of e-sport spectators, who are various and become hierarchical through relative viewing flow and loyalty and the lifestyle of e-sport spectators. The study conducted a research survey through convenience sampling method aimed at as spectator in Coex and Yongsan stadum who a total of 887 copies were selected as the final effective samples. For data analysis SPSS WIN Ver. 12.0 was used. The results are as follows. First It is found that the result of life style of e-sports spectators on viewing flow concerning viewing flow, the items of fashion-seeking type, achieve-seeking type and exercise-seeking type, self-display seeking type had a statistically significant influence. Second It is found that the result of life style of e-sports spectators on concerning viewing loyalty, the items of achieve-seeking type, nihility-seeking type and self-display had a statistically significant influence..


The antiepileptic drug lamotrigine has been assessed in various seizure types and epilepsy syndromes in children and is indicated in the USA and other countries for adjunctive treatment of epilepsy in patients as young as 2 years. This paper reviews data on the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of lamotrigine in pediatric patients. Data from clinical trials and experience in clinical practice demonstrate that lamotrigine is effective for a range of seizure types, including generalized seizures (including absence) and partial seizures. Observations primarily from open-label studies are consistent with the possibility that lamotrigine is effective in several pediatric epilepsy syndromes, including infantile spasms and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy as well as Rett's syndrome, a neurogenetic disorder that is often associated with epilepsy. The safety and tolerability profiles of lamotrigine in pediatric patients are consistent with those in adults. The risk of rash with lamotrigine can be reduced by adherin...


Objective: Values of central venous pressure of 8–12 mm Hg and of pulmonary artery occlusion pressure of 12–15 mm Hg have been proposed as volume resuscitation targets in recent international guidelines on management of severe sepsis. By analyzing a large number of volume challenges, our aim was to test the significance of the recommended target values in terms of prediction of volume responsiveness. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: A 24‐bed medical intensive care unit. Patients: All consecutive septic patients monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter who underwent a volume challenge between 2001 and 2004. Intervention: None. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 150 volume challenges in 96 patients were reviewed. In 65 instances, the volume challenge resulted in an increase in cardiac index of ≥15% (responders). The pre‐infusion central venous pressure was similar in responders and nonresponders (8 ± 4 vs. 9 ± 4 mm Hg). The pre‐infusion pulmonary artery occlusion pressure was slightly lower in responders (10 ± 4 vs. 11 ± 4 mm Hg, p < .05). However, the significance of pulmonary artery occlusion pressure to predict fluid responsiveness was poor and similar to that of central venous pressure, as indicated by low values of areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (0.58 and 0.63, respectively). A central venous pressure of <8 mm Hg and a pulmonary artery occlusion pressure of <12 mm Hg predicted volume responsiveness with a positive predictive value of only 47% and 54%, respectively. With the knowledge of a low stroke volume index (<30 mL·m−2), their positive predictive values were still unsatisfactory: 61% and 69%, respectively. When the combination of central venous pressure and pulmonary artery occlusion pressure was considered instead of either pressure alone, the degree of prediction of volume responsiveness was not improved. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that cardiac filling pressures are poor predictors of fluid responsiveness in septic patients. Therefore, their use as targets for volume resuscitation must be discouraged, at least after the early phase of sepsis has concluded.


A group exhibition curated by R O O M London, in association with the Castro Maya Museums and the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, in the Museu do Acude, Rio de Janeiro. as a homage to the revered artist Shelagh Wakely who died in 2011. Shelagh Wakely was an important influence in the installation movement and was an inspiration to many artists in both Brazil and the UK. Sandie Macrae, Stephen Bell and Antoni Malinowski travelled to Rio de Janeiro, taking with them small works by eleven British artists. They re-created a seminal work by Shelagh Wakely, and made installations/artworks themselves, alongside works by six Brazilian artists.


In recent years, various kinds of damped outrigger systems, particularly with the negative stiffness devices, have been shown to effectively suppress excessive vibration induced by earthquake and wind. To gain insight into such systems, this paper proposes a stochastic optimization method to investigate optimal configurations of combined negative stiffness damped outriggers (NSDOs) and conventional damped outriggers (CDOs) subjected to nonstationary stochastic seismic excitation. The simplified analysis model of various combinations of damped outriggers is developed, and the state-space representation of outrigger systems is then formulated. The nonstationary seismic excitation is modeled as a uniformly modulated stationary Gaussian process with a time-modulating function following Clough–Penzien spectrum, and combining equations of motions of outrigger systems and seismic excitation gives rise to the augmented state-space representation of structure-damper-excitation and subsequently the differential Lyapunov equation. The optimal designs of damped outriggers are defined via the solution of the differential Lyapunov equation. The multiobjective optimization with Pareto optimal fronts is adopted to deal with conflicting objectives between harmful interstory drift and floor absolute acceleration. The sensitivity of negative stiffness devices on optimal objectives is also investigated. The optimal designs are further examined under real typical and near-fault earthquake records. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method and provide insight into the systems subjected to nonstationary seismic excitation. While the purely NSDO systems could have better performance with adequate negative stiffness devices, the proposed combined NSDO and CDO systems prove to be more effective with limited negative stiffness devices and thus provide more design flexibilities tailored to different application situations.


In this study, we construct a mixture of bivariate inverse Weibull distribution. We assumed that the parameters of two marginals have Bernoulli distributions. Several properties of the proposed model are obtained, such as probability marginal density function, probability marginal cumulative function, the product moment, the moment of the two variables x and y, the joint moment-generating function, and the correlation between x and y. The real dataset has been analyzed. We observed that the mixture bivariate inverse Weibull distribution provides a better fit than the other model.


After complaints of fever, cough and a right upper lateral chest pain, an 86‐year‐old man received medical examination in January 2001. A chest X‐ray showed right upper pulmonary infiltrates. He was empirically treated and the pulmonary infiltrates disappeared. He had a second episode of recurrent pneumonia in the same right upper lobe in April 2001, and then a third episode of recurrent pneumonia in October 2001. Chest computed tomography showed neither localized intraluminal bronchial obstruction nor localized extrinsic bronchial compression in the right upper pulmonary lobe. His immune system and pulmonary function tests were normal. Therefore, it appeared that these were the same lobar recurrent pneumonias, which are rare in the short term. He was tried on long‐term low‐dose erythromycin therapy after the third episode of recurrent pneumonia and he has had no recurrent pneumonia for 16 months.


A new approach of an automatic frequency correction technique for narrow band systems in satellite communication is presented. The proposed technique uses a digital frequency discriminator, quite different from the conventional one which uses the well known phase locked loop (PLL). This technique can be employed in the user terminals of the half/full duplex satellite network to obtain a stable transmit frequency without the need of a continuous frequency reference by locking the transmit frequency to that received from the master station through the satellite. The principle of operation and corresponding equipment configuration are described. The maximum theoretical error possible in this approach is derived through analysis of the loop performance. This technique is applied to an operational low bit rate communication system and the experimental results are in close proximity with the theoretical values.


SUPPOSE a trustee misapplies trust funds to purchase property for his own benefit. If the acquired property increases in value, what is the nature of the beneficiaries' claim in respect of those gains? This was recently considered by the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in Tang v Tang [2017] HKCFA 3. In 2003 the administrator of an estate (the defendant) purchased property (the "Property"). The purchase was partly funded by the unauthorised use of HK $11.48 m from the estate. Shortly afterwards, the defendant executed a declaration of trust over the Property in favour of his corporate vehicle, Tri-Strong Investment Ltd. The Property was subsequently transferred to this company. Seven months after acquiring the Property, the defendant paid the estate the full amount that had been withdrawn together with interest. In 2005 the estate beneficiaries discovered the defendant's misuse of estate money and commenced proceedings alleging breach of fiduciary duty. By the time the matter was heard, the Property had increased significantly in value.


A proper edge coloring is called adjacent strong edge coloring if colored sets from every two adjacent vertex incident edges are different.The minimum of colors required is called an adjacent strong edge coloring.A simple graph G is denoted by χ′as(G).The adjacent strong edge chromatic number of Sm∨Fn is given.


Purpose: The paper represents the importance of the Internet market with a focus on email marketing promotional tools by means of which, through using databases, business entities, hotel companies and tour operators, with direct or indirect promotion, reach existing and new consumers. The determination of positions and trends, as well as the efficiency of the email promotion, so- called newsletter, is reflected as a goal of the research which explores the attitudes of the youth consumer segment as propulsive future consumers. Design/methodology/approach: The research includes a theoretical review combined with presentation of chosen international practices that support the theory of an innovative marketing approach. The research also includes quantitative as well as qualitative methods which explore the attitudes of tourist demand through 153 questionnaires conducted in December 2017 processed by statistical methodology including chi-squared test, average values, ranking technique combined with creative thinking techniques and other scientific methods (January 2018). The total number of questionnaires was 175, 22 forms were invalid which presents response rate of 87, 4%. Youth consumers were randomly chosen, and the location of the research was the town of Pula, Croatia. Findings: Development of information technology and innovations has initiated new business processes in the tourism and hospitality business, as well as radical changes in business and communication with consumers, but also with other business entities. Special offers and promotions communicated through e- mail marketing boost demand and interest and result in customer purchases. The consumer group had to be analysed in respect of gender differences in order to conduct a successful e- mail promotion. Research/practical implications: E- Mail marketing gives hotels the opportunity to reach many potential customers and it is based on data collected from website viewers which is translated into personalised emails about information they were just viewing on the website. The paper provides a deeper insight and enables companies to improve the results of e-mail marketing campaigns. Further research in the field of gender focus areas should be conducted together with an analysis of sending frequency combined with efficiency, as this has been recognised as a challenging issue. Originality/value: This paper is a valuable contribution to existing research on how companies could reach new competitiveness by implementation of innovative E-marketing tools and strategies. The research also points to the importance of creative thinking focused on design of services in order to attract new demand and to communicate with different segments of potential consumers.


The purpose of this research was to develop fast dissolving oral film of Escitalopram oxalate. Fast dissolving oral film offers a solution for paediatrics, geriatrics; psychiatric or mentally ill people and those have difficulty in swallowing tablets/capsules resulting in improved patient compliance. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are broad spectrum antidepressants that are effective for major depressive disorder and several anxiety disorders. Escitalopram Oxalate is highly selective, more effective and better than other SSRIs. The prepared formulations were evaluated for Thickness, Weight uniformity, Folding Endurance, Percentage of Moisture Content, Drug Content Analysis, Disintegrating time and In vitro dissolution study. Stability studies were carried out with optimized formulation F5 which was stored for a period of one, two and three months at 40±2oC temperature and 75±5% relative humidity for a period 3 months. Thus it can be concluded that Escitalopram oxalate fast dissolving films could be commercially exploited for the treatment of panic disorder using Escitalopram oxalate with merits of faster onset of action, avoidance of extensive first pass metabolism, low dosage regimen, enhanced bioavailability and improved patient compliance.


Information-centric networking (ICN) raises data objects to first class routable entities in the network and changes the Internet paradigm from host-centric connectivity to data-oriented publish/subscribe. We revisit the data-centric paradigm from the perspective of security and resilience and question its applicability in an open, widely distributed routing and forwarding service. Current concepts of content routing are built on data-driven protocol events and thereby introduce a strong coupling of the control to the data plane in the underlying routing infrastructure. In this paper, we explore the vulnerability of the distribution backbone. Based on a straight-forward analytical model we show that local systems cannot be protected from the threats of data-driven state management on an Internet scale. By practical evaluations using the example of the CCNx implementation, we further analyze threats to stability and performance of a data-driven infrastructure that refrains from separating the control from the data plane. We identify intrinsic attack vectors, as well as possibilities and limitations to mitigate them. Our overall findings suggest that major architectural refinements are required prior to global ICN deployment in the real world.


Geoffrey Barraclough, in an essay whose candor of expression attracted much attention and instigated a lively debate, speaks of a "false conception of historiography". An untenable conception of the meaning and purpose of historical science has led to a quandary; the commandment of the hour compels us to find a way out.' The significance of this remark is obvious. The author of this article is, after all, one of England's most respected contemporary historians. Not long ago, he was called to the Chair for International History at London University as Toynbee's successor. Also, Barraclough was educated in the Rankean tradition of classical historiography, of which he is an exemplary representative. This is not the voice of an outsider, revolutionary, iconoclast, or misfit, who might raise personal incompetence to a claim of principle. Rather, it is the mature insight of a researcher, who has participated actively in, and is partly responsible for, the previous development of the discipline. The impact of this insight is much increased by the fact that this same "note of misgiving and disenchantment" which the author insists is indicative of the prevailing attitude in historiography, receives expression in essays, written for the same issue of the Times Literary Supplement by other leading English historians.2 This atmosphere of misgiving and disenchantment is not restricted to English historiography. Its victories have been considerable in Italy and France.3 It has also split American history into two camps; while the smaller has adopted an approach so conservative that it might even be called ret


AIMS
To examine the relationship of periodontitis as an independent effect of smoking on the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Japanese people based on longitudinal data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We targeted 4,745 people who underwent pulmonary function tests and dental checkups at baseline and 8 years later. The Community Periodontal Index (CPI) was used to assess periodontal status. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the relationship of the incidence of COPD with periodontitis and smoking. To clarify the interaction between smoking and periodontitis, interaction analysis was performed.

RESULTS
In a multivariable analysis, both periodontitis and heavy smoking had significant effects on COPD development. When periodontitis was analyzed as a continuous value (number of sextants with periodontitis) and as a category (presence or absence of periodontitis) in the multivariable analyses after adjusting for smoking, pulmonary function, and other variables, periodontitis had significantly higher hazard ratios (HRs) for the incidence of COPD; the HRs were 1.09 (1.01-1.17) and 1.48 (1.09-2.02), respectively. The interaction analysis showed no significant interaction between heavy smoking and periodontitis on COPD.

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that periodontitis has no interaction with smoking, but has an independent effect on developing COPD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The reason for conducting this research was based on consideration that university students majoring in English should be at the level where their English is good. Unfortunately, students still made grammatical deviations in both spoken and written form. In this study, 30 students of STKIP Muhammadiyah Bulukumba University enrolled which were taken by random sampling method. This research is aimed to provide useful information particularly as reference for English teachers, lecturers and curriculum developers about grammatical deviations that affects the quality of students' writing composition to minimize it. This research applied the qualitative research to analyze the data. The conclusion of the result shows that the students still have problems in making English sentences. They still make grammatical deviations in their composition. They were also not being able to construct words into sentences and arranged sentences into neat arrangements and coherent paragraphs.Further, syntactical area is the most frequent area where the students committed grammatical deviation. It is proven by the findings thatsyntax is considered to be more difficult than morphology. It appears that the students' errors distribute to all students' writings. They still make grammatical deviation, but the students do not always make grammatical deviations in the samesubcomponent.In terms of difficulties, the students admitted in interview that there are 3 main causeswhy the students tend to commit grammatical deviation in writing. Those are lack of practice of the target language, lack of source or books that they need, and the last is lack of grammar understanding.


The invention relates to a technological method of a clamping device of a multi-position cross-shaft processing machine, by adopting the cross-shaft V-shaped slot positioning technology, milling and drilling tools are mounted on four rotating main shafts, the rotating main shafts are fixed on a workbench which can move left, right, frontward and backward, by utilizing the movement of the rotatingmain shafts, four end surfaces of the cross-shaft are firstly simultaneously milled, then the workbench is automatically returned onto a central line of the V-shaped slot, the four main shafts are simultaneously near to the cross-shaft, and four central holes are drilled on the cross-shaft at one time, thereby completing the processing of the end surfaces of the cross-shaft and the central holes on one working procedure at one time. The technological process comprises the following steps of: sawing-forging-milling-drilling-turning a shaft neck-thermal treatment-shot blasting-grinding the shaftneck-defect detection-inspection-packaging and warehousing, thereby not only reducing the processing working procedure of the cross-shaft, reducing the work time and the cost, reducing the labor intensity, improving the processing working efficiency by nearly 10 times, and saving the energy consumption by more than 60%, but also ensuring the concentricity and the vertical degree of the cross-shaft, realizing high processing precision and high qualified rate of the cross-shaft product.


This paper is the result of a study of thirty-one cases of ethmoiditis observed during the past few years in private practice and in the Infants' Hospital, St. Margaret's Hospital for Infants and the Child's Hospital, and will deal only with sinusitis in very young patients. The number of cases is perhaps not large enough from which to draw definite conclusions, but some interesting facts, or, rather, observations, were brought out. The youngest patients were: one, aged 6 months—the youngest patient I have ever seen with definite involvement of the ethmoid bone; one, aged 10 months; one, aged 12 months; one, aged 16 months; one, aged 18 months, and one aged 20 months. All six patients had eye and orbital complications, the three youngest having orbital abscesses with exophthalmos. The other three had severe orbital inflammation, with localized infiltration and swelling in the inner angle of the eye,


access to economic, political and social power. Each is struggling toward acceptance yet each has difficulty locating adequate and functional acculturative frames of reference for culturally integrated participation. Functional relations between simultaneous membership in culturally excluded minority worlds for different migratory generations and relationship of these forces to adolescent attitudes is the subject of this paper. Adolescent attitudes are based upon data gathered from Mexican American adolescents residing within the most economically depressed area of East Los Angeles. Identity crisis, as described by these attitudes, with its subsequent strain, resulting from role conflict, stimulated by the adolescent's desire to identify with family, peer and greater adult worlds, concomitantly influenced by the dominant culture's lack of acceptance of Mexican American cultural diversity and the role conflict it engenders, suggests that adolescence for Mexican American migrants in


By means of literature,investigation and logic analysis and other research methods,the present paper makes an anlysis on the folk art living transminssion under intangible cultural heritage under.The results show that the main factors that affect its heritage include: local governments' inadequate implementation of the folk art protection policy;market organizations' low desire to enter the field of folk art;the insufficient heritage of the folk art;the lack of relavent systematic theoretical study;and the impact of foreign culture.Sustainable mechanism heritage include: to raise the attention of the government departments at all levels;folk art technological innovation;extensive heritage activities;and related theoretical research etc.


Instructional media is any channel that is used by teachers to convey knowledge in order to achieve the learning objectives. Instructional media is one important component in the implementation of the learning process. The use of instructional media can facilitate teachers in delivering learning material. This research aims to determine the accounting instructional media used by the teacher in class XI IPS accounting SMAN 4 Surabaya and to describe the feasibility of the use of instructional media. This type of research is a descriptive study. Sources of data in this research is primary data and secondary data. Data collection techniques using the documentation, interviews, and a review of media experts. Results of this research was to study accounting teachers using instructional media in the form of a power point. Based on the results of a feasibility study for each of the aspects, feasibility aspects of the content to obtain a percentage of 78.125% is a very feasible, linguistic aspects of the feasibility of obtaining a percentage of 85.425% is a very feasible, and presentation aspects of the feasibility to obtain a percentage of 74% is a feasible. Overall feasibility of instructional media to obtain a percentage of 79.24%. Thus, it can be concluded that the accounting instructional media used by the teacher is very feasible. Keywords: Media, Powerpoint


Interface circuit for implementing a standardized ISDN basic terminal characterized in that a purely digital integrated circuit with external shading, consisting of a receiving and a transmitting circuit, is used and that at the receiving circuit, two digital input buffer of the all-digital integrated circuit for the signals are used, and for the suppression of common mode signals, the center tap [1] of the receive transformer [2] of the receiving circuit is AC-wise pulled to ground.


The possibility that the pink afterglow (PA) of a flowing nitrogen discharge occurs as a result of recombination of N(4S) atoms is evaluated and discussed, based on a detailed kinetic model for a microwave discharge and post-discharge. The present simulation shows that the states responsible for the emission of the PA cannot be created via an indirect mechanism initiated with atomic recombination. Alternatively, it is indicated that the PA may have its origin in non-resonant vibration–vibration energy-exchange processes between molecules, which lead to an overpopulation of high levels of the vibrational manifold.


A new design of a novel AC regulator is described. Two electronic transformers (ETRs) are connected in series with the AC mains to provide a regulated AC output voltage. One of the ETRs handles the decremental part of the normal AC input voltage, while the other handles the incremental part. Transformer-isolated coupled-inductor Cuk power converters are used to implement the ETRs. The size of the overall circuit is small as the two ETRs are operated at a high switching frequency and the overall efficiency of the regulator can be maintained very high since the power dissipation in the two ETRs is small compared with the total power in the load. The four-quadrant nature of the AC-to-AC electronic transformer also enables it to accept reactive load. An experimental AC regulator has been built. Good line and load regulations are achieved. The efficiency is about 88%.<<ETX>>


Absence of hierarchy of technology dissemination is a factor that affects technology utilization and adoption by the end-users. This study investigated pre-scaling up of improved finger millet varieties in Daro Lebu and Habro districts. Enhancing productivity of improved finger millet varieties through improving knowledge and skills of farmers and creating linkage among actors was the main objective of the activity. A total of 160 farmers were addressed in four kebeles and two districts of West Hararghe zone. Site and farmers were selected purposively based on potential production of the commodity and others criteria's. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed using narration and descriptive as well as inferential statistics using SPSS software. Extension services such as advisory, inputs, training and field day were delivered and organized for the farmers, extension agents and others stakeholders thereby awareness creation in media and printed extension materials. The average yield obtained from a hectare of land is accounted that 28.31 and 20.88 quintals for Boneya and Tadesse varieties, respectively. Therefore, scaling up of improved finger millet varieties for wider community over locations should be strengthen and conducted by government sectors, non-governmental organizations and others private sectors for improving productivity of the crop in a sustainable manner.


Summary form only given. The control, management and optimization of performance-based measures in high-volume Web sites require a fundamental understanding of the user request patterns and the performance implications of such traffic patterns. We first present an analysis of the request patterns found at various Web server complexes, including high-volume commercial and sporting event Web sites. Our analysis demonstrates complex traffic patterns that include both short-range and long-range dependence structures and both light-tailed and heavy-tailed behavior. We then investigate the impact of these complex user request patterns on the response-time distribution of different Web server environments. Our analysis illustrates some of the key difficulties in the management and control of system resources to satisfy certain types of service-level agreements. We then describe aspects of the system architecture and techniques employed at various commercial and sporting event Web sites that reduce the overhead of serving dynamic content and that improve the Web server response-time distribution. We also present research on controlling the performance of different classes of user requests, including some new forms of service-level agreements. Various applications of our analysis and results are discussed.


1. Ler Hn (G) denote the nth homology group of G (with trivial integral coefficients), The (Schur) multiplicator of G is then, by definition, H2(G). The object of this note is to construct infinitely many 4-generator groups which are not finitely related but have trivial multiplicator. These examples should be compared with the first ones given in [1] and [2]. The basic idea of the construction is the use of a Mayer-Vietoris sequence, in a manner which is very similar to that adopted by Stallings in [3], but with a different end in view. Thus our procedure here is in direct contrast to that followed in [1] and [2].


Ⅰ. INTRODUCTION The Middle Ordovician evaporites in North China have been commonly considered as distributing only in the central part of the epeiric sea. Their genesis has raised much controversy among sedimentologists. The purpose of this study is to simulate the distribution area