Great attention has been attracted to the growing energy consumption of the subway system. It is significant to investigate the energy-efficient train control methodology which is regarded as an effective way to cut down the energy cost of the subway system. In this paper, a soft actor-critic-based method is proposed to determine the optimal driving strategy. Firstly, the inverse problem of the energy-efficient train control problem, i.e., minimizing the trip time with constant traction energy, is presented, and it is converted to a finite Markov decision process which can be solved with deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms. Secondly, the soft actor-critic (SAC) algorithm is proposed to determine the optimal driving strategy. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified via the case studies. It is also illustrated that the SAC-based method has a good performance in robustness and stability. Moreover, compared with other DRL algorithms such as the deep Q network (DQN), the SAC-based method saves about 66% training steps on average to achieve the optimum, which reduces the computational resources.


PURPOSE
MR-only treatment planning requires images of high geometric fidelity, particularly for large fields of view (FOV). However, the availability of large FOV distortion phantoms with accompanying analysis software is currently limited to in-house solutions. This work sought to optimize the design of a modular distortion phantom that can accommodate several bore configurations and implement distortion corrections.

METHODS
1.0T MR and CT images were acquired of twelve urethane foam samples of various densities and strengths. Samples were precision machined to accommodate 6 mm diameter paintballs used as landmarks and signal-to-noise ratio was calculated. Final material candidates were selected by balancing strength, machinability, weight, and cost. Bore sizes and minimum aperture width resulting from couch position were tabulated from the literature for 13 systems across 4 vendors. Bore geometry and couch position were simulated in MATLAB to generate machine-specific models to optimize the phantom build. Previously developed software for distortion characterization (control point detection, polynomial fitting, and correction map generation) was modified for several magnet geometries and integrated into Slicer, a widely available image analysis toolkit.

RESULTS
All foam samples provided sufficient image contrast with paintball landmarks. Urethane foam with a compressive strength of ∼1000psi and density of 20lb/ft3 was chosen for its accurate machinability and relatively light weight. A modular phantom design was optimized to accommodate all magnet geometries with the following parameters: 15 foam plates, 55×55×37.5cm, 5,082 landmarks, and 66 lbs. To accommodate wide bore magnets (>70 cm), an extended build spanned 55×55×50cm over 20 plates with 7,497 landmarks and weighing 97lbs. Distortion characterization software was implemented as an external module into Slicer's plugin framework.

CONCLUSION
We optimized the design and implementation of a modular, extendable distortion phantom to support an MR-only workflow and MR-IGRT. The phantom will be useful for future multi-institution collaborations and cross-validation studies. The submitting institution has research agreements with Philips Healthcare. Research sponsored by a Henry Ford Health System Internal Mentored Grant. Technical support and initial distortion phantom design was provided by GE Healthcare.


ABSTRACT Drawing on the literature of social movements and emotions, this article analyses a case of the union-led movement against outsourcing in the UK. Our focus is on the emotional processes of collective identity formation and the movement culture of new grassroot unions, addressing the themes of movement culture, collective identity and political solidarity. Data consists of participant observations, interviews, and additional website and media material. The results show that the movement culture of the new grassroot unions is characterised by direct action and a collective identity based on a proud re-centring of BAME workers as subjects of labour struggles. Key emotional processes consist of sharing emotions of humiliation, anger, and exclusion, but also joy and feelings of solidarity. A crucial part of the movement's expansion is due to the construction of political solidarity and coalition-building. The results demonstrate the importance of heeding the crucial mobilising power of shared emotions in the analysis of new labour unions. The article contributes to labour movement research with an enhanced understanding of immaterial claims on dignity, respect and care, alongside the cognitivist focus on material work conditions and labour rights.


A preliminary experimental investigation of box-section reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) under shear and torsion was carried out. Based on dif...


After a brief historical synopsis of lipid lowering therapy and coronary artery disease, the actual issues were discussed. The problem of secondary prevention of coronary artery disease was addressed on the basis of the recently published studies. A special emphasis was given to the 4S and CARE studies and their results discussed. The problem of primary prevention in the light of the West of Scotland Study is discussed.


Pseudo-BL-algebras are a noncommutative extention of BL-algebras. In this paper we consider polars in pseudo-BL-algebras and the class of complete pseudo-BL-algebras. In the final section, a version of the Cantor-Bernstein theorem will be proved.


The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of a Consciousness Energy Healing (The Trivedi Effect ® ) Treatment based test formulation and medium (DMEM) against skin health parameters using HFF-1, HaCaT, and B16-F10 cells. The test formulation and DMEM were divided into two parts. One part of the test formulation and one part of the DMEM received the Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment by Vaibhav Rajan Parulkar and were defined as the Biofield Energy Treated samples, while the other parts were denoted as the untreated test samples. Cell viability using MTT assay showed more than 75% cells were viable in all the tested concentrations in three cells, indicating that the test formulation was safe and nontoxic. The percent cell proliferation by BrdU assay was significantly increased by 434.14%, 244.77%, and 268.53% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test Formulation, BT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation, and BT-DMEM + BT-Test Formulation groups, respectively at 8.75 µg/mL in relation to the UT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation group. Elastin was significantly (p≤0.001) increased 93.52% and 75.81% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test Formulation and BT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation groups, respectively at 10 µg/mL compared to the UT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation group. Hyaluronic acid was significantly increased by 100.07% (p≤0.05), 41.60%, and 50.10% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test Formulation, BT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation, and BT-DMEM + BT-Test Formulation groups, respectively at 0.625 µg/mL in relation to the UT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation group. Melanin was decreased by 10.09% and 6.51% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test Formulation and BT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation groups, respectively at 0.125 µg/mL compared to the UT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation group. Protection of skin cells after UV-B exposure data displayed that the cell viability was increased by 7.22%, 5.75%, and 8.15% in the BT-DMEM + BT-Test Formulation at 0.625%, 1.25%, and 2.5% µg/mL, respectively compared to the UT-DMEM + UT-Test Formulation group. Wound healing data exhibited significant wound closure and cell migration activities in the HFF-1 cells compared to the UT-DMEM + UT-Test formulation group. Overall, the data suggests that the Biofield Energy Treated DMEM and test formulation demonstrated better skin protection action compared to the untreated DMEM and test formulation. Therefore, the Biofield Energy Treated test herbomineral formulation could be useful for the development of effective cosmetic products for the prevention and treatment of several skin problems such as erythema, contact dermatitis, skin aging, wrinkles and/or change in the skin color, etc.


Multiphase flows represent a central issue in many natural, biological and industrial fields. For instance, liquid jets vaporization, petroleum refining and boiling, emulsions in pharmaceutical applications, are all characterized by a disperse phase, such as solid particles or liquid bubbles, which evolve in a Newtonian carrier fluid. Features such as the global evaporation rates of liquid fuels in air or the homogeneity of the emulsions are controlled by the finest interaction details occurring between the two phases. In this paper we study the rising motion of a bubble induced by buoyancy in a viscous fluid. Usually this issue is tackled by tracking the bubble interface by means of sharp interface methods. However this approach requires "ad hoc" techniques to describe changes in the topological features of the deforming interface and to enforce the mass preservation. Here the problem is addressed by using a different philosophy based on a diffuse interface method, that allows a straightforward analysis of complex phenomena such as bubbles coalescence and break up without any numerical expedient. The model we adopt, funded on a solid thermodynamical and physical base, relies on the Cahn-Hilliard equation for the disperse phase, see Cahn & Hilliard (1958) and Elliott & Songmu (1986).


Traditional data warehouse involves a widely accepted topology of ODS, data warehouse, data mart and BI tools. Real-time data warehouse extends the application of traditional data warehouse and can support tactical queries for enterprise. The article discusses several architecture of real-time data warehouse, compares them with the traditional data warehouse. Then it introduces a feasible architecture of real-time data warehouse after analyzeing the requirement, technical and performance.


Anne Monjaret and Catherine PugeauLt, Le sexe de l'enquete. Approches sociologiques et anthropologiques [The sex of the survey: sociological and anthropological approaches], Lyon, ENS editions, 2014, 262 p.At a time when the number of research studies on gender is rising in France, this collective work sets out to examine the gendered or sex-related dimensions of the survey process in the fields of sociology and anthropology. It probes how sex affects survey fieldwork and how fieldwork affects sex; in other words, the effects of the interviewer's sex on his or her work but also the kind of gendered presentation of self the field requires from the interviewer. In the latter connection, the first chapter clearly shows that whereas feminist research immediately pointed up women's subordinate position in social science production and exposed the androcentrism of the social sciences overall, research more concerned with the political order and social relations of domination is still relevant and still being done. Monjaret and Pugeault set the tone quite clearly: "Science still too often has a sex. Studies that dare to point this out are useful" (p. 72).The above questions are handled here through reflexive analyses where the researcher probes his/her own social identity and action in order to assess their effects on his/her research. Specifically, the point is to examine the role of one's sex, understood as a biological datum, and gender relations in the sense of social expectations that may be activated by a person's belonging to one or the other sex. The three contributions that make up the first section of the book explore the social dimension of relations between the interviewer and his or her respondents.Isabelle Mallon returns reflexively to the work she did for her thesis at a retirement home, a strongly female institution, adding a gender dimension to her analyses. She explains how her access to spaces of female socializing and highly personal exchanges and scenes was facilitated by her gender identity; i.e., being a woman herself. Laurence Guyard describes in detail the medicalization of female bodies in gynaecology consultations and presents the issues for the interviewer of entering and positioning oneself in the field. She highlights the importance of the interviewer's body, sex and gender when it comes to finding the "right distance" in the field. In analysing the gendered images that patients attributed to her, she shows how the survey relationship becomes possible when the observer is seen as a source of moral support during the consultation, a moment that proves quite difficult for a considerable proportion of the women interviewed. Assigning her this identity enabled the actors (all of whom are women) to remain in their roles and statuses during the consultations, consultations that should be understood as presentations of self in Goffman's sense. Guyard thus recalls how important it is to go beyond the interviewer's biological sex when analysing such interactions (p. 125).Pierre-Noel Denieuil retrospectively examines the gender issues involved in a series of surveys he conducted between 1992 and 1995 on businesswomen in Tunisia. He describes the three-way relationship between the researcher, the trainee (a Tunisian interpreter) and the woman respondent. He concludes that while sex did impact on the survey, other determinants (sexual, professional and cultural) influenced his analysis of how he reached his scientific conclusions.The second section of the book focuses on how gender operates in studies of intrinsically gendered milieus. Jasmina Stevanovic relates aspects of her experience during a survey she conducted on merchant marine ships with a male film camera operator who was also a friend of hers. This arrangement aroused the curiosity of the sailors, and in turn elicited expressions of the gender and conjugality stereotypes and stereotypes about conjugality that predominate in this milieu. …


Upper limb disorder (ULD) is becoming increasingly common, but remains difficult to define, test or treat. This study demonstrates how neural involvement in this condition may be examined through use of the straight leg raise test. It highlights the clinical presentation and responses of a group of ULD sufferers and discusses the implications of altered neural mobility and function.


Acute leukemias are clonal diseases characterized by a maturation arrest and by enhanced proliferation of hematopoietic precursor cells, which normally would differentiate into mature blood cells. The leukemic cells are released from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood and may accumulate in vital organs such as the spleen, liver, skin, central nervous system and lymph nodes. Chronic leukemias arise form hyperproliferation without a clear maturation arrest. In children, chronic leukemias are rare, and most cases are classified as acute leukemias. (Pui, et al 2011) Acute leukemias can be further subdivided in acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL, either from precursor Tor B-cells), and in acute myeloid leukemias (AML, either from red blood cell precursors, platelet precursors, or granulocytic or monocytic precursors). In children, approximately 80% of cases are ALL, and 15-20% AML. There is a peak in the incidence of AML in infants under one year of age, after which the incidence is low throughout childhood. (Creutzig, et al 2010a, Kaspers and Zwaan 2007) AML may even be present in newborn babies. (Bresters, et al 2002) In adolescents the incidence of AML starts to rise and rises further throughout adult life (1-3 per 105 each year in childhood, rising to 15 per 105 in early adulthood to 35 per 105 at the age of 90 years). (Ries, et al 1999) AML may either arise de novo or occur following underlying diseases such as myelodysplastic syndrome, which is much more frequent in elderly patients with AML than in children. Other underlying diseases may be chromosomal-breakage syndromes such as Fanconi anemia. (Tonnies, et al 2003) Moreover, AML may be secondary to previous exposure to irradiation or to chemotherapy, including both alkylating chemotherapy and epipodopyllotoxins. (Sandler, et al 1997, Weiss, et al 2003) A specific type of AML arises in children with Down syndrome. (Zwaan, et al 2008) Exposure to environmental factors has also been described as a potential cause of AML. (Smith, et al 2011) Infrequently, families with an unexplained high risk of AML have been described which suggests that germ-line mutations such as RUNX1 and CEBPA may play a role in leukemogenesis. (Owen, et al 2008)


The reaction between dpktch and CdCl2 in refluxing acetonitrile gave [CdCl2(η3-dpktch)] in good yield. Spectroscopic measurements divulge the coordination of dpktch and the elemental analysis confirmed its formulation. Optical measurements in N,N-dimethylformamide (dmf) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) in the absence and presence of a proton donor/acceptor disclosed two highly sensitivity interlocked intra-ligand-charge-transfer transitions (ILCT) that are sensitive to their surroundings. Under basic conditions, a low-energy electronic transition with an extinction coefficient of 17,400 ± 2000 M−1cm−1 appeared at ∼403 nm and a peak minimum appeared at 326 nm. Under acidic conditions, a high energy electronic transition with extinction coefficient of 13,500 ± 2000 M−1cm−1 appeared at ∼330 nm and a shoulder appeared at ∼400 nm. The addition of an acid to a dmf solution of [CdCl2(η3-dpktch)] caused the disappearance of the low energy absorption band at 403 nm and a peak maximum appeared at 330 nm. The reverse was observed when a base was added to a DMSO solution of [CdCl2(η3-dpktch)]. Electrochemical measurements reveal reduction of coordinated CdCl2 and oxidation of electrodeposited cadmium metal along with ligand-based redox processes. X-ray crystallographic analysis on a monoclinic, P21/n single crystal of [CdCl2(η3-dpktch)], confirmed the N,N,O-coordination of dpktch and revealed digitated units of [CdCl2(η3-dpktch)] interlocked via a web of hydrogen bonds.


L-Menthol was oxidized to L-menthone(1)by the jones reagent,and then reacted with phenyllithium to give(1R,2S,5R)-1-phenylmenthol(2). The structure of the product was identified by 1H NMR,13C NMR,IR and element analysis. The reaction conditions were optimized. Studies showed that the mixture with the preferable ratio of n(L-menthone) ∶ n(phenyllithium) ∶ n(dry ether)= 0.08 ∶ 0.10 ∶ 0.76,was stirred at -40℃ under nitrogen for eight hours,and the product 2 was at high yield level of 65%.


Author profiling is the task of identifying characteristics of the author just based on a text document. In the previous works, there are a number of linguistic features such as character-based, wordbased, grammar-based (often grouped as style-based), and content-based features (content words) have been exploited. The previous results showed that contentbased features often achieved better results than stylebased features. However, using content-based features is considered as a domain-specific approach, because the content words chosen often have meaning related to the studied domain. In this work, we investigate the use of syllables and rhymes as features for author profiling of Vietnamese text. They are parts of words, but have much less meaning than words, especially the rhymes. Therefore, these features can be considered much less domain-dependent than content words. We experimented on forum post datasets using machine learning approach. With improvement up to 8% compared with baseline results on style-based features, our method shows a new promising approach on author profiling.


the present circumstances. Yet 61 bears the usual marks of the poet's obtrusive personality self-quotation (cf. 61.53 and 2.13), preliminary reference to the Muses (collis o Heliconii: 61.1), economy of detail which reveals that the piece is written, not performed (p. 124). We cannot attach more weight to the scurrility of this work than to any of Catullus' flagellations of his numerous correspondents. There are many, of course, who see a biographical fact in every shift from amity to outrage in Catullus' poems to Lesbia, Caelius Rufus, or even Furius and Aurelius; but with the publication of J. K. Newman's Roman Catullus (1990), these should become as rare as those who would take a speech of Cicero for a gauge of popular feeling (or his own). In Poem 62, says T., the role of Hymenaeus is played by Hesperus. He it is (in the girls' song) who, like the sacker of a city, takes the child from its mother's arms (pp. 178-86). These women are not vanquished by the youths who sing against them: indeed it is only lack of preparation in the youths that forces the girls to begin the song and thereby lose the advantage that accrues from singing last (p. 171, though the 'iron law' that the second singer wins is refuted by Eel. 7). The girls never answer the youths (p. 199, rightly contra Fraenkel), and are therefore not defeated: the coda, dividing the maidenhead between father, mother and daughter, is in no voice but the poet's, and implies that there is some part of the trophy which the girl keeps for herself (pp. 227-30). This is a subtle reading, but more subtlety is possible (also more of 64 and 66 than fleeting references). T. insists that the poem is based on ritual (pp. 165-77): is it therefore part of the ritual for the men to be unprepared and the girls defrauded? And if we are to acknowledge the author's presence at the end, we ought not to forget him in the body of the poem: if the singers are so unready, how can they intone such polished hexameters in saying so? If the final address is by the poet, and so intended for the reader, why spend so long asking when the bride who is addressed in it 'appears' (pp. 162-5, 225-6)? The poem fails ostentatiously to escape its written form, falling short of realism even in the depiction of a ritual, and thereby proving (once again) that a genre which demands such close attention from its audience is by definition writing about itself. One learns much by the way from T.'s study for instance, that there was no such god as Hymen before Ovid (p. 255), that certain norms of poetry in Catullus' era differed widely from the later prescriptions of the rhetors (pp. 34-9 etc.) but many, and not only the devotees of modern criticism, will wonder whether the reading of these poems as poems, as literary artefacts, has really been the endeavour of his book.


The quantitative-structure-property-relation (QSPR) model has been used to predict the solubility of a wide range of compounds (with a broader chemical diversity) in supercritical carbon dioxide. The dataset contains 26 molecules (with 324 data points) covering food, textile, pharmaceuticals and petrochemical industries. The concept of Artificial Neural Network with open source software and in-house programs have been used to create the model avoiding the use of commercial and expensive software. The model is found to be robust and performs better compared to many earlier models developed.


In the IoT-based systems, the fog computing allows the fog nodes to offload and process tasks requested from IoT-enabled devices in a distributed manner instead of the centralized cloud servers to reduce the response delay. However, achieving such a benefit is still challenging in the systems with high rate of requests, which imply long queues of tasks in the fog nodes, thus exposing probably an inefficiency in terms of latency to offload the tasks. In addition, a complicated heterogeneous degree in the fog environment introduces an additional issue that many of single fogs can not process heavy tasks due to lack of available resources or limited computing capabilities. To cope with the situation, this article introduces FRATO (Fog Resource aware Adaptive Task Offloading) - a framework for the IoT-fog-cloud systems to offer the minimal service provisioning delay through an adaptive task offloading mechanism. Fundamentally, FRATO is based on the fog resource to select flexibly the optimal offloading policy, which in particular includes a collaborative task offloading solution based on the data fragment concept. In addition, two distributed fog resource allocation algorithms, namely TPRA and MaxRU are developed to deploy the optimized offloading solutions efficiently in cases of resource competition. Through the extensive simulation analysis, the FRATO-based service provisioning approaches show potential advantages in reducing the average delay significantly in the systems with high rate of service requests and heterogeneous fog environment compared with the existing solutions.


One of the most powerful ways to achieve transmission reliability over wireless links is to employ efficient coding techniques. This paper investigates the performance of a transmission over a relay channel where information is protected by two layers of coding. In the first layer, transmission reliability is ensured by fountain coding at the source. The second layer incorporates network coding at the relay node. Thus, fountain coded packets are re-encoded at the relay in order to increase packet diversity and reduce energy consumption. Performance of the transmission is measured by the total number of transmissions needed until the message is successfully decoded at the destination. We show through both analytical derivations and simulations that adding network coding capabilities at the relay optimizes system resource consumption. When the source uses a random linear fountain code, the proposed two-layer encoding becomes more powerful as it reduces the transmission rate over the direct link between the source and the destination.


While the German Republic was experiencing the travail of a new-born country torn socially, politically, and economically and living through a revolution and the disrupting effects of its inflation (1923), a few progressive spirits in the various Ministries of Justice succeeded in putting through a series of radical measures. This was possible because the attention of the parliaments and the press was fixed upon what they considered to be the major economic and political problems of the time. Revolutionary periods are favorable times for reform since the proposed measures are not dependent upon the will of conservative and slow-moving parliaments. Under similar circumstances, however, reaction can also follow. The type of leader will determine the character of the law. The past fifteen years in Germany illustrate both points of view. Until 1932 the members of the several ministries of justice were progressive. Under Herr Hitler the progressive elements in Germany's penal administration have been all but extirpated. A brief description of several important reformatory measures of the past years is necessary for an understanding of what has happened in the past year. The present German Reich Penal Code took effect in 1871. It was not altered in any radical respect until 1923 when the first juvenile delinquency law in Germany was established, and when the law permitting extensive use of money fines went into effect in 1924. The juvenile deliquency law changes the character of the proceedings against children between the ages of 14-18 from criminal to social protection. The present proceedings are analogous to the American form of juvenile delinquency hearings, that is, they are equitable in character. The 1924 law relating to money fines permits the court to impose such fine in place of the short term of imprisonment provided for numerous minor offenses and misdemeanors. The student


Nano- or ultrafiltration of inorganic salts in the presence of a polyelectrolyte in the feed solution is investigated in this work. The membranes are completely impermeable to the polyelectrolyte. At low concentrations of polyelectrolyte, a gel layer on the membrane surface is not formed. At such polyelectrolyte concentrations, the concentration of inorganic salt in the permeate stream can be higher than that in the feed solution. This salt concentration effect is the reverse of what is obtained with conventional membrane processes, where the permeate salt concentration is lower than, or equal to, the salt concentration in the feed solution. It is shown that, in the nano- or ultrafiltration of inorganic salts in the presence of a polyelectrolyte, the ratio of the salt concentration in the permeate to that in the feed is improved when the initial salt concentration in the feed solution is low. Concentration polarization has a negative impact on this concentrating effect. A theory that elucidates the observed phenomenon is presented, together with experimental data for potassium chloride solutions and N,N-dimethyl-N-2-propenyl-2-propen-1-aminium chloride homopolymer filtered on an ultrafilter with a pore size of 5 nm.


A 44-year-old woman was examined for progressive left lower extremity weakness and spasticity. Thoracic spine MR imaging and CT myelography showed a ventral dural defect at T7–T8 with an extradural subarachnoid fluid collection and extradural herniation of the spinal cord. Intraoperative sonography confirmed the appropriate level for dural entry and the finding of spinal cord herni-ation. After reduction of the herniated spinal cord, the patient experienced gradual improvement in neurologic function. Extradural herniation of the thoracic spinal cord is an unusual cause of progressive myelopathy. Only 17 such cases have been reported in the literature (1– 13). A preoperative diagnosis can be made with knowledge of the characteristic imaging appearance. Progression of the patient's neurologic deficits can be prevented and most neurologic function recovered after surgical reduction of the herniated spinal cord. We describe a case of thoracic spinal cord herniation through an anterior dural defect and illustrate the characteristic findings at MR imaging, CT myelogra-phy, and intraoperative sonography. A 44-year-old woman had a history of slowly progressive left lower extremity weakness and atrophy. She was unable to run because of leg weakness and perceived incoordination. She had no pain and no evidence of bowel or bladder dysfunction. She described the left leg as more sensitive to temperature and light touch than the right leg. Physical examination revealed lower extremity asymmetry (left mid-thigh circumference 4 cm less than the right, mid-calf circumference 3 cm less than the right). Neurologic examination was remarkable for decreased strength in the left lower extremity with motor function 4ϩ/5 in the iliopsoas and quadriceps, 4/5 in the hamstrings, and 4/5 dorsi-flexion and plantar flexion of the ankle. Deep tendon reflexes were exaggerated at the left knee and ankle and her left toe was upgoing. Sensory examination revealed mild right lower extremity hypesthesia and diminished temperature sensation with a soft level at the umbilicus. The initial MR study (Fig 1A–C) showed focal atrophy of the spinal cord at the T7–T8 level with ventral apposition of the cord to the posterior vertebral body and disk. The study was interpreted as focal cord atrophy related to prior trauma, in-farct, or demyelinating disease. At CT myelography, the spinal cord was again noted to be attenuated at the T7–T8 level and deviated ventrally and to the left. Delineation of the dura by intradural and extradural myelographic contrast enhancement of different densities allowed the detection of the spinal cord herniating through …


The exact nucleon-deuteron elastic single scattering integral was calculated numerically in order to evaluate errors in sticking factor approximations. A similar analysis made by using S wave separable potentials concluded that errors for these approximations were negligible except near backward angles where they were found to be about 10 percent.


The invention relates to a construction method of a steel reinforced truss floor decking plate and a steel reinforced truss floor decking plate. The steel reinforced truss floor decking plate comprises concrete and a plurality of steel reinforced trusses which are arranged in the concrete. The construction method comprises the following steps that: A, floor decking plate units are assembled, each floor decking plate unit comprises a soleplate and a plurality of steel reinforced trusses, the lower part of each steel reinforced truss is fixedly connected with a plurality of connecting pieces, each connecting piece is detachably connected with the soleplate which is arranged below the connecting piece, and a jacket for sealing the junction between the connecting piece and the soleplate is arranged below the connecting piece; B, the floor decking plate units are installed, and two ends of each steel reinforced truss are respectively arranged on a beam or a wall; C, concrete is poured to form the steel reinforced truss floor decking plate; and D, after the concrete is solidified into a certain strength, the soleplate is disassembled. Due to the adoption of the construction method and the steel reinforced truss floor decking plate, the construction expense can be saved, and the construction period can be shortened; and the soleplate is convenient to disassemble and can be repeatedly used, so the engineering cost is reduced, and the maintenance expense of the soleplate in use can be saved.


Agricultural systems are highly susceptible to climate change; however, little is known about the vulnerability of native or exotic species. In this work, we evaluated the impact of climate change on the potential distribution of three species of agricultural interest native to Mexico (cotton, peanut, and cocoa), through ecological niche models looking at the year 2050. According to the 22 General Circulation Models (GCMs) under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP), 4.5 and 8.5, we found increases in the potential distribution of the three species. The species with the greatest increase is cotton, finding conditions in the future in states such as Tabasco or throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.


Although contemporary college students have a number of avenues to access information,they are less capable of analyzing,judging,selecting,utilizing and transmitting the obtained information.Actually,paper resources in libraries are an important way,in which college students gain information.They should improve their abilities to obtain and make use of electronic information.As a result,the inclusion of information quality education in college teaching curriculum can improve college students' abilities in this regard,together with the use of library resources and consultancies.


In this paper, we present DeforMe, a new projection-based mixed reality technique for augmenting deformable surfaces with deformation rendering graphics. DeforMe combines a geometry tracking method with a deformation reconstruction model to estimate the tangential deformation of a surface. The motions of the feature points are measured between two successive frames. Moreover, the system estimates the surface deformation on the basis of the moving least squares algorithm, and interpolates the deformation estimation result to the projected graphics. Users can interact in real time with the deformable object, while the realistic projected graphics deform according to the deformation of the surface. We aim to integrate our technique with various types of design-support and interactive applications in spatial augmented reality.


A series of copper(II) oxide deposited on carbon nitride (CuO/CN) as visible light-active photocatalyst was successfully prepared via a photodeposition method. The CuO modification was carried out to improve the photocatalytic activity of CN having fast electron-hole recombination. The CuO loading was varied from 0.05 to 0.5 wt% and the photodeposition was carried out at room temperature under UV light illumination. The CuO/CN samples were confirmed to have similar optical properties and functional groups to those of the unmodified CN. Meanwhile, the emission intensity of the CN decreased with the increase of the copper species loading, which could correspond to the suppression of charge recombination on the CN. After a 24-h reaction under visible light irradiation, the best photocatalyst, i.e. the CuO(0.1)/CN, gave 41.7% phenol degradation, which was almost two times higher than the unmodified CN (21.3%). However, the photocatalytic activity decreased when the added copper species was more than 0.1 wt%. Therefore, the optimum amount of copper species deposited on the CN surface would have a prominent contribution to improve the photocatalytic activity. It was also confirmed that holes, hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide radicals were important for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol on the CuO(0.1)/CN.


The "quadratic placement" methodology is rooted in [Module Placement Based on Resistive Network Optimization, Proud: A Sea-Of-Gate Placement Algorithm, A Combined Force and Cut Algorithm for Hierarchical VLSI Layout]and is reputedly used in many commercial and in-house tools forplacement of standard-cell and gate-array designs. The methodologyiterates between two basic steps: solving sparse systems oflinear equations, and repartitioning. This work dissects the implementationand motivations for quadratic placement. We firstshow that (i) Krylov subspace engines for solving sparse systemsof linear equations are more effective than the traditional successiveover-relaxation (SOR) engine [A Unified Approach to Partitioning and Placement] and (ii) order convergence criteriacan maintain solution quality while using substantially fewersolver iterations. We then discuss the motivations and relevanceof the quadratic placement approach, in the context of past and futurealgorithmic technology, performance requirements, and designmethodology. We provide evidence that the use of numerical linearsystems solvers with quadratic wirelength objective may be due tothe pre-1990's weakness of min-cut partitioners, i.e., numerical engineswere needed to provide helpful hints to min-cut partitioners.Finally, we note emerging methodology drivers in deep-submicrondesign that may require new placement approaches to the placement problem.


Dean of the Graduate College ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation towards my Master's Adviser, Dr. Kenneth E. Case for his guidance through the entire research. I would like to thank him for the great amount of patience that he showed right through the years that I worked under him. He has been a source inspiration to me over this time and I believe that he has played an integral role in all of my academic achievements during this period. I would like to thank my committee members Dr. Manjunath Kamath and Dr. David B. Pratt for their willingness to serve on the committee and for their help through the entire process. I would like to specially thank Dr. Kamath for working with me on various aspects through my Master's degree and in part serving as my unofficial adviser. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. I would like to thank my Mother for supporting me in every perceivable way that she found possible, without whose encouragement, I would not have considered such a venture. Lastly, I would like to thank the members of the CCIME center for their cooperation and help through my years of working with them.


Background and Objectives: Malaria and other vector-borne diseases (Dengue, Chikungunya andFilariasis) are a major public health problem in WHO's South-East Asia Region. Due to the growingresistance to pesticides and drugs, there is a need to set up integrated vector managementstrategies. These strategies should involve local communities in managing the environment todecrease the health risks and increase the sustainability of programmes to control these vector-borne diseases. Hence, an important step in disease management is educating the local communityregarding vector-borne diseases and their prevention. Objectives: To assess the Knowledge &perception regarding preventive strategies of selected vector-borne diseases among the studypopulation. Methods: This study was conducted in two selected villages. A cross-sectional studydesign was used with a sample size of 966. A questionnaire method was used to collect the data.Results: Around 46.5% of them had good knowledge regarding preventive strategies of vector-borne diseases. Whereas, Around 42.2% and 40% of the population had average perception andhigh perception respectively. Conclusion: Even though only half of the population had goodknowledge regarding preventive strategies for vector-borne diseases. Most of them had average tohigh perceptions about preventive strategies. Hence to increase their knowledge many camps andhealth education activities should be conducted on vector-borne diseases and should mainlyemphasize community participation to increase their awareness. So that it leads to better practicewhich in turn will lead to a decrease in vector-borne diseases.


The Mato Grosso do Sul State in Brazil is home to 48 Indian reservations. An estimated population of 35,000 indigenous people from 11 ethnic groups lived in these areas. The purpose of this study was to determine the challenges of communicating local agricultural knowledge between generations within two indigenous communities in Dourados, MS, Brazil. The objectives were to 1) identify communication processes that older populations use in passing agricultural knowledge to younger generations and 2) identify strategies that could help sustain agricultural knowledge within Caiowa and Terena Communities. Twelve respondents were selected using the snow-ball approach. Although respondents in both of the Guarani-Kaiowa and Terena communities value the importance of transferring agricultural knowledge from one generation to another, there is no systematic communication channel in place that could reinforce this indigenous knowledge transfer. Formal education in the village tends to focus on Portuguese language skills and mathematics and there is little emphasis on indigenous agricultural practices. In addition, older generation adults suggest that it is becoming more difficult to transfer agricultural knowledge to younger generations. There is a need to conserve indigenous knowledge but also to educate Guarani-Kaiowas and Terena Indians on new agricultural techniques thus the quality of life can be improved.


In electric traction, the motors that drive the railway vehicles consume a lot of active and reactive electricity, so the operating costs are high. Therefore, a reduction of the operating cost is proposed, through an optimal design of the asynchronous traction motors. This is a very difficult problem, assuming the knowledge of the operating conditions, such as the load shocks, vibrations, mechanical shocks or high working temperature. Advanced mathematical models must be considered, accounting for the imposed constraints, e.g. the gauge conditions due to the space related to the rolling stock and the maximum torque. On this basis, an optimization of the motor cross section is proposed. The results obtained and the simulations presented prove a significant decrease of the asynchronous traction motor total cost, as compared to the motor used at present.


This paper designs an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) interface module. The I2C interface module is used in all digital phase-locked loop (ADPLL). The front-end simulation frequency of the I2C interface module is 100MHz, and adopt the design of host input and output from the slave. The I2C interface module is based on 40nm COMS process and has a total of 55 output pins.


Although modern Maritime Transportation Systems (MTS) have been extensively benefited from Internet of Things (IoT) technology, but still the risks and challenges in safety and reliability have increased substantially. The involvement of different maritime parties in the marine transportation flow scheduling and management further escalates these challenges. Thus, we need an IoT-based collaborative processing system that unifies the modular structure and integrates multiple modules involved in MTS. Moreover, the need for a shared and controlled access mechanism that cannot be manipulated or tampered by unauthorized parties is also essential requirement in MTS. Blockchain, as an emerging technology, has become a key tool in data security protection because of its non-tampering and non-forgery characteristics. Keeping in view of this aspect, in this paper, an IoT-based collaborative processing system based on blockchain is proposed for marine transportation flow scheduling and management. In addition, we propose a novel consensus mechanism based on Verifiable Random Function (VRF) and reputation voting to reduce the communication cost in blockchain consensus communication process. The proposed scheme has been validated in a simulated environment and the results illustrate that the scheme has obvious effect in resisting replay attack and camouflage attack. Furthermore, the optimized consensus mechanism improves the security by 8% and the transaction processing speed by 6% on the premise that the communication cost is basically unchanged.


Natural user interface (NUI) is considered a recent topic in human–computer interaction (HCI) and provides innovative forms of interaction, which are performed through natural movements of the human body like gestures, voice, and gaze. In the software development process, usability and user eXperience (UX) evaluations are a relevant step, since they evaluate several aspects of the system, such as efficiency, effectiveness, user satisfaction, and immersion. Thus, the goal of the authors' systematic mapping study (SMS) is to identify usability and UX evaluation technologies used by researchers and developers in software with NUIs. Their SMS selected 56 papers containing evaluation technologies for NUI. Overall, the authors identified 30 different usability and UX evaluation technologies for NUI. The analysis of these technologies reveals most of them are used to evaluate software in general, without considering the specificities of NUI. Besides, most technologies evaluate only one aspect, Usability or UX. In other words, these technologies do not consider Usability and UX together. For future work, they intend to develop an evaluation technology for NUIs that fills the gaps identified in their SMS and combining Usability and UX.


Frankincense, a gum resin secreted from barks of Boswellia species, is reputed in Arabian folk medicine to improve the memory. In this study, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effect of extracts of frankincense and their constituents were investigated. The ethyl acetate soluble fraction from methanol extracts showed the greatest inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Bioassay-guided fractionation was carried out to isolate several boswellic acids, and their structures were determined spectroscopically. The boswellic acids showing the most inhibitory activity on acetylcholinesterase were 11α-hydroxy-β-boswellic acid (1) and 11-keto-β-boswellic acid (5), whilst others isolated i.e. 3α-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (2), 3α-acetyl-11α-hydroxy-β-boswellic acid (3), 11α-methoxy-β-boswellic acid (4), β-boswellic acid (6) and α-boswellic acid (7) were inactive. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity appears to be associated with the presence of either the free hydroxyl group or keto group at C-11 and of the free hydroxyl group at C-3 in the ursane skeleton.


Theoretical and experimental investigations have been performed to obtain carbonic anhydrase (CA) mimics catalysts that are effective for CO2 absorbents containing highly concentrated amines. One o...


There is a strong disconnect between cybersecurity and small to medium sized organizations that are members of Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 (I4) is considered the 4th industrial revolution where automation and data exchange co-exist in manufacturing technologies. This next phase of industry includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing and cognitive computing. This report will survey three specific areas in relation to Industry 4.0 and its impact on the security of the supply chain: Automotive Cybersecurity, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Data Protection in the Manufacturing Industry.


Modern society is based on the electronics and electrics. The electronic systems could be interfered or even damaged by the electromagnetic (EM) environments, which might cause a severe disaster or threat to the civil lives. The EM risk is difficult to find since the EM weaknesses would be hidden in the system design and no evident symptom can be observed in the normal. The concept of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is compared in parallel with the risk assessment to build the EM risk model and answer such the questions what is and how to do the EM risk assessment. The progress of the standardization on the EM risk is introduced finally.


One critical issue in designing and managing a wireless sensor network is how to save the energy consumption of the sensors in order to maximize network lifetime under the constraint of full coverage of the monitored targets. In this paper, we adopt the common approach of creating disjoint sensor covers to prolong network lifetime. The typical goal used in the literature is to maximize the number of covers without consideration of the energy levels of the sensors. We argue that the network lifetime can be extended by maximizing the total bottleneck energy of the created covers. We formally define the problem of maximizing the total bottleneck energy of the covers, present for the first time an integer programming formulation of the problem, and develop two algorithms to solve large problem instances. Extensive experimental tests show that the use of the goal of maximizing the total bottleneck energy of the covers creates covers with substantially longer network lifetime than the lifetime of the covers created with the goal of maximizing solely the number of covers.


A general and convergent route has been developed for the regio- and stereoselective construction of the C-5 glycosyl angucycline framework of mayamycin. The C-glycosylation of 2-naphthol, dearomatization and Hauser annulation has been the key steps. The total synthesis of the natural product by applying this methodology was restricted by the steric perturbation of the methyl substituent in the C-glycosylation step. The peri effects in the C-glycosylation of the substituted 2-naphthols were identified. The synthetic analogues show cytotoxicity against different human cancer cell lines at low micromolar concentration. A high E-stereoselective olefination of carbonyls with thiophthalides under basic conditions have been utilized for the synthesis of stilbenoids and styryl carboxylic acids. The olefination is highly atom-efficient and proceeds via the formation of episulfide intermediate followed by extrusion of elemental sulfur. This olefination, in conjunction with retro Kolbe-Schmitt reaction, allows facile synthesis of natural hydroxystilbenoids with minimal protection of phenolic-OH.


Trauma can be read as a metaphor of the (post)modern condition, particularly in a German context. This is because it is associated with aporias in memory and understanding which are nevertheless meaningful because they arise from and speak of specific historical circumstances. This article places Herta Muller's 1989 Berlin novel Reisende auf einem Bein within the context of twentieth-century trauma literature. I read the protagonist, Irene, as a traumatised individual, whose experience (in Ceausescu's Romania, then as an ethnic German immigrant in West Berlin) is locatable, but the causes of whose trauma elude representation because they are not synthesisable into frameworks of understanding. Irene comes to accommodate her trauma by inhabiting her surroundings and renouncing control – while reasserting agency. Thus the structure of trauma provides a way out of the perceived paralysis of postmodern constructions of subjectivity. Finally the novel bears witness to 'the unforgettable forgotten'.

'Das Uberleben ist kein Leben mehr und dennoch das einzig mogliche Leben.'

(Alexander Garcia Duttmann)

'Whenever one represents, one inscribes in memory, and this might seem a good defense against forgetting. It is, I believe, just the opposite.'

(Jean-Francois Lyotard)

'Nicht Sprache ist Heimat, sondern das, was gesprochen wird.'

(Jorge Semprun)


There are many subscribed resources and open source resources utilized by the Students, Research Scholars and Faculty Members in higher educational institutions. Objective –of this study is to determine the Digital resources usage preferences in Arts & Science college libraries of Tamil Nadu, particularly Islamic Management Arts & Science colleges. This article also examines the usage of e-books, e-journals (both subscribed and open source), Library website and abstracting database. It also deals with the status of the colleges which are subscribing to the digital resources. Research methodology. A systematically designed questionnaire was distributed to the selected colleges and received the data for analysis. Quite a few interesting facts have come out. Findings -Accordingly the data reveals that the undergraduate and postgraduate users preferred opens access resources and Google as their search engine for quick access while on the other hand research scholars insisted that commercial resources are of help and have made a recommendation to increase them. In case of faculty they recommend more number of commercial resources for their study, research and teaching purpose. Suggestions were made by the users to improve the infrastructure facility, regular power connection and a speed increase in the high bandwidth internet connections and to conduct seminars/ workshops/ orientation to the users in order to create awareness to increase the both the category of digital resources.


The history of nations is characterized by economic ups and downs that make their development turbulent and difficult to predict, especially in periods of decline. But developments at the beginning of the twenty-first century appear to seriously undermine the capacity of socio-economic analysts to predict the evolution of the most developed economies even within a limited time span. A number of today's developed economies show manifest signs of ageing and difficulty in dealing with problems, unwilling to have recourse to traditional instruments aimed at the balancing of budgets, and so impacting both salaried workers and small savers. In addition, in a trend that is likely to continue, many economic processes are only partly under the control of national policy-makers. There is a widespread perception that this is the case of the industrial history of Italy. The Italian course of events reached its zenith about half a century ago and was followed by a period of decline that was interrupted only once the movement reached a definitive point of stabilization, something that resembles the ideal-typical state of equilibrium of neoclassical economics. Although it is not easy to ascertain whether this analysis applies to the current economic situation, there is little doubt that the metalworking industry is currently in decline, at least with regard to Italian manufacturing. The economic data indicate that there is little hope of recovery for the sector in the coming years, either in terms of profitability or of workforce absorption and expansion. If this is the reality, then, an historical overview of an economic sector that was created almost two centuries ago, expanded throughout the twentieth century, and underwent restructuring in recent decades becomes an important intellectual endeavour that is relevant not just to historians or academics in general, but also to the educated public as a whole in societies where this decline is taking place. Lessons from the history of this sector may also be useful for readers in different national contexts, even in countries experiencing their own economic expansion that may be able to find ways to avoid the same economic decline and not repeat the same errors – if errors really were made. For this and many other reasons, the collection of papers La metalmeccanica torinese: continuità e trasformazione, published by the Association of mechanics and mechatronic companies in the highly industrialized north-west area of Italy, centred on Turin, Italy's traditional industrial capital, around which the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s took place, represents an invaluable tool for a critical reading of the events that have marked this sector – a history that can be depicted as a 'global history', at least for the larger and most successful companies. This book is not distributed through the normal channels, but copies of it can be accessed by contacting the association that has published it. Looking at the most complex Turin-based multinational, FIAT, the vehicle manufacturer that embodies the essence of the automotive industry in Italy, the current strategy of increasing its presence in emerging markets from a consumerist viewpoint does not necessarily have to appear as a completely 'transformative' strategy. Indeed, already in the 1960s – even though the factory in Turin was concentrating on assembling as many cars as the Italian market could absorb – a part of its international organization was also exploring world markets with countries that Book reviews


Phase transformations of the Mo_33Si_66 powder mixture under different milling conditions have been systematically investigated by x-ray diffraction, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The effect of the milling conditions on the Mo/Si solid state reactions (SSR) has been examined in detail. The energy transfer from the milling tools to the powder under processing has been quantified by an already assessed collision model. It has been found that the higher energetic input favors the formation of the room temperature stable phase α MoSi_2, while the lower energetic input promotes the formation of the metastable phase ß MoSi_2. In addition, if the energy transfer is high enough, the Mo/Si reaction proceeds in a form of self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS). Thermodynamics and kinetics aspects related to the different SSR's are discussed.


Introduction For many centuries, swidden agriculture was the basis of complex, linked socio-ecological systems throughout much of the world (Cairns, 2007; Xu et al., 2009; Padoch and PinedoVasquez, 2010). In South and Southeast Asia, hundreds of ethno-linguistically and culturally unique societies developed and managed treeor shrub-fallow farming systems that reflected context-specific environmental (e.g. climate, soils, slope and vegetation) and social conditions (e.g. cultural beliefs, governance institutions and socio-economic resources). For centuries these practices provided communities and households with food, fibre, building materials, medicines and other valuable products and, in the process, created and maintained floristically diverse and structurally complex vegetation mosaics across landscapes (Fox et al., 2009; Mertz et al., 2009a; Xu et al., 2009; Siebert and Belsky, 2014). However, in recent decades, swidden systems and the diverse societies that created and maintained them have disappeared or been radically transformed (Kerkhoff and Sharma, 2006; Fox et al., 2009; Mertz et al., 2009a; Xu et al., 2009). The bio-cultural losses associated with modernization and the integration of formerly isolated peoples into nation-states and a globalized economy are well documented, as are changes in traditional agricultural knowledge and practices (e.g. replacement of diverse, nutritionally rich subsistence food systems with more risky cash crops and monocultures that are dependent


The invention discloses a television network monitoring system and a monitoring device and a monitoring method. The monitoring device measures a performance parameter data of a television signal at a position wherein the monitoring device is according to a monitoring command of a monitoring server. The monitoring server judges whether the television signal at the monitoring device position occurs faults according to the performance parameter data. Moreover the monitoring device comprises a watch dog device, and the monitoring device timingly transmits a clear signal to the watch dog device. When the watch dog device of the monitoring device does not receive the clear signal in a timing period, a reset signal is generated, the monitoring device is restarted according the reset signal. Thus when the television signal of a user goes wrong, a corresponding fault place is found without human, and the television network can be self-healed under the condition when the monitoring device goes wrong. The monitoring system and the device can reach a self-healing function, guarantee the network normal operation, save manpower and material resources and reduce an operation cost without maintainer manual starting at the installation site of the monitoring device.


Multi-tenant datacenters represent an extremely challenging networking environment. Tenants want the ability to migrate unmodified workloads from their enterprise networks to service provider datacenters, retaining the same networking configurations of their home network. The service providers must meet these needs without operator intervention while preserving their own operational flexibility and efficiency. Traditional networking approaches have failed to meet these tenant and provider requirements. Responding to this need, we present the design and implementation of a network virtualization solution for multi-tenant datacenters.


In 2016, Russia's crude oil production hit an all-time peak since 1990. Under the so-called tax maneuver in force in the oil industry, refining depth went up, production and export of fuel oil moved down and export of crude oil, a highly lucrative source of state budget revenues, increased.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the difference in the pronunciation of the Chinese velar fricative /h/[x] between a native speaker of Chinese and a Korean advanced learner of Chinese. It is believed that Korean learners of Chinese assimilate the Chinese velar fricative [x] as the Korean glottal fricative [h], whose acoustic characteristics are influenced by the subsequent vowels. Accordingly, it can be assumed that the pronunciation of the Chinese [x] by Koreans learners is not always different from that by a native speaker. To assess this allophonic difference, an experiment was conducted involving the production of the Chinese [x] with several different subsequent vowels. The sound data recorded from the experiment was analyzed according to four acoustic phonetical cues based on the "source-filter theory" of Fant(1960) and Flanagan(2013), that is, the frication duration, the center of gravity in the spectrum, the skewness of the spectrum and formant values. First, it was found that the average frication duration of the Chinese [x] by Chinese native speakers is significantly longer than that by Korean learners of Chinese in general (p<.05). However, when it is followed by the low vowels [a, A, α], no significant difference was found owing to pharyngealization in Chinese. Second, the F1 and F2 values of the Chinese /h/[x] by Korean learners were generally lower than those by Chinese native speakers, indicating that the place of articulation of the Chinese [x] by Korean learners is at a lower point of the tube compared to that of a Chinese native speaker. Third, there were no significant differences in the values of the center of gravity or skewness in the spectrum only when [x] is followed by a back vowel, such as [u, υ, γ]. This was found to occur due to the phonological transfer from Korean, which changes the place of the articulation of /h/ from the glottis to the velar in front of back vowels. To conclude, the production of the Chinese velar fricative by Korean learners shows partial differences depending on the succeeding vowels. This finding can shed new light on Chinese pronunciation education in Korea.


This study presents a new three-parameter beta distribution defined on the unit interval, which can have increasing, decreasing, left-skewed, right-skewed, approximately symmetric, bathtub, and upside-down bathtub shaped densities, and increasing, U, and bathtub shaped hazard rates. This model can define well-known distributions with various parameters and supports, such as Kumaraswamy, beta exponential, exponential, exponentiated exponential, uniform, the generalized beta of the first kind, and beta power distributions. We present a comprehensive account of the mathematical features of the new model. Maximum likelihood methods and a Bayesian method under squared error and linear exponential loss functions are presented; also, approximate confidence intervals are obtained. We present a simulation study to compare all the results. Two real-world data sets are analyzed to demonstrate the utility and adaptability of the proposed model.


Main object of these HPLC investigations was the test of the method IP391/95 to determine the aromatic compounds in middle distillates. Different experimental conditions and two types of HPLC columns were checked. Advantageous for this application was the configuration of a separate HPLC system. The columns Nucleosil-3NH2 (Macherey-Nagel) and Ultrasep ESA (Sepserv) were compared. Both showed their principal suitability but clear differences in their chromatographic resolution and gradual difference of contents of aromatics. To clarify this point off-line HPLC and GC/MS will be coupled.


This research correlates the setting temperature of the Soil Cement (SC) with its resilient modulus, based on the maturity index of three mixtures made with different types of cements: general use, High Early Resistance, and Moderate Heat of Hydration. Each mix design has a compressive strength of 4,5 MPa at 7 days of age and durability measured with the 10% wetting and drying test. The method consisted of curing the samples of the three mix designs at three different temperatures -11, 30, and 40 ◦C- and then monitoring the development of the temperature within the samples during the first thirty hours. At 28 days of age, the resistance modulus of the samples was measured with cyclic triaxial equipment. After analyzing the results, a linear equation was deduced which would facilitate quality control during the construction process. This prevents microcracking of the compacted layers, since their fracturing is not neccessary during the extraction of nuclei and field density tests. This research correlates the setting temperature of the Soil Cement (SC) with its resilient modulus, based on the maturity index ofthree mixtures made with different types of cements: general use, High Early Resistance, and Moderate Heat of Hydration. Eachmix design has a compressive strength of 4,5 MPa at 7 days of age and durability measured with the 10% wetting and drying test.The method consisted of curing the samples of the three mix designs at three different temperatures 11,30, and 40 Candthenmonitoring the development of the temperature within the samples during the first thirty hours. At 28 days of age, the resistancemodulus of the samples was measured with cyclic triaxial equipment. After analyzing the results, a linear equation was deducedwhich would facilitate quality control during the construction process. This prevents microcracking of the compacted layers, sincetheir fracturing is not neccessary during the extraction of nuclei and field density tests.


The gap in economic development between regions narrowed significantly in 1998. Much of the effect can be explained by the increasing maturity of the business cycle, i.e., a boom that is fuelled not just by exports but also by domestic demand components. Nevertheless, those Lander which had obtained the greatest benefit from the international upswing already in its initial phase – "industrialised" Styria and Upper Austria – still enjoyed the strongest economic growth. Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg narrowed the gap; and Lower Austria and Burgenland derived benefits from decentralisation in the eastern region. Labour market data, broken down by districts, give rise to the conclusion that other highly centralised areas have structural problems similar to those in Vienna. In Salzburg, the boom in new companies founded in the late 1960s and early 1970s may well be the reason for the greater need of reorganisation currently felt. In seven Lander, employment grew by 1 to 1.5 percent, while in Vienna and Salzburg figures remained virtually unchanged over the previous year. High productivity growth rates achieved by Burgenland and Styria in particular indicate a rapid pace of structural change.


The restricted nonlinear (RNL) model predicts loworder statistics of wall-bounded turbulent flows at low to moderate Reynolds numbers. We demonstrate that the accuracy of this prediction depends on its streamwise wavenumber support, which is optimized when the associated modes coincide with the outer layer peak of the surrogate dissipation spectra. The structures associated with this peak range asymptote to a streamwise extent of 150 wall units making RNL a predictive reduced-order model for wall-bounded turbulence. We then expand upon the current understanding of the RNL system by comparing the energy transfer when the dynamics are supported by the low wavenumbers associated with unparameterized RNL dynamics to those associated with reproducing the correct log-law behavior. Our results show that the correct parametrization improves the predictions of spectra and energy transport. However, the RNL dynamics seem to compensate for the reduction in dissipation associated with the dynamic restriction on the nonlinear interactions by shifting the energy of the spanwise spectra peaks to smaller scales and increasing turbulent and viscous transport rates near the wall. These observations suggest that the self-sustaining process underlying the RNL dynamics is very robust, which may have implications for flow control strategies aimed at reducing turbulence.


Author(s): Mautz, WJ; Kleinman, MT; McClure, TR; Phalen, RF | Abstract: Sprague-Dawley rats (n=10 per group) were exposed while exercising for 3.0 h to 1) clean air, 2) 0.35 ppm O3, 3) 0.6 ppm NO2, or 4) 0.35 ppm O3 + 0.6 ppm NO2. Relative humidity was 40%. Exercise (running at 15 m/min and 20% grade) elevated metabolic gas exchange by a factor of 2.5 over resting metabolism. 48 h post exposure, lungs were removed, fixed, sectioned, and stained. Sections were scored for % area of parenchyma involved in focal lesions induced by the pollutants. Exposure to NO2 alone resulted in no detectable difference in lung tissues compared to clean air control animals. Exposure to O3 induced focal parenchymal lesions. However, O3 is combination with NO2 resulted in increases in lesion areas by a factor of 2 over those for O3 alone. The mixture of oxidants formed HNO3 vapor at a concentration of 0.05 mg/m3 during the exposure. The synergistic response observed between O3 and NO2 in the mixture may be due to the presence of nitric acid vapor, or to other possible reaction products such as N2O5 and nitrate radical.


A series of quaternary ammonium salts was analysed by the ionspray technique under different conditions in order to study the influence of some important factors on the ionization efficiency. The factors taken into account were droplet charging, sample ion, counter ion, solvent composition, and concentration. Measurement of the spray current leaving the nebulizer has shown that the spray current increases linearly with sample concentration up to at least 50 pmol/mu-L. The measured spray current is approximately 30% of the calculated current corresponding to a given concentration of quarternary ammonium ions in solution leaving the nebulizer at a given flow rate. The results obtained show that tetraalkylammonium salts give the best sensitivity with no influence of sample-ion shape or counter ion. The introduction of other functional groups in the quaternary ammonium ion decreases the sensitivity. The dynamic range for full-scan mass spectra of the compounds studied appears to be linear for concentrations from 0.1 pmol/mu-L (10(-7) M) up to 10 pmol/mu-L (10(-5)M).


Rhodamine 8 molecules were desorbed without fragmentation from the surface of an Al film by surface-plasmon-induced desorption. Surface plasmons were excited In the Al film by the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser in an attenuated-to-tal-reflection (ATR) geometry. The desorbed neutrals were Ionized by a XeCl excimer laser and detected by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The desorption yields of both Al and rhodamine B showed a dependence with incidence angle which peaked at the plasmon resonance angle. The thresholds for desorption of Al and rhodamine B occur at the same laser fluence. Two models are proposed to explain these observations. 31 refs., 4 figs.


Through analysis on the optical parameter data obtained in the southern marginal area of the Taiwan Shoals in the middle August 1997, we get the multi days change rules of some main optical parameters such as underwater irradiance, optical attenuation and transmission, and deduce the forming mechanism. During the investigation period, the variation of underwater irradiance in this area is regular and consistent from upper layer to lower layer, with peak valley alternatively distributional feature, which accords with the irradiation of the sun. The vertical distribution of attenuation is similar, usually having a peak value at about 30 m layer.


For the last six years all infants operated upon in the Neonatal Surgical Unit at Alder Hey Children's Hospital have been nursed in incubators during the immediate preand post-operative period. The infants are nursed at a constant temperature of 850 F. (29 50 C.). Draughts and sudden changes in temperature are thus prevented and the infants can be nursed naked. The rate and type of respiration can be constantly watched, the abdomen can always be inspected and the child can move freely and unrestrained by clothing. If necessary he can be nursed in a definite concentration of oxygen, which is important in cases with pulmonary collapse, pneumonia or abdominal distension. The infants are nursed in an atmosphere of 100% humidity, which, in our experience, is the most important single factor in the prevention of post-operative pulmonary complications, as it liquifles the sticky pulmonary secretion, thus preventing blocking of the bronchi and pulmonary collapse (Rickham, 1957a). It has been shown by O'Brien, Hansen and Smith (1954) that newborn infants nursed under the atmospheric conditions described above have an insensible water loss less than half that of infants nursed at room temperature and humidity. The high atmospheric humidity not only reduces water loss to a marked degree, but it also makes any metabolic balance studies which may be carried out much more accurate, since at a temperature of 88° F. (31° C.) and 100% humidity the daily water loss remains constant at 13 8 g. per kg. of body weight (Rickham, 1957b). Nursing in incubators is even more important for premature infants undergoing surgery than for full term babies. Premature infants stand a fall in body temperature very badly and require to be nursed at incubator temperatures of between 900 and 950 F. (320 to 350 C.). Any marked drop in body temperature in premature infants undergoing surgery predisposes to sclerema, the development of which may prove fatal (Rickham, 1957c).


Following a decade or so working as a registered nurse in hospital and community settings as well as in research and education, I've spent the last 11 years working for the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association.


In this paper, we discuss the dissociative electron attachment process in Formic Acid and Propyl Amine. These are molecules containing more than one functional group and have low symmetry (Cs group). We measured the kinetic energy and angular distributions of fragment H^{-} ions from the resonances observed in these molecules and compared with that in the precursor molecules, namely - Water, Ammonia and Methane. Measurements suggest that the dissociation dynamics in bigger molecules are independent of overall symmetry of the molecule, rather depend only on the local symmetry of functional group and bond orientation factors.


Abstract In this paper the partial coherence transfer function is introduced and its relationship with the Wigner distribution function is established. It depends on the spatial coherence properties and intensity distribution of the illuminating optical field, the imaging properties of the system and the geometry of the imaging.


Annotation. Aim of work - to investigate the impact of the developed technique of simultaneous laparoscopic operations on the results of treatment of surgical hepatobiliary pathology, to analyze and compare the main indicators of efficiency and safety of own technique with the "French" technique of cholecystectomy. During period from 2013 to 2019, 253 patients with combined hepatobiliary pathology and gallstone disease were treated using our own simultaneous surgery technique (group 1) and 328 patients with only gallstone disease treated using standard 'French technique' (group 2). The comparison was made through the analysis and comparison of such indicators as the duration of treatment, duration of surgery, serum creatinine concentration, glycemia, blood pressure. Shapiro-Wilk statistical methods, Mann-Whitney criteria or U-test were used. The following results were obtained: the duration of the operation was 66.14±6.21 minutes in the first group against 42.6±4.72 minutes in the second and did not exceed 2 hours; blood creatinine concentration did not exceed the allowable 2 mg/dl in both groups and differed slightly (p = 0.937), normalized in the period 6-12 h; glycemia also did not differ between the study and control groups and normalized during the recovery period of oral nutrition (p=0.822); Blood pressure was monitored to maintain normotony, the difference between intraoperative parameters in both groups was insignificant (p=0.912); the length of stay had no statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.784) and was 3.53 days for the first and 3.45 for the second group. The method is valid for modern requirements, and the technique justifies its use.


After originating in China, the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world. Italy was the next country severely hit by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, before the rest of Europe and the world. As Italy struggled to cope with this mounting crisis, China seized the momentum through an aggressive mix of public diplomacy, aid support and disinformation activities. By helping Italy, China pursued three goals: transforming its weaknesses in strengths by shifting the narrative over its handling of the COVID-19 crisis; promoting its management of the situation as the proof of the strength of its governance model; showing to the Italians, the Europeans and the world how Italy was benefitting from being a member of the Belt and Road Initiative. China's activism in Italy prompted reaction from the United States, and the COVID-19 strained relations between the two superpowers even further. While the idea that a new Cold War is brewing might be far-fetched, the relations between the two are now less and less cooperative. This increasing competition will also impact Italy's diplomatic freedom of action vis-à-vis China – a trend that is not set to change as the new J.Biden administration takes over in the United States, as his approach to China is likely to be less erratic and more consistent, but hardly softer than Trump's China policy.


The joining of right and left hepatic ducts to form common hepatic duct can be intrahepatic or extrahepatic. The research in the field of anatomy has contributed a lot to the practice of surgery. The need to learn about the type of union lies with various surgical procedures. Hence, present study was carried out in the Anatomy department of PGIMS, Rohtak (Haryana).  Intrahepatic union of right and left hepatic duct was observed in 38% cases thus implying that chances of emergence of single duct from the liver could be high whereas 62% cases showed extrahepatic union.


This essay examines the rhetorical form of Jesse Jackson's speech to the 1988 Democratic National Convention. The distinguishing and effective precept of Jackson's rhetorical form is its musical disposition. The sonata as a musical form is utilized as a critical tool for explicating Jackson's rhetoric and is combined with principles of southern Baptist Black oratory to suggest a method of rhetorical analysis that focuses on rhythm as a key construct.


The 2011–2012 El Hierro eruption proved to be an excellent opportunity to study the monogenetic basaltic volcanism on the island, compare the products emitted with others from earlier eruptions, and apply techniques and instrumental data in order to achieve a comprehensive knowledge about the processes that take place before and during such types of eruption. This multidisciplinary approach provides new information about magma ascending, conditions and inner processes, basaltic eruptions, mechanisms of deposition, interaction scenarios and finally their products. These findings can play an important role in enhancing volcanic hazard assessment not only for El Hierro island but for the whole Canary archipelago and boost studies on basaltic monogenetic volcanism, which is definitely the most likely to occur in the next years. Both long- and short-term hazard assessments for the islands, should take into account possible scenarios that include the 2011 submarine eruption, Malpaso felsic explosive eruption and its magma-water interaction and Chinyero, short but initially violent, basaltic eruption.


A lead-resistant strain of Brevibacterium iodinum which was able to grow on concentrations of Pb(NO 3 ) 2 as high as 7,2 mM, was isolated from a soil of a shooting range. The influence of abnormal amounts of lead on growth, O 2 uptake and ATP content of cells was studied


Wikis are a type of collaborative repository system that enables users to create and edit shared content on the Web. The popularity and proliferation of Wikis have created a new set of challenges for trust research because the content in a Wiki can be contributed by a wide variety of users and can change rapidly. Nevertheless, most Wikis lack explicit trust management to help users decide how much they should trust an article or a fragment of an article. In this paper, we investigate the dynamic nature of revisions as we explore ways of utilizing revision history to develop an article fragment trust model. We use our model to compute trustworthiness of articles and article fragments. We also augment Wikis with a trust view layer with which users can visually identify text fragments of an article and view trust values computed by our model


The Atlantic tomcod, Microgadus tomcod Wal baum, is an inshore marine fish whose range ex tends from southern Labrador (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953) south to Virginia (Massman 1957); freshwater populations are localized in Quebec and Newfoundland (Scott and Crossman 1973). The Hudson River may represent the southern extent of the tomcod's breeding range since it has not been reported from the Delaware River estuary (de Sylva et a1. 2 ) and its status in New Jersey waters is uncertain (Miller 1972; Heintzelman 3 ). In the Hudson River tomcod were formerly considered to be a seasonal, migratory species (Curran and Ries 1937; Clark and Smith 4


In 1958, four years into what would become known as the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), the faltering French Fourth Republic called for General Charles De Gaulle to return to power, sharing the widespread conviction that he would "fix" the Algerian situation. But De Gaulle's Algerian politics evolved toward withdrawal, and by 1962, French society and the state were eager to move on. Gaullist memorial politics were in full force during and after the Algerian War. Yet even as the Fifth Republic cultivated the forgetting of the war, young veterans back from Algeria carried on fighting, and forged a political role for themselves in the Gaullist era. During the war itself, French veterans formed associations to harness the vitality of the generation serving in North Africa and give meaning to its


Reduction in the number of rabbits used for acute testing of irritation in the eye and skin is a worthwhile goal, and some recent publications have supported such reduction from six to three animals. In anticipation of making such reductions in our laboratory, data from 185 eye and 179 skin irritation tests performed in-house were evaluated within the framework of several schemes of classification. Mean scores for irritation in all possible two, three, four, and five-rabbit subsets were compared to scores with all six rabbits. Parameters included mean weighted Draize scores (eye) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) primary irritation index (skin). Classification of irritants is often based on scales with two or more categories of relative severity (e.g., nonirritating, mild, moderate, severe). Therefore, irritation scores of each subset were grouped into two, three, four, or five categories of irritation. Overall agreement of rankings for the subsets was closer to rankings with six rabbits when fewer categories were used with greater numbers of animals in the subset. Mean agreement across all categories was >90% with three rabbits and four categories for both eye and skin irritation. However, agreement within a given category across subsets was best with nonirritants and least among irritants; eye irritants with mean weighted Draize scores of 16–35 had only ∼76% agreement with 3 rabbits/subset. Comparisons were also made between subsets of three rabbits and the original six rabbits using both the European Community (EC) system of mean values for eye irritation and the OSHA system based on the number of individuals with "positive" scores. Agreement was better with the EC system. To maintain accuracy within the framework of American guidelines, our laboratory will continue to use six rabbits for regulatory studies. Other investigators should carefully evaluate the effect on accuracy of results before reducing the numbers of animals used per acute study.


SEVERAL INDICATIONS of renewed attention to the place of home teaching in the field of work for the blind have recently appeared. This issue of the New Outlook carries two papers on the general subject, and the column, "Hindsight," comments on an American Foundation for the Blind report to an agency for the blind on the subject. The true importance of home teaching is easily overlooked, and to be perfectly frank there are specialists in other areas of work for the blind who, more unconsciously than purposely, relegate home teaching to a second-rate status in the field. Actually, it has been a vital service in this country and in England, and it continues to increase in importance with the growing numbers of adult blind people in the population. Throughout much of what has been said on many occasions in the past and that is said in this issue of the New Outlook about the nature of home teaching and about its contribution in this modern day runs the conviction that this area of service has greater potential than is now being realized. Development of a professional area and more extensive and more specific training for home teachers are imperative if the service is to continue and to grow; all of this, however, with the provision of certain precautions. It seems obvious that among other reasons why home teaching has for a long time been more or less neglected is that there is no sharp conception of its function. A home teacher's area of service covers a range of activities and skills and is therefore particularly difficult to define and classify. In the earlier days of a more casual approach there was less need for sharp definition. Today we attempt to use a more carefully


By means of linear difference inclusion (LDI) state-space representation, a general design methodology for neural network-based control systems is extended to cover various performance indexes with stability qualification. Considering the given approximation error bound between a nonlinear dynamical system and a multi-layer neural network, the proposed methodology is formulated in a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). By benefiting from the common backpropagation (BP) algorithm for NN's training and numerical solver for LMI, the design approach shows its availability.


Abstract This research investigated empirically how national culture and product purchasing decisions affect a consumer's perceived ends. The theoretical framework is based on theories of attitude functions. This study argues that social oriented ends should be divided into two separate categories; i.e., the value expressive end and the social adjustment end. Both ends have social meanings, but the attitude functions they serve are different. The classification is especially meaningful for discerning consumer behavior differences between national cultures. A 2 (US vs. Taiwan) X 3 (product type) experimental study was conducted. Content analysis and logistic regression procedures were applied to analyze the data. The results of this study have important implications for cross-cultural consumer studies and global marketing practices.


Assistive robots must mimic human dynamics and move toward neural-interface control Wearable robots, such as exoskeletons and soft exosuits, can augment normal function or serve as prostheses for missing limbs. In both cases, they extend, complement, substitute, or enhance human functions and capability and can empower or replace human limbs. Cognitive and physical interactions between human and robot are key for these robots to seamlessly deliver assistance when required. The physical interaction between a robot and its wearer generates forces to overcome the wearer's physical limits, and cognitive interactions allow the wearer to guide and control the robot at all times. On page 668 of this issue, Kim et al. (1) report on a soft exosuit that switches assistance profiles for different physical interaction strategies—in this case, walking versus running—through a versatile cognitive interaction in which algorithms accurately determine and detect the wearer's gait.


This study seeks to determine the impact of technology-based education on student learning outcomes and engagement. This study also identified recent trends and challenges related to the implementation of technology in education, such as the need for technical support and the potential for distractions during class. The results showed that technology-based education had a positive impact on student learning outcomes, including academic achievement, knowledge retention, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the use of technology in education led to increased student engagement and motivation, as well as improved teacher-student interactions. These findings have implications for educators, policymakers, and technology developers who seek to enhance the quality and effectiveness of technology-based education.


A lengthy and in-efficient process of discharging inpatients from the Hospital is an essential component that needs to be addressed in order to improve the quality of Health care facility. Even though, several quality methodologies are adopted to improve such services in Hospitals, the implementation of Six Sigma DMAIC methodology to improve the Hospital discharge process is much limited in the Literature. Thus, the objective of this research is to reduce the cycle time of the Patients discharge process using Six Sigma DMAIC Model in a multidisciplinary hospital setting in India. This study had been conducted through the five phases of the Six Sigma DMAIC Model using different Quality tools and techniques. This study suggested various improvement strategies to reduce the cycle time of Patients discharge process and after its implementation; there is a 61% reduction in the cycle time of the Patients discharge process. Also, a control plan check sheet has been developed to sustain the Improvements obtained. This Study would be an eye opener for the Health Care Managers to reduce and optimize the cycle time of Patients discharge process in Hospitals using Six Sigma DMAIC Model.


The paper presents a hybrid finite element approach with fundamental solution (HFS-FEM) as trial functions for analysing non-linear minimal surface problems. The analogue equation method is first used to convert the original non-linear governing equation into an equivalent linear one, and then an iterative algorithm is established for this equivalent linear system by combining the proposed hybrid finite element method with radial basis functions (RBF). In the present approach, the use of analogue equation approach avoids the difficulty of treating non-linear terms appearing in the soap bubble equation, and global RBF and HFS-FEM are employed to construct the corresponding homogeneous and inhomogeneous terms, respectively. Finally, numerical experiments are implemented to verify the efficiency of this method.


In order to realize the research teaching,we shouid design the questions and make the students take the initiative to study setting up questions should consider the difficulty,gradient,span and range of the questions.


In this
paper, we focus on the Cauchy problems of nonlinear strongly
damped hyperbolic equations and systems. We give some conditions
on the non-existence of global solutions.


The centralized topology with three-level inverters are widely used in photovoltaic (PV) systems due to their less installation costs and complexity. However, the common maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is a disadvantage of the centralized topology particularly under the partial shading and panel mismatch conditions. In this system, if PV modules are separately connected to the split capacitor voltage, the MPPT efficiency can be improved by the proposed control strategy. By the proposed method, the two capacitor voltages can be controlled asymmetrically to perform the separate MPPTs of each PV module connected to separate capacitors. The outputs can be generated without distortion even if two capacitors are asymmetrically regulated. Simulation and experimental results verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed methods.


Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods: Two researchers searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, VIP Chinese Science & Technology Journal Database and Wanfang database, and collected domestic and abroad published research literature about bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in treatment of advanced gastric cancer. Two reviewers independently screened studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed quality of the included studies. Then Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software.Results: Five randomized control trials involving 1 202 patients were included. The Meta-analysis showed that there were statistical significances between bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy group and chemotherapy alone group in complete remission [odds ratio (OR) = 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.07-4.38, P = 0.03], partial remission (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.19-1.97, P = 0.001) and response rate (OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.25-3.28, P = 0.004). While there was no statistical difference in one-year survival rate (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.99-1.58, P = 0.06). In terms of adverse reactions, there were statistical significances between bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy group and chemotherapy alone group in the incidence of hypertension (OR = 7.29, 95% CI: 2.71-19.64, P < 0.000 1), and toxicities were not significantly different between two groups for myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reactions, impaired liver function and arterio-venous thromboembolism.Conclusion: Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer can improve the response rate, but the scheme may increase the incidence of hypertension. DOI:10.3781/j.issn.1000-7431.2016.33.782


Subsurface investigation of coal occurrence in the Black Creek-Cobb interval of Oak Grove field is based on cross sections and isopach maps made from more than 500 density logs. This study was designed to identify styles of coal occurrence in the Black Warrior basin to aid in coalbed-methane exploration and production. Coal occurrence in parts of the Black Warrior basin may be characterized in terms of end-member fluvial and structural control. Fluvial processes apparently were the major controls on coal occurrence in the Black Creek cycle, where sandstone and coal thickness are inversely related. Additionally, occurrence of thick sandstone sequences above the thickest coal beds suggests that peat compaction provided sites for channel avulsion. In the Mary Lee and Cobb cycles, more coal beds occur in a downthrown fault block than in an upthrown block, and in the Pratt and Cobb cycles, the thickest coal beds occur on the downthrown side of a fault. Only in the Mary Lee cycle, where thick peat accumulated in an abandoned tributary system, is coal thickest on the upthrown block. Most coal beds in Oak Grove field are thickest on the downthrown block because differential subsidence apparently promoted peat accumulation. Clastic influx favors bedsmore » splits in the downthrown block, but joining of beds in the Pratt cycle may reflect sheltering by the fault. In the Mary Lee cycle, in contrast, channel incision evidently provided local relief sufficient for thick peat to accumulate in lows on the upthrown block. Although fluvial and structural processes result in varied styles of coal occurrence, models of coal occurrence have resulted in a predictive framework that may aid in strategic well siting and completion.« less