The Council of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) held its twentieth session on October 14–18, 1963, under the chairmanship of Mr. D. Ramon Huidobro, permanent Chilean representative to the European Office of the UN. ICEM Director B. W. Haveman keynoted a discussion of ICEM's proper role with his request that fuller use be made of ICEM's migration machinery which, he pointed out, had aided in the resettlement of some one and one-quarter million people during the past eleven years. Mr. Haveman's proposals for future action included: 1) making the good offices and machinery of ICEM available in areas in which ICEM did not at present operate; 2) establishing improved reception and placement services, especially in Latin America; 3) exploring the possibilities of making the fullest use of ICEM in carrying out governmental migration policies and programs; and 4) encouraging the settlement of European farmers in Latin America.


Validation of image segmentation methods is of critical importance. Probabilistic image segmentation is increasingly popular as it captures uncertainty in the results. Image segmentation methods that support multi-region (as opposed to binary) delineation are more favourable as they capture interactions between the different objects in the image. The Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) has been a popular metric for evaluating the accuracy of automated or semi-automated segmentation methods by comparing their results to the ground truth. In this work, we develop an extension of the DSC to multi-region probabilistic segmentations (with unordered labels). We use bipartite graph matching to establish label correspondences and propose two functions that extend the DSC, one based on absolute probability differences and one based on the Aitchison distance. These provide a robust and accurate measure of multi-region probabilistic segmentation accuracy.


In this work, we presented a new way for the functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with the use of biomass as starting materials and introduced a novel concept of knitting process in the chemistry of CNTs for the first time. A mixture of aromatic compounds obtained from the hydrothermal treatment of biomass, rather than the traditional polymer monomers, was used as the nanoscale building blocks to knit an oxygenated network-coat on the CNTs layer-by-layer. It is an effective, mild, green and easily-controlled method for the functionalization of CNTs. The obtained f-CNTs were proved to be a promising catalyst support for metal catalysts, such as Ru/f-CNTs, showed high activity and selectivity for the hydrogenation of citral to unsaturated alcohol. More importantly, we opened a pioneering way for the conversion of low-cost, abundant and renewable biomass into a hydrophilic/chemical reactive network-coat on the inert surface of a wide range of sp2carbon materials, such as prevalent fullerene, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanohorns and hot grapheneetc.


An attempt is made to clarify the nature and relevance of the psychodynamic perspective for the work of action researchers and organization consultants. Since this perspective is grounded in psychoanalytic theory and clinical psychology, some important distinctions need to be made between the various work-domains of the consultant/action researcher and the classic individual psychoanalytic session. The author argues that without explicit reference to observable data, interventions may in fact pervert rather than facilitate learning and development. This argument is illustrated by vignettes grouped together under: (a) questionable interventions in group-relations conferences, (b) self-reflections and interpretations as a cult, and (c) the individual in interaction with the group.


Objective: Resilence is known to be a major risk factor for the development of primary hypertension. Persisting overcompensation during mental irritation increases pH values and oxygen binding in blood samples by respiratory overcompensation. Is this metabolic effect dependent on blood pressure values? Design and method: 23 healthy young officer trainees were tested for pCO2, O2 saturation, pH values (PhOX-M, TECOM, Austria) and blood pressure values (Beurer, Ulm, Germany) during the sympatho-adrenal anticipation phase before their first parachute jump. Both, the entire group as well as two subgroups, consisting of systolic blood pressure values above average and below average (normal values) have been investigated. Results: The relation pH/pCO2, indicative of breathing frequency and acid management shows a rather weak negative linear correlation in the entire group (r = 0.329). The normal systolic blood pressure group shows no correlation at all, the high systolic blood pressure group developed a highly significant negative correlation of pH/CO2 (r = 0.656, p < 0.001). At the same time, O2 saturation increases with increasingly alkaline blood and decreasing pCO2 (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Mental stimulation increases blood pH by respiratory overcompensation and thereby increases O2 binding. Consequently, less O2 reaches e.g. heart tissue at higher demand during a sympatho-adrenal anticipation phase, which is by no means uncommom during day-to-day exertions. This symptom is much less significant at normal blood pressure values, but highly significant at higher systolic blood pressure values. Therefore, increased systolic blood pressure values institute an integral part of significantly negative metabolic effects upon the heart during even commonplace mental stimulation or irritation.


Listen right to the end of this... it's not what you're expecting, even if you think you know what it is.

Did I disappoint you or


A thesis submitted to the Department of Material Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment for the degree MSc. Environmental Resource Management, 2013


Across Australia, Federal, State and Territory governments are engaged in a collaborative visionary approach to environmental and natural resource management (NRM), which relies on devolved regional NRM delivery based on long-term community-owned plans. A key component to the human and environmental effectiveness of such partnerships is a program and performance monitoring and evaluation system tied to natural resource condition, which seeks to identify and incorporate improvement opportunities. The challenge is to ensure that such a program and performance monitoring and evaluation system delivers benefits to all and does not degenerate into a perfunctory performance audit.


Mass spectrometry can be used for amino acid sequence determination in β-lysine-containing peptides and for the identification of α- and β-lysine residues in peptides, as well as for amide bond type determination in β-lysine peptides. The peptide bond in streptothricin D is shown to be formed through the participation of an e-amino group of the L-β-lysine residue.


The Cauca corridor, comprised between Santander de Quilichao and Piendamo populations, is one of the many territorial realities that enrich both cultural and ethnographic diversity of Colombia. Many "new" dynamics are occurred in this region about this diversity, and the project that we present is focused on – from the creation-researching- and by means of a direct interpretation that territorial diversity. Based on the photography and the sound landscape, we pretend to show a possible idea of cultural territory (ies), and it is surrounding the exhibiting sketch that this idea of "habitat" has been forming. The difficulties that the project tackles put the focal point to demonstrate that "other" visions are possible thanks to the reflective spaces suggested by visual design and art; and especially define the problem around the new identitarian narratives arose from post-conflict. Supported by qualitative methodology, ethnographically, the project goes deep into the exploration of the multicultural territoriality. First, developing inspection dynamics and documentation of visual and sound perspectives around the socio-cultural speech and then, implementing from visual fields (photographic image) and sound (soundscapes) a contest understanding, of actors and/ or "places". We wanted to show a territory self-constructed as a defined cultural imaginary.


maximum rotation occurred between baseline and 2 weeks (p < 0.0001). Mean IOL rotation in the first 2 weeks was 2.52 1.89 degrees with a maximal rotation of 9.2 degrees in one patient. Similarly, in the control group, IOL rotation was greater in the first 2 weeks (p < 0.0001) with a maximum rotation of 1.90 degrees. The mean IOL rotation at 90 days was significantly greater in the myopic group (3.0 1.76 degrees) compared with the control group (1.44 0.39 degrees, p < 0.0004).


Abstract Pre-service teachers on the verge of beginning their careers in the classroom find themselves looking for new and challenging ways of looking at the task set squarely before them; namely, they benefit from a new perspective on the familiar topics of teaching and learning. Using teacher lore in a methods course offers students a number of benefits that might not be addressed through other, more traditional avenues of study. Teacher narratives both provoke and challenge the habitual perceptions that pre-service teachers tend to have just as they enter the classroom. Teacher stories help students to see explicitly the connection between what they believe about good pedagogy and what they have experienced as students in the years leading up to the start of their teaching careers. Teacher lore also increases the chances for empathetic teaching, as well as reflective practice. And finally, using teacher lore affords students the chance to see the richness and complexity of teaching and holds forth the opportunity to hasten their own maturity as young classroom teachers.


The invention relates to a transfusion container, in particular to a seamless transparent plastic transfusion soft bag packaging container with two openings, produced by a blow molding technology, with polypropylene as a raw material. The soft bag packaging container comprises a larger opening part, a body part and a smaller opening part which are integrally formed. A ratio of length to width of a cross-section of the container is within 2 to 4, so that the transfusion container is easy to contract and deform inwards along a minor axis. An air suction needle is not required in use, the liquid is stably discharged from the container at a substantially constant speed in the transfusion process, and the surface in the short axis direction is uniformly inwards deformed so as to avoid any irregular bends such as torsion. When the transfusion container is used in a hospital, a solid medicine is dissolved by a special transfusion-powder needle medicine dispenser through a small opening, so that the defect of transfusion of a powder liquid double-chamber bag can be overcome. The transfusion container disclosed by the invention is economical and practical, and conforms to the transfusion standard of the hospital and successfully replaces the powder liquid double-chamber bag.


During an inflammatory response, lymphocyte recruitment into tissue must be tightly controlled because dysregulated trafficking contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic disease. Here we show that during inflammation and in response to adiponectin, B cells tonically inhibit T cell trafficking by secreting a peptide (PEPITEM) proteolytically derived from 14.3.3.ζδ protein. PEPITEM binds cadherin-15 on endothelial cells, promoting synthesis and release of sphingosine-1 phosphate, which inhibits trafficking of T cells without affecting recruitment of other leukocytes. Expression of adiponectin receptors on B cells and adiponectin induced PEPITEM secretion wanes with age, implying immune senescence of the pathway. Additionally, these changes are evident in individuals with type-1-diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, and circulating PEPITEM in patient serum is reduced compared to healthy age matched donors. In both diseases, tonic inhibition of T cell trafficking across inflamed endothelium is lost. Importantly, control of patient T cell trafficking is re-established by exogenous PEPITEM. Moreover, in animal models of peritonitis, hepatic I/R injury, Salmonella infection, Uveitis and Sjögren's Syndrome, PEPITEM could reduce T cell recruitment into inflamed tissues.


During the first several minutes of an explosive volcanic eruption, the flow in the column above the vent is unsteady even if the discharge from the vent is steady. At a fixed location in the column, parameters such as temperature and ash content change with time until steady flow conditions are established. For conditions believed to be typical of fountain-forming silicic eruptions of intermediate volume, numerical simulations show unsteadiness in temperature, plume diameter, mass flux, vertical velocity, and particle concentration. In addition to the steady mass flux from the vent, we have identified three sources of mass and heat flux into the column: (1) recirculation of pyroclastic flow material into the base of the column (low elevation inward flow); (2) ash entrained from the top of the pyroclastic flow by atmospheric inflow back toward the column (higher-elevation inward flow); and (3) waves reflected within the pyroclastic flow if it encounters topographic obstacles. The thermal and mass flux pulses cause variations in column diameter and fountain height. Changing column diameter would be expected to be manifested in changes in fallout deposits (e.g., by shifts in clast isopleths). These temporal variations (if observed, for example, by satellite measurements of temperature pulses or pulses or inferred from field observations of deposit stratigraphy) could be misinterpreted as indicating source variations such as source mass flux, volatile content, or vent diameter, when, in fact, they result from fluid mechanical processes.


Topic models have recently emerged as powerful tools for modeling topical trends in documents. Often the resulting topics are broad and generic, associating large groups of people and issues that are loosely related. In many cases, it may be desirable to influence the direction in which topic models develop. In this paper, we explore the idea of centering topics around people. In particular, given a large corpus of images featuring collections of people and associated captions, it seems natural to extract topics specifically focussed on each person. What words are most associated with George Bush? Which with Condoleezza Rice? Since people play such an important role in life, it is natural to anchor one topic to each person. In this paper, we present People-LDA, which uses the coherence efface images in news captions to guide the development of topics. In particular, we show how topics can be refined to be more closely related to a single person (like George Bush) rather than describing groups of people in a related area (like politics). To do this we introduce a new graphical model that tightly couples images and captions through a modern face recognizer. In addition to producing topics that are people specific (using images as a guiding force), the model also performs excellent soft clustering efface images, using the language model to boost performance. We present a variety of experiments comparing our method to recent developments in topic modeling and joint image-language modeling, showing that our model has lower perplexity for face identification than competing models and produces more refined topics.


A student information system provides a simple interface for the easy collation and maintenance of all manner of student information. The creation and management of accurate, up-to-date information regarding students' academic careers is critical students and for the faculties and administration ofSebha University in Libya and for any other educational institution. A student information system deals with all kinds of data from enrollment to graduation, including program of study, attendance record, payment of fees and examination results to name but a few. All these dataneed to be made available through a secure, online interface embedded in auniversity's website. To lay the groundwork for such a system, first we need to build the student database to be integrated with the system. Therefore we proposed and implementedan online web-based system, which we named the student data system (SDS),to collect and correct all student data at Sebha University. The output of the system was evaluated by using a similarity (Euclidean distance) algorithm. The results showed that the new data collected by theSDS can fill the gaps and correct the errors in the old manual data records.


actors were frequently seated or still, suggesting a yearning for tranquility in otherwise fragmented and fearful lives. Working with the scenery, DeLorenzo positioned actors against the negative space to show the emotional isolation felt by many (Jean, Dwight, Mrs. Gottlieb) and the tepid humanity of others (Gordon and his coworker). But changes of scenes were comically abrupt, even aggressive, with scenery almost yanked from the stage. More than once, characters, Jean especially, were left stumbling to right themselves as the furniture disappeared, resulting in the loss of what little sense of emplacement characters had found. One could almost hear DeLorenzo shouting "Allegro!" during rehearsals. Visually, the effect reinforced the play's concerns with the frenetic tempo of contemporary life.


The current atmospheres in Mozambique and Angola--with their decades of war, crackdown of protests, marginalized regions, and lack of electoral turnover—have raised questions about each countries' ability to efficiently distribute wealth from natural resources. With Angola, which has had oil for many years, the state has largely failed to distribute to those who live in communities (or indeed work) outside of Luanda. In Mozambique, which has more recently discovered energy (specifically gas and oil), how the state regulates the industry will have implications for the future of the country. Also relevant here are issues regarding political space, security (both domestic and regional), and local institutions and how these tie in with the economy of both countries. Through 2,000 nationally representative surveys (from 2012) in each country, this paper focuses on these topics in the following ways. First, it pinpoints public opinion on where each country is going and how resource management is currently perceived. Second, it highlights opinion on institutions, corruption and service provision, as well as security in the neighborhood. While the countries are at different levels in their experience with and management of resources, comparing public opinion allows for general predictions on each country's future direction.


: Compensation Bonus – Revenue or Expenditure of Public Budgets? The aim of this article is to answer the question whether the compensatory bonus is revenue or expenditure of public budgets. To answer this question, the article analyzes the legal regu- lation of the compensation bonus and assesses whether this bonus is a tax in a broader sense. In this context, legislative proposals concerning the budgetary determination of the compen- satory bonus are evaluated as rapid and unsystematic proposals. The article concludes that the compensatory bonus is not a tax in a broader sense and neither revenue nor expenditure of public budgets, but a reduction of public budget revenue.


The main purpose of this study is to analyze money demand behavior using a standard money demand model over a period of time 1970:Q1 to 2009:Q4 taking into consideration the experiences of the Asian financial crisis 1997-1998 and the global financial crisis 2007-2008.Specifically, it examines the long-run money demand stability. Using the cointegration technique and error correction model, money demand behavior is made distinct into four different periods, namely full sample (1970:Q1 2009:Q4), pre-crisis (1970:Q1 1997:Q2), post-crisis I (1997:Q3 2007:Q3) and postcrisis II (1997:Q3 2009:Q4). The parameter constancy of M1 and M2 is justified by utilizing the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests. The findings suggest that real money balances, real income, interest rate, exchange rate and foreign interest rate are cointegrated. When exchange rate is included as part of the regressors during the period of financial crisis, money demand does not behave as a prior theory and the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ show that the function is not stable. Although, the policy makers should monitor closely monetary variables however they must not to rely heavily on these monetary aggregates.


10583 Background: Genetic testing has demonstrated clinical utility in the identification and subsequent surveillance of patients with cancer predisposition syndromes. However, the increased likelihood of encountering a variant of uncertain significance (VUS) in individuals of non-European descent such as Asians may be challenging to both clinicians and patients in interpretation and management. VUS can be reclassified as more data becomes available. VUS reclassification is important, as it may have implications for surveillance and treatment. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and patterns of variant reclassification in an Asian country and its impact on patient management. Methods: A prospective cohort of patients seen at the Cancer Genetics Service at the National Cancer Center Singapore between February 2014 to March 2020 was evaluated. The frequency, direction and time to variant reclassification was assessed by comparing the reclassified report against the original report. Results: A total of 1412 VUS were reported in 49.9% (845/1695) of patients. Over six-years, 6.7% (94/1412) of variants were reclassified. Most VUS (94.1%; 80/85) were downgraded to benign/likely benign variant, with a smaller proportion of VUS (5.9%; 5/85) upgraded to pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant. Actionable VUS upgrades and pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant downgrades, that resulted in management changes, happened in 31.0% (39/126) of patients. The median and mean time taken for reclassification were 1 and 1.62 year(s) respectively. Conclusions: Clinicians need to put in place a system for review of variants, as variant reclassification can lead to changes in management in nearly 1/3 of patients. Management should be based on the patient's personal history, family history and variant interpretation. We propose a clinical guideline to standardize management of patients with VUS. For clinically relevant or suspicious VUS, follow-up is recommended every two years, as actionable reclassifications may happen during this period.


The increasing need for internet communication networks, various institutions and government agencies are demanded to be able to provide internet services in all regions in Indonesia, especially 3T regions. In providing this internet facility, we need a system that can monitor network devices that have been installed at various points so that the quality of the services provided can be maintained. The purpose of this final project is to design and implement a Network Monitoring System (NMS) that can monitor network devices, especially VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal), and provide data in the form of uptime, traffic, ping, signal quality factor, and availability that can help in handling problems that occur on the network so that the performance of these devices can still meet the standards and service level agreement (SLA) that has been determined. Design and implementation methods are carried out with the stages of problem identification, identification of engineering requirements, determination of design alternatives, implementation, and product testing. The testing results show that the Network Monitoring System that was designed meets the Telecommunication Management Network standard of ITU-T M.3400 and meets the design requirements that have been determined for systems that can monitor network devices. In addition, the testing results show that using multiprocessing as a parallel computation method can speed up program execution time 2 to 8 times compared to before using multiprocessing method.


1Research and Development, NHS Blood and Transplant, Bristol & Oxford, United Kingdom; 2Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 3Bristol Renal, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Bristol, BS1 3NY, UK; 4Target Discovery Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; 6Department of Vascular Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands; 7Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, and Oxford University Hospital, United Kingdom 8Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, and Oxford University Hospital Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom


The consequences of ongoing climate change in the world are causing a change in mindset towards dairy production. Generally it is accepted that climate change is associated with increasing temperatures caused by greenhouse gases of which the most important gasses are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide. Animals are responsible for a considerable amount of these greenhouse emissions. Methane is able to capture in the atmosphere 23 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Methane is produced in the rumen of ruminants and is also released from manure. A cow produces about 280l of methane on a daily basis. Some calculations have indicated that a 600kg cow with a milk yield of 4000l per lactation produces 103kg methane per year or about 26g per kg of milk. A cow producing 6000l of milk per lactation produces 113kg of methane at a rate of about 19g per kg of milk (Kirchgessner et al., 1991). Possible solutions for decreasing environmental pollution by dairy cows would imply changed production systems or the breeding of animals that are more suitable for production under difficult conditions. Generally it requires an improvement in the production and efficiency of dairy production systems through better feeding, housing management and genetics to reduce the direct effect of dairy cows on the environment. This means that more should be produced from fewer animals.


This paper presents the development of a flexible tool for the calculation of the state matrix A of the power system. This program is called SIAM (Sistema Informático para Análisis Modal - Computational System for Modal Analysis). The state matrix is obtained from the load flow solution data and from the dynamic model parameters employed. The detailed models of synchronous machines, automatic voltage regulators and power system stabilizers are linearized for the calculation. To evaluate the method proposed, there is a comparison of results between SIAM and a commercial program for a reference case published.


Processes. By reference to selected process stages in surface treatment operations at Siemens and HMP, the article demonstrates how plants can be evaluated and optimized in accordance with ecological and economic criteria. Starting from the existing production process, it reveals the extent to which peripheral equipment is also affected by the specified changes. Models are produced which can be transferred to comparable plants.


The construction of a new robot model of the human lower limb system. The robot features biarticulate muscle-actuators, or actuators that span more than one joint. The transfer of power from proximal to distal segments is demonstrated. The timing between biarticulate muscles and monoarticulate muscles appears critical in maximizing peak power output.


Abstract : This report describes in detail the operation and capabilities of the TIESPAD unit. This unit was tested with AN/SPS-10 surface search radar and an AN/SPS-30 air search radar, and with an AN/FPS-93 air search radar via a microwave relay. These brief tests show that the TIESPAD unit does effectively help the operator to detect and track moving targets that would otherwise not be detected on a standard AN/SPS-type indicator.


Assumptions about the feasibility of teaching chemistry laboratories online have been challenged by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that, despite the fact that pandemic social distancing restrictions will be eventually eliminated, the development of quality digital laboratory resources must continue to receive attention from the chemistry community. Even if higher education institutions fully return to in-person operating conditions, these materials could serve as prelaboratory preparation to reduce student anxiety, as supplementary support materials to enhance student understanding, as optional distance education resources for students unable to be present in the laboratory, and as training materials for teaching assistants.


To improve power quality and improve the operational efficiency and accuracy of industrial automation machinery, the on-line detection method of power quality detection device based on high precision standard time synchronization technology is studied. Firstly, the research situation of power quality and time synchronization technology is briefly analyzed, and the Network Time Protocol (NTP) time synchronization technology and the calculation method of basic power quality are introduced. Then, based on the high-precision standard time synchronization technology, the system scheme of the power quality detection device is designed. Finally, the system is tested, and the test results are in line with the test expectation, indicating that the system can make a particularly accurate measurement of power quality. The power quality detection system designed in this research improved the detection performance of power quality and is of great significance to the research on online detection of power quality.


First we consider the normed abelian ring2 9? consisting of all complex-valued functions f(z) continuous over a certain normal space R. (Ring addition and multiplication in 9? are ordinary addition and multiplication of functions. Every continuous function is bounded and has a maximum since in the cases to be considered, R is a C-bicompact space (a term to be defined presently). We define the norm of f as I I f I I = max,,R i f(z) I .) Let R be a normal space. Let x be any point of R. We define a(x) to be the union of all g such that gt # 0. It is easy to see that a(x) has the property that if f(z) is continuous over R and f(x) = a then for any y e a (x), f(y) = a. LEMMA. o(x) is closed. If tg $ 0, then v(x) = (y). PROOF. We first show that r(x) is closed. If y e i(x), then g e a(x). Now yx 5 0. For if gt = 0, then as a consequence of normality, Urysohn's Lemmas informs us that there exists a continuous function f e 9? such that f(g) = 0, f(x) = 1. Yet since g C v-(x) and f(o(x)) = f(ur(x)) = f(x) (these equalities are clear from the sentence which preceded the lemma), we have f(g) = f(a(x)) = f(zT). This is evidently impossible. Hence yx # 0, i.e. y e o(x), according to the definition of v(x). Next we prove that Jy 5 0 implies v(x) = au(y). By symmetry, it suffices to show that a(x) D v(y). Hence it would be sufficient to show that wM 0 implies wx # 0 as is evident from the definition of a(x). We assume the contrary, i.e. there is a w such that wv7 F 0 and wT = 0. According to Urysohn's Lemma there is a continuous function f such that f(w) = 0 and f(x) = 1. But f(w) = f(y) and f(g) = f(x) according to the sentence preceding the lemma, we therefore have f(w) = f(X). This contradicts the previous statement. We define x -y if ty 3 0. " so, 50 defined, is a true equivalence relation.


PURPOSE: To decide whether a player plays the keyboard by the left or right hand by comparing a pressed or released key with the key where a proximity switch detecting a finger is installed when the key is pressed or released. CONSTITUTION: Proximity switches 20 are installed on the respective keys of the keyboard 10 and set at a reference distance so that the proximity switches 20 react to the finger tips of the player, but do not react to the palms, and then when the player puts both the hands on the keyboard, the proximity switches 20 installed on the respective keys just below the fingers of the hands react. Up to the 5th fingers from the left are the left-hand fingers of the player and the fingers on their right side are the right-hand fingers except a special case wherein both the hands of the player are crossed. The proximity switches 20 installed on the respective keys of the keyboard detect the 10 fingers of the player on the keyboard 10 and it is decided that up to the 5th finger are the left-hand fingers and the fingers on the right side are the right-hand fingers, thereby deciding whether a finger put on each key is the left-hand or right-hand finger. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio


Objective:To study the significance of serum specific IgA antibody against hepatitis E virus(HEV) in the diagnosis of acute HEV infection.Methods: Serum samples from 92 suspicious patients with acute HEV infection and from 203 qualified blood donors were detected for specific IgA,IgM,and IgG against HEV by ELISA based on immunodominant polypeptide of ORF2 and its truncated polypeptide.Results: The positive rate of anti-HEV IgA(91.3%) was lower than that of anti-HEV IgM(96.7%) in serum samples from 92 suspicious acute hepatitis E patients,and the total positive rate of anti-HEV IgA and/or IgM was 98.9%,while the positive rate of anti-HEV IgG was 100%.The positive rate of anti-HEV IgA was the same as that of anti-HEV IgM(3%) in serum samples from 203 qualified blood donors,and the total positive rate of anti-HEV IgA and/or IgM was 4.4%,while the positive rate of anti-HEV IgG was 14.8%.Four samples were positive for anti-HEV IgA but negative for anti-HEV IgM;Western blotting confirmed anti-HEV IgA was positive.Conclusion: Detection of anti-HEV IgA is not more sensitive than that of anti-HEV IgM for diagnosis of acute hepatitis E,but it is complementary for anti-HEV IgM.The results indicate that detection of anti-HEV IgA along with anti-HEV IgM is useful to increase sensitivity for serological diagnosis of acute HEV.


The invention discloses matched mask plates which comprise mask plates having two structures, wherein each mask plate is provided with a mask pattern region composed of a vapor deposition hole array, vapor deposition holes penetrate through the mask plate, each vapor deposition hole is in a polygonal shape, the mask plates having two structures comprise a first mask plate and a second mask plate, the number of the vapor deposition holes on the first mask plate is twice the number of the vapor deposition holes on the second mask plate, and the vapor deposition holes on the first mask plate are arranged in a rectangular array mode along the row direction and the column direction; and the vapor deposition holes on the second mask plate are sequentially arranged along the row direction and the column direction, two adjacent rows of vapor deposition holes are staggered along the row direction, and two adjacent columns of vapor deposition holes are staggered along the vertical direction. The matched first mask plate and second mask plate are structurally complementary. By using the matched mask plates and the vapor deposition method thereof provided by the invention, the area of blue sub-pixels of an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display screen can be increased, and the ppi (pixel per inch) of a display can be improved, thus correspondingly prolonging the service life of the blue sub-pixels and improving the display quality of the OLED display screen.


As the process of digitalization spreads globally, daily dependence on cyberspace is increasing. With the rise of criminal incidents in cyberspace, it has begun to pose security threats that disrupt peace and order. In a chaotic situation with the global pandemic of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), digitalization has become a mandatory process in the world. Along with the mandatory process of digitization and increasing trend of digitalization in Nepal, there is also a possibility of security threat. This research paper seeks and examines policies and laws that the Government of Nepal has formulated to reduce the security threat and it explored to find out what types of security threats were seen from cyberspace in Nepal during several lockdown periods during 2020 AD. The study concludes that Nepal has laws to legalize digital activities with constitutional rights to do cyber activity. But does not have enough laws and policies to address the emerging cyber threat environment because of the long process of passing the law and lack of sufficient interest and knowledge on lawmakers. The risk of cyber security in Nepal seems to be high due to non-implementation of the policies and rules issued by the government itself, low level of cyber security awareness among the people, lack of strong defense system and policy on cyber-attacks.


The reaction of unprotected polyols (tetraols, pentitol and hexitol) with trimethyl orthobenzoate in CH 2 Cl 2 -MeOH afforded polysubstituted tetrahydrofurans in a one-pot synthesis


The title compound, C10H5FN2, is a monoclinic (P21/c) polymorph of the previously reported triclinic (P-1) form [Antipin et al. (2003 ▶). J. Mol. Struct. 650, 1–20]. The 13 non-H atoms in the title polymorph are almost coplanar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.020 Å); a small twist between the fluorobenzene and dinitrile groups [C—C—C—C torsion angle = 175.49 (16)°] is evident in the triclinic polymorph. In the crystal, C—H⋯N interactions lead to supramolecular layers parallel to (-101); these are connected by C—F⋯π interactions.


In Russian super-sentence unity cohesion and coherence,as two different terms,represent the different natures of the subject what we research.Cohesion is expressed through the structural organization of language.Coherence is expressed through meaning.Either of the cohesion types has its corresponding coherence.This paper tries to explore the relationship between cohesion and coherence from the point of view of cohesion types,cohesive devices and relevant coherence,aiming at helping Russian learners improve their abilities in expressing coherent utterances.


A recently reported estimator bank approach (see IEEE SP Lett., vol.4, p.54, 1997) is extended below to the fourth-order direction finding algorithms. The essence of our approach is to exploit "parallel" underlying eigenstructure based estimators for removing the outliers and improving the direction finding performance in the threshold domain. The pseudorandomly generated weighted fourth-order MUSIC estimators are exploited as underlying techniques for estimator bank. Motivated by the superior performance and reduced computational complexity of beamspace and root modifications of the second-order eigenstructure techniques, beamspace root implementations of fourth-order MUSIC and fourth-order estimator bank are developed. Simulations show dramatical improvements of the threshold performance.


OFDM(orthogonal Frequency division multiplexing) is suitable for communication in multi-path fading and limited bandwidth channel.In this paper,a high speed underwater acoustic communication system based OFDM is proposed.A method is given for synchronization and channel estimation.The effectiveness of the system is experimentally tested at sea.


Detection of low concentration of air pollution, like cigarette smoke, cooking fumes, etc. is possible with the combination of an air quality sensor and data acquisition system. In present paper is presented approach for design and implementation of air quality monitoring system based on tin dioxide gas sensor, integrated temperature and humidity sensors, portable modular data acquisition system and graphical programming language. An interpolation method reducing influence from temperature and humidity is suggested. This approach can be used for automatic controls in ventilation systems by detecting rapid changes in the air quality from the base levels.


Figure 2.8. Exposure to IR does not reduce ΔF4LΔJ2R VACV yield in U-87 MG cels. Subconfluent U87 cels were irradiated with 5 Grays (Gy) or 8 Gy IR or mock-irradiated. Cels were infected with ΔF4LΔJ2R VACV at 24 h.p.ir. at an MOI of 0.03 pfu/cel. Cels were harvested at the indicated time points and titred on BSC40 cels. Points ploted represent mean titres +/S.E.M. from three independent experiments. Virus yield at 96 h.p.ir. was not reduced in irradiated cels compared to non-irradiated (t-test, p>0.05). 0 24 48 72 96 0.01 0.1 1 10 100


Dielectric hysteresis loop is an important method for the research of ferroelectricity, but there are non-ferroelectric effects, such as non-linear conductance, non-linear paraelectric capacitance, et al, to be separated. To get rid of this problem, a new method called differential hysteresis loop is introduced. Based on this method, some non-ferroelectric effects are quite easily to be separated, and the pure ferroelectric effect can be obtained. The experiments of PZT and BST ceramics reveal that pure ferroelectric differential loop can be accurately fitted by Gaussian functions, polarization fatigue can be described with the variations of the peak positions, heights, half height half widths of the Gaussian peaks. Moreover, the experiment proved that polarization fatigue effects relate closely to the sample' s thermodynamic history.


Teacher education programs require attention to the rapid changes in the world, in part because populations are becoming increasingly diverse. These rapidly changing classroom environments have prompted a need to train teachers who can communicate with and teach students from increasingly diverse backgrounds. In addition, they must have an understanding of cultural family values and practices which influence individual students among the various ethnic populations they teach. This paper will describe steps taken by one College of Education to create international partnerships and learning experiences in an effort to enhance their teacher training programs and develop an environment of global-mindedness.


Reliable estimation of vegetative flow resistance requires basing the estimates on physically sound and readily measurable plant properties. This paper investigates the relationship between drag and physical properties of natural, foliated Black poplars. Drag forces exerted on poplars in an array were measured simultaneously using up to ten force sensors in a laboratory flume. Frontal projected area was photographed under flow action. Leaves contributed almost 90% to the total drag. The onesided leaf area (AL) and the leaf area to the stem area ratio (AL/AS) influenced the detected variability in the drag force. The poplars had a higher AL/AS ratio and thus a greater ability to reconfiguration and drag reduction than previously reported for other species. The findings supported the hypothesis that such objectively defined and readily measurable reference area definitions could be used in estimating friction factors for foliated vegetation.


Thanks to the improving internal security situation it was, archaeologically, a more active year. The French expedition under Professor C. F. A. Schaeffer resumed work at Enkomi, while at Salamis and elsewhere the excavations of the Department of Antiquities were on a somewhat larger scale. I am again indebted to all those named below for kindly communicating information regarding their excavations and research, and to Dr. P. Dikaios and other members of the Cyprus Museum staff for particulars of new acquisitions. The Department of Antiquities' archaeological survey team, on which H. W. Catling was joined by K. Nicolaou, resumed its field work in the western section of the Kyrenia coastal strip. Several coastal and foothill Neolithic sites were added to the number already located, as well as a settlement at Vasilia extending from the Erimi, through the Ambelikou, to the Philia stage. This settlement was perhaps connected with the imposing Early Cypriot tombs near the same village excavated by J. R. Stewart in 1955 (short preliminary report in University of Melbourne Gazette xiii. 1 ff.). Several other new Early Cypriot sites produced Philia stage material with, in one or two cases, the black slip combed-ware—possibly originating in S.E. Anatolia. The importance of the region was shown to have diminished before the end of the Middle Cypriot period, and Late Cypriot sites are few and unpretentious. Such also, with the exception of the city of Lapithos and one or two other sites, are those of the Geometric, Archaic and Classical periods. A change took place in Hellenistic times and the climax of prosperity was reached in the Imperial Roman and Early Christian periods, when a large population was sustained in the area, in part at least by olive cultivation. This prosperity ended with the Arab raids of the seventh century and there was no marked recovery in Medieval times. Another area covered by the survey during the year, the Idalian section of the Yialias valley, where it reaches the central plain, presented a rather different picture. The virtual restriction of Middle and Late Bronze Age settlement to the northern edge of the valley about the village of Ayios Soztimenos, under the shelter of protecting hill-forts, and the dearth of earlier sites suggest no general exploitation, before historic times, of the area of heavy alluvial soils to the south, perhaps originally covered with oak forest. The abandonment of these Bronze Age sites—one of them a major one, perhaps a station on the route from the copper mines to the coast—was followed by the rise of Idalium, based doubtless on agricultural development. Substantial settlement elsewhere in the area seems not to have been resumed until after the subjection of the city to Citium in the mid-fifth century. The numerous later sites, extending to the Dark Age of the Arab raids, bear witness to an active agriculture, but they did not share the prosperity of their contemporaries on the North Coast. Prosperity came to the area briefly under the Lusignans with the intensive development of irrigated plantations, probably of sugar cane, notably at the Royal Manor of Potamid. The survey recorded numerous derelict medieval water-mills, wheel-wells and storage tanks in the valley, often constructed in masonry of excellent quality.


With the eventual goal of measuring ozone (O3 ) uptake distribution in human lungs, we developed a fast‐responding chemiluminescent O3 analyzer. As the instrument will be used to sample gases respired by human subjects, it is necessary that the reacting species be nontoxic. We chose to test ten alternative alkenes known to be biologically inert. For each of the alkene reactants, we measured the effect of reacting species flow, reaction cell pressure, and ozone inlet fraction. At fixed ozone fraction, the analyzer output reaches a well‐defined maximum value at an optimum reaction cell pressure and the signal reaches a plateau value at a critical reacting flow. Operating at the optimum pressure and critical alkene flow, the ozone calibration curve is nonlinear for seven of the alkenes. It appears, however, that the calibration curve can be made linear by operating at a pressure above the optimum value. Comparison of analyzer performance among the ten alkenes indicates that the most effective reacting specie...


Aiming at the complexity of the glutamic acid fermentation process, a neural network dynamic model of the fermentation process was established. The improved differential evolutionary algorithm (DEA) was used to the multi-variables optimal control of the fermentation process and the optimal control trajectories of operating variables were found out. Some improvements of the primitive DEA were made by the means of randomly selecting the mutation factor and the re-initialization of the individuals in the population on a suitable time, so that it could solve the constrained optimization effectively and avoid the problem caused by premature. Simulation results show the proposed method is effective.


The paper presents an inverter based on the orthogonal space vectors theory (OVT inverter) and its performance. The OVT inverter consists of two constituent twolevel 3-phase inverters: the main inverter (MI) and the auxiliary one (AI). The MI is controlled in a simple way to generate the stepped output voltage and the AI works as an active filter limiting the higher harmonics in the OVT output voltage. The filtering process is formed by the use of the orthogonal space vector theory. The output voltage of the OVT inverter takes the shape of a stepped voltage comparable to the voltage generated by multilevel inverters. The AI operates as a very effective active power filter (APF) of the OVT inverter output voltage. The AI power is significantly lower in comparison to the MI power nevertheless its switching frequency affects the OVT performance. The article describes studies in which the impact of changes in the switching frequency filter inverter on the operation of the orthogonal inverter and the output voltage THD. Increasing the filter inverter switching frequency improved performance and reduced the transformer size, which acts as a summing node.


Purpose: the aim of this work is to highlight the importance of a correct management of the secretions in the patient submitted to mechanical ventilation (MV). Methods: analysis of the current bibliography related to respiratory infections and secretion in patients with mechanically ventilation. We focus on the use of in-ex suflator achine (cough machine) associated with High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO). Results: we observe a reduction of pulmonary infection and a better management of bronchial secretion in patient undergone to the use of in-ex suflator machine (cough machine) associated with High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO). Conclusions: the correct approach to patients submitted to mechanical ventilation (MV) expect the use of High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) (VEST) and in-ex suflator machine (cough machine) to decrease pulmonary infection thank to a reduction of permanence of bronchial secretions in the lungs.


The high productivity of Dutch agriculture goes hand in hand with high risks for migrant farmworkers. The Dutch Labour Inspectorate (Inspectie Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid, ISZW) considers agriculture in the world's second largest agricultural exporter one of the top risk sectors for unfair work. In Dutch agriculture, "a flexible contract with a low wage and little certainty is the rule rather than the exception and employment agencies, contracting and payrolling are also widely used" as a result of efforts by growers "to keep prices low by reducing labour costs with all kinds of mechanisms to below the legally required minimum or collective wage."83 Consequently, many migrant farmworkers in this rich country experience working poverty. Migrant workers from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)84 form the bulk of the agricultural labour force. About a fifth of them work at or below the minimum wage, earning an average of ten euros an hour, half the wage of other European workers employed in the Netherlands.85 2. FACTORS DRIVING SUB-STANDARD AND EXPLOITATIVE PRACTICES IN THE AGRI-FOOD SYSTEM


"This volume represents more than a memoir. It includes the staples of the genre-standard autobiographical information and a large number of (usually humorous) personal anecdotes. In addition, the author uses his career as a framework to provide a sense of what seismic interpreters did, and why they did it, in the first four decades of the seismic reflection era."


This paper reports on a mixed methods study which aims to (a) investigate the relationship between the two constructs of market orientation and innovation (b) explore the nature of the relationship using qualitative methodology and (c) highlight any possible factors that may bring about this relationship. This paper first reviews literature and then discusses the methodology applied. It then discusses the nature of the results obtained, shows how the results concur with the extant literature and then explains implications of the findings and directions for further research.


Energy reform will bring about major changes in the economy of Mexico, mainly due to the introduction of domestic and foreign-in the exploitation and marketing of petrochemical products-both private initiative. The fertilizer sector is undoubtedly one of the most affected by this approval. The measures agreed within this reform will directly impact domestic production, the quantity of imports and, above all, the demand for these products. The aim of this paper is to analyze the current and future situation of the sector, in order to study the economic impact of this reform and alternatives concerning the present situation live existing and emerging companies in this market.


INTRODUCTION: The authors describe their experience with the implantation of endovascular self-expanding stent-grafts for the treatment of descending aortic thoracic diseases. METHOD: From June 1996 to April 2002, 14 endovascular self-expanding stent-grafts were implanted, 10 in acute type B dissections, 3 in atherosclerotic aneurysms and 1 in a penetrating aortic ulcer. The patient's ages varied between 43 and 77 years (mean = 63.3 years). In the majority of cases the procedure was performed under general anesthesia. The delivery of the stent-graft endoprostheses was performed using the trans-femoral system. RESULTS: There was one death on the sixth postoperative day by pulmonary thromboembolism. One patient was operated on for the implantation of an endovascular self-expanding stent-graft through the aortic arch under deep hypothermia and circulatory arrest, and died eight months after operation. All the survivors were well and imaging studies showed adequate correction of the aortic disease. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results suggest that this technique will contribute to improve surgical results in the treatment of descending thoracic aortic diseases.


The results of Fast ForWord® training on English decoding-related skills were examined. Finnish fifth-grade students were identified as having reading fluency problems and poor skills in English as a foreign language learned at school and were randomly assigned to either a training group (TRG) or a control group. The TRG (n = 13) received 50 min of daily computer program-based training for a period of approximately 10 weeks. Students in the first control group (n = 11) received the school's regular instructional programme. A second control group was composed of 14 average readers. The students' English skills were examined in pre-test, post-test and follow-up measurements. The TRG students saw an acceleration in decoding-related skills. The educational implications of the results are discussed.


Television (TV) broadcasters are looking for effective and low cost production methods for audiovisual content to be used on mobile devices. In this article we present an approach for the effective adaptation of audiovisual TV content to meet the specific requirements of mobile devices, TV producers as well as user expectations. The approach takes advantage of the present transition in TV production technology from expensive TV specific equipment to adapted standard information technology (IT) hardware. This changeover allows the inclusion of comprehensive metadata into the production workflow which also can be utilized for mobile TV production, e.g. as TV content productions parameters like picture detail (e.g., panorama, total, half total). Considering some preconditions the approach allows an automated and simultaneous production for standard and mobile receivers, which can be used for live productions


Distribution and influence of convection in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere have been investigated case by case or on regional to global scale. However, previous studies were limited by using proxies for convection or the bias of the tropopause data. Here the tropopause‐penetrating convection is investigated based on the sole use of observational products from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar data and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC). The result shows that the frequency of precipitation‐top heights above the monthly mean tropopause in the tropics is reduced logarithmically if the cold‐point tropopause is adopted instead of the lapse‐rate tropopause. Using the collocated COSMIC and precipitation radar observations, the tropopause‐penetrating convection, i.e., the convection with the precipitation‐top height above the lapse‐rate tropopause, can be found over the summer monsoon regions and some continental regions. The averaged relative precipitation‐top heights of tropopause‐penetrating convective clusters are about 0.2–0.5 km without significant land‐ocean difference, while equivalent radii of clusters are 2.7–3.5 km over land and 0.2–0.5 km larger than those over ocean. These areal and vertical extents are smaller than those reported by previous studies. Furthermore, the collocated temperature profiles show that the tropopause‐penetrating convection generates warming in the upper troposphere and cooling near the lapse‐rate tropopause and in the lower stratosphere. Moreover, the tropopause‐penetrating convection leads to a rapid (within 20 min) lift of the lapse‐rate tropopause by the adiabatic lofting within the convection (within a 10 km radius).


• Abstract — The effect of different pH of resuspension me dia on the viability of hepatocytes preserved (for 96 h at 4°C) in University of Wisconsin solution (UW solution) was an alyzed. After this cold resuspension media storage, we eval uated the rewarming step (incubation time 120 min at 37°C) using different pH levels (6.80, 7.00, 7.20, and 7.40). Cell vi ability assessed by trypan blue exclusion (TBE) showed a sig nificant difference (p < 0.05) for cells incubated at p H = 7.20. For instance, TBE expressed as percent of change was 78.1 ± 1.4 compared with cells tested at other pH (pH = 6.80, TBE = 44.2 ± 9.5; pH = 7.00, TBE = 66.5 ± 1.1 and pH = 7.40, TBE = 62.0 ± 1.4). We also evaluated the capacity of these cells both to maintain potassium content (0.509 ± 0.230 jtEq. K + / 1 0 6 cells) and to synthesize urea (5.36 ± 1.81 /tmol Urea/10* cells). These results were compared with those obtained from freshly isolated non preserved hepato cytes (0.518 ± 0.060 pEq. K+/10 6 cells and 5.91 ± 0.43 pmol Urea/10 6 cells). The results show that viability is pH depen dent and suggest that when resuspension media were used, the viability of hepatocytes was improved after 96 h of cold storage.


This paper summarizes the development and application of new technologies for coking wastewater treatment in the last few years, and introduces the technical transformation of coking wastewater treatment by coking enterprise.


his research investigates the students' error in using
possessive adjective on writing narrative text. It focuses in the title
"Analysis of students' error in using pos
sessive adjective on narrative
text". This research used case study to get the data, the writer used
observation, interview and test. The writer conducted based on the
formulation of the problems, are: 1)
What
are the errors faced by the
students in using possessive adjective on writing narrative text?
2)
Why
do the students face such difficulties in using possessive adjective on
writing narrative text?
In reference to the mentioned research problem,
the object
ives of this research are: 1) To
find the types of error occur by
the students in using possessive adjective on writing narrative text.
2)
To analyze the students' difficulties in using possessive adjectives on
writing narrative text.
To answer the questio
ns, the writer took 30 students for
sample research. The writer used qualitative research. The data were
collected through observation, interview and test.
The research found that the mastery of second grade (VIII B)
of SMPN 2 Mekar Baru, Tangerang
-
Banten
in using possessive
adjective on writing narrative text was low. The highest
percentage
is
error of ordering with percentage 66%, the second is error of formation
with percentage 33%, next is error of omission its percentage 20%, the
last, the percentage
e
rror of addition its
20%.
These are four factors
caused of students' error. First factor is influenced by mother tongue,
the second factor is because the students still confused in translated
Indonesian text to English text, the third factor is because th
e teacher
not uses appropriate method in learning process, the last factor is
because of condition in the class doesn't support in learning process.


Infection with certain types of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses, known as tumor viruses or oncogenic viruses, can lead to cancer [...].


The women writers of the present age explore the segments of lives of women which have been marginalized for centuries. In many societies, the lives of women are ruined not only by the social evils but also by the gender inequality practiced at home. The societal setup, custom and beliefs, and the unwritten rules framed by the patriarchal society in bringing up a girl child, stop a woman to raise her voice against the abusive behavior of men around her. A woman, who is victimized by the men around her at home, hardly raises voice against them. A woman's physical and mental wellbeing deteriorate when she constantly faces struggles because of domestic violence. The present paper, with the help of Gloria Naylor's fiction Linden Hills (1985), focuses on the problems that women face at home and explains how their mental and physical health is affected because of the suppressed state that they face at home. The oppression that complicates the lives of women leads them to face different kinds of sicknesses and through the lives of three Mrs. Nedeeds, Gloria Naylor explains how harmful domestic violence is to women.


A radiation model has been implemented in a Navier-Stokes flow solver to investigate the importance of thermal radiation in film cooled LH/LO rocket engines thrust chambers. Two running conditions were computed: high altitude and sea level conditions. For high altitudes, the walls are heated up by approximately 3K by radiation and the flow was not influenced. At sea level, the flow separates from the nozzle walls and a Mach disc is formed inside the nozzle. This extra-source of radiation is clearly observable and combined with the cold atmospheric air pocket created behind the separation contributes importantly to the wall temperatures. An increase of up to 140K is observed in the zone after the separation. Moreover, the position of the shock is slightly affected by radiative transfer. It is shown that radiative heat transfer does play an important role in the case of a shocked film cooled nozzle. In the un-shocked case, its effects are noticeable, but may be neglected.


A highly versatile and convenient synthetic route for biologically active ?-amino acid, glutamic acid catalyzed facile and mild preparation of polyfunctionalized dihydro-2-oxypyrroles via one-pot, four condensation domino reaction between aromatic/aliphatic amines, dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates and formaldehyde have been studied. The route includes green, biodegradable and inexpensive ?-amino acid catalyst, high atom-economy, simplicity of operation and work-up procedures, without chromatographic purification steps. The solid catalyst, non-toxic or hazardous, easily handled with mild reaction conditions and excellent yields are the notable benefits of the highly efficient and expedient synthesis of these products.


Using the symmetric and asymmetric specifications of the pooled mean group estimator, we attempted to scrutinise the possibility of the J-curve effect in the case of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In addition to both real effective exchange rate changes and nominal effective exchange rate changes, the possible impact of domestic and foreign demand pressures on the trade balance is also estimated. Incorporating a quarterly data set spanning from 2000Q1 to 2020Q2, the results based on the symmetric and asymmetric model establish no evidence of the J-curve phenomenon. However, when asymmetric possibilities are considered, appreciation is found to deteriorate the trade balance relatively by a greater magnitude whereas the impact of currency depreciation is insignificant. In addition, no asymmetric evidence has been reported concerning the effect of domestic and foreign demand. However, a hike in the former deteriorated the trade balance whereas an increase in the latter improved it in both linear and non-linear frameworks. JEL Codes: F4, F41, F42


Objective To investigate the clinical effect of postpartum urinary retention treated by external application of whelks tops with salt at qihai acupoint and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the treatment.Methods Seventytwo patients with postpartum urinary retention in maternal and child health hospital of Jiujiang during August 2011 to July 2012 were divided into 2 groups,37 patients were treated with external application of whelks tops with salt at qi hai acupoint,35 patients were treated by intramuscular injection of neostigmine.After 2 hours treatment,the therapeu tic effect by the onset time of urination,effective rates and adverse reactions was evaluated.Results The onset time of the treatment group was slightly longer than that of control group,with no statistically significant(P 0.05),and the effective rates and adverse reactions of treatment group were significant difference compared to that of control group(P 0.05).Conclusion External application of whelks tops with salt at qihai acupoint is reliable,simple and highly effec tive for postpartum urinary retention.


Thermal breeding is discussed with emphasis on the interplay of variables that need to be considered in breeder reactor evaluation. Reactor performance is described as a function of reactor type, fuel material, andd economic conditions. The basis on which breeder reactor development should proceed is considered. The basic physics constants associated with various reactor fuels, the relationship between fuel cycle cost and breeding ratio as a function of technological and economic conditions, and the influence of moderator, fission products, and fuel isotopes on breeding ratio are discussed. (M.C.G.)


This paper presents the results of an action research project that focused on the design and teaching of an ESP course and on the collaborative construction and development of a website. In the first year of the study, the course plan was modified due to the feedback given by the students and the same happened to the site, which was uploaded and modified according to the students' productions within the period. The course plan was reformulated in the second year of the study based on the experience acquired in the first year, and tasks were introduced to fulfill the students' academic and future professional needs. At the end of the second year of the study, it was possible to confirm that the course plan, with the modifications that were introduced, was adequate, and that the site reflected the tasks prepared by the students within the period, therefore reaching the objectives proposed at the beginning of the study. It was also possible to propose new directions for ESP teaching at the Institution where the research was carried out.


Scarcity of relevant texts in and about Africa can pose a serious handicap to learners and instructors on the continent. For
academics to publish works that provide basic text for African library and information science trainees and practitioners is
commendable, not only for filling a scarcity in the literature, but also in the imparting of skills applicable to Africa.


In this work,a stable,large area sandwich structure of material consisted of carboxylic multiwall carbon nanotubes(c-MWCNTs) and polymer-modified graphene(G) via a self-assembly process was prepared.Positively charged nanomaterial of polymer-modified graphene were prepared via in situ reduction of graphite oxide in the presence of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)(PDDA).Then c-MWCNTs were added into the water-soluble PDDA-modified graphene to form hybrid carbon material via sequential electrostatic self-assembly.Transmission electron microscope(TEM) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) were used to characterize those hybrid materials.From the figures we can learn that this method has successfully led to the fabrication of a reasonably uniform film with well-interconnected carbon-based hybrid materials.


Abstract A technique was developed for vulcanizing cylinders of rubber 0.5 inch in diameter and up to 1 inch long at pressures as high as 150,000 pounds per square inch, using a small laboratory press (8-inch square platens). The specially designed mold was made of alloy steel according to general principles from the high pressure work of Bridgman. It was prestressed at 200,000 pounds per square inch. The temperature in the mold cavity was carefully calibrated with thermocouples to determine the equivalent length of cure of the test-specimens. Cylinders of GR-S tread stock were vulcanized for a range of cures at 1000, 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 pounds per square inch. GR-S gum stock and Hevea gum and tread stocks were vulcanized for a range of cures at 100,000 pounds per square inch. Control specimens were cured in a regular type of mold, for which the pressure was not determined. All the volume compression during vulcanization is recovered when the pressure is released. This was determined by precise de...


Locally linear embedding is an effective image feature dimension reduction algorithm, but when the sample distribution is not uniform. This algorithm has selected neighbor point improper and neighbor requires human factor k given defect. So an improved adaptive LLE algorithm is proposed. First, this algorithm calculates the sample point between Euclidean distance and cosine similarity, and then by a defined similar factor to effectively select neighbor points. At the same time, the algorithm is based on statistical analysis of the sample theory reconstruction 3 rule to dynamically determine neighbor factor k. Experimental results show that this algorithm obtained feature after dimension reduction, and can effectively improve the accuracy of image classification, and less time-consuming, the overall performance is superior to the classical LLE algorithm.


Abstract : Abrasion is an important consideration for the potential release of nanoparticles during the service life of a nanotechnology. This SOP presents a general method for abrading a material using a rotating sample platform in contact with a weighted sandpaper fixture. Particles collected with this method are analyzed with a condensation particle counter (CPC) and a fast mobility particle sizer (FMPS), with additional particles collected on in-line filters for further analysis. The abrading process is carried out in a particle-free environment and released particles are moved by a defined airflow from the chamber to the collection/analysis apparatus. Particle release is monitored in real time by the CPC (10nm - 1 micrometer) and FMPS (32 particle size bins from 5-550 nm), and further characterization of filter-collected particles can be accomplished post-testing.


1. Slovakia, the Slovaks and their history Dusan Kovac 2. The Duchy of Nitra Jan Steinhubel 3. The beginnings of the nobility in Slovakia Jan Lukacka 4. Medieval towns Vladimir Seges 5. Renaissance and humanist tendencies in Slovakia Eva Frimmova 6. The period of religious disturbances in Slovakia Viliam Cicaj 7. The Enlightenment and the beginnings of the modern Slovak nation Eva Kowalska 8. Slovak Slavism and Pan-Slavism Ludovit Haraksim 9. The Slovak political programme: from Hungarian patriotism to the Czecho-Slovak state Dusan Kovac 10. Slovakia in Czechoslovakia (1918-38) Natalia Krajcovicova 11. Slovakia from the Munich conference to the declaration of independence Valerian Bystricky 12. The Slovak state, 1939-45 Ivan Kamenec 13. The Slovak question and the resistance movement during the Second World War Jan Rychlik 14. The Slovak National Uprising: the most dramatic moment in the nation's history Vilem Precan 15. The Slovak question, 1945-8 Michal Barnovsky 16. Czechoslovakism in Slovak history Elisabeth Bakke 17. The Magyar minority in Slovakia before and after the Second World War Stefan Sutaj 18. The establishment of totalitarianism in Slovakia after the February coup of 1948 and the culmination of mass persecution, 1948-53 Jan Pesek 19. Slovakia and the attempt to reform socialism in Czechoslovakia, 1963-9 Stanislav Sikora 20. Slovakia's position within the Czecho-Slovak federation, 1968-70 Jozef Zatkuliak 21. Slovakia under communism, 1948-89: controversial developments in the economy, society and culture Miroslav Londak and Elena Londakova 22. The fall of communism and the establishment of an independent Slovakia Michal Stefansky 23. Afterword: Slovakia in history Mikulas Teich.


This study aims to explore the views of parents (as customers) towards private schools in the province of Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia, on the main factors affecting their decisions to send their children to private schools according to the marketing mix elements of service.
The study found a range of results that was highlighted as follows: - Most of the elements of service marketing mix affect the motives of parents to send children to private schools. Most influential element was (the element of service accompanying the product), followed by (product quality and then promotion), while the least influential elements were (pricing and distribution), respectively.
- Most parents are satisfied (as customers) with the level of their sons and daughters in private schools who have studied during this year.
- The study showed no statistically significant differences between the motives of parents in the province of Al-Ahsa in getting their sons and daughters to private schools, according to the elements of the marketing mix service, on the basis of differences of nationality, kinship, educational qualification of parents, as well as place of residence.
- The study also showed the presence of statistically significant differences between the motives of parents in the province of Al-Ahsa in getting their sons and daughters to private schools, according to the marketing mix elements of service, according to age among the parents, family's monthly income and type of current function of the parents.
Based on those results, the researcher presented a number of recommendations at the end of the study.


The article analyzes the development trends of regional medical information systems in the field of health care. The authors pay special attention to the peculiarities of the development of regional medical systems, identify individual and general problems of these systems, and finally draw conclusions about the ongoing development of the legal framework of the Russian Federation in the field of e-health, and as a solution to the identified problems, they propose to form unified rules at the federal level containing general principles and provisions on regional medical information systems, including the electronic health records.


Objective: To characterize different provenances of Jatropha curcas L., introduced and collected, through morphoagronomic indicators, in order to select those with the best performance. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted during one year (2019) in areas of the Pastures and Forages Research Station Indio Hatuey. The work was done with plant material from Paraguay, Ecuador and eastern Cuba. The different Jatropha curcas L. provenances were propagated by seeds. The indicators height, number of branches, stem diameter, quantity of racemes and their length, quantity and length of inflorescences, quantity of fruits and their sizes, were measured, among other variables. The data were processed through the principal component (PCA), cluster and correlation analyses. Results: Of the variability, 96,8 % was explained through four components. The fruit quantity, length and width, quantity of seeds and their sizes, as well as quantity of inflorescences and stem diameter were the indicators with which 55,6 % of the variability was explained in the first two components. Five groups were formed. The second was the one with the best performance in six of the evaluated indicators. Conclusions: There is variability for the evaluated morphoagronomic traits. The provenance Ecuador 2 was the one with the best performance in six of the evaluated indicators. It was followed by Paraguay 2 in four indicators, for which both were selected and turned out to be promising for their study in future breeding programs.


The objective of this paper is to provide a definition of the economics of security and defence and its basis within the framework of a research study in companies belonging to the defence industry. It will analyse the security and defence economy and cooperation relationships among organisations, which were the subject of our doctoral thesis. One of the key points addressed in the article highlights defence's role as an agent of Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I).


We put forward a general approach to quasi-deform the KdV equation by deforming the corresponding Hamiltonian. Following the standard Abelianization process based on the inherent $sl(2)$ loop algebra, an infinite number of anomalous conservation laws are obtained, which yield conserved charges if the deformed solution has definite space-time parity. Judicious choice of the deformed Hamiltonian leads to an integrable system with scaled parameters as well as to a hierarchy of deformed systems, some of which possibly being quasi-integrable. As a particular case, one such deformed KdV system maps to the known quasi-NLS soliton in the already known weak-coupling limit, whereas a generic scaling of the KdV amplitude $u \to u^{1+\epsilon}$ also goes to possible quasi-integrability under an order-by-order expansion. Following a generic parity analysis of the deformed system, these deformed KdV solutions need to be parity-even for quasi-conservation which may be the case here following our analytical approach. From the established quasi-integrability of RLW and mRLW systems [Nucl. Phys. B 939 (2019) 49-94], which are particular cases of the present approach, exact solitons of the quasi-KdV system could be obtained numerically.


The purpose of this analysis of the Celotex implanted with glue plates is two-fold, first is to identify the cause of the initial stress peak in the pseudo engineering stress-strain curve in the dynamic impact test that the impact is loaded in the orientation parallel to the plane of the glue. Secondly, from the existing static mechanical properties to derive the true constitutive properties of the Celotex under dynamic impact and other environmental conditions, such as warm (250 degrees Fahrenheit), wet (100 percent relative humidity), cold (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit), and desiccated.


Leaves of family Taxodiaceae viz. Sequoia sempervirens, Endl., Sequoiadendron giganteum, Buch., Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata and Metasequoia glyptostroboides Miki have been investigated using light and scanning electron microscopes, in order to evaluate their taxonomic significance. Haplocheilic stomata of various sizes occur on the under surface of leaves in Sequoia sempervirens Endl. and Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Miki whereas in Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata and Sequoiadendron giganteum Buch., they occur on both the surfaces. In surface view anticlinal walls of epidermal cells appear straight, curved or undulated with raised ridges or irregular grooves. Periclinial walls are flat, slightly convex or concave. Other features of the epidermis that show variations are size of epidermal cells, guard cells, subsidiary cells, stomatal pore, stomatal frequency and stomatal index. The utility of these characters in the identification of each taxon is discussed in detail.


The surface plasmon polariton modes existing on a two-interface structure composed of a metal thin film having infinite cover region made of uniaxially anisotropic dielectric material and infinite substrate region made of isotropic dielectric material are analyzed based on a finite-element eigenmode solver. The dispersion characteristics with the optic axis of the uniaxial material rotated in the plane parallel to the interfaces are investigated. In addition to the pure guided modes, possible leaky modes resulting from the material anisotropy are carefully determined by designing suitable perfectly matched layers in the solver to correctly calculate the complex-valued modal propagation constants.


The nutritive value of leaf material cut from a highly fertilized kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clan destinum) sward was assessed with penned sheep in a 6 x 6 latin square design over 21 8 days. Estimates of the nutritive value were made for the dried leaf, leaf with a mineral supplement, leaf milled and pelleted and for rations that contained the pellets and either oaten chaff or grain. The leaf had an organic matter digestibility (OMD) of 63.5 per cent and contained 3.5 per cent nitrogen (N). Milling and pelleting the leaf did not significantly affect those values although OMD was lower (60.5 per cent), voluntary intake higher (by 16 per cent) and the rate of da ily live mass gain by sheep (1 17 g day-1) increased threefold, compared with those on the unmilled leaf ration. All sheep had net retentions of N (range 2.7-10.1 g day-1 ; P < 0.01). The rate of wool growth did not differ significantly between sheep on the rations whereas the rate of live mass change was highest for sheep on pellets : grain (60 : 40) (183 g day-1) and lowest for sheep on pellets : chaff (60 : 40) (3 g day-1; P < 0.01).


Sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) has been linked to sudden cardiac death (SCD) but the mechanism is unclear. Abnormal QRS‐T angle, a novel electrocardiographic (ECG) marker of ventricular repolarization, has been linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes including SCD. We hypothesized that individuals with SDB have more pronounced abnormality in QRS‐T angle.


The purpose of the article was to determine the role of trust in modern economy and making analysis of studies connected with trust and performance. The analysis shows that trust in organizations is very important because: it reduces transaction costs affect the competitiveness and promote knowledge sharing between members of groups which facilitates collaboration and improves productivity.


Abstract Mukul Kesavan's Looking Through Glass (1995) is a remarkable piece of historiographical metafiction that imaginatively reconstructs the final years of India's national movement. For this reason, it provides us with rich material to explore the relationship between the postcolonial narrative of the Indian nation and the anticolonial energies of the independence movement. But more importantly, as the present article argues, Kesavan's novel locates in the national movement's inability to resist the communal interpolation of its politics the genesis of contemporary India's "embattled secularism," particularly after the sudden rise into prominence in the 1980s and '90s of a right wing Hindu nationalist political party. How does this narrative deconstruct the 'nationalist' projections of this movement as a revolutionary spectacle? Why and how does this narrative seek to undermine the language of high theatre usually used in 'nationalist' accounts of this movement? These are some of the other questions which my article seeks to critically engage with.


One of the main topics of the works of Cydones is the foreign policy of
 Byzantium. Mutual incomprehension of Byzantium and the West, the growing
 threat and fear of the Ottoman Turks, lack of trust and, in a way, animosity
 towards the neighboring countries (primarily towards Bulgaria and Serbia in
 the time of Stefan Dusan and his immediate successors), represent three most
 important factors of that foreign policy in which Cydones also took part.
 This article deals with Cydones' perception of Serbs and the information he
 provides on them in his works. Two major parts can be discerned in this
 paper. The first chapters deal with the information Cydones' provides on
 Serbs in his letters. The last chapter, in which his speeches and the
 preambule of the charter of John V Palaiologos written by Cydones are being
 analyzed, deals with his perception of the Byzantine Slavic neighbor.


The American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) conducted a survey of practicing teachers of ASL in 1993–94 in order to collect their perceptions about teaching practices and knowledge important to teachers of ASL. The survey was called, A Job Analysis of Teaching American Sign Language (JATASL). Background variables of respondents to this survey were presented in SLS 86 (1995:19–36). Reported here are teachers' opinions about the skills and knowledge they consider important and that may be used in subsequent revisions to the ASLTA Evaluation & Certification System. Also discussed: the importance of conducting job analyses as part of constructing valid certification tests. ASL teachers participating in this survey rated knowledge and ability to explain the linguistic structures of ASL, proficiency in ASL and knowledge of Deaf culture and history as the most important areas overall. They view ability to explain and apply appropriate methods of teaching ASL, professional knowledge of teaching practice related to ASL and having bilingual skills in ASL and English (reading & writing) as "very important." They view issues of technical/professional knowledge such as theories of 2nd language teaching/learning, approaches to conflict resolution in the classroom, and knowledge of adult learning theory as "moderately important." They rated issues related to the general field of education, understanding curriculum theory, ability to use instructional technology, and knowledge of philosophies of education, "of little importance."


This paper reports a rapid method to identify the presence of nonswelling clay, swelling clay, or a mixture of the two types of clays in a soil from the sediment volumes occupied by 10 g of dry soil in 100 mL of water and carbon tetrachloride, respectively, under no external constraint. Soils that occupy a sediment volume of 1.10 m3/Mg in carbon tetrachloride and volumes ≥ 1.50 m3/Mg in water contain both nonswelling and swelling clays. The results agree well with X-ray diffraction and infrared analysis. In the latter part of the work, the limitations in the existing definition of the free-swell index of soils is brought out. The present definition gives a negative free-swell value for soils containing nonswelling clay and a reduced value for soils containing a mixture of nonswelling and swelling clays. The free-swell index of soils is defined as the sediment volume occupied by 10 g of dry soil in 100 mL of water under no external constraint and expressed in units of m3/Mg. Further, the sediment volume of a soil (10 g) in a nonpolar solvent, is utilized to give information on the clay type present in the soil, namely, nonswelling, swelling, or a combination of both. A classification for identifying a soil's expansivity based on the new definition of the free-swell index and the clay mineralogical composition of the soils is given.


Based on the expansive soil's engineering characters of wet swelling and season check and strength attenuation,this paper put forwarded the principle of drain design in expansive soil areas,discussed the main technology measures of water-proof and drain in expansive soil areas.Also,this paple provided two sections cutting slopes' optimized water-proof and drain design as examples to discussed the drain and moisture?-retaining and impervious have a very important meaning in slope stability.


To get understanding of the moisture absorbance and sweat transportation properties of the woven fabric made with cross profile polyester fibers,plain and twill weave mixed fabrics were designed and developed by means of its blended yarns of different constructions.The moisture absorbance and sweat transportation properties of the fabrics,such as hydroscopicity,air and moisture permeability,and quick drying,were tested.The analytical results demonstrate that fiber content and fabric structure exert certain influence on the moisture absorbance and sweat transportation properties of the fabric,thus providing a reference for the development and application of fabrics with the moisture absorbance and sweat transportation properties.


With Xi'an city advancing to a modernized international metropolis,its agriculture has undergone the transformation from suburban agriculture to urban agriculture.The paper use the method of locational quotient,agriculture industrial structure of Xi'an metropolitan area was analyzed,the superior industry of each county was determined of Xi'an metropolitan area;according to urban agriculture development situation of Xi'an metropolitan area,the urban agricultural distribution characteristics of Xi'an was studied.Proposed Xi'an urban agricultural development should use three circle layers and three axises structure.


This article describes the CHART State Operations Center (SOC) as it provides both peak and off-peak traffic management for the I-95 Corridor between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The system has a sophisticated multilevel, multiuser architecture and an innovate approach to public/ private partnerships.


The current PTA market quotations were introduced and analysed from the aspects such as international and domestic economic situation,national policy,imported limit,PET industry chain situation and textile industry status.The countermeasures and suggestions on PTA market quotations were put forward.


To the Editor: Federal, state, and local agencies are developing plans to detect and respond to bioterrorism. Medical examiners and coroners should be included in these plans. A multifaceted response team for bioterrorist events includes health-care providers and law enforcement, public health, and public safety officials. Since medical examiners and coroners generally work independently from other members of this team, special efforts may be necessary to ensure their inclusion in the planning process. Medical examiners and coroners have state statutory authority to investigate violent, suspicious, sudden, or unexplained deaths (1), including those due to homicide, trauma, and inapparent or poorly explained causes, such as drugs, toxins, and infectious agents. The role of these medical professionals in bioterrorism response can be twofold: response to a known terrorist attack and surveillance for unusual deaths or clusters of deaths that may represent an undetected attack. Deaths from terrorism are homicides and therefore under the jurisdiction of medical examiners and coroners. These investigators are skilled in preserving medicolegal evidence that may be important for subsequent criminal proceedings and in handling situations that involve mass deaths, as shown by their participation in the investigations of the Oklahoma City bombing, aviation accidents, and heat-related deaths (2-4). Medical examiners and coroners may also play an important role in the detection of bioterrorism since they may recognize unusual deaths before health-care providers become involved. Patients who die of infectious diseases or poisoning often die at home (5,6). Even patients who come to a health-care facility for treatment may die precipitously and unexpectedly, without a clear diagnosis, and may come under the jurisdiction of medical examiners and coroners. For example, in the 1993 outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the southwestern United States, medical examiners played an important role in recognizing the novel, rapidly fatal infectious syndrome (7). Autopsies are an effective way of obtaining an accurate diagnosis for deaths from infectious diseases and toxic exposures. In 1979, autopsy pathologists played a critical role in recognizing inhalational anthrax cases caused by an accidental discharge from a former Soviet bioweapons laboratory (8). In 1985, Illinois medical examiners identified the cause of death of persons who ingested acetaminophen that had been intentionally contaminated with cyanide (9). To be fully integrated into the medical, law enforcement, and public health plans for detecting and responding to bioterrorism, medical examiners and coroners will need information about the biological and chemical agents likely to be used, access to laboratories capable of identifying these agents, adequate data management systems for mortality surveillance, and improved autopsy facilities and procedures to ensure that prosectors are protected from infectious and chemical agents. As a beginning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently funded a model medical examiner surveillance program for bioterrorism mortality in New Mexico. Further collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies and medicolegal death investigators will be required for the components of such a program to be effective on a national scale.


Sustainable food safety in Jiangxi was assessed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on consumption of chemical fertilizers and other 22 indexes available. Results showed that it was increasing during the period of 1978─2003, and currently the food is safe. The province is quite high in safety level in terms of food production, resources and climate, which in turn provide some guarantee to food safety. However, the safety levels of its food guarantee factor and socio-economy factor are little bit lower, and the weakest links of sustainable food safety. The factor sustainable environment is rising in its safety level, which is contributive to enhancing sustainable food safety in Jiangxi.


To determine normal intraocular pressure (IOP) values by means of rebound tonometry in unanaesthetised ferrets, and to compare rebound and applanation tonometry, 55 clinically healthy ferrets were included in an observational, prospective, blinded study. On 52 ferrets, IOP was measured by means of rebound and applanation tonometry. On 3 ferrets, rebound tonometry was performed every two hours over a 24-hour period. Mean IOPs of the 104 eyes obtained with the rebound tonometer were 14.07±0.35 (95% CI 13.37 to 14.77) tonometer-units (TU). The IOP was significantly higher in males than in females, controlling for age and weight. A study-ordered decrease in coefficient of variation (CV) was observed (measurement 1–52=21.2±1.4 per cent v measurement 53–104=14.4±1.1 per cent) and high CVs (>30 per cent) were significantly less frequent in measurement 53–104. A significant difference in IOP during the 24- hour measurements was found, with the lowest IOP recorded at 22:00. The tonometers presented poor agreement, and IOP values were not correlated. The difference in IOP estimation increased with the magnitude of the measurements. Applanation tonometry presented a significant higher frequency of per-eye IOP values exceeding 25 and 30 TU, and a significant lower repeatability (CV=37.1±2.6 per cent v 17.8±1.2 per cent) compared with rebound tonometry. In conclusion, several factors need to be considered when measuring IOP in ferrets.


Inspired by the remarkable zero-shot generalization capacity of vision-language pre-trained model, we seek to leverage the supervision from CLIP model to alleviate the burden of data labeling. However, such supervision inevitably contains the label noise, which significantly degrades the discriminative power of the classification model. In this work, we propose Transductive CLIP, a novel framework for learning a classification network with noisy labels from scratch. Firstly, a class-conditional contrastive learning mechanism is proposed to mitigate the reliance on pseudo labels and boost the tolerance to noisy labels. Secondly, ensemble labels is adopted as a pseudo label updating strategy to stabilize the training of deep neural networks with noisy labels. This framework can reduce the impact of noisy labels from CLIP model effectively by combining both techniques. Experiments on multiple benchmark datasets demonstrate the substantial improvements over other state-of-the-art methods.


Against the backdrop of changing customer preferences and technological advancement, propelling significant shifts across the insurance distribution landscape, this paper investigated the impact of corporate brand image on customers' behavioural intentions which translate to policyholders' satisfaction and loyalty. The study adopted quantitative research approach to validate this correlation through the use of questionnaire. One hundred and eighty-six participants were judgmentally chosen from insurance consumers in higher educational institutions in Lagos state to complete the questionnaire. Data collected was analysed using Pearson 'r' correlated statistic and simple linear regression. Results showed that corporate brand image is positively significantly associated with customer satisfaction and loyalty respectively in Nigeria. This implies that insurance consumers in Nigeria are strongly influenced by corporate brand image in the choice of insurance companies and their service products. The study recommends that insurance providers in Nigeria should continue to improve in their service quality in terms of boosting insurance awareness through policyholders' education, employees' responsiveness, ethical orientation and corporate social responsibility.


The compression behavior of closed cell aluminum foams with different density has been examined. Stress-strain curves were obtained. The microstructure evaluation of cell walls was investigated using X-ray computer tomography. A series of images of internal microstructures were given, the structural deformation evolution was analyzed. The images of cell wall evolution shown that crack appeared in cell wall after a small deformation of elastic deformation. As the compression proceeded, further cracks occur and some of the cell walls fracture. The fracture area become expanded, a part of dislocation on the sample side is formed. As the fracture area spreads, some regions become dense. The stress-strain curves showed brittle characteristics. As the relative density increases, yield strength and elastic modulus of aluminum foams increased. The best fit lines are obtained, where, is 0.97 and 0.2 respectively.