Bone guided-wave ultrasonography uses mechanical waves to study the long cortical bones. Long cortex has soft tissues above and marrow below acting like an ultrasound waveguide. The reverberations of the longitudinal and shear waves within the waveguide interfere constructively to generate energetic ultrasonic guided waves (UGW) travelling along the cortex. The UGW can be generated and recorded using an axial transmission technique with the transmitter and receiver deployed axially along the axis of the long bone on the skin's surface. The UGW thus acquired can be analyzed to provide information relevant to thickness and mechanical properties of the long bone. In this communication, we present an update of our research efforts on bone guided-wave ultrasonography including data acquisition, multichannel signal processing, bone modeling, and implementation of inversion algorithms to recover cortical thickness and mechanical parameters from UGW data. We also present some technical challenges, which will call for the joint effort of the bone ultrasound community to advance the science.Bone guided-wave ultrasonography uses mechanical waves to study the long cortical bones. Long cortex has soft tissues above and marrow below acting like an ultrasound waveguide. The reverberations of the longitudinal and shear waves within the waveguide interfere constructively to generate energetic ultrasonic guided waves (UGW) travelling along the cortex. The UGW can be generated and recorded using an axial transmission technique with the transmitter and receiver deployed axially along the axis of the long bone on the skin's surface. The UGW thus acquired can be analyzed to provide information relevant to thickness and mechanical properties of the long bone. In this communication, we present an update of our research efforts on bone guided-wave ultrasonography including data acquisition, multichannel signal processing, bone modeling, and implementation of inversion algorithms to recover cortical thickness and mechanical parameters from UGW data. We also present some technical challenges, which will call...


Crop cover fraction is commonly used to define ecosystem change and vegetation quality. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, color images were taken in approximately 90 sample fields at intervals of one to two weeks. Images were gathered in April, May, June and July. These 4 months means the growth period from planting until the harvesting. In this way, plant phenology was studied closely. Two approaches were used to estimate crop cover fraction in two crop types in this study. In first method, the images were transformed from the RGB color space to the HSI color space. Object-based classification was used to separate the images as the green vegetation and the non-green part. In the second method, The Green Crop Tracker software is used. The Green Crop Tracker is an applicable alternative to ground-based methods. In this approach, both the loss of time and the loss of labor is less than object-based classification. Results from the green Crop Tracker software and object based classification were compared during the growing seasons in 2014, 2015 and 2016 high correlation was obtained between these two methods (for 2014 R²=0.89, for 2015 R²=0.87, for 2016 R²=0.90).


Currently, there is growing concern about minimizing the environmental impacts caused by the generation of waste on water, soil, air pollution, and contamination of the environment in general. Magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoballs (NBs) were synthesized by the hydrothermal method followed by a calcination process. The average size of particles dispersed in deionized water was 159.2 ± 70 nm. The energy band gap was calculated to be 5.14 eV. The magnetic behavior, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance of MgO NBs were studied. Under visible-light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of MgO nanoballs was investigated by methylene blue (MB) dye. Results showed that photodegradation for MB under visible light irradiation for 120 min and degradation results are fitted well with pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics with a rate constant of 0.00252 min−1 and a correlation coefficient of 0.96.


Lichen and bryophyte communities differed between managed second-growth and unmanaged old-growth grand fir forests in northwestern Montana in all three strata examined: lower canopy, trunk, and ground. Old-growth forests had larger trees, greater structural diversity, greater volumes of coarse woody debris, fewer species of vascular plants, more species of trunk epiphytes, higher β diversity, and higher γ diversity than second-growth forests. Although pendent fruticose lichens were common in both stand age classes, species of Alectoria were more abundant in old growth, while second growth was dominated by Bryoria spp. Nitrogen-fixing foliose lichens were more common in all strata of old growth, and Lobaria pulmonaria, a common N-fixing species in old growth, was absent in second growth. Cladonia spp. were more numerous in second-growth forests. Nearly all species of leafy liverworts were more common in old growth and typically occurred on rotting wood. Many of these liverworts were absent from second grow...


21st century learning is about learning that integrates literacy skills, learning knowledge, and skills in mastering technology. Regarding the abilities, games and skills of the teacher, of course, in this case, we talk about competence. One of the most important competencies possessed by a teacher so that the learning process can run smoothly and optimally is professional competence. Therefore, the purpose of the Community Partnership Service activities carried out at MA Al-Munawwaro Merauke is to improve the professional competence of teachers. This activity is carried out in three forms, namely socialization, training and mentoring, and evaluation. The activity stages are in the form of socializing the use of Microsoft PowerPoint in the preparation of online teaching materials, training and assistance in the preparation of online teaching materials with Microsoft PowerPoint, as well as evaluating activities to determine the increase in the professional competence of MA Al-Munawwaro Merauke teachers. Indicators of increasing competence are marked by the ability of teachers to develop materials creatively and also the ability of teachers to utilize information and communication technology to produce interactive online teaching materials.


Facts and figures - pesticides - other residues - hormones, aluminium, nitrates, packaging materials, dental amalgam and mercury the food chain connection organics in action - the farmer - the consumer what the supermarkets are saying policies and politics the ecology lifestyle.


This paper expounded development principles,meaning and the characteristics for ComGIS.It introduced components GIS software,MapGIS-IMS's function and structure,and gave the code examples by using of MapGIS-IMS development for the realization of the inquiry box.It has a conclusion that it is a better solution for achieving WebGIS by using component and.NET technology.


A novel fluorescent indicator for anions, which contains both a fluorescent pyrenyl moiety and a thiourea group as a recognition site, is described. Hydrogen bond-mediated complexation with oxo anions such as CH 3 COO- and H 2 PO 4 - induces a dual fluorescence consisting of two bands, namely, a normal emission due to the pyrene unit and an anomalous long-wavelength emission. The intensity of the new emission increases as anion concentration increases, while the normal emission is relatively unaffected. The degree of the changes is in the order of CH 3 COO- > H 2 PO 4 - >> Cl0 4 - , reflecting the binding selectivity of the probe molecule.


where bodies were placed under constant surveillance and scrutiny. We suspect that the book actually undermines one of Bryzgel's main claims that performance art in Eastern Europe is not inherently political. What this richly detailed description of dozens of art works performed in the region under socialism demonstrates is that rather than rejecting politics, what many of these artists demanded was to expend the scope of what is considered political. The performances documented here are proof that domestic labour, the body, historical memory, folk myths, partying, eating and sleeping can all be strong political gestures that intersect and critique the modes of social organisation enforced by the official politics of the state.


A review on procedure of galvanized dual phase steel was summarized.Two kinds of galvanizing technologies,i.e.alloying agents and zinc quench,were mainly described.


One of the major diseases affecting the global population, depression has a strong emotional impact on its sufferers. In this design study, "Talis" is presented as a wearable device which uses emotion recognition as an interface between patient and machine to support psychotherapeutic treatment. We combine two therapy methods, "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" and "Well-Being Therapy", with interactive methods thought to increase their practical application potential. In this study, we draw on the results obtained in the area of "affective computing" for the use of emotions in empathic devices. The positive and negative phases experienced by the patient are identified through speech recognition and used for direct communication and later evaluation. After considering the design possibilities and suitable hardware, the future realization of such technology appears feasible. In order to design the wearable, user studies and technical experiments were carried out. The results of these suggest that the device could be beneficial for the treatment of patients with depression.


Recently, due to the growth in machine learning and data mining, for scheduling applications in China's industrial intelligence, we are quite fortunate to witness a paradigm of evolutionary scheduling via learning, which includes a new tool of evolutionary transfer optimization (ETO). As a new subset in ETO, single-objective to multi-objective/many-objective optimization (SMO) acts as a powerful, abstract and general framework with wide industrial applications like shop scheduling and vehicle routing. In this paper, we focus on the general mechanism of selection that selects or gathers elite and high potential solutions towards gathering/transferring strength from single-objective problems, or gathering/transferring storms of knowledge from solved tasks. Extensive studies in vehicle routing problems with time windows (VRPTW) on well-studied benchmarks validate the great universality of the SMO framework. Our investigations (1) contribute to a deep understanding of SMO, (2) enrich the classical and fundamental theory of building blocks for genetic algorithms and memetic algorithms, and (3) provide a completive and potential solution for VRPTW.


It has been suggested that interferometric/ synthetic aperture imaging techniques, when applied to the THz regime, can provide sufficient imaging resolution and spectral content to detect concealed explosives and other weapons from a standoff distance. The interferometric imaging method is demonstrated using CW THz generation and detection. Using this hardware, the reconstruction of THz images from a point source is emphasized and compared to theoretical predictions.


Classification is a very important problem in spatial data analysis.When Bayesian network is introduced to classification,we can make full use of existing knowledge,in order to get more accurate classification.With sample data that can be used in learning Bayesian network increasing,the classification results will become more precise.However,corresponding processing time of each step in Bayesian classifier,including structure learning,parameter learning,classification inference,will be extremely long.Thus parallel computing was urgently introduced into the Bayesian network learning and classification prediction.In this paper,aparallel Bayesian classifier with mass spatial data is put forward.Also vector data serialization,spatial partition based on topology relationship,expanding MPI parallel primitives and other methods have been used to solve the spatial data transmission between different nodes,load balancing,asynchronous I/O and other problems.The experimental result shows that the parallel Bayesian classifier substantially shortens the time of spatial classification under the premise of consistent.


In measurements on Teflon FEP films charged in < 50 pm air gaps by microsecond impulse voltages, a uniform charge deposition on the films was observed. A regular increase of the film surface potential from a threshold value of the peak impulse voltage was found. However, for 300 pm air gap it was observed that abrupt charging occurs at a lower threshold voltage, indi- cating breakdown, and the charge deposition on the film becomes nonuniform. The behavior in air gaps < 50 pm is explained here using Townsend's theory of pre-discharges. It is shown how and why the interposed insulating film acts to make the system self-controlled, thus avoid- ing breakdown in the air gap, despite the large values of the applied peak impulse voltage.


A pallet (15) for providing experimental setups for scientific and / or technical tests, said pallet (15) has a working surface made of sheet steel (17) which is sealed with chemically resistant material, and wherein the pallet (15) has a flat plate (16 ), the edge with a profile (18, 19, 28, 34, 38, 39) is enclosed, comprising the fastening means (20) for parts of the test set-ups and / or as a fastening means for displaceable and fixable holder (31, 35) designed is.


In the context of cloud detection for satellite observations we want to use the method of Cumulative Discriminant Analysis (CDA) as a tool to distinguish between clear and cloudy sky applied to Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) data. The methodology is based on the choice of several statistics related to the cloud properties, whose correlation has been analyzed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results have been compared with the SEVIRI reference cloud mask provided by the European Centre for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellite (EUMETSAT), in order to find suitable thresholds able to discriminate between clear or cloudy conditions. We trained the statistics on a selected region, the Basilicata area, located in the south of Italy, in different periods of the year 2012, in order to take into account the seasonal variability. Moreover we separated land and sea surface and distinguished between day-time or night-time. The validation of thresholds, obtained through SEVIRI observations analysis, shows a good agreement with the reference cloud mask.


Crampton Gore, son of an army officer from Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, studied medicine at TCD and practised as a doctor until 1901. He became an accomplished painter after studying at the Slade School, London under Henry Tonks, where he befriended William Orpen.


The optical properties of the semiconductor nanoparticles as a light emitting device material converted from indirect transition type into a direct transition type, semiconductor nanoparticles with improved quantum yield and a manufacturing method thereof, an average particle diameter of 2 to 50 nm, surface a modified semiconductor nanoparticles, the slope of the tangent obtained by Tauc plot for the semiconductor nanoparticles, the slope of 該接 line for bulk crystals of the same chemical composition as the core portion of the semiconductor nanoparticles 2-5 characterized in that it is a multiple.


To achieve the strategic goal of livable city,mountain forests in Beijing should not only protect the environment but also meet citizens' demand of forest recreation.Fragrant Hills Park and Jiufeng Forest Park are selected to conduct a comparison research on recreational carrying capacity.Based on the questionnaire and on the spot investigation in 2008 and 2009,the authors evaluate spatial carrying capacity,ecological carrying capacity,facility carrying capacity,social carrying capacity and overall recreational carrying capacity of the two scenic spots combining quantitative analysis with qualitative analysis.Research results show that reasonable spatial carrying capacity of Fragrant Hills Park is 13 000 tourists per day,4 745 000 tourists per year,Jiufeng Forest Park is 12 350 tourists per day,4 507 750 tourists per year.On the aspects of space,facility,ecology and society,the actual amount of tourist have been beyond the reasonable capacity on peak days.The total recreational carrying capacity of Fragrant Hills Park is close to saturation.From aspects of space,ecology and society of Jiufeng Forest Park,the actual amount of tourists are lower than reasonable carrying capacity,while for facility is reasonable.The authors suggest that the whole Xishan scenic spot should be built,citizens should be guided to the recreational forest with characteristics which is not up to saturation to relieve the pressure of Fragrant Hills Park.


The present invention relates to acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive of low melt viscosity as possible, permanently removing comprising a lower alkyl acrylate, higher alkyl acrylates and crosslinker.


Models of neural development attempt to produce precise mathematical and computational descriptions of the biological mechanisms that regulate the formation of the nervous system.

Keywords:

theoretical models;
computational models;
Hebbian learning;
axon guidance;
pattern formation


A system of studies was designed to estimate road needs in Australian capital cities for the period 1969-1974, with some consideration for the period 1974-1979, as part of an Australian roads survey. Because of the unique nature of the project, concepts had to be developed and the design of individual studies tailored to fit in with the design of the overall survey. This paper deals with the pilot study which was undertaken to develop and test the various concepts and describes some of the techniques developed for the survey as it is considered they have general application to the field of traffic engineering (A).


The purpose of this study is (1) to determine the interest and motivation of lecturer in State Polytechnic of Balikpapan to English; (2) to determine the relationship between interest and motivation toward their result in English learning activity. There are two data that used in this research, the first data is taken from the result of English learning activity, and the second data is taken from questionnaires which given to the 20 respondent. Distribution of questionnaires is given to the lecturer in State Polytechnic of Balikpapan. The questionnaires consist of several questions that can determine the interest and motivation to learn or involve in English learning activity. And the data from English learning activities is used to analyze whether there is any relationship between them. The analysis of data is given through the descriptive method. The results showed that (1) There is an interest of the lecturer in State Polytechnic of Balikpapan to follow the English training, it shows with the frequency of "always" in 94 frequency as the biggest one than other, but also there are a few of them has no interest to follow that training. (2) There is a motivation of the lecturer in State Polytechnic of Balikpapan to learn English but they have difficulties to understand the materials. (3) There is a well-motivated with Low-achievement Category for the lecturer of State Polytechnic of Balikpapan, means that their lower comprehend ability and score are not caused of their lower interest, but it caused of their former skill is not good enough.


A series of thermal destruction studies of the most heat resistant yeast strain No. 15 among 61 isolates were conducted in order to establish the optimum pasteurization condition of peach solid pack. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. A survival curve of the selected yeast strain No. 15 at consisted of heat labile and heat stable fraction, showing broken curve. 2. The actively growing cell showed less recovery rate than 10 day rested cell after agitation-growing for 90 hr. For heating menstrua, peptone solution gave higher recovery rate than peach juice. For recovery medium, YM agar gave higher recovery rate than peach juice agar. The selected yeast was more resistant to heat at pH 4.0 than at pH 3.5 in both heating menstrua and recovery medium. 3. Z value of TDT curve of the selected yeast (heating : at pH 3.5 in peach juice. recovery: at pH 3.5 in peach juice agar) was . 4. The selected yeast No. 15 was identified as Torulopsis candida. 5. In the inoculated pack test of 4 oz can, it was concluded that the optimum P.U. 70/5 was 168 (center temp; , initial temp; , processing time; 18 min, initial yeast count; per can).


In the application process of smart electric energy meter, not all components are in working state all the time. According to the working stress to predict its reliability index will lead to the conservatism of the predicted results. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the non-stress state of the intermittent mode unit, so as to make a more reasonable and accurate prediction. In this paper, a reliability prediction method considering non-stress state of components in intermittent operation mode is proposed, and a practical reliability prediction model of electric energy meter is established, which realizes the accurate reliability prediction of intelligent electric energy meter in intermittent mode. Based on the theory of reliability prediction and life cycle cost of electric energy meter, a comprehensive evaluation model of reliability and economy of smart electric energy meter is established, which provides a theoretical basis for the formulation of reliability index and related management policies of smart electric energy meter.


Sirs, Petit et al. (1987) recently reported finding an increased serum alpha-fetoprotein level in a case of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung. We experienced a case in 1987 where there was no increase in the serum AFP. Mrs B., 32, was gravida 2, para 2 with an uneventful medical history and no evidence of consanguinity, when she began a third pregnancy. Serum AFP was measured at 15 weeks amenorrhea and the result was normal: 15 ng/ml. At 19 weeks amenorrhea, ultrasound examination revealed a dense lesion in the left region of the thorax which surrounded one cyst of 27 mm x 30 mm and two others of 5 mm. The heart had been pushed a long way to the right. Monthly ultrasonographic monitoring showed that the mass remained stable and the suprajacent and contralateral lung could therefore develop satisfactorily. No complications (of the hydrops type) or associated malformations were seen. Charles B. was born on December 17, 1987 and


Graft copolymerization of methylacrylate onto starch has been carried out in methanol solution using ammonium persulfate as initiator.The viscasity average molecular weight of the grafted branches,the graft efficiency and freqency and the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the copolymer have been measured.


Objective To establish a new method for collecting eggs of Taenia solium . Methods The integrity and smashed gravid proglottids of T. solium were digested by pepsin solution in different condition. The time of digesting gravid proglottids was observed meanwhile;The number of eggs collected by physical method and pepsin method was compared;The hatching rate of eggs and the viability of oncospheres were observed after the eggs collected by two methods as above,and after the gravid proglottids were digested in 40 min or 120 min by pepsin solution. Sodium hypochlorite method was used in egg hatching. Results The time of gravid proglottids digested by pepsin solution in surge condition was less than in common condition( P 0.01),and the time of the integrity gravid proglottids digested by pepsin solution was less than that of smashed( P 0.01);The number of eggs collected by pepsin method was 6.975% more than that collected by physical method;The hatching rate of eggs and the viability of oncospheres after the eggs collected by physical method or pepsin method were not different( P 0.05);The hatching rate of eggs and the viability of oncospheres after the gravid proglottids were digested 40 min or 120 min by pepsin solution were also not different( P 0.05). Conclusion A new method for collecting eggs of T. solium by digesting gravid proglottids by the acidity pepsin was established.


Society and disability - A qualitative study of inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Balinese society The aim of this study was to examine factors in the Balinese society that affected the life situation of persons with disabilities and what factors contributed to creating limitations and opportunities for them. The purpose was also to examine whether inclusion and exclusion could happen simultaneously. Qualitative interviews were performed with representatives from five Non Government Organisations in Bali with focus on disability. The theory base used for the analysis focuses on how factors on a personal, cultural and structural level in the society are creating the circumstances for social groups in that society. This study presents a number of factors in the Balinese society that seems to affect the lives of persons with disabilities and affect their opportunities for equal participation. Both factors that was enabling and preventing inclusion appeared. One of the most significant influencing factors was religion. The study suggests that religion largely influence people's actions and decisions, which can lead to both inclusion and exclusion of persons with disabilities. Increased knowledge of disability was also presented as one of the most important factors for disabled persons inclusion in the society. The study further demonstrated the influence of people with high status positions on residents. These individuals were presented as enabling for increased knowledge among the residents, which could lead to a higher degree of inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Balinese society. (Less)


of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Associate Professor Sanjoy K. Bhattacharya No. of pages in text. (94) Deimination refers to conversion of protein-bound arginine into citrulline. In contrast to global hyper-deimination in the brain and eyes, we have found local hypo-deimination in the retinal ganglion cell layer of patients and in a transgenic mouse model of multiple sclerosis. REF, an RNA and export binding protein, was specifically found to undergo loss of deimination in multiple sclerosis, resulting in functional changes in RNA binding. mRNAs for SNARE complex and mitochondrial ATPase complex are enriched by deiminated REF. We confirmed the presence of REF in dendritic site and mitochondrial surface. Only the deiminated form of REF interacts with the eIF4F complex in both cytosolic and mitochondrial surface. Down-regulation of deimination or REF results in decreased neurite outgrowth and reduced the mitochondrial ATP synthase activity compared to the control. Restoration of deimination in the optic nerve results in dramatic improvement in visual function and elongation of neurite length in isolated neurons. Together, these findings support a key role for protein deimination in dendritic protein synthesis and mitochondrial mRNA transport and identify a potential new pathway for early events in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and possibly other neurodegenerative diseases.


Separation of Th-hexakis-dicarboxymethanofullerene-C60 from its degradation products has been performed using Dionex ASA4 ion exchange chromatographic column. Previously developed [1] separation method was optimized and used for the monitoring of the degradation processes of Th-hexakis-dicarboxymethanofullerene-C60. A gradient elution method was used for the baseline separation of fullerene derivatives. The eluent (KOH) concentration was increased from 0.4 M up to 1 M. Th-hexakis-dicarboxymethanofullerene-C60 and its degradation products were detected by UV absorption at 330 nm. Stability of Th-hexakis-dicarboxymethanofullerene-C60 in aqueous solutions has been investigated at different conditions. It was found that Th-hexakis-dicarboxymethanofullerene-C60 is stable in basic aqueous solutions while in acidic and neutral solutions degradation was observed. Elevated temperature accelerates degradation.


Coastal ocean models based on unstructured grids are becoming increasingly popular because they offer the possibility for local grid refinement and cross-scale simulations. For instance, the generation, propagation and landfall of a hurricane storm surge can be simulated with a single grid, with horizontal resolutions spanning 3 orders of magnitude (Tanaka et al., 2011). Taking advantage of these possibilities, we have developed a regional tidal model for the maritime zone under Portuguese jurisdiction. This model provides a detailed database of tidal constituents to specify boundary conditions for local estuarine studies, and constitutes a stepping stone towards storm surge simulations in the Portuguese coast. Relative to previous model applications to the same area (Fortunato et al., 2002), the new model provides a larger spatial coverage, finer grid resolution in the shelf, and the possibility to represent numerous islands in the Atlantic (Azores, Madeira and Canary islands). The advantages of unstructured grids, however, come with a price: grid generation, even using semi-automatic grid generators, can still be extremely time-consuming, as small manual adjustments are necessary to improve the quality of the grids. The distribution of nodes in ocean model applications with unstructured grids follows several general guidelines. Globally, the nodal density should be related to the wave celerity, the expected frequency content of the signal, and both bathymetric and velocity gradients (e.g., Westerink et al., 1994). Several grid generators are available to build grids with appropriate nodal distributions through automated or semi-automated procedures (e.g., Hagen et al., 2006). Locally, the nodal density should vary smoothly, in order to minimize truncation errors, which affect the accuracy and stability of the simulations. For grids based on triangles, a smooth variation of the element sizes can be achieved by forcing each internal node to be connected to about 6 other nodes. Indeed, the truncation error for the 2D shallow water equations is smaller for nodes belonging to 6 elements than for nodes belonging to 4 or 8 elements (Hagen et al., 2001). Having each internal node connected to 6 other nodes leads to triangles that are approximately equilateral and allows smooth transitions between element sizes. In addition, reducing the maximum number of neighboring nodes also decreases the memory requirements, because the bandwidth of the mass matrices in finite element models is usually associated to the maximum number of connections between nodes. However, as grids for ocean applications reach 10-10 nodes, manually adjusting the elements and nodes to optimize the nodal distribution becomes unfeasible. Hence, a grid post-processor was developed to optimize the local distribution of nodes and elements by adding and deleting nodes and by changing the connections between nodes, without affecting the global nodal distribution. This paper is divided into three sections besides this introduction. Section 2 describes algorithms of the post-processor and illustrates them with simple grids. An application of the post-processor to the regional tidal model grid is described in section 3, together with selected results from the model. Applications of the post-processor to other grids confirm the generality of its performance. Section 4 summarizes the main conclusions. ABSTRACT Fortunato, A.B. Bruneau, N. Azevedo, A. Araújo, M.A.V.C. and Oliveira, A. 2011. Automatic improvement of unstructured grids for coastal simulations. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 64 (Proceedings of the 11th International Coastal Symposium), 1028 – 1032. Szczecin, Poland, ISSN 0749-0208


In this paper, we describe the implementation of the Audit Control Environment (ACE)[1] system that provides a scalable, auditable platform for ensuring the integrity of digital archival holdings. The core of ACE is a small integrity token issued for each monitored item, which is part of a larger, externally auditable cryptographic system. Two components that describe this system, an Audit Manager and Integrity Management Service, have been developed and released. The Audit Manager component is designed to be installed locally at the archive, while the Integrity Management Service is a centralized, publically available service. ACE allows for the monitoring of collections on a variety of disk and grid based storage systems. Each collection in ACE is subject to monitoring based on a customizable policy. The released ACE Version 1.0 has been tested extensively on a wide variety of collections in both centralized and distributed environments.


A numerical study is carried out to investigate the use of airborne, downward-looking synthetic aperture radar (SAR), or vertical SAR, for pipe imaging and detection. Significant differences in the imaging responses are noted between the two illumination scenarios examined, viz., vertical and horizontal dipole excitation. The discussion considers the causes behind the various important target imaging features observed, the effects of ground surface reflection, the effects of uncertainty in the soil dielectric properties on image reconstruction, and the application of a hybrid far-to-near field transformation for calculating the response from the rough ground surface.


This dissertation argues that there are two main conceptions of translation: translation as a site and translation as a practice. Although they are both interrelated, each responds to different problems and concerns. Methodologically, translation as a site can be used as a tool on a range of literary investigations of different nature and upon texts and materials of different type, both synchronic and diachronic. After having validated the conception of translation as a site as a plausible method of literary analysis, this dissertation shows that translation between Chinese and Western cultures between 1908 and 1934 was practiced through embodiment, something which had several consequences: (a) over personal and social spheres: in the subjectivity of the writer and his or her characters, and the circulation of them in society; (b) over the process of cultural translation; (c) more generally, in the conceptualization of Chinese literature itself. Contrasting this situation with the context of Chinese literature between 1979 and 1999, this dissertation proves that, in spite of the mirage that might make us think that, due to globalization, the process of translation has become disembodied, embodied translation still plays and important role in cross-cultural communication. Chinese literature (and culture) becomes internationally visible precisely when it appears under embodied form in a process of cultural translation. This opportunity to be visualized is related to controversy and is also inscribed within certain imperatives. Thus, translation cannot be conceived as a simple bridge or as a neutral act of hospitality between languages and cultures.


In Brazil, most of the herbal medicinal products are considered as medicine. Therefore, it is necessary the establishment of tests to guarantee the maintenance of quality requirements during their processing and storage. The dissolution test is used to estimate the bioavailability of drugs and is routinely used in the development and the quality control of allopathic medicines. The determination of the dissolution profile of herbal products can also be an important criterion for assessing the batch-to-batch quality as well as for studies of product development and stability. This work aimed to investigate the dissolution profiles of dried extracts of two medicinal plants widely used in Brazil, the Bauhinia forficata and Passiflora alata, by assessing the effect of the drying methods and storage condition on the release of the total flavonoid contents. Spouted bed and spray drying were the processes used for the production of the dried extracts. The products were subjected to accelerated storage conditions (temperature of 40 ± 2oC and relative humidity of 75 ± 5%, for 90 days). The dissolution profiles of the dried extracts, before and after storage, were determined. The concentration of total flavonoids was quantified by spectrophotometry. Adequate dissolution profiles of flavonoids from B. forficata and P. alata were obtained for all the dried extracts produced. The dried extracts of Passiflora alata showed the complete dissolution of flavonoids in the dissolution media investigated, respectively 92% and 98% of flavonoids present in the dried extracts in spouted bed and spray drying after 60 minutes of the dissolution testing.


Kolker, Rachael E. , M.S.E.E., Department of Electrical Engineering, Wright State University, 2017. GNSS Receiver Testing and Algorithm Development. Many current GNSS Software Defined Receivers (SDRs) are often limited in what they can do across a range of developmental applications. They cannot perform acquisition and tracking without several iterations of coding, which does not allow for fast processing. This work provides a Matlab SDR that is based on freely available and optimized components that can be applied to all GNSS signals. A previous basis has been expanded upon to perform tracking of QZSS signals. In addition to this, two separate hardware front ends were compared and their differences analyzed. These hardware systems collected data with different disciplining clocks, but there was no evidence to show that a significant difference occurred depending on the clock type.


We study the chiral phase transition by the non-equilibrium propagation of the sigma field. A quark fluid acts as a heat bath in local thermal equilibrium and evolves fluid dynamically. We allow for dissipative processes and fluctuations since the sigma field is propagated according to a Langevin-type equation of motion. Non-equilibrium fluctuations at the first order phase transition lead to an increase in the intensity of sigma excitations.


Defects of the trunk are major plastic surgical challenges. In the posterior trunk these defects are congenital or acquired. Most of the defects are due to major tumor resections, rarely after trauma or burns. With regional or local flaps most of the defects can be covered adequately. Presently musculocutaneous and perforator flaps are favoured. An interdisciplinary cooperation is mandatory for a successful result.


A significant fraction of New York City burned in the early morning hours of September 21, 1776, six days after the British army had occupied the city during the Revolutionary War. This paper examines the evidence to determine the cause of the fire, and argues that Patriots were responsible. Loyalists and British military men were almost unanimous in their conviction that American rebels had torched the city on their way out, but the rebels insisted that the fire had been an accident. Before the fire, General Nathanael Greene argued that destroying the city was strategically essential, but the Continental Congress was unwilling to risk the new nation's reputation, and ordered General George Washington to leave the city intact. Since the war, American historians have accepted these denials (and subsequent Patriot propaganda) and avoided attributing the fire to Patriot spies or civilian sympathizers. Rather than admit to burning towns, the Patriots concealed their actions to contemporaries and for posterity.


Rapid growth of new media technologies allows organizations to communicate with consumers in immediate and interactive ways via blogs and social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Consumers, companies, and organizations bypass mass media gatekeepers and engage in direct communication exchanges. This study examines social media efficacy from the perspective of corporate and educational organizations in the United States and Belarus. Using the Delphi method, authors administered iterative surveys to a panel of sixteen experts, seeking consensus points. Access to financial, staff, and technical resources allow corporations to make intensive and effective use of social media. Non-profit and education organizations are interested in ability to relate to stakeholders by low-cost technologies, human interest stories, and personal connections. US organizations valued appropriateness for target audience as the most important factor in evaluating the best use of social media. Belorussian organizations valued effectiveness of the channel itself or ease of use.


The results of students' interview showed that five the students from English Education Department at Alauddin State Islamic University Makassar though that stories which only contained simple sentence were not interesting, four students felt the stories look bored to read, two students felt the stories were monotonous, two students said the stories not better to read, one students felt the stories too easy to read because like child's stories and one students said the stories which contained sentence varieties were comfortable to read by the students in university.


OBJECTIVE:To observe the therapeutic effect of rhEGF and rhFGF on deepⅡ degree burn wounds at different stages.METHODS:4 self-corresponding wound surfaces with same depth of one patient were used as control.4 wound surfaces marked as A,B,C,and D.A total of 80 wound surfaces in 20 patients with deepⅡ degree burn wounds were enrolled in this study and divided into group A,group B,group C and group D.Group A were treated with rhEGF,and group B with rhFGF and C group 10 days of rhFGF followed by rhEGF.Group D were treated with normal saline.The healing time of wounds,the healing quality of the wounds and the systemic and local reactions of patients were observed.RESULTS:The healing time of wounds in groups A,B,C and D were (18.20±1.67) days,(19.15±2.01) days,(16.45±1.57) days,and (23.65±2.41) days respectively.The healing times of wounds in groups A,B,C were evidently shorter than that in group D,there was significant difference (P0.05).The healing time of wounds in groups C was significantly shorter than that in group A and B,there was significant difference (P0.05).There was no difference in the healing time of wounds between group A and group B (P0.05).The healing quality of wounds in group A,B,C was better than that in group D.No obvious systemic and local reaction was observed.CONCLUSIONS:The application of rhFGF and rhEGF at different stages can obviously promote the healing and reconstruction of deepⅡ degree burn wounds and shorten the healing time of wounds.


Starting from expounding the immune system in shrimp, the development of shrimp immune enhancer was introduced, and the applications of immune enhancer in shrimp were summarized and generalized. Moreover, the existing problems and development trends of shrimp immune enhancer research were explored.


The process of modifying the surface of polytetrafluoroethylene in a glow discharge plasma in vapors of organic compounds of various classes was investigated. It was established that the greatest increase of wettability is seen when modification is done in acrylic acid vapor. Multiple attenuated total internal reflection infrared spectroscopy was used to study the spectra of the coatings that formed and to demonstrate their difference in the case of acrylic acid. 10 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.


This paper addresses a novel surface processing technology aimed at the chemical fixation of proteins on substrate surfaces. The essential feature of this newly developed process is that it is based on photochemical reactions. The photochemical reaction employed here is based on the photodegradation of an o-nitrobenzyl ester group. Upon UV irradiation, this functional group undergoes degradation resulting in the formation of a carboxyl group. We prepared two kinds of copolymers having o-nitrobenzyl ester in their side chain. Chemical fixation of proteins was achieved by photodegradation of copolymers precoated on substrates and subsequent condensation with albumin using 1-ethyl-3-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride. Chemical fixation was confirmed by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis measurement and colorimetric staining using the respective antibodies. This photoinduced protein fixation method allowed us to fix proteins on a given substrate with dimensional micron-order precision at a given region.


Abstract : Calculations of the minimum distance and time required for an aircraft to return to a point without changes in altitude are presented for the initial velocities of 50, 100, 150, and 200 knots. The aircraft was allowed to decelerate at various predetermined values while maintaining a constant normal load factor. When the minimum distance was determined, the time corresponding to minimum distance was examined to see if it was close to the minimum time computed. No allowance was made for pilot or aircraft response time, and the physical limitations of the aircraft were not explored.


To investigate the prognostic value of the preoperative systemic immune‐inflammation index (SII) in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OC‐SCC) treated with curative surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).


In 1997, the Naval Studies Board recommended a focus on exploitation of the intrinsic coherence of the ocean to achieve 20 dB greater detectability by sonar systems. That same year, the JASONs suggested achieving these gains by elimination of shipping discretes. The Acoustic Testbed Working Group evaluated adaptive beamforming technology used in conjunction with various passive acoustic array topologies to suppress noise from discrete shipping and achieve the desired performance gains. These studies indicate that acoustic arrays of limited spatial extent, with both horizontal and vertical aperture make the most efficient use of large numbers of phones. This is because the motion of discrete shipping in typical littoral environments limits the amount of time integration that can be applied when using large horizontal apertures.


Hydrous Pyrolysis / Oxidation (HPO) is an in situ thermal remediation technology that uses hot, oxygenated groundwater to completely mineralize a wide range of organic pollutants. A field demonstration of HPO was performed at a creosote contaminated site during the summer of 1997. The groundwater was heated by steam injections and oxygen was added by coinjection of compressed air. The remediation was monitored from multiple groundwater monitoring wells. Dissolved organic carbon levels increased in response to steam injections as a result of the enhanced dissolution and mobilization of the creosote into the heated groundwater. Elevated concentrations of partially oxidized organic compounds (i.e. phenols, benzoic acid, fluorenone, anthrone and 9,10- anthracenedione), decreased levels of dissolved oxygen and isotopic shifts in the dissolved inorganic pool were indicators of partial to complete oxidative destruction of the creosote in the heated aquifer as a result of the HPO process.


Communities experiencing problems with delinquent youth often expect their local police agencies to solve them. In response, police sometimes use place-focused solutions (e.g., "hot spots" policing) that focus law enforcement resources on small, problematic geographical areas. Important differences between juvenile and adult crime, however, may influence the effectiveness of place-based strategies for addressing juvenile delinquency. This paper critiques hot spots policing as a means of delinquency prevention and makes recommendations for adapting the features of such efforts to young offenders. More specifically, this article notes possible problems when applying hot spots policing to juvenile delinquency and makes recommendations for avoiding potential pitfalls when using place-focused techniques. Keywords: crime, delinquency prevention, juvenile crime, police, prevention programs, juvenile justice Language: en


Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing(OFDM) is a multi-carrier modulation of efficiency,reliability and flexibility.OFDM technology in different areas of modern life is widely applied and promotion with the development of digital signal processing and ultra-large-scale integrated circuit technology in recent years.By studying the basic principle of the OFDM system and its characteristics,this paper applied DSP in the OFDM and rectified the deficiencies of the system by using an adaptive algorithm to improve the channel capacity and error rate insufficiency,aiming at enhancing the OFDM system consolidated properties.


The correct laws of thermodynamics, either classical or quantum without probabilities of statistical quantum mechanics are valid for all systems, large or small, including systems of one spin or one particle only. So no violations can occur in nanoscale electric circuits.


Objective: To study the effects of the melt casting and the sintering methods on the machinability and other characteristics of K2O-MgO-MgF2-SiO2 glass-ceramics.Methods: X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)were used to examine the main crystal and the microstructure of the glass ceramics of the same composition which were made by melt casting and sintering methods,respectively.The transmissivity,flexural strength and brittleness index were observed respectively.Results: The glass ceramics made by two different methods have the same crystal,KMg2.5Si4O10F2,while the specimen prepared by the sintering method had lower transmissivity,better machinability and mechanical properties due to the higher mica volume percent.Conclusion: For production of fluoro-mica glass ceramics,sintering method has superiority compared to melt-casting method.


The increased susceptibility of newborns, especially those born prematurely, to serious infections has been well documented. The incidence and severity of infections in the neonate is largely due to immaturity of both cellular and humoral immune function. Limited production and/or diminished functional capacity of all the cellular components of the immune system have been reported in the neonate. Moreover, quantitative and qualitative deficiencies of humoral components of the neonate's immune system have been documented. In this review, we analyze the newborn's immune system development.


The less publications and economic benefits which stand in the wag of learned journal's development. And people who running it are limited With traditional idea,social value,and the resources of human,material and finance. All of these could influence the innovation in learned journal. The routes we deal with this problem aie to innovate in our awareness, system, auality; develop the group route;ally with foreign journals;fasten its metwor and advertising management,and seperate the editing from the correcting.


The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of self directed learning strategy on improving the reading skills among EFL students in Jordan. It also aims at investigating the effect of students' gender and class on their performance. To achieve the purpose of the study, pre/post T test were constructed to measure students' level in English reading skill. The sample of the study consisted of seventh and eighth grade students at Marj Al Hamam basic school for girls and Marj Al Hamam Secondary school for boys whom were (86) students, (41) male and (45) female s tudents during the second semester 2015 -2016 and was distributed into four sections, which were selected purposefully two female sections and two male sections. The findings of the study indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the post- test of English reading skill between the control and the experimental groups in favor of the experimental group which were trained to use self-directed strategy in their learning, and there was no statistically significant difference in the students' achievement in reading due to gender or to the interaction between gender and group.


In January this year, the Economist ran a couple of articles on the sorry state of higher education. One of the articles was called "Pay or Decay" (Economist, 2004). It painted a very bleak picture of universities in Britain and elsewhere in continental Europe. The message of the article was twofold: (1) students should bear more of the costs of bringing them to a university degree, (2) universities should be freed from the burden of state planning and regulation. The model propagated by the magazine to fulfill both goals at the same time was one in which universities would be free to decide on the level of the tuition fees and the number of students admitted to their programs. This message was put across very firmly, even aggressively, and some will disagree with part of the evidence used to underpin it. However, one can not deny that there is a lot of truth in the observations that most graduates earn significantly more than non-graduates and most students are from families that may be regarded as more advantaged than others. It is also very true that while most European universities are overcrowded and underfunded, they cannot expect to get any substantial financial relief from the state. Private funding then will have to increase because governments face increasing claims on their purse from sectors like health care, security, and care for the elderly.


We discuss the construction of coverings of the unit ball of a finite dimensional Banach space. There is a well-known technique based on comparing volumes which gives upper and lower bounds on covering numbers. However, this technique does not provide a method for constructing good coverings. Here we study incoherent systems and apply them to construct good coverings. We use the following strategy. First, we build a good covering using balls with a radius close to one. Second, we iterate this construction to obtain a good covering for any radius. We shall concentrate mainly on the first step of this strategy. Bibliography: 14 titles.


The purpose of this study is to reveal the causal relationship between core categories experienced by firefighters in the organization based on the grounded theory as a method of qualitative research. In this study, we interviewed 50 firefighter information providers who work in Seoul in 2014, 2017, and 2018, and conducted a research model that shows the causal relationship of core categories through open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. As a result, compassion experienced by information providers is revealed as a core category, and this compassion has a positive effect on positive work related identity, collective self esteem, and job performance. Therefore, the theoretical implication of this study is that it has derived a research model that shows the causal relationship between compassion and job performance based on grounded theory as a qualitative research methodology. This study will contribute to the formation of the organizational culture that enables firefighters who desperately need compassion in the fire department organization to more actively exchange compassionate actions.


Mammography is considered as the most effective means for breast cancer diagnosis. This paper introduces two separate techniques for mass and micro-calcification segmentation in digital mammograms. Segmentation of masses consists of three steps- background subtraction, fuzzy texture representation and entropic thresholding. Similarly micro-calcifications are also segmented in three stages - background subtraction, Laplacian of Gaussian filtering and contrast estimation followed by thresholding. Both the techniques are verified with the markings given by the radiologist and are found to be quite effective tools in diagnosing breast cancer.


SpaceWire Backplane is backplane architecture with SpaceWire interconnect between each modules. In the backplane interconnection system, high speed signals are connected between daughter boards via connecters and a backplane. This reduces harness and improves signal integrity. Also, it is implemented the result that examined to aim for standardization of SpaceWire network topology. In ISC2008, we proposed that the space qualified, non high speed backplane connector evaluated and has capability for high speed data transmission purpose if signal assignment carefully designed. Based on this result, we developed the SpaceWire backplane prototype with SpaceWire and SpaceFibre link. This backplane prototype includes a passive backplane board and daughter boards with following characteristics. 1. The backplane board is designed carefully that has capability to transmit data over 3Gbps SpaceFibre link. 2. The daughter board has both SpaceWire and SpaceFibre interface. The SpaceFibre interface supports 2.7Gbps transmission rate. 3. Backplane topology is defined as full mesh for SpaceWire and tree for SpaceFibre. One daughter board has seven(7) SpW channels and three(3) SpFi channels as controller. In this paper we present: the design and implementation of the SpaceWire backplane, evaluation results of high speed signal quality of the backplane and daughter card prototyping result that includes SpaceFibre interface implemented by referencing latest specification to clarify ambiguities of specification.


A determination method of chemical composition of surface water in the Yellow River Basin is proposed in this study. Firstly, twenty-four groups of surface water samples were collected, and Cl - , SO 42- , K + , Na + , Ca 2+ were measured by ion chromatograph and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). The oxygen isotopic composition (δ 18 O, δD) were measured by liquid water isotope analyzer. Temperature (T), pH, oxygen reduction potential (Eh), dissolved oxygen (DO), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured by multi-parameter water quality instrument. Experimental results showed that the surface water samples were alkaline. The cation content in surface water of the Yellow River was ranked as Na + >Ca 2+ >Mg 2+ ≥K + and the anion concentration was ranked as HCO 3− >Cl − >SO 42− >NO 3− >F − . When the runoff volume was less than 1000 m 3 /s, the runoff was inversely correlated with ion concentration (in addition to K + and NO 3− ). When the runoff volume was more than 1000 m 3 /s, the ion concentration was not related to the runoff volume. The evaporation of surface water caused the isotopic enrichment of hydrogen and oxygen. The contents of δD and δ1 8 O were raised along the flow direction. Meanwhile, δD and δ 18 O in surface water of Wuding River formed a larger enrichment in Heihe River. Therefore, it can be concluded that the the proposed method can accurately determine the chemical composition of surface water in n the Yellow River Basin.


Collective detection is a GNSS receiver signal processing technique that combines the correlator output of all satellite channels and projects them onto the position-clock space to enhance the overall signal detection probability, given that a priori knowledge of satellite ephemeris, and approximate user location is known to the receiver. This is an enhancement to pre-existing GNSS signal processing techniques, where the gains acquired from Collective Detection can be leveraged on longer coherent/non-coherent integration periods, making it viable even at 20dB-Hz C/No [1, 2] The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of various Collective Detection methods in comparison to the conventional method. The performance evaluations are brought closer to reality by using digitized live signals for processing. An optimization algorithm, namely SAGE is introduced into the comparison due to its potential to reduce the computational requirement by at least an order of magnitude. Collective Detection is shown to be 3dB more sensitive than conventional methods (in 90% Pdsense) via comparing the same strong satellite experimentally. In the case of weaker satellite signals, Collective Detection is able to exploit strong signals so that weak signals are able to be detected at the same Pd as the strong signal although its C/No is much weaker. Combined GPS + Locata acquisition via collective detection is implemented to demonstrate the viability of multi-constellation Collective Detection. In this example Locata is used to represent another satellite constellation (e.g. GLONASS, GALILEO etc.). As an example, The C/No requirement to achieve 100m accuracy is lowered by a 6dB margin by just a simple addition of one pseudolite transmitter into Collective Detection. On top of achieving higher sensitivity and higher detection rates for weak signals, Collective Detection is also shown to be able estimate the receiver position prior to entering tracking loops. This is useful to provide a rapid position solution or a better initialization to the position-domain Integrated Kalman Filter, when applicable.


In recent years there has been a gradual shift away from using uncontrolled high concentrations of inspired oxygen in some acute illnesses. Oxygen is perhaps the most frequently used drug in medicine, and understanding the balance of benefits and harms is essential knowledge for all anaesthetists and intensivists. While current teaching and practice emphasise avoiding hypoxaemia over concerns about hyperoxaemia, it may transpire that oxygen excess is more harmful than previously thought. As with many interventions in intensive care medicine, striving to achieve physiological normality may sometimes do more harm than good, and tolerance of abnormal values may on occasion be in patients' best interests. Incorporating Single Best Answers (see page 197: answers on page 237).


Fababeans (Vicia faba L.) were fed to broiler chicks from 1 to 28 days of age in four experiments. In experiment 1, where fababeans were the sole source of supplementary protein, body weights (ranging from 465 to 571 g) and feed-to-grain ratios differed significantly among cultivars (Maris Bead, Strubes, Pavane, Diana, Ackerperle, Fioletowy, and Kleinkoernige) but none of the fababean diets equalled the soybean meal diet. In experiment 2, supplementary protein source (soybean meal and fababean), dietary protein level (18 and 22%), methionine level (0.0 and 0.3, added), and lysine level (0.0 and 0.3, added) significantly affected body weights of chicks. Significant first-order interactions were obtained but in no case were the weights of chicks fed fababean diets equal to those fed soybean meal diets. In experiment 3, where fababeans were used to supply 25% of the 22% protein in the diets, there were no significant differences in chick weights among fababean cultivars or among the cultivars grown under dif...


Present-day knowledge of rifted margin formation is largely based on 2D seismic lines, 2D conceptual models, and corroborated by 2D numerical experiments. However, the 2D assumption that the extension direction is perpendicular to the rift trend is often invalid. In fact, worldwide more than 75% of all rifted margin segments have been formed under significant obliquity exceeding 20◦ (angle measured between extension direction and rift trend normal): During formation of the Atlantic Ocean, oblique rifting dominated at the sheared margins of South Africa and Patagonia, the Equatorial Atlantic margins, separation of Greenland and North America, and it played a major role in the protracted rift history of the North East Atlantic. Outside the Atlantic Ocean, oblique rifting occurred during the split between East and West Gondwana, the separation of India and Australia, India and Madagascar, Australia and Antarctica, as well as Arabia and Africa. It is presently observed in the Gulf of California, the Aegean and in the East African Rift.


Introduction This procedure calculates power and sample size for a two-level longitudinal design in which subjects (level-two unit) are randomly assigned to one of two groups. Each subject is measured at several time points and the goal of the study is to compare the group means of at the final time point. This procedure assumes that the group means are identical at the beginning of the study (which they often are in a randomized trial). All subjects in a group are assumed to have a common (fixed) slope. Each subject is assigned to receive one of two possible interventions.


Over the past decade , many organizations have begun to routinely capture huge volumes of historical data describing their operations, products, and customers. At the same time, scientists and engineers in many fields have been capturing increasingly complex experimental data sets, such as gigabytes of functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data describing brain activity in humans. The field of data mining addresses the question of how best to use this historical data to discover general regularities and improve the process of making decisions. Machine Learning and Data Mining


e19319 Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common cancer among men in the United States. Once the disease progresses to mCRPC, initial castration modalities may not be sufficient. This real-world data study describes the treatment patterns and pharmacy costs of US-insured patients with mCRPC. Methods: Adult males in an administrative claims database who had ≥1 claim for PC (ICD-9: 185 or 233.4; ICD-10: C61 or D075), had undergone pharmacologic or surgical castration, and had a code for metastatic disease during the identification period were included in the analysis. A minimum of 6 months of continuous enrollment (CE) pre- and post-index date (first metastatic claim) was required. Patients with metastatic claims at baseline were excluded. Patients were followed until the earliest of death (unless prior to 6-month CE), end of study period, or disenrollment. Claims-based algorithms were used to identify locally advanced and distant mCRPC patients and lines of therapy (LOT). The entire study period (baseline period through follow-up) was January 2008-March 2018. Results: 3690 patients with mCRPC were identified, of which 3150 received at least one LOT; 85.4% had ≥1 LOT, 69.4% had ≥2 LOTs, and 50.7% had ≥3 LOTs following metastatic diagnosis (Table). The average duration of treatment was similar across groups: 83.8, 86.5, 71.7, and 70.2 days for LOTs 1–4, respectively. The five most common LOTs were leuprolide (36.6%), bicalutamide-leuprolide (6.6%), abiraterone (5.9%), bicalutamide (5.0%), and enzalutamide (4.7%). Mean monthly per-patient pharmacy costs increased with each LOT ($2683, $2654, $2911, $2924, $3611, for LOTs 1–5, respectively). Conclusions: This is the first study to examine treatment patterns and drug costs of patients with mCRPC. Given the large number of LOTs this population moves through and the increasing costs associated with each, the development of more efficacious novel therapies for use earlier in the metastatic treatment regimen to prolong life is warranted. [Table: see text]


This species was separated. from his Astarte gen/;ma by being "more transverse and inequilateral than is characteristic of that genus, and the ligament is longer, occupying the whole cardinal area. The beak of an interior cast has the summit obliquely truncate, and the lateral surface just posterior to the middle is more or less flattened. 'The large muscular impressions are broad subelliptical or suborbicular, with the upper side often straight. The. smaller anterior is situated under the .beaks as in Astarte. The external surface is concentrically striate. The valves at middle are quite thin, hardly one-sixtieth of an inch in the first of the following species (A. intrepida), and they thicken below towards the margin, where the same species is half a line thick. Although' we have not yet made. out the teeth of the hinge, we propose to describe the species under the generic name Astartila."


The purpose of this study was to explore the difference of self-esteem between working and non-working women of Pakistan. It was hypothesized that ''the working-women will score higher on the variable of Self-esteem as compare to non-working women. The sample of 250 (125 working, 125 non working) women were taken by purposive sampling technique. The target group's age range was between 28 years to 45 years. The Mean score of age was (M =34.126) and the standard deviation was (SD= 4.129). The women were selected from different organizations and areas of Karachi, Pakistan through purposive sampling technique. After taking the permission from authorities and informed consent from the participant demographic forms were filled then in order to measure the self-esteem, Rosenberg self-esteem Scale (RSES, 1965) was administered, individually. Descriptive statistics and t-test for independent mean were used to analyze the data through SPSS. It was concluded that non-working women are likely to have higher self-esteem than working-women in Pakistan.


Mobile media have become increasingly popular and important in recent years as a means of accessing political information and participating in politics and elections worldwide. However, the emergent field of mobile-focused political participation research requires further definition and development to more clearly address why and how mobile media are producing distinct consequences for political participation. To address this problem, this article uses interdisciplinary insights and a critical review of relevant literature to identify research opportunities that stand to advance mobile political communication theory. Contributions and limitations of studies focused on ICTs and political participation are reviewed and discussed. Analysis of studies focused on the political participation outcomes of mobile media use is synthesized with theory from user-focused mobile communication literature to highlight the unique qualities that distinguish mobile media and the implications of those distinguishing features for studying political participation. Recommendations are made for research directions that would further investigate the association of mobile media's distinctive features with online and offline forms of political participation. This analysis indicates opportunities for scholars to unpack mobile media's unique features in ways that potentially redefine political participation, and, accordingly, further the development of research questions and theories that investigate the relationship of mobile media and political participation. It is concluded that research is needed that explains mobile media use in finer detail, accounts for shifting conceptualizations of political participation, and contributes to the development of cross-cultural comparative frameworks.


Market economy initiates competition process development as a driving force and as an outcome. Due to increasing economy development pace, one can predict that in the 21st century these processes are going to be more and more intensive. Competition should be considered in different aspects, because it penetrates not only into production, work, but also into social, interpersonal relations, has an influence on person's maturity. On the one hand, competition conditions encourage the development of personality adaptive abilities, professional, social and personal competence development, lifelong learning and others, however permanent participation in competition hides in itself quite a lot of negative tendencies.


Abstract : Many current army combat simulation models require digitized terrain inputs for their execution, resulting in a costly and time-consuming operation. A methodology to generate parametric terrain as a function of the number of hill masses and the height, location, spread, and slope of the hills is presented in this paper. Modified Bivariate Normal (MBVN) distribution function and a linear function cutting the MBVN function are employed to achieve the terrain representation. Analysis of various terrain parameter values was conducted and the significant trends resulting from the study are described. Finally, recommendations for future enhancement of the model are given. (Author)


1. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that perinatal suppression of peripheral arterial chemoreceptor inputs attenuates the hypoxic ventilatory response in adult rats. Perinatal suppression of peripheral chemoreceptor activity was achieved by exposing rats to hyperoxia throughout the first month of life. 2. Late‐gestation pregnant rats were housed in a 60% O2 environment, exposing the pups to hyperoxia from several days prior to birth until they were returned to normoxia on postnatal day 28. These perinatally treated rats were then reared to adulthood (3‐5 months old) in normoxia. In addition to the mother rats, adult male rats were also exposed to hyperoxia, creating an adult‐treated control group. Two to four months after the hyperoxic exposure, treated rats were compared with untreated male rats of similar age. 3. A whole‐body, flow‐through plethysmograph was used to measure hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses of the unanaesthetized adult rats. In moderate hypoxia (arterial oxygen partial pressure, Pa,O2 approximately 48 mmHg). VE (minute ventilation) and the ratio VE/VCO2 (ventilation relative to CO2 production) increased by 16.7 +/‐ 4.0 and 35.4 +/‐ 3.4%, respectively, in perinatal‐treated rats (means +/‐ S.E.M.), but increased more in untreated control rats (51.4 +/‐ 2.8 and 83.1 +/‐ 4.3%; both P < 10(‐6)). 4. In contrast to the impaired hypoxic ventilatory response, ventilatory responses to hypercapnia (5% CO2) were similar between untreated control and perinatal‐treated rats. 5. Impaired hypoxic responsiveness was unique to the perinatal‐treated rats since hypoxic ventilatory responses were not attenuated in adult‐treated rats. 6. The results indicate that ventilatory responses to hypoxaemia are greatly attenuated in adult rats that had experienced hyperoxia during their first month of life, and suggest that normal hypoxic ventilatory control mechanisms are susceptible to developmental plasticity.


Abstract Hollow fiber cell fishing (HFCF) and hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) with high performance liquid chromatography were utilized to research the anti-hepatoma HepG-2 or anti-renal tubular ACHN cells coumarins from Radix Angelicae dahuricae (RAD) in vitro and vivo. Before application, the coumarins of psoralen, bergapten, oxypeucedanin, imperatorin and isoimperatorin were selected as model compounds, the experiment conditions and methodology parameters of both HFCF and HF-LPME were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, cell growth state and survival rate, cell specific binding, repeatability for HFCF, and linear ranges, limits of quantification (1.3–21.0 ng/mL), precisions (<15.2%), recoveries (80.4%–109.3%) and stability for HF-LPME were achieved. Results showed that the five model compounds and xanthotoxol, xanthotoxin were screened in RAD extraction; xanthotoxin and xanthotoxol were fished by HepG-2 cell from both plasma and liver, xanthotoxol, xanthotoxin, bergapten and imperatorin were fished by ACHN cell from plasma and kidney; and these coumarins maintained a certain concentration in vivo. The study results provide experimental basis for researching the active anticancer components and expound the medicinal material base in RAD. The combination of HFCF and HF-LPME is simple and effective in studying bioactive anticancer compounds in traditional Chinese medicine in vitro and in vivo. Graphical Abstract


This research measures the preferences students express for the communicator styles of their instructors as conceptualized by Norton (1978). The most preferred styles were friendly and attentive followed by relaxed, impression leaving, animated, dramatic, open, precise, dominant and contentious. The patterns of those preferences were then examined to determine if they were related to patterns in achievement scores, but the results indicated that the association was a weak one at best. Instead, it was found that other variables such as IQ, demographics and a student's learning style preference were stronger predictors of achievement.


The coronavirus pandemic has illustrated the lack of a holistic approach in implementing Open Science (OS), leading to an inability to fully utilise its potential to inform prompt, evidence-based policy responses. In this view, this study aims to identify and categorise the factors influencing the adoption of OS and proposes possible actions for decision-makers to develop relevant policies. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 experts from Australia, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States as well as eminent international entities. During the interviews, they were asked to answer a range of questions that emerged from a systematic literature review. The responses were coded and analysed using a grounded theory approach. This led to the identification of four thematic clusters, containing a total of 24 factors that can either enable or inhibit OS practices, namely, (a) external; (b) institutional and regulatory; (c) resource-related; and (d) individual and motivational. Drawing upon Ostrom's Institutional Analysis and Development framework, we also propose a conceptual model that integrates these factors, accompanied with corresponding actions, into a tangible process of OS policy design and implementation.


Teaching American Ethnic Literatures features scholarly criticism on works by famous authors such as N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Rudolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, Amy Tan, and more. These authors' works are widely taught, but little critical comment is yet available about them.


Sprayer types, as well as working parameters, have direct influence on the amount of spray retained on the canopy. This research was focused on the quantification of spray amount that exceeded the last canopy row during the spray application in a vineyard parcel.


The single most important thing is to remember about any enterprise is that there are no results inside its walls. The result of a business is a satisfied customer. Several years ago, Peter Drucker suggested that the purpose of a firm was to create customers. As the author put it: "Business is a process, which converts input, a distinct resource, into output of economic value in the market place. The purpose of business is to create a customer". (Kelly, 1976). In today's competitive market, the purpose of a firm should be read as "creating a loyal customer ", which involves both capturing and retaining him. Importance of creating a loyal customer arises from that it costs more to create a new customer than to retain an existing one. For example, the cost of creating a new customer is five times more than that of retaining an existing customer. (Reichheld, 1996). Today's world is distinct with its higher competitive environment. 'Survival of the fittest' is the mantra of this century. Loyalty has, over the past decade, become a crucial construct in marketing and particularly in customer relationship management. Managing customers is one of the main issues faced by the organizations in these days. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the key antecedents of customer loyalty. Within the limitations of the study, the theoretical aspects of these antecedents are discussed.


In this study, by using nickel chloride solution as a raw material, a nano-sized nickel oxide powder with an average particle size below 50 nm was produced by spray pyrolysis reaction. A spray pyrolysis system was specially designed and built for this study. The influence of nozzle tip size on the properties of the produced powder was examined. When the nozzle tip size was 1 mm, the particle size distribution was more uniform than when other nozzle tip sizes were used and the average particle size of the powder was about 15 nm. When the nozzle tip size increases to 2 mm, the average particle size increases to roughly 20 nm, and the particle size distribution becomes more uneven. When the tip size increases to 3 mm, particles with an average size of 25 nm and equal to or less than 10 nm coexist and the particle size distribution becomes much more uneven. When the tip size increases to 5 mm, large particles with average size of 50 nm partially exist, mostly consisting of minute particles with average sizes in the range of 15~25 nm. When the tip size increases from 1 mm to 2 mm, the XRD peak intensities greatly increase while the specific surface area decreases. When the tip size increases to 3 mm, the XRD peak intensities decrease while the specific surface area increases. When the tip size increases to 5 mm, the XRD peak intensities increase again while the specific surface area decreases.


At this paper results of investigation of combustion influence on swirled flow stricture after an industrial gas turbine burner with a central body are presented. The burner is used for burning partitialy premixed lean mixture. The main part of gaseous fuel is injected into the swirler and the central body played the role of a bluff body with pilot flame. Investigation was performed with using CFD and experimental measurements. Experimental measurements were carried out with using Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) for flow velocity measurements and chromatography equipment for concentration of combustion products measurements. Numerical simulation of the flow velocity field was carried out using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for turbulence modeling and Flamelet Generated Manifold approach for combustion modeling. Time averaged flow velocity, velocity fluctuations and turbulence kinetics energy spectra were compared for reacting and non-reacting flows. It was shown that results of simulation are in a good agreement with experimental data, except intermediate combustion products, for example CO, in the flame front. It was found that combustion changes the shape of the recirculation zone and reduces the gas mass flow rate inside the recirculation zone. In the non reacting case the maximum velocity fluctuations are located downstream of the central body trailing edge due to the separation of the coherent vortex structures. In the reacting case the maximum velocity fluctuations are shifted from central body into the region of the interaction between the recirculation zone and the main swirling flow, as well as interaction of the swirling flow with outlet secondary air.


The success of the Boy Scouts of America in the early twentieth century can in part be understood in terms of increased concern over the maintenance of traditional concepts of masculinity. Adult men at the turn of the century believed that the opportunities for the development and expression of masculinity were being restricted. Scouting was a means to counteract perceived forces of feminization in the world of adolescents. An analysis of the social background and motivations of scoutmasters suggests that the Scouting movement provided adult men, denied by their occupations, an opportunity to validate the traditional image of masculinity.


How do you evaluate what is good on the internet? How do you communicate that with students? Here are a few links to get you started


A prospective randomized phase III trial was carried out at Songklanagarind Hospital from August 1988 to December 1990. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effect of chemotherapy regimen in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and to determine whether induction chemotherapy improves symptom‐free period and survival in these patients compared to surgical treatment alone. Twenty‐four patients were randomized to receive 2 cycles of chemotherapy, cis‐platinum 100 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1, bleomycin 10 mg/m2 loading dose on day 3, followed by 10 mg/m2/day continuous intravenous infusion on days 4 through 7, and vinblastine 3 mg/m2 given intravenously on days 1, 8, 15, 22. The cycle was repeated on day 29. Fifteen patients completed 2 courses of chemotherapy and among these, 2 patients had a complete clinical response (13%), 6 (40%) had a partial response, and 7 patients (47%) had no response. Four patients died during chemotherapy treatment. Grade 3 hematologic toxicity (ECOG criteria) was observed in 47% (7/15) of patients. Twenty‐two patients were randomized to conventional treatment (surgery alone). Median survival time was 17 months in both groups. However, early survival appeared to be better in the control group. Kaplan‐Meier survivals at 6 months were 69% and 89% and at 3 years were 31% and 36% for the induction chemotherapy group and control group, respectively. The survival time differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.186). These findings demonstrate that although this chemotherapy regimen had some effect on squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus, it did not improve survival. On the contrary, survival seems to be better in the control group. The 6‐month survival discrepancy between both groups might be due to the poor nutritional status of our patients, who may better tolerate smaller dosages of chemotherapy. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Those interested in understanding electronic media are eventually drawn to the deep chasm that divides 'Virtual reality' from 'telepresence'. The chasm has its origins in human perception, epistemology, and ontology: factors which have evolved over millions of years and been subjects of inquiry for at least two millennia. However, the shifting technological vegetation in this chasm can obscure its underlying topology. To understand the two forms and make sense of their differences, it is helpful to look at the relation between virtual reality (VR) and telepresence: it bears a similarity to the relation between painting and photography. To paraphrase Walter Benjamin,' J


Quantitative analysis of the spatiotemporal pattern of urban expansion and forecasting of the progress towards SDG11.3.1 are of great significance for the promotion of sustainable urban development. This study employed the spatiotemporal normalized threshold method to extract urban built-up areas in the Pearl River–Xijiang Economic Belt based on night-time light data and investigated the intricate patterns of urban expansion from 2000 to 2020. Then, the historical trends of the SDG11.3.1 indicators within the economic belt were evaluated, and future urban built-up areas were predicted based on the SSP1 scenario. The results indicate the following: (1) Built-up area extraction has an overall accuracy that exceeds 97% and G-mean values that all surpass 82%, indicating the high accuracy of the method. (2) The Pearl River–Xijiang Economic Belt demonstrates evident urban expansion trends, albeit with uneven development. The urban area of the economic belt has expanded from 1020.29 km2 to 3826.87 km2, the expansion direction of each city is different, and the center of gravity of the economic belt has moved to the southeast. (3) During the period from 2008 to 2020, the entire economic belt experienced a situation where the urban expansion rate was lower than the population growth rate, and there was an imbalance in urban development (LCRPGR = 0.33). However, looking ahead to the period from 2020 to 2030, the average LCRPGR for the entire economic belt shows a significant upward trend, approaching the ideal state of sustainable development (LCRPGR ≈ 1).


Abstract Background Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a molecularly heterogeneous disease with poor prognosis that is rising rapidly in incidence. We aimed to demonstrate specific binding by a peptide heterodimer to Barrett's neoplasia in human subjects. Methods Peptide monomers specific for EGFR and ErbB2 were arranged in a heterodimer configuration and labeled with IRDye800. This near-infrared (NIR) contrast agent was topically administered to patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) undergoing either endoscopic therapy or surveillance. Fluorescence images were collected using a flexible fiber accessory passed through the instrument channel of an upper gastrointestinal endoscope. Fluorescence images were collected from 31 BE patients. A deep learning model was used to segment the target (T) and background (B) regions. Results The mean target-to-background (T/B) ratio was significantly greater for high grade dysplasia (HGD) and EAC versus BE, low grade dysplasia (LGD), and squamous epithelium. At a T/B ratio of 1.5, sensitivity and specificity of 94.1 % and 92.6 %, respectively, were achieved for the detection of Barrett's neoplasia with an area under the curve of 0.95. No adverse events attributed to the heterodimer were found. EGFR and ErbB2 expression were validated in the resected specimens. Conclusions This "first-in-human" clinical study demonstrates the feasibility of detection of early Barrett's neoplasia using a NIR-labeled peptide heterodimer.


Abstract We investigate the computational complexity of balance problems for { ∖ , ⋅ } -circuits computing finite sets of natural numbers. These problems naturally build on problems for integer expressions and integer circuits studied by Stockmeyer and Meyer (1973), McKenzie and Wagner (2007), and Glaser et al. (2010). Our work shows that the balance problem for { ∖ , ⋅ } -circuits is undecidable which is the first natural problem for integer circuits or related constraint satisfaction problems that admits only one arithmetic operation and is proven to be undecidable. Starting from this result we precisely characterize the complexity of balance problems for proper subsets of { ∖ , ⋅ } . These problems turn out to be complete for one of the classes L, NL, and NP.


A liquid nitrogen cooled high precision CCD camera is used for a systematic investigation of the propagation properties of hard edge diffracted beams. The diffraction effects are generated by propagating a nearly Gaussian beam (K equals 0.98, lambda equals 632.8 nm) through circular apertures of different sizes. The apertures are chosen so that 1.5%, 5.9% and 14.1% of the total beam power are truncated. Propagation measurements are performed for two different beam caustics which are connected by a transformation with a nearly aberration-free focusing element. As a consistency test, based on the measured data of the first beam caustic the propagation properties of the second beam caustic are calculated, the results are then compared with the measured data of the second beam caustic. Furthermore the influence of the size of the integration area, taken into account in the calculation of beam parameters, on the results and their self-consistency are investigated in detail.


On the basis of an analysis to the status of offshore oil and gas development in recent years,and the potential of marine energy mineral resources,this paper suggested the strengthening development of marine energy mineral resources including conventional oil gas and gas hydrates,should be an important strategic choice to deal energy shortage.By the recent,increasing the offshore oil and gas production in the Bohai Sea,northern South China Sea and East China Sea,to improve the shortages in oil supply situation.In medium to long-term,exploration and development of oil and gas in Nansha area and Yellow Sea,carrying on investigation,research and mining test for gas hydrates new energy in the northern South China Sea,Nansha area and East China Sea slope-Okinawa Trough,so that taking the early realization of the commercial exploitation of gas hydrates,should fundamentally solve the energy shortage problem and ensure energy security.


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This paper presents a novel fully pipelined parallel processing VLSI architecture for the order-recursive estimation of higher order statistics(HOS) in real-time. Compared to other recent work in array computation of HOS this approach presents a fine-grained systolic VLSI architecture using simple arithmetic elements & delay elements. Also, compared to previous work which mostly dwelt on 4th & lower order statistics, this work presents an open ended upwardly compatible architectural engine which can generate HOS for any high order. The through-put of this proposed HOS engine is only limited by a multiplication interval. Hence using today's deep subquarter micron CMOS process technology, through-puts in the range of 500 MHz to 1 GHz can be achieved for this HOS engine.


This study aims to reconstruct the crime of human trafficking which is a remarkable social fact through criminological analysis as part of a criminal policy. It employs the empirical legal research approach (non-doctrinal). Data was obtained from primary (interviews and questionnaires) and secondary (documentation) sources. Lawyers, judges, correctional institutions and NGOs served as respondents. Criminological analysis and argumentation techniques and theories of criminology were used. This study discusses the legislations governing the crime of trafficking in persons in Indonesia. It deals with the formation of criminal acts, criminal responsibilities, and the maximum sanctions. Apart from increasing crime and victimization, decadence and the erosion of societal values and norms are now prevalent.  This study suggests that all statutory provisions which prohibit such crimes should be strengthened and that the crime of trafficking in persons be treated as an extraordinary crime. In addition, law enforcement officers should apply the maximum sanctions for criminal offences to serve as a deterrent to others. Keywords : Criminologist; Human Trafficking; Extraordinary Crime.


The bidentate pyrazole-donor ligand 1,1-bis(pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)ethene, [(pz)CH2]2CCH2, may be synthesized in high yield on reaction of the readily obtained potassium pyrazolide with commercially available (ClCH2)2CCH2. Reaction of the ligand with [{PtMe2(SEt2)}2], followed by addition of iodomethane, gives the platinum(IV) complex fac-[PtIMe3{[(pz)CH2]2CCH2-N,N′}]. Proton NMR and X-ray structural studies show that the eight-membered chelate ring PtNNC3NN adopts a configuration in which the pyrazole rings are in different environments, forming angles of 26.0(3) and 38.2(3)° with the 'PtC2N2' mean plane. Thus, the four methylene protons are also in different environments, as are the PtMe groups trans to pyrazole groups. The eight-membered chelate ring is fluxional, undergoing inversion with ΔG‡≈ 15 kcal mol–1(≈ 63 kJ mol–1) at 10 °C.


In the past decades, a number of major earthquakes caused serious damage to natural gas pipeline networks. In most cases, the devastating effects were caused by permanent ground displacement. However, there exist at least two well documented cases (Mexico City and Northridge Earthquakes) where damage were due to seismic wave propagation. Response of buried pipelines is significantly different from that of above-ground structures. However, similarly to bridges or dams, pipelines are also prone to the effects of spatial variability of earthquake ground motion due to their length, which, in some cases, extends beyond national borders. This paper focuses on the effects of asynchronous excitation on the seismic response demand of natural gas pipelines belonging to transmission networks. Parameters examined include time delay due to finite wave propagation velocity and loss of coherency along the pipelines' length, a parameter known to contribute to seismic strains. Impact of local site effects on pipeline response is examined through the use of bedrock-soil surface slope that forms a basin, with impedance ratios varying with depth. Finite element analysis and lumped springs are used to model the interacting soil-pipeline system while excitation input motions are generated through 2D site response analyses. The paper summarizes the effects of various parameters on seismic demand to pipelines. The results indicate that ignoring the wave passage effect, the stress state in the pipeline is roughly symmetric, with the axial strains of the pipeline to be increased over the inclined sides of the basin and to be almost null in the middle. When the wave passage effect is incorporated in the analysis the stress state is no longer symmetric and the location of the maximum strains in the pipeline moves towards the central region of the basin but near to the inclined edge from which the seismic waves are coming. The comparison of the computed axial strains with the respective strains used in conventional design processes showed that in the case of irregular subsurface topographies the conventional may result in unconservative design.


An analysis of the fish community of Aiguillon bay (France) and Mont Saint-Michel bay was performed in order to identify the fish settler guild structure. Some species settled in salt marshes only in their first years when they were young-of-the-year or juveniles ("yoy salt marsh settlers" and "juvenile salt marsh settlers"). Other fish species were "resident salt marsh settlers" like gobies (Pomatoschistus spp.) that conduct all their life cycle in this ecosystem. Another settler guild is composed of species that show opportunistic settler behaviour. These species forage in the salt marsh at either young or adult stages ("opportunistic salt marsh settlers"). Management for bird conservation leads to modifications in vegetation structure. The halophytic community is mowed every year during spring and autumn to create favourable habitats for Anatidae and wader conservation. This management seems to have adverse effects on the nursery role for fish populations such as Seabass. A comparison between the nursery role of Aiguillon bay and Mont Saint-Michel Bay showed significant differences. This latter bay sustains preferentially young-of-the-year of pelagic species. The Aiguillon bay sustains many YoY species (Seabass, European anchovy and Clupeidae YoY). The key nursery role often described seems to be disturbed in Mont Saint-Michel bay. Low juvenile abundances were observed. Sheep grazing impact and invasion by the grass Elytrigia spp. seems to have modified the initial nursery function of these coastal zones.