Nursing practice has evolved through a series of changes during the last half century. A most significant change has been in the development and use of nursing process skills, with the recent focus on nursing diagnosis. Efforts to keep practising nurses' knowledge and skills in pace with theory development has been a constant challenge to nurse educators.
Since the early 1960s, the trend in nursing practice has been to use structured problem solving or what is known as "the nursing process". Ziegler (1984) states that the nursing process is the methodology of professional nursing. Patient problems are identified and a plan of nursing care is developed. The nursing process has gradually evolved to the current five-step technique identified by Mundinger and Jauron (1975) as: assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. In more recent years, the focus of this process has centred on problem identification or "nursing diagnosis" (the second step of the nursing process.) This paper presents a preliminary study that looks at the teaching strategies used to develop nursing diagnostic skills.


This research focused on the following major tasks: improved dosimetric models of the head and brain; development of improved skeletal dosimetry models; development of dosimetric techniques for nonuniform activity distributions; pediatric dosimetry phantoms and radionuclide S values; microdosimetry of beta emitters in radioimmunotherapy; and mechanisms of molecular radiation damage.


A method is provided for the diagnosis or prognosis of a disease state, involving the measurement of a parameter of discriminated dipeptidyl dipeptidases from a patient sample, and the correlation of the parameter with a disease.


Relatively little attention has been focused on the relationship between religion and the ethical principles governing the conduct of research with human beings. However, an examination of the similarities between ethical principles governing research and religious precepts demonstrates the degree to which ethical principles for research mirror other components and beliefs in life; underscores the universality of principles that underlie the ethical conduct of research; provides an alternative mechanism for explaining research ethics to investigators who may view the need to adhere to governing principles as intrusive and obstructive; offers a means of explaining to some research participants the researcher obligations that are associated with the conduct of research; and provides the researcher with both a basis and a vehicle for selfreflection. This article identifies some principles that appear to be common across many religions and utilizes Buddhism as a case study to examine the interface between religious tenets and ethical principles for research.


Nanosized titanium dioxide particles were engrafted with butyltitanate coupling agent and methylmethacrylate monomer, and the obtained nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra and sedimentation test. Ultraviolet-visible light spectroscopy was used to study the differences and effectiveness of the coated and uncoated titanium dioxide, respectively. The results showed that polymethacrylate chain was engrafted on the surface of nanosized titanium dioxide and the surface grafting of polymers improved significantly absorbency of ultraviolet light of the nanoparticles.


A newly synthesized zinc(II) complex, namely tert‐butyl N‐(2 mercaptoethyl)carbamatozinc(II) complex [Zn(Boc‐S)2] (Boc = tert‐butyl N‐[2‐mercaptoethyl]carbamate), has been used as an organozinc precursor for the production of crystalline ZnO and ZnO/TiO2 nanoparticles. The synthesized complex and the obtained nanomaterials were fully characterized using various spectroscopic and surface analysis techniques. Their surface morphology, chemical purity and stoichiometry have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX) as well as X‐ray fluorescence. The synthesized Zn(II) molecular complex, ZnO and ZnO/TiO2 nanomaterials have been tested in alkaline aqueous solution (1.0 MNaOH) for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) using various electrochemical techniques. The results revealed high HER catalytic performance of ZnO and ZnO/TiO2 cathode materials, with the latter exhibiting higher catalytic activity recording an exchange current density (jo) of 0.3 mA cm−2. This current value, which approaches that of Pt wire (0.5 mA cm−2), cross‐sectional area ~0.008 cm2, is about 11 and 100 times greater than those measured for ZnO alone (0.028 mA cm−2) and TiO2 alone (0.0032 mA cm−2), respectively. Moderate catalytic activity was recorded for the complex catalyst, namely GC‐Zn(Boc‐S)2 with jo value of (0.01 mA cm−2). Tafel slope values of 130 and 122 mV dec−1 were calculated for ZnO and ZnO/TiO2, respectively. Such Tafel slope values, which are close to that of the Pt wire (120 mV dec−1), referred to a Volmer‐controlled HER kinetics. Other important electrochemical parameters describing the kinetics of the HER, such as roughness factor (Rf) and turnover frequency (TOF) were also estimated and discussed. The high numerical values of the various HER kinetic parameters recorded for the ZnO/TiO2 catalyst, in addition to its high stability and durability (stable for up to 10 000 continuous cathodic polarization cycles), besides maintaining its morphology and chemical composition after stability test (confirmed from SEM/EDX and XRD examinations), located it in a privileged position among the most efficient HER electrocatalysts reported in the literature.


The concept of Knowledge Management is now familiar to the construction industry and
various attempts are being made for the effective management of knowledge in the industry.
This paper addresses the importance of people factor and tacit knowledge in construction and
examines the current focus of knowledge management initiatives to find out the alignment with
the industry requirements. Labour and knowledge intensive nature of industry is revealed with
challenging aspects of construction performance. Dominant hard model of human resource
management is uncovered and finally the mismatch between the current focus and industry KM
requirements is unearthed


The effects of student and peer evaluation on professional competence development of lecturers at Chinhoyi University of Technology were investigated. Purposive sampling was used to identify 31 lecturers who participated in this study. Data were collected using a structured and open-ended self- completion questionnaire. Thematic generation and descriptive statistics using SPSS version 16 were used for data analysis. Five principal areas of professional competences demonstrated through student and peer evaluation and utilisation of feedback were identified. They include general knowledge, in-depth knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and competencies, professional and collegial competencies, and, teaching and instructional competencies. The competencies are more visible at individual level. The study recommends that student evaluation feedback be given at the earliest possible time to benefit the concerned group of students and lecturers. There is also need to revise the student evaluation forms to capture the intent data as may be applicable to specific subject areas.


Dr Hooman Peimani, Independant International Consultant, provides a personal interpretation of the causes of the problems encountered with the Iranian-Turkish pipeline, and considers the potential for further pipeline development in the region, bearing political implications in mind.


The Open Source Cluster Application Resources (OSCAR) is a fully integrated cluster software stack designed for building, and maintaining a Linux Beowulf cluster. As OSCAR has become a popular tool for building the cost effective HPC cluster, undoubtedly, High Availability (HA) will equally be an important aspect that enables HPC systems, as clearly an unavailable cluster equals no performance. To embrace both HA and HPC features, we created the HA-OSCAR solution which eliminates the numerous single-point-of-failure in HPC systems and alleviates unplanned downtime through sophisticated self-healing mechanisms and component redundancy. In this paper, we report our newly introduced ideas and experiments on hardware level failure detection and prediction based on the Service Availability Forum's Hardware Platform Interface (OpenHPI). Service monitoring and Policy-based head node recovery is also discussed in detail. Furthermore, we investigate a Network File system issue during server failover and resolution via the High Reliable Network File System (HR-NFS), without the need for an expensive hardware-based shared storage solution. Furthermore, our solution enables a graceful recovery with a deliberate job checkpointing and migration upon head node failure prediction. Finally, we introduce our web-based management module that provides a customizable service monitoring, recovery/failover management mechanism with an effective cluster monitoring ability.


Effective distance education requires students who are engaged in a dialogue with the teacher and with other students (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1999). How can we as developmental educators help college students effectively learn within these dialogues? This year's columns will extend our examination of online education from the last 2 years here in "Techtalk" to also review CMC (computer mediated communication; Berge & Collins, 1995) in which discussions are mediated between the teacher and the student using computer technology. We suggest there are three types of online discussions that can be engendered by the teacher or tutor. In type 1 discussions students participate by asking questions of the teacher or tutor or turning in homework, but no interaction is provided between students. This is typical of Generation 1 online courses (Caverly & MacDonald, 1999). In type 2 discussions interaction is encouraged between students, but discussion is controlled and led by the teacher or tutor. Here students answer teacher or tutor questions and discuss answers online, but new questions from students are not addressed. In other words, the discussion is focused only wherever the teacher or tutor leads it. In type 3 discussions interactions between students online are led by student questions, interests, and answers but managed by the teacher or tutor, that is, student-centered and student-led online discussions. Discussion types are driven by the different purposes of instruction and also by the students' ability as they become more comfortable with discussion online. Salmon (2000) suggests students grow in their ability to discuss online through a five-step incremental model: (a) access and motivation acquisition, (b) online socialization, (c) information exchange, (d) knowledge construction, and (e) independence development allowing learners to take charge of their own learning. Type 1 discussions help students to move through the first three of these stages: from access to information exchange. Access and Motivation Type 1 online discussion frequently begins with providing online access and informing students. To foster this, learning centers add tutoring via e-mail messaging and discussion that rooms to their current services. An informal survey of 21 colleges by the Peer Tutoring Special Interest Group of CRLA (Johnson, 2000) has found that 11 (52%) provided online tutoring via e-mail. In this same survey, five (23%) have indicated that they were using a discussion chat room area for tutoring rather than e-mail messaging. Discussion that rooms can be synchronous, where both tutor and student are discussing at the same time, or asynchronous, where a student leaves a message to be answered later by a tutor. The discussion chat room has also been used for synchronous or asynchronous tutoring in 9 of the surveyed colleges (42%), but this is getting into Type 2 discussions. To inform students of this access, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center (2001b) announces on their web page that they accept e-- mail attachments of papers which their staff will review and return back to students with comments. In contrast, Chemeketa Community College's Tutoring Center (2001) defines on their web page each type of online tutoring and how to access it. For example: "We have a tutor who may assist you in accounting in the that area Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday, 7:30 am. to 4:00 p.m., and Thursday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you'd like to that with a tutor during those hours, please post an appointment message here at least 24 hours in advance or call for an appointment." The preceding exemplify Type 1 discussions: Interaction occurs between tutor or teacher and student either through e-mail or a discussion that room. Many students now have online access but may not be motivated to use online tutoring services. Rheingold (1995) suggests that fear is an important ingredient in the novice's use of the computer. …


Chimeric genes encoding full‐length copies of rbsA and rbsC connected by segments coding for short bridge peptides were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. Surprisingly, the chimeric genes complemented the strain in which rbsA and rbsC were deleted. The chimeric proteins were overproduced, and the products were purified by affinity chromatography. In order to obtain highly purified protein, a poly‐His leader peptide was incorporated so that Ni‐chelate affinity chromatography could be employed. The leader peptide and the bridge peptide were designed with factor Xa‐cleavable sites to permit recovery of the individual RbsA and RbsC protein. A rbsC gene encoding a poly‐His leader was also constructed and expressed. Both the chimeric RbsA‐C species and the poly‐HisRbsC were produced at levels that permitted isolation of the equivalent of milligram quantities of RbsC per liter of culture. This is a substantial increase in amounts from any previous RbsC production vectors. All proteins from the rbs operon have now been overproduced and substantially purified.


The area of cultivation of millets is being declined and occupied by cereal crops and cash crops due to effect of green revolution which turned them as orphan crops and in the present scenario emphasis is being laid on improving the production of millets due to its nutritional benefits for the diabetic patients. Among the orphan crops foxtail millet is one among them which is having nutraceutical benefits, tolerant to pests and diseases and drought which is used for Human consumption in African and Asian countries, as cage feed in American countries. The present investigation was carried out to know the gene action governing the yield and its attributing traits which aids in improvement of the yields.


Objective To study the influence of preoperative propaganda and education and psy-cho-logical soothing on patients" postoperative pain degree. Methods Sixty patients who were to undergo abdomi-nal total hysterectomy were randomly assigned to two groups equally, the intervention group was giv-en preoper-ative specific information while the control group received routine information. Both groups edop-ed intravenous PCA pump. Pain assessments were made using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the dosage of analgesics consumed was recorded. The patients,satisfaction degree with pain management was observed and X2 test and t test were adopted. Results The highest VAS and analgesic dosage were not significantly different between the two groups. The satisfaction degree with pain management of the inter- vention group was high-ter than that of the control group. Conclusions The results of this study suggests that preoperative in-formation doesn't influence postoperative pain and analgesics consumption, but it can improve the patients' satisfaction with pain management and nursing care.

Key words:
Information;  Psychology;  Postoperative pain;  Pain assessment


Elderly population now is tenderly to be higher than 5 or 10 years ago. In the future population of elderly
people in Indonesia will in high amount. The great number of elderly population in this nation have some
consequency for example: economic, social, demografik, and helath care system. Ministry of Health have
program to maintain health status of elderly people. One of common health problem in elderly was
psikososial problem. Elderly people can suffer from many psikososial problem. Psikosial problem in elderly is
varied, for example : depression, low of support system from family and society, Dimensia and other health
problem. Nurses as helath care personil must aware about psikososial aspect or psikososial problem in
elderly, so they can give some direction to family or society.


Diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that occurs as a result of vascular changes in the retina, It is a major cause of loss of vision. Automated image processing has the potential to assist in the early detection of diabetes, by detecting changes in blood vessel patterns in the retina. In this research use logic fuzzy theory and digital image processing techniques to give high accuracy results in the classification of images of diabetic retinopathy to infected or sound based on the features they contain a different shape. Keywords—logic fuzzy, diabetic retinopathy, digital image processing, statistical processes, Matlab.


e18560Background: MPN is a manifestation of diseases with overproduction of myoerythroid cells, platelets, BCR/abl fusion genes with prevalence to polycythemia Vera (PCV), essential thrombocythemia...


The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of Knowledge Management (KM) strategies in enhancing Non-Governmental Organizations' (NGOs') performance. Descriptive research method is followed in this study as well as a quantitative research technique based on an electronic questionnaire survey to collect data. The research population consists of a total of 1.200 local and international NGOs that are active throughout the Palestinian Territories. A total number of 291 questionnaires (sample) were distributed to managers of NGOs or their representatives, and a total of 228 responses were received. The validity and reliability of the collected data were evaluated which were used for statistical analysis. The researcher used Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.00 to test the hypotheses. Two main hypotheses tested were "There is a positive relationship between the codification strategy of KM and NGOs' performance" and "There is a positive relationship between the personalization strategy of KM and NGOs' performance". The research results demonstrate the KM strategies of codification and personalization are significantly affecting the NGOs' performance in Palestine in terms of three selected dependent variables namely financial sustainability, organization process/function, and program/project performances. However, the sub-hypothesis of the impact of the codification strategy on financial sustainability was dropped from the model due to a lack of significance. All other sub-hypotheses that express the positive effects of both KM strategies were proved. According to the research findings the study recommends that decision-makers in NGOs in Palestine should apply the KM strategies as a means of increasing organizational performance.


From the volume-limited main galaxy sample of SDSS DR6, we extracted isolated galaxies and identified groups by different algorithms, in order to investigate the dependence of galaxy luminosity on environment. We compared the luminosity distributions of member galaxies of groups with that of isolated galaxies and the volume-limited main galaxy sample, and found that the luminosity distributions of member galaxies of groups are almost the same as that of the volume-limited sample, but are different from that of isolated galaxies: isolated galaxies have a higher proportion of faint galaxies (Mr ⩾ − 20.61) and a lower proportion of luminous galaxies (Mr ⩽ − 21.28) than member galaxies of groups. The level of significance is at least 3 σ. This shows that luminous galaxies exist preferentially in the densest regions of the universe (e.g., in groups), but faint galaxies are located preferentially in low-density regions. We also note that the dependence of galaxy luminosity on dense environment (e.g., in groups) is much weaker than that on underdense environment (e.g., isolated galaxies).


The structure optimization and control of a linear switched reluctance motor(LSRM) using the auto disturbance rejection speed controller(ADRC) were described.The LSRM had the advantages of low cost,simple construction and high reliability.ADRC controller had the natural ability to adapt to internal perturbances or external disturbances,therefore it was a good candidate for the control of LSRM.In this paper,both the simulation and hardware implementation of the ADRC on LSRM were carried out and results showed that the controller had robust and reliable features.


The association of aminopyridine-based acrylic acid and its salt was studied by NMR titration experiments. The AA (acceptor, acceptor) hydrogen-bonding pattern present in the salt forms a complex readily with a DD (donor, donor) hydrogen-bonding pattern of the substituted ureas even in polar and competitive environment. The double carbon–carbon bond in the acrylic acid derivative is subjected to photoisomerization. This is dependent on the association with substituted urea derivatives. The substituent in ureas influences the trans/cis isomerization kinetics and position of the photostationary state. Two mechanisms that influence the photoisomerization were proposed. To the best of our knowledge, the trans/cis photoisomerization influenced by the substituent in such a hydrogen-bonding pattern has not observed previously. It was shown that interaction with urea derivatives causes lowering of the trans-to-cis photoreaction rates.


FIELD: information technology. SUBSTANCE: techniques and tools related to coding and decoding of audio information are described. For example, redundant coded information for decoding a current frame includes signal history information associated with only a portion of a previous frame. As another example, redundant coded information for decoding a coded unit includes parametres for a codebook stage to be used in decoding the current coded unit only if the previous coded unit is not available. As yet another example, coded audio units each include a field indicating whether the coded unit includes main encoded information representing a segment of an audio signal, and whether the coded unit includes redundant coded information for use in decoding main encoded information. EFFECT: ensuring maximum signal quality for the given bitrate and error tolerant transmission. 22 cl, 12 dwg


Today at Tokyu Car Corporation there is a distinct polarisation between the use of stainless steel and aluminium. Carbon steel is rarely used. Tokyu produces around 300-400 railcars a year, with 90% made from stainless and the remainder aluminium. Japan produces an estimated 1,000-1,200 stainless steel railcars each year. Until the 1980s carbon steel was a popular choice for railcars due to its lower initial cost. However, extra manufacturing processes such as coating and shapecorrection have increased both the initial cost and repair and maintenance charges.


Poultry nutritionists have based the feed requirements of broiler breeder hens on the principles designed for the feeding of commercial laying pullets because of the l ack of information specific to these birds. The practice of restricting the feed intake of broiler breeders during both the rearing and the laying periods differs from the that of feeding commercial pullets, and was introduced as a necessity because of the rapid growth rate of broilers, but there is still debate about the reason for the benefit derived from this practice. The extent to which feed should be restricted; the optimum time of release from the restriction programme; the basis on which the amino acid requirements for maintenance and for egg output are calculated; and the optimum intake of energy at various stages of the that require further defi produ nitive .ction period, arc all as experimentation. Some pects 0 recent f broiler nformat . .


Purpose Ceramic-on-ceramic bearings in total hip arthroplasty (CoC THA) have theoretical advantages of wear resistance and favorable biocompatibility of ceramic particles to the surrounding bony and soft tissue. Long-time durability of CoC THA has been expected, however, clinical results over 10 years after operation were scarcely reported. In the present study, clinical results at follow of 10 years were examined for CoC THAs with a changeable femoral neck which allowed correction of anteversion of the femoral component in cases with abnormal femoral anteversion in dysplastic hips. Methods During 1997 and 2000, 203 cementless CoC THAs in 158 patients were conducted in our hospital. Six patients died because of unrelated causes and 5 patients were lost to followup, and the remaining 188 hips in 147 patients were analyzed at the mean followup period of 10.8 years (3.7 to 13.5). There were 24 men and 123 women, and the average age at operation was 54 years (26 to 73). The hip diseases for operation were osteoarthritis in 165 hips, osteonecrosis of the femoral head in 21 hips and failure of hemiarthroplasty in 2 hips. The operation was performed in the lateral position through the posterior approach without trochanteric osteotomy. The articulation was composed of Biolox forte alumina liner fitted into beads-coated hiemispherical titanium shell, and a 28-mm Biolox forte alumina femoral head (Cremascoli). The femoral component was either AnCA stem or custom-designed stem, coupled with a modular neck allowing selection of 5 variable offsets and anteversions (Cremascoli). Clinical and radiological findings, and complications during the followup period were analyzed. Results During the follow-up, 8 hips were revised, due to repeated dislocation (2 hips), periprosthetic fracture (1 hips), cup loosening (1 hip), fracture of ceramic liner rim (2 hips), and cup loosening along with ceramic liner rim fracture (2 hips). Cup abduction angle of the 4 cases with ceramic liner rim fracture were high at 49 degrees or more, as compared with the mean cup abduction angle of 41 degrees in the other hips without ceramic fracture. The survival rate at 10 years was 96.0 % when failure was revision. In the hips other than the revised cases, 6 hips showed cup loosening and no hip showed stem loosening on radiographs. Osteolysis was seen in 3 hips around the cup and 4 hips around the stem. Nineteen patients (10%) complained of abnormal noises around the hip, but most of the noises were click sound. Discussion The 10-year results of cementless CoC THAs with a modular neck were favorable with few cases of osteolysis. However, relatively high frequency of cup loosening may be a concern, since increased cup abduction angle associated with cup loosening may cause ceramic liner fracture.


Surface seismic reflections, surface seismic direct arrivals, well data and prior geologic information can be used to constrain a subsurface velocity model. These various sources of subsurface velocity information have different strengths and weaknesses. Integrating all available velocity information into a velocity model increases the accuracy of the model by offsetting the weakness of one data type with the strengths of another. We call the process of building a model that integrates all data integrated velocity model estimation.


Inferiority mentality is a negative factor handicapping language learners' effective learning.Through the analysis on the causes of inferiority mentality from the perspectives of language potentials,personality potentials,learning context and learning community,this thesis aims to explore the ways to get rid of inferiority mentality and achieve the optimal foreign language learning effect.


A three-dimensional model for magnetized electron beam generated plasma is described, which includes a coupled fluid simulation of the bulk plasma and a Monte Carlo model for beam electrons. A modified form of the classical expressions for magnetized-plasma electron transport coefficients is used in the fluid plasma model. The plasma model is calibrated and validated using Langmuir probe measurements in a cylindrical electron beam generated plasma, where the beam is launched parallel to the magnetic field. The electron density (ne) and temperature (Te) are measured along and across the beam for several gas pressures and magnetic fields in Ar. The validated plasma model is then used to examine a three-dimensional electron beam generated plasma system. Generally, plasma densities are on the order of 1016 m−3 and, since there is no externally applied electric field in the plasma region, Te is below 1.25 eV in Ar. The chamber in the simulation is slightly asymmetric perpendicular to the axis of the electron beam and the magnetic field. This asymmetry combined with the E × B drift produce non-uniformities in the plasma even if the magnetic field is spatially uniform in the chamber. However, the cross-field plasma uniformity can be controlled by tailoring the magnetic field profile to enhance or reduce plasma production near the periphery of the chamber.


Abstract The alien cynipid wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu, 1951 is a serious pest of chestnuts (Castanea spp.) in Japan, North America and Europe, causing fruit losses while inducing galls in buds. While D. kuriphilus galls have a recognizable and roughly invariable globular shape, their size varies, reaching up to 4 cm in diameter. Among other factors, such variation may depend on different climatic conditions in different attacked areas. Here, we sampled and measured 375 D. kuriphilus galls from 25 localities throughout the Iberian Peninsula, including both cold and rainy northern (Eurosiberian) areas and warm and dry central-southern (Mediterranean) areas, to test the effects of climate and geographical location on gall morphology. The analyses indicate that gall mass and volume follow a pattern that can be associated with a climatic cline. In particular, the Eurosiberian galls were smaller than the Mediterranean galls according to differences in climatic conditions. In the southern areas, the greater insolation regime does not allow the chestnut trees to be distributed at lower altitudes, but the high rainfall and humidity regime of the mountain enclaves allow their presence. These conditions of insolation and precipitation seem to influence the morphological characteristics of the galls of D. kuriphilus.


The FPGA( Field Programmable Gate Array) is a new large-scale integrated logic IC developed in the eighties of 20th century, lt is designed by EDA technology, and has superiority over the TTL logic integrated gate. The FPGA principle and design method are introduced emphatically


At the present time, the use of implants has generated excellent results with their amply
usage. The use of mini implants or screws as anchorage enables the different dental
movements in either direction anterior or posterior, eliminating the undesirable effect of
loss of anchorage support or reciprocal movements over other groups of teeth.
The use of mini implants as absolute anchorage has great advantages over other systems
of support or anchorage of which we could list the following: easy removal and
application, minimal anatomical limitations, size is small and low cost. Definitely the most
important advantage would be the management of space, so that the malocclusions would
be corrected without the loss of the anchorage provided, and that the patient would cooperate so that we may obtain maximum results and effectiveness as it is the case of extraoral systems.


Three GPS orbit and clock products are currently provided by JPL for consideration by the IGS. Each differs in its latency and quality, with later results being more accurate. Results are typically available in both IGS and GIPSY formats via anonymous ftp. Current performance based on comparisons with the IGS final products is summarized. Orbit performance was determined by computing the 3D RMS difference between each JPL product and the IGS final orbits based on 15 minute estimates from the sp3 files. Clock performance was computed as the RMS difference after subtracting a linear trend based on 15 minute estimates from the sp3 files.


The power amplifier system of the Stochastic Cooling System of the Anti-proton Decelerator (AD) at CERN, installed on top of the shielding blocks of the AD ring, was completely dismantled during the long shutdown 2 (LS2) at the end of the 2018 run in order to gain access to the accelerator for magnet consolidation. At start-up, this required finding and verifying the correct electrical delays for all 48 power amplifiers feeding the two kickers, by means of beam transfer functions for the two cooling plateaus at 3.57 GeV/c and 2 GeV/c. We describe the methods used for the setting up and the results of the optimization for the cooling in all three planes, longitudinal, horizontal and vertical. An experimental set-up has been put into operation for automatic monitoring and correction of the notch position of the longitudinal cooling at 3.57 GeV/c with optical delay lines. We also comment on the lessons learnt during the recommissioning including the repair work for a vacuum leak in the water cooling circuits of the kicker following bake-out and the verification of the internal loads by RF reflectometry.


This paper provides an outline of revised design standards for concrete railway structures for the Japan Railway, after revisions in 1999, following the Hyogoken-Nambu earthquake. The national technical standard was changed from specification-based to performance-based. The seismic standard is also a performance verification design system. Research on high-strength concrete and reinforcement reached the stage where it could be applied to the design standard, and other new concrete technologies need to be included. The paper describes the basis of the design, the required performance levels, elements that address action, material, calculation of response value, safety, serviceability, restorability, durability and verification prerequisites. The New Standard was published in its entirety in April 2004. Currently, design calculation examples, manual updates and the development of a design program are proceeding.


New Zealand children start school when they are five years of age and they face a variety of changes in learning when they enter school. As New Zealand is a multicultural society, teachers of new entrants should be aware that the child may have understandings about reading and writing in their home language and that these are a valuable foundation for learning to read and write in English.


Abstract In recent years there has been a rising interest in the level of productivity and efficiency of the New Zealand construction industry. This interest has meant that there has been an increased use of statistical techniques to determine the productivity and efficiency of the overall industry. The purpose of this paper is to review the various measures that have been used to gauge the levels of productivity and efficiency in the New Zealand construction industry; as well as analyse some of the results to date. Finally, it considers potential areas for future research.


My task is to say something about "ultimate reality" as Buddhists would understand the term. My Christian partners in dialogue will probably have an easier time speaking of their ultimate reality, not having to resort to the kind of paradox that is so inescapable for the Buddhist. Buddhists also face other difficulties. The primitive Buddhism of India is different in many ways from the Sino-Japanese tradition, and there are, it seems to me, important differences betweenJapanese Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. It is often difficult to generalize about Buddhism, whereas in central issues, Christianity seems more unified in its doctrines. Christians have also been diligent over the centuries telling us in rather unambiguous terms just what the ultimate is, but in the Mahayana Buddhist traditions, it has usually been thought to be futile or presumptuous to say anything positive about the ultimate, given the Mahayana disdain for concepts and language. For many Mahayana Buddhists, such terms as "ultimate" are meaningless, as they would be to the most rabid Wittgensteinian. Moreover, paradoxical language abounds in Buddhism, with talk of a "groundless ground" or "ground that is not a ground," "the ultimate which is no different from the non-ultimate," "this very body is the Buddha," and so on. However, I will try to eschew paradox and attempt to be clear and unambiguous in saying something about the Buddhist ultimate. Before proceeding with the Buddhist ultimate, I want to look briefly at the term itself. What are we talking about? What do we denote by the term? A dictionary says that by "ultimate" we mean "farthest: most remote in space or time; extreme." A second meaning is "last in a train of progression or consequences." It gives as the noun form, "something final." All meanings seem to indicate a state or condition of finality beyond which there is nothing. It is the end, and nothing lies beyond it or can. It is the extremus of whatever it is that we are pursuing. While in the religious context there is only one ultimate for the believer, there are in fact many ultimates of a nonreligious nature, and the nature of these ultimates casts an interesting light on the concept of "the Ultimate." People speak of the "ultimate baseball pitcher," for instance, or the "ultimate


Prior studies in the contemporary literature have largely ignored the important role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in shaping employees' views of self and nature. Although researchers have recently started to pay considerable attention to explore the link between CSR and environmental sustainability, determining how CSR can be effective in shaping the proenvironmental behavior of employees that is missing in the existing literature. The objective of the present research study is to test the impact of microlevel CSR activities to induce environmental performance of an organization with a mediating effect of employees' pro-environmental behaviors. This study argues that CSR activities of an organization motivate the workers to rethink the relationship between self and nature; hence, they are encouraged to participate in activities that are helpful in terms of preserving the environment, such as participating in pro-environmental activities at the workplace. The proposed model of the study was tested in the banking sector of Pakistan and analyzed by using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique in AMOS software. The results revealed that microlevel CSR activities, using employee proenvironmental behaviors as a mediator, directly and indirectly influence environmental performance of a bank. The results of the present study are helpful for policymakers of different banking institutions to understand how they can reduce the environmental footprint of their bank by using a well-planned CSR program that can induce transcendent emotions in employees to create a sustainable environment.


Implementing raised medians and performing driveway consolidation are proven access management tools that reduce the potential number of conflict points along roadways. The authors of this paper have completed an evaluation of several case studies to estimate the safety impacts of installing raised medians and reducing the number of access points. The research was sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The research team investigated five raised median installation case studies, including three locations where a raised median replaced a two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL) and two locations where a raised median was added to a previously undivided road. The researchers also analyzed crash reports and created matrices that present statistical information about crashes and corresponding driveway densities at different case studies. In some case studies, a corridor consisted solely of high or low driveway density. However, several corridors had two or more consecutive segments, each with a varying driveway density. This paper and presentation describe the analysis of the crash reports and present crash analysis findings that relate to the safety impacts along the case study locations. The paper describes analysis results and statistics related to different crash types before and after median installation, as well as analysis related to driveway density and crashes. The paper also describes identified crash-reporting errors, computation of crash rates, conflict point analysis, and data collection and data reduction methods and experiences. This paper and presentation will be useful to transportation professionals in small and medium-sized communities that are interested in the potential safety impacts of raised medians and driveway consolidation for either new or retrofit corridors along with lessons learned to assist in performing crash analyses.


The scattering and absorption of solar radiation by anthropogenic aerosols reduce the amount of photosynthetically active radiation(PAR) reaching the earth's surface and increase the fraction of PAR that is diffuse(FDIFF),with the counteracting effects on plants photosynthesis which determines terrestrial ecosystem's gross primary production(GPP).For the complex interactions among the total PAR amount,FDIFF,temperature and humidity,it's difficult to derive the quantitative relationship between FDIFF and GPP from present field and experimental measurements,leading to substantial uncertainty and dispute about the projection of the production and carbon assimilation of terrestrial biosphere influenced by emissions of anthropogenic aerosols.Using a process-based canopy photosynthesis model(MAESTRA),we explored respective and combined effects of changes in PAR amount and the FDIFF on GPP in three typical forests among the North-South Transect of Eastern China(NSTEC).The results showed that the responses of GPP to PAR amount changes were consistently positive in all three sites,while the magnitudes of GPP change were determined not only by the degrees of PAR amount change but also the sensitivity of GPP to these changes,which was generally depressed to nearly naught by higher PAR amount and/or lower temperature from about 0.6 g C mol-1 when incident PAR was lower and temperature was not limited.The increase of FDIFF stimulated absorption and use efficiencies of incident PAR in the three forests,as a result of the difference,which was depressed by lower temperature and/or fewer leaf area,between the efficiencies of direct and diffuse PAR,leading to the magnitudes of GPP change responding to FDIFF changes were also influenced by the temperature and leaf area as well as the degree of FDIFF changes and the total PAR amount.Investigating the relations between the changes of diffuse PAR and total amount was necessary in quantifying the combined effects of these changes on GPP,which were generally the consequence of the counteraction of respective effects of the changes.In our results,the counteraction was usually significant under conditions with greater PAR amount,but the direction of GPP changes was still mainly controlled by the changes of PAR amount.The year-around offset was about 1/3-1/2 of the degree of the effect of total amount changes.


Little evidence exists regarding the endpoint and optimum approach to catheter ablation for long‐standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF). We examined the efficacy of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) plus left atrium posterior wall isolation (PWI) and additional non‐PV trigger ablation using high‐dose isoproterenol for LSPAF.


The following paper attempts to analyze the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan by critically evaluating the insurgent ideology, its past, current and future relevance. The paper draws on lessons from the recent Afghanistan history and discusses the irrelevance for the future of Afghanistan. It traces the success of Taliban insurgency by highlighting the role of "mullahs" and "madrasas" in the Afghan society. It argues that the US policy in Afghanistan thus far has failed to isolate the public from the insurgents, which poses serious present and future challenges. By drawing parallels between the sudden Soviet withdrawal in the early 1990s and a potential US withdrawal in the near future. It also points out that an untimely US withdrawal from Afghanistan may entail an end of US engagement but it will not be an end of war for Afghanistan itself. The essay stresses the importance of a consistent long-term US policy aimed at addressing the very root causes of insurgency in the region.


Successive displacements motivated by violence due to the imposition of outsiders, hydroelectric, gangsters, mining projects, among others, the conditions were so that they were populating the slopes of Medellin, where the displaced population was coming, abandoned to their fate. Four out of ten people arrived displaced by the conflict. Social classes are defined by geography. The poorest live in remote districts from the center. Those closestto the summits were the last to arrive. That's thestory of "resisting hillside and built in Medellin.


Prefaces Elementary Algebra and Geometry Fundamental Properties (Real Numbers) Exponents Fractional Exponents Irrational Exponents Logarithms Factorials Binomial Theorem Factors and Expansion Progression Complex Numbers Polar Form Permutations Combinations Algebraic Equations Geometry Pythagorean Theorem Determinants, Matrices, and Linear Systems of Equations Determinants Evaluation by Cofactors Properties of Determinants Matrices Operations Properties Transpose Identity Matrix Adjoint Inverse Matrix Systems of Linear Equations Matrix Solution Trigonometry Triangles Trigonometric Functions of an Angle Trigonometric Identities Inverse Trigonometric Functions Analytic Geometry Rectangular Coordinates Distance between Two Points: Slope Equations of Straight Lines Distance from a Point to a Line Circle Parabola Ellipse Hyperbola (e 1) Change of Axes General Equation of Degree 2 Polar Coordinates Curves and Equations Exponential Function (Half-Life) Series, Number Facts, and Theory Bernoulli and Euler Numbers Series of Functions Error Function Fermat's Little Theorem Fermat's Last Theorem Beatty's Theorem An Interesting Prime Goldbach Conjecture Twin Primes Collatz Conjecture Differential Calculus Notation Slope of a Curve Angle of Intersection of Two Curves Radius of Curvature Relative Maxima and Minima Points of Inflection of a Curve Taylor's Formula Indeterminant Forms Numerical Methods Functions of Two Variables Partial Derivatives Integral Calculus Indefinite Integral Definite Integral Properties Common Applications of the Definite Integral Cylindrical and Spherical Coordinates Double Integration Surface Area and Volume by Double Integration Centroid Vector Analysis Vectors Vector Differentiation Divergence Theorem (Gauss) Stokes' Theorem Planar Motion in Polar Coordinates Geostationary Satellite Orbit Special Functions Hyperbolic Functions Gamma Function (Generalized Factorial Function) Laplace Transforms Z Transform Fourier Series Functions with Period Other Than 2pi Bessel Functions Legendre Polynomials Laguerre Polynomials Hermite Polynomials Orthogonality Differential Equations First-Order, First-Degree Equations Second-Order Linear Equations (with Constant Coefficients) Runge Kutta Method (of Order 4) Statistics Arithmetic Mean Median Mode Geometric Mean Harmonic Mean Variance Standard Deviation Coefficient of Variation Probability Binomial Distribution Mean of Binomially Distributed Variable Normal Distribution Poisson Distribution Empirical Distributions Estimation Hypotheses Testing t Distribution Hypothesis Testing with t and Normal Distributions Chi-Square Distribution Least Squares Regression Nonlinear Regression Analysis The F Distribution (Analysis of Variance) Summary of Probability Distributions Sample Size Determinations Financial Mathematics Simple Interest True Interest Formula (Loan Payments) Loan Payment Schedules Loan Balance Calculation Accelerated Loan Payment Lump Sum Payment Compound Interest Time to Double (Your Money) Present Value of a Single Future Payment Regular Saving to Accumulate a Specified Amount Monthly Payments to Achieve a Specified Amount Periodic Withdrawals from an Interest-Bearing Account Periodic Withdrawals That Maintain the Principal Time to Deplete an Interest-Bearing Account with Periodic Withdrawals Amounts to Withdraw for a Specified Number of Withdrawals I: Payments at the End of Each Year Amounts to Withdraw for a Specified Number of Withdrawals II: Payments at the Beginning of Each Year Present Value of Regular Payments Annuities The In-Out Formula Stocks and Stock Quotations Bonds Tax-Free Yield Stock Options (Puts and Calls) Market Averages Mutual and Quotations Dollar Cost Averaging Moving Average Table of Derivatives Table of Integrals: Indefinite and Definite Integrals Appendix Index


Novel indolo[3,2-b]quinolines (1b-k), having a nitro, amino, acetamido, methanesulfonamido, or glycosylamino group at the 2, 7, or 8-position, were prepared and their antitumor activities against P388 leukemia in mice were examined. The 7-galactopyranosylamino derivative (1g) showed the most potent activity (optimal dose = 25 mg/kg, T/C greater than 333%, cure rate 5/6).


BACKGROUD/PURPOSERecently, the use of a large diameter femoral head has been discussed as a means to reduce the risk of hip dislocation after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Although it has been clear that increasing the head size increases the oscillation angle and hip stability, a consensus on the usefulness of a larger head size has not been reached due to an increased propensity for bone impingement. We studied the effect of the range of motion (ROM) and bone impingement caused by increasing the femoral head size using a 3D simulation system.PATIENTS AND METHODSAll patients who had undergone a primary THA in our hospital from October 2010 were selected, and we excluded those with severe osteoarthritis, severe dysplasia (Crowe group), or excessive femoral neck anteversion (35°). This resulted in 60 patients (16 men and 44 women), with a mean age of 66.6 years (range, 47–83 years). The diagnoses were osteoarthritis in 42 hips, osteonecrosis in 11 hips, rheumatoid arthritis in four hips, and femoral neck f...


In the testing course of martial power station, according to demand of national army criterion, it should be execute for empty load and fully load. In order to test exactly technique parameter in all kinds of load, different power factor load should be apply by different type martial power station. The paper designs testing platform for martial power station based on virtual instrument and uses RS232 agreement control combination and open and close by PLC. It can fulfil load testing demand in different power and voltage. The paper use the multithreading based on the exploitation environment of the LabWindows/CVI. The result proves the testing platform can content testing demand for martial power station quality.


report Monte Carlo simulations of mono- and polydisperse two-dimensional crystals interacting through hard-core repulsive Yukawa potential. In contrast to its three-dimensional version which is partially auxetic, the studied system is non- auxetic, i.e., shows positive Poisson's ratio. Scaling (LJ) liquid elastic moduli, other along fluid-solid They show that


Background The stair-climbing test was used to assess the exercise capacity before lung resection in subjects with lung cancer. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the role of this exercise methodology as a postoperative test. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the stair-climbing test findings reflect the postoperative decrease in pulmonary function. Methods Twenty subjects with non-small-cell lung cancer who underwent lung resection were enrolled in the study. Perioperative functional evaluation comprised the pulmonary function test, stair-climbing test, and 6-min walk distance test (6MWD). A correlation analysis was performed between the postoperative percentages of pulmonary function with respect to preoperative values and the exercise capacity. Results No correlation was noted between the percentage changes in pulmonary function and those in 6MWD. However, there was a significant correlation between the percentage changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s and those in the altitude reached in the stair-climbing test (r=0.46, p < 0.05) and between the percentage changes in carbon monoxide lung diffusion capacity and those in the altitude (r=0.54, p < 0.05). Conclusions The stair-climbing test findings might be effective at detecting changes in exercise capacity induced by postoperative decrease in pulmonary function.


This paper describes new algorithms for finding the K-most critical paths, checking static sensitizability of these paths, and performing incremental timing verification on combinational circuits. The static sensitization method uses binary decision diagrams to avoid costly backtracking operation used in other path analysis programs. The speed and efficiency of the techniques are demonstrated individually using the ISCAS benchmark circuits, and then together in a timing optimization loop.


1. Overview of Knowledge Representation In the Roch ester Vision System The place of cognition in perception is not well under stood. The artificial intelligence community Is actively exploring various paradigms for computer vision. in cluding some domain-independent techniques. but currently there are some tasks in which the most effec tive approach involves the use of a priori knowledge about the domain of the image. Representation of such knowledge is a topic of general interest (cf. [Minsky, 1975». ~n the Rochester Vision System (RVS), a form of ssmanlic network (cf. [Brachman. 1977; Hayes, 1977}) Is used to represent declarative and relational knowledge. Knowledge about methods for accomplis.hing specific tasks resides in the form of procedures attached to the relevant nodes in the network. Details of AVS are avail able in [Ballard. Brown. and Feldman, 1977; and Lantz, Brown. and Ballard. 1978]. The information structures in AVS are organized In three layers: the (generic) model, the (synthesized) sketchmap, and image data structures (see Figure 1). The first two structures are semantic networks, con sisting of nodes representing entities connected by arcs representing relations. A node is defined in terms of slots. each representing a particular characteristic of the associated entity; oil tanks, for example, have a diameter and volume. and may be topologically related to pipelines (which relation would be represented by an arc in the network). The model represents generic facts and knowledge about a domain from which the image data structures arise. As such it contains nodes 'Ior each structure of interest. but not necessarily any thing specific about particular features In any image. .(A sample piece of l11e model net (for storage tanks) is given in Figure 6.) The Image data structures can contain raw grey-seale raster data, processed versions of grey seale or color images, or the like. If a certain preprocess ing step such as the extraction of intrinsic scene charac teristics can be done In a domain-independent manner [Barrow and Tenenbaum. 1978], its results would be in the image data structure. To tie the generic models and the particular image data together, the structure called a sketchmap is synthesized during Image analysis. II contains ~instantiations" of model structures and rela tions, as th'ey are realized in the image under analysis. The sketchmap thus contains information about the model-image correspondence. and is the result of image analysis (see Figure 7). The main concern of this article is to describe the control structure which is able to synthesize this sketchmap using the procedures attached to the generic model.


Objective:Measured the relationship between serum albumin,MPV and RDW in elderly ischemic cerebral infarction,hypertention and/or coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods:From July 2003 to March 2006,Serum albumin,RBC,MCV,RDW,PLT,MPV and PDW were in 51 elderly ischemic cerebral infarction only,70 who have ischemic cerebral infarction,hypertension and/or CHD and 60 with hypertension and/or CHD only.All were compared with control group(63 cases)respectively.Results:The serum albumin was significantly lower in ischemic cerebral infarction patients with hypertension and/or CHD than that in hypertension and/or CHD only(P0.01),control group(P0.01)respectively,also was lower in patients with ischemic cerebral infarction,compared with only hypertension and/or CHD group.In patients who had ischemic cerebral infarction with hypertension and/or CHD and hypertension and/or CHD group only,serum albumin was positive related to RBC,negative related to RDW.MPV was larger in group which had ischemic cerebral infarction with hypertension and/or CHD than that of control(P0.05).RDW was higher in ischemic cerebral infarction group than that of patients with hypertension and/or CHD.Conclusion:Along with the appearing of the conditions with cerebral infarction or cardiovascular disease only and coexist of ischemic stroke and cardiovascular diseases,the level of serum Alb was reducing,MPV changed to be larger and RDW was higher gradually.It is suggested that there were malnutrition and lack of iron in the elderly ischemic cerebral infarction patients and the change of MPV was significant related to the severity ischemic cerebral infarction.


We report a rare case of difficult intubation because of trachea deformation after therapy for diphtheria and subsequent tracheostomy at childhood. The patient was admitted to be subjected to a Bentall procedure, because of ascending aorta dilatation. With a detailed preanesthetic assessment and simulation for intubation by using three‐dimensional technology, he was successfully intubated and the operation was accomplished uneventfully. 3D‐printed models of the difficult airway enhance imaging of difficult anatomy, assist in simulation and management of potentially problematic intubation, and can be a valuable tool when dealing with airways with potential anatomical malformations.


Thank to the stable operation at intense beam power, T2K data with neutrino-mode operation almost doubled in one year. A number of critical improvements to the oscillation analysis have been introduced and resulted in an unprecedented level of sensitivity in searching for CP violation in the neutrino sector. T2K firstly reports that the CP-conserving values of parameter δCP in the PMNS mixing matrix fall out of its 2σ C.L. measured range.


Objective To investigate the effect of angelica injection to vascular cognitive impairment,we observed the change of vascular cognitive function,oxidative damage and eholinergic system after chronic cerebral ischemia. Methods 50 rats were divided into sham operation (n=16), saline group(n=18) and angelica treatment group by random number table. The latter two grous chronic cerebral ischemia models were made by permanent bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries. After 4 weeks' ischemia and 4 weeks' treatment, Spatial learning and memory abilities were evaluated by Morris water maze, the cortex were detected for oxidative production and acetylcholine esterase. Results After chronic cerebral ischemia, the spatial learning and memory abilities were destroyed, the latency of angelica treatment group in the fouth and fifth day'Morris water maze obviously shortened (27.67±1.34、22.53±1.27), and had significant difference with normal saline group(36.03±1.94、31.05±1.89). In spatial exploring testing the frequency of crossing platform of angelica treatment group increased(1.25±0.19) and the residence time prolonged(21.99±1.24). The contents of acetylcholine esterase increased after chronic cerebral ischemia (0.33±0.04)and the contents of angelica treatment group (0.29±0.05)descended, but had no significant difference. The oxidative production of normal saline group increased, the contents of MDA increased(3.37±0.22), the vigor of SOD(38.24±1.53)and the ability of inhibiting hydroxy radical (18.53±1.18) and total antioxidant (0.96±0.06)decreased. Angelica injection can inhibit oxidative production (MDA 2.38±0.18,the vigor of SOD 60.13±3.92,the ability of inhibiting hydroxy radical 30.76±2.47 ,the ability of total antioxidant 1.60±0.15),and had significant difference with normal saline group. Conclusion Angelica injection could improve cognitive function by inhibiting oxidative stress.

Key words:
Angelica injection;  Chronic cerebral ischemia;  Vascular cognitive impairment; Oxidative stress reaction


In Ihc article mechanical characteristics of an asynchronous electric motor __j_ obtained by Kloss formula for a multiloop equivalent circuit of the motor are WVii§ и.


This study compared the dental eruption status of a group of prematurely born, very low birth-weight (VLBW, < 1500 g) children with a group of low birth-weight (LBW, 15002500 g) as well as a group of normal birth-weight (NB W, 2500 g) children in order to determine if dental eruption is affected by low birth weight and prematurity of birth. Data were analyzed using chronological and corrected (true biological) ages of the prematurely born group. The results show that when chronological ages of the children were used, VLB W children have significant retardation of dental eruption compared with LBW and NBW children, particularly before 24 months of age (P < 0.01). However, when corrected ages of the VLB W children were used, there was no significant difference detected, indicating that the "delay" in dental eruption may be simply due to their early birth.


The article analyzes problems relating to public service media use of third-party services that track, collect, and analyze user behavior. The article extends a rights-based conception of privacy to privacy as a social phenomenon based in trust, relevant to public service media as "islands of trust." However, data of European public and private media sites show that public service media, especially those that run advertising, show few differences with private media in their use of third-party services. The European Union's (EU's) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) did significantly change this, suggesting a need for public service media to prioritize ethical values over market considerations.


The utility model provides a power supply controller for the Internet which can control any time points on the Internet and realize control of the power supply of on and off of the time points. The power supply controller for the Internet comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for receiving a command, processing the command, reading settings in an external memory and time of an external RTC (Real Time Clock) unit, and judging on and off movement and executing the on and off movement, the external memory for storing the on and off movement at a moment interpreted by the command received by the CPU, the RTC unit for obtaining the operating real time by the CPU, a serial transceiver which connects the CPU to a serial port of a computer through the serial transceiver for receiving and sending the command, an on and off executing unit connected directly to a power supply switch of the PC (Personal Computer), and the power supply switch for providing the power supply needed by operation of the whole machine.


In this study, we introduce a robust method for precise determination of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) top from COSMIC global positioning system radio occultation measurements. We apply a wavelet covariance transform to compute the convolution of COSMIC‐observed bending angle/refractivity profile with a Haar function and use the maximum covariance to identify the ABL top, making detection of even small transitions possible. Results obtained were compared with radiosonde N profiles for verification of the ABL top. This procedure developed was used to study the global distribution of ABL top with special reference to the inter‐tropical convergence zone. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society


Abstract An innovative electrochemical sensor was developed based on the modification of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface with graphene oxide aerogel (GA) wrapped copper centered metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF) and was applied to the detection of trace catechol (CT). The morphology, structure of GA/Cu-MOF and electrochemical properties of GA/Cu-MOF/GCE were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical techniques, respectively. GA/Cu-MOF/GCE has a wide linear range of 12.5–900 μmol∙L−1 (R2 = 0.997) and a low limit detection of 1.65 μmol∙L−1. Compared with the unmodified GCE, GA/Cu-MOF/GCE shows better stability, greater sensitivity and higher repeatability. Importantly, this new modified material was successfully prepared and used for the detection of trace amounts of catechol, providing a new idea for electrochemical detection.


Precoding is one of the key techniques of multiple-input-multiple-output systems.Given the channel state information at the transmitter(CSIT),the precoder processes the signal so as to simplify the receiver design and to improve the system performance.The origin,principle and various algorithms of precoder designs are described.Further,the open problems of precoding are proposed.


This article provides a brief review of steganography, steganalysis and wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It also presents a computational framework for steganography in WSN. The technique uses the concept of redundancy and distributed computing to add robustness to the steganographic embedding and extraction algorithms.


FAMILY Elistricidce, the Porcupines. The yellowhaired Porcupine (Erethizon epixanthus) is a large and handsome species, which replaces the common one ill the Western regions. Besides beino, somewhat larger than the last, there are differences in the color of the hair and quills, and some peculiarities of the cranial bones. I believe nothillo has been observed regarding, its habits whereby it differs from the Eastern species (E. dorsaturn). It is particularly abundant along the Colorado Chiquito River, and nearly all our explorers have obtained one or more specimens in that vicinity. Family Leporidce, the Hares. Two species of the famnily are very abundant, and generally distributed over the Territory. These are the Great "Jackass" Hare (Lepus ccalotis), and the Sage Rabbit (L. artemnisia). Certain other species, as L. Californicus, ill the Colorado Valley, or L. ccampestris, in Northern Arizona, may possibly occur; but the two first named are the only common and characteristic oiies. The Jackass Hare includes in its extensive range nearly all the great Western prairies extending into Texas and New Mexico, and is, in places suited to its wants, a very abundant animal. In some desert regions it and the Coyote are almost the only animals of any size to be found, and it is difficult o imagine how they derive nourishment from such forbidding localities. It must feed largely upon sage-brush, grease-wood, kreosote-plant, young mimosas, atid the like; for these constitute the main features of


Minocycline, an improved tetracycline antibiotic, was used to treat 26 cases of venereal disease, including 4 cases of primary syphilis, 5 cases of secondary syphilis, 5 cases of lymphogranuloma venereum, 6 cases of granuloma inguinale, and 6 cases of chancroid. Most patients were hospitalized to facilitate diagnosis and insure observation. An oral loading dose of 200 mg of minocycline, followed by 100 mg twice daily for 15 days, was the treatment for all cases of syphilis. In the other diseases, medication was continued until the ulcers and buboes healed. Median healing times were 15 days for lymphogranuloma venereum, 16 days for chancroid, and 21 days for granuloma inguinale. All symptoms cleared with therapy and all patients with syphilis showed satisfactory responses to serological tests during follow-up for as long as one year. The drug was well tolerated and no major unpleasant side effects were noted.


In this work,a coherent optical hybrid device based on polymeric 2×4multi-mode interferometer(MMI)is investigated and designed according to the self-imaging effect.The structure parameters of MMI are optimized and the performance-tolerance of MMI is analyzed.Furthermore,to improve the transmission performance,a mode converter design is applied to mitigate the mode mismatch between the self-imaging of the multi-mode waveguide and the single-mode waveguide.The simulation results show a transmission loss below 6.3dB,a transmission imbalance below 1dB,and a phase error less than 1°,while the design tolerances in MMI length and width are 40μm and 0.5μm,respectively.Then,polymeric optical hybrids devices are fabricated and their transmission properties are characterized.The experiment results in C-band show a transmission loss below 10 dB,a transmission imbalance between 0.5dB and 1.5dB,and a phase error less than 10°.The device tolerances in MMI length and width are 25μm and 0.5μm,respectively,and both are better than the fabrication tolerances(0.1μm).The experiment and simulation results match with each other,and substantially meet the practical requirements of the device.This polymeric optical hybrid has low cost and large device tolerance,and is promising to realize highly integrated coherent receiver.


Experimental and analytical studies of the influence of buckling in longitudinal reinforcement on the seismic response of existing reinforced-concrete bridge columns were performed. Based on the results of previous tests of typical I-shaped bridge piers, new cyclic tests of rectangular columns were performed. The impact of inappropriate seismic detailing and of the concrete cover on the achieved drifts and load-carrying capacity, as well as on the buckling of bars, were analysed. After the literature review data about 63 experimental tests of RC columns were assembled, in which the collapse of the element was mainly controlled by the buckling of bars. All these tests were included in a newly established 'buckling' database. Using the latter, new empirical equation for the estimation of the post-capping stiffness of rectangular columns was introduced. All columns from the 'buckling' database were analysed with the existing macro models which are typically used in seismic engineering. It was concluded that, in the case of rectangular RC columns with inadequate seismic detailing, the principal assumptions regarding their behaviour are often not fulfilled. A new procedure for the evaluation of the effect of inappropriate hook angles of the lateral reinforcement and of bar buckling on confinement effectiveness was derived. It is based on the results of numerous detailed FE analyses of concrete columns with different reinforcement detailing configurations. Experimental tests of strengthened RC columns were also performed. At first, the efficiency of the strengthening of a typical I-shaped bridge pier with substandard reinforcement was investigated using CFRP wrap. It was concluded that, due to the unfavourable aspect ratio of the section flanges, conventional strengthening methods are rather ineffective. Improved strengthening of substandard rectangular column was therefore investigated, the column being jacketed with pre-stressed CFRP fibres. In this way the deformation capacity of the columns was increased by more than 70%. The behaviour of the strengthened columns was analysed with similar numerical models as the previously described columns. For RC members of this type some modifications of the existing numerical models were also proposed.


Three‐dimensional (3D) digitization is a key aspect in the preservation and exhibition of museum artifacts. The objective of this article is to investigate contemporary technologies for creating accurate 3D digital models of artifacts from the Maori and Pacific heritage and to establish a generic digitization methodology so that the 3D models can be archived and exhibited both over the internet and within museum displays. This process involves procedures for selecting artifacts that are suitable for laser scanning and then setting up the artifact for scanning. This is followed by the actual scanning and postprocessing stages. To achieve this, the Polhemus FastSCAN laser scanner has been used to collect raw point cloud surface data from artifacts of various sizes, shapes, textures, colors, and materials. The article explains the generic steps developed for postprocessing of raw scan data in the form of a cloud of geometric data points to a completely rendered 3D model with colors mapped on to the model. These generic steps involve removal of background noise, enhancement of texture, filling of holes, merging of separate scans, and color mapping. The results from the scanning and postprocessing of a wahaika, (a Maori club‐like weapon) and a Polynesian stone pounder reveal that it is important to use a scanner that is flexible enough to capture all the surface information irrespective of the artifact's geometry, and one with the capability of capturing color information with high accuracy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 244–259, 2009


Film studios in the America, every year produce several hundred movies that make the United States the third most abundant producer of films in the world. The budget of these movies is of the order of hundreds of millions of dollars, making their box office success absolutely essential for the survival of the industry. Knowing which movies are likely to succeed and which are likely to fail before the release could benefit the production houses greatly as it will enable them to focus their advertising campaigns which itself cost millions of dollars, accordingly. And it could also help them to know when it is most appropriate to release a movie by looking at the overall market. So, the prediction of movie success is of great importance to the industry. Machine learning algorithms are widely used to make predictions such as growth in the stock market, demand for products, nature of tumors, etc. This paper presents a detailed study of logistic regression, SVM regression, and linear regression on IMDb data to predict movie box office.


OBJECTIVE
To enhance the understanding of drug-induced liver failure by analyzing the etiology, clinical features and prognosis associated factors of patients with drug-induced liver failure.

METHODS
Fifty-one cases of drug-induced liver failure admitted to our hospital from 2002 - 2007 were reviewed according to their drug history, clinical features, Laboratory tests, complications and prognosis associated factors.

RESULTS
The predominant etiological drugs were the traditional Chinese medicine (54.9%) and antitubercular agent (25.5%). Two predominant types of liver failure were acute liver failure (13.7%) and subacute liver failure (78.4%). The common complications were electrolyte disturbance, ascites and hepatic encephalopathy. The total improvement rate in patients was 29.4%. The incidences of hepatic encephalopathy, electrolyte disturbance and PTA value had statistical difference between improvement group and ineffective group.

CONCLUSION
The etiologies of drugs-induced liver failure are traditional Chinese medicine and antitubercular agent in China. The prognosis of drug-induced liver failure remains poor. During the therapy of these drugs treatment, liver function test should be monitored.


This paper presents a performance model for predicting average message latency under uniformly distributed traffic in a hypercube based network-on-chip (NoC). Unlike previous works, the model obtains service rate for incoming traffic at a particular channel of a node by calculating reverse service rate provided by downstream nodes, and has simple closed-form calculation to produce accurate analytic results when the system is operating in stable state. The validity of the proposed model is shown by comparing results calculated out by the model with results obtained through simulations with different network configurations and traffic loads.


This thesis consists of an attempt to resolve the integrity of one
small piece of the puzzle of the prehistoric past; namely,
the playing of a rubber-ball game in a specialized structure
by the prehistoric Indians of the Southwestern United States. The purpose of this study was to determine
whether or not there is sufficient archaeological and
ethnohistorical evidence to substantiate the existence of a
prehistoric rubber-ball game played in specialized ball courts
in the Southwest, sufficient being defined as that amount of'
evidence which keeps the gap between inference and actuality
at a minimum as is the case with the Mesoamerican ball game.


Background:The present experimental study was conducted on tooth development during embryogenesis in developing mouse. with main objective to identify the expression and action β -Catenin in development of teeth and mophogenesis. Materials and Methods:This study comprised a total of (21) sections were selected during different stages of tooth development (bud, cap and bell stage), (7) sections from each stage in developing mouse. The expression of Beta-Catenin was carried out on 4μm specimen sections using Immuno histochemical staining of β-Catenin antibody. The staining demonstrated the expression intensity. Results:Results shows intense nuclear and cytoplasmic staining in inner enamel epithelium, outer enamel epithelium and in adjacent dental papilla and ecto-mesenchymal cells surrounding the tooth germ, that will give rise to a definite dental sac, *College Of Dentistry, University Of Babylon.


To investigate the influence of changes in loading conditions on Doppler echocardiography determination of left ventricular ejection dynamics (peak aortic flow velocity and mean acceleration), pulsed Doppler was performed on 20 patients from apical 5‐chamber view. Doppler aortic flow velocity curves and hemodynamic values (left ventricular pressure, wedge pressure, and cardiac output) and the first derivative of ventricular pressure (dPIdt) by tip‐transducer catheter were simultaneously recorded at baseline and during intravenous infusion of nitroglycerin as well as at baseline and immediately following left ventriculography. During nitroglycerin infusion, the hemodynamic values were reduced and peakdPIdt remained constant, Doppler aortic peak velocity and mean acceleration decreased significantly compared with baseline (0.87 ± 0.11 mlsec vs 1.01 ± 0.14 mlsec and 8.86 ± 1.68 ml sec2 vs 10.17 ± 1.88 mlsec2 respectively; bothP < 0.001). After ventriculography, the hemodynamic values increased and peak dPIdt was still constant, Doppler aortic peak velocity and mean acceleration increased significantly compared with baseline (1.15 ± 0.17 mlsec vs 0.98 ± 0.16 mlsec and 11.44 ± 2.06 mlsec2 vs 9.79 ± 1.88 mlsec2 respectively;both P < 0.001). In conclusion, left ventricular ejection dynamics, as evaluated by pulsed Doppler echocardiography, is modified by mild changes in loading conditions. Therefore, when serially evaluating the inotropic state of the left ventricle by the Doppler aortic flow velocity pattern, the potential influence of loading conditions should be takeninto account.


The paper summarizes the drill-and-blast techniques of excavation used in constructing the underground railway public transport system of Stockholm. The Stockholm Tunnelbana now totals 110 km of rail including 53 km in rock tunnels. The paper treats drill-and-blast methods, stability requirements, methods of controlled blasting to obtain stability and avoid damage to structures, and methods and requirements for ground water control in urban areas. Recent underground stations on the Jaerva line have been given a new design in which the traditional cast concrete ceiling has been discarded. The rock ceiling is exposed by a thin (7.5-10 cm) layer of reinforced shotcrete only. In some station walls the bare beautiful rock surface itself is exposed and is utilized as a decorative work of art. The number of the covering abstract of the conference is IRRD 231024.


A process for the production of security elements for electronic article surveillance, said security elements consist at least two layers, and wherein portions of a predetermined length of a second material web to a first continuous material web fed transversely to the direction of the first material web and applied, characterized in that the sections ( 6) is activated by at least one electromagnet (12) (by a control / regulating unit 16), transported (via the first web of material 1) and (by the magnetic attraction force of at least one further electromagnet 13) are applied to the first material web, wherein the control / regulating unit (16) switches the first electromagnet (12) and the further electromagnet (13) activated when a portion (6) has reached the correct position with respect to the first material web.


"Italian guarantee scheme for ship-finance: Commission signals thorough review of guarantee schemes"* Introduction On 6 April 2005 the European Commission, after an in-depth investigation,…


Light is the major signal entraining the circadian clock that regulates physiological and behavioral rhythms in most organisms, including insects. Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) disrupts the natural light-dark cycle and negatively impacts animals at various levels. We simulated ALAN using dim light stimuli and tested their impact on gene expression in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, a model of insect physiology and chronobiology. At night, adult LD crickets were exposed for 30 minutes to a light pulse of 2-40 lx. The relative expression of five circadian clock associated genes was compared using qPCR. A dim ALAN pulse elicited tissue-dependent differential expression in some of these genes. The strongest effect was observed in the brain and in the optic lobe, the cricket's circadian pacemaker. Expression of opsin-Long Wave (opLW) was upregulated, as well as cryptochrome1-2 (cry), and period (per). Our findings demonstrate that even a dim ALAN exposure may affect insects at the molecular level, underscoring the detrimental impact of ALAN on the circadian clock system.


ABSTRACT Cellular receptors for the Fc domain of immunoglobulin G (IgG) (FcγRs) comprise a family of surface receptors on immune cells connecting humoral and cellular immune responses. Several herpesviruses induce FcγR activities in infected cells. Here we identify two distinct human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-encoded vFcγR glycoproteins of 34 and 68 kDa. A panel of HCMV strains exhibited a slight molecular microheterogeneity between Fcγ-binding proteins, suggesting their viral origin. To locate the responsible genes within the HCMV genome, a large set of targeted HCMV deletion mutants was constructed. The mutant analysis allowed the identification of a spliced UL119-UL118 mRNA to encode vFcγR gp68 and TRL11/IRL11 to encode vFcγR gp34. Both vFcγRs are surface resident type I transmembrane glycoproteins. Significant relatedness of sequences in the extracellular chain of gpUL119-118 and gpTRL11 with particular immunoglobulin supergene family domains present in FcγR I and FcγRs II/III, respectively, indicates a different ancestry and function of gpUL119-118 and gpTRL11. The HCMV-encoded vFcγRs highlight an impressive diversification and redundancy of FcγR structures.


The research features the rural administration of the Kuznetsk region in the end of the XIX century. The author understands the territory of modern Kuzbass as "The Kuznetsk region" and "rural administration" – as the bodies of local country government created according to the principles of peasant reform of 1861. The paper introduces data on the main bodies of local country government in the imperial and state village of the Kuznetsk region. The author focuses on the Kuznetsk district described in N. A. Vaganov's audit to the Altai district in the early 1880s. The analysis of the statistical, standard, and narrative data contained in the works by N. A. Vaganov, V.Volchkov, and K. T.Krayevsky provided a detailed characteristic of bodies of local country government, their functions, and efficiency. The Kuznetsk region remained largely understudied in this aspect; hence, the present material can be used in educational and scientific purposes. The author believes that, despite all their drawbacks, the local authorities played an important role in the sphere of regional public government. As local links in the chain of administrative facilities, they promoted the system of interrelations between the government and the country population, which was based upon the classical principles of statecraft and paternalism.


The Australian Press Council has appointed a sub-committee to look into implications of the privilege review on the Australian press. The advantages and disadvantages of the close proximity in which journalists work with politicians are discussed.


Neurocutaneous disorders primarily affect the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as the skin, and can ultimately lead to the development of tumors in these organs. Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common neurocutaneous syndromes, with a reported incidence of approximately 1 in 2,600 to 1 in 3,000 individuals [1]. It is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by pathogenic variants of the NF1 tumor suppressor gene located on chro-mosome 17q11.2


The Brazilian Literacy Movement (MOBRAL) created during the military regime (19641985) by the Brazilian law 5,379 of 12/15/1967, was one of the most extensive and complex adult education program developed in the country. For this study, it was made an elaborated analysis of the political and pedagogical principles, methodologies and ideals that led the main programs of MOBRAL. The emphasis was on functional literacy, by means of bibliographical and documentary research of sources such as the documentation and educational legislation of the period (1967-1985); statutes and basic institutional documents; academic researches; publications of the Ministry of Education and the teaching materials to support MOBRAL. We highlight the work of Arlindo Lopes Corrêa as the founder, manager and representative of MOBRAL, an intellectual who sought to mediate the political and ideological unity of the Movement and legitimize his work before public opinion.


We present estimates of common actions associated with under-ice surveys and their energetic costs by examining data collected by two versions of the tethered, battery-operated unmanned underwater vehicle Icefin during 175 hours of operations under sea ice, glaciers and ice shelves. Our method and analysis yield design guidance for battery-operated unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) based on empirical evidence of the energy used to conduct a variety of oceanographic surveys under ice. Operator decisions are shown to significantly change the variance of a common action, allowing for energy reduction by modifying operator behavior, preventing a costly design change. The total energy released while performing common under-ice survey actions are shown to illustrate the most significant opportunities for improved efficiency in future vehicle designs.


On the basis of old museum collections, our own collection and literature data 54 buprestid species were listed. Seven of these species were recorded from the region for the first time.


The purpose of this paper is to give an estimate of the $L^p$-norm of the Bergman projection on the Hartogs triangle.


The thyroid gland surgery is a common and painful procedure demanding analgesia. Bilateral intermediate cervical plexus block (BSCPB) could be beneficial for analgesia in thyroid surgery. In this study we will evaluate the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound guided intermediate cervical plexus block vs local wound infiltration in patients undergoing elective thyroidectomy under general anaesthesia.

 To evaluate the analgesic efficacy and possible side effects of ultrasound guided intermediate cervical plexus block vs local wound infiltration in patients undergoing elective thyroidectomy under general anaesthesia as a primary outcome. The secondary outcome is the assessment of the safety of ICPB and the total dose of meperidine used for 24 hours postoperatively.

 40 patients were divided into two equal groups: Group A: The patients received intermediate cervical plexus block with 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine. The same will be repeated on the contralateral side. Group B: Patient will receive local wound infiltration with 20 ml bupivacaine 0.25% under the skin immediately before extubation by the surgeon for pain control.

 ICPB group showed significant lower median score compared with LWI group at time 2 hrs, 4 hrs, 6 hrs, 12 hrs The time for first dose meperidine was significantly longer in ICPB group (17.2 ± 3.02 vs 10.15 ± 1.84) while Total 24 h meperidine consumption was significantly less in ICPB (26.25 ± 17.16 vs 36.25 ± 12.76)

 Intermediate cervical plexus block provides another safe alternative analgesia compared to superficial blocks and local wound infiltration with better analgesic efficacy.


The authors show by analysis and examples that the rapid thermal endurance testing methods of insulating materials are all approximate and simulations, in spite of the fact that some seem to have a strictly mathematical derivation or theoretical demonstration. It is suggested that the merits of the rapid methods should be evaluated by comparing test results with conventional aging.<<ETX>>


Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technique has been considered as a potential candidate for the high rate Wireless Personal Area Network (WPANs) due to its higher capacity with low power operation. In order to get time domain diversity MB-OFDM UWB system transmits the same symbol twice in difference time slots over different bands. In this paper, a PNC relay scheme is proposed based on MB-OFDM system. We propose that DEVs, which are close to Piconet Coordinator (PNC), use the PNC as a relay in the second transmission time. Additionally, a symbol transmission schedule is proposed to provide sufficient time duration for cooperation. During the first transmission of symbol, PNC will listen in on the signal from the Source Device (SDEV) to Destination Device (DDEV) and decode-re-encode it with the same data rate. Then PNC will transmit the signal in the second transmission as well as the SDEV. Our simulation results demonstrate the proposed cooperative PNC relay scheme can significantly improve the Bit Error Probability (BER) performance, which translates into a higher data transmission capability or a power saving capability.


The complex Co(C14H13NO)2Cl2 with the protonated N-salicylidene-p-toluidine ligand was synthesized from an ethanolic solution of CoCl2·6H2O and N-salicylidene-p-toluidine. The crystal structure was determined from X-ray single crystal data (monoclinic, space group Cc, a = 1496.2(3) pm, b = 1257.4(4) pm, c = 1544.6(3) pm, β = 115.01(1)°, Z = 4). Co2+ adopts a distorted tetrahedral geometry. The UV-Vis and IR spectra of the complex are discussed.


The Australian Labour Market Research (ALMR) Workshop is an annual conference designed to disseminate high quality research on labour economics and labour relations and to promote informed debate among economists and the government sector about current issues facing the Australian labour market. The 28th ALMR Workshop will be held on 6-7 December 2017.


The goal of the legal education in the anti-Japanese bases is to unite all possible forces to fight Japanese invaders.Therefore,the educated include workers,farmers,petty bourgeoisies,landlords and capitalists from all walks of life.The education covers constitutional democracy,human right,reduction of land rent and interests,equality and marriage freedom.All the existing media are used.


In this project several species of livestock will be used to develop a raw woodlot into a sustainable farm whose profits will benefit the farm family and the local community. The social normalcies of today allow people to purchase meat from a supermarket never knowing how the animal was raised or treated. Children and young adults are raised in a society that does not understand the hard work and dedication it takes for their food to be grown and processed. Whole animal butchery has become a thing of the past; much of the animal is wasted when sent to commercial slaughterhouses. Livestock can be used for a number of things other than becoming food for consumers. This project will utilize various species of livestock to transform the landscape of an 83 acre plot of land, provide a sustainable business for the farm family, participate in educating the public on the advantages of farm life, and explore ways to use the whole animal. DEVELOPING A WOODLOT FOR SUSTAINABLE USE 3 Developing a Woodlot for Sustainable Use


Abstract The traditional concept of hypnosis that seeks a "sleep" state and employs formal induction techniques seriously limita ita practical and general clinical applicability. It fails (1) to mognisx-the importanca of fitting an approach to the special needs of the pabent and (2) to counteract cultural and individual aversions to hypnosis. Awareness of the problems is evideat in contemporary trende to off-set traditional misconceptions. A variety of solutions are contained in the survey presented. A comprehemive approach deaigned to counteract the BhortCOmings mentioned manipulates the inter-pemd relationship factor. Case illustrations support the viewpoint that the proper relationship is akin to the hypnotic one and enhances the therapeutic prognun without hypnosis failures.


Today the site manager's role has become even more important than before as the complexity of construction projects has increased and as the business environment has become more dynamic. To deal with the challenges in construction projects the site managers' planning is essential and the preconstruction planning has been claimed to be a major determinant for project success. It is during the preconstruction planning that the production is planned so that the right production flow can be reached. Previous studies on construction planning have often been limited upon the methods and techniques of project planning or the planning process as a whole and not just the preconstruction planning. The purpose of this study has been to describe the preconstruction planning from the contractor's perspective and identify aspects that govern how site managers plan for an appropriate production flow. The study is based on a literature review and five semi-structured qualitative interviews with site managers at large construction companies. To analyse the results from the interviews a structure model with five important factors for construction planning was used. The results showed that the respondents managed to fulfil these factors to an adequate level. Moreover, three main aspects that govern how site managers plan in the preconstruction planning were identified. These are project characteristics, site managers' abilities and assigned resources. Our recommendations for further studies are to analyse these aspects more thorough to find out more precise how they influence the preconstruction planning. Additionally further studies should focus on the issue of how to transfer the knowledge that experienced site managers have over to new and inexperienced planners.


We propose to create an effective magnetic field for photons in photonic crystal resonator lattices using the magneto-optical effect. The inter-resonator coupling is mediated by magneto-optical waveguides or magneto-optical resonators, and thus the coupling between the nearest-neighbor photonic crystal resonators acquire a direction-dependent phase. The effective magnetic field can be realized with a proper choice of the spatial distribution of such a direction-dependent phase.


On the basis of empirical interviews and the review of related researches,this paper implements the stratified study on the factors which influence the information-sharing among government departments to explore the nesting influencing effects of organizational and personal factors.After setting up a theoretical framework and assumptions,and using the data collected to test the statistical model,several conclusions are pointed out: perfect policy strengthens the influencing effects of understanding factors on the information-sharing.Also,the government's large scale and high level of E-building strengthens the influencing effects of trust factors on the information-sharing.


The water supply and sanitation sector has always been overlooked in the comparison to the other sectors both in the sense of budgetary allocation, in sustainability of development projects as well as execution of drinking water supply, sanitation schemes and provision of potable water strategies. The drinking water and sanitation system are closely linked with each other. The Government of Pakistan established the National Drinking Water Policy in September 2009, with the goal of providing clean and safe drinking water to the entire Pakistani population by 2025, including the poor and vulnerable, at a reasonable rate. The National Sanitation Policy of Pakistan was prepared in 2016, but recently conditions are adverse. In the Pakistan the sewerage systems are not only properly managed, out lived, inappropriate and leakages problems of sewer pipelines with major part of un-served population but also contribute towards water systems contamination and ground water as well as surface water contamination. The water for domestic utilization and wastewater of factories are mostly disposed of into rivers, streams and sometimes into water canals without any treatment of water in most of the conditions. There is also a conceptual issue with the traditional sewer systems due to leakages and seepage of sewage water is mixing in underground water as well as in food stuff. Some organic, inorganic elements and micronutrients are mixed up in the freshwater reservoir to a great extent that separation of the contaminant's elements and treatment of water for reusing purpose becomes complicated not only in the sense of technically but also economically unfeasible. Secondly, the micro-nutrients are mostly washed away with domestic and factories wastewater as well as from storm water, mixed into freshwater channels. Keywords: Water Supply, Sustainable, contamination, ground water, Water Pollution, wastewater, Fresh Water. Safe Water