Abrasive grinding wheels having an irregular (i.e., gapped) perimeter shape and/or holes extending therethrough permit one to view the surface of a workpiece being ground in conventional surface finishing, snagging and/or weld blending operations. The grinding wheels may each include one or more gaps disposed in spaced relation about the otherwise circular perimeter of the wheel. Holes also may be provided in addition to, or in lieu of, the gaps, and similarly spaced equidistantly about the wheel. The gaps and/or holes may be configured in many diverse shapes. Gap and hole positions may be selected so as to retain the balance of the wheel. Advantageously, when the wheels are rotated about their axes, one is able to monitor the condition of the surface of the workpiece as it is being abraded, without removing the grinding wheel from the surface.


Multi-agent system (MAS) is a society in which autonomous agents interact, coordinate and cooperate with each other. Nowadays most researches on MAS model are based on logic methods, synergistics and game theory, but few based on ethics, which is a science researching into morality. So MAS models are analyzed, and according to ethics the agents are classfied into three types, and the ethical conditions that a real rational agent model should have are found out.


The paper describes the working prin ciple of the VRML with the sample of Vi rtual Reality,and the association of the virtual reality t echnology and Java technology inten sifis the interaction among the user,virtual reality and Java,introduces the kernel scheme of the VRML of the interaction between VRML and user,analyses process of interaction of user with J ava and Javascorpt in a complex VRML s cene .Under the interface provided by Java ,The user can control any obje cts and change the attributes .


This paper addresses the stability of discrete controlled grid connected voltage source inverters with LCL-filter usually found in wind power generation systems. First a theorem that relates the controllability of the discrete dynamic equation with the LCL-filter parameters and the sampling frequency is derived. Then, a robust partial state feedback design on the linear matrix inequalities framework guarantee the stability damping the LCL-filter resonance for a large set of grid conditions without requiring tuning procedures. Finally, an internal model controller is added to ensure asymptotic reference tracking and disturbance rejection, therefore reducing significantly the impact of grid background voltage distortion on the line currents. Simulation and experimental results are presented to support the theoretical analysis carried out and to demonstrate the system performance.


The invention relates to a conductance survey meter, which belongs to the technical field of measurement and identification facilities for coin and articles to the coin. A reference signal is led out between a signal source and an AC constant current source, and is input into the input terminal for reference signal of a phase sensitive circuit through a phase shift circuit; a detection signal is extracted from the detection circuit and is input to an input terminal for detection signal of the phase sensitive circuit through an amplifying circuit; an output terminal of the phase sensitive circuit is connected with the signal input terminal of a CPU chip; an output terminal for detection result of the CPU chip is connected with a display circuit for outputting and displaying the detected conductivity obtained through operation. Compared with the prior art, the conductance survey meter has the advantages that no additional magnetic material is needed in and around the detecting coil; furthermore, as a comparison method is adopted for a shadow coin discriminator, and an absolute measuring method is adopted in the conductance survey meter, effects from external factors can be reduced to the lowest level.


This paper is about the software engineering facets of the making of a large programming systems product for symbolic VLSI CAD called VIVID. Issues such as how teams were organized, how conceptual integrity was maintained, and portability are discussed. Specific tools are also described that were built to aid in the development of VIVID. Methods are explored that aid in managing large systems with many directories and huge numbers of files. Finally, techniques for debugging such a large system are discussed. This paper's goal is to share these tools, techniques and methods to improve the software engineering practices used by all developers of CAD as well as other large software systems.


Purpose: This study is intended to improve the Sustainability performance in the Al- Fayha / Basra branch Ready Construction Co limited relationship between the strategy of risk management and requirements of the business continuity and investigation of the findings.
Methodology: Making up a conceptual model of the business continuity tracks flow in the Al- Fayha / Basra branch Ready Construction Co limited The model is based on the interactive relationship between the risk management and requirements of the business continuity of Some help was available quantitative methods, relying on a combination of descriptive and quantitative approaches, in order for the accuracy of the results.
results: the Al- Fayha / Basra branch Ready Construction Co limited been the subject matter of the research. It lacks the conceptual pattern that systemizes , integrates and directs its main components towards a comprehensive improvement of the company. In addition it requires relative interest in the strategic role of the strategy of risk management and its dual effects on both the business continuity and the Sustainability performance of the Company. The main recommendations were to identify the risks that affect the business continuity of the company, to control them in order to achieve full response to all business continuity requirements.


Two broadly conceived dimensions capture the essence of the dynamic interdependency between transportation and the welfare of the central business district (CBD). The role of changing transportation technology and its impact on the rise and fall of CBDs is discussed within the context of an evolutionary dimension. The impact of transportation on the CBD is examined from a functional perspective that includes: (1) an evaluation of the current status of and need for the different modes of CBD transport (walking, automobile, and transit), and (2) a discussion of the interaction between the transportation system and economic, political, cultural, and social activities within the CBD. This evolutionary and functional approach is based on the assumption that a more-comprehensive and multidimensional understanding of urban transportation systems and their impact on the CBD is crucial if effective policies and plans for CBD redevelopment are to be formulated. Although the major focus is on the survival of the CBD, a concurrent emphasis is on the welfare of urban society. The issue of unequal accessibility is incorporated into the overall discussion because changes in urban transportation have brought about severe consequences to the everyday way-of-life for inhabitants of downtown-area neighborhoods and to the societal structuremore » of the city as a whole. 21 references.« less


(63) Continuation of application No. 11/566,998, filed on Dec. 5, 2006, which is a continuation of application No. 10/155,918, filed on May 24, 2002, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application No. 09/781,621, filed on Feb. 12, 2001, now Pat. No. 6,727,065, which is a continuation of application No. 09/259,982, filed on Mar. 1, 1999, now Pat. No. 6,207.392, which is a continuation-in-part of application No. 08/978,450, filed on Nov. 25, 1997, now Pat. No. 5,990,479.


More than 90 independent honeypots have observed malware tra‐c at the Japanese tier-1 backbone. Typical attacks are made by multiple servers coordinating to send many kinds of malwares. This paper aims to discover some frequent new sequential patterns of malware attacks. It is not easy to identify particular patterns from a-year-long logs because the volume dataset is too large to investigate one by one. To overcome the problem, this paper proposes a data mining algorithm, PreflxSpan method. We implement the PreflxSpan algorithm to analyze the malware tra‐c and show the experimental result. The result of the analysis shows the sequential patterns of malware attacks tend to be change all the time.


AIM: To analyze the clinical features of senile dementia.METHODS: A group of 81 elderly patients with dementia were examined and analyzed by mini-mental state examination(MMSE),Hachinski ischemic score(HIS),clinical dementia rating(CDR) and barthel index(BI).The data were processed with SPSS10.0 software.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the means of MMSE,BI between mild dementia group and moderate dementia group,or between moderate dementia group and severe dementia group (P0.05),but significant difference was found between mild and severe dementia groups(P0.01).Significance differences were noted in the average scores of BI(P0.01),in the prevalence of hallucination or deliria(P0.05)among the 3 groups.The incidence of behavior disorder was not significantly different among the 3 groups(P(0.05),) but that of behavior disorder accompanied by hallucination and deliria was significantly different(P0.05).(CONCLUSION:) Severity of dementia in the 81 elderly patients was not correlated with the education level and age,which was not in line with the reported.In these special patients,it was believed that the severity was not in a parallel progression with the course of disease.The hallucination,deliria and behavior disorder appeared relatively often in early and intermediate stages of (dementia.)


TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Establishment of Federal Standards for Long-Term Care Insurance Title II: Tax Treatment Subtitle A: Long-Term Care Insurance Subtitle B: Payments under Life Insurance Contracts to Terminally Ill Individuals Title III: Elimination of Medicaid Restriction on State Asset Protection Programs Title IV: State Programs for Home and Community-Based Services for Individuals with Disabilities Title V: Rebasing Medicare Payment Rates Subtitle A: Rehabilitation Hospitals Subtitle B: Long-Term Hospitals Long-Term Care Act of 1994 - Title I: Establishment of Federal Standards for Long-Term Care Insurance - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate the establishment of model Federal standards for long-term care insurance. Prohibits the offering of a long-term care insurance policy in a State unless the State has a regulatory program meeting the requirements of this Act or the policy has been certified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Authorizes grants to States for demonstration programs to improve enforcement of the standards. Authorizes appropriations. Imposes on agents selling long-term policies a duty of good faith and fair dealing. Prohibits twisting, high pressure tactics, and cold lead advertising. Mandates minimum financial standards, including income and asset criteria, for advising individuals considering the purchase of a long-term policy. Prohibits sales: (1) to an individual eligible for assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; (2) of duplicate service policies; and (3) of policies that reduce, limit, or coordinate benefits on the basis of eligibility for other coverage or benefits. Provides for: (1) criminal and civil penalties; and (2) agent training and certification. Sets forth additional carrier responsibilities relating to refunding of premiums, ma


A disclosed example method and device for compensating a temperature-dependent change of position on a machine tool having at least one first linear axis involves detecting at least one first temperature at a first temperature measuring position of the first linear axis of the machine tool. The example method also involves obtaining a first difference in temperature between a first reference temperature and the first temperature and determining a first compensation value based on the first difference in temperature. In addition, the example method involves compensating a temperature-dependent change of position based on the first compensation value, the first compensation value is additionally determined based on an axis position of the first linear axis.


Due to progressing the process technology in LSI and increasing variations of wire and gate delays after fabrication, timing violations cause significant reduction in the yield of LSI chips. To recover the timing violations, programmable delay elements called PDEs are inserted into the clock tree before fabrication and their delays are tuned after fabrication. In this paper, we use PDEs with two delay values and propose a delay tuning method of the PDEs to improve the yield and to reduce the number of tests. Moreover, we evaluate the circuits obtained by the proposed method on commercial CAD tools. Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective.


Equine veterinarians may come across cases of animal abuse during the course of daily practice, or may be asked by law enforcement to assist in the investigation and prosecution of a case. The veterinarian's role in a potential case of animal abuse involves crime scene investigation, the examination of live and deceased animals, authoring a forensic veterinary statement, and the provision of expert witness testimony. Therefore, veterinarians must have a thorough understanding of their role and how to identify, collect, and preserve veterinary forensic evidence. Authors'


Abstract We show that the layer groups, describing the symmetry of compatible (coherent, permissible) ferroelastic domain walls, are polar. From this it follows that all compatible ferroelastic walls in dielectric crystals can be spontaneously polarized. We shortly discuss the feasibility of reversing the spontaneous polarization in domain walls.


The Indrapatra Fort cultural heritage site located in the coastal area of Aceh Besar, Indonesia is a relic of Hindu influence. The condition of the fort is decreasing, so that it has a negative impact on securing this cultural heritage site. The lack of a maintenance strategy, continued neglect, and insufficient preservation work by the relevant government conservation agencies have resulted in almost no conservation initiatives for the fort. This paper attempts to establish appropriate conservation initiatives for fort security. This was carried out based on a qualitative approach with a comparative study of local cultural heritage conservation initiatives at Borobudur Temple and Fort Rotterdam. Primary and secondary data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative methods, providing recommendations for initiatives to preserve Indrapatra Fort that could be implemented practically through tangible and intangible aspects. Tangible initiatives are the reconstruction of damaged fortification structures and elements with similar materials, combined with a sound maintenance strategy. Meanwhile, intangible initiatives include performing arts, annual festivals and providing guides.


E-catalogue is an optional way to facilitate the process of marketing in a company and increase its revenue. Its digital form allows a company to perform regular updates quickly and easily at zero cost, ensuring the accuracy of product data when it is presented to customer. Unlike conventional catalogs, e-catalogs facilitate a direct relationship between the company and its customers. The benefit of the e-catalog should be felt by both company and customers. Unfortunately, designing an ideal e-catalog that can give mutual benefit for company and customers is relatively tricky. It's easy for e-catalog product data to become messy and inconsistent. It's tedious and time-consuming to continuously update and manage the data. This study aims to design a standardized web-based catalog using task-centered design to give more benefits for the company and customers. By using a well-structured questionnaire, data were obtained from both company and customers. The questionnaire was developed using a modified-Nielsen's usability testing model. This model considers several factors that influence the usability of a system namely learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction. Of the overall indicators, the average number of user satisfaction is 86.72% (minimum threshold = 80%) which means the web-based catalog is very feasible. Therefore, it can be concluded that the e-catalog can be well-received by the company and its customers.


The motivation for analysing time-dependent seismic data is to understand how temporal changes in the elastic wavefield can be generated by external influences such as those which occur during improved oil recovery (IOR).


Older drivers need to decide whether they are capable of still driving says a former police commissioner. For those who live in the country, independence is often tied up with the ability to drive.


We have introduced P-fluoro ylides into reaction with carbonyl compounds and CS/sub 2/. The work had the object of comparing the properties of P-fluoro ylides with the properties of previously studied P-chloro ylides (1, 10) and determining the influence of the electronegative fluorine atom on the reactions of P-fluoro ylides with carbonyl compounds. The 2-fluoro-1,2lambda/sup 5/-oxaphosphetanes are liquids that can be vacuum-distilled. Their structures were proved by means of mass and /sup 1/H, /sup 13/C, /sup 19/F, and /sup 31/ NMR spectra. The /sup 31/P chemical shifts of the compounds, which are doublets with a constant /sup 1/JPF of 800 Hz, are in the strong field of the NMR spectrum at -8 to -37 ppm, which corresponds to the 5-coordinate state of the phosphorus atom. Doublets with a similar constant are present in the /sup 19/F NMR spectra.


The 1996 jokulhlaup on Skeioararsandur, southern Iceland, involved the transport of ice blocks released from the glacier margin. The morphology, sedimentology and spatial distribution of kettle holes and other ice-block-related features, which developed post-flood in this proglacial fluvial system, were examined. Four types of phenomena are described and explained: kettle chains orientated both parallel and transverse to the principal palaeoflow direction, hummocky topography, steep-walled and inverse-conical kettle holes, and conical sediment mounds.


States as international persons — In general — Extinction of States — Division of Germany at the end of Second World War — Effect on international conventions to which German Reich a party — Effect on application of rules of conflict of law — The law of the Netherlands Treaties — Termination of — By operation of law — Extinction and dismemberment of contracting party — Division of Germany at end of Second World War — Effect on international conventions to which German Reich a party — The law of the Netherlands States as international persons — State succession — International conventions — Hague Convention on Matrimonial Property, 1905 — German Reich as a party — Collapse of German Reich in 1945 — Division of territory between Federal Republic of Germany and German Democratic Republic — Whether Convention continues in force with respect to East Berlin — Effect of division on application of the rules of conflict of laws — The law of the Netherlands


The Web has become a source of information and knowledge accessed through search engines and various mining tools. In addition, it has become a platform on which not only software but also human users participate in and interact for various tasks. In an effort to mine actionable knowledge from the Web associated with various objects, we devised a text mining method specifically for extracting the actions often applied to various interest-triggering objects. Since the actions are extracted from how questions, they are considered needs or actions to be taken for the objects. We show that relatively simple yet powerful pattern matching techniques applied to the Web, in conjunction with the ODP taxonomy, can result in actionable need knowledge of high quality for a set of interest-triggering objects. To evaluate the quality of the extracted knowledge, we conducted two different types of testing: a controlled experiment with a small number of judges for desirability and an open experiment with the general public for comprehensibility.


From the urbanists' perspective, the everyday experience of young people, as an underrepresented group in the design of public spaces, includes tactics they use to challenge the strategies which rule over urban spaces. In this regard, youth led social movements are a set of collective tactics which groups of young people use to resist power structures. Social informational streams have revolutionized the way youth organize and mobilize for social movements throughout the world, especially in urban areas. However, just like public spaces, these algorithm based platforms have been developed with a great power imbalance between the developers and users which results in the creation of non inclusive social informational streams for young activists. Social activism grows agency and confidence in youth which is critical to their development. This paper employs a youth centric lens, which is used in designing public spaces, for designing algorithmic spaces that can improve bottom up youth led movements. By reviewing the structure of these spaces and how young people interact with these structures in the different cultural contexts of Iran and the US, we propose a humanistic approach to designing social informational streams which can enhance youth activism.


The patrimony and prominence of templars and hospitallers increased dramatically in the time of count Ramon Berenguer IV. Feudal lords made their first donations before 1134 and there were considerable increases from that year until 1148. During this period, these orders settled in central Catalonia, where they attracted or forced donations pro anima to assure their jurisdictional and, especially, their patrimonial rights. The count's support in this was crucial although initially it was merely an attempt to find favour, particularly with the templars. Following the testamentary agreements, the count's interests coincided with those of the orders and this positioned them at the vanguard of the country from 1148 onwards. In this period, the orders consolidated their position in the principality and the count granted them the large territories of "Catalunya Nova", from where the knights increased their patrimony by accumulating more land. The interests, strategies and actions of the feudal authorities placed important new domains in the hands of the templars and hospitallers who, because of the very nature of their orders, were in fact ideal for reorganizing both the lands and peoples recently brought under feudal control.


Management of waste and debris resulting from a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) will likely contribute a significant portion of the overall remediation effort in terms of time and remediation costs. A reasonably detailed waste/debris inventory has not been developed for any of the National Level Exercises directed at RDD response and cleanup. As the waste management issues are raised to a heightened degree of visibility from a planning standpoint, there is a critical need to scope out the magnitude and characteristics of the waste and debris so that staging, storage, treatment, and disposal pathways can be identified. Determination of waste characteristics and categorization of the generated waste as construction and demolition debris, municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, mixed waste, or low level radioactive waste, and characterization of the wastewater that is generated from the event or subsequent cleanup activities will all influence the cleanup costs and timelines. Characterization and management of wastewater that is generated during the immediate response to the event or during subsequent cleanup activities will also present challenges. Selected decontamination techniques, whether they involve chemical treatment, strippable coatings, abrasive removal, or aqueous washing, will also influence the amount and types of waste generated and associated cleanup costs and timelines. This paper describes an effort to develop a waste inventory based on the RDD scenario and plume maps utilized in the National Level Exercise "Top Officials" (TOPOFF) 4, held in 2007.


Cesium phosphatoniobate (CsNbP 2 O 8 ) shows a strongly luminescent modification and a non-luminescent modification. Both exhibit covalent layers. The former contains diphosphates (P 2 O 7 ) and niobyl (NbO) groups, the latter phosphate (O 4 ) tetrahedra and rather regular (NbO 6 ) octahedra. The emission is situated in the green spectral region


COPYRIGHT © 2023 Napoli, D'Amico and Ramos. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Editorial: Dog filariosis: the threat walks not only in the blood stream


ll power stations strive to be reliable. We Energies' Valley Power Plant, as the largest utility-owned co-generation facility in the country, however, may be unique in its need for reliab i l i t y . If a generating unit elsewhere goes down, replacement power can be obtained from other facilities through the grid. If this nearly 40year-old plant loses the District Heating Steam System, much of downtown Milwaukee will be without heat. To prevent a steam outage, each of Valley Power Plant's two units has a pair of boilers along with a single extraction steam turbine-generator capable of generating 140 MW of electricity. Peak extraction steam production to the District Heating Steam System has exceeded 1 million pounds per hour. To ensure reliability, because there is no backup for steam beyond the four boilers, the company has invested in electronics and asset optimization technologies capable of identifying potential problems early, so they can be corrected without incident. This saves on maintenance costs, as well. We Energies began installation of smart, m i c ro p ro ce s s o r -b a s e d instrumentation in the mid1980s, and converted the old analog controls to a Westinghouse distributed control system (DCS) in the early 1990s. This resulted in greater measurement accuracy, easier calibration, repeatability and higher reliability. Reliability increased further in the late 1990s with the arrival of the fi rst smart digital valve controllers (DVC) along with the means to access their diagnostic capabilities. When mounted on or near process control valves, DVCs not only support faster, more positive valve action with less variability, they provide accurate feedback regarding the Smart Technologies Sustain Plant Reliability, Help Control Costs By Todd Gordon, We Energies Failure at We Energies' Valley Power Plant could leave much of downtown Milwaukee, Wis. without heat. To ensure plant reliablity, the company has invested in electronics and asset optimization technologies.


The article looks at Global Litigation 50 report from the periodical which found Singapore as one of the most popular international arbitration seats and dispute resolution hub among their clients. It mentions that law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has said that growth of both the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) will be beneficial for managing caseload.


In this study, different biomass gasification applications and strategies that affect the gasifier which makes electricity in Turkey were investigated. Gasification technologies provide the opportunity to convert renewable biomass materials into clean fuel gases or synthesis gases. These gaseous products can be burned to generate heat or electricity, or they can potentially be used in the synthesis of liquid transportation fuels, hydrogen, or chemicals. Gasification offers a combination of flexibility, efficiency, and environmental acceptability that is essential in meeting future energy requirements. The future of biomass electricity generation lies in biomass integrated gasification/gas turbine technology, which offers high-energy conversion efficiencies.


Mao Zedong,Deng Xiaoping,Jiang Zemin, representing three generations of our Party, have been paying close attention to anti corrupting measures and have formed their own characteristic anti corruption thoughts.It will play a very important directing role in our present anti corruption compaign.


Emulsification technology suitable for diesel oil-methanol-water composite fuels is investigated experimentally by using of CR-2 type emulsifying equipment and mechanical stir,and the results are showed.


Software maintainers and auditors would benefit from a tool to help them focus their attention on functions that are likely to be the source of security vulnerabilities. However, the existence of such a tool is predicated on the ability to characterize a function's 'security vulnerability likelihood'. Our hypothesis is that functions near a source of input are most likely to contain security vulnerability. These functions should be a small percentage of the total number of functions in the system. To validate this hypothesis, we performed an experiment involving thirty one vulnerabilities in thirty open source systems. This paper describes the experiment, its outcome, and the tools used to conduct it. It also describes the FLF (front line functions) finder, which is a tool that was developed using knowledge gathered from the outcome of the experiment. This tool automates the detection of high-risk functions. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the FLF finder, three open source applications with known vulnerabilities were tested. In addition to this test, a case study was performed on the privilege separation code in the OpenSSH server daemon.


In the world today, sustainable development has become a major concern at both national and international levels. There is broad realization that the wasteful, inequitable development patterns of the past, which have led to developments that are economically, socially and ecologically unsustainable, cannot continue. The debate today is no longer about choosing between economic and social development, on the one hand, or environmental protection on the other, since experience has shown that economic development and the protection of the environment are not mutually exclusive. However, the relationship between productivity improvement and sustainable development is not yet completely understood. Although the crucial importance of productivity to economic sustainability is fully appreciated, there are those who maintain that there is a trade-off between productivity, social development and environmental quality.


—What are the optimal times for an Internet of Things (IoT) device to act as a blockchain miner? The aim is to minimize the energy consumed by low-power IoT devices that log their data into a secure (tamper-proof) distributed ledger. We formulate the energy-efficient blockchain mining for IoT devices as a multiple-stopping time partially observed Markov decision process (POMDP) to maximize the probability of adding a block in the blockchain; we also present a model to optimize the number of stops (mining instants). In general, POMDPs are computationally intractable to solve, but we show mathematically using submodularity that the optimal mining policy has a useful structure: 1) it is monotone in belief space, and 2) it exhibits a threshold structure, which divides the belief space into two connected sets. Exploiting the structural results, we formulate a computationally-efficient linear mining policy for the blockchain-enabled IoT device. We present a policy gradient technique to optimize the parameters of the linear mining policy. Finally, we use synthetic and real Bitcoin datasets to study the performance of our proposed mining policy. We demonstrate the energy efficiency achieved by the optimal linear mining policy in contrast to other heuristic strategies.


Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized predominantly by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures. The apprehension about injury, or even death, resulting from a seizure often overshadows the lives of those unable to achieve complete seizure control. Moreover, the risk of sudden death in people with epilepsy is 24 times higher compared to the general population and the pathophysiology of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) remains unclear. This thesis describes the development of a wearable electrodermal activity (EDA) and accelerometry (ACM) biosensor, and demonstrates its clinical utility in the assessment of epileptic seizures.
The first section presents the development of a wrist-worn sensor that can provide comfortable and continuous measurements of EDA, a sensitive index of sympathetic activity, and ACM over extensive periods of time. The wearable biosensor achieved high correlations with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved system for the measurement of EDA during various classic arousal experiments. This device offers the unprecedented ability to perform comfortable, long-term, and in situ assessment of EDA and ACM.
The second section describes the autonomic alterations that accompany epileptic seizures uncovered using the wearable EDA biosensor and time-frequency mapping of heart rate variability. We observed that the post-ictal period was characterized by a surge in sympathetic sudomotor and cardiac activity coinciding with vagal withdrawal and impaired reactivation. The impact of autonomic dysregulation was more pronounced after generalized tonic-clonic seizures compared to complex partial seizures. Importantly, we found that the intensity of both sympathetic activation and parasympathetic suppression increased approximately linearly with duration of post-ictal EEG suppression, a possible marker for the risk of SUDEP. These results highlight a critical window of post-ictal autonomic dysregulation that may be relevant in the pathogenesis of SUDEP and hint at the possibility for assessment of SUDEP risk by autonomic biomarkers.
Lastly, this thesis presents a novel algorithm for generalized tonic-clonic seizure detection with the use of EDA and ACM. The algorithm was tested on 4213 hours (176 days) of recordings from 80 patients containing a wide range of ordinary daily activities and detected 15/16 (94%) tonic-clonic seizures with a low rate of false alarms (≤ 1 per 24 h). It is anticipated that the proposed wearable biosensor and seizure detection algorithm will provide an ambulatory seizure alarm and improve the quality of life of patients with uncontrolled tonic-clonic seizures. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)


Objective To study the K-ras gene mutation rate and its types of mutation in colorectal carcinoma. To correlate wild type and mutation type of K-ras gene with clinicopathologic parameters. Through gene sequencing it to guide clinical application of targeted drugs. Methods One hundred samples of colorectal cancer which tissues were collected from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from September 2008 to March 2010. Tissue DNA extraction,real-time quantitative polymerase chain( PCR),gel electrophoresis,gel recycling,direct sequencing screening of k-ras gene mutation specimens,and statistic analysis were adopted to find the mutation rate and mutation characteristics. Results 34 k-ras gene mutation cases were screened out( 34%) in specimens,which all occurred in the first exon of the 12 th and 13 th. The results showed that the first exon of codon 12 th GGT mutated into GAT or GTT,and 13 th the first exon of codon GGC mutated into GGT. However,no mutations in the second exon of the second of the 59 th or in the third exon of the 61 th were found in these specimens.Conclusion About 34% of k-ras gene mutates in colorectal carcinoma patients. The types of k-ras gene mutation are not related to clinicopathologic parameters.


The occurrence of the retrovirus xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)‐related virus (XMRV) has been reported in prostate tissue of patients with prostate cancer (PrCa). Considering the potential great medical and social relevance of this discovery, we investigated whether this finding could be confirmed in an independent group of Dutch sporadic PrCa cases.


The factors affecting the choice of a molecule for use as an electrical resonance beam frequency standard are discussed in terms of five sources of error. These sources of error are shown to place serious constraints on the physical properties of desirable molecules. The properties of a number of molecules including LiF, BaO, H 2 S, SO 2 and CO are examined and it is shown that it should be possible to build a molecular beam frequency standard with an accuracy of about a part in 1013.


ABSTRACT Despite a growing body of research outlining the harms of thirdhand smoke (THS), the public remains generally unaware of risks and exposure routes. This project built on past tobacco prevention campaigns and the tenants of McGuire's input-output model to implement and evaluate a seven-month Facebook-disseminated campaign seeking to improve THS awareness among California adults (n = 1087). Multilinear regression showed that THS-related knowledge (χ2 [6] = 19.31, p < .01), attitude (χ2 [6] = 13.88, p < .05), and efficacy (χ2 [6] = 13.81, p < .05) significantly increased by the campaign's end, with messages highlighting children's health (r = .110, p < .05), pets (r = .145, p < .01), and dust reservoirs (r = .144, p < .01) as the most persuasive. Path analysis modeling found campaign recall to be associated with changes in knowledge (β = .161, p < .01), which predicated attitude change (β = .614, p < .001) and, in turn, behavior change (β = .149, p < .05). Findings suggest social media campaigns should continue to educate diverse populations about new tobacco risks and that tobacco control advocates should consider integrating educational THS messages.


Out of vocabulary (OOV) words are problematic for cross language information retrieval. One way to deal with OOV words when the two languages have different alphabets, is to transliterate the unknown words, that is, to render them in the orthography of the second language. In the present study, we present a simple statistical technique to train an English to Arabic transliteration model from pairs of names. We call this a selected n-gram model because a two-stage training procedure first learns which n-gram segments should be added to the unigram inventory for the source language, and then a second stage learns the translation model over this inventory. This technique requires no heuristics or linguistic knowledge of either language. We evaluate the statistically-trained model and a simpler hand-crafted model on a test set of named entities from the Arabic AFP corpus and demonstrate that they perform better than two online translation sources. We also explore the effectiveness of these systems on the TREC 2002 cross language IR task. We find that transliteration either of OOV named entities or of all OOV words is an effective approach for cross language IR.


Based on conventional observational data and radar data,the elevated thunderstorm hail process, in Guangxi in early spring of 2012 is analyzed.The results show that-(1) Hail accompanied by thunderstorm occurs on the surface about 1000 km away from the front,and boundary layer is controlled by cold high pressure.The smaller winds at 850 hPa,strong jet stream at 700 hPa and above layer,strong vertical wind shear between 700 hPa and 850 hPa and eastward move of cold trough at 500 hPa provide the trigger condition for the occurrence of the convection.(2) Hail occurs in the range of approximately 200 km away from the shear line at 850 hPa,where there is strong intensity of the pressure surface frontal zone.The negative variable temperature in front of the upper trough increases the temperature difference in vertical direction between 700 hPa and 500 hPa,resulting in the increase of stratification convective instability. When the trough at 500 hPa moves up to the air above the frontal zone,the frontal slope becomes steep, and the upward movement strengthens while the instability increases.All of these make the ice embryo grow in the troposphere and form hail.(3) The storm tracking information displays that storms are generated in high altitudes,and the centroids are 5—6 km high.After the storm is generated,the centroids gradually develop to lower layer with time going.The maximum reflectivity and liquid water content are not large,showing the significant characteristics of the elevated thunderstorms.


A portion of transplanted islets is lost during engraftment as a result of stressful events, involving hypoxia and production of proinflammatory molecules by islets. Two of these molecules (monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, CCL2/MCP‐1 and tissue factor, TF) are directly correlated with reduced graft function. We evaluated which factors reduce islet proinflammatory conditions. In particular the effects of different culture media supplemented with proteins or antioxidant agents on CCL2/MCP‐1 and TF human islet release were evaluated. We observed that human islets after culture in final wash culture medium (FW) significantly decreased CCL2/MCP‐1 release and TF production compared with CMRL and M199. These effects were independent from the type of protein added to the media (human serum, human albumin, fetal calf serum). Glutathione in FW further decreased CCL2/MCP‐1 in a dose‐dependent manner. Culture conditions can modulate the proinflammatory state of islets, and could be used in clinical islet transplantation to reduce inflammation during engraftment.


Despite our computing technology and platform design are trending toward higher speeds for better performance, on the contrary, the printed circuit board (PCB) form factor needs to scale smaller and thinner to allow for bigger battery for battery life improvement. Due to this, layout design with dual referenced (SIG-PWR or GND-SIG-PWR) stack-up could not be avoided at all due to the limitation that we have on routing spaces or routing layers. In this paper, signal and power integrity (SIPI) co-simulation approach on USB3.2 with dual referencing is described and discussed. The co-sim approach is carried out using Advanced Design System (ADS) tool in time-domain where the power noise is directly injected to the power plane and its noise coupling impact on USB3.2 eye opening at the receiver end is then observed.


Objective:To investigate the survival benefit of modified-DCF as first-line regimen for patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods:Seventeen patients with advanced gastric cancer were treated by mDCF regimen until disease progression or intolerable toxicity.Results:Of the 17 patients,overall response rate was 52.9%,no CR,SD was 17.6%,Clinical benefit rate was 70.5%.The major toxicity was diarrhea,leukopenia,and peripheral neuropathy.Incidences of neutropenia and gastrointestinal toxicity of grade III-IV were 23.5% and 17.6%,respectively.Conclusion:mDCF is a safe and effective regimen in advanced gastric cancer.


psychiatry. Hughlings Jackson is claimed to have described Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome before Georges, but many years after Itard. His position on mind-brain relations is shown to be that of an ardent dualist for he apparently dismissed as "scientific blasphemy" all expressions implying an interaction between body and mind. He claimed " there is no physiology of the mind any more than there is a psychology of the nervous system". Hughlings Jackson discussed the mental states induced by alcohol, belladonna, and cannabis as model psychoses. Indeed, his discussions on the effect of alcohol led to sub-division of the highest centres into four hypothetical layers, which were sequentially dissolved by increasing concentrations of raw spirits. Dewhurst then leads us on through Hughlings Jackson's views on consciousness, perception and ideation, delirium and coma, hysteria and dreams. It seems that he was not sympathetic to hysteria. "When a patient does not utter a word, and yet writes well, and swallows well, this fact showing that there is no considerable palsy in the articulatory muscles-we may be almost certain (quite certain I believe), that he-it is usually she-is pretending or that the defect is 'hysterical' whatever that word may mean". This quotation serves to illustrate why we sometimes need the help of a Kenneth Dewhurst to interpret what Hughlings Jackson really meant. We are given no indication, however, of whether Hughlings Jackson had a sense of humour, but it does seem sad to learn that he thought that jokes were "slightly morbid mental statements". Also, he could not have enjoyed his dreams because, apparently, he viewed dreaming as "physiological insanity". But, throughout, we must remember that these views were expressed around 100 years ago, at a time when Hughlings Jackson was forced to state "I do not believe masturbation causes epilepsy, or chorea, or any such symptoms.... I admit that many epileptics masturbate. All I deny is the inference that masturbation has caused their epilepsy". Of course, a large portion of the book is devoted to Hughlings Jackson's writings on epilepsy, and in particular on temporal lobe epilepsy. The case of "Dr Z." is discussed at length, this patient subsequently having been identified as Arthur Thomas Myers by Taylor and Marsh (1980). The final chapters deal with Hughlings Jackson's influence on the development of European and North American psychiatry. The conclusion is that British psychiatrists of the time either ignored his contributions or misunderstood them. The latter is understandable in view of his rather laboured literary style, and the fact that many of his gems were contained in explanatory notes and footnotes. He had much greater influence on continental workers including Freud. Indeed, Dewhurst believes that Freud acquired much useful information from Jacksonian neurodynamics which he transformed into Freudian psychodynamics. Hughlings Jackson's concepts of positive and negative consequences of brain damage have in fact influenced much psychiatric and psychodynamic thought. Stengel (1954) is quoted as proposing that Bleuler's psychopathology of schizophrenia was inspired by Freud's interest in Jacksonian views of positive symptoms. Hughlings Jackson apparently had an extensive knowledge of the French medical literature, and his ideas exerted great influence in France. Indeed, Charcot is credited with introducing the eponym "Jacksonian". Through Theodule Ribot, the teacher of Pierre Janet, Hughlings Jackson's writings exerted a strong influence on French psychiatry. Failure of memory proceeded with loss of most recent recall but retention of the oldest memories, obliterations of the most complex with retention of the simplest, and erasure of the most voluntary with maintenance of the most of the more automatic memories, became known in France as "Ribot's Law" although the latter always acknowledged that it was based on the application of a Jacksonian principle. Pierre Janet, although he never read Jackson's works, based his concepts of reality on Jacksonian principles. Subsequently, Henri Ey took Jacksonian beurodynamics and merged them with aspects of Freudian psycho-analysis and Janet's phenomenology to create his concept of organodynamic psychiatry. Hughlings Jackson obviously also profoundly influenced the founders of American neurology including Silas Weir Mitchell, George Beard, WS Hammond and James Jackson Putnam. Hughlings Jackson's fundamental concepts of the hierarchical organisation of the nervous system, of the dissolution of the function caused by disease, and of positive and negative symptoms profoundly influenced the evolution of thought in neurology. In this book, Kenneth Dewhurst shows that these concepts, and also Hughlings Jackson's views on consciousness and perception, also profoundly, if often indirectly, influenced concepts in psychiatry. Kenneth Dewhust states that the main reason for writing this book was Book reviews


Abstract : The goal of the Intelligent Mission Controller Node (IMCN) project was to improve the process of translating mission taskings between real-world Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C41) systems and Joint Synthetic Battlespace (JSB) simulation environments. Using a rule based expert system, IMCN refines the air mission tasking from the C4I system prior to editing by mission controller personnel who are supporting the simulation exercise. This refinement includes processing the mission tasking by adding equipment loads, performing ingress and egress routing, and resolving data ambiguities. The mission controller can also perform additional refinements to the mission as well as adding new rules to further increase the fidelity of the tasking. The result is increased realism in simulation execution of planned missions and a significant reduction in the time required by man-in-the-loop controllers to process an Air Tasking Order (ATO) prior to insertion into a simulation. Equally important, the feasibility of employing expert system technologies to reason over the entire spectrum of air battlespace components was demonstrated.


In May of this year, the Editorial Board visited the Republic of Ireland to hold one of its periodic meetings and run its annual seminar, both hosted by the Mayo Education Centre based in Castlebar, County Mayo. The seminar had two key themes centred on education policy developments and teacher inquiry. In relation to education policy developments, members of the editorial board along with Dr Fiona King of Dublin City University analysed and discussed, from a multi-nation perspective, key issues such as the changing role and delivery of teacher education, the nature of professionalism and the future for professional learning. The teacher inquiry aspect of the seminar proved to be the inspirational part of the event as a number of local teachers presented the findings from either their completed or ongoing doctoral research. Without exception, their engagement with doctoral study was transformational from a personal and professional perspective. The presentation of their findings showed how conceptualising and theorising about their practice led to changes and improvements in not only their practice but that of their colleagues. This in turn had a positive impact on their schools and their students from a teaching and learning perspective. Of greater significance is that, as Brown (2014, p. 147) argues, engaged audiences – be they fellow practitioners, academics or policy-makers – will feel that the presentations by this group of inspirational teachers were evidence informed and:


Abstract Young-of-year (age-0) largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides from the Little Beaver Creek embayment of B. Everett Jordan Lake, North Carolina, were individually tagged with magnetic binary-coded wire tags in 1989 and 1990. Fish were recaptured during electrofishing and seine sampling in the year of tagging and the following year. In 1989, 529 age-0 largemouth bass were tagged, of which 40 were recaptured. Of these, only 2 of 31 age-0 and 2 of 9 yearling fish had moved out of their tagging coves. In 1990, 1,090 age-0 largemouth bass were tagged, of which 47 were recaptured. Of 15 recaptured largemouth bass that had been tagged in coves, only 2 age-0 fish had moved from their tagging coves. Of 32 recaptured largemouth bass that had been tagged outside coves, only 2 age-0 and 1 yearling fish had moved into cove areas. No tagged age-0 or yearling largemouth bass were recaptured outside the embayment. Because most fish seem to stay near their tagging site, localized supplemental stocking of fingerlings...


ABSTRACT At the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee (the Committee) in 2018 history was made: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's World Heritage nomination, 'Al-Ahsa Oasis, an evolving cultural landscape' ('Al-Ahsa Oasis'), had received the worst possible draft decision from ICOMOS – that it 'should not be inscribed' on the World Heritage List. While the altering of draft decisions and 'upgrading' of nominations is now commonplace, Al-Ahsa Oasis was the nomination that broke the last barrier in this practice by achieving the 'ultimate upgrade' through its unprecedented inscription onto the List. In this article we explore the fall of the science-based compliance mechanisms that laid the foundation for this decision by the Committee. Drawing on participant observation at the session, audiovisual and statutory records, the Committee deliberations on Al-Ahsa Oasis are then dissected, drawing attention to how Saudi Arabia and its allies were able to write history by strategizing existing and emerging regime discourses on 'representativeness', 'climate' and 'discord'.


Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assays have been used to quantify bioburdens (biomass) in low-organic-compound-content fluids (freshwater, seawater, cooling tower water, and similar fluids) since the early 1950s. The original methodology was labor intensive and required considerable laboratory skill. Over the past half-century, the protocol has been simplified substantially, but until recently, chemical interferences made it impractical to use the ATP test in metalworking fluids (MWF). This article presents precision and bias statistics for a new test protocol for ATP in emulsifiable oil, semisynthetic and synthetic MWF at end-use dilutions. Additionally it presents the results of field tests in which ATP data are compared with other MWF condition monitoring data. The field evaluation demonstrates the applicability of the new protocol to MWF bioburden condition monitoring.


In the modeling of boundary value problems for singularly perturbed differential equations, one can observe boundary and interior layers whose width can be arbitrary small. To solve such types of problems a lot of methods were proposed. In this contribution, we focus on methods based on wavelets. Using wavelet discretization of singularly perturbed two-point boundary value problems, one can observe that the condition numbers of the arising stiffness matrices are growing with decreasing parameter e. We show here that a matrix splitting can stabilize the condition numbers of the stiffness matrices for small values of parameter e. Numerical examples are given.


PURPOSE: An ultrasonic color Doppler image system and a method for filtering a clutter signal of the same are provided to remove a flash artifact element from a color Doppler image by filtering the clutter signal. CONSTITUTION: Each frame average related to an IQ signal is calculated(S710). A multiplication value is calculated by using the average(S720). The multiplication value is compared with the average(S730). A pixel is masked according to the comparison result(S740).


The high demand for metallic minerals means that mining tailings are generated in huge quantities, causing a problem for the industry when managing these wastes. The tailings mining, not being subjected to an adequate treatment can cause contamination to the soil, water and through erosion to contaminate the air with PM10 and PM2.5 particles, causing health problems and affecting the respiratory system. The present investigation presents an alternative of treatment to the mine tailings taken from the Mineraduct of the Zaruma-Portovelo Mining District, through an inertization process. To achieve this goal, the ex situ vitrification technique was used, which consists in subjecting the dry tailings sample to high temperatures together with powdered glass and fluxing substances such as borax, to achieve a chemically inert material. The process uses materials that are waste and that currently do not have a qualified manager, such is the case of glass; this same procedure was tested for other types of waste, such as hospital sharps. Additionally, experimental tests were carried out to obtain exact values of variables such as temperature, time and composition for ex situ vitrification of mining tailings, in order to use them as building materials. With the inert sample, it was verified through the TCLP test that the vitrification technique used has high percentages of inertization, bordering 100% for Zn, Pb, Cu, while for the As it was 6.88%. In addition, an ex situ vitrification methodology was developed, which can be applied to different types of solid waste with high concentrations of heavy metals


We introduce a new integration with respect to a vector measure, which may be considered the generalization of a line integration with respect to coordinates in classical calculus, we disscuss its properties and investigate the relationship between an integration with respect to a vector measure and one with respect to the variation of the vector measure, which is similar to the relationship between a line integration.with respect to coordinates and one with respect to arc length.


Questions of justice have been raised in recent years when contending with the social costs of urban sprawl. But this field of inquiry suffers from the difficulty of translating the abstract notion of justice into measurable spatial indices. The aim of this paper is to empirically measure the liberal notion of justice in the metropolitan region of Tel Aviv by adopting Pierre Bourdieu's theory of three forms of capital. Under this theory, the formation of economic, cultural, and social capital in the individual's living environment determines the person's exposure to different sets of life-chances (i.e., capabilities), thus influencing equality of opportunity (i.e., social justice) in space. The analysis reveals that suburban inhabitants benefit from a larger accumulation of the three forms of capital than do urban inhabitants. Accumulation of these capitals has a positive effect on exposure to life-chances, thus enhancing spatial segregation between cities and suburbs.


This thesis illustrates how native populations exert a crucial ecological role through deliberate strategies in order to conserve and preserve marine and coastal ecosystems. The investigation ident ...


Precipitation strengthening behavior during aging of an Al-0.014Sc-0.008Er-0.08Zr-0.10Si (at.%) alloy was investigated utilizing microhardness, electrical conductivity and scanning electron microscopy. This new composition, with a Sc/Zr ratio (in at.%) smaller than 1/5 represents a significant reduction of the alloy's cost, when compared to more usual Al-0.06Sc (at.%) based alloys with typical Sc/Zr ratios of 3. The research presented herein focuses on identifying the optimal homogenization duration at 640 C and additionally the temperature range at which a single-step aging treatment will achieve the highest possible microhardness in the shortest time. Due to a compromise between dissolution of Er-Si rich primary precipitates, homogenization of the Zr distribution and precipitation of large Al3Zr precipitates, 8 h at 640 C appears to be the optimal homogenization duration for this alloy, leading to an hardness of 571 ± 22 MPa after aging for 24 h at 400 C. To study the precipitation behavior of this low-Sc concentration alloy, isochronal aging to 575 C with two different heating rates was performed. The small Sc concentration, compensated by a high Zr concentration, permits the alloy to achieve a similar peak microhardness during isochronal aging (587 ± 20 MPa) as the corresponding Sc-richer and Zr-leaner alloys. The isochronal aging experiments permits us to identify the best aging temperature as between 350 and 425 C. © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Dear Editor, During CO2 assimilation,the reductive pentose phosphate cycle generates triose phosphates (triose-P) at the expense of ATP and NADPH generated by photosynthetic light reactions.Triose-P is retained within chloroplasts to either regenerate the CO2 acceptor ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate or to feed into transitory starch synthesis.Alternatively,triose-P can be exported into the cytosol to produce sucrose.To maintain optimum rates of photosynthesis,the rate of triose-P export from the chloroplast stroma to the cytosol is necessarily adjusted to the demands for photoassimilate export.The triose-P/phosphate (Pi) transiocator (TPT) mediates the export of stromal triose-P into the cytosol in a counter exchange for cytosolic Pi.The rate of triose-P export is primarily regulated by the availability of Pi liberated by cytosolic sucrose synthesis.When sucrose synthesis slows down during the day,the restriction in Pi availability reduces TPT transport activity and redirects assimilated carbon into transitory starch synthesis in the chloroplast (B(o)rnke and Sonnewald,2011).


The ZnO thin films are prepared on glass sheets by sol-gel technology, which are characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and ultra-violet spectrum. The results indicate that the thin films are c-orientation, highly visible transmittance, homogeneous and dense surface with the crystalline structure of hexagonal wurtizite, the crystalline dimension of 40~90 nm. The crystal size increases with the increasing sol concentration, and the films are highly oriented in (002) direction as the growing of the film layers. The transmittance has a sharp fundamental absorption edge in UV region, the optical band gap is evaluate to be around 3.34 eV.


Abstract Aims More than one-half of betel-quid (BQ) chewers have betel-quid use disorder (BUD). However, no medication has been approved. We performed a randomised clinical trial to test the efficacy of taking escitalopram and moclobemide antidepressants on betel-quid chewing cessation (BQ-CC) treatment. Methods We enrolled 111 eligible male BUD patients. They were double-blinded, placebo-controlled and randomised into three treatment groups: escitalopram 10 mg/tab daily, moclobemide 150 mg/tab daily and placebo. Patients were followed-up every 2 weeks and the length of the trial was 8 weeks. The primary outcome was BQ-CC, defined as BUD patients who continuously stopped BQ use for ⩾6 weeks. The secondary outcomes were the frequency and amount of BQ intake, and two psychological rating scales. Several clinical adverse effects were measured during the 8-week treatment. Results Intention-to-treat analysis shows that after 8 weeks, two (5.4%), 13 (34.2%) and 12 (33.3%) of BUD patients continuously quit BQ chewing for ⩾6 weeks among placebo, escitalopram, moclobemide groups, respectively. The adjusted proportion ratio of BQ-CC was 6.3 (95% CI 1.5–26.1) and 6.8 (95% CI 1.6–28.0) for BUD patients who used escitalopram and moclobemide, respectively, as compared with those who used placebo. BUD patients with escitalopram and moclobemide treatments both exhibited a significantly lower frequency and amount of BQ intake at the 8th week than those with placebo. Conclusions Prescribing a fixed dose of moclobemide and escitalopram to BUD patients over 8 weeks demonstrated treatment benefits to BQ-CC. Given a relatively small sample, this study provides preliminary evidence and requires replication in larger trials.


The Covid-19 era, has severely affected several aspects of human activity, including academic education, but also paved the way for innovation. The Department of Business Administration in the University of West Attica, Greece, has a long-standing tradition in designing and delivering small group work projects which foster the development of managerial skills. Before Covid-19, coaching of working groups was taking place physical, in class environment, under the form of face-to-face interaction. However, due to global restrictions and university closure, this process had to be adapted to an online setting. Education providers all over the word experiment with different types of educational strategies that support the transition from face to face to distance modes of delivery. Among online learning factors mentioned in e-learning literature, it is argued that learners' motivation has been considered as one of the most important, which had a significant impact on online learning effectiveness. Drawing from constructivism theory, Problem-Based Learning (PBL) can be a pedagogical tool to enhance learners' motivation and develop work-based skills. Furthermore, it can be effectively implemented by any instructional designer. In this master thesis, a one group pre-test & post-test quasi-experimental research was conducted in the Department of Business Administration of West Attica University. There were 162 1st year undergraduate students participated in the experimental e-course. The e-course design was based on PBL and was developed in MS Teams digital collaboration and communication platform. The approach is implemented by combing built-in Microsoft's ecosystem tools and specific cooperative learning strategies. The analysis of the results reveals that our proposed e-course design framework enhances students' intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, critical-thinking and peer learning, as measured by Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). There was no significant difference between the means of extrinsic motivation and help seeking scores, of pre-test and post-test, after the experimental e-course. Furthermore, overall research results indicate that the experimental e-course design enhances students' engagement and helps them to develop a positive attitude towards teamwork, as measured by MS Team analytics. Although this work is focused on the MS Teams platform, the e-course design framework can be repurposed and applied to different online learning platforms.


Objective: To contribute with an affordable, ideal, good response, anatomically adaptable to the vessels' morphology, new kind of material, without dislocation development or inflammatory processes that causes recurrence, such as Silastic graft.
Background: Trigeminal Neuralgia is a syndrome characterized by acute, paroxysmal shock like hemifacial pain, associated with impairment of daily functionality and reduced quality of life. Among the various treatment options like the pharmacological, percutaneous and radiosurgery; microvascular decompression has proved to be the best treatment option to reduce and eliminate the trigeminal pain and the associated symptoms due to its efficacy and scant neurological complications
Material and Methods: Between 1997 and 2014, 370 patients affected by trigeminal neuralgia underwent microvascular decompression. The average age at the moment of the procedure was 50 years. We used a retromastoid and suboccipital craniectomy as a surgical technique.
Results: Of the 370 patients who underwent microvascular decompression, all of them were followed for 15 years after the operation. Complete relief from trigeminal neuralgia without medication was achieved in 98.64[percnt] (365 patients), 0.27[percnt] (one patient) needed a second microvascular decompression during follow up for a hemifacial spasm due to arachnoiditis, at the time of the procedure we could confirm that the Silastic graft remained in its original position. 1.08[percnt] (4 patients) developed partial recurrence of trigeminal pain, and needed complementary pharmacological blockade
Conclusion: The Silastic graft used in this procedures is safe and immune, since it does not develop any inflammatory reaction as granuloma, compression, or dislocation in long-term. Disclosure: Dr. Bangel has nothing to disclose.


The saturated vapor pressure of phenylphosphorus dichloride was measured by static method,and the results were fitted to the Antoine equation and its Antoine coefficients were obtained.The boiling temperatures at atmospheric pressure,over the entire composition range, were measured for the binary system of phosphorus trichloride(1)-phenylphosphorus dichloride(2) by using a standard Swietoslawski type ebulliometer.The experimental t-x data were used to calculate infinite dilution activity coefficient,Wilson equation was used as regression equation to obtain Wilson parameter.The isothermal vapor-liquid equilibria data were deduced.


The probability of photon emission of a charged particle traversing a strong field becomes modified if vacuum polarization is considered. This feature is important for fundamental quantum electrodynamics processes present in extreme astrophysical environments, such as magnetars and black holes, and can be studied in a collision of a charged particle with a strong laser field. We show that for today's available 700 GeV (6.5 TeV) protons and the field provided by the next generation of lasers, the emission spectra peak is enhanced due to vacuum polarization effect by 30% (suppressed by 65%) in comparison to the traditionally considered Compton process in which vacuum polarization is neglected. This striking phenomenon offers a novel path to the laboratory-based manifestation of vacuum polarization.


The notions of k-separability and k-producibility are useful and expressive tools for the characterization of entanglement in multipartite quantum systems, when a more detailed analysis would be infeasible or simply needless. In this work we reveal a partial duality between them, which is valid also for their correlation counterparts. This duality can be seen from a much wider perspective, when we consider the entanglement and correlation properties which are invariant under the permutations of the subsystems. These properties are labeled by Young diagrams, which we endow with a refinement-like partial order, to build up their classification scheme. This general treatment reveals a new property, which we call k-stretchability, being sensitive in a balanced way to both the maximal size of correlated (or entangled) subsystems and the minimal number of subsystems uncorrelated with (or separable from) one another.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pain levels associated with ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of neck masses.


Early earthquake damage assessment systems have been installed by national government and many local municipalities in Japan, especially, after the 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake. The estimation method of building damage included in the existing assessment systems mostly uses the fragility curves constructed based on the building damage data of past earthquakes in Japan and calculates the building damage ratios of a stricken area. However, the useful estimation method of building damage for the assessment systems is estimates the damage levels of all buildings individually in the damaged area. In this paper, the method of earthquake building damage estimation in Japan is developed, employing one of the seismic design methods of structures, the limit strength method. This calculation method is simpler than the time history response analysis, and the spectral characteristics of seismic ground motion and the natural period of a building can be considered because the earthquake response spectrum is used as an input ground motion in this method. In order that the yield base-shear coefficient reflects the conditions of present buildings, identification of the coefficient is conducted by using the building damage survey data and the strong ground motion records from the 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake. This estimation method may be conveniently used as the method of estimating building damage individually throughout a stricken city in a short time.


T he current widespread interest in alternative A\\><\ complementary medicine focuses attention on an understanding of health, disease. and the respective roles of physicians and patients that is very different from the conventional medical view.* These differences raise questions, particularly for spiritual care providers jn health care settings, about the theological point of view concerning such things.


This study investigates the impact of CEOs' cognitive complexity on firm strategies. Based on a longitudinal sample, I find that CEO cognitive complexity leads to less strategic change, less strate...


We study Toeplitz operators on the Bergman space A 2 ϑ of the unit polydisk D n , where ϑ is a product of n rotation-invariant regular Borel probability measures. We show that if f is a bounded Borel function on D n such that F(ω) = lim f(z) exists for all ω ∈ ∂D n , then T f is compact if z∈D n and only if F = 0 a.e. with respect to a measure γ associated with ϑ on the boundary ∂D n . We also discuss the commuting problem: if g is a non-constant bounded holomorphic function on D n , then what conditions does a bounded function f need to satisfy so that T f commutes with Tg?


Studies of larval biology generally have been carried out on relatively accessible coastal and estuarine populations; how? ever, there is also a rich and diverse larval fauna in the open ocean, drifting with the plankton of the surface waters. These oceanic larvae, originating from bottomdwelling adults of the shoal waters of the continental shelf, often display exotic ad? aptations for prolonged planktonic exis? tence. Scattered reports of such larvae have appeared in the literature for many years, but it has been only recently that concentrated studies have been made on the distribution of the larvae and their role


This study was carried out to investigate the effects of tangerine (Citrus unshiu) peel on the physicochemical properties and sensory score of pork patties. Four types of pork patties were evaluated: T0 without tangerine peel, T1 with 0.3% tangerine peel, T2 with 0.7% tangerine peel, and T3 with 1.0% tangerine peel. The pH level changed based on the storage period. The pH levels of T2 and T3 were lower than those of T0 and T1 during storage. The L-value (lightness) of samples did not significantly change, and showed no significant difference during storage. The a-value (redness) decreased during storage, and that of T0 was lowest among the samples. The b-values of samples did not significantly change, whereas that of pork patties with tangerine peel was higher than that of pork patty without tangerine peel. The TBARS increased with a longer storage period, and the values for T0, T1, T2 and T3 were 0.82, 0.32, 0.26 and 0.26 mg/kg, respectively, after 10 days of storage. DPPH radical scavenging activity decreased with a longer storage period, and those of T2 and T3 were significantly higher than those of T0 and T1. The VBN contents of T0 and T1 increased with a longer storage period, and that of T0 was highest among the samples. Water holding capacity decreased, and cooking loss increased, whereas those of samples did not significantly change during storage. Hardness and chewiness increased while springiness and cohesiveness decreased during storage. The results of this study show that tangerine peel is a natural antioxidant, due to its antioxidative activity and does not affect physical characteristics. Therefore, addition of 0.7% tangerine peel may be suitable for manufacture of patties.


Resting cysts of the terrestrial ciliate Colpoda cucullus (Nag-1 strain) are highly resistant to UV light. It has been speculated that auto-fluorescent (blue fluorescent) particles surrounding the nuclei and yellowish fluorescent layers of the cyst wall are the candidate structures for the protection of the cellular components from UV light. The UV resistance of encysting cells was quickly acquired up to 5 h after the onset of encystment induction, and then gradually increased for several days. The less fluorescent ectocyst layer, yellowish fluorescent first-synthesized endocyst layer (en-1) and the NSPs were formed within 5 h after the onset of encystment induction, and thereafter endocyst layers became gradually thicker for several days. The cyst wall sample (ectocyst and endocyst layers) markedly absorbed a broad range of UV light. This result indicates that the cyst wall evidently has UV-cut function. These results support that the cyst wall and NSPs of C. cucullus play a role in the shielding of the cell components from UV light.


In global scenario, the prime question in every person's mind is about their safety and the harassment issues. The only thought haunting them is when they will be able to move freely on the streets even in odd hours without worrying about their security. This project focuses on this aspect of security so one will ever feel helpless. Our proposed Raspberry Pi-3 Based Self Defensive System consists of various sub modules such as GSM, GPS, memory card, shock circuit, buzzer and camera.


The Higher Education Commission in Pakistan and China is are responsible to check that all educational institutes of Pakistan comply with the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). Work distribution, access to the digital library and the number of PhD faculty members in the institutes, are important for Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) because they directly influence on quality of academic education and services being provided to the students. Mixed method approach is adopted. Quantitative results were obtained by carrying out survey in Pakistan while qualitative results were obtained through literature review. This research makes use of quantitative approach and investigates four different HEIs of Pakistan. The questionnaire was divided into three sections: 1) Role of work distribution; 2) access to the digital library; and 3) the number of Faculty members in the PhD faculty. A critical review was carried out for investigating the quality of HEIs in China because survey accessibility issues were faced when adopting quantitative approach. Analysis showed that most of the QAFs in Pakistan were weak in all three factors. Yet China had a better score when compared to Pakistan showing good work distribution; high number of digital libraries; and an adequate number of PhD faculty members.


Objective To evaluate the efficacy of α2 adrenergic agonists for the prevention of postoperative adverse cardiac events in patients with coronary disease.Methods MEDLINE,EMBASE,CINHAL,Web of Science,CBM and CNKI were searched to identify all randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of α2 adrenergic agonists for the prevention of postoperative cardiac complications following operation performed under general anesthesia in patients with coronary artery disease.The incidence of myocardial ischemia,myocardial infarction,bradycardia and hypotension were evaluated.Meta-analysis was conducted using the RevMan 5.1 software.Results Fifteen trials included 9 high-quality trials,4 medium-quality trials and 2 low-quality trials.A total of 3422 patients were included in this meta-analysis.1790 patients received α2 adrenergic agonists (clonidine and dexmedetomidine) and 1632 patients received placebo; 724 patients underwent non-cardiac surgery and 2698 patients underwent cardiac surgery.Meta-analysis indicated that α2 adrenergic agonists reduced incidence of myocardial infarction following non-cardiac surgery and myocardial ischemia following non-cardiac surgery and cardiac surgery.Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists significantly increased the incidence of postoperative bradycardia.Conclusion Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists can decrease postoperative cardiac adverse events in patients with coronary disease,but can induce bradycardia,and the efficacy of clonidine is consistent with that of dexmedetomidine.

Key words:
Adrenergic alpha-agonists; Coronary disease; Postoperative complications; Meta-analysis; Cardiac adverse events


Features of soybean protein fiber are introduced and its content in the blended product is measured based on its physical and chemical properties in this paper.It holds that the testing method by use of sodium cholorite is easy in operation with the measured datas stable.


The valuation of the Dependency within the framework of the future Law of Protection entails the necessity of creation of an Instrument adapted to such purpose. Throughout this work the characteristics needed and the process being followed in its elaboration are defined. Finally the way to contemplate the psychological aspects of the person in such valuation will be exposed.


The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for measurement and control caster mold fluxes. Control method caster mold powder as: laser projection on the upper surface of mold powder and the sidewalls of the crystalliser, the bit length to obtain powder Lslag The projection lines on the side walls; obtained according to the surface on the laser projection powder protective slag surface flatness variation. Using the liquid level detection system of mold level Lsteel, to give change in flux thickness L = Lsteel-Lslag thick and slag, the slag thickness and variations in accordance with the control operation of adding slag adding slag device. The mold powder and monitoring device comprising: a mold powder slag level detection system, level detection system and mold powder slag automatic system. Mold powder slag level detection system comprises a laser light source, a monitoring device, a processor, and a field master display terminal. The present invention enables closed loop control of flux; real-time statistical increase the amount of slag, the slag to achieve protection performance tracking.


A new hybrid MoM scheme with approximate Green function of antenna elements, printed‐on or embedded into the glass, is described. This scheme is used to simulate scattering characteristics of integrated glass antenna models. Comparison with measurement data and with previous modeling techniques for different measurement setups is performed. An advantage of the proposed modeling technique over previous techniques is demonstrated. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 351–354, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24936


An unconditionally stable fully discrete finite element method for the Korteweg-de Vries equation is presented. In addition to satisfying optimal order global estimates, it is shown that this method is superconvergent at the nodes. The algorithm is derived from the conservative method proposed by the second author by the introduction of a small time-independent forcing term into the discrete equations. This term is a form of the quasiprojection which was first employed in the analysis of superconvergence phenomena for parabolic problems. However, in the present work, unlike in the parabolic case, the quasiprojection is used as perturbation of the discrete equations and does not affect the choice of initial values.


With growing demand for energy, power generated in renewable sources at various locations are distributed throughout the power grid. The power grid known as the smart grid needs to monitor power generation and its smart distribution. Smart meters provide solutions for monitoring power over smart grids. Smart meters need to continuously log data and at every source there is a large amount of data generated that needs to be compressed for both storage and transmission over the smart grid. In this paper, a novel algorithm for PQ data compression is proposed that uses the Dual Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DTCWT) for sub-band computation and a modified quantizer is designed to reduce subband coefficient limits to less than 4 bits. The Run Length Encoding (RLC) and Huffman Coding algorithm encode the data further to achieve compression. The performance metrics such as a peak-signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and compression ratio (CR) are used for evaluation and it is found that the modified DTCWT (MDTCWT) improves PSNR by a factor of 3% and the mean squared error (MSE) by a factor of 16% as compared with the DTCWT based PQ compression algorithm.


The four major allergens from hen's egg white—lysozyme (LY), ovomucoid (OM), ovalbumin (OA) and ovotransferrin (OT)—were separated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Up to 10 μg of the allergens could be collected by automated fraction collection. IgE‐binding properties of the collected CZE fractions were investigated in dot‐blot experiments. Egg white proteins were detected in all four fractions using patients' sera and a polyclonal antibody. In two fractions, LY and OM could be identified by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry.


This study examined the impact of poverty using multiple poverty measures on students with disabilities, using data from the first wave of the Special Education Longitudinal Study (SEELS; Wagner, Marder, Blackorby, & Cardosa, 2004). Multiple definitions of poverty based on previous research were employed in the present study, to address limitations of the federal poverty measure. These definitions included (a) 50% of the federal threshold (extreme poverty), (b) the federal threshold, (c) 150%, and (d) 200% of the federal threshold. These measures were then used with the SEELS data that were obtained from 9,747 parent interviews and 4,912 student assessments based on subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement. Both student and household characteristics data were used to identify the extent to which income and poverty were associated with academic achievement and disability using multiple poverty measures. Findings of interest were uncovered in the extreme poverty category, with more pronounced differences revealed in gender and ethnicity. Overall, this research suggests that poverty is a better predictor of academic achievement than ethnicity, and that life circumstances become increasingly less positive as family income declines. Future research and policy implications are discussed.


Humans can universally, under typical circumstances, appreciate music. This appreciation is presumably dependent on the ability to process musical structure, but it is not clear how this processing develops. The present study was designed to contribute toward clarification of this issue. Western infants were tested in detection of mistunings (increase of 3.2% in frequency of a randomly selected melody note) in melodies based on either native or nonnative musical scales. Infants repeatedly heard the well‐tuned versions of the melodies and learned to turn their heads toward the sound source when they heard a mistuning. If infants, like adults, have developed schematic knowledge of musical tuning, then their performance in this task would be expected to be better in testing conditions involving native scales than in conditions involving nonnative scales. Although infants at 6, 9, and 12 months of age all performed the task with reliably better than chance success, statistically better native than nonnative m...


The magnitudes of the contributions to the magnetic shielding constant of a fluorine nucleus are discussed which are important when chemical shifts are obtained by recording the spectra of liquid samples. The chemical shifts between CFCl3, C6F12, C6F4Cl2 and C6F6 in various solvents have been measured, and it is concluded that an internal reference compound for fluorine should be of the same chemical type, and similar in size and shape to the molecules under investigation. The variations with solvent of the chemical shifts measured relative to C6F6 as an internal reference of the polar molecules pentafluoropyridine, 4-nitrotetrafluoropyridine, pentafluorobenzene, chloropentafluorobenzene and nitropentafluorobenzene have been measured and discussed in terms of the reaction fields produced by interaction of the polar molecules with the surrounding medium. The results have been shown to be consistent with the equation δ = - AEz , and values of the constant A have been obtained. The data of Taft et al. [7–9] ...


The utility model discloses a multifunctional blowing and sucking type suction cleaner, which is provided with an air blowing device 18. A dust suction pipe 8 is sheathed on an inner blowing dust pipe 11. The air blowing opening 14 of the air blowing device 18 is connected with the inner dust blowing pipe 11 through a vessel so as to make strong airflow be discharged from the dust blowing nozzle 17 in a dust suction head 10 and dust and sundries are flied up by the strong airflow. The dust and the sundries are sucked in a dust collection chamber 12 from a channel arranged between a dust suction pipe 8 and the inner blowing dust pipe 11 by negative pressure. Air filtered by a filtering net 5 enters an air blowing chamber to form an air circulation loop. The multifunctional blowing and sucking type suction cleaner is suitable for various occasions, and has the advantage of high suction clearness. Besides, the utility model has no secondary dust pollution. After the dust collection chamber 12 is dismounted, the multifunctional blowing and sucking type suction cleaner can be used as an air blowing device.


This paper investigates the car-following problem and proposes a nonlinear controller that takes into account driving comfort, safety concerns, steady-state response and transient response. This controller is designed based on the demands of lower cost, faster response, increased comfort, enhanced safety and elevated expandability from the automotive industry. Design insights and intuitions are provided in detail. Also, theoretical analysis are performed on plant stability, string stability and tracking performance of the closed-loop system. Conditions and guidelines are provided on the selection of control parameters. Comprehensive simulations are conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed controller in different driving scenarios.


Climate change is the greatest challenge threatening humanity at present. Global warming due to excessive release of toxic gases, pollution of ecological endowments are glaring examples of reckless human behaviour in pursuit of economic motives. It is call of the time for us to give back to mother nature what all we have robbed her off, and efforts are made world over to reduce the negative imprints as a priority call. To make stringent plan of action for environment protection the Kyoto Protocol was organised in 1997 where stakeholders from across the globe brainstormed a mechanism whereby it was decided to incorporate carbon (main green house gas) reduction endeavours with economic motives of enterprises to motivate sustainability efforts on their part. Under this arrangement "carbon" a free gift of nature has been converted to an "economic commodity", which is actively traded in the form of carbon credits. The paper shall discuss basic concepts related to carbon credit as a tool to save environment as well as study business opportunities in emissions market in India's context.


Objective: Fingerprint analysis of chemical constituents of Marsdenia Tenacissima. Method: With the use of HPLC,TC-C18column( 4. 6 mm × 150 mm,5 μm),acetonitrile-water was used as the mobile phase with gradient elution,detection wavelength at 210 nm,flow rate of 1. 0 mL·min- 1,temperature of column at 25 ℃. Result: The fingerprint of M. tenacissima was established using ZP-7tenacigenin B [11α-O-( 2-methylbutyryl)-12β-O-acetyltenacigenin B] as reference substance. 17 common peaks were identified. The precision and repeatability of the relative retention time RSD were less than 3%,each producing area in the chromatogram of common peak area was more than 90%. 10 batches of similarity were between 0. 75-0. 98,there were some differences. Conclusion: The method is accurate and reproducible,which can provide the basis for quality evaluation and quality control of M. tenacissima,also lay the foundation for further development of M. tenacissima.


The approach to solve the problems brought about by simulative circuit and Single Chip Micyoco in substation automation systems is presented. The characteristics of TMS320F243 DSP and CAN bus are illustrated. The communications between DSP and master unit through SCI and ActiveX control are described. The application of TMS320F243 DSP in a DSS_11 substation automation system is introduced.


The construction of a three-coordinate proportional chamber with a 256 x 256 mm working region and with 1.0 and 2.0 mm spacing of the signal wires is described and its characteristics are presented. A charged-particle recording efficiency of 99% was achieved with the gas mixture Ar + 20% C/sub 4/H/sub 10/ + 2% C/sub 3/H/sub 8/O/sub 2/ + 0.3% CF/sub 3/Br. The plateau on the efficiency curve equaled 750 and greater than 1000 V and the spatial resolution equaled 0.318 and 0.67 mm for planes with spacings of 1 and 2 mm respectively. The effect of proportional chambers on the accuracy with which the coordinates of the vertices of the multitrack events were determined with a BIS-2 spectrometer was studied.


Identifying macro-objectives for the life cycle environmental performance and resource efficiency of EU buildings This working paper brings together the findings of the first stage of the Resource Efficient Buildings study, which focusses on the identification of 'macro-objectives' for the environmental performance of the EU building stock. This stage is intended to provide an initial 'top down' view of what the strategic priorities (the 'macro-objectives') should be for the building sector. These macro-objectives will in turn inform and set the scope for the identification of a common framework of performance indicators in the next stage of this study. As a conclusion of this work package, two types of macro-objectives have been identified – those relating to 'life cycle environmental performance' and those relating to 'quality, performance and value'. In the short term, six of these macro-objectives are proposed to be taken forward in order to identify related performance indicators at building level which will make up the framework. In the medium to long term, a further set of up to ten macroobjectives have also been identified which may potentially be considered for the identification of performance indicators. Further indicators at the building level could address productive workspaces and liveable and decent homes. The possibility of having indicators at the new-build neighbourhood level (for example, addressing travel patterns, urban pressure on land, green and low carbon infrastructure) and existing building stock level (for example, addressing overall stock performance and space utilisation efficiency) has also been identified.


The Job shop scheduling in manufacturing is one of the most important industrial activities. To solve this type of complex scheduling problem, various approaches have been proposed incorporating discrete event simulation methodology. The purpose of this paper is to optimize job schedule in discrete event job-shop scheduling system by modeling and simulating the manufacturing system. The example of the multi machines job shop manufacturing system model created by the SimEvents toolbox of software tools MATLAB is illustrated.


This publication analyzes the power allocation problem for a distributed wireless sensor network which is based on ultra-wide bandwidth communication technology. The network is used to classify target objects. In the considered scenarios, the absence, the presence, or the type of an object is observed by the sensors independently. Due to noisy communication channels, the interfered observations are fused into a reliable global decision in order to increase the overall classification probability. An approach based on information theory that aims at maximization of the mutual information is employed. It enables the analytical allocation of the given total power to the sensor nodes so as to optimize the overall classification probability. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of object classification by using the introduced power allocation method in ultra-wide bandwidth signaling and energy-efficient systems.


This study aims to cross-examine a model about how personality traits, personal values and perceived cultural values contribute to diversity value orientation (DVO) and attitudes toward sport provision diversity (SDA) in three countries: the United States of America (USA), Taiwan (TW) and Vietnam (VN). A questionnaire was distributed both online (via Google form) and the hard copy and it was completed by 142, 145 and 333 college students in the USA, TW and VN respectively where 48% were males. Convenience sampling was employed via mailing lists, social networks, selected courses and university lecturers. The results showed that the USA group seemed to have higher OE (open to experience), S (stimulation), SD (self-direction) and stronger SDA than the VN group. The TW group was lower than the USA group in OE and S, but higher than the VN group in OE. The analyses of structural equation modeling showed that LPD (low power distance) played as major predictor of DVO and SDA in the model. The explained variance of DVO was 68.8%, whereas SDA was 49.1%. Comparison of the models among the three countries showed that the model worked best in the VN group.
Keywords: Cultural value; Diversity value orientation; Personal value; Power distance; School lifestyle.


Sera from 967 adult female West African Dwarf (WAD) goats previously screened for Trypanosome infection by some diagnostic laboratories around Ibadan metropolis, in Southwestern part of Nigeria, were assayed for zona pellucida (ZP) antibodies by the enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) technique. Of the 967 female goats, 534 (55.22%) were positive and 433 (44.78%) negative for Trypanosome infection. Out of those that were positive for Trypanosome infection, 346 (64.79%) and 188 (35.21%) were positive and negative for ZP antibodies respectively. These represented 35.78% and 19.44% of the total number of animals screened respectively. The group that was negative for Trypanosome infections had 149 (34.41%) and 284 (65.59%) positive and negative for ZP antibodies, representing 15.41% and 29.37% of the total number of animals screened, respectively. Seropositivity for ZP antibodies was positively correlated with Trypanosome infection (P<O.OO1). There is the possibility of damage to the blood-ovary barrier as a result of trypanosome infection thereby exposing the zona pellucida to the immune system and being recognized as foreign. The possibility of zona pellucida antibodies as a cause of infertility in domestic animals should always be considered in infertility investigations.


Based on the characteristics of railway communication system, the system especially requires geographic information and its relevant software platform. In allusion to the characteristics, this paper discusses the designing thinking of communication line designing and maintenance of GIS, solution scheme and basic functions.