The aim of this study was to investigate the game-related statistics that discriminate between teams according to their league position in the Turkish Basketball League. Data were collected from the official box scores for 16 participated teams during the 2014-2015 regular season of the Turkish Basketball League. Teams were divided into two groups according to their league position; top 8 teams were called the top half teams and other 8 teams were called the bottom half teams. Players who played for less than one-quarter of the season or less than half a game period were omitted from the sample. The final data set obtained from 198 basketball players. The recorded game-related statistics were standardized according to a player's time on court. Independent samples t-tests were used to compare descriptive results from the game-related statistics. Also, discriminant analysis was applied to discover the statistical team variables that better discriminated between the two types of team. The mean differences between teams that were found to be statistically significant were assists, steals, defensive rebounds, turnovers and offensive rebounds. In the 2014-2015 regular season of Turkish Basketball League assists, steals, defensive rebounds, turnovers and offensive rebounds were the variables that had a major contribution to a team success. As a result, it was found that offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, assists, steals and turnovers were more important game-related statistics than others. These results suggest that defense is more effective for team success than offense.


All of the eight contributions on the question of the theoretical basis of therapeutic use of cryoprecipitates as a source of fibronectin make the cardinal point that clinical efficacy of fibronectin has not been established in well-designed and controlled clinical trials. Accordingly, the Forum contributors do not support the therapeutic use of cryoprecipitates as a source of fibronectin, and the Editors are of the same opinion. It appears that such use should be confined to experimental protocols, that fibronectin should be preferentially prepared from plasma not suitable for Factor VIII production, and that caution should be exercised by avoiding use of fibronectin preparations that have not been heated to inactivate contaminating viruses. The last precaution leads us to prefer purified concentrates of fibronectin which can be heattreated prior to experimental use to assess the clinical efficacy of this interesting glycoprotein. Bern, March 1985


This study investigated challenges faced by teachers when teaching by using a language unfamiliar to pupils in rural lower primary classes in Tanzania. The study employed a qualitative research approach and a case study design. Interview and observation methods were employed to obtain
 the data. The study involved 58 participants of which 8 were teachers (three heads of schools, two standard one teachers and three pre-primary teachers), and 50 were standard one pupils. We found out that pupils use their ethnic languages in daily communication while teachers do not have knowledge
 and skills to teach by using the ethnic language of the community, a language usually unfamiliar to them. The study revealed the massive use of local languages and few fluent speakers of Kiswahili in the local community. There were few games for children to play in which they could improve
 their skills in Kiswahili, the language of instruction in primary schools. There was a failure among the teachers to manage the time and to follow the syllabus. Pupils failed to express themselves in Kiswahili. They used only ethnic languages at home. Teachers who were teaching by using Kiswahili
 as a medium of instruction a language unfamiliar to pupils saw this as a great challenge. We concluded that using Kiswahili as medium of instructions in lower primary classes in rural areas leaves a lot to be desired. There is a need to standardize, promote and enhance the unveiled pedagogical
 strategies and challenges across rural schools.


Tit le of I t em: California Anti-Bullying Policy Evolution 3 t o 5 k e y w o r d s o r p h r a s e s t o d e s c r i b e t h e i t e m : California Anti-Bullying Policy A u t h o r s N a m e (Print) Kathie O. Huff A u t h o r s S i g n a t u r e D a t e 5/8/2013 This is a permit ted, modified vers ion of t he Non-exclus ive Distribution L icense f rom M I T Libraries a n d the University of K a n s a s .


Abstract In this review, the intriguing properties of clathrate hydrates shall be discussed, as well as their environmental impact and prospects for energy exploitation in industry. In particular, the anomalous behaviour of hydrate thermal conductivity will be described, as well as challenges in understanding nucleation and kinetics. Particular attention shall be devoted to recent progress and advances in the molecular simulation of clathrate hydrates, as well as elusive challenges thereof, which underpin our molecular-level understanding of clathrate behaviour, especially in terms of microscopic mechanisms of thermal conduction, nucleation, hydrogen storage and prospects for carbon sequestration.


In this report, a method for multiplying two elements from the Galois field GF(2ms) is presented. This method provides a tradeoff between speed and


We introduce an ad hoc wireless mobile network that employs a hierarchical networking architecture and uses high and low capacity nodes. We present a topological synthesis algorithm that selects a subset of high capacity nodes to form a backbone network (Bnet). The latter is multi-tiered and consists of interconnected backbone nodes that intercommunicate across higher power (or regular) links, and also makes use of unmanned vehicles, both airborne (UAV) and ground based (UGV). For such a mobile backbone network (MBN), we introduce a protocol, MBNP, to implement the key networking schemes. The MBNP system serves to allocate resources across the network to ensure acceptable user application QoS performance, and also a highly robust backbone-oriented networking architecture. We introduce a new class of on-demand (MBNP-OD) routing algorithms that use the backbone network for selective forwarding of route-request messages, while striving to achieve an efficient MAC layer operation. We enhance these new protocols by incorporating link stability estimates to attain a robust routing operation. To ensure service quality for admitted flows, we introduce flow admission control mechanisms. We present new power control spatial reuse based algorithms for efficient utilization of the net MAC resources through the use of time slot allocations and of CSMA/CA based (IEEE 802.11 type) protocols. We present elements of the protocol and key involved algorithms, and illustrate the advantages offered by the MBNP system.


Since in future the existing UNILAC (Universal Linear Accelerator) will be used as an injector for the FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) project, a new superconducting (sc) continuous wave (cw) linac at GSI is proposed to keep the Super Heavy Element (SHE) program at a competitive high level. In this context, a sc 217 MHz crossbar-H-mode (CH) cavity has been designed at the Institute for Applied Physics (IAP), Frankfurt University, and was built at Research Instruments (RI) GmbH, Germany. The cavity serves as a first prototype to demonstrate the reliable operability under a realistic accelerator environment and its successful beam operation will be a milestone on the way to the new linac. In this contribution measurements during the production process of the cavity as well as corresponding simulations will be presented.


Purpose : Generally Cooperative Associations play positive and productive role in disseminating the latest information on all aspects and services to the farming communities. However, it seemed imperative to assess the perceptions of the members and evaluate role of the Unaizah Agricultural Cooperative Association (UACA) to improve its working by addressing the issues and concerns of its members. Research Method : One hundred thirty-two respondents representing 25% of registered member farmers of the association were identified by applying a random sampling technique. Data were collected by using a well-designed and pre-tested questionnaire to achieve the objectives of the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and interpret the data. Findings : Respondents had high perceptions regarding the role of UACA in the following areas: makes agricultural innovations available to the farmers at suitable prices; establishes good contacts with extension staff; brings useful activities; helps solving agricultural problems; provides timely information; maintains good relations with its members; establishes beneficial agreements with traders to enable farmers to have easy access to markets. Though majority (70.5%) of the respondents were highly aware of the importance of the association yet almost half of the respondents (53%) were moderately satisfied, suggesting an improvement in its working. Originality/ Value : No scientific study of the kind has not been launched before. Hence the outcomes of the study would help the association in enhancing its working.


Asimple, sensitive, accurate, rapid, and economical colorimetric-spectrophotometric method has been developed for the estimation of cephalexin in capsules. This method is based on the reaction of the drug with ferric chloride and potassium ferricyanide, giving a green-colored chromogen exhibiting maximum absorbance at 791 nm against reagent blank. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range of 1-6 μg/ml. Results of the analysis were validated statistically and by recovery studies.


The chapter focuses on a graph – semantic based conceptual data model for semi-structured data, called Graph Object Oriented Semi-Structured Data Model (GOOSSDM), to conceptualize the different facets of such system in object oriented paradigm. The model defines a set of graph based formal constructs, varieties of relationship types with participation constraints. It is accompanied with a rich set of graphical notations and those are used to specify the conceptual level design of semi-structured database system. The approach facilitates modeling of irregular, heterogeneous, hierarchical, and nonhierarchical semi-structured data at the conceptual level. The GOOSSDM is also able to represent the mixed content in semi-structured data. Moreover, the approach is capable to model XML document at conceptual level with the facility of document-centric design, ordering and disjunction characteristic. The chapter also includes a rule based transformation mechanism for GOOSSDM schema into the equivalent XML Schema Definition (XSD). Moreover, the chapter also provides comparative study of several similar kinds of proposals for semi-structured data models based on the properties of semi-structured data and future research scope in this area. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2958-5.ch005


Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu Tampere University of Applied Sciences Degree Programme in Service Management MAARIT LEPISTÖ: Increasing the Use of Local Food in the Town of Ikaalinen Bachelor's thesis 60 pages, appendices 5 pages April 2014 The aim of this thesis was to give an account of what has been done to use more local food in the town of Ikaalinen. One of the goals was to make an analysis of how much local food is used in the town of Ikaalinen today, based on food purchases in 2012. It was used as basis for the strategy of food procurement in the town of Ikaalinen. In addition, the aim was to make an inventory of the ways which have already been used to increase the proportion of local food as well as to make development suggestions for using local food in the future. A questionnaire survey connected to this thesis in order to find out opinions about using local food at the moment in the kitchens in town of Ikaalinen. The thesis is planned to be of assistance in practical activities and in the process of food procurement to those who are seeking to increase local food in their purchases in the future. Town council of Ikaalinen approved in May 2013 the strategy of food procurement in Ikaalinen, for the years 2014-2018. Its aim is that 20% of all food purchased by the town of Ikaalinen is local food by 2017. The town of Ikaalinen and the municipality of Hämeenkyrö made in cooperation a food supply request in the project of Parasta pöytään Pirkanmaalla. A negotiated procedure was used in the process. Through this agreement the suppliers who are capable to supply local foods were chosen. Regular theme days of local food in all food preparation units in the town will increase the use of local food. This facilitates the centralized use of local producers. Local food days have particularly increased the use of a local meat. A local pastry set which includes locally produced materials was developed in Ikaalinen. The pastries are used in the town's own events. The survey showed that the strategy of food purchases is not fully known in kitchens. It indicates that there is a need for more information on the strategy and on the purchases. In order to use more local food in the future, menus and recipes can be development by increasing the use of seasons' vegetables. During theme weeks it is possible to get familiar with the traditional foods of the region and with the help of producers' product demonstrations in kitchens and joint product development new suitable products can be created. List of local producers are compiled for every kitchen. Students can be taken along in the cooperation to make banners and posters for the school dining rooms about the local producers and products. With the surplus value brought by local food the appreciation of the public food service can be raised.


Glucose isomerase in the form of heat‐treated whole‐cell enzyme prepared from Streptomyces phaeochromogenus follows the reversible single‐substrate reaction kinetics in isomerization of glucose to fructose. Based on the Kinetic constants determined and the mathematical model of the reactor system developed, the preformance of a plug‐flow‐type continuous‐enzyme reactor system was studied experimentally and also simulated with the aid of a computer for the ultimate objective of optimization of the glucose isomerase reactor system.


Abstract One application of Roundup at 2.2 or 4.5 kg ai/ha (2.0 or 4.0 lb/A) with or without surfactant, Weedar 64 (2.4-D amine) at 1.1 kg ae/ha (1.0 lb/A), Banvel at 0.6 kg ae/ha (0.5 lb/A), or Garlon 3A at 0.6 kg ae/ha (0.5 lb/A) reduced new shoot growth of English ivy 10 weeks after treatment by 46 to 80%. Roundup at 4.5 kg/ha plus non-ionic surfactant was the only single application treatment that reduced older shoot growth of English ivy (41% reduction) 19 weeks after treatment. English ivy outgrew injury from all other single application treatments. Two applications of Weedar 64 completely controlled English ivy. Two applications of Roundup at 4.5 kg/ha (4.0 lb/A), with or without surfactant, eliminated new shoot growth 11 weeks after treatment, and reduced total shoot weight by approximately 60% 15 weeks after treatment. English ivy shoot weight decreased when the rate of Roundup was increased from 2.2. to 4.5 kg/ha (74 versus 92% reduction) 7 weeks after treatment, but adding a non-ionic surfactan...


The author cites partial statistics(1980-1994
) form China Yearbook as
 sample value.By means of Linear regression,the author works out static peasants
' personal comsumption model of estimation economy without time sign and consump
tive estimati
on economy model which is going beyond period with time sequence.Hoping this wil
l provide data reference for prediction and adjustment concerning peasants'perso
nal consumption.


With the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence ('AI') technologies and many sectors such as healthcare, banking and retail interested in taking advantage of the many benefits AI can bring, there have been many legal issues that have arisen which range from who is liable for damages where the AI machine incorrectly diagnoses a patient in a medical setting? The doctor utilizing the technology? The practice? The manufacturer? To how can you protect the intellectual property which is generated independently by AI machines which are 'learning'?.
Artificial Intelligence


This infographic illustrates the natural history of primary cam morphology (PCM) to inform the Oxford Consensus Study's seven prioritised research domains on conditions affecting the young person's hip. 1 2 We share 16 key messages for athletes, patients, clinicians and researchers:


The quality of micro plastic gears was inspected with the image recognition technology herein. Focusing on the situation that gears' defects were uncertain, the construction of computer vision system and the theories, technologies of digital image acquisition, image preprocessing, image segmentation as well as the sub-pixel location theory were studied thoroughly. A dummy circle scan method is presented to realize the gear tooth inspection, and the results indicate that it can meet request on the automatic inspection of micro plastic gears.


The purpose of this study is to rank the most important and effective marketing mix elements in the sales of Javid Darb Company's product in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Considering this issue, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used as the evaluating method. Two questionnaires have been used in this study. The first one was designed with 26 questions to identify the most effective elements of marketing mix in the sale of the door industry. The research population consisted of 50 participants, who were all active as CEOs of the companies in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. The second questionnaire, based on the results of the first questionnaire, was designed for ranking of effective elements. The Population of this questionnaire is consisted of 54 CEO's, Experts and Staff who were representatives of Javid Darb Company. Data was analyzed by SPSS software and reliability of questioner was determined by Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient. The Coefficient value was 0.86, showing high ratability of the first questionnaire. Using paired comparison and analyzing them by Expert Choice, the final weight of each element of the marketing mix was determined and thus the final obtained weights were ranked accordingly. The results showed that the first four effective elements in order of priority were product, price, promotion and place.


Aim To investigate the correlation between endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase(NOS)asymmetric dimethylarginine(ADMA)in patients with coronary artery heart disease and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.Methods A total of 75 patients were enrolled and divided into four groups:stable angina pectoris group(SAP,n=15),unstable angina pectoris group(UAP,n=23),acute myocardial infarction group(AMI,n=20)and control group(n=17).Clinical history was collected and total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDLC),high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDLC)and ADMA levels were determined.Coronary artery lesion was evaluated by Gensinis coring system.Relevance of ADMA to age,sex proportion,TC,TG,LDLC,HDLC,and coronary artery Gensinis coring was analyzed.Results Compared with the control group(3.81±0.48 μmol/L),the serum ADMA level of the SAP group(4.82±0.50 μmol/L),UAP group(5.52±0.55 μmol/L)and AMI group(6.03±1.13 μmol/L)increased significantly(P0.01).The serum ADMA level of the UAP group and AMI group were higher than that of the SAP group(P0.01).The difference of the serum ADMA level between the UAP group and AMI group wasn't statistically significant(P=0.279).Gensinis coring of the control group was significantly different from the other three groups(P0.01).Gensinis coring of the SAP group(17.79±1.86)was significantly lower than those of the UAP group(38.05±4.46)and AMI group(40.62±3.80)(P0.01).There was nosignificant difference of Gensinis coring between the UAP group and AMI group(P0.05).Significant correlation between ADMA level and TC,LDLC levels,and Gensinis coring were found(P0.01).There was no significant correlation between ADMA level and age,sex proportion,TG and HDLC levels(P0.05).Conclusions The serum ADMA is positively correlative to the degree of coronary atherosclerosis and the morbid state of coronary artery heart disease.It is important for the diagnosis therapy and estimation the morbid state of coronary artery heart disease to observe the changes of the serum ADMA level.


Dual-loop data from the Seattle area freeway system were selected as the main data source for a project attempting to monitor freight on Puget Sound Freeways. However, preliminary verification tests performed on the dual loop data indicated that the data were not reliable; therefore, the truck movements estimated by the dual-loop detectors on the Seattle FLOW system failed to represent the real freight activities. If sufficiently accurate, dual-loop detectors can be very cost-effective collectors of real-time vehicle-classification and speed data. This report describes a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)/TransNow-funded study that addresses the problems with the existing detection system encountered by the original freight study, and recommends remedial actions to rectify these problems. The researchers 1) investigated the level of inaccuracies in the existing WSDOT dual-loop freeway detectors, 2) identified the types and potential causes of these inaccuracies, and 3) proposed methods to effectively improve the quality of the dual-loop data.


The significant computational overhead associated with the iterative reconstruction process of biomedical optical imaging is one of the major factors that hinder its application in clinical diagnosis, especially for large tissue volumes. Based on previous studies, the paper presents a general purpose biomedical optical image reconstruction model along with components and data flow diagram, and proposes a modified model taking into account the information feedback during the iterative image reconstruction process to control the image resolution in the subdomain of interest, and hence to detect interior targets, such as tumors, from the discrete measurements collected on the surface of clinically relevant tissue. The modified image reconstruction model (MIRM) may provide a means to detect small targets and improve the image quality at relatively low computational cost.


Previously, we have demonstrated that the tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT) from Escherichia coli is capable of utilizing an in vitro generated minihelix consisting of the anticodon stem and loop sequence of E. coli tRNA (Curnow, A. W., Kung, F. L., Koch, K. A., and Garcia, G. A.(1993) Biochemistry 32, 5239-5246). This suggests that the tRNA structural motifs necessary for recognition comprise a loop at the end of a short helix. To gain further insight into the structural requirements for TGT recognition, we have investigated the conformation of this minimal substrate. Thermal denaturation studies and kinetic analyses at 20 and 37°C indicate that this minihelix is predominantly melted at 37°C and that the melted conformation is not a substrate for TGT. This is confirmed by the determination that a non-helical analogue of the minihelix is not a substrate for TGT at either temperature. Two additional minihelices designed to be stable at 37°C, ECYMH (a 4-base pair extension of the previous minihelix) and SCDMH (a yeast tRNA analogue of ECYMH), were generated and characterized. Finally, several sequence mutants of SCDMH, focusing on the GU base pair and UGU loop sequence, have been produced, and kinetic parameter determinations have been performed at 37°C. Our results are consistent with a recent report (Nakanishi, S., Ueda, T., Hori, H., Yamazaki, N., Okada, N., and Watanabe, K. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 32221-32225) indicating that a UGU sequence in a 7-base loop is the minimal requirement for TGT recognition.


This paper describes comparative study of current collapse in AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) passivated with sputter-deposited SiO2 and SiNx dielectrics. The pulsed I-V measurements are employed to characterize switching response of the devices. It is found that the degree of current collapse for the SiNx-passivated device is superior to that for the SiO2-passivated device.


Using the observation data (Jul. 2003-Jun. 2005) from GPS scintillation monitor at CSSAR Hainan station, a morphological analysis for L-band ionospheric scintillations over Hainan region in the fall phase of solar cycle has been performed. The main results are the following. Scintillations mainly occur from postsunset to near midnight. The onset time of scintillations is clearly earliest with the peaks on near 22LT in equinox months, and has some time delay in winter months, and has an obviously time delay which mainly takes place near midnight in summer months. The occurrence rate and intensity of scintillations are evidently enhanced in equinox months, and are evidently reduced in winter and summer months. The scintillations mainly occur on the magnetic quiet days, which mainly take place near the two equinoxes. The scintillations may also occur in magnetic disturbance/ storm days, which mostly appear in winter and summer months. Compared with the geomagnetic activity, the solar activity does not evidently affect the scintillation occurrence.


A water-colour sketch, showing the house in the background, winding path leading to the residence, and cattle grazing in the centre foreground. In 1842, Captain John Werge Howey acquired the property, which on his death went to his eldest nephew Major John Edwards Werge Howey, then to his eldest son.


This paper probes into the residential house of the Hakkas in the form of chessboard which has been rarely studied up to now. "Safeguard Wang's House" is famous for its grandness in size and solidness in construction and tidiness in structure. Its ancestor room, study room and pillar couplet embody the connotation of architectural culture of the Hakkas for respecting their ancestors and valuing edcucation.


In this paper,fine powder of SiO2 is prepared by chemical precipitation method,using sodium silicate and hydrochloric acid as raw materials.Orthogonal test is used to research the influence of reaction temperature,the ethanol/water volume ratio and HCl concentration on product quality.The optimal experimental conditions are found out and the particle size and morphology are examined by particle size analyzer and optical microscope,respectively.The optimal experimental condition is reaction temperature 40 ℃,ethanol/water volume ratio 0.5 and HCl concentration 1.4mol/L.Compared with other nine group tests,the particle size of SiO2 prepared on the optimal experimental condition is small and the particle distributed evenly,which proved that the selected experimental conditions is correct.


We summarize recent progress in constructing orientifolds of Gepner models, a phenomenologically interesting class of exactly solvable string compactifications with viable gauge groups and chiral matter.


ABSTRACT Electoral and competitive authoritarian regimes have become a major focus of comparative research. Yet, finding measures that distinguish these regimes from democracies is challenging, especially for scholars conducting large-N cross-national research, as this conceptual distinction rests on incumbent abuses that are difficult to systematically observe. This article reviews common measures that simply utilize extant regime indicators to draw the line with democracy, demonstrates their poor performance in mirroring a benchmark from case-based measurement, and illustrates the adverse implications for theory building. The article then shows how data on incumbent abuse from the National Elections Across Democracy and Dictatorship (NELDA) and Varieties of Democracy (VDEM) projects can be utilized to construct alternative measures. A NELDA-based measure far outperforms extant alternatives in mirroring the case-based benchmark. The article then discusses why a VDEM-based alternative should be a superior option once data is available and how one might be constructed.


The research on virus propagation process and control method in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is one of the essential challenges of network security. This paper proposes a virus control mechanism of degree, betweenness centrality, and k-core-based analytical hierarchy process (DBC-AHP) for WSNs. According to the topology of WSNs, the virus control mechanism uses the DBC-AHP to identify the crucial nodes of the network. It uses the way of crucial nodes' self-disconnection to suppress the spread of the virus, to improve the network security. In this paper, the effectiveness of the virus control mechanism based on the DBC-AHP is verified by comparing and analyzing the effect of four different crucial node recognition algorithms. With the research of virus control mechanisms in various network environments, it is found that the average degree of nodes, the communication radius of nodes, and the probability of virus infection can affect the inhibition effect of the virus control mechanism. Furthermore, the inhibition effect of virus control mechanisms is studied under the condition with/without MAC mechanism.


The use and importance of ontologies is becoming more widespread, however building ontologies is largely a black art. The aim of this paper is to identify and characterise what we currently know and to move towards the longer term goal of developing a comprehensive uni(cid:12)ed methodology. We (cid:12)rst identify dimensions for characterising ontologies, to be used as a basis for noting which techniques and guidelines for building ontologies apply in di(cid:11)erent circumstances. We then give an overview of the current state of the art, noting that most work addresses just a small part of the life cycle. The very few more complete methods are limited to case studies involving single ontologies and they are hard to compare. In the main part of this paper, we examine two such methods and give a framework for comparing and unifying them. We emphasise that di(cid:11)erent approaches are required for di(cid:11)erence circumstances, and give some guidelines for when to use which techniques. We conclude by considering how to further advance our understanding of building ontologies.


Adding a graphics tablet, a stylus, and special software to a personal computer system enables its users to edit text with simple, handwritten commands.


When the Yiddish atlas project was initiated in the late 1950s by Uriel Weinreich, the prevailing view was that Yiddish was born in the Rhineland in the 9th and 10th centuries when French and Italian Jews adopted and adapted German; it then expanded to the Judeo-Italian settlement in Bavaria and reached monolingual Slavic territory in the 13th century. This third volume (volumes 1–2, 1992, 1995), subtitled The Eastern Yiddish – Western Yiddish continuum, is predicated on the belief that Eastern Yiddish (spoken in central and eastern Europe) is a "colonial" offshoot of Western Yiddish, remnants of which survive in Holland, Alsace, and Switzerland. The 148 linguistic and cultural maps permit the exploration of many questions – including the continuum hypothesis itself; paradoxically, considerable data here seem to disconfirm the hypothesis. The occasional commentary, though not customary in most atlases, is very welcome, though more could have been presented, given the blank space on many pages.


Background The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accounts for the majority of the reported gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) cases. Kongo Central province in the DRC reports a relatively low, yet steady number of cases, and forms a transboundary focus with Angola and the Republic of Congo. This paper describes an intervention aimed at reducing the case burden in Kongo Central by improving passive case detection, complemented with reactive screening. Methodology/Principal findings At the initiation of this programme in August 2015, 620 health facilities were identified and equipped with Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) for HAT screening. Of these, 603 (97%) reported use of RDTs, and 584 (94%) that continued to use RDTs to the last quarter of 2016 were used in the analysis going forward. Among all health facilities involved, 23 were equipped to confirm HAT by microscopy, and 4 of the latter were equipped to perform molecular testing with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). Patients clinically suspected of HAT were tested with an RDT and those with a positive RDT result were referred to the nearest microscopy facility for confirmatory testing. If RDT positive patients were negative by microscopy, they were tested by LAMP, either on fresh blood or blood that was dried on filter paper and transported to a facility performing LAMP. This network of diagnostic facilities reduced the median distance for a patient to travel to a screening facility from 13.7km when the classical card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (CATT) was used as a screening test in the past, to 3.4km. As a consequence, passive case detection was improved by between 30% and 130% compared to the period before. Furthermore, the proportion of HAT cases detected in early stage disease by passive screening increased from 27% to 64%. Reactive screening took place in 20 villages where cases were reported by passive screening, and in 45 villages in the neighbourhood of these villages. Reactive screening was responsible for detection of 40% of cases, of which, 90% were in first stage of the disease. Conclusions This programme has demonstrated that it is possible to deploy passive screening for HAT at sub-country or country levels in the DRC, and this is made more effective when supplemented with reactive screening. Results and achievements showed an increase in the number of HAT cases detected, the majority of them in early disease, demonstrating that this strategy enables better population coverage and early detection of cases, which is critical in removing the HAT reservoir and interrupting transmission, and could contribute to HAT elimination in regions where it is implemented.


The Stalinist statistical services continued and intensified statistical surveys of domestic budgets marked in part by practices inherited from pre-revolutionary times. World War II caused great harm to the sample of families under study. Although the surveys did not stop after the war, they underwent sharp criticism. A November 1951 decree substantially expanded the set of families under study. At the same time, another survey was conducted by labor unions, a fact that highlights the importance the Stalinist leadership attached to consumption modes and levels. However, studying the formation of the new sample and the reports sent to authorities reveals a tension between the shared desire of statisticians and political leaders to obtain precise information on how the private sphere functioned throughout the land on the one hand and the subjugation of the statistical tool to a partitioned vision of society on the other. However, the tools for the evaluation of well-being


As a new social media,microblog played a very important role in the information distribution and public opinion propagation,with its multiple platforms usage,rapid propagation and strong interaction. Basic concept of microblog was introduced firstly. Secondly,several commonly used techniques on information retrieval,acquisition conditions selection,and data expression methods in microblog were surveyed and classified. Thirdly,we discussed some choke points. At last,based on the analyzed problems,suggestions for future research works were put forward.


We give a generalization of the notion of finite Blaschke products from the perspective of generalized inner functions in various reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces. Further, we study precisely how these functions relate to the so‐called Shapiro–Shields functions and shift‐invariant subspaces generated by polynomials. Applying our results, we show that the only entire inner functions on weighted Hardy spaces over the unit disk are multiples of monomials, extending recent work of Cobos and Seco.


Enzymes predominantly responsible for the primary degradation of protein in soft cheese and for the related changes in consistency were studied. Reconstructed Noordhollandse Meshanger cheese and preserved simulated soft cheeses of different composition were used as models in the investigation. Results for proteolysis in the simulated cheeses were comparable and also comparable to those observed with normal Meshanger cheese. Protein breakdown was studied by estimating the amount of nitrogen soluble in the moisture of cheese and by quantitative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results of the two methods were well correlated. Proteolysis, which is primarily responsible for changes in consistency of soft cheeses, was caused mainly by calf rennet enzymes. The activity of rennet at different pH and concentrations of NaCl in the moisture of cheese also revealed a major role of rennet enzymes in protein breakdown in soft cheeses with an initially very low pH, ripening under the influence of a surface flora. The role of the surface flora is merely to regulate pH and so to soften the cheese body, and to give the cheese a specific flavour. Milk protease activity in soft cheese was studied in relation to pH, concentration of NaCl in moisture, ripening time and ripening temperature of the cheese. Its contribution to soft cheese ripening is minor, perhaps except for certain cheeses with a surface flora. Milk protease showed considerable activity in milk at favourable temperatures, proteolysis increased when cheese milk was subjected to low-temperature pasteurization.


The convergence properties of ■ mixing random sequences are studied.Three convergence theorems are obtained.As a result,we extend some convergence properties of independent sequences to the case ■ mixing of random sequences.


The paper uses the framework of the IPAT equation, as applied to CO 2 emission, to decompose the various driving forces in the global energy use. Data from recent history are superimposed on projections of SRES IPCC scenarios to determine if enough sustainable capacity can be built to prevent irreversible ecological deterioration. The conclusion from the analysis is that, in agreement with the IPCC 4th report, until about 2030 there are no large differences between a sustainable scenario and the one that resembles "business as usual". The sharp divergence that follows stems from different estimates in population growth and in the percentage of use of fossil fuels in the total energy mix. Decomposition of alternative energy options indicate that the rate of increase of alternatives such as hydroelectric and nuclear start with a relatively high base but a growth rate too short for major contribution to a timely replacement of fossil fuels while wind and solar starts from a much lower base but rate of growth, if maintained, that can satisfy a timely replacement.


The environmental diagnosis of the tributaries of the Lajeado Stream tributaries in Pirapozinho / SP is a study that will evaluate the characteristics of the natural environment, as well as the interactions and interferences caused by anthropogenic activities in the environment and the impacts resulting from these actions. This characterization will be done through visual on-site surveys, laboratory analysis and literature searches that allow a better understanding of the behavior of a watershed in face of external factors. In this sense, we evaluate procedures such as soil use and occupation, water quality, environmental valuation, development of vegetative areas, soil qualification, among other aspects. Thus, the interpretation of the quality of the natural resources raised and their interference will support an assessment of which identified impacts are likely to be


The role of total thyroidectomy in the treatment of patients with benign thyroid disease remains controversial. However, this procedure may be appropriate when both thyroid lobes are involved and when the risk of recurrence is significant. This study is a review of a 15‐year experience of total thyroidectomy for benign disease.


Abstract Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris provide important sport and commercial fisheries in the upper Mississippi River. These two species alone account for nearly one-third of the monetary value of the annual commercial fish harvest and consistently rank among the top 10 species caught by sport anglers. Catfish harvested commercially from Pools 9–19 declined significantly from 1955 to 1984, and this decline was attributed to overharvest of fish over the legal length of 13 in. Overharvest resulted in (1) declines in yield, (2) increases in the proportion of small fish in the commercial harvest, (3) a narrow range of age-groups represented in the fishery, (4) high dependence on single year-classes, and (5) high mortality rates. It was projected that increasing the minimum length for commercially harvested catfish from 13 to 15 in would (1) improve recruitment and thus increase and stabilize year-class abundance, (2) reduce fluctuations in the fishery caused by ...


Unilateral section of the inferior and middle cerebellar peduncles was performed in rats at postnatal days 1 or 2. The ultrastructure of the cerebellar hemispheric cortex ipsilateral to the lesion was examined 3 months later. The absence of contralateral inferior olive and of ipsilateral middle peduncle, together with a marked regression of the contralateral pontine gray, were indicative of successful pedunculotomy.


[Objective]The research aimed to seek the optimum application leaf age stage of ear fertilizer for japonica super rice.[Method] With Wujing 15 and Changyou 1 as materials,the effects of applying ear fertilizer in different age stage on their yield,matter production,N use and quality were studied.[Result]The yield was the highest under the treatment of applying the same amount of fertilizer in the forth leaf stage and third leaf stage.Suitable fertilization of ear fertilizer could enrich the accumulation of dry matter from heading stage to maturity stage,and improve the biological yield.Higher nitrogen use efficiency could be obtained.The main quality characters of japonica super rice could be effectively improved.[Conclusion]Under the conditions of pure nitrogen of 225 kg/hm2,basic tiller fertilizer/ear fertilizer of 6∶4,the application of ear fertilizer in the forth leaf stage and third leaf stage was more suitable.


Plant cells excrete protons via an electrogenic proton pump, the K+-stimulated, Mg2+-dependent H+-ATPasc, located on the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane. Plasma membrane redox reactions are also coupled to proton excretion. Various inhibitors were used on carrot (Daucus carola L.) cells in an attempt to distinguish between the two processes. Inhibitors of electron transport reactions in the plasma membrane (chloroquine, 8-hydroxyquinolinc, 4,7-dichloroquinolinc and retinoic acid) inhibited ferricyanide-induced proton excretion by 37–100%, while they inhibited potassium ferricyanide reduction, a measure of plasma membrane redox activity, by 42–100%. The above-mentioned quinolines and retinoic acid inhibited cell growth by 49–98%, with the exception of chloroquine, which stimulated carrot cell growth by 36%.


Although rhinosinusitis is not a life-threatening condition, it impairs daily functioning and quality of life (QoL). The evaluation of rhinosinusitis patients must include a complete sinonasal history and nasal exploration, and in addition may include CT scan and the quantification of QoL. The burden of rhinosinusitis can be assessed and compared with controls using the available generic questionnaires. Specific questionnaires offer more sensitivity than generics in terms of details on distinct diseases such as rhinosinusitis when studying a selected population. This article is intended to provide a review of the available measurement instruments on QoL that have been used in clinical trials related to rhinosinusitis, both acute and chronic. The indexed English literature up to 2012 from PUBMED and EMBASE was reviewd. The studies suggest that the available instruments to quantify the impact of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis demonstrate impairment on QoL and the available treatments lead to a similar improvement.


The sinc function is often used as the basis for the design of discrete linear-phase FIR filters. However the Fourier transform of the truncated sinc function exhibits ripple in the pass band due to the Gibbs phenomenon. This paper introduces an alternative function based on Chebyshev polynomials whose Fourier transform decreases monotonically in the pass band. Furthermore this function features an integrated window function with an adjustable parameter influencing the Fourier transform in the transition and stop bands.


The utility model discloses an on-line check meter of servo protection valves, a connecting screw rod is fixedly connected to a valve rod of a protection valve, an oil cylinder is arranged on a base of the protection valve, and an oil cylinder back-up plate is arranged between the oil cylinder and the base of the protection valve; a elevating power sensor is arranged on the oil cylinder; the connecting screw rod passes through from the centers of the oil cylinder and the elevating power sensor and is fixed on the elevating power sensor; two piston rods capable of moving up and down are arranged in the oil cylinder, and the lower end of the piston rods are provided with chamfer angles; the side faces of the oil cylinder head and tail are provided with one mouth respectively, the mouths areconnected with mouth connectors through high-pressure oil tubes; the tail of the cylinder is provided with a displacement sensor, and the displacement sensor and the elevating power sensor are connected with an electric control element respectively. the utility model is capable of controlling lifting speed and lifting height automatically, has high detection precision and sensitivity, is capable of reducing check cost of the protection valve and labor strength of workers, and improving work efficiency; installation is convenient and simple, it is possible to ensure the protection valve to return rapidly to construct a safe construction environment.


We report some aspects of the floral biology of Echinopsis chiloensis ssp. chiloensis in a population near to the northern limit of its distribution. Anthesis is strictly diurnal and flowers remain open during 492 min on the average. Echinopsis chiloensis is self-incompatible. Flower longevity, nectar production along day, and floral visitors indicate that this population fits well to a diurnal insect pollination syndrome. These results contrast with a previous report indicating nocturnal anthesis and mixed mellitophylous-sphingophylous pollination syndrome in populations near to the southern limit of the distribution range. We suggest that the pollination syndrome of E. chiloensis is a labile rather than fixed condition that may depend on the abiotic characteristics and geographical location of the population under assessment.


Periods of transition between phenological phases in different kiwi plant varieties: one of the most widely grown fruits today, kiwis are grown extensively in many subtropical and temperate nations. Kiwi farming has recently piqued the curiosity of many fruit producers and landowners in our nation. In order to study the morpho-biological traits of the growth and development of these fruit plant varieties in the soil and climate conditions of Uzbekistan and to scientifically support the possibilities of establishing industrial kiwi gardens on this basis, it is necessary to conduct special scientific research on this plant. In the article, the duration of phenological phases of Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa (A.Chev.)) varieties Hayward, Monty, Bruno, and pollinator Matua were observed in the climatic conditions of Tashkent region at the Extension center of Tashkent State Agrarian University in Uzbekistan. The sum of active temperatures above 10 °C was calculated for the growth phases of kiwifruit cultivars.


Six different kinds of macroporous adsorption resins named D4020,NKA,AB-8,D101,NKA9 and S-8 were studied on the static adsorption capacity and desorption rate of solanesol,the better resin was NKA,and the adsorption capacities of solanesol were 45.2mg/g at the initial concentration of 3.9993mg/mL. The adsorption behavior of solanesol on NKA resin was further investigated by the static method. The results showed that the sorption behavior of NKA for solanesol obeys the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm and fit in better with Langmuir equation,the adsorption behave benefitful adsorption. Thermodynamic calculation and analysis showed that when the adsorption of solanesol were 15~35mg/g in 283~313K,adsorption enthalpy change ΔH were -16.20~-16.57kJ/mol,free energys ΔG -3.142~-3.459kJ/mol,entropys of adsorption ΔS -47.43~-41.17J/mol·K. The speeds of adsorption appear to follow the first order kinetics,and the adsorption processes were mainly affected by film diffusion.


The study is aimed at identifying phenotypically promising provenances of Allanblackia floribunda in the country for subsequent capture through vegetative propagation for the development of improved cultivar. Twenty fruits collected from each of three southern provenances, Sapoba (Benin), Ndoki (Rivers) and Onne (Rivers), of A. floribunda in Nigeria were assessed for variability in three fruit traits: length, width and weight. The results showed that there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the three fruit traits among the three provenances. There was however significant difference (p<0.05) in fruit length between Onne and Benin (Sapoba) provenances. Ndoki provenance showed the highest mean fruit width (39.58 cm), Onne provenance the highest mean fruit length (31.025 cm) and Ndoki provenance the highest mean fruit weight (1.9kg). Highest within provenance variability was recorded in Onne provenance fruit width (25.25) with a corresponding highest standard deviation from the mean (5.02 cm). Although the study did not assess tree to tree fruit trait variability and traits like number of seed per fruit, seed weight, good and bad seed ratio were not assessed, it is suggestive of the level of variability within the provenances. Follow up study may need to increase the number of provenances investigated as well.


Abstract Introduction Diquat-related acute kidney injury is well-known. However, neurological disorders caused by diquat are often underestimated, and changes in the imaging findings are rarely reported. We present three cases of acute diquat poisoning resulting in toxic encephalopathy. Case report In the first case, a 20-year-old previously healthy man ingested approximately 80–100 mL of diquat. He developed acute renal failure, neurological disorders, and respiratory failure. Central pontine myelinolysis was considered by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 18 days after ingestion. In the second case, a 20-year-old man ingested approximately 100 mL of diquat. Toxic encephalopathy was confirmed by MRI, 13 days after ingestion. Unfortunately, he experienced cardiac arrest and died 18 days after ingestion. In the third case, a 31-year-old previously healthy man ingested approximately 50 mL of diquat. The imaging features of toxic encephalopathy mainly involved the medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, bilateral brachium pontis, cerebellum, and pedunculus cerebri. He demonstrated significant recovery. Discussion Ingestion of diquat can cause acute renal failure, neurological disorders, and respiratory failure. The pons, midbrain, pedunculus cerebri may be the most commonly impaired locations of diquat-related toxic encephalopathy.


Message‐oriented middleware (MOM) has become a vital part of the complex application integration projects. MOM is used to pass data and workflow in the form of messages between different enterprise applications. The performance of integrated applications greatly depends on how effectively the MOM performs. This paper presents a benchmark comparison between two industry well‐known MOMs—TIBCO Rendezvous (TIB/RV) and SonicMQ. Although the two MOMs are very similar in certain respects, their native implementation and architecture are very different. We provide an unbiased benchmark reference to the middleware selection process. The primary objective of our work is to evaluate and compare the MOMs by testing their effectiveness in the delivery of messages in publish/subscribe and point‐to‐point message domains, their program stability and the system resource utilization. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Human pressure on ecosystems is among the major drivers of biodiversity loss. As biodiversity plays a key role in supporting the human enterprise, its decline puts the well-being of human societies at risk. Halting biodiversity loss is therefore a key policy priority, as reflected in the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets under strategic goal A. The Ecological Footprint has become a widely used metric for natural capital and ecosystem accounting, and is frequently cited in the sustainability debate, where it is often used for tracking human-induced pressures on ecosystems and biodiversity. Given its potential role as an indirect metric for biodiversity-related policies, this paper breaks down the Ecological Footprint into its components and analyzes resource and ecosystem service flows at an international level. We discuss its usefulness in tracking the underlying drivers of habitat impacts and biodiversity loss. We find that: China is a major net importer of all biomass biocapacity components; the largest net exporters of forest biocapacity are not low-income countries; a very high proportion of the Ecological Footprint of fishing grounds is traded internationally; Singapore and at least three Middle East countries are almost wholly reliant on net imports for the cropland biocapacity they consume.


Colonies of 40 members of the Enterobacteriaceae family (26 Salmonella serotypes and 14 other organisms) were picked from selective agar plates and inoculated into Minitek inoculum broth (BBL) and then onto Minitek discs of dextrose, lactose, sucrose, mannitol, maltose, dulcitol, lysine and H2S. After incubation for 6 h, the inoculum broth was tested with salmonella Poly O and after 24 h with salmonella Poly H antisera. The results of the biochemical tests were read after 24 h incubation. With this procedure, all the salmonella cultures used in this study were confirmed as salmonella and differentiated from all the other organisms, which were rejected. This procedure provides an alternative to the time consuming conventional procedures for the biochemical and serological confirmation of suspect salmonella colonies on selective agar plates.


The structure of mitochondria and of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in mesophyll protoplasts and regenerated cells was studied in vivo using the dye DiOC6(3) (3,3′-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The relation to the cell's physiology was investigated using a hormone-based model system for elongation and division. The structure of the mitochondria and of their population depends on the status of the cell. In freshly isolated protoplasts small spherical mitochondria are clustered around the nucleus and the chloroplasts. During the first 4 days of culture they are transformed into long vermiform organelles which distribute evenly throughout the cytoplasm. In a medium containing only auxins, cells then enter a period of expansion. Their mitochondria retain the same structure but increase in quantity. In a medium with auxins and cytokinins cells start dividing. Their mitochondria typically become numerous and very small, and are distributed throughout the cytoplasm. Both types of organization were observed during weeks of ongoing expansion or division. The ER is always present as a network close to the cell membrane. In freshly isolated protoplasts a considerable part of the ER is clustered around the chloroplasts, the remaining part of the network has a reduced complexity and is partly broken. During subsequent protoplast culture the network grows into a complex web with fine meshes incorporating lots of plate-like structures. This is the case in elongating cells as well as in dividing cells. Finally, the ER looks similar to the structure found in epidermal cells of the intact plant.


Most giant exoplanets discovered by radial velocity surveys have much higher eccentricities than those in the solar system. The planet–planet scattering mechanism has been shown to match the broad eccentricity distribution, but the highest-eccentricity planets are often attributed to Kozai-Lidov oscillations induced by a stellar companion. Here we investigate whether the highly eccentric exoplanet population can be produced entirely by scattering. We ran 500 N-body simulations of closely packed giant-planet systems that became unstable under their own mutual perturbations. We find that the surviving bound planets can have eccentricities up to e >  0.99, with a maximum of 0.999017 in our simulations. This suggests that there is no maximum eccentricity that can be produced by planet–planet scattering. Importantly, we find that extreme eccentricities are not extremely rare; the eccentricity distribution for all giant exoplanets with e >  0.3 is consistent with all planets concerned being generated by scattering. Our results show that the discovery of planets with extremely high eccentricities does not necessarily signal the action of the Kozai-Lidov mechanism.


In free-space single-photon quantum key distribution (QKD), the error rate due to daytime background photons can be reduced with strong temporal filtering. In this case, the improvement in performance is determined by the receiver's ability to resolve signal-photon arrival times. We use fast clock recovery and commercially available single-photon detectors with timing resolution enhanced by additional electronic circuitry to implement temporal gating down to 50 ps in a free-space QKD system. The single-photon channel operates at 850 nm, and the improved timing resolution enables transmission rates of 1.25 GHz. We observe daytime quantum bit error rates of 0.04, which is less than one-third of the ungated error rate. We present the design and performance of the system and demonstrate its benefit to free-space QKD.


Abstract In the School of Science of the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA), in Mérida, Venezuela, a very successful event focused on elementary and high school students, was founded in 2000. The name of this event is "Encounter with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology" (hereinafter "Encounters with Science"), and it integrates these disciplines, as well as Astronomy. Its main purpose is that young minds can become familiar with the methods of science inquiry and reasoning, and can understand the concepts and processes of the sciences through thoroughly prepared experiences. "Encounters with Science" has grown each year in an exponential way. As a matter of fact, in its sixth edition (2005), the number of elementary and high school students coming from all over the country, has reached the outstanding number of approximately nine thousand. Among all the experiences that the students could be engaged in, were many involving Astronomy. These experiences were prepared by professors, together with graduate and undergraduate students, who are pursuing their degrees in all branches of science, including Astronomy. Although there is this incredible team of faculties and graduate and undergraduate students working together; the target is the students of the high and elementary schools. We certainly focus on the engaging and encouraging of students to experience scientific work at first hand. This flourishing program is continuing to grow and to become strong. It has matured in the sense that now our professors have prepared an excellent didactic material that can, together with the hour/class teaching, prepare high school and elementary school students for a better understanding of science; particularly, helping in this way for a better education in Astronomy. The main event of the Encounters lasts five days in the School of Science of ULA, but subsidiary events are spread all over the year and around the country through trips that our faculty members undertake with our students. Thereby, they reach places where students perhaps cannot attend the main event during its celebration. As a successful program, it can be interesting to see if other countries can adopt this method to recruit or to trigger the interest of students to pursue their studies in the Sciences.


In 2008, Atlanta was the first city in the United States to completely eliminate its highrise public housing projects. Georgia State University professors Drs. Ruel, Oakley, and Reid undertook a three-year study to determine the health, behavior, and attitudes of residents both before and after relocation. This study sought to determine whether residents' self-esteem and self-efficacy improved after relocation into areas that have lower levels of social disorder and poor housing conditions. Overall, results show that while housing conditions, social disorder, and fear of crime had little or no significant effect on changes in residents' self-esteem, an improvement in these indicators in residents' new neighborhoods had a significant effect on selfefficacy. The significance of decreased social disorder and poor housing conditions, as well as fear of crime on residents' self-efficacy (but not self-esteem) has important implications for future research regarding neighborhood and housing effects as well as public housing relocation. INDEX WORDS: Public housing, Self-esteem, Self-efficacy, Neighborhood effects, Social disorder, Housing conditions, Relocation PUBLIC HOUSING RELOCATION AND ITS EFFECT ON RESIDENTS' SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-EFFICACY


This article presents the authors' alternative to expensive coal combustion products clean-up by cleaning the coal, removing the sulfur, before combustion. Topics discussed include sulfur in coal and the coal cleaning process, the nature of a new coal cleaning technology, the impact on Clean Air Act compliance, and the economics of the new technology.


This paper presents the result of a document review on leisure and travel developments in mature Central European markets. Based on an extensive analysis of (1) socio‐demographic developments, (2) developments with regard to changing values, (3) developments with regard to the economic framework, (4) the future role of work, leisure and allocation of time here fore, (5) consumption trends, and (6) a number of singular other issues, implications for the tourism industry are drawn: (1) There is an increasing international standardisation (homogenisation) of basic service factors in terms of infrastructure and key service elements functionality, coupled with differentiating efforts in terms of specific service elements and experiences provided. (2) Due to and based on network advantages, future quantitative growth is basically triggered by large supply networks and travel corporations. (3) Growth will further take place at best suitable destinations in terms of securing time efficiency of travel experience, multi optionality of supply and international level of quality.


The control of Tuberculosis is an obstacle that many researchers have been trying to overcome from several decades, as it remains the cause of millions of deaths per year. Though there are several drugs available but due to drug resistance, there is an extensive need of new and effective ways of treatment. Computational study was performed to design siRNA for the genes atpG, dnaK and htpG as all these genes are important for the survival of bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Multiple sequence alignment was done using Mega X software on the coding sequences (cds) of studied Mtb strains, which were retrieved from the NCBI database. The i-score designer was used for designing of potent siRNA. The SMEpred webserver was used to validate the data collected from the i-score designer, which was further used to calculate the efficacy as well as to predict the chemically modified siRNA (cm-siRNA). Results show that the studied genes were conserved in all the studied strains. MFE was calculated using RNAfold server and sequences with the lowest MFE was selected, as they are proved to have higher stability. This result can be used to develop novel therapeutic applications


Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) are used in a wide range of commercial, scientific, and defense applications. They are primarily utilized for imaging and spectroscopic functions. Compact, cost-effective technology to miniaturize the auxiliary electronics required to operate the CCD is highly desirable. Because of the importance of reducing size and weight in defense and space applications, emphasis must be placed on the reduction in size. The purpose of this project is to minimize the CCD timing generator electronics for 3-phase CCDs by replacing conventional ICs with a single programmable IC. This timing generator will give the user the ability to vary the number of horizontal and vertical pixels and to choose between integration and readout modes. This, in turn, will reduce the size and weight of CCD focal plane assemblies as a whole.


Direct methods and apparatus for interface to manage the network peering. The system may include a data center, and the endpoint router, a connectivity coordinator. Coordinator, to achieve a programmatic interface defining connectivity operations. Coordinator, is formatted according to the interface, and receives a dedicated connectivity requests to the data center resources. Coordinator, select the target endpoint router to establish a physical link in order to realize a dedicated connectivity, and identifies the target endpoint router, the configuration instructions for setting a physical link dedicated connectivity transmitting a response including. .FIELD 1


At present our academic circles yet do not extremely differentiate between public administration and public management,this situation gives rise to much block.This article analyses these two ideals from the historical development of the traditional public administration and the new public management,the foundations of the theory and the epistemology,the government functions as well as the mechanism for the policy goals,the way and the method of management,and the view about public servants.


We suggest a method of constructing special nonunitary representations of semisimple Lie groups using representations of Iwasawa subgroups. As a typical example, we study the group U(2, 2).


By monitoring and analyzing the content of the pollutants from the soil,surface runoff and the silt and sand conveyed by runoff around the Xiaoxiang reservoir of Qujing Municipality,Yunnan Province,the following conclusions were proposed: The pollutants from agricultural non-point source pollution affecting the Xiaoxiang reservoir mainly consisted of the four categories,i.e.,the pollutants from the domestic animals and poultry,surface runoff and the silt and sand conveyed by runoff,and the living sewage produced in the rural area.The nitrogen and phosphorus pollution out of farming activities and from animal and poultry raising was obvious and should be paid much more attention by corresponding departments.The countermeasures and recommendations to control the non-point source agricultural pollution around the reservoir were proposed.


We propose a class of Quantum Secret Sharing (QSS) scheme based on multi-particle entanglement. The eavesdropping analysis shows that the scheme is secure. Its efficiency is 100% in principle. That is, one multi-particle entanglement can be used to share a bit of classical key among the parties. As a result, it is resource saving. The protocol can also be adjusted to split a classical secret message directly. The implementation of it is relatively applicable.


Almost fifty years ago Herbert A. Simon, Allen Newell and J.C. Shaw produced the Logic Theorist, a procedural program capable of solving a modest range of problems in formal symbolic logic (Psychological Review, 65: 151-66, 1958). The research strategy was novel and direct: pose a problem and build a symbolic agent capable of solving the problem. A few years later, Richard M. Cyert, James G. March and others adapted this strategy to model price and output determination in a business firm (A behavioral Theory of the Firm, Prentice-Hall, 1963). In the intervening years the strategy has been utilized by many researchers in many domains including laboratory puzzles, games, language acquisition, physics, chemistry, and resource allocation processes in public and private organizations. Some of this work is grounded in the careful study of subjects solving the posed problems. Other work is grounded more in the researchers' introspections on how they would solve the problem. Some of the work, especially the organizational work, is very abstract with no clear empirical referents. Other work never gets around to building the agents; once the problem is sharply posed, why fiddle around trying to understand how lesser mortals might work the problem when you can move directly to developing powerful heuristic solutions, perhaps even optimal solutions? For understanding the behavior of individuals and organizations, the strategy has much to recommend it. Simon's original interest, for example, was in the bounds on rational behavior. Such bounds become very clear with the discipline of building an explicit model that must acquire and process information to achieve a particular result. The purpose of the work reported here is to model agents performing an organizational task common to virtually all organizations that produce goods and services. A large portion of the initial effort is devoted to developing a computerbased architecture that will permit rich experimentation with agents and context.


The objective of this CRADA was to develop the experimental and theoretical basis of a technology to produce yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) superconducting flexible tapes derived from nanoparticle metal oxide sols. The CRADA was a joint effort between Oxford Superconducting Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry. The effort was divided into three main tasks, the synthesis of a heteroepitaxial oxide buffer layer, and the manufacture of a flexible biaxially textured metallic substrate and the synthesis of a heteroepitaxial crystalline YBCO layer. The formation of a heteroepitaxial buffer layer was implemented using technology developed at the Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry for the synthesis, stabilization and deposition of polymer stabilized nanoparticle metal oxide sols. Using this technology, flexible oriented RABiTS nickel tapes, manufactured and supplied by the CRADA partner, Oxford Superconducting Technology, Carteret, New Jersey, were coated with a film of metal oxide nanoparticles. After coating the RABiTS nickel tapes with the nanoparticle sols the nickel tape/nanoparticle composite structure was sintered in order to form a dense crystalline heteroepitaxial oxide layer on the surface of the tape, also known as a 'buffer' layer. The final phase of the research was the formation of a heteroepitaxial YBCOmore » layer, grown on top of the metal oxide buffer layer. This work was scheduled to follow the development of the heteroepitaxial oxide buffer layer as described above. Three different polymer stabilized sols, yttrium hydroxide, Y(OH){sub 3}, copper hydroxide, Cu(OH){sub 2}, and barium fluoride, BaF{sub 2}, were synthesized and combined in the appropriate stoichiometric ratio. This metal oxide sol was then be deposited onto the buffer layer and reacted to form a crystalline heteroepitaxial YBCO film ranging from 1–5 microns thick.« less


The pathological effects of Lupinus angustifolius cv. ARABELLA (sweet lupin) of European origin were studied in rats. Thirty six healthy male rats of uniform body weight (85 - 90g) were divided into four groups of nine rats each. Group I: LACT kept as positive control received 330 g of milk protein; Group II. NPC (Non-protein control), kept as negative control, received no protein, whereas experimental groups: Group III: LMU (Lupin seed meal without any amino acids) and Group IV: LMM (Lupin meal with methionine). The groups, III and IV, rats received 265 g L. angustifolius cv. ARABELLA ground seed meal/kg diet without methionine and 2.4 g methionine to fulfill the target requirement for the rats and minerals and vitamins. The rats were sacrificed in sequence of 21, 63 and 98 days after feeding. There had been no gross alterations in the body and or any organs examined. However, histo-pathologically, the experimental groups fed with sweet lupin for 21 and 63 days, showed widespread hepatic lesions (chronic toxic hepatitis along with a tendency to form bridging fibrosis), acute toxic nephrits and interlobular ductular hyperplasia and stunting growth of the duodenal villi in rats fed lupin diets as compared to controls. Rats sacrificed after 98 days showed regenerative changes in kidneys however, liver lesions showed an unabated fibrosis with bile ductular hyperplasia. This study confirms that toxic action of L. angustifolius was consistent and very strong even when fed for 98 days


A review was undertaken to establish technical regulatory guidance on the discharge of waste, to a Federally Owned, or Publicly Owned Treatment Works, resulting from the neutralization and biodegradation of HD mustard agent. This report is a review of specific and general pretreatment requirements, proper hazardous waste exclusion, and statute and regulatory prohibition on discharge of chemical warfare agent. A waste water discharge resulting from the proper treatment of chemical warfare agent, which destroys the agent and reduces toxicity, can meet applicable federal, state, and local discharge standards and laws.


As more and more ontologies are being published on the Semantic Web, selecting the most appropriate ontology will become an increasingly important subtask in Semantic Web applications. Here we present an approach towards ontology search in the context of OntoSelect, a dynamic web-based ontology library. In OntoSelect, ontologies can be searched by keyword or by document. In keyword-based search only the keyword(s) provided by the user will be used for the search. In document-based search the user can provide either a URL for a web document that represents a specific topic or the user simply provides a keyword as the topic which is then automatically linked to a corresponding Wikipedia page from which a linguistically/statistically derived set of most relevant keywords will be extracted and used for the search. In this paper we describe an experiment in evaluating the document-based ontology search strategy based on an evaluation data set that we constructed specifically for this task.


The principal components and membership functions analysis methods were used to evaluated the he drought resistance of three varieties in Elytrigia genus(Elytrigria intermedium,E.elongata and their hybrids) by measuring relative water content,proline,chlorophyll,protein and malonaldehyde content of the shoots in this study.The results of this study showed that the 5 indexes could be classified into 3 kinds of independent comprehensive groups.The comprehensive value of drought tolerance for the hybrid of E.intermedium × E.elongata was 0.529,and that of E.elongata × E.intermedium was 0.702;however,the comprehensive values of drought tolerance of E.intermedium and E.elongata were 0.308 and 0.191 respectively.Drought tolerance of the hybrids was obviously stronger than that of their parents,and the drought tolerance of the hybrid between E.elongata × E.intermedium was the best.


In this paper, dynamic characteristic analysis of BSB neural models is carried out by introducing a time-delay term in this model. The dynamic performances of this kind of BSB with symmetric weight matrices are analyzed step by step. It has been proved in the paper that under certain assumptions, its generic trajectory, starting in an open hypercube, hit an edge and stays on that edge until it reaches an extreme point. Further more, an example is used to show that the BSB models with and without time delay have different attraction domain of stored patterns.


The temperature distribution of an ideal gas in gravitational fields has been identified as a longstanding problem in thermodynamics and statistical physics. According to the principle of entropy increase (i.e., the principle of maximum entropy), we apply a variational principle to the thermodynamical entropy functional of an ideal gas and establish a relationship between temperature gradient and gravitational field strength. As an illustrative example, the temperature and density distributions of an ideal gas in two simple but typical gravitational fields (i.e., a uniform gravitational field and an inverse-square gravitational field) are considered on the basis of entropic and hydrostatic equilibrium conditions. The effect of temperature inhomogeneity in gravitational fields is also addressed for a weakly degenerate quantum gas (e.g., Fermi and Bose gas). The present gravitational thermodynamics of a gas would have potential applications in quantum fluids, e.g., Bose–Einstein condensates in Earth's gravi...


This article aims to analyze and describe how many victims there are in the current Russia-Ukraine war. Basically humanity is the basis of life anywhere. So the importance of presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of humanitarian law to deal with existing casualties. We can see how the war that occurred could not be finished simply. So besides focusing on the war, first aid is also needed for victims of the war. This article uses a qualitative approach with a literature review design related to the role of ICRC in this war. The data was collected by compiling sources from various kinds of literature such as reading books, websites and discussions with experts and competent groups. The results show that there were many casualties from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides in the war that took place. The ICRC as an important body in humanitarian law is needed to be able to carry out its duties properly.


This paper compares predicted monthly scintillation means of nine scintillation prediction models to the monthly mean of the empirical data collected from the beacon receiver located at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Tropospheric scintillation is a phenomenon where a rapid fluctuation of signal happens due to the turbulence at the atmosphere. The tropospheric scintillation models which use to compare to the actual scintillation data are Ortigies T, DPSP, MPSP and KVS. The ground station of the satellite system has a frequency of 12.255 GHz and elevation angle of 40.1° and the data is gathered from January 2002 till December 2007. The scintillation amplitude of each prediction model is plotted into graph and the percentage of error is calculated to analyze the different between the actual scintillation data and prediction model in Northern Malaysia. The findings show the Ortgies-T gives the best fit result among the others in Northern Malaysia.


The article presents activity and semantic approach conception in the context of developing education and teaching mathematical analysis essentials to the high school students. This conception is based on the idea of integration of subject and semantic activity regulation subsystems in the course of formation of abstract mathematical notions. The implementation of integration approach allows to accentuate the understanding of the study material by every student and to overcome the formalism of its mastering.


[1] The presence in the vegetation landscape of many varied scales of organization implies a complex set of land/atmosphere interactions. Larger scales of variability at the surface induce boundary layer heterogeneity and may induce secondary boundary layer circulation patterns. The quantification of the scales of heterogeneity in the surface vegetation, therefore, is essential to the understanding and modeling of the land/atmosphere interactions. The present study analyzes the scales of heterogeneity in the surface vegetation by using a satellite-derived land class category map and a discrete analysis tool. Results show substantial variability in scales near 1000 km for most land class categories other than Deciduous Broadleaf Forest. Implications for GCM modeling approaches to the land/atmosphere interactions were drawn based on the results of the study. Results are consistent with the use of a 'mosaic' rather than a 'mixture' approach and with extending the 'mosaic' approach up through the boundary layer.


Purpose
This paper aims to provide a multidisciplinary framework that allows an integrated understanding of reasons of success or failure in equity crowdfunding (ECF), a Fintech digital innovation of the traditional entrepreneurial finance, defining a future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review (SLR) has been conducted on 127 documents extracted from two multidisciplinary repositories (Elsevier's Scopus and Clarivate Analytics Web of Science) for the period between 2015 and early 2022. After a systematized series of inclusion and exclusion criteria, in line with the objectives and conceptual boundaries, a final list of 32 peer-reviewed articles written in English was analyzed by the authors through a meta-synthesis and thematic analysis to identify the key themes and dominant concepts.

Findings
Results show that the body of literature is recent and fast growing. The proposed integrative framework of existing research indicates that the outcome of an ECF campaign is related to signals conveyed by entrepreneurs in the form of hard information (firm characteristics, financial information, business characteristics and project description) and soft information (intellectual capital, human capital, social capital and social media network), catalyzed by digital media that facilitate also personal interactions between entrepreneurs and investors. Similarly, external factors (investors and campaign characteristics, with the fundamental role of ECF platform managers in building trust between entrepreneurs and investors) allow for the alleviation of information asymmetries. The present study sheds light on which signal mechanisms are decisive in improving the outcome, taking into consideration various disciplines which follow different but complementary perspectives.

Practical implications
Entrepreneurs should adapt to the transition toward the digital era, exploiting alternative financial instruments and learning effective signaling strategies, within a large variety of skills requested. Platform managers can obtain more focused information on selected entrepreneurial projects more efficiently.

Originality/value
Although it is fast-growing, the field of research is very recent, still fragmented and limited to the perspective/discipline followed. This SLR is, to the best of the authors' knowledge, the first multidisciplinary and integrative analysis of reasons that motivates success, or failure, of an equity-based crowdfunding campaign. The digital nature of ECF encourages future research to move toward more pioneering and unconventional theories and research methods. Hence, the authors add to the existing literature by proposing future patterns of research based on an integration of highly technological skills and behavioral/psychological approaches.


Although it was largely ignored in the late eighteenth century, Quebec City figured prominently on the North American circuit of British travel writers in the earlier years of the nineteenth century, when the obligatory description of the view from and of Cape Diamond served as a metaphor for imperial expansion. From this perspective, Quebec was not only the site where Wolfe had won his great battle against the French in 1759, it was also a military stronghold and gateway to an empire that stretched to the Pacific Ocean. The story told by American travel narratives and tourist guidebooks was rather different. They tended to see Quebec as unprogressive and of interest primarily because of its antiquity—an image that local tourism promoters turned to the city's advantage as its population growth stalled in the later nineteenth century. With the arrival of the railways and the growing reliance on tourism as an industry, Quebec City's image reverted to an early stage of the historical progress narrative, becoming frozen in a mythical past as a picturesque fragment of medieval Europe.


like particles empty chimeric derived from the virus causing the disease infectious bursal disease (IBDV), preparation process and applications. Empty like particles chimeric virus causing disease infectious bursal disease (IBDV) are constituted by assembly of fusion proteins comprising a region A constituted by the IBDV pVP2 protein or fragment 1-n of said protein IBDV pVP2 where "n" is an integer between 441 and 501, bound to a region B constituted by a heterologous polypeptide comprising a polypeptide of interest as a polypeptide useful in vaccination, therapy or diagnosis.


BackgroundTransitioning into society after release from incarceration presents real challenges for male offenders; in California, up to 60% return to prison within 3 years after release. The risk for ongoing drug use and having sex with multiple partners is a significant challenge for ex-offenders preparing to enter the community. ObjectivesThe aims are to describe drug use and sexual behavior (sex with multiple partners) prior to incarceration and 6 and 12 months after study enrollment using data obtained as part of a randomized controlled trial. MethodsThis is a planned secondary analysis of data obtained as part of a randomized controlled trial designed to study the effects of intensive peer coaching and nurse case management, intensive peer coaching, and brief nurse counseling on hepatitis A and B vaccination adherence compared to a usual care control treatment that also included brief peer coaching and brief nurse counseling. Self-report data from subjects enrolled at one residential drug treatment facility in Los Angeles were captured at three time points: baseline and 6- and 12-month follow-up. ResultsFindings showed substantive and significant reductions in drug use and engaging in sex with multiple partners 6 months after enrollment into the study compared to the baseline data, but results did not differ by study condition. At 12-month follow-up, drug use and sex with multiple partners increased but remained less than at baseline levels. DiscussionSustaining reductions in drug use and engaging in sex with multiple partners remains a challenge after incarceration.


The technology of magnesium alloy thixo-injection molding and its status in application was introduced.Comparison made between magnesium alloy injection molding products and die-casting ones showed that so much the better market prospect is there for magnesium alloy thixo-injection molding.The latest development of magnesium alloy thixo-injection molding technology was stated as well.


Bipolaris oryzae is the causal agent of rice brown spot disease and is responsible for significant economic losses. In order to control this disease, about ten species were selected to screen for their antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi of Bipolaris oryzae. Trichoderma isolates are known for their ability to control plant pathogens. Among the species tested the Trichoderma harzianum inhibited the pathogenic fungus to the maximum both in dual culture and in food poisoning technique. Gas chromatography mass spectrum analysis of acetonitrile extract of the filtrate of T. harzianum revealed the presence of five compounds represents five major peaks.


Tao et al. found that fetal exposure to the Great Chinese Famine is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in adulthood, and this association is modified by sex or overweight status but not by famine severity1 . However, we are concerned that their conclusions are potentially misleading.


C ervical cancer spreads via local extension and lymphatic invasion. Hematogenous spread is rare and is usually to the abdominal or thoracic viscera or to bone. Cervical cancer metastatic to the scalp is extremely rarewith only 7 cases reported. We report what we believe is the first case of a patient with scalp metastasis as one of the initial presenting symptoms of a cervical squamous carcinoma. Only consent for treatment was obtained, and therefore, the description has been deidentified to protect privacy.


Objective: To consider the clinical outcomes and restenosis rates of drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in diabetic patients with infrapopliteal (IP) arterial disease. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included 51 patients (37 males; mean age: 63.43 ± 9.81 years) with diabetes mellitus having IP arterial disease, from October 2012 to September 2014. Twenty-two patients were treated with PTA, and 29 patients were treated with DEBs. After intervention, the patients were evaluated in the first week and every 3 months, clinically and radiologically. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes of diabetic patients with IP arterial disease who were treated with either DEBs or PTA. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of age and gender, risk factors, characteristics of lesions, or the diameters or length of the balloons (P > .05). Primary patency was higher in the DEB group than in the PTA group (97.8% vs 81.1%, P = .020) in the first 3 months. However, there was no statistically significant difference at 1-year follow-up (68.2% vs 48.5%, P = .131). At the 12-month follow-up, there was no difference in clinical improvement between the groups (P = .193). Conclusion: The findings of this study reveal that DEB is a safe alternative treatment method for IP arterial disease in diabetic patients.


We study the speed of the magnetization switching resulting from spin transfer in pillar-shaped CoFe∕Cu∕CoFe spin valves and the temperature dependence thereof. The switching speed was investigated with current pulses of durations from 100ps to dc while the temperature was varied from 50to300K. Quasistatic loops indicate that the reversal events imply transition states with reduced remanences. Their interval of occurrence shrinks gradually to almost null when the temperature is raised to 300K. The curvature of resistance versus current hysteresis loops is different in the antiparallel and parallel branches, which evidences the influence of the Ampere field on the quasistatic micromagnetic configuration. In the dynamical regime, the pulse-induced parallel to antiparallel transition speed is not much temperature dependent from 50to300K. In contrast, the pulse-induced antiparallel to parallel transition is thermally disfavored and much faster at 150K than at 300K. We model the experimental behavior by a comp...


Murray Bowen's family systems theory believes the level of "self",as established during childhood and adolescence,can be changed by long-term efforts.Influenced by her original family,Scarlett shows poor self-differentiation.But she tries her best to achieve a successful transformation during her three marriages.


In recent years,the silica bricks are the main refractory for building coke ovens.In the process of building and drying coke ovens,the blowby of oven body caused by building could result in great heat consumptions of oven body and some defects of building those could not be made up.In the paper,it is briefly introduced the faults should be avoided in the coke oven building,which could be as references for the future coke oven building.


Widely used for modeling biological fluids flows—in particular, blood vessel flows—a Casson flow is studied in a symmetric channel for which the aspect ratio enables one to use the lubrication approximation. Two flow driving conditions are prescribed: inlet–outlet pressure difference and peristaltic oscillations of the vessel walls. In both cases, starting from mass and momentum balance and using lubrication approximation, we investigate the conditions to be imposed on the driving mechanisms so that the inner plug does not come in touch with the walls. The study of the peristaltic flow is of great importance in view of its applications in physiology (including microcirculation applications).


The physical features controlling the economic development of a region can be classified under the two main headings of geological and climatic controls. All pastoral, agricultural, mining, or industrial life depends essentially on the distribution of minerals, soils, water supply, temperature, and rainfall. There is, however, another geological feature which exercises great influence on human interests, and that is the topography, i.e. , the arrangement of mountain and plain, of rivers and lakes, and all the elements which in more precise language build up the science of geomorphology. The present study attempts to show, first of all, what are the main features in southern Ontario, more particularly within a couple of hundred miles of Toronto, which have necessarily greatly affected the settlement of the region. Secondly the evolution of the city of Toronto as determined by the minor topographic features is described in somewhat general terms. It is hoped that this will pave the way to a more complete study of the city in the near future.


This paper proposes a holistic, within-day ridehailing service provision modelling approach, focusing on large-scale services with human-driven fleets. The model is powered by a full, two-year record of ridehailing trips in Toronto. Canada. Despite the abundant data, operations and fleet-related data still lacks, and uncertainty still exists concerning actual service provision deployment. Hence, a novel approach dealing with limited data availability is developed, which extracts implicit supply levels from trip-based demand data. The model is time-step driven, agent-based, and uses list-based data structures. It focuses on three key components: matching mechanisms, time intervals, and (several features of) driver activity. After testing various component combinations, a Hungarian matching algorithm, a normal distribution of driver work hours, and 5-minute time intervals allow close replication of observed wait time distributions and unique drivers per hour. Emergent model outputs also include VKT by vehicle states (idling, en-route, in-service), vehicle shifts and trip chains.


Flight control system for manned orbital space station using momentum storage devices and reaction control to counteract gravity effects and aerodynamic disturbances


Pre-training and fine-tuning have emerged as a promising paradigm across various natural language processing (NLP) tasks. The effectiveness of pretrained large language models (LLM) has witnessed further enhancement, holding potential for applications in the field of medicine, particularly in the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). However, the application of these general models to specific domains often yields suboptimal results, primarily due to challenges like lack of domain knowledge, unique objectives, and computational efficiency. Furthermore, their effectiveness in specialized domains, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, requires comprehensive evaluation. To address the above issues, we propose a novel domain specific TCMDA (TCM Domain Adaptation) approach, efficient pre-training with domain-specific corpus. Specifically, we first construct a large TCM-specific corpus, TCM-Corpus-1B, by identifying domain keywords and retreving from general corpus. Then, our TCMDA leverages the LoRA which freezes the pretrained model's weights and uses rank decomposition matrices to efficiently train specific dense layers for pre-training and fine-tuning, efficiently aligning the model with TCM-related tasks, namely TCM-GPT-7B. We further conducted extensive experiments on two TCM tasks, including TCM examination and TCM diagnosis. TCM-GPT-7B archived the best performance across both datasets, outperforming other models by relative increments of 17% and 12% in accuracy, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, our study represents the pioneering validation of domain adaptation of a large language model with 7 billion parameters in TCM domain. We will release both TCMCorpus-1B and TCM-GPT-7B model once accepted to facilitate interdisciplinary development in TCM and NLP, serving as the foundation for further study.


Rave culture's emergence is similar to the Rock, Punk, Black Metal, Skinhead, and Gothic subcultures that once created a phenomenon in this country. The spread of this culture fulfils the desire for enjoyment among some social groupings. Rave is a new subculture of dance activities performed by groups of urban teenagers, particularly in Kuala Lumpur. It embodies the character of the youth group, as evidenced by its symbolism and mode of operation. Therefore, the focus of this qualitative study is an evaluation of Rave popular culture through the lens of Islamic law. To achieve its goal, this study employs a full library approach to data collection from documentation materials, either in print or visually in the form of Youtube videos. The data is then inductively analysed to formulate an Islamic law perspective. This study discovered that Rave activities carried out by urban youth groups in this country have undergone changes that distinguish them from Rave activities originating in pubs and clubs. The difference is in carrying concept, manner of activities, type of song, and location of activity. However, the difference does not justify the practice of this culture because it has no discernible positive impact on the local community's social system. According to Islamic law, it falls under the category of haram acts due to the presence of neglectful entertainment and unlawful aspects, such as the imitation of immoral culture. In fact, it has the potential to erode the value of Malay politeness among teenagers. So that, to ensure the sustainability of the value system that is their identity, groups of teenagers should be guided so that they do not randomly imitate foreign popular cultures.