Combining the human visual system with the image local properties, an adaptive spatial domain image watermarking scheme based on fuzzy cluster analysis is proposed. First, the watermark embedding locations are identified adaptively by applying fuzzy c-mean clustering algorithm based on the human visual system. Then, the binary watermark sequence is embedded adaptively by modifying the pixel value according to the image local correlation, and the watermark embedding depth can be adjusted intelligently. The presented watermarking scheme can extract the watermark without the help from the original image. Experimental results show that the proposed adaptive spatial domain image watermarking scheme is invisible and robust against various signal processing such as cropping, compression, filtering, noise adding, image enhancement, and mosaic.


The complex cation has a distorted octahedral coordination geometry with cobalt bonded to two bidentate bpm ligands, and two water molecules in cis positions. The structure has crystallographically imposed twofold symmetry.


The Fe-Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts were prepared by an impregnation method. A comparison of the catalytic activity for the reduction of NO x with ammonia over Fe-Mo/ZSM-5, Fe-ZSM-5 and Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts was carried out. Also, the effects of the conditions used for calcination as well as of the Fe/Mo ratio on the catalytic performance of Fe-Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts were studied. It was found that Fe-Mo/ZSM-5 is more active than Fe-ZSM-5 and Mo/ZSM-5 separately. Fe-Mo/ZSM-5 exhibited the best performance for SCR reaction with a Fe/Mo ratio of 1.5 and yielded the highest NO x conversion of 96 % at a temperature of 430 °C. The results also showed that the performance of Fe-Mo/ZSM-5 is sensitive to the conditions used during calcination. The bulk phase and surface composition of the Fe-Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts were determined by XRD, BET, and XPS techniques, respectively. The results revealed that the surface Mo percentage is the largest when the Fe/Mo ratio is 1.5, which may be related to its higher activity for catalytic reduction of NO x . XRD results indicate that the best catalytic performance of the Fe/Mo = 1.5 sample results from a strong interaction among Fe, Mo and HZSM-5. In addition, it can be tentatively presumed that the surface nitrous species from the calcinations play an important role in SCR of NO x over Fe-Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts.


The present invention was irradiated with light for applying a biological matrix (10) as one light-shielding, and propagating light along the light propagation path in a biological matrix (10), for measuring a second intensity of light emitted from a biological matrix, at least 2 in the biological matrix (10) including a conference detection measurement step directed to a method for measuring a glucose concentration. The method also comprises a step of evaluation by the evaluation hojebeop and correction processing means, measuring the glucose concentration derived from the measured intensity values detected during. To obtain an excellent test accuracy by a simple means, at least one is a meeting detection measurements ㄷhoe the scattered light localized degradation measurement, during which the specified irradiation position 12 of the biological matrix (10) is irradiated with one light-blocking unit 15, in a prescribed detecting position (14) and measuring the intensity of the secondary light emitted from the biological matrix (10), intensity of light multidose scattering is detected at the detection position on the scattering centers are detected for the irradiation position in a manner which is characteristic of the glucose concentration the seat 14 is located.


The Delta values of hedging digital option were calculated by Monte Carlo model with optimal stratified sampling(OSS-MC) and Monte Carlo model with proportional stratified sampling(PSS-MC).The results show that OSS-MC is more efficient than PSS-MC in calculating the Delta value.However,OSS-MC allocates simulation resources ineffectively and computes at slow speed.Considering the disadvantage of OSS-MC,adaptive Monte Carlo integration algorithm with general division was introduce to simulate the Delta value,and the results simulated by adaptive Monte Carlo integration algorithm were compared with general division and OSS-MC.It shows that the simulation results computed by the adaptive Monte Carlo integration algorithm are more accurate,more efficient with less variance and less error than that computed by OSS-MC.


In this paper we study the solvability of certain boundary and external boundary value problems for semilinear elliptic equations (5) ??? = ??(|??|)??, where ??(??) nonnegative, nondecreasing continuously differentiable function for ?? ? 0 on arbitrary non-compact Riemannian manifolds. In this article we compare the behavior of nonbounded functions "at infinity". In our research we use a new approach wich is based on the consideration of equivalence classes of functions on ?? (this approach for bounded solutions has been realized in [8]). Let ?? be an arbitrary smooth connected noncompact Riemannian manifold without boundary and let {????}??? =1 be an exhaustion of ??, i.e., a sequence of precompact open subsets of ?? such that ???? ? ????+1 and ?? = ????? =1 ????. Throughout the sequel, we assume that boundaries ?????? are ??1-smooth submanifolds. Let ??1 and ??2 be arbitrary continuous functions on ??. Say that ??1 and ??2 are equivalent on ?? and write ??1 ? ??2 if for some exhaustion {????}??? =1 of ?? we have lim ??>? sup ??????? |??1 ? ??2| = 0. It is easy to verify that the relation " ? " is an equivalence which does not depend on the choice of the exhaustion of the manifold and so partitions the set of all continuous functions on ?? into equivalence classes. Denote the equivalence class of a function ?? by [??]. Let ?? ? ?? be an arbitrary connected compact subset and the boundary of ?? is a ??1-smooth submanifold. Assume that the interior of ?? is non-empty and ?? ? ???? for all ??. Observe that if the manifold ?? has compact boundary or there is a natural geometric compactification of ?? (for example, on manifolds of negative sectional curvature or spherically symmetric manifolds) which adds the boundary at infinity, then this approach leads naturally to the classical statement of the Dirichlet problem. Denote by ???? the solution of equation (5) in ???? ? ?? which satisfies to conditions ????|???? = 1, ????|?????? = 0. Using the maximum principle, we can easily verify that the sequence ???? is uniformly bounded on ????? and so is compact in the class of twice continuously differentiable functions over every compact subset ?? ? ?? ? ??. Moreover, as ?? > ? this sequence increases monotonically and converges on ?? ? ?? to a solution of equation (5) ?? = lim ??>? ????, 0 0 such that 0 ? ??(??) ? ?? with ?? ? 0. We put in the equation (2) ??(??) ? ??. Also let ?? is an asymptotically nonnegative function on ??. We now formulate the main result. Theorem 1. Let ?? be an ?-strict manifold. Suppose that for every positive constant the exterior boundary value problems for the equations (1) and (2) are solvable on ?? ? ?? with boundary conditions of class [??]. Then: 1. for every continuous function ?(??) ? 0 on ???? the exterior boundary value problem for (5) is solvable on ?? ? ?? with boundary conditions of class [??]; 2. the boundary value problem for (5) is solvable on ?? with boundary conditions of class [??].


By modulating important properties of eukaryotic cells, many bacterial protein toxins highjack host signalling pathways to create a suitable niche for the pathogen to colonize and persist. Helicobacter pylori VacA is paradigm of pore-forming toxins which contributes to the pathogenesis of peptic ulceration. Several cellular receptors have been described for VacA, which exert different effects on epithelial and immune cells. The crystal structure of VacA p55 subunit might be important for elucidating details of receptor interaction and pore formation. Here we discuss the multiple signalling activities of this important toxin and the molecular crosstalk between VacA and other virulence factors.


PM2.5 is a well-known airborne hazard to cause various diseases. Evidence suggests that air pollution exposure contributes to the occurrence of pulmonary nodules. Pulmonary nodules detected on the computed tomography scans can be malignant or progress to malignant during follow-up. But the evidence of the association between PM2.5 exposure and pulmonary nodules was limited. To examine potential associations of exposures to PM2.5 and its major chemical constituents with the prevalence of pulmonary nodules. A total of 16 865 participants were investigated from eight physical examination centers in China from 2014 to 2017. The daily concentrations of PM2.5 and its five components were estimated by high-resolution and high-quality spatiotemporal datasets of ground-level air pollutants in China. The logistic regression and the quantile-based g-computation models were used to assess the single and mixture impact of air pollutant PM2.5 and its components on the risk of pulmonary nodules, respectively. Each 1 mg m−3 increase in PM2.5 (OR 1.011 (95% CI: 1.007–1.014)) was positively associated with pulmonary nodules. Among five PM2.5 components, in single-pollutant effect models, every 1 μg m−3 increase in organic matter (OM), black carbon (BC), and NO3 − elevated the risk of pulmonary nodule prevalence by 1.040 (95% CI: 1.025–1.055), 1.314 (95% CI: 1.209–1.407) and 1.021 (95% CI: 1.007–1.035) fold, respectively. In mixture-pollutant effect models, the joint effect of every quintile increase in PM2.5 components was 1.076 (95% CI: 1.023–1.133) fold. Notably, NO3 − BC and OM contributed higher risks of pulmonary nodules than other PM2.5 components. And the NO3 − particles were identified to have the highest contribution. The impacts of PM2.5 components on pulmonary nodules were consistent across gender and age.These findings provide important evidence for the positive correlation between exposure to PM2.5 and pulmonary nodules in China and identify that NO3 − particles have the highest contribution to the risk.


MOST of the ablation products obtained from a carbonphenolic ablator are polyatomic and the accurate estimation of interaction energies and transport properties for interactions involving polyatomic species is difficult. The peripheral force method for obtaining atom-molecule potentials has been applied to an interaction involving an ablation product and one of the major components of the Jovian atmosphere, the He-C2H interaction. The results obtained for the transport properties are in good agreement with results obtained using other, less detailed, methods. Thus it is suggested that the peripheral force method is useful for the calculation of transport properties for interactions involving ablation products. Contents Measurements of transport properties for most interactions involving ablation products have not been made, particularly at the extremes of temperature and pressure encountered during planetary entry. Thus transport properties must be calculated theoretically. However, most ablation products are polyatomic species and it is difficult to estimate accurately the transport properties for interactions involving polyatomic gases since the interaction potentials are usually either not known or must be crudely estimated. The peripheral force model has been proposed1 as a method for obtaining accurate orientation-averaged potentials for interactions involving polyatomic species. This method has been tested2 for a variety of linear, nonlinear, symmetric, and unsymmetric molecules by comparison with molecular beam data. The purpose of this synoptic is to demonstrate that the peripheral force method is a useful method for the calculation of ablative transport properties. Other methods are available3-4 for the estimation of transport "properties for interactions involving polyatomic species. However, these methods are either based on the use of universal (nonspecific) collision integrals3 or assume that all interactions can be accurately represented by the same empirical potential.4 The advantage of the peripheral force model is that many of the unique properties of a given interaction (such as geometry, bond lengths, and the form of the potential) enter into the calculations. However, the calculations are not significantly more complicated than those required if the less specific methods3'4 are used. The transport properties have been calculated for the He C2H interaction, using the peripheral force model. Helium is a major constituent of the outer planets and C2H is an im


When conducting polypectomy procedures, we noticed that it was difficult to control the direction of the snare wire used during resection – especially in the case of large polyps – since the force applied to open the wire acts only in the forward direction, and there is no means of ensuring that the snare wire will rotate in the same direction as the endoscope. Only the surgeon s skill can then be used for maneuvering and encircling the polyp.


The purpose of the paper is to reveal the rules of LUCC in southern Yunnan and the driving forces of spatial pattern change of cultivated land from 1980s to 1990s.ArcGIS was used to overlay the land use maps of the study area at different time periods and correlate spatially with relevant land cover change maps.SPSS software was applied to carry out correlation analysis of the influence factors of cultivated land change.The results indicate that the LUCC in the study area was dominated by the conversion between forestland and grassland,forestland-grassland and cultivated land.There were obvious spatial and temporal differences in the distribution pattern of cultivated land,which changed by elevation and slope.It is concluded the LUCC of southern Yunnan was influenced by natural,social and economic factors.The major factors were associated with policy,population and economic development,which reflected from one side the importance of strengthening the land administration of the area.


According to the lastest data,there has been a sharp rise of the rate of subhealth people in our society,especially in the groups of administers,enterprisers,technicians,lawyers,doctors,etc.,subhealth state is on the verge of illness.The countermeasures preventing people from going into subhealth state are suggested in light of the display of subhealth and the influence,of psychological factors of the society,on subhealth.


This paper considers identification of unknown parameters in elastic dynamic models of industrial robots. Identifying such models is a challenging task since an industrial robot is a multivariable, ...


Seeds of Strychnos nuxvomica Linn. were germinated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg/l gibberellic acid in an Erlenmayer flask under aseptic conditions at 25±1 o C in the dark. Segments (3 mm) excised from hypocotyl of the seedlings were inoculated on MS medium supplemented with various growth regulators at different concentrations. Cultures were maintained at 25±1 o C with 16-h illumination under fluorescent light (2000-3000 lux). After 10 days the callus turned brownish-green, bearing a few nodules. These shoot buds further differentiated into shoots within six weeks. Plantlets grew well, attaining a height of 5 cm in eight weeks in medium containing kinetin (2 mg/l) and NAA (1 mg/l) in combination


standard, and that a 1808 twist should easily be detected. Mr Durdey placed reliance on Mr Howes' operation note "dusky þ þ þ purple due to venous congestion". He considered that venous congestion of the bowel could have been caused by a twist at the root of the mesentery. In his opinion, the deceased's postoperative course was entirely consistent with a 1808 twist to the mesentery. Mr Scott, on the other hand, stated that the deceased would have become very ill within 24–48 hours if she had suffered a 1808 twist in the mesentery. Further, the anastomosis would have been the most vulnerable part of the patient's abdominal anatomy. Its healthy condition on the 5th of July when observed by Mr Howes suggested that there had not been any interference with its blood supply. Held: There was clear evidence that the deceased suffered an incomplete obstruction of her small bowel. Mr Howes, on the 5th of July, found adhesions which he had to release to relieve this obstruction. He noted that the obstruction was about 6 cms from the anastomosis, and described how the bowel was flattened and folded over itself along its longitudinal axis, giving rise to a rotation of 1808. His firm impression was that the twisting/folding of the bowel was due to the effect of adhesions around it. There were several difficulties with the Claimant's case that during the course of the first operation a twist occurred at the root of the mesentery of the small bowel. Mr Howes found no such twist. He said that it would have been obvious and visible. Similarly, both Mr Burns and Mr Carter said that no such twist (or indeed any twist) of the mesentery occurred during the course of the operation on the 23rd of June. It could not be concluded from Mr Howes' reference to "dusky þ þ þ purple due to venous congestion" that there was in fact venous congestion. The evidence of Mr Scott, the Trust's expert, was to the effect that if a patient is desperately ill (as Mrs Clements was) when operated upon, the guts are "sacrificed" by the body such that they do not have a good blood supply. That would account for the dusky and purple appearance. It therefore could not be inferred from the appearance of the small bowel that there was venous congestion. As to the patient's history subsequent to the first operation, Mr Scott's opinion that the development of severe clinical problems fitted with the development of an adhesive obstruction was to be accepted. That lent support to the Defendant's case. The fact that Mr Howes found the anastomosis to be healthy at the operation on the 5th of July likewise supported the Defendant. Mr Durdey accepted that the evidence showed that the anastomosis was healthy on that occasion. He agreed that if there had been a twist of the mesentery of the small bowel, he would have expected the anastomosis to be affected. The weight of the evidence therefore demonstrated that the anastomosis was properly formed on the 23rd of June 2008, and that there was no twist of the bowel or the mesentery at that time. Accordingly, there was no breach of duty by Mr Burns or Mr Carter, and the Claimant failed to establish liability. The evidence of the Trust's factual witnesses was clear and persuasive, and no reasons for rejecting it had been established. Michael Mylonas QC (instructed by Irwin Mitchell) appeared for the Claimant. Yaqub Rahman (instructed by Hill Dickinson) appeared for the Trust.


: The heart of the tip of the tongue when exposed to the sweet taste, or the huge market rising due to the demand for sugar, epitomizes the transformation of the society. Sugar was the catalyst of capitalism, through the slave trade, the plantation system, the system of slavery, and the subsequent factory industrial development, sugar demand and supply had become important economic drivers for thousands of years. Sucrose has changed from the scarcity to the cheaper corn syrup to the sugar substitute in the name of health, and the sweet history of mankind has witnessed the blood and evil in the development of capitalism. From the slave fields in Africa to the slaves working day after day in plantations to the difficult economic transition, the food industry has changed the way of sugar, with the flood of sweetness, and sweetness.


Geospatial technology that is, remote sensing (RS), geographical information system (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS) have proved to be an efficient tool in the field of modern day geographical and geological studies. GIS and Remote sensing techniques have been adopted for the identification of different morphological features and to analyze their existence in a hilly river basin of Meghalaya plateau, which is located in the two North-East Indian states of Meghalaya and Assam. Morphometric analysis of any drainage basin can be very much effective in determining the landform characteristics and the processes and components behind its development. The morphometric parameters of the study area have been discussed with respect to linear, areal and relief aspects. The geological formation of the basin area varies from Shillong group of rocks in the undulated hilly areas of Meghalaya plateau to unconsolidated river alluvium in the plain parts of Brahmaputra valley. It is a 7th order drainage basin and the entire drainage network can be defined as "Trellis" in nature. It has been observed that the drainage density value is in between medium to low which indicates that the basin has highly permeable sub-soil material and thick vegetative cover in the most of its areas. The moderate values of bifurcation ratio in the basin area indicates the possibilities of structural control over the development of the entire drainage network. The circularity ratio value reveals that the basin is elongated in shape and a predominance of highly permeable homogenous geologic material. The aim of the present study is to find out the various sets of inherent factors which were behind the formation of this river basin and its hydrologic nature.

 Key words: Umtrew River basin, drainage, morphometric, hydrologic, geographical information system (GIS).


Article Info Street vending foods are readily available sources of meals for many people, but the microbiological quality of such foods has been always in doubt. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial quality of legume and vegetable based foods and the hygienic practices of street vendors in Bahir Dar town. Sixty (60) food samples were collected from different locations. Aerobic mesophilic, total coliforms, fecal coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus counts was based on standard methods from December 2013 to June 2014. Out of the total samples, 28.3%, 33.3%, 18.3% and 51.7% of the foods were above acceptable limit for aerobic mesophilic count, S. aureus, total coliforms and thermotolerant, respectively. While S. aureus and thermotolerant coliforms were not detected in 1(21.7%) and 29(48.3%) of the food samples, respectively. Only 7(11.7%) out of the total sample was hazardous due to high mean count of S. aureus. There were no statistically significance differences (i.e., p>0.05) in bacterial counts between the two food items. On the other hands, most of the water samples used to wash ready to eat foods and utensils in food preparation were contaminated and above WHO drinking water standards. In addition, an observational checklist showed as majority of the food handlers did not practice hand washing during food preparation and serve prepared foods without reheating. Most of the ready-to-eat foods were contaminated and they can pose potential risks to consumers and therefore the local authority should emphasize on educating the ready-to-eat food handlers on food and personal hygiene to ensure the hygienic standards and food safety. Accepted: 04 April 2019 Available Online: 20 May 2019


Research accomplishments include: Surface Energy Measurement - Differential optical reflectance was used to measure the optical transitions in aluminum and its alloys. The semi-empirical correlation developed earlier was used to calculate the surface energy from the measured transition energies. Predicted surface energies, using the model, were in close agreement with experimentally determined surface energies found in the literature. Wettability Predictions - Wettability studies are based on surface tension measurements from the capillary rise experiment. A mechanism, assuming a defect-rich oxide interlayer at the interface, was proposed to explain the non-wetting behavior of the Al/SiC system. Interfacial Bond Energies - The measured surface energies were used to predict the interfacial bond energies using a work of decohesion model. Punch shear tests were used to make relative determinations of bond strengths for several aluminum alloy/SiC systems. The predicted bond energy trends correlated well with the observed bond strengths.


Background  Patients with acromegaly are at moderately increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and may be considered for screening colonoscopy. In turn, large bowel dimensions may be increased in these patients, factors that predict for increased risk of serious complications such as perforation.


In this paper, the author presents mediation as a service activity in the criminal proceedings on the one hand, and as a way of resolving disputes on the other. Mediation has not been examined so far, and the author, being aware that we live in the 21st century which is called the century of services and service justice, and for a good reason, analyzes introduction of this type of service into the system of criminal law which traditionally represents a branch of public law and is distinguished by ius cogens norms. Mediation is viewed and analyzed as a way of resolving disputes in criminal proceedings with its significance emphasized through broad application in comparative law and through international standards in that field. Furthermore, an overview of the provisions on the mediation procedure in the applicable criminal procedure legislation is given. In the Code of Criminal Procedure, mediation is regulated in the framework of the provisions on summary proceedings conducted under a private lawsuit.


We present images and spectroscopy of objects close to the sight line of Q2302+029 in order to search for galaxies responsible for the remarkable z = 0.7 high-ionization absorption-line system found by Jannuzi et al. This system shows "normal" narrow O VI, N V, and C IV lines superimposed on broader (3000-5000 km s-1 wide), unsaturated absorption troughs some 56,000 km s-1 away from the QSO emission redshift (zem = 1.052). Despite reaching sensitivities sufficient to detect 1/10L* galaxies in the optical and 1/20L* in the infrared, we are unable to detect any obvious bright galaxies that might be responsible for the absorption beyond ≈6 h-1 kpc of the sight line. This supports the hypotheses that the absorption is either intrinsic to the QSO or arises in intracluster gas. Adopting either explanation is problematic: in the first case, "associated" absorption at such high ejection velocities is difficult to understand, and challenges the conventional discrimination between intrinsic and extrinsic absorbers; in the second case, the gas must reside in a ~40 h-1 Mpc long filament aligned along the line of sight in order to reproduce the broad absorption. Since the absorption system is unusual, such a chance alignment might not be unreasonable. Spectroscopy of objects beyond the immediate vicinity of the QSO sight line reveals a galaxy cluster at z = 0.59, which coincides with strong Lyα and more narrow high-ionization lines in the quasar spectrum. Here, too, the lack of galaxies at distances comparable to those found for, e.g., Lyα-absorbing galaxies, suggests that the absorption may arise from intracluster gas unassociated with any individual galaxies.


The authors have previously identified a lipoxygenase product profile in the acetic acid-induced model of colonic inflammation in the rat and have demonstrated utility of this model in evaluating inhibitors of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism under in vitro conditions. They now demonstrate efficacy of an inhibitor of AA metabolism in this model under in vivo conditions. Male rats were pretreated with either nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) (50 mg/kg, p.o.) or vehicle for 3 consecutive days prior to induction of colonic inflammation with intraluminal administration of 2 mls of 5% acetic acid. After sacrifice, colonic mucosa was removed and incubated in the presence and absence of Ca/sup 2 +/ ionophore, A23187 (2 ..mu..M) for 5 min at 37/sup 0/C. Production of AA metabolites (LTB/sub 4/, 5-HETE, PGE/sub 2/, TxB/sub 2/) was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. NDGA treatment caused a significant inhibition of metabolite production (LTB/sub 4/, 5-HETE, PGE/sub 2/, TxB/sub 2/) compared to vehicle controls. This inhibition was evident in both ionophore-stimulated and non-stimulated samples. These results show that intestinal AA metabolism can be inhibited by in vivo drug administration and further suggest that this animal model may provide a simple means for evaluating potential therapies for inflammatorymore » bowel disease.« less


Palythoa toxica is a coral that is often sold to aquarium holders. It contains one of the most toxic substances known to human: palytoxin. It is important for clinicians to recognize this potential lethal intoxication. A 39 year old man presented to the Emergency Department (ED) complaining of rigors, dyspnea, dizziness, atypical chest pain, tremor, and dysarthria. Medical history taking revealed that he was a professional coral dealer. He recalled accidental dermal exposure to mucus of Palythoa toxica four hours before symptoms started. His laboratory tests showed signs of muscular and cardiac damage. He was admitted to the hospital and had a full recovery. Intoxications with palytoxin are potentially lethal. Since the Palythoa coral is often sold to new aquarium holders there is probably an underreporting of cases as many patients and doctors would not link the symptoms to coral exposure. In the setting of an emergency department, physicians should be aware of the symptoms of palytoxin intoxication, including patients with rhabdomyolysis, and ask patients with relevant symptoms about potential contact with corals.


: This study considers the task of applying artificial intelligence to recognize bank fraud. In recent years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bank fraud has become even more common due to the massive transition of many operations to online platforms and the creation of many charitable funds that criminals can use to deceive users. The present work focuses on machine learning algorithms as a tool well suited for analyzing and recognizing online banking transactions. The study's scientific novelty is the development of machine learning models for identifying fraudulent banking transactions and techniques for preprocessing bank data for further comparison and selection of the best results. This paper also details various methods for improving detection accuracy, i.e., handling highly imbalanced datasets, feature transformation, and feature engineering. The proposed model, which is based on an artificial neural network, effectively improves the accuracy of fraudulent transaction detection. The results of the different algorithms are visualized, and the logistic regression algorithm performs the best, with an output AUC value of approximately 0.946. The stacked generalization shows a better AUC of 0.954. The recognition of banking fraud using artificial intelligence algorithms is a topical issue in our digital society.


Through the analysis of wrong translation of many English euphemisms in the classical English writings, it is stressed that euphemism translation should be based on the translator's full understanding of the original writings and the implied meanings of euphemism. The linguistic features of the euphemism should be reflected in the Chinese version to maintain the original writing style.


The reasons why we care about soil fauna are related to their intrinsic, utilitarian and functional values. The intrinsic values embrace aesthetic or moral reasons for conserving below-ground biodiversity. Unfortunately, the protection of soil invertebrates has rarely been a criterion for avoiding changes in land use and management. Utilitarian, or direct use values, have been investigated more extensively for fungi, bacteria and marine invertebrates than for soil fauna. However, some traditional remedies, novel enzymes and pharmaceutical compounds have been derived from earthworms, termites and other groups, and gut symbionts may provide microbial strains with interesting properties for biotechnology. The functional importance of soil invertebrates in ecosystem processes has been a major focus of research in recent decades. It is suggested herein that it is rarely possible to identify the role of soil invertebrates as rate determinants of soil processes at plot and ecosystem scales of hectares and above because other biophysical controls override their effects. There are situations, however, where the activities of functional groups of soil animals, even of species, are synchronised in space or time by plant events, resource inputs, seasonality or other perturbations to the system, and their emergent effects are detectable as higher order controls.


The invention relates to an ambient light unit and method for adjusting an ambient light in a vehicle; the ambient light unit (1) comprises a lighting element (2) used for generating ambient light and an touch sensitive input element (3) used for adjusting lighting intensity and/or hue of the ambient light; the touch sensitive input element (3) is arranged close to the lighting element (2).


The main objective of this study is to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of Xanthuim strumarium L. Disc diffusion and broth serial dilution tests were used to determine the antibacterial activity of the ethanol extract on two Gram-positive strains ( Bacillus subtilus NCIM 2718, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923) and three Gram-negative bacterial strains ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniea ATCC 70063 and Eschrichia coli ATCC 25922). The ethanol extract of the root of plant was subjected to preliminary phytochemical analysis. Free radical scavenging activity of the ethanol extract at different concentration was determined with 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide free radical free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxide inhibition activity. Ethanol extract showed inhibition in all the organisms under test. The result from the present study shows that the ethanol extract of X. strumarium has antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity may be attributed to the presence of tannins, flavonoids and triterpinoids and phenolic acids in the ethanol extract. The antibacterial and antioxidant activity exhibited by the ethanol extract can be corroborated to the usage of this plant in Indian folk medicine.


This work has the objective of production and electrical characterization of tellurite thin films containing gold nanoparticles for microelectronic applications. Thin films have been produced by magnetron sputtering from ceramic tellurite and metallic gold targets. It was developed an appropriate methodology for the gold nanoparticles nucleation by means of heat treatment. Gold nanoparticles were nucleated in order to be observed the influence on the electrical properties. The films were deposited on silicon substrate and, to the electrical measurements, aluminium islands were deposited on the film, using the conventional processes of microelectronics: chemical cleaning, deposition by sputtering and evaporation. With purpose to check the metallic nanoparticles nucleation, transmission electron microscopy measurements were performed and indicated the presence of crystalline metallic nanoparticles, with spherical shape and with average size between 1.5 and 5 nm. Other characterization techniques were used as atomic force microscopy, profilometry and electrical measurements to obtain the capacitance and conductance curves. Films have been produced with different thicknesses with and without gold nanoparticles. From capacitance measurement, it was possible to determine the metallic nanoparticles influence on the dielectric constant (k). The results obtained showed the increase of k of about 70% with the presence of gold nanoparticles. We have to remark the results obtained for thin films with 32.8 nm thickness with k varying from 9.4 to 12.2, for heat treatments during 10 and 20 h, respectively. The material studied has possible applications in microelectronics as high-k dielectrics for capacitors and transistors MOS, and as passivation layer for power devices.


The 15th biennial conference of the British Dam Society (BDS) took place at the University of Warwick between 10 and 13 September 2008. In keeping with recent tradition the proceedings were officially opened by the associate dean of the university, Dr Tony Price, who welcomed us all to the campus and wished us a successful conference. In his opening address he emphasised the importance of dams and reservoirs to modern society and with the ageing stock of reservoirs in the UK he recognised the important work that is needed to maintain their safety. This theme was of course reflected in the title of the conference, 'Ensuring reservoir safety into the future'.


Managing research in universities and other research institutions is mainly carried out as managing each research activity as a project. Implementation of the project management method used in universities and other research institutions was a scope of a pilot study conducted. The results indicate that in most cases universities and other research institutions do not apply comprehensive solutions in research project management. A definition adopted for a comprehensive solution is providing institutional (university or other research institution) support for project managers during all of technology process stages. Institutional support means preparing employees to act as project managers, improving and updating project managers' knowledge, establishing project management procedures according to the best practice, working out organizational, financial and legal solutions, that would lead to a research project success. Universities use only some of project management system elements. Projects planning, carrying out and budget management are most commonly used. Fewer institutions apply risk management, scope and changes management, time and quality management and personnel employing and motivating management. It is common for universities to have administration units supporting project managers at the stage of project proposal preparation and project running. Fewer institutions perform central data collection and using projects' knowledge, as well as providing trainings for project managers. Applying IT solutions in project management are not frequently used. All of this points to the fact that project management in universities and other research institutions should be of a systemic nature. A comprehensive model of research projects management system for such institutions has not been designed so far. There is a need to design such a model as one of the conditions necessary to improve innovation process efficiency. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to conduct further study of universities and other research institutions in other countries, especially those having better results in implementing innovation. These experiences would be a basis for determining all research project management system elements, as well as their relations to other innovation process elements.


This study aims to understand how to create superior quality human resources in Madrasah Aliyah Nurul Jadid, Paiton, Probolinggo, East Java. This research is a case study qualitative research, in which researchers seek to understand the phenomena in improving the quality of superior human resources in madrasas. The results of this study indicate that the efforts made by madrasas in creating excellent quality human resources are carried out through, first, in-service training, namely education and training efforts to improve the competence and skills of teachers and employees. Second, the creation of an organizational culture that can encourage success. Third, making clear standard operating procedures to ensure that all decisions made are carried out correctly. Fourth, supervision and assessment as a medium that knows and measures the performance of existing resources.


The Construction Sector in Portugal shows high numbers of fatal accidents, with special occurrences in falls from height, crushing, burying and electrocution: From the 115 accidents in 2009, 56 came from this sector (ACT, 2009). So, it is important to understand better these matters bearing in mind what can be improved to minimize those numbers, namely what continues not to work properly and adequately. In this way, a research study was designed aiming to know and to analyze the content of the official reports related to fatal accidents. The Authority for Working Conditions (ACT) is the national body responsible for inspections and regulations in this field. Small and medium companies (SME) are the critical organizations, where safety procedures are not in place, nor legal regulations respected. The sequence of events was identified leading to fatal accidents.


Mangrove becomes main ecosystem that the more important supporting life in coastal regions. Subang regency is one of areas in West Java that still has mangrove region. The result of data analysis LANDSAT-TM Multitemporal that show in the period 1988-1992 had happened mangrove areas reduction (of 2.087,7 ha to be 958,2 ha) that caused by activities of land conversion including the expansion of fishpond areas, while the addition of board (to 3.074,3 ha) in the period 1992-1995 that show the successes of social forestry which was conducted through tumpang sari fishpond/wanamina/silvofishery.The utilization of mangrove for wanamina in the regency of Subang is currently undergoing rapid development so that required assessment of the sustainability of resources and against efforts have been done in wanamina. One of tools used to evaluate the sustainability of mangrove management with wanamina system is Rapid Appraisal for Fisheries (RAPFISH) that is a method of assessment of the sustainability of fisheries based on multidimensional scaling. The objectives this study were (a) to calculate the level of business feasibility with wanamina system, and (b) to determine the status of sustainability of mangrove management with wanamina system in coastal Blanakan, Subang. The study was conducted in coastal Langensari village Blanakan district Subang Regency, Province of West Java for three months in October until December 2014. Wanamina activities conducted in coastal Langensari has a level feasibility is quite effective and efficient. The economic analysis of four parameters under consideration entirely show a positive contribution to sustainability of wanamina, i.e. (a) there are a large number of species that is utilizing of mangrove, (b) existence of interaction biofisik, (c) across the result of cultivation of fish/shrimp and non cultivation of mangrove large enough, and (4) low input from the activities of wanamina.The results of ordinasi RAPFISH impact on all dimensions of sustainability, whether the ecology dimension, economic dimension, social dimension and multidimension entirely show "enough sustained status" with the value of the index was at >50-75 hose value. This condition can reflect that mangrove management with wanamina system in coastal Blanakan, Subang regency be in state of being sufficient optimal. Based on analysis of Leverage in the method RAPFISH there are seven sensitive indicators contributed to the sustainability index, i.e. (a) water quality, (b) density of mangrove, (c) market of fishpond yields, (d) job types, (e) the status of land ownership of fishponds, (f) work pattern, and (g) the level of public education.


All nurses and health care professionals are accountable for their clinical practice and are required to be consumers of research ( 1 ). Being able to interpret and evaluate the research literature is an essential requirement for all nurses.


Beijng Diction-Network Technology Co., Ltd. combined with the artificially intelligent lab of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications as well as Nanjing University to research and develop the automatic marking system of English writing. The scores marked by this artificially intelligent system and English teachers are similar, which consistent rate is up to92.03%, based on the Nanjing University Final Test Scores. Since September of 2012, the comparative research experiment was carried out, and plenty of experimental data were collected in order to analyze the effects and results of the application of artificially intelligent marking system in the college English writing classes. Data of two writing tests were analyzed and compared by the software SPSS. It is concluded that this artificially intelligent marking system of English writing not only improves teachers' working efficiency but also enhances students' writing skills by providing them with more chances to practice writing essays.


Mountains are invaluable ecosystems for human well-being, providing key services such as water and food, along with opportunities for forestry and biodiversity conservation. These systems are particularly sensitive to environmental changes, being under an unprecedented rate of change in the last century (K€orner, 2003;Dainese et al., 2017).While the direct consequences of global warming and land-use changes on plant distribution along elevational gradients have been increasingly monitored in the last few decades, other critical aspects such as the spread of the nonnative species have received less attention (Pauchard et al., 2009). The establishment of nonnative species outside their distributional range has been proposed to be facilitated by disturbances (Hobbs & Huenneke, 1992) and assisted by plantsymbiotic mycorrhizal fungi (Pringle et al., 2009). However, until now, these two processes have not been analysed simultaneously along an elevational gradient. In this issue ofNewPhytologist, Clavel et al. (2021; pp. 1156–1168) showed, for the first time, that human-driven soil disturbances increase the occurrence and richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, along with the abundance of their nonnative host plant species in sensitive mountain ecosystems. This finding enables us to take a big step towards a better understanding of the invasion processes at high elevations. Additionally, this finding is opening new avenues about how, and where disturbances can act synergistically with plantsymbiotic microbes, promoting the spread of nonnative plant species.


▪ Abstract It is technologically important to understand how halogens react with semiconductor surfaces because halogen compounds are commonly used to etch semiconductor wafers in the microelectronics industry. Halogens are also model adsorbates for studying chemisorption on covalently bonded materials, such as semiconductors, owing to the simple nature of the bonds that they form. The growing use of III-V materials in the manufacture of optoelectronic devices has prompted investigations of the reactions of molecular halogens (XeF2, Cl2, Br2, and I2) with III-V semiconductor surfaces (GaAs, GaSb, InP, InAs, and InSb). This review examines the more fundamental of these investigations, which involve model systems in ultra-high vacuum, focusing on the chemistry of the halogen surface reactions and the physical and electronic structure of the reacted surfaces.


Xenoantibodies show a particular reactivity to endothelial cells of multiple species. This cross-reactivity is considered negligible in most of the cases, and xenoantibodies are disregarded in assays determining anti-endothelial cell antibodies. However, there is also evidence that xenoantibodies may cause apoptosis to endothelial cells of several species. In this study we examined in non-human primates the characteristics of anti-porcine xenoantibodies targeting non-galactose α1,3-galactose (Gal) antigens, boosted by exposure to porcine red blood cells (PRBC) and the depletion of anti-Gal antibodies with GAS914. Production of anti-non-Gal antibodies correlated on day 10 with an augmented IgM and IgG antibody reactivity to L35 (porcine lymphoblastic cells). On days 20 and 30 there was an increased binding of IgG to AOC-40 (porcine endothelial cells), which paralleled an IgG antibody binding to HMEC-1 (human microvascular endothelial cells). These antibodies caused the apoptosis of AOC-40 and HMEC-1 cells through two different pathways, with and without DNA fragmentation, respectively. Western blotting of anti-non-Gal antibodies showed the increased intensity of several protein bands in AOC-40 and HMEC-1 lysates, and the transient detection of a few new bands, compared to samples before PRBC injection. Treatment with cyclophosphamide in one animal led to the virtual disappearance of anti-non-Gal antibody binding to AOC-40 and HMEC-1 proteins without modifying the cell surface antibody reactivity or apoptosis of these cells. Therefore, exposure of baboons to PRBC increases xenoantibody binding to porcine lymphoblastic cells and to porcine and human endothelial cells. The xenoantibodies caused apoptosis of porcine and human endothelial cells by apparently targeting non-protein antigens. This study substantiates a cross-reactivity of xenoantibodies to endothelial cells from different species, which may be particularly relevant if there is a xenogeneic exposure. In this setting, disregarding these antibodies may impair the proper assessment of the prevalence and role of anti-endothelial cell antibodies in human and animal disorders.


Title Type selected letters of gustav mahler PDF gustav mahler letters to his wife PDF gustav mahler memories and letters PDF gustav mahler vol 3 vienna triumph and disillusion 1904-1907 PDF gustav mahler visionary and despot portrait of a personality translated by ernest bernhardt-kabisch PDF selected letters martha gellhorn PDF the selected letters of willa cather PDF kerouac selected letters vol 2 1957 1969 PDF the book of letters how to write powerful and effective letters for every occasion from business letters to thank you letters PDF


MORE THAN ONE in three nurses would leave nursing if they could, while 8 per cent have firm plans to leave the profession within the next two years, the RCN's evidence to the pay review body reveals.


This paper presents detailed analysis of a very unusual event--a recent six-year period during which big excess returns were earned on the short-term interest-bearing assets of a small open economy: Australia. A risk premium does not explain the excess return. Rather than requiring a risk premium, market participants continually expected significant real depreciation of the Australian dollar, despite the fact that on average it appreciated in real terms. The authors' results may be a consequence of the foreign exchange market only gradually learning about the changed nature of the world capital market in the 1980s. Copyright 1994 by The Economic Society of Australia.


Solar cookers are one of the best choices with respect to clean energy. However, how to use them is not very well-known in our society and for this reason many people are ignorant as to how they work.
Solar cookers are a CO2-free alternative, but throughout history there has been a lot of models and designs, all with the aim of obtaining a more efficient solar cooker, because efficiency is one of the disadvantages of solar cooking compared to other stoves.
This thesis project has been carried out in order to improve efficiency, so the solar cooker built in one single body will be useful for further work carried out by the National University of Loja within the Department of Energy, Industry and Non-Renewable Natural Resources.
For the design of this stove, prototypes previously implemented at the National University of Loja, have been considered, as the principle is the same. For its construction, malleable based materials were sought to shape the desired parabola. As we are aware, a parabola solar cooker is more efficient than a solar box cooker, but their construction is more complex, and up until now the University hasn't been able to construct one and has only built parabolic cookers in segments or parts.
For the reflective surface, various surface finishes that were both available and within budget which could be used were analyzed. A cost-benefit analysis, took into consideration two finishes for the reflective surface of the stove: one was chrome and the other a polyurethane paint whose color gave off most reflectivity.


In the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is 25 per 1000 live births, the most common causes of infant mortality in DIY are low birth weight (LBW) and sepsis. LBW is most commonly found in Sleman Regency as many as 823 babies. One of the management of LBW babies is exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding coverage in Yogyakarta City in 2015 was 71.62%. The purpose of this study is to obtain information on the differences in the success of exclusive breastfeeding between counseling and education. In addition, it is to understand the relationship of extraneous variables (age, education, occupation, parity) with the success of exclusive breastfeeding in mothers who breastfeed a baby with a history of LBW.The type of this research was Quasi-Experimental, Posttest Only Control Design, using breastfeeding mother respondent who had a 4-months-old baby with a history of LBW as much as 51 people, sample as much as 30 people based on minimum sample size for the experiment. The location of the research was in 14 working area of community health center in Sleman Regency. The determination of the samples in each location was determined based on Proportional Random Sampling. The instrument used in determining the success of exclusive breastfeeding was a questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test and Chi-square test with a significance level of 0.05.The results showed no significant difference in the success of exclusive breastfeeding between the groups of counseling and education (p-value 0.414). Education and parity had a significant relationship to the success of exclusive breastfeeding (p-value 0.003 and p-value 0-016).


Terahertz (THz) radiation is a very appealing band of the electromagnetic spectrum due to its practical applications. In this context, the THz generation and manipulation is an essential part of the technological development. The demand of THz antennas is still high because it is already difficult to obtain directive, efficient, planar, low-cost, and easy-to-fabricate THz radiating systems. In this regard, Fabry-Perot cavity leaky-wave antennas are gaining increasing attention at THz, due to their very interesting radiating features: the combination of planar designs with metamaterials and metasurfaces could offer a promising platform for future THz manipulation technologies. In this short review, we focus on different classes of leaky-wave antennas, based on materials with tunable quasi-optical parameters. The possibility of producing directive patterns with particularly good efficiencies, as well as the capability of dynamically reconfiguring their radiating features, are discussed by taking into account the risk of increasing costs and fabrication complexity.


The starting device for an internal combustion engine (102) having a crank shaft (102b) and a plurality of cylinders (102a), of which a cylinder (102a) is a Expansionshubzylinder which performs immediately when starting the internal combustion engine an expansion stroke, wherein the start device comprises a fuel into the Expansionshubzylinder injects and ignites to start the internal combustion engine (102) without assistance of a starter, marked by a prediction unit (100) which predicts a state of the crank shaft (102b) when the internal combustion engine is to be started by injecting and igniting the fuel in the Expansionshubzylinder; and a determination unit (101) that determines based on the predicted state of the crank shaft (102b) if a starter (104) for assisting a movement of the crank shaft (102b) is to be started.


It is widely reported that several institutions of higher learning in various parts of the world attempted to mitigate the risks of learning disruptions occasioned by school closures, by switching to the online system of education. In the Nigerian context however the field experience component of teacher education witnessed an unprecedented setback as the online system that was later activated in some universities failed to factor the component into the alternative arrangement. Given that the present COVID-19 is not likely to be the last, as established by various reports including the World Bank December, 2021 document, the exercise may have to be suspended or delayed whenever there are emergency school closure. This paper attempts to formulate a COVID-19 compliant field experience framework for the Nigerian setting. The formulation is based on findings from a survey of emerging COVID-19 focussed alternatives and preservice teachers. The paper whose context comprises three Nigerian public universities where the lead researcher was, at different times, a field experience assessor employs a combination of a survey method, the philosophical method, observation, document analysis, and creative synthesis. The literature, findings from the survey and online interviews with student teachers constitute the bases of the formulation.


An exhaust diffuser for a turbo machine includes a diffuser which is arranged on a turbine rotor and aligned with an axis of the turbine rotor. The diffuser is arranged to turbine exhaust gas is substantially through 90 degrees from a first flow direction along the first axis to deflect. An exhaust chamber is in fluid communication with and encloses an outlet of a diffuser. The exhaust chamber is in fluid communication with a connecting channel, which is configured to provide exhaust gas for another turbomachine. The exhaust chamber widens by volume between the diffuser and the communicating passage.


Stress has an unfavorable effect on male reproductive system. The aim of the work was to study the morphological changes in testicular tissues of Wistar rats in chronic stress according to Ortiz. We detected hyperemia of vessels, reduction of the diameter of seminiferous tubules, exfoliation of the seminiferous epithelium from the basement membrane, and also destructive changes in the seminiferous epithelium including development of necrosis in the testis of the rats after stress.


A Weibull distribution was fit to the osteosarcoma death times of beagles given single intravenous injections of /sup 239/Pu. For injected doses in the range 0 to 1 ..mu..Ci/kg the osteosarcoma incidence rate h(t) at t days after injection can be fit by a quadratic function of the injected dose. The best fitting linear function was rejected by the data (p < 0.001). A different formula for h(t), derived from amultistage theory for osteosarcoma induction, was also fit to these data. For this purpose microdosimetry calculations were used to estimate the dose to the cells at risk in the endosteal layer (endosteal dose). According to the best fit, h(t) is a quadratic function of endosteal dose at low doses. A linear dose-response relationship was agan rejected. The absence of a linear component at low doses might be explained by the fact that 108 of the 185 animals injected at the lowest doses (< 0.02 ..mu..Ci/kg) were still alive at the time these data were collected.


This paper focuses on a kind of welding type low-temperature high pressure valve how to meet the requirement of low temperature impact toughness of the weld and proposes a special welding process which is successful by production practices.


Abstract : It is estimated that about one million tons of nonvolatile petroleum products are dumped into the ocean every year. Typically, these products congeal into slowly hardening lumps which are only gradually oxidized (over periods of months), and which can therefore drift for long distances. Technical problems associated with the enforcement of pollution control laws are discussed, and possible means are given for solving these problems, and for providing defenses against pollution. Data requirements for further studies are specified. Enforcement of preventive legislation would be facilitated if it were possible to identify unequivocally the source of the pollutant. A scheme for doing this, involving the use of minute quantities (0.00001 mole per ton of cargo) of tritiated hydrocarbon additives, is discussed. Potential health hazards, cost and instrumentation considerations, and other aspects of the use of such additives are surveyed. It is concluded that the technique poses no foreseeable health hazard, that it is economically feasible, and that the investment required for identification instrumentation is nominal.


The Korea-China exchange in calligraphic activities in the 19th century has frequently issued Seal Script and Clerical Script styles of Deng shiru(鄧石如, 1743-1805) and his followers. This paper examines how this Beipai(碑派) calligraphic style from Ching dynasty came to be introduced and understood in Korea, and in which process the introduced style came to be accepted to local calligraphic circles. For working on the above missions, this paper thoroughly goes through the below three points: Firstly, Beipai calligraphic circle was led by Deng shiru and his followers. Secondly, Joseon calligraphic circles came to widely favoured Clerical Script as Kim Jeonghee preferred it. Lastly, as for the understanding exchange networks between Korea-China calligraphic activities, almost all Ching calligraphers who associated Joseon calligraphers, were from Jiangzhe( Jiangsu江蘇 and Zhejiang浙江). This paper develops discourses based on the above points. Calligraphers who initiated the style of Deng shiru and his followers, are mainly Lee Sangjeok, Oh Gyeongseok, and Kim Seokjun under the Kim Jeonghee"s supervision and Park Gyusu and Min Yeongik followed them. These calligraphers associated various Ching calligraphers. Among them, there are Zhang Yaosun(張曜孫), his companions including one of his diciples, Fang Shuo(方朔), and Zhao Zhiqian(趙之謙), Wu Dacheng(吳大?), Wu Changshuo(吳昌碩) from Shanghai circle who followed Deng shiru style. They introduced a number of calligraphic works by exchanging various calligraphers from Ching dynasty. Meanwhile, its introducing aspects show that Palbun(八分) was predominant in the late 19th century, while Seal Script with consideration of the previous flows, was so in the early 20th century. The significance of introducing and accepting Beipai calligraphic style from Ching dynasty can be summarized in two points: first of all, it contributed to connecting the 19th century calligraphic circles with modern circles. Kim Taeseok succeeded the trend of Kim Jeonghee"s style in the amid of modern calligraphic development which Kim Jeonghee style was predominant. Secondly, it facilitated development of various styles. The early 20th century witnessed various styles in visual aspects, and tried formative interpretation. In other words, a new possibility to the calligraphic circles of the time, in which Joseon calligraphic tradition mixed with styles from Ching and Japan.


The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating an acute lung injury or an acute respiratory distress syndrome comprising copper peptide, a functional health food composition for preventing or alleviating the acute lung injury or the acute respiratory distress syndrome comprising copper peptide, and a method of preventing or treating the acute lung injury or the acute respiratory distress syndrome, comprising a step of administering the pharmaceutical composition to a subject having a chance of developing the acute lung injury or the acute respiratory distress syndrome, or suffering from the acute lung injury or the acute respiratory distress syndrome. A composition containing GHK-Cu of the present invention has shown excellent therapeutic effects in an acute lung injury or an acute respiratory distress syndrome-induced animal model, and thus may be widely used in the prevention, treatment or alleviation of the acute lung injury or the acute respiratory distress syndrome.


The influence of the flame retardant chemical tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate, and the related chemical species, tripropyl phosphate and 2,3-dibromopropanol, on the products of pyrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate), has been examined as a function of chemical concentration. The species containing phosphourus only and bromine only had little effect on the composition and concentration of the pyrolysis products. The tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate had a significant effect upon the pyrolysis product distribution, and is capable of influencing the decomposition reactions of poly(ethylene terephthalate).


It is through a historical examination of the place of the object within Africanist kinship studies that this article proposes to address certain transformations, both theoretical and empirical, that have occurred over the years. The article maintains that Africanist kinship studies took a serious look at the relationships people have with objects long before the "materiality turn" and that this can be explained, at least in part, by the role that objects have long played in the production and negotiation of kinship relations "on the ground" across Africa. "Classical" Africanist studies therefore prefigure, in a way, a future theoretical orientation on materiality. Following a historical overview of this important field of study, I examine two "kinship objects" chosen for their transformative role in the constitution and redefinition of kinship relationships: cellphones and cement. Although the objects themselves have changed, their role in the construction of kinship relationships remains cardinal. Indeed, if African societies have long preferred to convert objects into social relationships, objects are all the more socially valued for it.


In this work we demonstrate how a novel single free electron detector "Timed Photon Counter" (TiPC) may benefit from ultra-thin MgO transmission dynodes (tynodes). These membranes are fabricated through MEMS process technologies, with atomic layer deposition (ALD) as the most apt technique for growing films of good quality, with excellent control over thicknesses and extremely low surface roughness. Large area arrays of ultra-thin (5–25 nm) free-standing MgO membranes are fabricated and characterized to determine the optimal thickness for application of ALD MgO in TiPC. Supremacy of MgO over other materials previously considered, such as SiN, Al2O3, SiC, Si is verified. The exceptional mechanical (low stress in particular, −200 MPa), chemical and electrical properties of MgO make this material a very attractive candidate for numerous MEMS applications, as the MEMS transmission dynodes in the timed photon counter.


To the Editor. —The binocular indirect laser has been used in the treatment of various retinal disorders: photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy, central retinal vein occlusion with rubeosis iridis, branch retinal vein occlusion with neovascularization, and proliferative sickle cell retinopathy. It has also been used for the prophylactic treatment of retinal tears1and in pneumatic repair of primary and secondary retinal detachments.2We have recently found this laser delivery system very useful in the treatment of young patients with Coats' disease. Coats' disease, or retinal telangiectasia with secondary subretinal exudate, is usually a unilateral condition that predominantly affects males. Coats' disease is often diagnosed in early childhood and may be more severe in patients under 4 years of age than in older patients. The natural history of this disease tends toward the development of a total retinal detachment; however, a few eyes may stabilize or regress without


In this paper the sythesis and application of a new type food addiitive-cocrystallized xylitol/sorbitol compositions were studied. The effects of operating conditions on the sythesis were examined and the properties of cocrystallized xylitol/sorbitol compositions were validated. The results show that the cocrystallized xylitol/sorbitol compositions absorbs little moisture from the air and is easy to condense at adding seed temperature of 80 ℃, seed to melt compositions ratio of 5 %,agitating rate of 20 revolutions per minute, dropping to 45 ℃ in 1.5 hours. When the cocrystallized xylitol/sorbitol compositions tableted, the tablets appear smooth and is easily preservable and satisfy the clients.


The majority of distribution systems are either unearthed or indirectly earthed, resulting in practically no zero sequence voltages and currents during normal operation. Based on this assumption, a novel three phase load flow algorithm is proposed. The three phase power at the PQ node is first decomposed into positive sequence power, negative sequence power and the coupled power. The load flow for the positive sequence network can then be solved using conventional iterative algorithms, and the negative sequence network load flow can be solved by means of simple algebra. Finally, the three phase load flow is obtained by inverse symmetrical component transformation. In this algorithm, the unbalanced three phase load flow is simplified into positive sequence power flow. With the order of Jacobian matrix reduced from 3n times 3n to n times n, the complexity and computational cost are reduced significantly. The load flow analysis of a real 28-node distribution system confirms the validity of the proposed algorithm.


Through roller mechanical model analysis about the material extruded process of flat mould forming machine,the theoretical calculation formula of pressure,spindle power,ratio of roller and flat die radius are derived.Through roller motion analysis,the key component of forming machine is designed to taper roller.Through testing and wear analysis,it is proved that the design of taper roller improved the performance of biofuel flat mould forming machine.It has great practical value.


In the first study of its kind, researchers have shown that brain activation differs in individuals who say they are sensitive to pain compared with those who say they tolerate pain well. "Our study really does validate the whole experience of looking into yourself, examining your experience, and reporting it to another individual", enthuses lead author Robert Coghill (Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA). "We also confirm that selfreports of pain intensity are highly correlated to brain activation, and that, contrary to what often happens in clinical practice, self-reports should be used to guide pain treatment." Like many other researchers, Coghill and his colleagues had previously used functional MRI (fMRI) to detect changes in brain activation in response to different intensities of heat. But in the current study, explains Coghill, "we did something novel by presenting the same heat stimulus to all 17 subjects [eight women and nine men], and we based our analysis on their very different experiences of that stimulus". The team placed a computercontrolled heat stimulator on each participant's leg; the device heated a small patch of skin to 120oF and, at the same time, the individual underwent fMRI brain scanning. Afterwards, the person rated the intensity of the pain on a 10 point scale. There was wide variability among the responses: the least sensitive person rated the pain at about 1 point, whereas the most sensitive person rated the pain as close to 9 points. Those who reported higher pain levels showed increased activation in the somatosensory cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, regions that are involved in pain perception and processing. By contrast, few interindividual differences were


Like childhood, thinking critically about militarism can entail a great deal of unlearning before coming to a more nuanced understanding of what lies beyond the signifier. Just as childhoods are multiple, overlapping, contingent, and bound up in many more aspects of our social worlds than is apparent if we look only for the child, so too militarism. The ways in which militarisms intersect childhoods and vice versa, therefore, call us to reflect not only on the conspicuous presence of militaries as institutions or on life in zones of conflict, but on the everyday lives of children everywhere in all their complexity and diversity.


Brines from the Whirlpool Sandstone (Silurian) m Morgan, Muskingum, and Ashtubula counties are enriched in Ca and Sr, but depleted in Na, K, and Mg relative to sea water. This result indicates that chemical reactions such as dolomitization and secondary feldspar formation have occurred. The brines of the Whirlpool Sandstone are resolvable into three components: meteoric water, Naenriched brine and Ca-enriched brine. One brine sample was discovered to be anomalous. It appears to have originated from the Rose Run Formation located 1,500 feet below the Whirlpool Sandstone. The anomaly implies the existence of a vertical fault or fracture in Morgan County. Introduction Brines are located in the subsurface and are usually found below gas and oil deposits. These brines may be used to identify chemical reactions that have affected their chemical compositions by means of which brines can be characterized. This study is based on the chemical analyses of seven brine samples from the Whirlpool Sandstone (Silurian) in Morgan, Muskingum, and Ashtubula counties of Ohio (Table 1). The goal of this research is to interpret the chemical compositions of the brines in the Whirlpool Sandstone by use of a mixing and dilution model. The results of this int~rpretation are expected to yield the chemical compositions of the brine components and to identify anomalous brines that do not fit the mixing and dilution model.


nevirapine, was started. One year later symptoms persisted, but were less frequent. Brain MRI scanning was normal. CSF showed 4 leuc/ L, normal glucose and protein levels and intrathecal synthesis of oligoclonal bands. By this time he had 331/mm CD4 cells. Every others studies were normal (electrolytes, thyroid function, serum/CSF serology, serum immunology, cupper, and ceruloplasmin). Surface electromyography performed with slow repetitive nerve stimulation (3 Hz) in facial nerve at rest, 30 s and 2 min after exercise showed no decrement in CMAP. Pyridostigmine was tried without any improvement. Larynx CT, laryngoscopy, and electroencephalogram were normal. Treatment with HAART was maintained. Symptoms persisted for 6 months then became less frequent and finally disappeared. He is still on HAART and asymptomatic. Apraxia of eyelid opening designates an intermittent inability to open the eyes voluntarily. Anatomical location of this lesion and pathophysiology are not clear but there is evidence that this condition is due to an abnormality in the supranuclear control of eyelid movement.3 Regarding the patient symptoms we have also considered the possibility of a neuromuscle junction disorder, but the clinical features did not support that: no relation to exercise or fatigability and he had no difficulty in keeping the lids open once they had been manually lifted up. EMG repetitive stimulation test and pyridostigmine trial were against that hypothesis. The presence of CSF inflammatory markers (intrathecal oligoclonal bands), improvement with antiretroviral therapy and absence of other etiology makes the correlation between HIV infection and patient symptoms reasonable. As far as we know this is the first report of a patient with apraxia of eyelid opening and AIDS. In a series of six HIV positive patients and dyskinesias, without opportunistic infections, two had normal MRI brain scanning and the other four had white matter changes or cerebral atrophy.2 Other two HIV positive patients presenting with chorea, without any other cause known besides HIV infection improved with HAART.4,5 There is another report of a patient that presented with similar features to Huntington disease, chorea, and behavioral changes, in which MRI scanning showed atrophy without signal changes, CSF had 18 cells/ L and two oligoclonal bands. She worsened progressively and a right temporal biopsy was performed showing the typical findings of HIVE.6 HIVE diagnosis is based on the evidence of multinucleated giant cells, microgliosis, and myelin pallor in frontotemporal cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, midbrain, and cerebellum, as well as substantial presence of HIV in the postmortem tissue.7 Like with other lentiviral infections such as feline immunodeficiency virus and simian immunodeficiency virus, selective vulnerability of neuronal subpopulations has been associated with HIV infection.8 There is also evidence that gp120, an envelope protein of HIV, is selectively toxic to dopaminergic neurons, leading to a reduction of dopamine in the brain and also inhibits dopamine uptake in mesencephalic neuronal cultures.9 We hypothesize that those symptoms could be due to HIVE that in an early stage was focused primarily in the mesencephalus.


The basic operational parameters of the jet Аn-148 are considered. Are shown his place and advantages in park of regional jet of the Russian Federation. Problems of support on development and introduction of the operational documentation are designated.


Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and permanent pacemakers have both become integral parts of arrhythmia management. Some 15%-20% of patients will require both devices si' multaneously, though the need for one may precede the need for the other.^"^ Indeed, in approximately 50% of patients with both an ICD and a pacemaker, the pacemaker was implanted first.'*'̂ Unipolar pacing has generally been held to be incompatible with ICDs because of the risks of oversensing of the unipolar spike and associated overcounting in paced rhythm^ or undersensing of ventricular fibrillation (VF)."*'̂ In addition, undersensing in VF has also previously been reported to occur clinically.^'^'^ Accordingly, the recommendation and practice that has evolved is to implant only bipolar pacemakers in patients with ICDs and to upgrade unipolar pacemakers to bipolar systems in those patients with preexisting unipolar systems who subsequently require ICD therapy,*~ '̂̂ '̂ ° resulting in both increased procedural risk and expense as the unipolar system is upgraded. Besides polarity, another consideration at the time of pacemaker insertion is the side ofthe chest on which to implant. If the pacemaker is placed on the left, a subsequently implanted ICD will perforce have to be implanted on the right. Defibrillation thresholds (DFTs) have been reported to be higher for transvenous systems when right-sided


A frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar is highly reliant on frequency chirps as transmit signals that are linear, fast, and wide in bandwidth in order to achieve the high resolution of both the target distance as well as the target velocity. To generate such chirps, current radar transceivers predominantly employ phase-locked-loop (PLL)-based frequency synthesis where frequency modulation is implemented by controlling the feedback-divider frequency ratio, e.g., by means of a delta-sigma fractional-N PLL or an all-digital PLL (ADPLL) [1], [2], or the modulation is done by a direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDFS), the output of which becomes the PLL reference frequency [3]. Inherently, these respond slowly and inaccurately to dynamic modulation inputs. PLLs using 2-point modulation are fast and have a narrow bandwidth, which is necessary to maintain low phase noise, requires complex calibration and pre-distortion to correct gain mismatch and linearity [4], [5].


Introduction: Chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) has been found at high frequency in several lowland agricultural areas including Meso-America and Sri Lanka. Whether CKDu also occurs in other countries with large agricultural populations remains uncertain, primarily due to lack of systematic data on kidney function. Hemoglobin (Hgb) levels could be


Tuberculosis is still a significant problem in the health sector, including the side effects of its treatment. Side effects include indigestion, nausea, joint pain, dizziness, reddish urine, itching, redness of the skin, liver disorders, joint pain, and vascular disorders such as paresthesia and even hypertension. Light massage is a massage therapy in the form of gentle movements on the soft tissues of the body, including rubbing and rubbing movements. This skin stimulus will provide a sense of comfort, relax tension in muscles and improve blood circulation. This study aimed to determine the effect of light massage therapy on blood pressure and mean atrial pressure (MAP) in tuberculosis patients. This study used a experimental design, pre-post control group design. The sample size of this study was 60 respondents. The sampling technique used was simple random. The results showed that most respondents were female (56.7%) with active phase treatment 76.7% in the intervention group and 73.4% in the control group. There was a significant difference in systolic blood pressure and MAP (p <0.05), and there was no significant difference in diastolic blood pressure between the intervention and control groups (p> 0.05). Light massage can reduce systolic blood pressure and MAP. Further research is needed to increase the duration and frequency of light massage interventions


In this paper we consider the on-line max and min query auditing problem: given a private association between fields in a data set, a sequence of max and min queries that have already been posed about the data, their corresponding answers and a new query, deny the answer if a private information is inferred or give the true answer otherwise. We give a probabilistic definition of privacy and demonstrate that max and min queries, without "no duplicates" assumption, can be audited by means of a Bayesian network. Moreover, we show how our auditing approach is able to manage user prior-knowledge.


Living cells of the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum were observed and photographed during summer red-water events in the Southampton Water estuary, southern England. These blooms were characterized by increases in maximum cell diameter and range of cell size, a pronounced morphological variation of the 'oral' hemisphere, and the presence of free-swimming 'fragments' of larger cells. Red-water occurrences caused by the planktonic, phototrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum (Lohmann) Hamburger & Buddenbrock, have been characterized by some of the highest recorded levels of chlorophyll and primary productivity for natural populations of marine phytoplankton (Lindholm, 1985; Taylor, 1982). However, as these events are rather unpredictable and all attempts to culture M. rubrum have failed, descriptions of the morphology of living cells have been rather limited. A study into the impact of red-tides caused by M. rubrum in the Southampton Water estuary presented a useful opportunity to observe morphological variation in living cells. Water samples were taken with a 'Van-Dorn' sampler, and transported in polyethylene bottles in a cool box. Living cells were observed and photographed at 400x magnification using the phase-contrast optics of an Olympus BH2 photomicroscope. Autofluorescence of living cells was examined using a Zeiss fluoresence microscope.


Microbiologist, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Riverside, Calif. Abstract: Presently available data indicate that biological dinitrogen fixation is responsible for the greatest proportion of nitrogen entering chaparral ecosystems. Dinitrogen fixation by the Rhizobium-legume symbioses is relatively unimportant in chaparral when compared to the possible substantial fixation by free-living soil bacteria and the Frankia-woody shrub (Ceanothus) symbioses. At present, estimates of these processes are scant. Site degradation is possible if management practices adversely affect biological dinitrogen fixation.


Abstract Objective: To estimate the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the adult Brazilian population and to describe its characteristics, according to the National Health Survey (PNS) 2013-2019. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, with adults participating in the PNS, based on self-reported medical diagnosis of CKD. Prevalence of CKD and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated for Brazil. Results: In 2013, 60,202 individuals were analyzed, and in 2019, 85,854. The prevalence of self-reported diagnosis of CKD in both editions was 1.4% and increased with increasing age. In 2019, the prevalence of self-reported CKD was 3.3% (95%CI 2.9;3.7) in hypertensive individuals, 4.1% (95%CI 3.4;5.0) among diabetics, and 3.3% (95%CI 2.8;3.9) in those reporting hypercholesterolemia. Conclusion: The prevalence of CKD in Brazil remained stable in the period but reinforces the need for expansion of diagnosis and strengthening of primary care in the Brazilian National Health System (SUS).


Best practices and links to resources related to a variety of assignment types and tests DIfferences and similarities between formative and summative assessments, as well as evaluation


Workplace incivility is one of the major concerns in the healthcare industry. The objective of the study is to understand the concept of workplace incivility, to examine the factors causing workplace incivility, to examine the various steps to eliminate workplace incivility, to find out the influence of demographic variables on workplace incivility and to give suggestions to the targets to cope up with workplace incivility. Descriptive, exploratory and casual research methodology is used, the statistical tools used for analysis are frequency analysis, mean analysis and one way ANOVA. The key cause for workplace incivility among nurses was found to be physicians, and none of the demographic variables such as age, gender, and work experience, hospital location, marital status, and qualification affected workplace incivility.


This paper intends to analyze the changes motivated by the process of conversion to Christianism in Saxony between the 8th and 10th centuries, through the study of the Heliand, a reformulation of the Gospels to the Saxon culture and language, and Widukind of Corvey's Res Gestae Saxoniae. I will focus on how the figures of Christ and the apostles, as well as the kings, are presented. Keywords: Germany, Christianisation, Monarchs.


Objective
To analyze the clinical results of mini-incision Schwab grade 4 osteotomy combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for old thoracolumbar compression fractures combined with kyphosis deformity.

Methods
A retrospective case series study was made on 14 patients with old thoracolumbar compression fractures combined with thoracolumbar kyphosis undergone mini-incision Schwab grade 4 osteotomy plus percutaneous pedicle screw fixation from January 2014 to May 2015. There were 5 males and 9 females, with mean age of 64.5 years (range, 58-70 years). The period between injury and surgery ranged between 6 and 14 months (mean, 8.6 months). At the time of surgery, the fracture was already healed in 10 patients, while non-healing was found in other 4 patients. Preoperative visual analogue score (VAS) of back pain was (8.5±1.1)points (range, 6.5-10 points). Three patients were associated with neurological dysfunction [American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade D]. Apex of kyphosis located at T12 in 6 patients and at L1 in 8 patients. Preoperative kyphosis Cobb angle was (42.5±6.0)°(range, 39.5°-47.2°). Operation time, blood loss, perioperative complications, postoperative kyphosis Cobb angle, bone fusion, state of implants, neurological function and VAS were determined.

Results
Operation time was (280±50)min, and blood loss was (110±70)ml. No segmental vessels injury, neurological deficit or dural disruption occurred during the surgery and after surgery. Compared to the preoperative detection, kyphosis Cobb angle was improved to (9.3±1.7)°(range, 6.2°-12.1°) after operation(P<0.05), with the correction rate of 78.1%. Post-operative CT showed 7 screws (6.3%, 7/112) were grade 1 screws. The follow-up was lasted for mean 25.2 months (range, 14-28.9 months). At the latest follow-up, the kyphosis Cobb angle was (9.6±4.1)°(range, 6.0°-13.1°), revealing no correction loss. Interbody bone fusion was good, with no instrumentation-related complications observed. Three patients with neurological dysfunction (ASIA grade D) were recovered to ASIA grade E. Compared to the preoperative detection, back pain was improved with the VAS of (2.6±1.0) points at the latest follow-up (P<0.05).

Conclusion
Mini-incision Schwab grade 4 osteotomy combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation of old thoracolumbar compression fractures with kyphosis deformity can attain satisfactory and reliable efficacy and bone fusion, with low incidence of complications.

Key words:
Spinal fractures; Thoracic vertebrae; Lumbar vertebrae; Kyphosis


Neoglaziovia variegata (Arr. Cam.) Mez is a Bromeliaceae native to the Caatinga, used for fiber extraction in the Northeast Region of Brazil. The antropic activity has place this species among the threatened ones. The objective of the work was to establish an in vitro propagation and conservation of caroa. Seeds were cultivated in MS medium in the presence or absence of light. In vitro germinated seedlings were multiplied in MS medium supplemented with the combinations 0.05 and 0.50 µM NAA and 2.2 and 4.4 µM BAP and KIN. The best percentages of germination were obtained with the seeds incubated in the presence of light. The highest multiplication ratio was obtained for the NAA (0,5 µM) + BAP (4,4 µM) treatment and the number of roots, with NAA (0.5 µM) + KIN (2.2 µM). Plant acclimatization presented differentiated results regarding the substrates tested. The conservation was established.


It has been subjected to the Agency's peer and administrative review, and has been approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention of corporation names, trade names, or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use of specific products. V Foreword The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged by Congress with protecting the Nation's land, air, and water resources. Under a mandate of national environmental laws, the Agency strives to formulate and implement actions leading to a compatible balance between human activities and the ability of natural systems to support and nurture life. To meet this mandate, the EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides data and science support that can be used to solve environmental problems and to build the scientific knowledge base needed to manage our ecological resources wisely, to understand how pollutants affect our health, and to prevent or reduce environmental risks. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) is the Agency's center for the investigation of technical and management approaches for identifying and quantifying risks to human health and the environment. Goals of the Laboratory's research program are to develop and evaluate technologies for the characterization and monitoring of air, soil, and water; support regulatory and policy decisions; and provide the science support needed to ensure effective implementation of environmental regulations and strategies. The EPA's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program evaluates technologies for the characterization and remediation of contaminated Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective action sites. The SITE Program was created to provide reliable cost and performance data to speed the acceptance of innovative characterization and monitoring technologies. Effective measurement and monitoring technologies are needed to assess the degree of contamination at a site, to provide data which can be used to determine the risk to public health or the environment, to supply the necessary cost and performance data to select the most appropriate technology, and to monitor the success or failure of a remediation process. One component of the SITE Program, the Monitoring and Measurement Technologies Program, demonstrates and evaluates innovative technologies to meet these needs. Candidate technologies can originate from within the federal government or from the private sector. Through the SITE Program, developers are given the opportunity to conduct a rigorous demonstration of their technology's performance under realistic field conditions. By completing the evaluation and distributing the results, the Agency establishes a baseline for acceptance …


Summary form only given. We perceive objects in the world as meaningful entities only over certain ranges of scale. This fact that objects in the world appear in different ways depending on the scale of observation has important implications if one aims at describing them. It shows that the notion of scale is of utmost importance when processing unknown measurement data by automatic methods. In their seminal works, Witkin (1983) and Koenderink (1984) proposed to approach this problem by representing image structures at different scales in a so-called scale-space representation. Traditional scale-space theory building on this work, however, does not address the problem of how to select local appropriate scales for further analysis. After a brief review of the main ideas behind a scale-space representation, I describe a systematic methodology for generating hypotheses about interesting scale levels in image data based on a general principle stating that local extrema over scales of different combinations of normalized derivatives are likely candidates to correspond to interesting image structures. Specifically, I show how this idea can be used for formulating feature detectors which automatically adapt their local scales of processing to the local image structure. I show how the scale selection approach applies to various types of feature detection problems in early vision. In many computer vision applications, the poor performance of the low-level vision modules constitutes a major bottleneck.


"Despite the common belief that art galleries will naturally become more gender equitable over time, the fact is that many art institutions in Canada have become even less so over the last decade, with female artists making up less than 25 per cent of the contemporary exhibitions of several major galleries." -- Publisher's website.


Taʿalumot ḥoḵmah ("Puzzles of Wisdom"), composed by Moses b. Judah Galeano around the year 1500, is one of the most idiosyncratic and historically interesting specimens of Hebrew scientific literature. It presents itself as a catalogue of errors. Organized in ten sections, which the author labels ḥadarim ("chambers"), each section groups together examples of similar errors of reasoning from different fields of knowledge: religion (including law, interpretations of scripture, and polemics), mechanics (or "machinations"; see below), medicine, astronomy, and astrology. Generally, Galeano begins each "chamber" with an explanation in logical terms of the error involved; this "fallacy" is then the organizing principle of the chapter. Galeano had a special interest in logic and left us a number of as yet unstudied treatises in that field.1 However, as we shall see, the errors that he points out in each example are not always pinpointed as precisely as one might have expected.


Subtitle: As airlines struggle to cope with the increasing price of fuel and a softening economy, Sophie Segal finds out how they plan to cut costs.


The study here reported was undertaken to determine whether it is possible by the use of the available methods of skin testing to anticipate the skin eruptions and other signs of hypersensitiveness that not infrequently occur with the therapeutic use of dinitrophenol. Without consideration of the controversial subjects of allergy, atopy or anaphylaxis and without referring to the none too clear conceptions of antigen antibody reactions as applied to nonprotein substances, I wish to submit the results of my experiment. METHODS The three possible methods of skin testing were employed for the direct test, and the intradermal method alone was used for the indirect test. The Patch Test.—Ten milligrams of sodium dinitrophenol powder 1 was placed on the flexor surface of the forearm or of the back and covered with waxed paper, held in position with a wide strip of adhesive plaster. Readings of the reactions were recorded at


Ketamine is a well-known dissociative anesthetic agent, and has been used over 50 years. Intranasal pathway is a mucosal way for absorbing agents to directly affect in brain via olfactory sheets, bypassing first pass metabolism and the blood brain barrier. The current uses of intranasal ketamine as an analgesic agent for acute pain management in emergency department are discussed in this review article. Using "ketamine", "pain or analgesia", and "intranasal" as keywords, a search of google scholar, Pubmed, web of science, and Medline database from 1970 until 2017 was performed. Finally, from 1 204 papers extracted via primary search, 1 088 papers were omitted and finally 10 studies were considered for further assessment. There were four observational studies, one case series and report and 5 clinical trials. Ketamine was used for acute pain control due to musculoskeletal trauma, burns, and painful procedures. A total of 390 cases were included in these studies. The studies used ketamine with doses ranging 0.45-1.25 mg/kg via intranasal pathway. Intranasal ketamine provides relatively rapid, well tolerated, and clinically significant analgesia for emergency department patients. Considering the lack of adequate studies and undetermined intranasal dose, it is better to conduct further high quality investigation in both adults and pediatrics.


An experimental study was performed on swelling and consolidation behaviour of an expansive soil. Three tests were carried out on compacted soil samples of a high plasticity. Experiments were conducted using a newly developed oedometer apparatus with devices for controlling suction and measuring lateral pressure. The results showed that the tested soil sample behaved as an elasto-plastic material during loading and unloading processes under constant suction. Under almost nil vertical stress the soil sample responded as an elastic material to suction change, however, a tendency towards irreversible behaviour was observed. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 881647.