Surface treatment method affects optical properties of scintillator which is a critical component of PET detector module. We designed and fabricated the high transmittance antireflection (AR) films for Lutetium-yttrium oxy-orthosilicate (LYSO) crystals with different combinations of the exact composition, thickness, and number of layers. It is feasible to adjust the reflectivity of the coating to produce crystal arrays with desired optical properties.The simulation results indicated that coating films constructed with MgF2, TiO2, HfO2 significantly increase the transmittance of coupling surfaces. Based on the method of multilayer dielectric film stacking, we optimized an AR film with 11 layers, which matches the emission spectrum of LYSO scintillator. According to the design and simulation results, the samples show desirable optical performance. We have investigated the feasibility of applying AR coatings directly to the crystal strip to increasing its light output across the entire emission spectrum (360 nm to 620 nm).We concluded that AR coatings designed in this study can be applied to scintillators to improve the performance of PET detector, which is mostly characterized by increasement of light yield of LYSO crystal and improvements of energy and timing performance.


The knowledge of the temporal stability of yield is very important in the decision making process, allowing to make more precise estimates of the risks associated with agricultural investments. Therefore, this study aims to check for yield stability in grain crops and define management zones using yield maps. Temporal inconsistencies lead to problems of yield scale, demanding a suitable data normalization, and small spatial inconsistencies pollute the data within a same range of comparison along years, demanding suitable filtering or majority rule within cells. In a first step of the work, for a historical sequence of yield datasets, two normalizations techniques were applied, three distinct filtering procedures were tested, and 11 within cell parameters were extracted for two distinct grids with two distinct cell-sizes (10m and 30m) cells upon the processed data). Pearson correlations along the data series showed higher values for global filtering procedure and 30m cell sizes; but the lower correlations values found for strength filtering procedures, cell classification by majority normalized value and smaller cell-size may suggest that the highest correlation obtained could be due to spatial data pollution which approximates values not spatially but also in time-series. In a second step of the work, yield maps were standardized and then submitted to principal component analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the data and determine the main causes of the variability in each field. The principal components with eigenvalues greater than one were kept and their scores were used to do a cluster analyses by the k-means method, delineating three management zones. The results yield maps of corn showed high temporal stability, suggesting that this crop has a great potential to delineate management zones. The proposed methods were efficient to delineate management zones identifying different yield potential zones an also given an estimate of each zone temporal stability.


Title Muscarinic receptors expression in medial prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons in young, adolescent, adult and aged rats Department/Laboratory Laboratory of Physiology and Pathology, Centre for Preclinical research and Technology Supervisor Maciej Gawlak, PhD Short description Small neurotransmitters acetylcholine, serotonin, adrenaline and dopamine modulate prefrontal cortex neuron activity and they are important for cognitive functions organism. The aim of the study is to examine expression of the muscarinic receptors in medial prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons with immunofluorescence methods in confocal microscopy.


Introduction: Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of an entity helps in devising the mode of progression as well as mode of therapy. Even with years of research to claim the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is limited. More deeper knowledge of the genes responsible for this will help in understanding and managing this disease better. Materials and Methods: The articles published during a time period of 1990–2020 were chosen in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria according to the PRISMA guidelines. Results: From a total of 80 articles obtained from both electronic search of PUBMED, EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane registry as well as the manual search only 21 articles were selected and analyzed. Conclusion: Careful analysis of the samples revealed that transforming growth factor-beta may be a potential biomarker or a candidate for targeted therapy in OSMF.


The article offers methodological approach to the analysis of advertising activity of banks who allows to reveal the most effective advertising strategy to provide their high efficiency, to establish correlation connection of the size of advertising budgets with the main social and economic characteristics of bank's activity.


A robot essentially acts by moving in a physical world. The motion planning capability is thus a fundamental issue for the autonomy of the system, and represents a very active area of research in Robotics. Furthermore, the interest in motion planning techniques goes beyond robotic applications. Currently, these techniques are applied in other very different domains such as : CAD/CAM, industrial logistics, graphic animation, or computational Biology. Complex articulated mechanisms containing closed kinematic chains appear in all these domains. This thesis treats motion planning for such systems. The first part contains our theoretical and technical work. We introduce samplingbased planners into a general formulation of the motion planning problem in presence of kinematic closure constraints. The algorithmic tools that we propose allow an efficient application of these techniques to complex closed-chain mechanisms. The second part deals with the different fields of application that we have investigated. In Robotics, our approach has been applied to motion synthesis of parallel robots, coordinated manipulation and manipulation planning. Finally, we discuss an original application to Structural Biology for the conformational analysis of protein loops. The results of our experiments prove the efficacy and the generality of the approach.


The labeling problem considered for this is called face-labeling of the maximal planar or triangular planar graphs in connection with the notion of the . Several triangular planar and maximal planar graphs such as the wheels, the fans etc. have been considered. The face-labeling of maximal planar graph may be viewed as tool in the search of an alternative proof the well-known Four Color Theorem.


A carbon dual-microband electrode coated with a poly(aniline)–poly(vinylsulfonate) composite film exhibits an off-to-on switching response when exposed to NADH at Ph 7; the device takes a few minutes to fully switch conductivity and has a linear response for NADH concentration up to ca. 4 mmol dm–3.


In this paper we strengthen some results on the existence
and properties of pullback attractors for a 2D
Navier-Stokes model with finite delay formulated in
[Caraballo and Real, J. Differential Equations 205
(2004), 271--297]. Actually, we prove that under suitable
assumptions, pullback attractors not only of fixed bounded
sets but also of a set of tempered universes do exist.
Moreover, thanks to regularity results, the attraction from
different phase spaces also happens in $C([-h,0];V)$.
Finally, from comparison results of attractors, and under
an additional hypothesis, we establish that all these
families of attractors are in fact the same object.


The piecewise-constant image model (PWC) is a new technique for lossless compression of palette images. PWC is a blend of traditional scanline-oriented and newer object-based methods. Remarkably, PWC delivers the best known compression across a wide variety palette of image types while delivering translation speeds comparable to highly tuned one-dimensional methods. This paper introduces the topic of palette image coding and traces the development of the piecewise-constant model from a completely object-oriented code requiring two image passes to a high-performance scanline-oriented code.


This paper points out that scheme in document[1] is not forward-secure because it uses the succeed secret key to sign a message.Although the key is forward-secure,the signature isn′t forward-secure.A replacement is proposed using only current secret key to sign the message.The security of the key evolve base on disperse logarithm and quadratic root hard problem.


The authors investigated different impacts of two El Niño events on water quality over the Corn Belt region of US. The authors find that different El Niño events have different impact on TN and TP levels in the water on both annual and seasonal scales and these impacts are mainly driven by the changes of precipitation, as well as evaporation to a lesser extent. The manuscript is well written. The method of this study is solid and the results are well presented, providing new insights to the community. However, this paper needs some revisions before the acceptance for publication.


A total of 652 goats were screened from the slaughter house at supela, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh during the period from Dec. 2007 to Sept. 2008. Out of them, 137 (21.01%) goats were positive for T. hydatigena cysticercosis. Season-wise prevalence indicated 23.95%, 20.61% and 16.29% infection during winter, summer and rainy season, respectively. The result revealed significant sex-wise prevalence (p<0.05) of the disease where 13.82% male goats were positive for this infection while in female it was 22.68%. Organ-wise studies showed that the cyst were present mainly at mesentry and omental fat region (84.67%) followed by liver (8.03%) and diaphragm (0.73%). Around 6.57% goats showed the cysts both in liver and mesentry and omental fat.


This PhD Thesis describes the kinematics of the Burgalesa Platform in the Basque-Cantabrian Pyrenees by the integration of i) surface geology; ii) seismic and well data; and iii) vertical axis rotation paleomagnetic studies. The integration of all the data allow to understand the relationship between the Burgalesa Platform and the Ebro and Duero foreland basins during the Pyrenean Orogeny. The principal contribution of the Thesis is to present a new structural model, that fits all the constraints imposed by the stratigraphy, the pre-configuration of the area prior to the contractive deformation and both the deep and the surface data. This model allows to understand the transition between thin-skinned and the thick-skinned tectonics. The combined work between surface geology and well data has allowed to reinterpret the Zamanzas structure located at the northern boundary of the Burgalesa Platform. Previously, this structure had been interpreted as a set of extensional faults. This Thesis pointed out the mismatches and reinterpret the Zamanzas structure as a popup generated during the Pyrenean Orogeny. The combined interpretation of wells and seismic sections allow to partially comprehend the structure of the area during the extensional event as well as the result of the Pyrenean Orogeny occurred later. This study allowed to determine the distribution of the Lower Cretaceous depocenters during the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay opening. Moreover, during this stage salt mobilisation triggered by extension generated areas where the Triassic salt layer was thickened as demonstrated by the well data and the outcropping diapirs. This process accentuated the development of the depocenters. The extensional event also generated the onlap sedimentary geometries in the syn-rift sediments. The extensional model proposed is a combined model with the development of cover forced folding with salt migration at the southern boundary. The Triassic salt decoupled the extension between the basement and the cover and contractional structures were developed such as the back-thrust in the Huidobro area that produced the duplication of the Mesozoic. The early stages of the Pyrenean Orogeny resulted in the development of the San Pedro Structure, with north-directed and basement-involved thrusts, later fossilised by the Duero foreland sediments. To the north, the Burgalesa Platform, characterised by south-directed thrusts rooted into the Triassic salts, was southwards displaced until the San Pedro act as a backstop forcing the Burgalesa Platform to extrude laterally towards the southeast overriding the Ebro Foreland Basin. The paleomagnetic study focussed on determine the possible vertical axis rotations along the Pyrenees, denotes that the amount of sites that some areas have is not present in the Burgalesa Platform and vicinities that lack of sites. For that reason, another objective of this Thesis is to provide new paleomagnetic sites for the study area. The study carried out is made up of twenty-six new sites widely distributed and that allow to characterise the vertical axis rotation pattern. The results obtained reveals that i) the magnetisation of the Cenozoic sediments is prior to deformation and that ii) clockwise and counter clockwise rotation occurred in the Burgalesa Platform and adjacent areas. The evolution models previously proposed for the Burgalesa Platform were based either from surface geology of from geophysical data thus fitting some of the constraints. Because any model integrated all the observations and available data, a new model explaining the Burgalesa Platform evolution has been proposed. This model is characterised by presenting thick-skinned deformation at the western sector whereas, thin-skinned at the eastern one when the Triassic salt layer thickens point in which the thrusts are detach the cover from the basement. The results of this Thesis demonstrate that the pre-configuration of the extensional basin and its vicinities have a strong implication in the development and evolution of the Burgalesa Platform during the Pyrenean Orogeny. Finally, during this evolution, clockwise and counter clockwise rotations occurred in the different sectors as shown by the paleomagnetic studies carried out during this Thesis.


BACKGROUND
Biomarkers have potential to identify early signs of joint disease. This study compared joint pain and function in adolescents and young adults with CP compared to individuals without.

METHODS
Cross-sectional study compared individuals with CP(n = 20), aged 13-30 with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) I-III and age-matched individuals without CP(n = 20). Knee and hip joint pain measured using Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Hip dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) surveys. Objective strength and function were also measured. Biomarkers for tissue turnover (serum COMP, urinary CTX-II) and cartilage degradation (serum MMP-1, MMP-3) were measured in blood and urinary samples.

FINDINGS
Individuals with CP had increased knee and hip joint pain, reduced leg strength, reduced walking and standing speeds, and ability to carry out activities of daily living(p < 0.005) compared to controls. They also had higher serum MMP-1(p < 0.001) and urinary CTX-II levels(p < 0.05). Individuals with CP who were GMFCS I and II demonstrated reduced hip joint pain(p = 0.02) and higher MMP-1 levels (p = 0.02) compared to GMFCS III.

INTERPRETATION
Individuals with CP with less severe mobility deficits had higher MMP-1 levels likely due to more prolonged exposure to abnormal joint loading forces but experienced less joint pain.


Functional granular materials with typical sizes of 1~1000 µm have received considerable attention for many applications. Generally, the overall functions of these microparticles strongly rely on both of their structures and the properties of their component materials. Thus, the combination of unique structures with functional materials provides an important route for developing advanced functional granular materials. Utilization of emulsions as templates allows producing versatile microparticles, with their size, shape and structure largely depends on those of the emulsions. Emulsion-template synthesis of microparticles allows precise control over their size, shape, composition and structure by tuning those of emulsions via specific emulsification techniques. With excellent control over emulsion drops, microfluidic technique provides a powerful platform for reproducible and scalable production of granular materials with unprecedented control over their structures and compositions. This provides vast opportunities for producing granular materials with the structure-property combination strategy for achieving elaborately designed functions. The controllable architectures of the emulsions and their tunable chemical composition for each separate phase allow for flexible combination of the structure characteristics and material properties for producing microparticles with elaborately tailored functions. In this presentation, we highlight the recent efforts for microfluidic fabrication of granular materials with well-designed functions, along with the development of microfluidic techniques for producing the versatile emulsion templates. We envision that the versatility of microfluidics for microparticle synthesis could open new frontiers and provide promising and exciting opportunities for fabricating brand-new functional microparticles with broad implications for myriad fields.


According to the frequently extreme climatic events and socio-economic loss caused,the problems in ? ower and garden industry related to disaster resistance and alleviation were analyzed. Some suggestions are proposed,including establishing preventive alarm system,enhancing development of disaster assessment. Specif ic insurance funds are also suggested to be established.


Insulin stimulates phosphorylation of a tyrosine residue(s) on a 15-kDa protein (p15), and the cytosolic phosphorylated protein (pplS) accumulates only when 3T3-L1 adipocytes are treated with phenylarsine oxide. It has been shown previously that phenylarsine oxide, an agent that complexes vicinal dithiols, interrupts signal transmission from the insulin receptor to the glucose transport system. Several lines of evidence presented here indicate the involvement of ppl5 in insulin receptor-initiated signal transduction to the glucose transport system. The reciprocal effects of phenylarsine oxide on the insulin-activated accumulation ofpplS and on insulin-stimulated hexose uptake are reversed by the vicinal dithiol 2,3-dimercaptopropanol but not by the monothiol 2-mercaptoethanol. Thus, a cellular dithiol appears to function in the signal transmission pathway downstream from ppl5. Like the insulin-activated autophosphorylation of the receptor's j3 subunit (on tyrosine), activation of phosphorylation of p15 is specific, with insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2, epidermal growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor being inactive. Moreover, both processes exhibit identical insulin concentration dependence. The temporal kinetic relationship of insulin-activated receptor ,B-subunit phosphorylation, followed by the phosphorylation of p15 and then increased hexose uptake rate, is consistent with an intermediary signaling role for ppl5 in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. By binding to its specific receptors on the plasma membrane ofthe adipocyte, insulin activates energy storage processesnotably, the uptake of glucose and fatty acids, glycogenesis, and lipogenesis. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the apparent initial events by which the receptor triggers these processes. The insulin receptor is an oligomeric transmembrane allosteric enzyme with an insulin binding site located extracellularly on the a subunit (1-5) and a tyrosine-specific protein kinase catalytic site on the intracellular domain of the (3 subunit (4-13). Studies with cell-free receptor preparations (7-14) and intact cells (15, 16) have shown that the interaction of insulin with the a subunit induces autophosphorylation ofthe kinase domain and thereby activates the kinase-catalyzed phosphorylation of model protein substrates and presumably cellular protein substrates. Previous observations have established that insulin promotes the phosphorylation (17-24) or dephosphorylation (25-27) of a group of cellular proteins, some of which appear to be end-targets of a signal cascade. These proteins are not directly phosphorylated by the insulin receptor kinase, however, since phosphorylation occurs on serine or threonine and not on tyrosine residues. More recently, White et al. (28) demonstrated that insulin activates the phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on a 185-kDa membrane protein in Hep G2 cells. The function of this protein is unknown. In the present paper we report the insulin-stimulated and phenylarsine oxide-dependent accumulation of a 15-kDa phosphoprotein (ppl5) that is phosphorylated on tyrosine residues and appears to function in the activation of glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our previous studies (29) showed that phenylarsine oxide reversibly blocks activation of hexose uptake by insulin without affecting hexose uptake per se. Evidence presented in this paper indicates that ppl5 functions specifically with the insulin receptor. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Cells. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were cultured and differentiated as described previously (30). Briefly, cells were grown to confluence, and 2 days later conversion into adipocytes was induced by feeding Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 10% fetal bovine serum, isobutylmethylxanthine, dexamethasone, and insulin for 2 days. Then cells were fed the same medium minus isobutylmethylxanthine and dexamethasone, but containing insulin, for an additional 2 days. For the next 4-6 days cells were fed DMEM supplemented only with 10% fetal bovine serum (without insulin) every other day. 32P Labeling of Cells and Preparation of Cell Extracts. The labeling procedure was essentially that described previously (16). After a 2-hr labeling period with carrier-free 32p; in medium containing no other Pi, cell monolayers were incubated for 10 min with 35 ,uM phenylarsine oxide as indicated. Insulin (1 ,uM) was subsequently added for different periods oftime up to 10 min. Labeling was terminated by washing the monolayer twice with ice-cold 10 mM Tris-HCl-buffered saline (pH 7.4) after which 0.5 ml of urea sample buffer containing 8 M urea, 1.8% 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-l-propanesulfonate (CHAPS), and 20 mM dithiothreitol was added. The cell lysate was centrifuged at 10,000 x g for 10 min and the soluble cell extract was subjected to 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Analysis of 32P-Labeled Proteins. Cell extracts were mixed with ampholytes (1%, pH range 3-10) for the first-dimension separation on 4% polyacrylamide tube gels containing 9 M urea, 2% CHAPS, and 2% ampholytes (pH range 3-10) (31). After nonequilibrium isoelectric focusing for 2 hr at 400 V, gels were soaked in 62.5 mM Tris HCl, pH 6.8/1% NaDodSO4/10% (vol/vol) glycerol/0.002% bromophenol blue for 90 min. The second-dimension NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was carried out with 12.5% Abbreviations: pplS, phosphorylated 15-kDa protein; p15, nonphosphorylated ppl5; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor 1; IGF-2, insulinlike growth factor 2; EGF, epidermal growth factor; PDGF, plateletderived growth factor; CHAPS, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. *To whom reprint requests should be addressed at: Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205. 1844 The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84 (1987) 1845 acrylamide gels according to Laemmli (32). Gel segments containing labeled proteins were cut out and 32P radioactivity


: The laminated torsion bar is used for many mechanical purposes where a large angle with decreasing or increasing torque is necessary. The design of laminated torsion bar relates to dissipation of energy by friction between laminae, number of laminae and clamp conditions at the end of bar. The paper presents theoretical, experimental and numerical analysis of a laminated torsion bar with different numbers of laminae. Results show that in the design of a laminated torsion bar it is necessary to consider correction coefficients with respect to the geometry of laminae and the clamping conditions on both sides of the laminated torsion bar. In this paper the correction coefficients are experimentally determined. We present the procedure for determination of correction parameters for the calculation of the laminated torsion spring characteristics with a relatively large ratio of width and thickness, ( h / b > 7) for low rigidity of the individual lamella.


Integrated Conservation and Development (ICD) strategies in nature conservation are increasingly recognised as a way to protect the world's remaining rainforest without neglecting the needs of the local people who are dependent on the forest resources for their livelihoods. With that said, there is still much to be learned about how to best design and implement ICD in the management of national parks. Many forest dependent communities living adjacent to national parks remain excluded from decision making, and their experiences, views and knowledge remain unheard. This case study addresses that issue in an exploration of local narratives about Mgahinga Gorilla national Park (MGNP) in South-western Uganda, where ICD strategies are used in the management, in response to local antagonism towards the park after its establishment in 1991. I employ a social-ecological perspective in the investigation of how the communities neighbouring Mgahinga Gorilla National Park make sense of the national park, its history and its management, and what implications it has for local environment stewardship and sustainability. I identify and analyse four dominant local narratives about MGNP drawing on the stories told by residents from five villages neighbouring MGNP. The study shows that the local communities do not associate MGNP with the same balance of opportunities and challenges, and that they have various and heterogeneous interests in relation to the national park based on their individual and collective experiences and interactions in the social ecological systems around MGNP through time. (Less)


Abstract
The world economy experiences important changes including the increasing globalization of the economy, which may have a large impact on the transport system and the environment, particularly the continuing emission of greenhouse gasses.

High Speed Railways (HSR) which are expanding in track length and coverage are the most sustainable way for transporting passengers and goods as they operate on an electrified network. Considering the fact, that an HSR system is an energy-intensive transport system, it is important economically and environmentally to reduce the amount of energy used. There are important lessons that can be learned for the future development of HSR.

In this research, the non-radial Data Envelopment Analyses (DEA) methodology has been used to estimate the dynamic changes in the total energy consumption for seven HSR systems over the period of 2010-2017 and to benchmark the most energy efficient HSR systems. Key influencing factors of the sustainability of HSR are considered here, including the existing HSRS (High Speed Rolling Stock), number of passengers and power consumed by the HSR.

The research findings have shown that changes in energy consumption by the selected operators of HSRs during the period 2010-2017 have a strong correlation with the type of HSRS. The expected outcomes of this research will contribute to the development and advances of more sustainable HSR systems.

Keywords: sustainability, high-speed railway, energy, efficiency, key influencing factors


By supplying inorganic ferrite nanoparticles of different morphologies as nucleation sites, PANI/ferrite nanocomposites with novel coralloid structures were synthesized successfully through a simple, conventional, and inexpensive one-step in situ polymerization method without the aid of any surfactant, organic dopant, or template. As shown by XRD, FT-IR and UV−vis, there is no obvious chemical interaction between PANI and BaFe12O19 (BF) nanoparticles; that is, ferrite nanoparticles served only as the nucleation centers for the growth of PANI nanofibers, whereas the nanoparticles have an effect in reducing the diameters of the produced PANI nanofibers. PANI/BF nanocomposites are hard magnetic properties with alternative electrical conductivities and magnetic properties. The reflection loss of BF nanoparticles in 2−18 GHz was essentially enhanced upon PANI coating, and the frequency relating to maximum reflection loss shifts to a higher value with the increase in BF content because of the higher anisotropy ...


This thesis is part of the Minstrel project, an efficient reference implementation of a push system relying on open standards only. Minstrel follows the component model for push systems introduced in [Hau99]. In the push communication model, an information producer announces the availability of certain types of information, an interested consumer subscribes to this information, and the producer periodically publishes the information (pushes it to the customer). This simplifies the discovery of information and provides timely information dissemination. This thesis describes the architecture, design and implementation of the graphical user interface (GUI) for the Minstrel push system. The main goals were usability, flexibility, and extensibility. To meet the goal of usability the graphical design of the GUI is inspired by other well-known applications. Users were integrated into early stages of the design process and their feedback was incorporated into the design. Instead of a monolithic application a general component framework is used to integrate all parts of the application into a "command center". The command center presents all functions to the user in a uniform way. Existing component technologies are evaluated and found too heavy-weight, so a light-weight and flexible framework architecture is developed. Other Minstrel components such as the protocol engine, the content management system [Hab00], and the wallet [Püh00] are integrated successfully into the framework infrastructure. Also, several components of general use are developed and made available to other developers. Acknowledgements First of all I would like to thank my parents for making all this possible for me. Thanks to Stefan Haberl and Michael Pührerfellner of the Minstrel development team for the good co-operation. Special thanks to my advisors Manfred Hauswirth and Mehdi Jazayeri for supervising this thesis and always encouraging me in my work. And — last but not least — thanks to Linus Torvalds for an operating system that's fun to work with. Druids occupy themselves with the building of large stone circles for computing purposes; these seldom work properly but the druids always take the view that the problems can be solved only by building a much larger and more expensive circle. Sixty-six-megalith circles are now commonplace. [PB97]


We report experiments of deflecting Rb atoms with blue-detuned near-field light. The number of atoms increases by amount of 41 % at a horizontal displacement of 200 μm by the repulsive dipole force.


Abstract We consider natural ${\rm{\Sigma }}_2^1$ definable analogues of many of the classical statements that have been shown to be equivalent to CH. It is shown that these ${\rm{\Sigma }}_2^1$ analogues are equivalent to that all reals are constructible. We also prove two partition relations for ${\rm{\Sigma }}_2^1$ colourings which hold precisely when there is a non-constructible real.


Opioids have been previously shown to confer short-term cardioprotection against a prolonged ischemic insult. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine whether opioids can induce a delayed or "second window" of cardioprotection and to assess the potential involvement of the mitochondrial K ATP channel. All rats were subjected to 30 minutes of ischemia and 2 hours of reperfusion (I/R). Control animals, injected with saline 24 hours before I/R, elicited an infarct size/area at risk (IS/AAR) of 62.9 63.4. TAN-67, ad1-opioid receptor agonist, was administered 10 or 30 mg/kg IP 12, 24, 48, or 72 hours before I/R. TAN-67 (10 mg/kg) 12or 24-hour pretreatment did not significantly reduce IS/AAR (62.166.3 and 43.3 67.3, respectively). Similarly, 12-hour pretreatment with TAN-67 (30 mg/kg) did not reduce IS/AAR (60.065.6); however, 24-hour pretreatment significantly reduced IS/AAR (34.5 65 9). Forty-eight–hour pretreatment with TAN-67 maximally reduced IS/AAR (29.2 67.0), and opioid-induced cardioprotection was lost after 72-hour pretreatment (61.763.8). TAN-67–induced cardioprotection could be abolished by pretreatment with the selective d1-opioid receptor antagonist 7-benzylidenenaltrexone, BNTX, administered either 30 minutes before TAN-67 given 48 hours before I/R or 10 minutes before I/R in rats previously treated for 48 hours with TAN-67 (59.6 63 1 and 58.7 63.5, respectively). The involvement of the KATP channel was investigated with 2 inhibitors: glibenclamide, a nonselective K ATP channel inhibitor, and 5-hydroxydecanoic acid, selective for the mitochondrial K ATP channel in rabbits. Glibenclamide, administered 30 minutes before I/R in 48-hour TAN-67–pretreated rats, completely abolished cardioprotection (60.4 63.2). Similarly, 5-hydroxydecanoic acid, administered 5 minutes before I/R in rats pretreated 48 hours previously with TAN-67, completely abolished cardioprotection (57.8 62.5). These results suggest that d1-opioid receptor stimulation, 24 to 48 hours before an ischemic insult, produces a delayed cardioprotective effect that is possibly the result of mitochondrial K ATP channel activation. (Circ Res. 1999;84:846-851.)


We measured NEXAFS spectra on both C and N K-edges of an ordered monolayer of lead phthalocyanine adsorbed onto an InSb(001) 4 × 2/c(8 × 2) substrate. We compared the spectra with the calculated density of unoccupied states of an isolated molecule. We demonstrate that molecules lay flat on the surface, determine the energy position of the lowest excited state, and show that it is site dependent. Finally, we compare the core exciton structure with the valence exciton structure previously measured by two different valence spectroscopic techniques and discuss their differences in terms of electron−nuclear and electron−hole Coulomb interactions.


A general formula for the gradient of the linear quadratic fixed-control structure problem with respect to the free controller parameters is presented. This formula includes as special cases time-invariant, time-varying, and robust control formulations for both continuous- and discrete-time problems. Explicit formulas for the continuous-time formulations are presented.


The aim of the study was to assess the effect induced by Carbaryl (Sevin) pesticide on biochemical indices of Clarias batrachus. The effect was studied based on the results of acute toxicity tests and comparison of control with experimental group. The fish was exposed to varying levels of the toxicant to study the effect on biochemical indices. Examination of Biochemical profile was carried out on 6 control and 9 experimental female specimens at the end of 96 hr toxicity test with Sevin in concentration of 12.6 mg . l -1 and 14.6 mg . l -1 .


Heat flux is a space and time variable reflecting the state of a thermal system. The evaluation of heat flux properties in thermal systems gives the possibility of making an assessment of their efficiency, safety and availability. In this respect, it was proved that heat flux is an important design, diagnostic and control parameter for many thermal systems.
 This paper describes the evaluation of different aspects of heat flux properties including heat flux as a design parameter, heat flux as a diagnostic parameter and heat flux as a control parameter.
 The heat flux is proved to reflect the changes in thermal equipment during operation. The malfunction of this equipment is closely related to the change of the heat flux distribution within the system. In this respect, it was demonstrated that the failure of boilers and furnace operation could be diagnosed by the change in the heat flux distribution on the respective heat transfer surfaces. The heat flux, as a diagnostic variable for the assessment of the operation of thermal systems, will open a challenging opportunity for the design of on-line knowledge-based systems. This can be used for the assessment of efficiency and safety of thermal systems.
 A new method for heat flux measurement is introduced with reference to its use in boiler and glass furnaces. It shows the advantages of the new method when applied in high temperature and hostile environments.


This study aims to describe and identify shame and guilty emotions among older generation of Batak Toba people as compared to the younger generation. Fifty participants from each of the older generation and the younger generation were asked to complete Test of Self-Conscious Affect 3 (TOSCA-3). In addition, three older and three younger participants were individually interviewed to get a more complete picture on the socialization of Batak Toba cultural values and emotion. Results show that there are significant differences on shame emotion between older and younger generations t(98) = 5.104, p<.001, but not on guilty emotion t(98) = 1.912, p>.001. From the interviews it was clear that there are both similarities and differences between the two generations on the kinds of situation that bring shame emotion and the expression of it. For guilty emotion, there was a significant difference between older and younger generations were found between older and younger generations. Socialization for shame and guilty emotions for both generations came from families, schools, friends, and church teachings.


Soybean leaf α-amylase was insensitive

to sulfhydryl reagents (Table 1) and inactive

at pH 3.6. In the presence of CaC1_2 its resis-

tance to heat increased from 60℃ to 70℃(Fig.

).β-amylase was sensitive to sulfhydryl

reagents but stable at 60℃ and pH 2.3 (Fig. 2).

 Disc gel electrophoresis showed that soy-

bean leaf α-amylase had consists of several

isozymes (Fig. 1). This enzyme did not

require Ca~(2+) for its activity usually and the

enzyme activity was not changed by dialysis.

It was inactivated by EDTA and further dialy-

sis could not restore the enzyme activity (Tabler

2).β-limit dextrin could protect this enzyme

from the inactivation caused by EDTA.α-amy-

lase was considered to be a Ca-metallo-enzyme,

Ca~(2+) was firmly bound to the enzyme and located

at or near the substrate binding site. In vitro

soybean leaf α-amylase could be adsorbed on

its starch granule and eluted easily by acetate

buffer at pH 5.


Organizational Commitment is one of the key determinants of organizational success. This knowledge era where Human resource is considered as the main strategic resource demands the full potential and commitment of the work force to win an edge over competition. Such commitment can no longer promote through traditional strategies alone but can only be fostered when conditions are available for employees to bring their 'whole self'-physical, mental and spiritual selves- to work place.  Hence, call for spiritual values at work is increasing as employees seek opportunities for enriched work performed within the context of an organizational community along with personal and work goal congruence. Organizational commitment when fostered through these spiritual dimensions will be much consistent and long-lasting than temporary attachment generated through time- to- time material rewards. Hence, this conceptual paper aims at surfacing the grounds within which these two concepts can be linked for the betterment of the organization and its stakeholders


A kind of vertical axis wind turbine,which can change its pitch automatically, was presented in this paper to solve the general problem of poor ability of starting by itself and low wind energy conversion. A new optimal pitch change rules was formulated in which angle of attack and characteristics of aerodynamic force of blades were taken into consideration. By using of the blade element theory, at low and high tip speed ratio, impeller torque coefficients were calculated out respectively with adoption of the pitch change rules. The outcome proved that the starting torque and ratio of using wind energy were improved by using of the rules presented in this paper, which paved the way for next step of developing vertical axis wind turbine that could change its pitch automatically.


textabstractGastric cancer mortality has been fallen throughout Europe during the past decades in
terms of both incidence and mortality rates. It is mainly as a result of remarkable improvement
of life conditions in European societies. Efforts to reduce global cancer disparities begin
with an understanding of geographic patterns of cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence rates,
by studies such as GLOBOCAN, EUROCARE, and Five Continents databases. Survival increased and mortality decreased through
the combination of earlier detection, better access to care and improved treatment. There has
also been a concomitant change in lifestyle and environmental exposures over successive generations,
including changes in exposures to risk factors in early decades of life.


Abstract The bitumen binders in road pavements are exposed traffic loading effect at different climatic conditions. A resistance to these stresses depends on bitumen properties as well. The paper presents rheological properties (G*, δ, ν*) determined and compared for four bituminous binders (unmodified and polymer modified bitumen) at temperature 46 – 60 (80) °C and dynamic viscosity at temperature 130 – 190 °C (Brookfield viscometer). On the basis of viscosity results it is possible to set optimal production and compaction temperatures. Elastic and viscous behavior of binder in the middle temperature is determined in rheometers. The higher value of complex modulus, the stiffer bitumen binder is able to resist deformation. The greater content of elastic components (e.g. polymer in bitumen) varies mainly elastic-viscous properties of primary bitumen.


Teamwork and work commitment of employees in an organization must maintain both public and business organizations. Since the conditions and the environment around employees easily influence teamwork and work commitment. Leadership support is needed to maintain and optimize employee teamwork, and work commitment will increase performance. This study aimed to determine and analyze the effect of work commitment and teamwork on employees' performance at Bukit Duabelas National Park (BTNBD) with the leaders' support as a moderator. The population in this study were all BTNBD employees with the status of Civil Servants officials from echelon and staff. The sampling method used the census method by taking all members of the population, as many as 47 employees. The data analysis method used Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The results show that work commitment has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, and teamwork has a positive and significant impact on employee performance. Leader support does not moderate the relationship of the work commitment to employee performance, and leaders' support does not moderate the relationship between teamwork and employee performance. Leaders' support as a moderating variable in this study only acts as an independent variable.

Keywords: Employee Performance, Work Commitment, Teamwork, Leader Support


In order to evaluate the company's operating efficiency better,a two-step method is provided which combines the factor analysis with Super Efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis(SE-DEA).First,the input and output variables are obtained from the factor analysis.Second,the common factors of the alternative input and output variables obtained act as the input and output variables which are substituted into SE-DEA model to calculate the efficiency,and the full ranking of all the Decision Making Units(DMU) is realized.The feasibility of this method has been demonstrated by the empirical analysis of evaluating China's 13 listed port companies'operating efficiency in 2008.


Three different organic amendments(matrix,rice husk and fungus chaff) were used to investigate their effects on the physical and chemical properties of coastal saline silt as well as the tomato yield and its average fruit weight by pot experiments.The results show that these organic soil amendments could reduce soil bulk density and increase soil porosity by 22.5%~33.1% and 25.5%~37.7% respectively,while soil salinity could be reduced by 5.05%~24.54% compared with the control treatment without amendment(CK).The soil ESP,pH and harmful ions such as soil exchangeability Na+,Na++K+ and Cl-would be declined while its Ca2+ and SO42-would be increased greatly.The tomato yield with amendments could be increased by 24.05%~34.46%,and its average fruit weight could also be improved.The results as mentioned above indicate that the three organic soil amendments could better improve the salt silt of beach.Considering the factors of the price and difficulty to obtain the anendments,the rice husk and fungus chaff are recommended as the suitable soil amendments for coastal saline silt.


An outline on the ultrasonic turning is described. In this report, Aluminum is machined by the ultrasonically vibrating bite (frequency 18.4kc, amplitude 5μ) brazed to the horn of the ultrasonic machine.The results are as follows;(1) It has been found that when the vibration is given in the perpendicular direction to the lathe bed, ultrasonic turning yields good results without the damage of the bite and other troubles.(2) At the higher cutting speed, we have also obtained a very smooth surface, owing to the small cutting force without having no built-up edge.(3) This method will be suitable for cutting long, slender and ductile metals easily deformable for the cutting resistance.


With the emergence of General Purpose computations on Graphic Processing Units (GP-GPUs) this architecture has become amazingly attractive for large scale applications such as numerical simulations of complex systems. While the number of degrees of freedom of an adaptive optics (AO) system scales with the square of the telescope diameter, the system model exhibits a rather high level of parallelism especially when simulating Shack-Hartmann (SH) wavefront sensors (WFS). The use of massively parallel devices such as GPUs to simulate next generation AO systems for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) thus makes a lot of sense. Our team has developed such simulation tools and first results show that speeds of about a thousand of iterations per second were achievable on a single high-end GPU for an eXtreme (X)AO system such as SPHERE including a single layer turbulence model generated on-the-fly. These numerical models include all the operations executed by the real-time controller (RTC) of a real system. The achieved simulation speeds show that a single high-end GPU could drive a XAO system on the VLT and, depending on the centroiding algorithm and the control scheme chosen, could even drive a classical AO system on the E-ELT. While the main challenge resides in the data transfer speed to and from the GPU, developing and testing AO control algorithms for the simulation code on the same hardware as the system RTC would bring a lot of benefits. In this paper we present the simulation results as well as strategies to build GPU-powered AO systems.


Summary The falling drop method devised by Barbour and Hamilton for the determination of the concentration of protein solutions has been found applicable to the estimation of the antibody content of antipneumococcus serum. After the precipitate has been separated from the reacting mixture by centrifugation, the density of the supernatant fluid can be determined in less than one minute by this method.


H a rd chromium is a commo n plating, primari ly used to increase the se rvi ce life o ffun ctio na l parts by increas ing th e ir res istan ce to wear, abrasi o n, hea t and co rrosio n. It is also use ful fo r repairing wo rn o r und ersized parts. This pl:lting is o ften applied o n parts such as: aircraft landing gears, nircraft engine pa rts, a ircraft cylinder bo res, crankshafts, gear whee ls, piston rings, gun barrels, automotive va lve systems, cutting tools, mining equipment, micro meters, etc. ll -3 1. Hard chro mium plating is produced by clectTo-clepos irion fro m a solutio n containing chro mic acid nnd a catalytic :1nio n in proper pro po rti o n . Compos ition o f co nve nti o nal chromic ac id baths ca tnlyzed by sulphate cn n vnry widely, provided the ratio by weight o f chromic ncid to su lphate rnd ica l is within a range o f75 : I and 120: I I 1 ,J J. Add itio n age nts, such as bromates, iodates and dichlo ro malo nic, have bee n fo und to be effective in increasing th e effi ciency o f the chro mi c ;~ c id so lutio n 141. The chem ic;1l reactions wh ich t;1ke pbce during the p lating process arc li ke ly to include: ( I. I) XpO/ + 8W+ 3c ~ Xp++4H20 o r ( 1. 2) C r 2 0 / + 14H ' + 6" ~ 2Cr' + 71-1 10


The article deals with the essence of the family with a disturbed structure. It mainstreams the value of upbringing potential of different types of families with disturbed structure (incomplete, complete changed, adapting, guarding, patronage), practicability of establishing interactions of a father (mother) with a child in the circumstances of family disruption and formation of a different family type. The article outlines pedagogically expediential directions and methods of interaction of parents and a child (children). Key words: family with a disturbed structure: incomplete, complete changed, adapting, guarding, patronage families; disruption of an old and formation of a new family type with a disturbed structure; interaction of a mother (father) and a child (children); assistance and support to a family with a disturbed structure; enrichment of methods of interaction between parents and children.


In article subject characteristics of the person as system complete definiteness are designated. The school role as social institute, organizing forms and ways of comprehension is defined by pupils of the social validity. Thus, the urgency of development of social cognition as pedagogical problem is proved. Levels of social cognition are designated. Conditions of system designing of model of pedagogical support of development of social cognition are formulated. Conditions of designing of model of pedagogical support of development of social cognition are allocated. In article the problems of pedagogical support directed on enrichment of social experience of the teenager are allocated. The thematic orientation of design activity of the trained is presented. Pedagogical means and the methods promoting development of social cognition are is short characterized. As the leading form of the organization of pedagogical process the project is offered. In the conclusion pedagogical conditions of development of social cognition of teenagers.


This paper presents an application of social media marketing of a higher educational institution. Performance of higher educational institutions on social media and social media marketing usage, have as a goal improving their business operations, the credibility and implementation of the student relationship management concept. This paper presents student relationship management model of a higher educational institution on social media. It describes social media marketing implementation, specifically for social networks, as well as a model of social media metrics. The main aim of this paper is to improve the process of student relationship management, and emerging brand of the Laboratory for e-business by applying social media marketing.


This paper presents preliminary results for developing an online "persuasion score" that will enable digital marketing content authors to compose and edit materials with better persuasive capability. Inspired by initial insights with digital marketing professionals and research on the foundations of persuasion: pathos, ethos and logos, we extracted features from a data set of over three million consumer reactions to email marketing campaigns covering a three month period. We report on the most significant features of the content, including image position and text readability as well as the most salient customer features such as time since registration and time since last opened email from the same marketing brand.


Abstract Ultrasonic cleaning with organic solvent, heat treatment in nitrogen atmosphere and their combined process are performed to purify the SiC particles. SiCp/Al composites containing vol. 55–57% SiCp purified by the combined process are fabricated by pressureless infiltration. The results showed that the SiCp/Al composites fabricated with SiCp purified by the combined process possess smooth and clean interface without interface reaction products. The prepared composites exhibit an excellent thermal conductivity (252 W m−1 K−1), a high elastic modulus (238.01 ± 5.6 GPa) as well as a high tensile strength (432.32 ± 18.82 MPa). The proposed combined process demonstrates a better purification effect than the other two methods.


The purpose of this study is to improve public speaking skills through ice breaking methods for students of Penjaskes at STKIP Setiabudhi Rangkasbitung. This research method uses two cycles of action research methods. The population in this study amounted to 300 students and the sample in this study used a purposive sampling method totaling 50 students. The time of the study was carried out for 6 months from February 2019 to July 2019. The steps of the research carried out were compiling the planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The results of the study for 2 cycles showed that the Public Speaking Skill for students of Penjaskes at STKIP Setiabudhi Rangkasbitung increased by using the ice breaking method by 9.6 points. This is evident from the results of the measurement of indicators of public speaking skills in cycle 1 with an average of 65.6 and cycle 2 with an average of 79.2. Thus it can be concluded that the ice breaking method in the Curriculum and Learning courses can improve the public speaking skills of students of the Physical Education Study Program at STKIP Setiabudhi


The Goddard microphysics scheme was recently improved by adding a 4th ice class (frozen dropshail). This new 4ICE scheme was implemented and tested in the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model (GCE) for an intense continental squall line and a moderate,less-organized continental case. Simulated peak radar reflectivity profiles were improved both in intensity and shape for both cases as were the overall reflectivity probability distributions versus observations. In this study, the new Goddard 4ICE scheme is implemented into the regional-scale NASA Unified - Weather Research and Forecasting model (NU-WRF) and tested on an intense mesoscale convective system that occurred during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). The NU42WRF simulated radar reflectivities, rainfall intensities, and vertical and horizontal structure using the new 4ICE scheme agree as well as or significantly better with observations than when using previous versions of the Goddard 3ICE (graupel or hail) schemes. In the 4ICE scheme, the bin microphysics-based rain evaporation correction produces more erect convective cores, while modification of the unrealistic collection of ice by dry hail produces narrow and intense cores, allowing more slow-falling snow to be transported rearward. Together with a revised snow size mapping, the 4ICE scheme produces a more horizontally stratified trailing stratiform region with a broad, more coherent light rain area. In addition, the NU-WRF 4ICE simulated radar reflectivity distributions are consistent with and generally superior to those using the GCE due to the less restrictive open lateral boundaries


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a main surface and an object of the oxide film on the semiconductor substrate therein. This substrate was heat-treated for a predetermined time in an oxidizing atmosphere to form an oxide film temporarily on the main surface. It is then placed to remove the oxide film is exposed as the temporary exposed surface of a semiconductor substrate in a reducing atmosphere. Thereafter, the object is formed on the exposed surface of the oxide. Heat treatment is an oxidizing atmosphere is preferably not more than 5% of the oxygen partial pressure at a temperature not lower than 950 deg.] C less than heated for 40 minutes. Reducing atmosphere is primarily hydrogen. Each of the above steps may be performed in the same furnace.


Communication mainly is the transfer of whatever thing or exchanging of data, so that the Internet of things is naught but the transferring or exchanging of anything with several other things. The using of internet authorized system or devices roughly calculated as that by 2020 there will be nearly about billions. The purpose of the paper is to define a safe keeping alert device spending little handling power by Internet of things which help out to observer plus alerts when gestures or else motion are there then send images to a cloud server. Besides, internet of things centered use can be used tenuously to observe the action as well as acquire warning when gestures or else indication are there. The images are showed straight to a cloud attendant, when the cloud attendant is not accessible at that time the records are put in storage close by on a Raspberry Pi. A credit card size Raspberry Pi with an advantage of Open Source Computer Vision (Open-CV) software knobs the image processing, control algorithms used for the attentiveness then shows taken images to concern persons email by the use of Wi-Fi module. The system uses ordinary webcam. The main objective of this paper is to develop a virtual environment for detecting suspicious and targeted places for user without any loss of human life. It is based on development of a robot vehicle for observing/spying the suspicious objects. It can continuously monitor the objects. Robot can move in every direction (left, right, forward and backward). It is used for video surveillance and remotely control the particular place using Wi-Fi as medium. The webcam which is placed on the robotic unit will capture the video and it transmits lively to the remote end. The major application of this paper can be analyzed using HTML web page which can be used to control the movement of the robot.


Primordial magnetic fields generated in the very early universe are one of the candidates for the origin of magnetic fields observed in galaxy clusters. After recombination, the Lorentz force acts on the residual ions and electrons to generate density fluctuations of baryons. Accordingly these fluctuations induce the early formation of dark halos which cause the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (S-Z) effect in cosmic microwave background radiation. This additional S-Z effect due to primordial magnetic fields amplifies the angular power spectrum of cosmic microwave temperature anisotropies on small scales. This amplification depends on the comoving amplitude and the power law index of the primordial magnetic fields spectrum. Comparing with the small scale CMB observations, we obtained the constraints on the primordial magnetic fields, i.e., B < ∼ 2 . 0 nGauss for n = − 2 . 9 or B < ∼ 1 . 0 nGauss for n = − 2 . 6 , where B is the comoving amplitude of magnetic fields at h − 1 Mpc and n is the power law index. Future S-Z measurements have the potential to give constraints tighter than those from temperature anisotropies and polarization of cosmic microwave background induced by the magnetic fields at the recombination epoch.


Mill housing vibration influents the strip thickness fluctuation. The longitudinal deformation of rolling mill will directly affect plate thickness difference. The longitudinal deformation should be reduced , improving the mill stiffness. Hot rolling mill is seen as is as subject investigated . The improved GA is used to optimize the mill housing parameters. The optimal result is analyzed. The housing stiffness improves. Low order natural frequency improves after optimization, avoiding resonance and improving the housing dynamic stability.


Dynamical system analysis of international enterprises employees creativity development,quotes the mathematics model given by Norway scientist Bjerkesv's study of the vovtex in hydrodunamics, integrally puts forward five correlative factors of deeper layers that affect the creativity development of international enterprises employees, and gives several key problems that need to be held when we analyze and manage creative activities.


ABSTRACT This article explores individuals' beliefs of what constitutes an ideal life. The objective was to provide insight into the extent to which the consumption of goods and services factors into perceptions of how life should be. In total, 36 interviews were conducted in three countries - Australia, the USA, and the UK. In each country twelve interviews were conducted with individuals covering multiple age, gender, and occupation categories. Far from wishing for lottery wins or increases in status and possessions, most interviewees expressed significant satisfaction with their current lives. The findings suggest that satisfying relationships with family and friends dominate perceptions of an ideal life, with products and possessions being of significance second only to these relationships. Introduction This study explored individuals' beliefs of what constitutes an ideal life, the objective being to provide insight into the extent to which consumption figures into their perceptions of how life should be. The impetus for this study is the increasing awareness of the importance of understanding consumers' general life priorities rather than just focusing on consumption patterns relating to specific products. Paralleling this appreciation of the need to look more broadly at consumption is a growing concern among marketing academics about a range of issues including environmental degradation, increasing materialism, polarising wealth, and the effects of unsustainable consumption on future generations. Such problems suggest that the societal marketing approach is not being commonly adopted by marketers. In the light of increasing concern among consumer researchers perhaps it is time to explore whether consumers are primarily concerned with their immediate individual desires over and above other personal and social issues. Do they have insatiable appetites for consumer goods to the extent that other life issues pale into insignificance? This article explores these questions by reporting the outcomes of interviews with consumers where the focus was on their priorities and values rather than their product-related needs and wants. By asking consumers about their ideal lives it was possible to explore the extent to which consumption is (or is not) perceived to be integral to a satisfying life. Method In total, 36 interviews were conducted in three countries - Australia, the USA, and the UK. These three countries share a common cultural heritage and thus could be expected to show similarities in life priorities while also reflecting the differences associated with their particular circumstances. The choice of these countries was based on the extent to which they appear to mimic each other politically and culturally, thus indicating their assumptions of shared value systems and an inter-dependent future. Their similarities are evident in their close proximity on the United Nations (UN) Human Development Index. Australia is ranked 3rd, the US 8th, and the UK 12th. This indicates that they share comparable standing in terms of GDP per capita, life expectancy, and education levels. Twelve interviews were conducted in each country. The Australian interviews were conducted in Perth, the US interviews were conducted in New York, and the UK interviews were primarily conducted in London and its outlying areas. In each location individuals were sought who both originated from that city and who had recently moved there from other locations within the country. In this way the findings are not purely indicative of the cultural norms of a particular city. Interviewees were recruited to cover multiple age, gender, and occupation categories (including retired and unemployed) to obtain broad insights rather than detailed accounts relevant only to a particular sub-segment. The semi-structured interviews commenced with broad, open-ended questions that invited interviewees to discuss themselves and their lives in any way they saw fit. …


ABSTRACT Despite increasing safety of regional anaesthesia, the growth in the popularity therof implies that local anaesthetic toxicity will occur occasionally. Local anaesthetic cardiotoxicity, even when using "safer" modern local anaesthetics, is notoriously resistant to standard resuscitation. The aim of this paper is to review current knowledge regarding the use of lipid emulsions to treat local anaesthetic toxicity.


In the present study Colocassia esculentum, a herbaceous monocot, exhibited significant potential of Cd, Ni, Cr, Pb and As accumulation was taken for the molecular characterization of metallothionein protein. Molecular analysis revealed four Cys-Xaa-Cys motif at C-terminal domain of Colocassia esculentum metallothionein gene apart from three such motifs at the C- terminal region. Additional CysXaa-Cys motifs provide structural flexibility, probably leading to higher metal accumulation in the plant. Successful expression of the metallothionein type-II protein in E. coli will be a useful tool for the improvement of hyperaccumulators through genetic engineering. This is the first report on isolation and expression of novel metallothionein gene from Colocassia esculentum .


This talk will address Dr. Kenneth Steven's considerable influence in the area of speech recognition. Central to Ken's model of lexical access is the relationship between acoustics and articulation. Binary distinctive features are identified from the continuous signal based on acoustic cues that are tied to articulation. As such, variability in this parameterization is reduced from that seen in the physical signal. The acoustic features are then matched against the lexicon where there is generally only one representation for each word. This lexical representation consists of a bundle of distinctive features. In contrast, state-of-the-art recognizers use acoustic features that are not tied to articulation. Consequently, they are highly variable, resulting in the recognizer's over-reliance on sophisticated machine-learning tools and statistical signal processing methodologies that are data intensive and often fail to generalize. Further, multiple lexical representations of each word in terms of acoustic uni...


This working paper uses two common indicators of innovation to see how the technology hardware sector compares in countries with and without fair use. It illustrates that research and development spending by firms in these industries has been higher in countries with fair use, controlling for other firmand country-level factors. It then shows more patents have been granted to the technology sector in countries that have adopted fair use, relative to patents granted to firms in the same industries in other countries, controlling for other country-level factors. 2 R&D Spending and Patenting in the Technology Hardware Sector WWW.WCL.AMERICAN.EDU/PIJIP ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. 1


An algorithm was proposed for interactively creating procedurally the texture of the twists of thread and a new type of weaving bitmap file format was introduced. This algorithm parsed a file of weaving and added the procedural texture to the file in order to gain real-time photorealistic effects. Compared with the traditional method in texture mapping, the method could easily apply the procedural texture in 3D graphic software, computer games, animations as well as technology of virtual studio in form of plug-ins.


Semitransparent stacked device consisting of an OLED and an OSC was demonstrated connected by a thin Ag as the connecting unit, which was modified by self‐assembled monolayer (SAM). Efficiency of OSC‐mode from the bottom and top illumination is 0.36% and 0.27%, respectively, while current efficiency of OLED‐mode from the bottom‐ and top‐emission is 3.0 and 1.2 cd/A.


I do not suppose that the younger generation — to talk like a grandpa for a few minutes — can realize how great a change has come over us. Any time back of twenty-fi ve years ago each teacher stayed in [their] own little corner, hugging to [their] own pet " system, " and believing all the other fellows were nitwits and freaks …


Extraction of resveratrol, piceid, emodin and other effective components from Polygonum was studied. The yield of effective components was determined by ultraviolet spectrometry after separation by using organic solvent extraction. The effects of ethanol volume ratio, temperature, time and material ratio on the extraction yield were studied. Based on the results of orthogonal experiments, the optimum conditions were 80% ethanol as solvent , material ration 1∶20, extraction temperature 70 ℃ and extraction time 2.0 h. Under the conditions, the extraction yields of resveratrol, piceid, emodin, unknown component1, unknown component2, were relatively 5.57%, 10.74%, 2.67%, 8.87%, 7.13%. The antioxidantion of the effective components were determined by Pyrogallol autoxidation method.


In this article reference will be made to the contribution of Italian natural historian,journalist and travel writer Alberto Fortis (1741-1802) to the understanding of linguistic conditions in the area of the Kvarner (Quarnero).1 At least at the beginning of his research, Fortis was primarily interested in natural science, particularly in mineralogy and palaeontology. But because he was a true man of the Enlightenment period, his
attention was also caught by the anthropological characteristics of the regions through which he travelled. In addition, he took with him an interest in archaeology and
philology as part of the intellectual background and cultural heritage of the milieu in which he was formed, while the eastern part of the Adriatic provided an abundance
of material and numerous opportunities for new knowledge and discoveries in both of these fields. Fortis the philologist was interested in the places that he visited in
languages unknown to him; he embarked on etymological 'reconstructions', partially under the influence of local intellectuals. A good many of his linguistic considerations
have no basis in the real circumstances, and are simply a reflection of the pre-scientific fallacies of his time.2 However, his field observations and notations of local names are much more reliable. Among other things, they were intended to provide a realistic and credible backing for the reports of his travelogues. Fortis' field reports are not particularly numerous, nor are they characterised by system. Still, Romance philology does own to him some important information about two extinct languages – Krk-
Romance and Krk-Romanian, although his informants, and so he too, incorrectly identified them. 3 Some parts of Fortis' records from Kvarner refer also to socio-ethnic
aspects of linguistic practice in the area, although mostly indirectly and fragmentarily. We believe that the topic deserves more minute examination, irrespective of our not
having at our disposal an ideal corpus.


This paper describes the principles of Lean Construction and its application to social housing in Colombia. The intention is to show a guide for the application of Lean Construction from the conception to the end of a project using the LPDS (Lean Project Delivery System), which is immersed in lean construction. All Lean Construction is founded on the production system of Toyota, whose main objective is to eliminate all activities that add no value to the productive system, are management principles applied to construction. Through the use of simple techniques like the control system last planner the aim is to make the building process a little more industrialized, creating better quality product satisfying the customer needs.


Encephalocele is of fairly rare occurrence. The incidence has been reported to be one in 3-5000 newborn infants. Encephaloceles may be divided into various types : occipital, sincipital, sagittal, lateral, and basal. The three last-mentioned varieties are extremely rare. Occipital encephalocele is generally believed to be more common than sincipital. The latter is said to make up 20 to 30 per cent of all encephaloceles, in other words one case among 10,000 to 20,000 newborn babies.


Spirituality is defined by those deeply felt beliefs that give meaning to a person's life. Although spirituality can be embodied in a religious orientation, it can also be understood as commitment to broader ideals or to the welfare of others. While this concept is familiar to many psychiatrists and to our patients, it is generally not understood on the basis of empirical research. Recent psychological and biomedical findings, however, shed light on the mechanisms that underlie its relevance to clinical psychiatry. Furthermore, related research can be useful in understanding the role spirituality plays in the scientifically grounded clinician's work. For example, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a selfdesignated "spiritual fellowship," is a useful adjunct to the practice of evidence-based addiction medicine. Evidence is developing for a specific role of spirituality in its effectiveness.


In a repeated game with private information, a perfect public equilibrium (PPE) can break down if communication is not necessarily simultaneous or if players can "spy" on each others' information. An ex post perfect public equilibrium (EPPPE) is a PPE that is ex post incentive compatible in each stage game; unlike PPE, EPPPE is robust under to any communication protocol, and to spying. However, robustness comes at a cost to the players: in many games, efficient payoffs in the corresponding static mechanism design problem cannot be supported as average payoffs in an EPPPE, even when players are patient. In two- player repeated allocation games, an optimal EPPPE never employs a (static) efficient outcome function in any stage game. Instead, the players always prefer to give up some static efficiency by sometimes allocating to the player with the lower valuation. Under independent valuations, optimal equilibria are often stationary, but when valuations are globally interdependent, optimal equilibria are never stationary. Applied to the problem of collusion with hidden costs, these results yield new insights into the phenomenon of price wars in collusive equilibria.


Abstract Leaves from corn (Zea mays L.) plants, grown in nutrient solutions, were harvested regularly from seedlings to maturity by position on the plant and analyzed for P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, B, Cu, and Zn. Concentrations of the mineral elements were higher in seedling leaves, decreasing with position up the plant. Macronutrients decreased more rapidly than micronutrients. Except for decreased P and K, concentrations of the mineral elements increased in the leaves with age. Increases were relatively large for Ca, Mg, Mn, and B and slight for Fe, Cu, and Zn. Corn leaves varied markedly in mineral element concentration with leaf position and age. If available, roots can provide adequate minerals for kernel development independent of leaves.


This thesis deals with the notary´s office in Pardubice from the mid-19 century to the period of the Czechoslovak Republic. There is sketched a development of this function together with the other legal establishment, i.e. courts, advocacy and prosecution in the opening chapters. The rest of the thesis directly deals with the notary´s office of Pardubice. An activity of the office and some officials´ duties are shown by means of some concrete examples. The thesis is ended with a chapter about two notaries of Pardubice (Jan Žak and Josef Stolba) and completed with some tables. There are also some graphic illustrations in the thesis.


The sensitivity of the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the double mutant rad2∆hsm3∆ to genotoxicants was studied using methyl methanesulfonate as an example, as well as its influence on the possibility of spontaneous mutagenesis, and further use of the strain as a test for determining genotoxicants in the environment.


societies throughout the world. Among them was the K0benhavnske Mediciniske Selskab in 1772 and the Medical Society of London in 1773. Each has preserved more or less its original form and purposes and now they each celebrate their bicentenary with a commemorative volume. The differences between the two books are considerable. J. Genner, a young Danish historian of medicine, has compiled a history of the Copenhagen Society and provides not only an excellent survey of its evolution, but in addition an important addition to the historiography of Danish medicine. He provides information on comparable and contemporary events in other countries and so avoids the tiresome parochialism so characteristic of exercises of this nature. His data is almost exclusively from the records of the society, many of which previously have been only in manuscript. Dr. Genner wisely avoids detailed biographical accounts of the more outstanding members of the society, there being other readily available sources for these. Documentation is good and name and subject indexes are adequate. The translation is, on the whole, commendable, although there are a few errors here and there. This book can be recommended as a praiseworthy contribution to the history of medical communication and one that authors accepting a similar challenge would do well to peruse. The Medical Society ofLondon 1773-1973 is in a different vein. For, on the whole, it is more biographical and parochial. Chapters deal with the society's founder, John Coakley Lettsom (1744-1815), and its medical background, its influence on medicine and the community, some of its presidents and orators, its Library, Transactions, finances, and future. The chapters are uneven in quality and when we read that "There is no doubt that the French Revolution brought the pre-eminence of French medicine to an end . . ." when, in fact, the reverse was the case, our confidence in the essayist as an historian falters. There are only a few references and a lot of the material is very well known. However, it is a pleasant little book well printed and nicely illustrated, which commemorates a distinguished and renowned society, whose first law was ". . . the Advancement of the Science of Medicine and Surgery Exclusively". Two hundred years later this is still its praiseworthy, primary objective.


A technique to triangulate planar convex polygons presenting T{vertices is described. Simple strip or fan tessellation of a polygon with T{vertices can result in zero{area triangles and compromise the rendering process. Our technique splits such a polygon into one triangle strip and, at most, one triangle fan. The utility is particularly useful in multiresolution or adaptive representation of polygonal surfaces and surfaces' simpli cation. Triangulating a planar convex polygon is a simple, but important task. Though modern graphic languages provide for the planar convex polygon as one of the elementary geometric primitives, better performances are obtained by breaking down polygons into compact sequences of triangles. Triangle{strip (Fig. 1.a) and triangle{fan (Fig. 1.b) are compact and e cient methods to represent triangles' sequences and are provided as output primitives in most graphics libraries (OpenGL [7] and, partially, PHIGS [2], for example). The triangulation becomes a little more complicated when one or more vertices of the polygon are T{vertices, i.e. there exist three or more aligned vertices. This problem arise, for example, in the adaptive representation of polygonal surfaces ([6], [3]). One of the simplest algorithm to avoid cracks (small holes between polygons at di erent levels of resolution) is to move some of the vertices of the lower resolution polygons onto the boundary of the higher ones, so introducing T{vertices. In these cases, naively creating a triangle strip or fan, as per Fig. 1, can yield degenerate (zero-area) triangles. In this note, we present a simple technique which permits to split convex polygons presenting T{vertices into one triangle{strip and, possibly, one triangle{fan. We assume that the user is acquainted with the existence of T{ vertices and with their position on the polygon's boundary (this is not a limi-


Market waste management is still a problem that cannot be solved until now. One effort that can be done is to utilize market organic waste as a media for cultivating earthworms Eisenia fetida. To find out the influence of the use of market waste as a cultivation medium to increase cocoon and biomass production, a research was carried out using a Completely Randomized Design with five treatments with three replications. Research findings show that market waste utilization has a significant effect (P <0.05) on cocoon and biomass production. The 50% mixture (market waste + cattle feces) is the best medium in producing the most cocoon 207.7 grains/nest box while the 50% mixture (market waste + horse feces) is the best medium  in producing the most biomass of 1,362 animals weighing 47.9 grams/nest box. The conclusion is that market organic waste used as the best medium to increase the production of Einesia foetida cocoon and biomass when mixed with cow and horse feces.


This study aims to determine the factors that influence village economic development based on Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) by looking at the relationship between the influence of human resources (HR), capital participation, governance, and rural area planning on the development of the village economy based on BUMDes in the Regency /City of North Sumatera. The research method used is quantitative research conducted by survey, namely research in which the data is collected from a population sample to represent the entire population. The entire population was given a research questionnaire, amounting to 53 BUMDes in the Regency / City of North Sumatera. The number of questionnaires distributed was 512, with nine respondents for each BUMDes and 498 returned questionnaires. After processing the data with SmartPLS, the research results show that human resources, capital participation, governance, and regional planning partially have a significant effect on developing the BUMDes-based village economy .


Applying the concepts of mimesis and "third space" to Virginia's early colonial settlements, this study presents a comparative examination of documentary, pictorial, cartographic, and material evidence surrounding City Point's Site 44PG102 and contemporary James River plantations. By considering archaeological site data that are possibly contemporaneous, but previously have been segregated by archaeologists into "prehistoric" (Native Virginian) and "historic" (European) categories, I investigate the evidence for interethnic interactions as well as the social conventions surrounding 17th-century object and landscape use. This thesis argues that people of European, West Central African, West African, and Algonquian-speaking Native Virginian backgrounds endowed shared objects, buildings, and places with different values and social functions, impairing the ability of colonial material culture to convey clear and consistent messages of status and intention across ethnic boundaries. I propose that mimetic landscapes and material culture with precolonial histories of use as signals of prestige became central to socially competent interethnic communication in colonial contexts.


This paper derives the probabilistic continuous review backorders and lost sales inventory system when the order cost is a function of the order quantity. Our objective is to minimize the expected annual total cost under a restriction on the expected annual holding cost when the lead time demand follows some continuous distributions by using the Lagrangian method. Some published special cases are deduced and an illustrative numerical example with some graphs is added.


Predictive models aim to guess, a.k.a., predict, values of a variable of interest based on other variables. It has been used throughout the entire human history and many statistical models have been developed for prediction during the last century. This book covers methods for exploration of predictive models from both instance level and dataset level. It would be a valuable addition to the Chapman & Hall/CRC's Data Science Series. Together with other books that have published in the book series, this book provides a unique perspective into applied data science to guide data science practitioners who are interested in exploring, explaining, and examining data in real-world applications with both R and Python. Predictive models constitute an important component in the big picture of machine learning and data science approaches and require standard analytical steps such as model specification, model estimation, and model fitness diagnosis. Most of published books in this field focus on how to use these statistical methods to make predictions for different types of datasets, while lack of tools for model exploration and, in particular, model explanation (obtaining insights from model-based prediction) and model examination (evaluation of model performance and understanding its weakness). In contrast, this book is a novel effort that provides a deep understanding to all the steps with extensive validation and justification methods, leading to a better and faster interpretable data analysis. The book is well organized with three parts. It starts with an overview of basic concepts in Chapters 1-4 and then presents the instance-level exploration and datasetlevel exploration in Chapters 5-13 and Chapters 14-20, respectively. The overview part introduces basic and essential knowledge on model development process, software installation, and how to perform classic predictive models using software. The instance-level exploration part covers methods to help better understand "how a model yields a prediction for a particular single observation" for predictive models with both a small and a large number of exploratory variables. The last part is about dataset-level exploration that discusses "how do the model predictions perform overall, for an entire set of observations?" Although a basic understanding of programming languages would be beneficial, the coding part in this book is designed to be self-contained and friendly to readers without programming background as well. Additionally, it is worth noting that the readers are expected to have a certain level of knowledge about different types of data science models, such as logistic regression, support vector machine, and gradient boosting, and understand which kind of research questions each model can address. For example, given a research question aiming at predicting patient survival (yes/no) after surgery from other variables, e.g., age, symptoms, and medical history, the reader should be able to identify that the dependent variable of interest, survival, is a binary variable, and then consider a logistic regression model as a natural choice to start the predictive modeling. Overall, the book is a suitable reference book for data science practitioners to learn exploratory data analysis for predictive models and its applications using R or Python software.


Alongside normative definitions of the Fourth Estate as an independent watchdog on political power, in the South Pacific there is also a notion of a 'fifth estate', an Indigenous traditional cultural pillar, which is a counterbalance to all other forms of power, including the news media. This is especially so of Fiji in the wake of four coups, or five if the 2009 Easter constitutional putsch is counted as a separate coup. This paper explores traditional chiefly political power, the Taukei ethno-nationalist movement and the dilemmas of cross-cultural reporting with a particular reference to the expected return to democracy in Fiji with a general election due in September 2014 after a quarter-century of coup cycles. It also argues for a tanoa model incorporating culture as part of a philosophy of talanoa, or a more nuanced, reflexive approach to journalism in the Pacific based on a flexible and open form of communication, dialogue and negotiation. The paper draws on the author's experience as both a journalist and media educator for almost three decades in the region.


The purpose of the study was to establish the teachers' views on teaching oral reading fluency in grade 5. The research objective was 'What are the teachers' views on teaching oral reading fluency in grade 5?' A phenomenological research design was used in this study because the research question called for interaction with the participants in their environment. The study sampled six schools, two schools each from Kitwe, Lusaka, and Livingstone towns of Zambia. From these schools, 12 grade 5 teachers were purposively sampled in the study. In this study, grade 5 teachers who were teaching language were interviewed in the selected primary schools in Zambia. The study found that teachers held a view that Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) is a skill that can only be taught in lower primary grades (1-4) and not in upper primary grades (5-6). Teachers have the content knowledge of ORF but lack the pedagogical knowledge to teach fluency to Grade 5 learners. Teachers acknowledge the importance of ORF but deny its power on struggling learners in Grade 5 classrooms. Therefore, non-teaching of oral reading fluency in Grade 5 might be an explanation to why learners still face challenges comprehending what they read in the Zambian primary schools. It was then recommended that teachers should ensure they teach ORF to enable learners to become fluent in reading whilst in primary schools.


In this work, we report the influence of surface roughness and cluster size on coercivity of Fe∕Co bilayer. Coercivity was tuned by thermal annealing. No systematic trend was found for temperature dependent annealing. However, after annealing at 350 °C, we find systematic increase in coercivity with anneal time. For as-deposited film, we find unusually low coercivity (0.39 Oe). By increasing annealing time, coercivity was tuned to values as high as 600 Oe. Surface characterization using atomic force microscopy showed uniform clusters at this temperature after 2 h of annealing. The observed magnetic properties are discussed in terms of cluster size and surface/interface roughness.


Abstract Two methods for the determination of heights have been compared on a 50 m test line: Conventional optical precise levelling with a Ni 007 Carl Zeiss lena level. Direct vertical alignment with a He–Ne laser and photo-electric target. Fifteen vertical alignments of point 5 (Fig. 1) on the line 1–4 were performed. The height of point 5 was determined from precise levelling before laser measurement for the comparison of results (Table 4). The laser alignment was performed with prototypes of instruments (Figs. 4–6) designed and constructed by author at Academy of Technology and Agriculture in Bydgoszcz.


Abstract Predictions of rainfall spatial and temporal variability (including climate change effects) on a catchment basis are urgently required by water resource planners within Australia. Large spatial scale predictions of (typically 300 to 500 km grids) global scale climate scenarios output by General Circulation Models (GCMs) are inadequate for such use as they do not capture the large degree of spatial variability over smaller distances, which is inherent in rainfall. Multisite daily rainfall - a common requirement within many hydrological models - is a required input for modelling complex multi-catchment systems, as small scale spatial variability due to factors such as topography has a large bearing on how much rainfall falls in a given area. Statistical downscaling is a technique that can produce such fine spatial scale rainfall pattern predictions conditional on the larger scale climate scenarios output by a GCM. The GLIMCLIM (Generalised Linear Model for daily Climate time series) software package (Chandler, 2002) has been used to analyse and simulate spatial daily rainfall given natural climate variability influences in the UK, and further to predict the influence of various future climate scenarios on regional rainfall by downscaling larger spatial scale GCM simulations. This paper describes the comparison of this method to the non-parametric, non-homogeneous hidden Markov model - kernel probability density estimation (NNHMM-KDE) downscaling technique of Mehrotra & Sharma (2006), a method which has found application in Australia previously.


Eleutherine bulbosa (Iridaceae) is an exotic ornamental plant, native to South America and now naturalized in Kerala and Southern parts of Tamil Nadu. The underground bulbous part of the plant is considered medicinal. The present study attempts to evaluate the pharmacognostical and physicochemical parameters of the underground bulbous part of Eleutherine bulbosa (Miller), Urban. The organoleptic studies of fresh bulbs revealed that the fresh bulb was purplish red in colour with a pungent odour and bitter taste. The microscopic sections showed epidermal cells filled with red shiny liquid and scattered vascular bundles. Some cells in the ground tissue showed the presence of styloid crystals. The different physicochemical parameters evaluated were the moisture content (9.9%) bulk density (0.25gm/mL) tapped density (0.29gm/mL) inter particle porosity (0.64), total ash value (3.12%), water soluble ash value (1.2%) and acid insoluble ash value(9.4%). Hausner ratio (1.188), Carr's Index (16%) indicated the food flow of the bulb powder. Fluorescence studies of bulb powder showed wide range of colours under visible light, long uv and short uv. These studies will impart the standardization of the bulb in fresh as well as in dry form.


The paper presents a study regarding two methods for improving the naturalness of synthesized speech. We have modeled the excitation source for an LPC vocoder as an impulse train which is passed through a filter to be formed into the excitation signal. The delay between two impulses can be constant, or it can be modulated by the pitch contour extracted from the original utterance. A Glottal Pulse Filter is extracted from the LPC residual so that its frequency response best fits the spectrum of the residual. Four excitation generators were implemented: two unfiltered and two filtered impulse generators. Synthetic speech obtained using the four generators were evaluated and scored by a group of ten people. Festival voices were also evaluated for reference.


Incumbent businesses need to accelerate their digital transformation due to disruption from digital technologies, competition, behavioural changes, regulation, and pandemics. Nevertheless, many digital transformation investments have failed due to poor governance. Previous research has identified the hybrid of traditional and agile-adaptive IT governance mechanisms that influence digital transformation. However, it is important to measure the extent of mechanisms' influence on organizational performance. Therefore, online survey data from 338 Indonesian banking and insurance respondents have been collected and analysed using the SEM-PLS. The results show that hybrid IT governance mechanisms have moderate influences on digital transformation, and digital transformation strongly influences organizational performance. The study contributes to research by analysing the effect of hybrid IT governance mechanisms on organizational performance, fully mediated by digital transformation. In practical terms, the measurement items from the hybrid IT governance mechanisms, digital transformation and organizational performance dimensions can be useful for guiding digital transformation journeys.


Objective To study the clinical efficacy of tirofiban on perioperative high-risk non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes(NSTE-ACS) and its safety.Methods A total of 95 NSTE-ACS patients admitted to our hospital between January 2011and February 2013 were divided randomly into groups control(n = 47) and treatment(n = 48).Both groups were given aspirin,clopidogrel anticoagulation before operations,and had coronary angiography(CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).Tirofiban was added in treatment group.Tirofiban was added in treatment group.TIMI flow grading and incidences of major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE),bleeding complications were compared between 2 groups before and after PCI.Results There was no significant difference in rate of TIMI grades 3,2,1,0 between 2 groups before PCI(P 0.05),and after PCI,rate of TIMI 1,0 were 0 in 2 groups,but that of TIMI 3 was higher,that of TIMI 2 lower in treatment group than control group,the difference was significant(P 0.05).No death or cardiac tamponade occurred in 2 groups,and the incidences of no-reflow,vascular distal embolization,recurrent myocardial infarction,angina were lower in treatment group than in control group(P 0.05).No difference was noted in incidence of severe bleeding,minor bleeding,thrombocytopenia between 2 groups(P 0.05).Conclusion Tirofiban in NSTE-ACS treatment in perioperative period,safe and effective,can improve TIMI flow,increase tissue perfusion,reduce incidence of MACE and bleeding complications.