Greece has regularly ranked as the country with the highest defence burden in NATO and the European Union. Over the past decades she has allocated an averatge 6% of GDP to defence yearly. This study using neural networks examines the external security determinants of Greek military expenditure in the context of the ongoing Greek‐Turkish conflict.


Many recommender systems explicitly or implicitly assume that rating data are normally distributed. This assumption is handy, but often does not hold in practice, resulting in system underperformance. In this paper, we design a recommendation algorithm embedding a new distribution model. First, we introduce a generalized logistic transformation and a parameter estimator Minimum Absolute Skewness Estimator (MASE) to obtain generalized-Gaussian distributed data. Second, we propose a new model, namely generalized logit-generalized-normal (GLG-normal) distribution to fit the observed frequency distribution. Finally, we design GLG-N probabilistic matrix factorization (GPMF) recommendation algorithm. Experiments were undertaken on the 3 subsets of Jester. Results show that 1) GLG-normal captures the essence of the frequency distribution, and 2) GPMF is 5% better than PMF in terms of MAE, and significantly outperforms some other schemas.


A suitable chromosome encoding method,which could correspond with the network one by one,was proposed.The species invasion genetic algorithm was used to train artificial neural networks.In the invading process,the genetic algorithm adjusts adaptively crossing operation and mutation operation.A method based on the average fitness values was proposed to determine the scale of invasion species,and a detailed description of the algorithm steps was given.Finally,the validity and superiority of the algorithm are proved by the experimental results.


To bridge the skills gap in the software industry, we have already conducted a survey, whose results will benefit both the industry and as well as the academia, by creating the awareness of the expected skillset and the corresponding gaps in the academic curriculum (mostly for Turkish institutions). One of the opportunities the survey data provided as a further study is to analyze the trajectory of 628 software practitioners, who completed their undergraduate degree in Turkey. We believe that such a study will help to characterize and understand the possible educational and career paths of Turkey-educated software practitioners working in different countries. With the help of such initial inputs, we hope that Turkish researchers will study more qualitative approaches to investigate the root causes of these phenomena by increasing more industry-academia collaborations (IACs).


This article analyzes a socioenvironmental conflict in the municipality of Caravelas, Bahia / Brazil. The studied conflict emerged from the proposal for the establishment of what would become the largest shrimp farm in Brazil. The proposed area for the establishment of the shrimp farm was part of an important socioeconomic and environmental region associated to the Abrolhos Coral Reef Bank. It assumes that the lack of public policies that define the parameters of the decision-making for financing shrimp farming projects has allowed the establishment of shrimp farms along the Brazilian coast, without pointing sustainable productive alternatives, which consider the generation of employment and food production. The qualitative methodology adopted participant observation and fieldwork aiming to identify the environmental damage associated to shrimp farming and relate them to factors that contribute to the perpetuation of these predatory model and for the establishment of resistance movements in order to identify local potentialities and possible paths for a sustainable social and environmental management.


The anholocyclic life cycle of the aphid Takecallis arundinaria (Essig) on golden stem bamboo, Phyllostachys aurea (Carrie're) was investigated in 1987 – 1988. Aphid populations peaked from March – May, declined from June – October, and peaked again in December. Aphid population dynamics were strongly influenced by climatic conditions. When aphid populations were at constant or rising levels, significantly more nymphs were found in the southern and eastern quadrants, than in the northern and western quadrants. This directionality may have allowed T. arundinaria populations to be exposed to increased sunlight and decreased winds during the winter and early spring periods. Alate viviparae had a mean fecundity of 147 nymphs and a longevity of 46.5 days. Predators were few and no parasites were found. An alternate host study revealed no aphids on yellow sticky traps placed on nine woody plant species.


Evidence from several media illustrates the ways children attempt to fit their observations into their own, known constructs. The contrast is drawn between adult concepts and children's misconceptions and the argument made that children would have more control over their learning with a 'bottom-up' approach to teaching rather than the top down model encouraged by a national curriculum.


In this thesis, Extremum seeking control that minimizes the performance index of engine output is applied to the control of throttle plate. Moreover from a simple fuel behavior model, the fuel injection controller is constructed to control the air-fuel ratio. To decrease the overshoot of the starting speed, the control technique of the ignition timing is proposed. Finally to show the effectiveness of the proposal method, the simulation is shown using the six cylinders reciprocating engine model that intake and exhaust are implemented intermittently.


This article introduces the composition of virtual instrument,explains the structure of its hardware,illustrates the programming structure and the operational form of LabVIEW by instance,sums up the advantage of virtual instrument on apparatus and instrument.


We report the experimental heat capacity of γ‐phase Sm2S3 and derived thermophysical properties at selected temperatures. The entropy, enthalpy increments, and Gibbs energy function are 21.50R, 3063R⋅K, and 11.23R at 298.15 K. The experimental heat capacity is made up of lattice and electronic (Schottky) contributions. The lattice contribution is determined for all γ‐phase lanthanide sesquisulfides (Ln2S3 ) using the Komada/Westrum model. The difference between the experimental heat capacity and the deduced lattice heat capacity is analyzed as the Schottky contribution. Comparisons are made between the calorimetric Schottky contributions and those determined based on crystal‐field electronic energy levels of Ln3+ ions in the lattice and between the Schottky contributions obtained from the empirical volumetric priority approach and from the Komada/Westrum theoretical approach. Predictions for the thermophysical properties of γ‐phase Eu2S3 and γ‐phase Pm2S3 (unavailable for experimental determination) are a...


Testing methods for mechanical properties of structural materials at cryogenic temperatures had been developed rapidly after 1980, however, until 1985 many researches on cryogenic structural materials have been reported using their own methods and new materials have been developed for ITER. Since 1986, a series of international inter-laboratory comparisons on the evaluation of mechanical properties of cryogenic structural materials have been performed among the participants of US-Japan cooperation project and VAMAS (the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards) in order to establish unified test methods. Through these international collaborations and Round-Robin Tests, we have accumulated knowledge about mechanical tests at 4 K, and have prepared a draft of an international standard for tensile testing in liquid helium. After testing conditions, strain measurements and other technical points have been discussed, those drafts were submitted to ISO. The outline, development, and discussion of ...


In the attempt to orient ourselves to the mass of existing endocrinological data bearing on the cancer problem, it is essential to consider the gen eral biological framework upon which endocrinol ogy rests. With the evolution of multicellular organisms, there have developed innumerable patterns of functional integration among their constituent cellular units. These patterns range all the way from the intercellular canals of the primitive metazoa, through such complex pat terns as the nerve nets of certain invertebrates, and thence to the more elaborate neural and vascular systems of higher forms. The essential function of these systems is the integration of the vital processes of the organism as a whole. Tradi tionally, those integrative functions which appear to be physically mediated through specialized neural structures have become the province of the neurologist. The endocrinologist takes over when such integrative effects are thought to be mediated by purely chemical means. However, modern physiologists, largely conditioned by Loewi's


The concentrations of macronutrients and minerals Ivorian dishes were determined by standard analytical (AOAC methods. The result obtained are express in percentage fw for moisture and percentage dw, ash, proteins, lipids, crude fibers, carbohydrates and minerals. The moisture content ranges from 72.44-89.33 g/100g fw. Carbohydrates contents 57.55-63.11 g/100g dw. Lipids 9.76-18.14 g/100g dw. Proteins 13.43 -16.34 g/100g dw, fibers 5.31 - 7.47 g/100g dw. This study revealed that a high consumption in accordance with official recommendations of the FAO. Minerals, Iron were ranged from 3.66-13.83 mg/100g dw; calcium 5.34 - 13.70 g/100mg dw ,  zinc  0.04 t-0.06 g/100g dw.  All values of nutrient and minerals obtained through these foods were insufficient to help the functioning of the body. Other foods sources could help to address them. In biometric case, kidney weight of these animals is all lower than the control (0.69 g) with the exception of those fed with the same food that is RsG rats. End then do not cause functional abnormalities of these organs compared to those fed which are consumer at other area and control diet of rats. The foods could adequately contribute to dietary intake in most of recipes. The study carried out good physical impact through rats regulators bodies. Majority of dishes based on cereals, tubers, but poor in animal product can led to micronutrient because of the presence of antinutritional factor that reduce minerals bioavailability. In fact, these foods In conclude these foods good qualities through biochemical and physiological study.


NASA Television will provide the pool coverage of the funeral service for NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Eugene A. Cernan at 3:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. CST) on Tuesday, Jan. 24, live from St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston.


Abstract: Diseases in plants cause decrease in both quality and quantity of agricultural products. The main problem of farmers is the detection of leaf diseases. The leaf disease detection has very important role nowadays. Thus, it is of abundant prominence to diagnose the plant diseases at initial stages so that suitable and timely action can be taken by the farmers to avoid further losses. Early information on crop health and disease detection can encourage the control of diseases through appropriate administration systems. This technique will improve productivity of crops. This paper presents the technique to detect the leaf disease also compares the benefits and limitations of these potential methods.


Radiation effects on MHD free convective flow of a viscous incompressible electrically conducting fluid past an oscillating vertical porous plate with uniform suction or blowing at the plate in the presence of a uniform magnetic filed have been studied. The governing equations are solved analytically. It is observed that the velocity decreases near the plate and it increases away from the plate with an increase in either magnetic parameter or radiation parameter or Prandtl number or suction parameter or frequency parameter or phase angle. The fluid velocity increases with an increase in Grashof number. The solution exists for the blowing at the plate. It is seen that the fluid temperature decreases near the plate and it increases away from the plate with an increase in either radiation parameter or Prandtl number or suction parameter or frequency parameter. Further, it is seen that the amplitude of the shear stress and the tangent of the phase angle at the plate decrease with an increase in either radiation parameter or Prandtl number or suction parameter.


In this paper attention is focussed on severai aspects of mass wasting and rainwash in subhumid and humid tropical areas. First a review is made of opinions concerning the mechanics and the typology of landslides, in relation to distinct climatological and ecological conclitions, including disturbances created by mano Several suggestions are put forward with respect to the regional assessment of the relative stability of slopes, taking into account the changing soil mechanical properties of regoliths. Comments are given on the results of recent laboratory investigations concerning soil crusting, stemflow on grasses, runoff generation and the erodibility of stony topsoils. These data may enlighten surface hydrology and soil erosion in cleared tropical areas, farmland, grasslands and subhumid to semiarid environments.


Abstract : This final report (2013-2016) is a comprehensive summary of our efforts over the course of this grant. Itfocuses on the Cronin laboratory but includes work for the comprehensive four-team effort (also includingMarshall's team in Australia, Roberts's team in England, and Gruev's team - subcontracted to Cronin - in StLouis, Missouri). Altogether the Cronin laboratory published some 36 papers, book chapters, or books fromthe middle of 2013 to the end of 2016 (the team as a whole has a total of some 80-90 unique publicationsin this time). We have been completing our work on the opsin diversity in mantis shrimp eyes, with a strongfocus on the opsins devoted to polarized-light vision, including our finding that polarized-light receptorscontain an unusually large number of co-expressed opsin genes (this work has been ongoing since 2007or so). We have also greatly expanded our understanding of ultraviolet vision in stomatopods, including UVvision devoted to polarized-light analysis. The work has led to the discovery of a new class of filters used inanimal eyes to control the detection of multiple bands of ultraviolet light, including polarized ultraviolet,published in 2014 and 2015. We have continued to develop field-capable, user-friendly, real-timepolarization cameras in collaboration with our subcontractor Viktor Gruev and his students, used forvisualizing environments, terrain, and animals in natural settings, and also extending this work topreliminary studies of polarization patterns in stomatopods and cephalopods.


This paper presents a novel algorithm to model wind turbine generators for reliability evaluation. The model is based on dividing the speed power curve into four states. The range of each state is determined based on the ratio between the output power and the rated power of the wind turbine generator. The mean time to fail and mean time to repair are calculated for each state. The state duration approach is integrated with Monte Carlo simulation method to estimate the expected values of mean time to fail and mean time to repair of the wind generator under study. A comparison between recorded output power of a wind turbine generator and the obtained one through the use of the proposed approach is presented. The satisfactory agreement between the two results justifies the excellence of the proposed mathematical model.


This research was based on the assumption that if a person starts knowing a language from under 12 years of age, he/she will have the opportunity to be able to speak the foreign language as fluent as the native speaker. This research was aimed at determining whether educational background and Arabic language competence influence Arabic language motivation. This research used survey research with a quantitative approach, with the population of PBA students in the academic year 2017/2018. 89 students were chosen as the sample of this research by using purposive sampling technique. Data analysis carried out in this study was normality test, linearity test, multicollinearity test, and heteroscedasticity test. Hypotheses testing include correlation test, regression, t-test, and F-test. The results showed that there was a positive and significant influence of educational background and Arabic language competence on motivation in learning Arabic with the amount of 37.5%. The student background was dominated by students who had known Arabic since early childhood that the students experienced a lateral and positive transfer process.Furthermore, the competencies possessed by students are dominated by students with high competence of 39% of these two variables, obtained by 2 types of motivation, namely intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in Arabic language learning.


This article evaluates the international influence of Open Society Foundations (OSF) based on its goals and allocation of resources and takes into consideration the concerns raised by its critics. The study analyzes the objectives of this private philanthropic organization as well as its origins and the goals of its founder, George Soros. By assembling and using an original database, it also provides an overall analysis of all OSF grants assigned worldwide in the years 1999–2018 and quantitatively assesses their macro-level impact on democratic governance, freedom of expression, government accountability, and societies that promote justice and equity. Based on the available data, we find no evidence that OSF grants produce a positive impact at the macro-level on these goals nor that they effectively contribute to destabilize countries through protests and mass migrations as its critics claim. These results may have to do with lack of effectiveness or with motivations not matching the outcomes measured here. However, it is early to draw conclusions due to limited data.


WT5BZ]The main characteristics of water and land resources in karst mountain areas of South China are: (a) Rainfall seepages to deep underground quickly and the capability of conserving water in shallow space is poor,(b)Groundwater is buried deeply and is difficult to exploit,(c)There is only a little cultivable land which scatters, the soil is impoverished and thin,(d)The precipitation distributes unevenly in space and time which leads to frequent occurences of drought and flood,(e)Plants grow slowly and the problems of soil erosion are serious.The remedy measures are taking a small watershed as a unit and regulating rivers and land,considering the "water resources land ecological environment" as a whole, increasing the ability of adjusting water resources, revising the structure of land use, and constructing the pattern of "coordinating resources ecology population economy".


The present invention relates to wired and wireless service interworking system and method for service, and more particularly relates to a wired community member linked service system and service method. In connecting to the mobile communication network and the Internet network to the wired and wireless interworking system for providing a wired and wireless interworking service in a mobile communication means and a client terminal of the subscriber members of a particular community, a wired or wireless link system according to the invention a) a subscriber of the personal information, Contacts information, the subscriber of the community-related information and the user database that stores information of a mobile communication means subscriber, b) only the application providing server that downloads the dedicated application for driving the wire and wireless service interworking with the mobile communication device through the mobile communication network. c) a web server that provides the community for the website to the client terminal through the Internet network, a dedicated application is by linking the subscriber to the mobile communication device and the web site installed wired interworking server and providing the wired and wireless interworking services d ) it includes operating a database that stores Web pages that make up the various operating software and web sites to drive the wired linkage server.


The study aimed to (1) develop a marker-based scapular locator for measuring scapular poses and (2) to design an in vivo experimental procedure for this static marker-based measurement method to decrease measurement errors, and (3) to validate this scapular locator and the experimental procedure. Six young male adults were implanted into the spine of the scapula with two bone-pins that were attached with a cluster of four retroreflective markers (bone markers). The scapular poses were measured simultaneously using the developed scapular locator and the bone markers. The results showed that very high validity for scapular rotations and for the acromial angle (AA), the root of spine (RS) and the inferior angle (IA) of the scapular translation were achieved. Two main reasons contributed to the results: (1) the adjustable scapular locator and (2) careful palpation of the bony landmarks over the scapula.


This study aims to investigate the driving mechanisms behind outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on regional green total factor innovation efficiency (GTFIE), focusing specifically on the external fiscal factor perspective. We measured the GTFIE using the super slacks-based model and established a threshold model using financial agglomeration and fiscal decentralization as moderating variables for empirical analysis. The findings indicate that the level of GTFIE in China is relatively low, with an average value of only 0.588 in the sample provinces. It is worth noting that there is a serious imbalance in China's regional green innovation development. The eastern region has an average GTFIE of 0.886 and is home to nine of the top ten GTFIE provinces. Moreover, regional financial factors exert a substantial moderating impact on the spillover of OFDI. OFDI exhibits a significant dual threshold effect on GTFIE under external fiscal moderation. Specifically, with an increase in the degree of financial agglomeration, the relationship between OFDI and GTFIE changes from being insignificant to a significant positive correlation, with a gradient enhancement. Meanwhile, the relationship between them exhibits an "inverted U-shaped" nonlinear dynamic pattern under fiscal decentralization moderation.


Uncertainties involving the distribution of nuclear magnetism that affect the interpretation of ground-state hyperfine splitting (hfs) in hydrogenlike ions can be avoided by also measuring hyperfine splitting in lithiumlike ions. Because a recent experiment looking for hfs in lithiumlike bismuth at the predicted value of 0.7971(2) eV had negative results, we have repeated the calculation using a QED approach based on both screened potentials and the Coulomb potential. We find 0.79715(13) eV, in good agreement with the previous calculation.


Garlic demand in Indonesia currently still depends on import supply due to the low rate of production and its quality still inadequate to fulfill the consumer's request who demand a bigger size. Therefore, the government has been developing garlic innovative cultivation technology, namely TIBBP, which expected to increase local garlic quality. This research aims to compare and identify the influence of TIBBP and farmer's conventional cultivation technology and to compare the potential of garlic local variety, Lumbu Hijau and Tawangmangu Baru, on garlic bulb quality. This research was conducted in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar, Central Java. The result showed that TIBBP has been proven to increase garlic bulb quality compared to the farmer's conventional technology. Tawangmangu Baru which cultivated with TIBBP has 32.69% bigger diameter and 11.5 gram heavier compared to Tawangmangu Baru which cultivated with the farmer's conventional technology. Tawangmangu Baru proximate composition cultivated with TIBBP also showed better value compared to the farmer's conventional technology. In general Tawangmangu Baru was also superior compared to Lumbu Hijau. This TIBBP might be disseminated and implemented broadly to increase garlic bulb quality in Indonesia.


As an important clinical laboratory test, the reticulocyte count suffers from an inherent lack of precision. Accordingly, a method that would increase the degree of precision by incorporating a larger sample size while maintaining cost-effectiveness and convenience was desired. A study was performed to compare the Miller disk method, which employs a visual counting aid, with the standard method of counting. Eight hematology technologists were asked to perform both methods of counting on each of 25 slides using a letter code system to prevent bias. It was found that the Miller disk method showed a significantly greater degree of precision than the standard method of counting ( P >.01) because of the increased sample size. The use of the visual counting aid was also found to be more cost-effective in that it decreased technical time incurred, as well as being more convenient.


The utility model relates to a device especially for birthday celebration, in particular to a birthday celebration LED light box which enables six Chinese characters which mean happy birthday in English to cyclically change among three color lights. The device is composed of a panel, LEDs, insertion frames, a shell and a control circuit board, wherein the center of the panel is provided with the six Chinese characters, holes are arranged in the six Chinese characters to connect the red-green double-core LEDs; the insertion frames are respectively arranged at the left and the right sides of the panel; and the control circuit board is connected to the back of the panel. The birthday celebration LED light box enables the six Chinese characters to cyclically change among the three color lights, i.e. a red color light, a green color light and a blue color light. The LEDs beside the insertion frames at the two sides illuminate inserted insertion sheets with information on the congratulated person and congratulating persons, the insertion sheets are showy, and the light innervation can enhance the celebration atmosphere.


Internet addiction has gradually become a serious issue in public health worldwide. Especially college students are vulnerable to developing dependence on the Internet, more than most other segments of the society. Hence the present was intended to assess the internet addiction and dietary habits and also to find association between internet addiction and dietary habits among college students. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 5 colleges of Coorg district. Data was collected on a semi constructed, close ended, structured questionnaire consisting sociodemographic information, questions on Internet addiction (10) and dietary habits (6). Collected Data was coded and fed in SPSS for analysis. A total of 300 students (19.86 ± 0.94 years) were included. When the scores were tabulated, 46.1% mildly addicted, 47.2% moderately addicted and 6.6% severely addicted to internet. 20.3% occasionally found it difficult to stay away from net for several days. 26.7% of participants always lost sleep due to late night log-ins. Among severe internet addicts, 17.6% eat more when they are anxious, worried or tense (p= 0.001). 64.7% often snack more in the evening (p= 0.006) and 58.8% of severe internet addicts took longer time to eat dinner (p = 0.006). In the current study, internet usage had an adverse impact on the college students in terms of difficulty in staying away from net for several days, losing sleep and to certain extent on dietary habits too. Hence it is necessary to increase the public awareness regarding internet addiction and its impact on dietary habits.


Despite their widespread attention to the conluence of queer sexualities and "decadence" in in- de- siècle writing, queer theorists have yet to overcome the two concepts' persistently destructive conlation. his essay explores the latent positive ainities of queerness and decadence in Walter Pater's Renaissance, which links them through what I call queer detachment. A balance of engagement with and withdrawal from history, this critical perspective anticipates queer theory's methodologies as well as other queer modernist productions. Examining Goodbye to Berlin, Christopher Isherwood's chronicle of decadent Weimar Germany, I demonstrate how queer detachment becomes an increasingly politicized method of literary and social world making, a means of reengaging the politics and aesthetics of queer history. hese works, and others like them, encourage scholars to realize decadence's positivity, to conceptualize a queer theory that refuses to acquiesce to residual historical narratives and philosophical systems—without, for all that, refusing their value entirely.


Objective To investigate the association of C-reactive protein (CRP) with preterm delivey. Method cases of pregnancy in 14~24 weeks from March 2006 to June 2008, to detect serum CRP by nephelometry, and track their pregnancy outcome. Results Serum C-reactive protein level in women with threatened pretermdelivery group was signif icantly higher than that of the control group (P0.001), spontaneous delivery group was signif icantly higher than that of the indicated delivery group, and matemal serum CRP level 9.00mg/L was def ined as the threshold vaule of pretermdelivery. Conclusions Clinical measurement of serum CRP value may serve as a specif ic marker in predicting premature delivery.


The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for identification of a target, in the above method, the depth image recognition using distance between the object and the image pickup apparatus characterized by a set of preset target scene; extracted by the motion detection process in the collection of Preparation selected target; alternatively acquire certain preset target model matching degree; match degree determining preset condition is satisfied, and the alternate target tracking. According to the present invention provides, in a further improvement of the effect of the recognition process by the ambient light and scene recognition target enhanced stability and practicality.


In this paper, the patterns of manifestation of weak localization and antilocalization in graphene with enhanced spin-orbit interaction, as well as in a topological insulator with a gap in surface states induced by magnetic impurities are studied. The parameters characterizing the manifestation of weak localization, antilocalization and crossover between them are established. Quantum corrections to the conductivity of graphene are determined in units of e2/h = 38.64 μS for various ratios between the characteristic dephasing time and spin-orbit scattering time. It has been established that with a relatively long spin-orbit scattering time, not less than 10–10 s, it does not affect the correction to conductivity and its value is determined by the dephasing time and the times of intervalley and intravalley scattering. The effect of the spin-orbit scattering is to suppress weak antilocalization. It leads to a spin flip of the conduction electron during elastic scattering, and the interference pattern of weak localization becomes more complicated due to the mixing of spin states. The sign of the quantum correction depends on which spin state contributes the most.


Solar cell simulation could be useful for time saving and cost consumption. This project discusses on the method to resolve the optical losses problem that have been hindering the totality efficiency of the photovoltaic. The different models surface texturing on GaAs solar cell have been simulated by using the Virtual Wafer Fab (VWF), SILVACO software in this project. It was expected that the modification of the surface texturing might distinctly improved the spectral sensitivity of the photovoltaic by reducing the light reflection and improving the light trapping. There are four models surface texture of photovoltaic devices. It was the simple structure, V-trench structure, four-sided structure and semi-sphere structure. Hence, the incoming light will hit the GaAs surface several times. Light, which is not absorbed in its first passage through the cell, has the additional opportunities to be absorbed into the cell. It has been shown that the modified surface of GaAs solar cell have improved the efficiency up to more than 2% and its quality application performance about 9%. From the simulation result, the V-trench structure is the optimum surface textured for GaAs solar cell compared to the others, which has Jsc is 3.5752 nA, Voc is 0.800 V and efficiency is 23.07%.


By far the most widely used and successful PET radiotracer is 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Most PET radiotracers, including FDG, require a cyclotron for generation. Other PET radiotracers have limited clinical usefulness as they have very short physical half lives (Table 1). Fluorine-18 has a physical half-life of 110 minutes, allowing distribution of FDG to sites in reasonable proximity to the supplying cyclotron. Metabolically active cells including tumours accumulate FDG within the cytoplasm. FDG is taken into cells via glucose transporter proteins and phosphorylated by hexokinase. It is then 'trapped' within the cell as it is resistant to further glycolysis; its strong negative charge prevents passage back across the cell membrane. FDG is also taken up by activated macrophages, leading to positive uptake in a range of benign infectious and inflammatory pathologies (Table 2).


Indonesian government has been mandated in presidential decree regarding bureaucratic reform to realize its commitment to implement electronic government (egovernment) based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This notion has caused the dependency of business process functions of government services to the public, using ICTs. Increased use of ICTs leads to high levels of vulnerability that can be exploited by major threats. The largest source of the information security breaches is due to a lack of awareness of the human aspect. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) RI has a strategic problem concerning the awareness of employees. This study measured awareness of information security. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to assess the importance of each of those dimensions through pairwise comparison. Measurements conducted using questionnaire to all employees of the MOFA. Focus areas measured include: workstation security, password management, the use of email and instant messaging, internet usage, the use of social media, document handling, incident reporting, and security policies. The result shows that the security awareness of employees at the MOFA is at the average level, or in need of attention and supervision.


Presents a Gate Array for implementing electronic circuitry to control multi-electrode arrays, which consist of 128 microelectrodes. The chip contains multiplexers, current sources and buffer amplifiers in CMOS technology.


The ancient Greeks' gender orientation is obvious between the 6th and 4th century B.C.: man was superior to woman.Women were "indirect citizens",excluded from the elections,the administration of justice and other public authorities.Female citizens are "others" different from male citizens.Women were portrayed as different types of female monsters and female animals.Women meant weakness,disease and disaster.Few female citizens were educated.Polis controlled the population of female citizens by marriage and childbearing earlier than ordinary.


Abstract The key issue for me is the great need I see for enhanced public awareness of the significance of pests and of the importance of controlling or managing them. Without such clear public understanding, it is difficult to see how we, as a society, can stimulate the level of effort, commitment, and financial resources that is required of us at every level—from Central Government and Regional Councils to individual land owners. Reflecting on this has stimulated me to think about the ambivalence of the conservation and environment movement on this issue.


In this proceeding, we present a software Fit@TDS that enables to retrieve the refractive index of a sample from a timedomain spectroscopy experiment. The software include commonly used methods where the refractive index is extracted from frequency domain data. This method has limitations when the signal is too noisy or when the absorption peak saturates the absorption. Thus, the software includes as well a new method where the refractive index are directly fitted using a model (the Drude-Lorentz for example) in the time domain. This method uses an optimization algorithm that retrieves the parameters of the model corresponding to the studied material. In this proceeding, we explain the methods and test them on fictitious samples to probe the feasibility and reliability of the proposed model.


The covid-19 pandemic has changed the learning paradigm from face-to-face to online. The learning that takes place online needs the application of creative learning media, such as Linktree. Linktree is a tool that can be used to unite lesson plans, materials, quizzes, and other learning tools in the from of links. Learning media such as linktree are urgently needed at SDN 018 Galung Lombok, Polewali Mandar as one of the schools that affected by the pandemic. The devotion method is carried out by providing socialization related to the use of the Linktree application which is an alternative media in learning during the pandemic. The result of this devotion is that SDN 018 Galung Lombok teachers have an awareness of the importance of using learning media and gain knowledge about Linktree learning media.


IT HAS BEEN shown that ll-dehydro-17-hydroxycorticosterone (compound E) will bring about loss of weight of young rats and atrophy of the thymus, adrenal glands and lymph nodes of adult rats (Ingle, Higgins and Kendall, 1938; Ingle and Mason, 1938; and Wells and Kendall 1940). The atrophy of the lymph nodes was suggestive that a regressive effect on certain types of tumor might be brought about by compound E. Recently one of us observed a rapidly growing tumor of spontaneous origin in the thoracic cavity of a mouse. A suspension of the tumor cells was injected into normal mice of the same inbred strain and it was found that the tumor could be implanted in practically 100 per cent of mice which received the injection. Within ten to fourteen days after the tumor cells were implanted subcutaneously the tumor was visible and, from that time, growth was very rapid.


Rare tumor-specific mutations in patient samples serve as excellent markers to monitor the course of malignant disease and responses to therapy in clinical routine, and improved assay techniques are needed for broad adoption. We describe herein - superRCA assays - which provides for rapid and highly specific detection of DNA sequence variants present at very low frequencies in DNA samples. Using a standard flow cytometer we demonstrate precise, ultra-sensitive detection of single-nucleotide mutant sequences from malignant cells against a 100,000-fold excess of DNA, to follow the course of patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Aims: Demonstrate the clinical utility of superRCA assay in the clinical settings as well as demonstrate the ultra-sensitivity of the superRCA assay for detecting AML/MDS related mutations in the bone marrow for the early signs of molecular relapse. In addition, the ultra-sensitivity enables the early detection of molecular relapse in the blood with bone marrow comparable lead time.


* he challenges of rural medical practice have been the focus of countless studies in medical and health administration journals. Research literature generally presents rural practice as problematic and attempts to analyze trends, study attitudes and perceptions, and offer explanations as to the factors influencing physician distribution and choice of practice location. While this literature benefits physician recruiters and policy analysts, it fails to consider an important need and overlooks a significant medical population. Medical college faculty, family practice residents, and new graduates have little reference literature on the positive aspects of rural medicine and how to assess a rural community in view of establishing a practice there. Similarly, experienced practitioners seeking a change from their current urban or rural practice may not have sufficient insight into rural issues to make an informed decision about a career move. This article highlights the attractions of rural life and rural practice, summarizes misconceptions and ap-


Reaction of 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene with [M1M2(µ-CO)2(η-C5Me5)2](M1= M2= Rh or Co; M1= Rh, M2= Co; M1= Ir, M2= Co; M1= Rh, M2= Ir) affords 1 : 1 adducts, in which the carbon–carbon double bond has been broken. An X-ray crystallographic study on the dirhodium complex showed that the molecule consists of two Rh(η-C5Me5) fragments bridged by a carbonyl ligand and a complex ligand derived from CO and the cyclopropene. This ligand binds to the Rh2 fragment via a µ-carbene functionality and a µ-ketene. The corresponding reaction of 1,3,3-trimethylcyclopropene with [Co-Rh(µ-CO)2(η-C5Me5)2] and [Rh2(µ-CO)2(η-C5Me5)2] afforded one and two isomeric complexes respectively with related structures, thus providing insight into the reaction mechanism. Additional insight was provided by the observation that 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene reacts with [Co2(µ-CO)2–(η-C5Me5)2], [CoRh(µ-CO)2(η-C5Me5)2], [CoIr(µ-CO)2(η-C5Me5)2], and [RhIr(µ-CO)2(η-C5Me5)2] to afford high yields of single isomeric adducts where 'carbonyl insertion' occurs into a carbon to cobalt or iridium bond. The mechanism of formation is discussed in terms of the interaction of cyclo-propene with the two metal centres. The protolysis of the dirhodium species is also examined and leads to regioselective cleavage of the longest Rh–C σ bond via an SE2 reaction pathway.


The BEKK model is one of the popular multivariate GARCH processes. Because of interdependence of parameters, a quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) estimation often yields a local maximum instead of the global one. This note suggests a fast approach for obtaining a consistent but inecient estimator, which can be used for initial values. This note also investigates the nite sample performance of QML estimator based on the suggested initial values. The results of Monte Carlo experiments show the biases are negligible when T = 1000. Empirical results for two assets from chemical rms in the US indicate that the new approach should be used to avoid achieving local maxima.


ABSTRACT Previous models of individuals' preferences for decentralization have focused on either economic- or identity-based motivations. In some cases, however, elites in rich regions with high inequality prefer decentralization contrary to their economic preferences. This paper proposes a model to explain these instances by focusing on the preferences of self-interested elites who manipulate a strong regional identity for personal gain. I develop the hypothesis that a strong regional economy, combined with a regional identity, provides the incentive for and the mechanism by which elites prefer decentralization. I test this hypothesis using the puzzling case of Ajara, Georgia, a rich region with high inequality and a strong regional identity where elites, contrary to expectations, pushed for decentralization. Results suggest that regional identities are used by elites in order to seize on a strong economy for personal gain. This motivates future study on the interaction between regional economies and identity.


Reasons of establishing general practice special department in general hospital were discussed.Based on the experiences of establishing general practice special department in general hospital,the functions of general practice in general hospital were analyzed.By developing general practice research,teaching and clinical practice,general practice in general hospital could be rapidly improvement.General practice could provide general clinic,home sick bed and comprehensive service to be a linking bridge between general hospital and community health center.General practice could also be a way for two way referral.


Mapping ice and open water in ocean bodies is important for numerous purposes including environmental analysis and ship navigation. The Canadian Ice Service (CIS) currently has several expert ice analysts manually generate ice maps on a daily basis. The CIS would like to augment their current process with an automated icewater discrimination algorithm capable of operating on dual-pol synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images produced by RADARSAT-2. Automated methods can provide mappings in larger volumes, with more consistency, and in ner resolutions that are otherwise impractical to generate. We have developed such an automated ice-water discrimination system called MAGIC. The algorithm rst classi es the HV scene using the glocal method, a hierarchical region-based classi cation method. The glocal method incorporates spatial context information into the classi cation model using a modi ed watershed segmentation and a previously developed MRF classi cation algorithm called IRGS. Second, a pixel-based support vector machine (SVM) using a nonlinear RBF kernel classi cation is performed exploiting SAR grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture and backscatter features. Finally, the IRGS and SVM classi cation results are combined using the IRGS approach but with a modi ed energy function to accommodate the SVM pixel-based information. The combined classi er was tested on 61 ground truthed dual-pol RADARSAT2 scenes of the Beaufort Sea containing a variety of ice types and water patterns across melt, summer, and freeze-up periods. The average leave-one-out classi cation accuracy with respect to these ground truths is 95.8% and MAGIC attains an accuracy of 90% or above on 88% of the scenes. The MAGIC system is now under consideration by CIS for operational use.


The aim of this paper is to describe the curriculum co-creation done at Laurea University of Applied Sciences in the Master ́s Degree Programme of Legal Design and Expertise. The intention of this inquiry was to test a new way to further-develop the curriculum for the next students and application round. The aim with curriculum design and development is to make sure education offered in higher education is up to date. Even though working life representatives have good knowledge about the competences and skills needed in working life, it is as important to notice and hear the experiences of current students as well and get feedback from them. Therefore, in this case co-creation with the students studying in the programme was chosen as a method to further-develop the curriculum. Student experiences and feedback were gathered in the form of curriculum development workshop, in which co-creation process was based on the first curriculum and the megatrend cards -publication by Finnish innovation fund Sitra. The megatrend cards were chosen to test how well the curriculum matches the future megatrends and where there would be a need for improvement. What was interesting in results of the workshop, students were able to identify many phenomena (like digitalization, AI and creativity) rising from the Sitra megatrend cards in the existing curriculum. However, some elements, for example globalization and environmental issues related to society and law could be considered more deeply in the next curriculum. The results also showed, that students had some developing ideas concerning the implementation plan of the courses, but quite few concerning the curriculum and intended learning outcomes themselves. While the co-creation activities helped to design more student-centric curriculum for the second application round, it had also other benefits. The idea and aim were also to help students to identify, reflect and describe skills and competences the programme is intended to give them: what they had already learned and what was still coming. Since legal design is a relatively new field, it is crucial for students of this programme to be able to describe what are their skills and competences and how those can be utilized in working life and even more broadly in society. Based on the findings of co-creation workshop and active observation during the whole first semester, the second version of the legal design curriculum is now being developed and the idea is to continue co-creation activities also with the second group of students starting in the same programme in September 2020. Based on this co-creation experience, students could be used more widely in the development of higher education practices in other areas as well.


Regional science research requires data sets with detailed geography. Dissemination of data sets with sufficient geographic specificity challenges statistical agencies in terms of protecting respondent privacy. The U.S. Census Bureau first released decennial census microdata in the 1960s. Today, public versions of largely demographic surveys enjoy widespread use but limit the geographic detail of individual observations. With business data, firm and establishment distributions are highly skewed, preventing release of public use microdata versions. To support its own statistical programs by giving external researchers access to internal versions of public use data files, the Census Bureau created the Center for Economic Studies (CES) and a national network of Research Data Centers (RDCs). This model permits researchers access to confidential economic and demographic data under secure, controlled conditions. This article describes the CES-RDC enterprise, provides descriptions of available data sets and their spatial identifiers, and outlines issues and challenges facing the RDC network.


Modulating the electronic characteristics of catalysts plays a significant role in optimizing their catalytic activity. Herein, Mn-doped nickel molybdate (MNMO) nanorods are synthesized via replacing the partial Ni sites by the Mn element, engineering a bimetallic synergistic effect to enhance the activation of oxygen (O2). Compared with the extremely low catalytic activity of pristine nickel molybdate (NiMoO4), complete desulfurization can be achieved by MNMO under the same reaction conditions. Characterization results show that the electronic structure and surface atomic composition of pure NiMoO4 will be modulated owing to the introduction of Mn atoms, leading to the enhancement of the oxygen vacancy content and stronger O2 activation capacity. Besides, the optimized catalyst MNMO-20 also displays satisfactory cycle performance, and the sulfur removal of dibenzothiophene still maintains 96.1% after six times of recycling. The distinctive engineering strategy and simple synthesis method provide a new insight in designing and developing oxidative desulfurization catalysts with high stability and effectivity.


1. SUMMARY In response to reports concerning the decline in enrollment in CS undergraduate programs nationwide [2], an effort began in 2006 to address this problem by running a workshop at Carnegie Mellon University titled CS4HS (Computer Science for High School). [1] This workshop provided high school teachers with course materials and information to show the breadth and application of CS to their students with the hope that this will help increase excitement about computing as a potential path for high school students when they enter college. The reach of the workshop was expanded in 2007 to include two additional universities: the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Washington. Each university had a different target audience of teachers for its workshop. In this special session, organizers at each university will describe the format of their individual workshops, describe several short exercises that were used in one or more of the workshops in the past year, show a sampling of photos and videos taken from the workshops to illustrate the effectiveness of the workshops, and share some collected data concerning the workshops with the audience. Presenters will then field questions from the audience concerning the workshops and time will be devoted to outlining how participants can get involved in running a new CS4HS workshop or attending a CS4HS workshop in their area as new workshops are organized.


Instead of using a RF coil, a novel MR signal detection method based on optical pumping is introduced. The simulated MR signals are generated via a coil which is mounted around the Rubidium vapor cell. By measuring the transmitted light intensity, magnetic fields generated by the coil could be obtained. First of all, a FID signal is detected by this method. Then 1D imaging of two point spins is also presented. Future improvements are discussed at the end of the paper. In conventional NMR or MRI techniques, the physical principles of MR signal detection are derived from Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. However, as the MR signal is proportional to the magnetic field strength, routine detection method, which makes use of the RF coil, suffers from poor sensitivity in low magnetic field. Optical pumping technique was first developed by Alfred Kastler in 1950's and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for this work in 1966. It is a process involving absorbing and emission of radiation which produces a highly non-thermal population distribution among atomic energy levels. Optical pumping is important for the develop- ment of modern atomic physics. Its applications include lasers, optically pumped magnetometers, atomic clocks and so on. Optically pumped magnetometers could be used to measure very weak magnetic fields. Recently, they have been applied in NMR or MRI to replace the RF coil(1)(2). Although the sensi- tivity of the optically pumped magnetometer is comparable to SQUID, it is difficult to build. By analyzing the experiments, a novel detection method is developed. The new method is also based on optical pumping, however, signals could be obtained just by measuring the transmitted light intensity. A brief review for optical pumping is given in the next section, followed by details of the experimental setup and the results.


I. Diversity in the United States. 1. The Changing Pattern of Immigration. 2. The Current State of Education for Diverse Students in the United States. 3. Building Partnerships with Diverse Family and Communities. II. A Case for Cases. 4. The Development and Use of Cases in Teacher Education. 5. Putting it All Together: Analyzing and Discussing a Case. III. Case Studies in Diversity. 6. Race and Ethnicity. 7. Culture and Language. 8. Exceptionality. 9. Poverty and Socioeconomic Status. 10. Gender. 11. Religion.


A structural investigation of linear ethylene-co-vinyl amine (EVAm) copolymers having a primary amine branch on every 9th, 15th, 19th, or 21st carbon along the ethylene backbone has been completed using step polymerization chemistry. Acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization has been used with symmetrical α,ω dienes containing protected amine groups to afford polymers with exact primary structures and constant methylene run lengths between branches. The effects of subtle structural changes such as the ethylene run lengths between amine branches can be observed and used to correlate structure property relationships. NMR and FT-IR techniques are used to characterize and verify the excellent structural control this synthetic approach provides over traditional chain polymerization techniques. Thermal decomposition of these copolymers is shown to additionally support polymer structure while differential scanning calorimetry demonstrates crystallinity in the polymers with an amine on every 15th and 21st c...


The prolongation of that period of life referred to as youth is well documented and accepted in the literature relating to youth. Dwyer and Wynn (2001) wrote of the new meaning of adulthood and the problem facing youth as they make a transition to a target zone that is constantly changing. The certainty of making a smooth transition to adulthood is no longer, if it ever were, assured. This study looks at a number of youth in what is often referred to as the transition phase to adulthood. They are in five different countries Brazil, France, Switzerland, Australia, and United States of America on four different continents. The individuals interviewed were generally between 18 – 30 years of age. They were asked a variety of questions relating to their prospects, hopes and aspirations for the future.


Investment in science and technology in China is comparatively insufficient, and the government should strengthen the effort in this respect. Meanwhile , distribution of scientific and technological resources is inappropriate. Investment is often improperly used, thus efficiency is lost, Therefore, effective measures should be taken in regard to the operating mechanism, state policies and administration to improve efficiency, apply economic theories to the distribution of resources and maximize the output of the investment.


Purpose

This paper aims to present the results of a systematic review of the evidence on psychometric properties of information literacy (IL) tests.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-stage search strategy was used to find relevant studies in two subject and three general databases. A descriptive review of test characteristics and psychometric properties was presented. The review included 29 studies describing psychometric properties of 18 IL tests.

Findings

It was found that the classical test theory was applied for all tests. However, the item response theory was also applied in three cases. Most of the psychometric tests were developed in the USA using ACRL IL competency standards. The most commonly used psychometric analyses include content validity, discriminant validity and internal consistency reliability.

Research limitations/implications

Only studies in English language are included in this review.

Practical implications

The study recommends that standards should be developed for the use and reporting of psychometric measures in designing IL tests. Librarians need to be trained in psychometric analysis of tests.

Originality/value

It is the first study that systematically reviewed psychometric properties of IL tests. The findings are useful for librarians who are teaching IL courses.


We consider the multilevel lot-sizing problem with production capacities (MLSP-PC), in which production and transportation decisions are made for a serial supply chain with capacitated production and concave cost functions. Existing approaches to the multistage version of this problem are limited to nonspeculative cost functions---up to now, no algorithm for the multistage version of this model with general concave cost functions has been developed. In this paper, we develop the first polynomial algorithm for the MLSP-PC with general concave costs at all of the stages, and we introduce a novel approach to overcome the limitations of previous approaches. In contrast to traditional approaches to lot-sizing problems, in which the problem is decomposed by time periods and is analyzed unidirectionally in time, we solve the problem by introducing the concept of a basis path, which is characterized by time and stage. Our dynamic programming algorithm proceeds both forward and backward in time along this basis path, enabling us to solve the problem in polynomial time.


A classification of lexicographic resources used to support text processing systems is described. Four types of dictionaries are distinguished: terminological, terminological-statistic dictionaries, thesauri, and ontologies. Opportunities for their application in various types of text processing systems are demonstrated.


DR. J. C. PETRIE: It has been estimated that 30-40% of all recognized diabetics could be managed satisfactorily by dietary measures alone if the patients were sufficiently encouraged and motivated. Many patients who do not need oral hypoglycaemic drugs are treated because they have apparently been unable to lose weight on a diet. The recent reports'2 of increased mortality from cardiovascular disease in patients on oral hypoglycaemic drugs, such as tolbutamide and phenformin, must make us re-evaluate these agents and re-emphasize the importance of diet in the management of diabetes mellitus.


Objective: In the present article, we will describe the indications for chest MRI in patients diagnosed with malignancy and its relevant role in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions and in detecting metastases.  Materials and methods: Single-center, retrospective, analytical imaging and chart-review study of all patients with a diagnosis of cancer who underwent chest MRI at the Imaging Department of A.C. Camargo Cancer Center from January 2014 through December 2016. Information was collected through an electronic questionnaire and exported to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Data were then processed in Action Stat 3 software. Descriptive analysis was conducted with conventional measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and dispersion (range, variance, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation), as well as calculation of absolute and relative frequencies. Results: The leading indication for chest MRI was post-treatment follow-up. Chest MRI was most often requested by the Departments of Thoracic Surgery and Clinical Oncology. In most cases, the results of chest MRI led to maintenance of the current treatment plan rather than a change in management. Conclusion: Magnetic resonance imaging has several applications in evaluation of the chest, and can be used by various specialties and subspecialties. In the present study, post-treatment follow-up and maintenance of current therapy were the most common indication and management, respectively.


A numerical analysis for large amplitude motions of submerged circular cylinder is presented. The method is based on potential theory and two-dimensional motions in regular harmonic waves are tented as an initial value problem. The fully nonlinear free surface boundary condition is assumed in an inner domain and this solution is matched along an assumed an assumed common boundary to a linear solution in outer domain. Calculations of the large amplitude motion of a submerged circular cylinder are directly simulated in time domain. It is shown that relative motion between the body and fluid particle gives a significant effect on the lift and drift motions.


The most likely stream is an extension of the most likely path. It solves at a small algorithmic cost the known defect of the most likely path (i.e. underestimation of the convexity). It offers a fast and robust method to transform a local volatility surface into an implied volatility one. This paper presents new theoretical results accompanied with graphs for better intuition on the problem.


Individuals develop three types of cognitions in the aftermath of a traumatic experience: negative cognitions about the self, negative cognitions about the world, and self-blame (Foa et al., 1999 ). Although the relationship of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic cognitions has been supported in literature, memory-related responses affecting this relationship need further exploration. It was the intention of the present study to address this gap by examining the moderating role of emotional intensity of trauma memory in the relationship between posttraumatic cognitions and PTSD symptoms. In a sample of survivors of typhoon Haiyan ( N = 632), one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, it was found that in general, negative cognitions about the self and the world, but not self-blame, predict PTSD symptoms; and emotional intensity of trauma memory generally moderates the relationship between posttraumatic cognitions and PTSD. The findings of the study would be useful in the development and enhancement of interventions to help the survivors of natural disasters in maintaining their mental health and wellbeing.


1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria 2 Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria 3 Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria 4 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria


In this letter, we propose a vein-based biometric verification system relying on deep learning. A novel approach consisting of a convolutional neural network (CNN), trained in a supervised manner, cascaded with an auto-encoder, trained in an unsupervised way, is here exploited. In more detail, a novel densely-connected convolutional autoencoder is here used on top of backbone CNNs. This architecture aims at increasing the discriminative capability of the features generated from hand vein patterns. Experimental tests on finger, palm, and dorsal veins show that the proposed approach leads to an improvement of the recognition rates with respect to the use of the sole CNNs for feature extraction. The achieved performance are superior to the current state of the art in vein biometric verification.


Physical quantities such as mass loss rate, heat release rate, and total heat release are often measured through a cone calorimeter (a representative bench-scale apparatus) and are primarily considered as values per unit area. Hence, the uniformity of radiant heat flux supplied by the cone heater to the specimen is very important with respect to the measurement results' validity. In this study, on the basis of the ISO 5660 standard, the uniformity of radiant heat flux at the specimen surface was evaluated for the cone heaters used with the cone calorimeter. It is observed that a normal cone heater (NCH) compliant with the ISO 5660-1 standard satisfies the requirement of uniformity within a range of ± 2% in the central 5 cm × 5 cm area, but it has a large deviation of approximately 13% at the position corresponding to the edge of the specimen. In addition, the duration of NCH usage does not significantly affect the distribution of radiant heat flux. Furthermore, it is observed that a large cone heater compliant with the ISO/TC 5660-4 standard can supply moderately-uniform radiant heat flux over the entire surface area (10 cm × 10 cm) of the specimen.


President Obama's call in Prague to complete the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was widely praised on the global stage. But what will be entailed for the United States to ratify the CTBT and reinvigorate international efforts to secure the remaining signatures and ratifications so that the Treaty can at last enter into force? When deciding whether to vote for or against international treaties and agreements, Senators need to consider the net benefit of that treaty for the United States. In other words, considering all aspects, on balance is the United States' national security increased by ratifying the treaty or is it diminished? Senators should evaluate the totality of the treaty and assess the answers to a range of questions, such as the following: If US nuclear testing was followed by Chinese and Russian nuclear tests, would this likely diminish US security? Are US nuclear forces diminished by relying on the Stockpile Stewardship Program as compared to nuclear testing? If so, is it significant for the different warhead types in the enduring stockpile? What are the missions for US nuclear warheads and which of these have extremely high demands for weapons reliability? How much are US monitoring capabilities enhanced with the CTBT International Monitoring System (IMS) in place? Can the US obtain on-site inspection access without a CTBT? Is the nuclear nonproliferation regime stronger and better off with or without the CTBT? This article addresses these important questions and provides an up-to-date political and technical analysis of the CTBT and its role in US security and nuclear nonproliferation policy. First we need to recall what happened last time the CTBT came before the Senate, and consider the consequences of the Senate vote against CTBT ratification on 13 October, 1999. Ratification was defeated by 48 votes to 51, falling far short of the necessary two-thirds Senate majority. This vote was forced prematurely after a curtailed debate by Senator Jesse Helms (Republican, North Carolina), then Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, citing procedural grounds. This was most unfortunate, as the treaty fell victim to partisan politics in the Senate which was bitterly divided along party lines at the time over issues unrelated to the CTBT's subject matter and content. Before the vote, 62 Senators (24 Republicans and 38 Democrats) had circulated a letter sponsored by Senators John Warner (Republican, Virginia) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democrat, New York), calling on Majority Leader Trent Lott (Republican, Mississippi) and Minority Leader Tom Daschle (Democrat, South Dakota) to halt the vote, since they feared that the CTBT would not be considered on its own merits. Describing the 1999 ratification debacle in detail in Foreign Affairs, Terry Deibel concludes: "Looking back, the Senate's defeat of the CTBT may well have been a turning point in American statecraft if not in world politics, marking at least a setback for efforts to regulate weapons through detailed arms control treaties, and possibly their end. The Senate's action also may have been a watershed in the politics of American foreign policy, for the treaty's failure was an important triumph for unilateralism – a conservative strain of Republican thought that now struggles for control of George W. Bush's foreign policy against the cooperative internationalism that


Customer satisfaction is very important for the sustainability of a company. Whether or not consumers are satisfied with a company has an impact on the company. Likewise, the Business Wisdom Institute (BWI), which is a service provider company engaged in training, needs to maintain customer satisfaction in order to maintain the continuity of the company. This study aims to determine the effect of customer experience, service quality, and brand image on the satisfaction of the Business Wisdom Institute training participants. This type of research uses a quantitative approach and the method of analysis is multiple linear regression analysis. The subjects in this study were the participants of the Business Wisdom Institute training as many as 100 respondents and using a purposive sampling technique. The results of this study indicate that customer experience and brand image  have a significant effect on the satisfaction of Business Wisdom Institute training participants, whereas service quality has no significant effect on the satisfaction of Business Wisdom Institute training participants.


Molecular diffusion fluxes derived from kinetic theory are investigated. New expressions for molecular flux given by Stefan - Maxwell relationships derived for any level of Sonine's polynomial expansion are presented withcorresponding coefficients, and analysed. The accuracy of the coefficients is investigated. New simplified expressions for multicomponent diffusion coefficients are introduced, and compared with the predictions of kinetic theory for high orders of Sonine's polynomial expansions.


A multivariate conditional joint probability distribution of a set of K normalized structure factors has been developed using a novel approach. The covariance matrix of the distribution is calculated for all the space groups in terms of linear combinations of specific unitary structure factors. It is shown that if any number of off-diagonal elements are set arbitrarily to zero, an approximation is obtained to the covariance matrix which corresponds to a particular set of a priori conditions. The importance of this result in practical phase-determining methods is pointed out. Group theory is used to obtain results valid for all space groups. The multivariate distribution is used to calculate more general versions of the Cochran and Woolfson sign probability and the Karle and Hauptman tangent formulae.


The empirical application of stochastic dominance in the selection of crop alternatives under risk has typically been based on a step function specification of the empirical cumulative distribution function (cdf). This specification has questionable consequences for the analysis, particularly with regards to the tails of the distribution. This article proposes an alternative nonparametric approach based on a nonparametric regression of the cdf. The effect of this alternative specification is then demonstrated using data from Northern Florida. Results are more realistic. The first-degree stochastic dominance results are less discriminating under the new specification while the second-degree results are more discriminating.


A road-killed specimen of the little-known Ethiopian Genet Genetta abyssinica was collected on 22 January 2004 on the Addis Ababa – Dira Dewa highway, about 2 km from the boundary of the Awash National Park, Ethiopia (about 1,000 m asl). It is deposited at the Zoological Natural History Museum, Addis Ababa University.


High‐density lipoproteins (HDL) are well known for their atheroprotective function, mainly due to their ability to remove cell cholesterol and to exert antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities. Through the same mechanisms HDL could also affect the development and progression of tumors. Cancer cells need cholesterol to proliferate, especially in hormone‐dependent tumors, as prostate cancer (PCa). Aim of the study was to investigate the ability of HDL to modulate cholesterol content and metabolism in androgen receptor (AR)‐positive and AR‐null PCa cell lines and the consequences on cell proliferation. HDL inhibited colony formation of LNCaP and PC3 cells. HDL reduced cell cholesterol content and proliferation of LNCaP cells loaded with low‐density lipoproteins but were not effective on PC3 cells. Here, the expression of the ATP‐binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) was markedly reduced due to proteasome degradation. Bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, restored ABCA1 expression and HDL ability to promote cholesterol removal from PC3; consequently, HDL inhibited the proliferation of PC3 cells induced by LDL only after bortezomib pre‐treatment. In conclusion, the antiproliferative activity of HDL on AR‐positive and AR‐null PCa cells also rely on cholesterol removal, a process in which the ABCA1 transporter plays a key role.


Abstract Background: Predicting prognosis of patients with decom-pensated liver cirrhosis remains an important issue. Aim of Study: This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of different patients' characteristics and risk scores as regard patients' outcome (death or survival). Patients and Methods: 672 patients with different com-plications of cirrhosis (gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, SBP, HRS and ascites) who were admitted to the National Liver Institute Hospital between 2015 and 2018 were included in this study. On admission to the hospital, assessment of patients by routine laboratory work-up (liver and kidney function tests and complete blood count), ultrasound of the abdomen, upper endoscopy for those with bleeding and ascitic fluid sampling for those with ascites. MELD, MELD-Na, CTP, ALBI and PALBI grades were calculated for all patients. At the end of hospitalization, patients outcomes were stratified as survived or died. Patients clinical and laboratory parameters were correlated with hospital mortality. Receiver Operating Curves (ROC) for risk scores were plotted to discriminate the predictive power of risk scores versus mor-tality. Results: The overall hospital mortality was 27.1%. Uni-variate analysis revealed age, total and direct bilirubin, albumin, transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, INR, serum creatinine, BUN, serum sodium and white cells count as significant, while multivariate analysis concluded age, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), serum sodium (Na), INR and white blood cells count significance with hospital mortality, (p < 0.05). The area under receiver operating curve for MELD-Na was (0.85), MELD score (0.84), CTP score (0.82), AlBI grade (0.75) and PALBI grade (0.75), p < 0.001. Conclusion: MELD-Na and MELD scores are good pre-dictors for prognosis of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. But, ALBI and PALBI grade are promising scores which needs more validation.


The UNFPOS were first adopted in 1994 by the United Nations Statistical Commission. These principles were subsequently endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2013 and the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. Statistical laws in the Caribbean have lagged in incorporating the UNFPOS. However, in some cases, National Statistical Offices (NSO) are implementing the principles in practice.


The gestation period for the Russian draft Treaty of European Security was unusually long. Newly elected Dmitry Medvedev announced on May 8, 2008, that he was going to come up with a new plan for European security, and the draft treaty was only published on November 30, 2009...the invitation to alliances and international organizations to become signatories has two objectives. One is to strengthen the legitimacy of the weak organizations founded and supported by Russia (the CIS (Commonwealth of Indepedent States) and CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization). The other goal is to dilute somewhat the collective security obligations of NATO members. According to the draft treaty, the policies of existing "military alliances" are not supposed to impact negatively the security of other parties. It is not clear at all how the approval of the treaty by alliances/organization would affect the relationships of their members vis-a-vis the treaty.


The invention belongs to the radar technical field and particularly relates to a radar target detection technology, which comprises the following steps: firstly, in a radar period, arranging Nt groups of radar receiving signals subjected to matched filtering process into a two-dimensional array B of data space according to range r-time t: Bti=[dNr, d[Nr-t],...d1] , wherein 1<= i<=Nt, and B represents the radar receiving signal at a time point ti; transforming coordinates of the Bti to a parametric space with intercept b-slope k; moving the array Bti to achieve such a mapping that each speed (namely slope) kj, -kmax<=kj<= +kmax: moving array Bti downwards by |kjti| units for ki larger than 0, removing data between d1 and d[kjti] and adding 0 in front of d[NR]; and moving array Bti upwards by |kjti| units for ki less than 0, removing data between d[kjti+1] to d[NR], and adding 0 behind d1 to obtain a two-dimensional array Dti in the parametric space; calculating sigma Dti and detecting in a set threshold; and finally subjecting the target position detected in the parametric space to reverse coordinatet ransformation to obtain a motion trajectory of a radar target in the r-t data space within the radar period. The invention can greatly reduce the computation amount, thus improving the radar target detection speed and facilitating the realtime detection of the radar target.


Horse dung and clayey soil blended in presence of water are the base materials for aesthetic shelf construction. Women are the knowledge bearers of this construction technology. This technology is almost obsolete and requires revival. This paper details the materials, compositional features, process and techniques in the manufacture of this composite material. With curing and aging this composite gains compressive strength and is at par with the conventionally available cement products and which are environment friendly. It also implies substitution of this low cost composite material instead of cement products in construction. A novel method to manage horse dung as a resource is also enumerated.


ECLAT '90 ― Laser materials processing being focussed on The 3rd European Conference on Laser Treatment of Materials (ECLAT), organized by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Warmebehandlung und Werkstofftechnik (AWT), was held from 17th to 19th of September in Erlangen/Germany. The main topics of the conference were cutting, welding and surface treatment of materials


The effect of seasonal variation on the biochemical contents of the tender leaves of Lasia spinosa has been investigated. The concentration of nutrient like protein, fat, iron, calcium, potassium and ascorbic acid were found to increase during the monsoon season except carbohydrates and fibers. Among the non-nutrients but health protective phytochemicals as total alkaloids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds also showed increasing value during monsoon than pre-monsoon in Lasia spinosa. Therefore, the monsoon season could be adjudged as the best season for harvesting and consumption of the green Lasia to maximize the nutritional and medicinal potency when used for herbal formulation and as vegetable respectively.


Purpose

Drawing on the overarching framework of social capital theory, the purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically examine networking behaviour and employability within the higher education context.

Design/methodology/approach

In a sample of 376 full-time business students the authors measured perceived employability, networking behaviour, access to information and resources and job-search learning goal orientation (JSLGO).

Findings

The authors found networking is related to increased internal and external perceived employability by boosting access to information and resources. The results also demonstrate that networking is positively related to access to information and resources for low and high JSLGO, the relationship being stronger for those with higher levels.

Research limitations/implications

The results provide an enriched view of individual networking behaviour by offering an indirect model of networking outcomes and to the graduate employability and social capital literatures.

Practical implications

The findings may provide focus for individuals concerned with enhancing their employability and those involved in supporting career guidance.

Originality/value

Obvious beneficiaries are students, for whom employment is a key concern, and universities who face increasing pressure to enhance graduate employability whilst resources to do so are diminishing. To this end the authors highlight activities that may develop networking behaviours and JSLGO.


Aim To investigate the effects of advanced glycation end-products(AGE) on endothelial nitric oxide synthase type 3(NOS-3) and whether estrogen may influence such effects,then to discover the underlying mechanisms. Methods Cultured human umbilical endothelial cells were administered with different concentrations of AGE and/or estrogen,then western blotting was applied to detect the variation of NOS-3 and Akt protein expression. Results After the administration of AGE(50,100 and 200 mg/L) for 4 h,endothelial cells exhibited lower protein expression of NOS-3 and Akt;after administration of estrogen(10-9,10-8 and 10-7 mol/L),endothelial cells presented higher protein expression of NOS-3 and Akt.Furthermore,with the pretreatment of estrogen(10-8mol/L),the inhibition on NOS-3 protein expression by AGE(100 mg/L) was remarkably ameliorated.As for protein kinase Akt,it demonstrated similar changes. Conclusions AGE could notably suppress the protein expression of NOS-3 in endothelial cells,while estrogen could effectively ameliorate this suppression.The protective effects of estrogen might relate to its positive regulation on the up-stream signaling protein kinase Akt.


Introduction: Anterior knee pain (AKP) is one of the common problems in active people specially, women. One of the consequences of this impairment is its effects on postural control which include static postural stability to dynamic activities. The aim of this study was to compare functions of patients with AKP according to different levels of sensory information and perturbation and the study of the interactions between these factors.
Materials and Methods: A case – control study was performed on two groups of 30 (18-35 years) healthy subjects and AKP patients. Balance was evaluated in two different occasions standing on the affected limb on two different unstable levels of Biodex stability system with eyes open and eyes closed. Total stability index and percent maintaining in zone A were evaluated for postural control.
Results: Multiple analyses of variance showed that the main effects of health status (p=0.04), base of support (P = 0.000) and visual information (P = 0.000) and the interaction between visual information and base of support (P = 0.002) on total stability index were significant.
 Conclusion: The result of this study emphasizes the importance of properioception and visual information on the maintenance of dynamic balance. The dependence of both studied groups on visual information in the difficult levels of postural task was another finding of this study
Keywords: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, Postural Balance


In this study, the morphology of pollen grains of 15 species of Asteraceae collected in the "cerros" of the "Campanha" of Rio Grande do Sul are presented. The aim of this investigation was provided characteristics for the identifi cation of pollen grain of the taxa of this family. The pollen grains of species from three "cerros" of "Campanha" of the State were characterized, collected in the Alegrete city ("Cerro do Tigre") and Quarai city ("Cerro do Jarau" and "Cerro da Tapera"). Besides the pollen grain morphological description, the data are compared to information of the pollen production and statistical analysis of the compare among pollen attributes of the species. The pollen description combined with other approaches demonstrated to be resource suitable for use in the identifi cation of palynomorph in the "Campanha" of the State, since the grouping or separation of taxa according to their morphological diff erences provide information that contribute for better characterize Asteraceae pollen family in Rio Grande do Sul.


Bulk ZnO samples, epitaxially grown ZnO layers, and ZnO nanostructures frequently exhibit a characteristic emission band at $3.31\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{eV}$ photon energy whose origin is controversially discussed in the literature. Partly, this omnipresent band is ascribed to $(e,{A}^{0})$ transitions of conduction band electrons to acceptors, which are abundant in relatively high concentrations but have not positively been identified. The band is, in particular, often reported after intentional $p$-type doping of ZnO, preferentially with group V species. In the present work, we study the $3.31\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{eV}$ band by low-temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) with high spatial resolution, by scanning electron microscopy, and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Line shape analyses at different temperatures give clear evidence that the band originates from an $(e,{A}^{0})$ transition where the acceptor binding energy is $(130\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$. The $3.31\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{eV}$ luminescence is exclusively emitted from distinct lines on sample surfaces and cross sections representing intersections with basal planes of the wurtzite hexagons. Correlating monochromatic CL images with TEM images, we conclude that the localized acceptor states causing the $3.31\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{eV}$ luminescence are located in basal plane stacking faults.


This executive order by Governor David M. Beasley directs appropriate personnel to ring the State Capitol bells thirteen times at two o'clock p.m. on July 4, 1995 to celebrate the holiday.


Central Asia is no longer the terra incognito instead of the epicenter of the Asia and widely recognized as the heartland of Eurasia. Located in the middle of Eurasia, Central Asia is surrounded by Russia in the north, China in the East, Caspian Sea in the west and Afghanistan in the south. Because of its unique positioning, the region today is critically important on the world's geopolitical, energy and transportation network systems. Emerged out of the ashes of dissolution of the largest geopolitical landmass on earth – the Soviet Union, the 'Five Stans' (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) as a single geopolitical entity has emerged as a new hotspot of global politics by virtue of its huge untapped hydrocarbon potentials and promises of new discoveries. That is perhaps the reason that Central Asia remained in global limelight even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and evolved as the grand chessboard for the countries of the region and beyond. In this premise, this article endeavours to examine the role of energy resources in Central Asian geopolitics and maps out India's policy options in the ambitious pursuit for oil and energy in the heartland region widely known to be the traditional hinterland of Russia, rim land of the US and new chessboard for China.


We study the asymptotic limit as the density ratio ρ−/ρ+ → 0, where ρ+ and ρ− are the densities of two perfect incompressible 2-D/3-D fluids, separated by a surface of discontinuity along which the pressure jump is proportional to the mean curvature of the moving surface. Mathematically, the fluid motion is governed by the two-phase incompressible Euler equations with vortex sheet data. By rescaling, we assume the density ρ+ of the inner fluid is fixed, while the density ρ− of the outer fluid is set to ε. We prove that solutions of the free-boundary Euler equations in vacuum are obtained in the limit as ε → 0.


Constraints on species abundances are examined through time using permanent plot data from the Buell-Small Successional Study. Abundance is represented by the cover of species in 1-m 2 quadrats. Variance of total cover of species was compared to a patch based null model, which assumes no interactions between species. We found significant variance deficit in the total abundance of species in each year of the secondary succession, except the very early stage. The deficit, interpreted as the degree of constraint on abundance, fluctu- ates over time with no simple trend. We explain this pattern as a competition-based assembly rule in secondary succession. Our results suggest that assembly rules are more clearly ex- pressed during the process of community assembly than in mature communities. If functional groups are considered sepa- rately, the variations of their abundances show significant deviation from randomness only during the period when the particular functional group is dominant across sampling units. Extending the 'Three phase' model of Gitay & Wilson (1995), we propose a 'Multiple phase' model for forest succession, that is, a composition of three-phase dynamics of distinct functional groups.


ABSTRACT In the context of Sub-Saharan Africa's demographic boom, the issue of youth employment has become a major concern. Many debates are ongoing regarding agriculture's role in the structural transformation process and providing jobs. In this regard, we explore the opportunity of an agroecological intensification of family farming. We analyze data from agricultural households in the Niayes area of Senegal collected in 2019 and use a clustering method to group farms and rank them according to agroecological practices. Diversity and livestock integration are the most differentiating factors across the identified farming systems. Considering labor allocation complexity within family farms, we compare employment indicators between farming systems to look for agroecology's effect on agricultural work. We observe diversity in the intensity of labor requirements across the different systems but no overall increase for the most agroecological. However, women working hours appear significantly increased for two groups suggesting a substitution with wage workers for the most agroecological systems.


The quantum reduced entropy properties of a V-type three-level atom interacting with the two-mode odd-even entangled coherent field in Kerr medium are studied by means of quantum theory.The effects of the Kerr medium's coupling constant,the detuning,mean photon numbers of the fields on the entropy are discussed.The results show that the coupling strength of Kerr medium with the field influences the frequency of the entropy.The maximum values of entropy evolution decreases with the increasing of the detuning,meanwhile the frequencies increase,and the needed time to get the maximum value from the initial value zero is longer.When the mean photon numbers are too less or too more,the maximum values of entropy oscillation are much smaller.


It is evident that the current development of Chinese rural financial market lags behind that of the urban financial market.Only by speeding up the development of rural financial market can we ensure the construction of new Chinese socialist countryside.The present paper makes an analysis of the current financial markets in China,and puts forward some suggestions on how to construct Chinese rural financial market on the basis of the successful cases abroad and the special state situation of China.


In recent years, there has been significant growth and burgeoning interest in utilizing nanoparticles for various biomedical applications, including medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and biomedical textiles. In particular, nanoparticles functionalized with biological molecules have unique properties and are very effective in medical diagnostics. Besides that, nanoparticles have a wide range of therapeutic applications, including the development of nanodrug delivery systems, the design of novel drugs, as well as their contribution to the design of therapeutic materials. This chapter provides an overview of recent advancements in the biomedical applications of nanoparticles. Finally, this chapter discusses the challenges of the toxicological evaluation of engineered nanoparticles and the importance of conducting detailed studies on the synthesis of future nanomaterials to develop cutting-edge technologies for addressing a wide range of biomedical issues.


Highlight Ray capture worldwide using variety fishing gear. Efficiency of fishing gear used in capture ray species among countries. The maturation size for female and male ray according to species present. Bycatch issues of elasmobranch in small and large scale fisheries. Suitable fishing gear to capture ray species at particular country. Abstract A coral reef is one of the important ecosystems. However coral Gillnets are usually used as a fishing gear by an artisanal fishery in Malaysia. This gear is commonly used by most countries. This paper discussed the rays capture worldwide by using a variety of fishing gear and also bycatch issues that commonly happen. The efficiency of the fishing gear used in capture ray species is compared and discussed among the countries. This paper distinguishes the maturation size for the female and male ray according to the species presence. The bycatch scenario is also discussed as the majority of this elasmobranch (shark and ray) which is caught as bycatch in both small scale fisheries (gill nets, long lines and hooks) and large scale fisheries (bottom trawl and purse seine). This paper explains the suitable type of fishing gear to use to capture ray species in a particular country.