Lidar has proved to be a promising data source for various mapping and 3D modelling of buildings in urban areas. Therefore, many researchers have been trying to study and develop automatic building recognition algorithms based on Lidar data. But, according to the adjacency of buildings and other objects in urban areas, especially trees, the performance of obtained results from most of these algorithms is still dependent to several assumptions and simplifications. In this article, a multi-agent methodology has been proposed for automatic building recognition based on the decision level fusion of textural and spatial information extracted from Lidar range and intensity products. In this multi-agent methodology, two different groups of object recognition agents are defined for building and tree detection in parallel and the algorithm has two different operational levels based on the types of contextual information. In the first level, both object recognition agents decide about the types of objects in the study area based on textural information, and the candidates of building and tree regions will be generated. In the second operational level, building recognition and tree recognition agents perform some operations in macro level in order to modify the candidates of building and tree regions based on spatial information. The evaluation of obtained results confirms the high capabilities of proposed multi-agent algorithm to decrease the conflicts in the field of automatic building recognition in complex urban areas.


The research is based on the study of the effect of solid organic fertilizers based on cattle manure of different storage life on the yield of spring wheat. The studies were carried out in 2017-2018 at RUSKOM-Agro LLC in Omsk Region. It was established that 3.1-7.2 kg of nitrogen, 2.1-7.2 kg of phosphorus and 2.1-3.5 kg of potassium are introduced from each ton of organic fertilizer. The most effective active dose is 60 t/ha (with a storage duration of 8 months) – the increase made 1.51 t/ha, with a yield in the control version – 2.04 t/ha. The best dose in the afterinfluence was 60 t/ha (with a storage duration of 10 months) – the increase made 1.24 t/ha, with a yield in the control version – 2.09 t/ha. The cost recovery of the applied fertilizer unit (1 ton of manure) was the highest using 40 t/ha per year in action and 20-60 t/ha in the afterinfluence with a storage duration of 12 months.


Objective:To discuss the clinical effect and practicability of hemiarthroplasty on type Ⅱ-Ⅳ of Evans-Jensen type of intertrochanteric fracture(TEJIF).Method:74 cases of TEJIF senior patients who were admitted into our hospital from 2009 to 2012 were treated with hemiarthroplasty therapy.The length of hospital stay,weight-bearing walking time,mortality and complication,in addition,follow-up visit after 1,3,6,12 months and subsequent years,joint movement degree and surival rate were observed.Result:Follow-up visit was conducted in 74 cases after surgery,the average time of hospital stay was 18 d,walk could be done by using walking aid 5-7 d after operation,fully weight-bearing walking recovered 21- 24 after operation.There were no infection,relaxtion,dislocation happened.91.89% patients were recovered to the level of pre-injury,and no death, complication and dislocation happened.Conclusion:Artificial hemiarthroplasty has an outstanding clinical effect on TEJIF patients,it worth to be promoted in clinical therapy.


Bijie experimental region of poverty improvement and ecological construction is the typicalkarst area, as the karst area accounts for 70%. Within boards Liuchong river basin area accounts for 38.1% ofthe whole area,and the annual runoff in the region accounts for 39.5% of the total. The improved SWAT mod-el is built to simulate the rainfall and flow about Liuchong River in Bijie. According to the simulation, Watercircle about Liuchong river is obtained, and then extended to Bijie further. From the results and survey data,Water supply and demand of Bijie is calculated, and it can be drawn that in Beijie surface water resources sup-ply and demand contradictory is prominent, although rich in groundwater resources, the utilization rate is ex-tremely low, and engineering water shortage is significantly. Therefore, it is necessary to study the groundwaterresources on special research and rational development, in order to meet the objective requirements for localeconomic and social development.


Clinicians have an array of CDC-endorsed antibiotic choices for the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This multicenter, double-blind study from Mexico compared two regimens intended for outpatient treatment.

Participants were 138 women with mild-to-moderate PID, as judged by accepted laparoscopic criteria such …


According to the description of LI BAI's poetry,we may trace the culture relic of ancient Shu kingdom,Can Cong is the first king of Shu and the descendant of HuangDi which is the pimogenitor of Cinese culture.The king married the Shu Shan Shi,and their offspring became one trible of Shu.Die xi was the cradle-land,then it changed to the area which is the Mao County today and created the Ying Pan Shang culture.And the Yu Fu is the third generation of ancient Shu,the relic which had a history of 3000-4000years in Cheng Du Plain was belong to Yufu's time.Their decendant is the Wang Di who teach people how to farming and the Cong Di who contribute to the water conservancy.Everytime when their home meets the disaster,they have to move to another place and their culture remained as the relics.Tracing the footprint of ancient Shu People,we could discovery the meaning of inheriting our Shu culture.


Introduction: Despite the popularity of needle biopsy for obtaining tissue samples in several solid organs, its use in thoracic lesions has been very restricted in some hospitals. This study intended to investigate the CT-Guided transthoracic core needle biopsy specimens in Yazd Shahid Sadoughi hospital during 2001- 2010. Methods: This is a retrospective cross- sectional study conducted on pathologic results of CT-Guided transthoracic core needle biopsy specimens in Shahid Sadoughi hospital from 2001-2010. Results: In our study, 89 thoracic CNB were studied between2001-2010 from patients that referred to Sadoughi hospital who involved 53 males and 36 females. 78 biopsies were from lung and 11 biopsies from Mediastin. In a total of 89 biopsies 71 biopsies (78.9%) supplied appropriate material for histopathological diagnosis. Results were classified into one of the following four groups: positive or suspicious for malignancy(19.1%), benign specific(34.8%), benign non-specific(25.8%) and non-diagnostic(20.2%). Conclusion: Based on multivariate analysis there was no significant correlation between age ,sex ,size of lesion and pathology results, but there was a significant correlation between the location of thoracic lesion in lung and pathology results (p-value=0.024). Application of automated system for biopsy and fluoroscopy CT for guidance of needle biopsy can elevate adequacy of core needle biopsy in thoracic lesion.


The invention relates to an animal feed additive, namely a baby pig promoter that is good for growth performance of baby pigs. The promoter consists of raw materials of the weight portion: 500g of radix codonopsis pilosulae, 500g of astragalus, 400g of yam, 400g of atractylodes sinensis, 200g of cortex magnoliae officinalis, 200g of fructus aurantii, 150g of windflower, 150g of liquorice, 300g of hawthorn and 300g of malt. The promoter is characterized by easy material selecting, simple preparation, low cost, no side effect, good effect, suitability both for self made by small scale pig breeders and industrial production.


: Both energy and information measure are scarce resources in detector networks. Within the past, the energy economical routing drawback has been extensively studied in efforts to maximise sensor network lifetimes, however the link information measure has been optimistically assumed to be abundant. As a result of energy constraint affects however knowledge ought to be routed, link information measure affects not solely the routing topology, however additionally the allowed rate on every link, which in tum affects the time period. Previous analysis that concentrate on energy economical operations in sensor networks with {the sole the solely the only real} objective of increasing network time period only think about the energy constraint ignoring the information measure constraint. This thesis shows how ever impracticable these solutions are often once information measure will gift a constraint. It provides a brand new mathematical model that address each energy and information measure constraints and proposes two economical heuristics for routing and rate allocation. Simulation results show that these heuristics offer additional possible routing solutions than previous work, and considerably improve output. A technique of distribution the slot supported the given link rates is presented. The cross layer style approach improves channel utility considerably and completely solves the hidden terminal and exposed terminal issues.


In the construction of tunnel with great span flat-top upright wall to undermine and cover with lower solid under urban pipelines in loose earth layers,it is feasible and successful to apply the large pipe-shelf technology and small tube grouting-advanced-timbering with multi-CD micro-step excavation technique.In condition of wall rock with multi-signs,which ensures the construction's process and the safety of buildings.


According to the geological occurrences of low-grade metamorphic rocks and high to ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks(UHP) in the Sulu orogenic belt, There are the low-grade metamorphic rocks which underwent greenschist facies metamorphism in the middle Dabie ultrahigh pressure(UHP) metamorphic belt and at the north edge of the UHP metamorphic belt. By studying thg area distributing,geology character and geochemistry of the low-grade metamorphic rocks, it indicates that the original rocks of the low-grade metamorphic rocks and part of the high pressure-UHP rocks not only tie tightly up on their causes of formetion and together experienced teconic events during the subduction-colliding of the Yangze plate, but also make sure that the low-grade metamorphic rocks are the structure tags which due to subduction of Yangze plate. In terms of the accretionary wedge model of plate subduction, the geodynamic processes of formation and evolution are explored for the different grades of metamorphic rocks in the Sulu orogenic belt. The results provide constraints on the tectonic locations of subduction and suture zones between the Yangtze and Sino-Korean plates.


ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the functional and structural properties of Maillard reaction products of mung bean [Vigna radiate (L.)] protein isolate with dextran obtained under the temperature of 80°C or 90°C with different times (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 h). The mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugate had better solubility, emulsifying activity, and emulsifying stability than mung bean protein isolate; however, the protein aggregation decreased the solubility, surface hydrophobicity, emulsifying activity, and emulsifying stability of mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugate. In general, these functional properties of mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugate obtained at 80°C with lower degree of glycosylation and browning degree were better than mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugate obtained at 90°C. Both vicilin (8S) and legumin type (11S) globulins both participated in the graft reaction, the subunit with a molecular weight of 21 kDa that contributed to 11S globulin might be the most vulnerable to dextran followed by the 60, 32, and 26 kDa subunits. Maillard reaction between mung bean protein isolate and dextran led to a decreased fluorescence intensity and a bathochromic shift. The fluorescence intensity of mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugate generally decreased, and λmax of mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugate first increased and then decreased. The grafted mung bean protein isolates had lower α-helix content but higher β-sheet content. As the Maillard reaction between mung bean protein isolate and dextran proceeded, the α-helix contents of the mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugates were significantly increased and then decreased, and the β-sheet content generally decreased and then increased. Excessive grafted dextran and more protein aggregation was observed in mung bean protein isolate–dextran conjugate obtained at 90°C, which induced structural changes that might have impaired the functions. Our findings suggest that conjugation of mung bean protein isolate with dextran through the Maillard reaction is an effective way of improving the functional properties of mung bean protein isolate for its application in the food industry.


Abstract Let G be a graph. A ( p ,1 )-total labeling of G is an assignment of integers to each vertex and edge of G such that any adjacent vertices of G are labeled with distinct integers, any two adjacent edges of G are labeled with distinct integers and a vertex and its incident edge receive integers that differ by at least p in absolute value. The span of a ( p ,1 )-total labeling of G is the maximum difference between two labels. The minimum span of ( p ,1 )-total labeling of G is called the ( p ,1 )-total number and denote by λ_P^T (G). In this thesis, we first prove that for each Class 2 △-regular graph G if p≥max{χ+1 ,△}, then λ_P^T (G) ≥ △+p+χ-2. Next, we find some sufficient conditions for a Class 2 △-regular graph G which has the property that if p≥max{χ+1 ,△}, then λ_P^T (G)= △+p+χ-2.


In this article, I would first discuss briefly what we know about the causes of the recent financial crises, and whether the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could have done more to prevent them. I will explain what policy strategies the IMF recommended to resolve these crises, why it recommended these policies, and to what extent is the criticism of these recommendations justified. In the second part, I will discuss the lessons which the IMF has drawn from these crises. I will explain how the experience of recent years has changed the thinking about the proper role of the IMF in supporting stable international monetary system. I will focus on two broad areas of changes in the activity of the IMF. First, on measures that are being taken to make the repetition of financial crises less likely; second, on measures to be applied if the prevention fails and if a financial crisis strikes again.


Barrier and restriction have been come into being in cooperation among industry, university and research institute.This paper analyses the barrier and restriction,and offers solutions for normative and sustainable development of cooperation among industry,university and research institute.


09 water samples, 55 sediment samples and 20 biosamples (bivalve and fish) were collected from 11 locations of Tam Giang Cau Hai lagoon during dry seasons of 2005,2006 and 2007. The samples were treated under EPA methods and analysed by GC-MS for organochlorinated pesticides (OCs). The result showed that concentrations of pesticides of all water samples were at lower level than TCVN-5942-1995 (Vietnamese Standard) for organochlorine compounds (OCs) of surface water. Conversely, these chemicals were determined in sediment samples. Despite of decreasing from 2005 to 2007, the concentrations of them in sediment is still high. The samples from 0 Lau estuary next to Tam Giang lagoon were higher in DDT and HCH concentrations while the ones from Truoi estuary next to Cau Hai lagoon were higher in dieldrin and endrin. Analytical data indicated that the topography strongly affected to the distribution of organochlorinated pesticides.


Assessment and assortment of the most favorable, competent, and trustworthy products is getting to be more and more important for businesses in the current scenario, so the majority of the production industries do their utmost to achieve the requirements, standards, and expenditure patterns of the consumer to attain their expectations. Approaches are made to fulfill the needs of the consumer, as shown by the creation of diverse technologies for improving the capability to manage complex optimizations regarding decision attributes that involve uncertainty. The procedure of detecting the best alternative from all the feasible options is the basis of the decision-making problem. This article recommended two approaches: (a) multi-objective decision making by utilizing fuzzy technique and (b) fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Ordering Preferences by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method for choosing the best product while many products with many attributes are present in the marketplace. As per the need of the customer priority and their satisfaction level, this paper used linguistic quantifiers to evaluate the weight of the objective that is represented in triangular or trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. To demonstrate the technique used for the suggested approaches a case study was conducted. The simulation result shows a specific path that fuzzy logic can evolve in the problem of decision making as well as in the planning process in the product selection practice. Solutions obtained by employing both techniques were compared, which urges that the fuzzy TOPSIS approach provides more accurate information than the fuzzy MODM (multi-objective decision making) approach to find the best product from among many available products. This work helps to assist the managers to adopt suitable techniques while planning to design the product according to the customer requirements so that the consumer can get the best product as per their objectives.


With the propulsion of globalization process,higher education of engineering in all the countries of the world takes on a tendency of integrating resources,uniform standards,mutual acknowledge of diplomas,teachers and students interflow.Russia's higher education of engineering has undergone a series of reforms of internationalization in the authentication of education outline,teachers training and quality management mechanism and has some features:the talents training targets and teachers' specialty standards are at a high level and the administrative system operates effectively.


Objective To investigate the expressions and clinical significances of MUC1-mRNA and CK20-mRNA in peripheral blood of esophageal cancer patients.Methods MUC1-mRNA and CK20-mRNA were detected in 53 patients with esophageal cancer,10 patients with esophageal benign tumor and 20 healthy volunteers by RT-PCR technique.Results The expressions of MUC1-mRNA,CK20-mRNA and combining group were 35.85 % (19/53),49.06 % (26/53) and 62.26 % (36/53) in peripheral blood of 53 esophageal cancer patients.In control group,there was no expression of MUC1-mRNA and CK20-mRNA in peripheral blood of 10 patients with benign esophageal disease and 20 healthy volunteers.The positive rate increased by combining test(x2 =11.0228,P <0.05).Conclusion MUC1-mRNA and CK20-mRNA might be specific and sensitive markers to detect circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood and their expressions are closely related to TNM stages of the esophageal cancer patients.The combining test might be of high value of the diagnosis of micrometastasis.

Key words:
Esophageal neoplasms; Mucins; Keratins; Neoplasm metastasis


Nowadays, alongside the traditional statistical and semi-probabilistic methods, through which it is possible to obtain an estimate of the road network performances whatever its geometric-functional configuration, the use of microscopic traffic simulation techniques is widespread, allowing a "dynamic"approach to the problem (e.g. evaluation of infrastructural interventions, traffic management, etc.). The traffic micro-simulation models are able to analyze and process, instant by instant, the movement of single vehicles on the network, on the basis of laws related to the vehicle movement and the driving behavior. Based on this premise, this study proposes an overview of traffic simulation models, with a focus on the advantages of microsimulation. In this direction, the paper presents an application to a real case study in the city of Catania (Italy), in order to evaluate the impact of different traffic regulation strategies in terms of level of service (LoS), road emissions and fuel consuption through scenario evaluations. First results demonstrates that traffic modeling and the implementation of microsimulation tools represent a valid support for the transport policies assessment, providing a basis for future research steps that will address the simulation of larger areas, through before and after analysis and the evaluation of different key performance indicators. © 2022 Author(s).


The aim of the work is to provide measurable precursor signals associated with the initiation stage of near-surface damage and cracking, as depicted in Fig. 1.1. We have identified many salient features during the early stage of the SCC process (Stages 1, 2 on Fig. 1.1), including residual stress build-up, near-surface (within few microns) defect percolation, and changes of dislocation dynamics and measurable changes of the surface osmic resistance. We developed a model-based prediction of the onset and progression of SCC subsurface damage and assessed the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to measure the extent of surface damage. Such a framework would enable the development of appropriate field-deployable NDE technology with the needed spatial and temporal resolutions.


Objective: To summarize the experience of selective percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation which was performed on 1936 cases with trigeminal neuralgia. Methods: Supraorbital foramen, infraorbital foramen and oval foramen radiofrequency thermocoagulation were performed on 1936 cases of trigeminal neuralgia. X ray, 3D CT and navigation oval foramen locations were used in 22, 19 and 4 patients respectively on intractable trigeminal neuralgia in order that the direction and position could be defined. Results: Pain has been eliminated in 1528 cases, alleviated in 336 cases. No changes were observed in 72 cases. No serious complications occurred in all of the patients. The effective rate is 96.3%. Conclusion: Selective percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation is an effective way for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. X ray, 3D CT and navigation oval foramen locations can increase the successful rate of puncture, thus enhancing the safety and reducing the incidence rate of complications.


The objectives of this research are (1) to develop the computer program called PPA (Petroleum Potential Assessment) using Microsoft Visual Basic version 6.0 for determining for natural gas field potential assessment, (2) to compare the commercial petroleum potential assessment software, including FASPU (Fast Appraisal System for Petroleum Universal Version) and GeoX (Geometry Experiments) with PPA (Petroleum Potential Assessment), and (3) to evaluate economic returns in terms of Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Profit to Investment Ratio (PIR). The PPA software has been developed for natural gas potential assessment in the northeastern Thailand and design support of input parameter under various geological and engineering parameters including area of closure, porosity, thickness, gas saturation, gas formation volume factor, and recovery factor. PPA software uses the Monte Carlo simulation and probability of success theory, and is developed on Microsoft Visual Basic version 6.0. The software includes a main page and three modules: technical considerations, gas production forecast considerations and economic considerations. In terms of technical consideration, the estimated gas in place resources are 147.49 Bcf (billion cubic feet) at 90%, 405.71 Bcf at 50% and 926.74 Bcf at 10% of fractile, respectively. The estimated gas recoverable resources are 132.74 Bcf at 90%, 365.14 Bcf at 50% and 834.07 Bcf at 10% of fractile, respectively. In terms of economic consideration, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Profit to Investment Ratio (PIR) for natural gas field at Chonnabot prospect are 20.03% and 1.10, respectively.


Based on the maize yield and weather data of 8 counties distributed in eastern,central and western of Jilin province during 1978 to 2009,the effects of climate variability were researched concerning maize production in Jilin province by Panel Data model.The results showed that the maize yield of Jilin was highly volatile and unstable since 1978.The daily average temperature(℃),sunshine hours(h/d),daily precipitation(mm),relative humidity(%) and wind speed(m/s) have significant effect on maize yield.In terms of impact direction,all the climate factors had positive effects excepted wind speed.As effected degree,descending order was daily precipitation,average daily temperature,sunshine hours,relative humidity and wind speed.


This report has been prepared by Arete s.r.l. – Research & Consulting in Economics, Agra CEAS Consulting Ltd | IEG
Agribusiness intelligence | Informa and Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (European Commission)


in the large K region is due to the smoothing out of ripple by the diffraction. If the atomic density is nonuniform along the radial direction of laser beam, such an effect must be added in the analysis. The effects on the ionization efficiency of target atoms due to the abovementioned analyses will also be presented. *Department of Electric and Electronics Engineering, Ryukyu University 2-Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-02, Japan *'Institute for Laser Technology 2-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan


Too often under‐rated, too often neglected and too often forgotten until there is a serious accident, is the job of the supervisor to ensure that his operatives have a safe place of work and work in a safe fashion. If we look at the situation sensibly there are four very important motivators to safety at work which can — if he becomes aware of them — prompt the supervisor to set an example which his operatives will follow. They are, in order of priority: concern for people, concern for production, the law, social costs.


Background Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common atherosclerotic vascular disease. The use of drug-coated balloon (DCB) for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery disease has gradually increased. A certain percentage of patients developed target lesion restenosis after DCB treatment of the femoral popliteal artery. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is closely related to the level of inflammatory activity and has predictive value for atherosclerotic vascular disease. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between NLR and 1-year restenosis after DCB for femoropopliteal artery disease. Methods Patients with femoropopliteal artery disease who were treated with DCBs at our hospital from May 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively included. Baseline data during the patient's first hospital stay and data during follow-up were collected. Demographic data, laboratory test results, lesion examination results, and major adverse events during the follow-up period were collected. Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors associated with restenosis after DCB. Results A total of 117 patients were included. During 1-year follow-up, 19 cases (16.2%) of restenosis were detected. Five of these patients (4.3% of total included patients) were readmitted for symptomatic ischemia. No deaths or amputations occurred. Baseline NLR in patients with restenosis was higher than that in patients without restenosis (2.4 (2.1, 3.4) vs. 1.8 (1.3, 2.3), P < 0.001). Logistic univariate and multivariate analysis showed that baseline hs-CRP level (OR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.05–1.34), lesion length (OR = 1.04, 95%CI: 1.02–1.27), use of rivaroxaban (OR = 1.08, 95%CI: 1.05–1.39), NLR (OR = 1.47, 95%CI: 1.13–2.48), LDL-C level (OR = 1.25, 95%CI: 1.05–1.52), and diabetes (OR = 1.25, 95%CI: 1.05–1.52) = 1.18, 95%CI: 1.06–1.66) were predictors of restenosis. Conclusion Baseline NLR before DCB can predict the risk of restenosis after surgery.


In the article analysis of literature and surveys of students are used to determine essence and expedience in the development of future teachers of physical training functional-professional competences during the process of professional preparation. The expediency of realization of formation functional professional competence will consist in necessity of creation of pedagogical conditions of preparation of the competent teacher of physical training which include a substantiation of the personal guided approach as a methodological principle of formation its functional professional competences.


An optimized transformation system was developed for maize elite inbred lines using Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated gene transfer by studying various important co-culture systems that affect the efficiency of genetic transformation.The system was performed by transient expression of GUS gene after embryogenic callus co-cultured for five days(except special experiment).The study using the embryogenic callus derived from immature embryos of maize inbred line Qi 319 showed that the genetic transformation efficiency was increased with the decreasing of co-cultivation medium pH.The appropriate pH of co-cultivation medium was 5.2.It was beneficial to add acetosyringone(AS) into co-cultivation medium for improving transformation efficiency.The result also indicated that the transformation efficiency after adding 200 μmol/L acetosyringone(AS) into the co-cultivation medium was significantly higher than other treatments.Both of the GUS gene expression efficiencies co-cultured for three days and five days were increased at first and then decreased.The highest expression efficiency of GUS gene could reach 33.74% when co-cultured three days in dark at 25 ℃.


local customary or state law and the rights conferred by international conventions to which the country is a signatory, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Each chapter has stand-alone validity, but the juxtaposition of case studies from a tiny handful of African and Latin American nations doesn't quite work. This reservation aside, the volume's wealth of grounded insights will unsettle any takenfor-granted assumptions about what gender justice means in plural legal systems.


Increasing consideration of the maritime domain by Southeast Asian states lead governments of the region to rethink their own security posture, according more importance to the development of an effective maritime policy. If several of these states seems to own areal awareness of the conception of maritime domain and it's stakes, it's not unfair to say Indonesia, the most important archipelagic state, failed during long years to develop a real and effective maritime policy. Indeed, even if the basis were set up with the by the1957 Djoeanda proclamation - from the name of the Prime Minister Djoeanda Kartawidjada - hallowed the country as an archipelagic state, in 2010, this maritime vision seemsunachieved. At least, if several markers seems to prepare the ground for this kind of policy, it seems a long road before Jakarta become aware of the political stakes of its own maritime domain.


Seismic attribute computation is one of the most active research and engineering topics in the computational geophysics world. Although numerous algorithms for seismic attribute computation have been developed, relatively little work has been done on scientifically characterizing their quality and accuracy. Seismic attribute characterization effort is largely qualitative and subjective. We have developed a robust and reliable scientific process for functionally comparing similar attributes. Structural seismic attributes are addressed, including discontinuity, dip angle, dip azimuth, and curvature. To establish a common software platform, and collection of data sets for efficient fully automatic evaluation, a stand-alone flexible online web service is designed. It is based on a C#-MATLAB implementation, and it is called A3Mark. The publicly available web service enables the automatic evaluation of individual categories of seismic attributes using customized quality metrics. It can be easily extended to include new algorithms. Several new synthetic data sets covering various structural measurements are also created, including noise, with ground truth, and they are made publicly available through the web service. Finally, a comparative evaluation of some current seismic attribute algorithms is given with quantitative and qualitative results. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Seismic attributes are quantities, such as measurements, characteristics, or properties, extracted or derived from seismic data. They are analyzed to enhance information that might be hidden or found to be subtle in a traditional seismic image, leading to a better geologic or geophysical interpretation of the data, ultimately increasing the success rate by more optimal well positioning. Seismic attributes were introduced in the early 1970s. Since then, many new seismic attributes have been derived and computed, following major advances in computer technology such as digital recording and modern visualization techniques (Chopra and Marfurt, 2005). Nowadays, different (or even the same) software platforms provide different calculations for a single seismic attribute, e.g., volumetric dip, discontinuity, and curvature. In the Petrel E&P software platform, for example, the chaos, variance, amplitude contrast, and residual consistent dip attributes can all be used for discontinuity calculation. With the dramatically increasing number of seismic attributes in the oil industry, one can relate to the decision-making paradox, as first identified by Triantaphyllou and Mann (1989). This stems from the observation that there are plentiful seismic attributes (Chopra and Marfurt, 2008), each claiming to be the "best," while implementing intrinsically the same functionality (Barnes, 2006). Furthermore, these attributes may often yield very different results when fed with exactly the same input data. In other words, what is clearly lacking in the highly competitive world of seismic attributes is not the attributes themselves, but a robust and reliable scientific process to compare functionally similar attributes. Some experts use informal methods such as writing blogs (Hall, 2016) or giving lectures (Behzad, 2016) to explain the details of the seismic attributes, and to provide corresponding suggestions, based on their professional experience. However, the confusion for geoscientists in selecting the appropriate seismic attribute still remains. Gunther and Marfurt (2016) compare five different methods for volumetric dip computation. They begin by describing key details of five dip computation methods, and then they apply them to a 3D seismic survey acquired offshore New Zealand and examine the result with a human interpreter for differences in resolution, artifacts, and sensitivity to noise. Although going in the right direction, this approach remains qualitative and subjective. There are some works (Clawson et al., 2003; Hart and Chen, 2004; Verma et al., 2015) that take the first steps toward the anaManuscript received by the Editor 9 January 2017; revised manuscript received 6 June 2017; published ahead of production 11 September 2017; published online 01 December 2017. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Computer Science, Trondheim, Norway. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com. no. Schlumberger AS, Schlumberger Information Solutions, Stavanger, Norway. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Geoscience and Petroleum, Trondheim, Norway. E-mail: email@example.com. © 2018 Society of Exploration Geophysicists. All rights reserved. O15 GEOPHYSICS, VOL. 83, NO. 1 (JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018); P. O15–O24, 10 FIGS., 4 TABLES. 10.1190/GEO2017-0013.1 D ow nl oa de d 02 /1 2/ 19 to 1 29 .2 41 .1 91 .2 30 . R ed is tr ib ut io n su bj ec t t o SE G li ce ns e or c op yr ig ht ; s ee T er m s of U se a t h ttp :// lib ra ry .s eg .o rg / lytical validation of attribute algorithms using synthetic seismic data. Hart and Chen (2004) use simple 1D convolutional models constructed from well control to validate the subsequent interpretation of seismic attribute anomalies. In Verma et al. (2015), 2D synthetic common-shot gathers are computed, processed, and migrated to quantify the response of coherence, curvature, and acoustic impedance through four case studies. Coherence, P-impedance, and other attributes computed from 3D convolution models (Clawson et al., 2003) were used to determine which attributes may help in the seismic prediction for improved hydrocarbon reserve estimation. Although these synthetic seismic data sets are sophisticated, they still contain only a few individually isolated complex configurations. Because these configurations, such as petrophysical properties, are all twisted together, it is hard to automatically separate the effect of an individual configuration, and thus validation remains qualitative and subjective. In contrast, an objective approach should automatically evaluate attributes and algorithms quantitatively, but this is rather challenging. Generally speaking, an objective approach uses various quality metrics to assess if a technique fits better to the ground truth or reference data than another. Furthermore, in the field of computer vision, web services are built to share data, host participants' results, and compare these results using objective metrics with the aim of setting a standard through benchmarking of the algorithms. These objective approaches are widely used, for example, in stereo reconstruction (Scharstein and Szeliski, 2001; Seitz et al., 2006; Stretcha et al., 2008) and image quality assessment (Ponomarenko et al. 2009), but not in the world of seismic attributes. A3Mark attempts to bridge this gap by objectively comparing seismic attributes and thus guiding consumer choices. Toward this end, we build a publicly available web service that hosts several synthetic data sets that are generated for this purpose. These data sets cover a wide range of structural features under various noise conditions, such as discontinuity, dip angle, dip azimuth, and curvature, and they have the associated ground truths. These structural seismic attributes are important in the accurate calculation of many geometric attributes and to some structure-oriented filters, and they are key components in the emerging seismic geochronology analysis software. The web service includes mechanisms for uploading and automatically evaluating the user submitted seismic attribute cubes and for presenting the results of the metrics numerically and visually. In particular, the evaluation methodology is supported by customized quality metrics in the server backend. The web service is available at A3Mark.idi.ntnu.no. So far, there are comparative test results from several software platforms. DATA SETS WITH GROUND TRUTH Real seismic data are often complicated because of complex geology and noise, and they are therefore not ideal for evaluation purpose. On the one hand, the interpreted data such as faults cannot be regarded as ground truth, because the interpreters often have different, and sometimes even incoherent, interpretation of the same data set. The real geologic ground truth of the subsurface is difficult to obtain; one needs to compare the geologic or physical models with other available information, such as aerial photographs, test borings, well logs, geologic maps, and field observations. On the other hand, even the complicated real data may not cover all the values for one attribute, such as dip angle, dip azimuth, and curvature, in a single data set. Synthetic data can to some extent avoid the aforementioned issues and offer more control over the data, and this is the type of data adopted for the proposed benchmark.


Angiotensin II (Ang II), through its actions on the Ang II type 1 receptor, a G‐protein coupled receptor (GPCR), increases blood pressure and causes oxidative stress and inflammation in multiple tissues, including in the cerebral vasculature. Ang II‐induced brain inflammation may also contribute to emotional abnormalities, such as anxiety‐ and depression‐like behavior. Regulator of G‐protein signaling (RGS) proteins modulate responses to extracellular signals (such as Ang II) acting through GPCRs by accelerating GTPase activity on Gα subunits, thus terminating G‐protein activity. RGS5, which is expressed in the brain and cerebral vasculature, mediates Ang II‐induced increases in blood pressure and vascular structure. In this study, we examined the role of RGS5 in modulating cerebral vascular oxidative stress, and anxiety‐ and depression‐like behavior in the absence and presence of elevated Ang II levels in adult (20–24 week old) male mice. Wild‐type (RGS5+/+) and RGS5‐deficient (RGS5−/−) mice were treated with vehicle (veh, saline) or Ang II (1 mg/kg/d) via osmotic minipumps for 21 days. Systolic blood pressure (SBP, measured using tail cuff), anxiety (measured using elevated plus maze) and depression (measured using tail suspension test)‐related behaviors were assessed in conscious mice; superoxide levels (measured using LO12 chemiluminesence) were examined in isolated cerebral vessels. Ang II treatment caused a greater increase in SBP in RGS5−/− compared to RGS5+/+ mice (ΔSBP at Day 17 in Ang II–treated RGS5+/+= 16±7mmHg, n=10; Ang II‐treated RGS5−/−= 37±5 mmHg, n=10, P<0.05), confirming that RGS5 modulates Ang II‐induced increases in blood pressure. In RGS5+/+ mice, Ang II treatment increased anxiety‐like behavior (time spent in open arms [secs] in veh‐treated RGS5+/+=79±12, n=7; Ang II‐treated=49±5, n=8, P<0.05). In vehicle‐treated RGS5−/− mice, anxiety‐like behavior was increased compared to vehicle‐treated RGS5+/+ mice (time spent in open arms [secs] in veh‐treated RGS5−/−=36±5, n=8, P<0.05 vs veh‐treated RGS5+/+), suggesting that RGS5 deficiency causes anxiety‐like behavior. There was no further effect of Ang II treatment on anxiety‐like behavior in RGS5−/− mice (time spent in open arms [secs] in Ang II‐treated RGS5−/−=44±7, n=9, P>0.05 vs veh‐treated RGS−/−). Ang II treatment, and RGS5 deficiency alone had no effect on depression‐like behavior (time immobilized [secs] in veh‐treated RGS5+/+=164±10, n=11; Ang II‐treated RGS5+/+=170±10, n=10, P>0.05 vs vehicle; veh‐treated RGS5−/−=178±12, n=10, P>0.05 vs veh‐treated RGS5+/+); however combined RGS5 deficiency and Ang II treatment resulted in an increase in depression‐like behavior (time immobilized [secs] in Ang II‐treated RGS5−/−=202±10, n=11, P<0.05 vs Ang II‐treated RGS5+/+), suggesting that combined RGS5 deficiency and Ang II treatment increased depression‐like behavior compared to Ang II treatment alone. There was no effect of Ang II treatment or RGS5 deficiency on cerebral vascular superoxide levels. Overall, these data suggest important roles for RGS5 in modulating Ang II‐induced increases in blood pressure, and anxiety‐ and depression‐like behavior.


AESOPS is a well known algorithm for power system eigenvalue calculation. This paper describes a modification to improve the efficiency of the method. The modified algorithm uses sparse techniques to solve the same equivalent network equations of AESOPS in each iteration but, unlike AESOPS, it is an exact Newton-Raphson iteration scheme, and converges significantly faster than AESOPS. Results for a 31 generator power system are described. >


Abstract The intravenous infusion of propionate in six Jersey cows resulted in decreased synthesis of all major milk fatty acids measured except 16:0, whereas infusion of glucose increased the secretion of 10:0 and 12:0, decreased that of 18:0, 18:1, and 18:2, and had little effect on 14:0 and 16:0. The data suggest that propionate and glucose did not reduce milk fat secretion through the same mechanism. Comparison of changes in the fatty acid pattern with those associated with ration-induced milk fat depression indicates that the latter cannot be fully explained by the glucogenic effect of propionate.


Background: Living with and managing a long-term condition are complex processes that are further compounded by a range of medical and psychosocial factors. The size and scale of long-term conditions in the UK is vast, with strategic drivers seeking to find innovative ways to managing this problem. Methods: This project introduced Simple Telehealth "Florence," a software-based short message service texting system to monitor a variety of conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and wounds, initially in one region of the East Midlands, England, UK. This article discusses the findings from our patient and staff evaluations of using the system. In total, 37 patients across four conditions, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and Asperger's syndrome, evaluated the study and this exercise involved 33 nurses in teams across three locations over a 6-month period. Evaluation was made using a simple, self-completed questionnaire and analysis of qualitative comments. Results: The majority of patients find the service easy to use, reassuring, and reducing the number of contacts they had with their doctor. The results also show that staff did notice a reduction in consultation time, highlighting the potential of the system to save time; the majority viewed it as a support to existing approaches aimed at the management of long-term conditions. Discussion: This study adds to the growing body of evidence that supports community nurses through the use of innovative ways to assess, support, and monitor long-term conditions. It also offers insight into the experience of patients and staff working together in one region of England, UK. Recommendations: Embedding Simple Telehealth "Florence" as an option within primary care services in the UK is hereby proposed. This would add to the range of options and therapeutic approaches available through modern Telehealth. Keywords: self-management, simple telehealth, Flo, patient experience, community nurse


Symbolic models of non-stationary radar signals and their possible application in radar systems are given. In comparison with traditional methods of regression analysis and various mathematic transforms (Fourier, Laplace, etc.) an approach based on computational intelligence is considered. The proposed approach to forming a symbolic model is a method of transforming a symbolic image of non-stationary radar signals based on the feature of scintillating radar images perception. The proposed transform of symbolic images of non-stationary radar signals of moving aerial objects with interperiod scintillating fluctuations from a certain correspondence of the asymptotic equality of perception of radar images changing in time and space, is reduced to the statement about the conditions of simple equality of perception of radar images that have different frequencies of fluctuations. The data obtained are considered as a mixture of true and various interfering signals, which are fuzzy samples and sets. Thus, it is possible to use an intelligent perception approach to determine the functional dependencies and relations of the mixture of radar images. The dependencies and relations obtained in the form of symbolic models of radar signals make it possible to determine distinctive features for detecting and recognizing the aerial objects in the presence of interferences. The paper shows how this approach can be used to improve the intelligent analysis of radar data by generating a pulse-frequency code of fluctuations of symbolic models of radar images and smoothing scintillating fluctuations.


In one spatial dimension, the effects of finite pump length L on the oscillating two‐stream instability are considered. In the absence of damping, a purely growing instability for very small pump extent is found. Under certain conditions, the finite system exhibits faster growth rates than the corresponding infinite system.


For most scientists the history of their discipline is of great interest and value. This is as it should be. Even though we all know that history repeats itself, whether as farce or tragedy, we will always benefit from knowing it, even while we watch events unfolding in the same way as before. The study of cognition and perception is no exception. Andrew Brook has edited a fascinating volume of chapters on diverse topics in the history of the cognitive sciences. I was very happy to read such an interesting volume on a topic so close to my heart. I am quite sure that even those of us who know the history of our field very well will find much to think about within its pages. Although the volume is on the `prehistory' of cognitive science, it is by no means implied here that scientists and philosophers before 1900 did not contemplate the problem of cognition. In the introduction the prehistory of cognitive is defined as the period up to about 1900. It is argued that until then there was no clearly defined science of the mind. Pioneers such as Wundt, Freud, and James laid the groundwork. The aim of this volume is to identify contributions from theorists from before 1900 that have had a lasting effect. Stellan Ohlsson in his contribution traces the separation of thought and action back to Aristotle. Although the 20th century has seen clear examples of blurring of such distinctions, in physiology, psychology, and philosophy [Gilbert Ryle (1949) being one pertinent example], Ohlsson argues that `̀ logic based reasoning theories do not bring thought into contact with action'' and names the field of artificial intelligence as an example. In sum, Ohlsson concludes that theoretical logic has had a large effect upon cognitive science whereas practical logic has not, arguing that, as with the distinction between theoretical and practical logic, research programs fall into the theoretical reasoning framework on the one hand and practical reasoning framework on the other. Ohlsson concludes: `̀ both activities [theory and practice] involve thought and action, both theoretical and practical reasoning, but they differ as to which type of reasoning dominates''. Noam Chomsky draws an interesting parallel between what he calls the first and second cognitive revolutions (history repeating itselföthe second one is presumably the farce!). Chomsky draws parallels between the role played by the automata that inspired Descartes in the first one, and computers in the second one (the one we usually place in the post-war period). Chomsky argues convincingly that Descartes faced similar problems as the scientists who started the second revolution regarding the dominance of behaviourism. Marcelo Dascal argues that Thomas Hobbes presented what might be the first computational theory of mind. Seventeenth-century scientists were puzzled by the nature of ideas. Hobbes proposed that their content was language and that cognition involved mental manipulation of linguistic signs. While many authors have since argued against the idea of thought as language (see eg Pinker 1994), Hobbes's ideas are innovative and interesting for their time and engagingly described by Dascal. Jacobsen presents us with a delineation of Hume's theory of ideas, arguing that it is intended to provide us with a theory of the contents of the mind and its basic laws of operation. Associationism was, of course, at the heart of Hume's theory but Jacobsen nevertheless argues that we should not reject his ideas as simple stimulus ^ response psychology. Jacobsen draws, for example, parallels between Hume's ideas about thinking and Tversky and Kahneman's (1981) research on mental heuristics. In other words, Jacobsen argues that discussion of Hume has in the past focused too much on his associationism and argues that the `new' theory of mind, as she calls it, is in essence an extension of the ideas of Hume. Jacobsen's contribution is both informative and entertaining. Kant is often called the grandfather of cognitive science (among others in the introduction to this volume). It is clear that his basic tenet that we cannot understand the mind except in how it reacts to, and organizes, the outside world is a basic tenet of modern cognitive science. Reviews Perception, 2008, volume 37, pages 1776 ^ 1778


A redistribution layer for a chip is provided, wherein the redistribution layer comprises at least one electrical conductor path connecting two connection points with each other, wherein the at least one electrical conductor path is arranged on a planar supporting layer and wherein the electrical conductor path comprises copper and at least one other further electrical conductive material in an amount of more than 0.04 mass percent.


Abstract
1 A new dialysis technique has been used to investigate the binding of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) to circulating blood in five subjects.

2 The results indicate that added PGE2 binds to blood, that the binding is to plasma albumin, and that binding is complete within 40 s of adding PGE2.


In the course of the next few days the inflammation spread down the thigh, chiefly on its anterior and medial aspects, as far as the knee. The skin was red and brawny, with a small necrotic patch in the mid-thigh. A fine crepitation in the region of the anterior-superior spine was palpable. On Nov. 19 Mr. W. K. Targett incised the thigh. "'With a large aspirating needle, foulsmelling greyish-brown pus was obtained fairly superficially in the thigh (inner side). An incision in the same area opened a superficial 'space' containing gas and more pus. This was lined with greyish necrotic material. A drain was inserted. A second incision lower down was made. More gas and pus were found. The whole process was more like a generalized infiltration than a true abscess." Anti-gas-gangrene serum was given. After the operation the patient's general condition improved a little, but locally there was an extension of the inflammation below the knee. with effusion in that joint and oedema of the leg. A black bulla was present in the thigh. Soon a necrotic area joined the two incisions. Subcutaneous crepitus could be felt in the upper and outer part of the thigh (Fig. 1).


The editorial on the question of whether medicine is still a profession[1][1] is disingenuous. Does the author really believe that the "commercial moral syndrome" is the sole domain of "private companies"? If so, he or she has not had much contact with a university research laboratory and


An algorithm is described for fast rendering of surfaces for haptic interaction with multiple fingers. The algorithm uses a human-defined geometrical map to quickly cache surface triangles for constant time solution of the collision detection problem. The map is a 1, 2, or 3 dimensional manifold onto which it is easy to project the haptic interaction point. Dividing it's surface into quantized bins allows easy reference to a small set of triangles which can be checked for collision. Although the algorithm relies on some one-time manual input (i.e. defining the contact map), it represents a significant increase in speed without a substantial memory penalty


The middle of Nongjiang River is the ecological corridor connecting the two wetlands of Honghe National Nature Reserve and Sanjiang National Nature Reserve.The types and features of marsh wetlands in the corridor area are representative of the original landscapes of the Sanjiang Plian.By the field survey,the characteristic of bird diversity in Nongjiang River wetland ecological corridor and its surrounding was studied in the spring,2008.11 monitoring plots were chosen according to different bird habitats' types.68 species of spring birds,belonging to 14 families and 26 orders were recorded in the corridor.The results showed that the bird diversity was abundant in the corridor in spring and the index of Shannon-Winner was 1.466 9.Bird diversity index of the habitat of mire was the maximum(1.260 1),next was the habitat of water body(1.248 8),residential area(0.903 1),farmland(0.872 8),the habitat of forest was the minimum(0.871 6);the evenness index of water habitat(0.182 3)was the maximum,next was then the farmland(0.164 6),forest(0.142 9)and mire(0.110 5),the index of residential area was the minimum(0).The area of mire and water body should be maintained to preserve the ecological function of Nongjiang River wetland corridor.


Recent research has highlighted the non-uniqueness problem of energy–momentum tensors in linearized gravity; many different tensors are published in the literature, yet for particular calculations a unique expression is required. It has been shown that (A) none of these spin-2 energy–momentum tensors are gauge invariant and (B) the Noether and Hilbert energy–momentum tensors are not, in general, equivalent; therefore uniqueness criteria is difficult to specify. Conventional wisdom states that the various published energy–momentum tensors for linearized gravity can be derived from the canonical Noether energy–momentum tensor of spin-2 Fierz-Pauli theory by adding ad-hoc 'improvement' terms (the divergence of a superpotential and terms proportional to the equations of motion), that these superpotentials are in some way unique or physically significant, and that this implies some meaningful connection to the Noether procedure. To explore this question of uniqueness, we consider the most general possible energy–momentum tensor for linearized gravity with free coefficients using the Fock method. We express this most general energy–momentum tensor as the canonical Noether tensor, supplemented by the divergence of a general superpotential plus all possible terms proportional to the equations of motion. We then derive systems of equations which we solve in order to prove several key results for spin-2 Fierz–Pauli theory, most notably that there are infinitely many conserved energy–momentum tensors derivable from the 'improvement' method, and there are infinitely many conserved symmetric energy–momentum tensors that follow from specifying the Belinfante superpotential alone. This disproves several recent claims that the Belinfante tensor is uniquely associated to the Hilbert tensor in spin-2 Fierz–Pauli theory. We give two new energy–momentum tensors of this form. Most importantly, since there are infinitely many energy–momentum tensors of this form, no meaningful or unique connection to Noether's first theorem can be claimed by application of the canonical Noether 'improvement' method.


Learning in school requires active engagement. Student engagement is an important aspect for all students, whether urban, suburban, or rural, and regardless of socioeconomic background. Students enter Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs for a multitude of reasons and CTE programs offer unique support for student success by increasing student engagement. This study will focus on CTE teachers' perceptions of the influence that CTE programs and industry credentialing have on student engagement. Utilizing information on student engagement will help educators develop strategies to promote student motivation and student engagement, thus leading to student academic success. This study is a quantitative, descriptive statistical study in which the researcher examined studies that focused on student engagement and student engagement predictors. The research identified six qualities of student engagement: positive conduct and absence of disruptive conduct, school attendance, academic progress, social membership, high expectations in students' ability to achieve, and emotional support. The researcher developed a survey to examine teachers' perceptions of CTE influence on student engagement by including the six qualities of student engagement as guidelines for questionnaire development. Results of the survey indicate that CTE teachers identify all six domains of student engagement as represented within their course structure. Responses of all groups were similar, while their levels of industry involvement different. Additional results of all teacher responses are provided in the paper


Due to an increasing need for flexibility, embedded systems embody more and more programmable processors as their core components. Because of silicon area and power considerations, the corresponding instruction sets are often highly encoded to minimize code size for given performance requirements. This has hampered the development of robust optimizing compilers because the resulting irregular instruction set architectures are far from convenient compiler targets. Among others, they introduce a strong phase coupling between the tasks of instruction selection and scheduling. Traditional methods perform these tasks in different phases, thereby yielding inferior schedules. The authors present an approach that reduces the need for explicit instruction selection by transferring constraints implied by the instruction set to static resource constraints. All resulting schedules are then guaranteed to correspond to a valid implementation with available instructions. We demonstrate a practical way to identify and construct a static resource model from a given instruction set. Experimental results show the efficacy of our approach.


The climate is summarised for the austral winter season of 2015 with emphasis on the tropical Pacific region as well as rainfall and temperature over Australia. In the tropical Pacific, winter was dominated by a developing El Nino event; by June the Southern Oscillation Index had already exceeded El Nino thresholds for the second month running and sea surface temperatures had also passed key threshold levels as the tropical Pacific Ocean warmed rapidly. Several composite indices of El Nino such as the 5VAR and Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) continued to rise as the winter months progressed, indicating an atmosphere and ocean that was building towards a strong event, with index values by August being comparable to the previously strong El Nino events of 1982–83 and 1997– 98.


Recent literature in the political economy of civil war has pointed to the importance of (changes) in the economic environment for the understanding of conflict dynamics. Three channels, negative income shocks, the presence of exportable commodities and indiscriminate violence inflicted on one's community are considered as drivers of conflict. This paper studies these channels with a new fifteen-year panel of community level data on Burundi whose coffee sector is intimately intertwined with the civil war. We find that indiscriminate violence inflicted at the start of the civil war (1993) continued to affect recruitment throughout the entire civil war. We also find that decreases in the producer price of coffee increases recruitment. Aiming to distinguish the resentment aspect from the opportunity aspect in low producer prices, we perform robustness tests with different specifications and with year-province rainfall shocks affecting overall agricultural income, not just coffee. Results indicate that it is the opportunity cost mechanism that drives increased recruitment.


Hot spot identification problems are present across a wide range of areas, such as transportation, health care and energy. Hot spots are locations where a certain type of event occurs with high frequency. A recent big data approach is capable of identifying hot spots in a dynamic manner, through the processing of large volumes of sensor data arriving as a stream. However, the method may produce imprecise results due to its crisp interpretation of hot spot locations and reliance on a fixed hot spot radius value. This paper presents an initial approach to addressing this shortcoming through incorporating the concept of fuzzy hot spots into the process. Experimental results on large real-world transportation datasets demonstrate the improved way in which this approach handles uncertainty in the definition of hot spots, and highlight promising future research areas for further application of fuzzy systems to the hot spot identification problem.


The population in this study were seven oil and gas companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2012-2017. The sampling method used in this study was saturated sampling. This study uses Zmijewski model and Grover model to predict financial distress. The prediction results of financial distress using Zmijewski model in 2012 and 2013 predicts Radiant Utama Interinsco Tbk to experience financial distress, in 2014 predicts that all companies not experience financial distress, in 2015 predict Energi Mega Persada Tbk and Medco Energi Internasional Tbk to experience financial distress, in 2016 predict Energi Mega Persada Tbk and Benakat Integra Tbk to experience financial distress and in 2017 predict Energi Mega Persada Tbk to experience financial distress. The prediction results of financial distress using Grover model from 2012-2014 predict that all companies not experience financial distress, in 2015 and 2016 predict Benakat Integra Tbk and Energi Mega Persada Tbk to experience financial distress and in 2017 predict Benakat Integra Tbk to experience financial distress and predict Energi Mega Persada Tbk and Surya Esa Perkasa Tbk are in the grey area.
Keywords :  financial distress, zmijewski model and grover model


In this article I explore an incumbent monopolistis incentives to upgrade in the future his durable network product in the presence of overlapping generations of customers and a potential entrant who may also sell a version of the same quality. When the incumbent has commitment power and entry cannot be deterred, he decides to withhold the upgrade when network e§ects are weak, as strategic complementarity between the competitorsiintertemporal pricing decisions allows him to charge su¢ ciently patient forward-looking consumers more in the present market. On the other hand, he commits to upgrade when network e§ects are strong, as there is strategic substitutability between Ormsiprices. Regarding welfare, the frequency of new products is not socially optimal when the quality improvement is negligible and smaller than their adoption cost. I Ond that both potential or actual competition and the incumbentis commitment power are sources of ine¢ ciency.


We identify quantum many-body scars in the transverse field quantum Ising model on a ladder. We make explicit how the corresponding (mid spectrum, low entanglement) many-body eigenstates can be approximated by injecting quasi-particle excitations into an exact, zero-energy eigenstate, which is of valence bond solid type. Next, we present a systematic construction of product states characterized, in the limit of a weak transverse field, by a sharply peaked local density of states. We describe how the construction of these "peak states" generalizes to arbitrary dimension and show that on the ladder their number scales with system size as the square of the golden ratio.


Some generalization of classical model of market balance (Valras's models) are made. Nonlinearity of laws of the demand and supply, dependence of these laws on change in price speed are considered. Specific examples of application of models are reviewed.


Continuously operating machines for rectifying track alignment form, together with the track panel, a "machine-track" closed circuit. Recorded values are compared against predetermined settings. The article explains a method for optimising track alignment rectifier systems. Spectral analysis is applied for information concerning the running surface of the track. The parameters of a 3-point and a 4-point system with smoothing are examined. For the rectification diagram of the 3-point and 4-point systems with measuring apparatus arranged symmetrically, the measuring cord which is close to optimum length, is 50 metres long.


Cotton is the most important textile fiber in the world. Its metal composition influences the textile processing qualities and for this reason it has to be monitored during the production. Prior the quantification of the metals present, a proper sample preparation is important: three different digestion procedures have been tested for the determination of different major, minor and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Homogenized samples were subjected to dry ashing, open-vessel digestion and microwave digestion procedures and analyzed for its elemental composition. The best recoveries of all elements were detected after microwave digestion procedure.


Chinese classrooms, whether on school grounds or online, have long suffered from a lack of interactivity. Many online classes simply provide recorded lectures to which students listen after downloading. This format only reinforces the negative effects of passive non-participatory learning. At the e-Learning Lab of Shanghai Jiaotong University researchers and developers actively seek technologic interventions that can greatly increase interactivity in blended classes. They developed a cutting-edge mobile learning system that can deliver live broadcast of real-time classroom teaching to online students with mobile devices. Their system allows students to customise means of content-reception, based on when and where the students are tuning in to the broadcast. The system also supports short text messaging and instant polls. Through these venues, students can ask questions and make suggestions in real time, and the instructor can address them immediately. Here we describe this system in detail, and also report results from a test implementation of the system with a blended classroom of 1000 students (250 campus and 750 online). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]


A blue chelate formed by Al,chrome azurol S(CAS)and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide(CTMAB)in buffer solution of HAc-NaAc was determined at 610 nm,and the optimunm concentration of CTMAB was selected.The content of aluminium in different beans was determined.The result showed that the sensitivity of the method was improved.The content of Al are different among 10 kinds of beans.The highest is 29.49 μg/g in mung bean,the lowest is 8.24 μg/g in vegetable bean,and the average is 15.33 μg/g.It concludes the aluminium content in beans is at a low level,and more beans can be eaten safely.


ABSTRACT Emerging research has demonstrated that the effects of climate change communication are influenced by the message recipient's perceptions of the message source. In the present study, we extend this previous work into a domain wrought with inferred communicator biases, policy advocacy. Competence and character enhancing source factors, expertise, perceived caring, and salient value similarity are manipulated to assess their impact on one's likelihood to support a policy advocated by the source. Results from this online experiment (N = 397) suggest that a climate change policy advocate increased policy support when the advocate was described as (a) caring about people like the participant (vs. not caring) and (b) sharing the participants' salient values for environmental protection (vs. not sharing their salient values). In contrast, policy support was not influenced by information about the advocate's expertise. These findings provide initial evidence that communication efforts may need to consider source factors beyond expertise and particularly, those related to trusting one's character when advocating climate policies. Further, such efforts may be most effective when tailored according to values individuals' associate with a specific environmental issue or situation.


In 1999 Molodtsov introduced the concept of soft set theory as a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. Alkhazaleh et al. in 2011 introduced the definition of a soft multiset as a generalization of Molodtsov's soft set. In this paper we give the definition of fuzzy soft multiset as a combination of soft multiset and fuzzy set and study its properties and operations. We give examples for these concepts. Basic properties of the operations are also given. An application of this theory in decision-making problems is shown.


An early and detailed autopsy conducted in forensic death cases will invalidate various allegations and assumptions that could be made after death. It might be necessary to exhume the corpse in order to solve the problems that might arise as a result of the burial of the corpse without performing autopsy or due to inadequate autopsy. The present study aimed at revealing the properties of the exhumation cases whose autopsies were conducted in Konya city center by the Branch Office of Konya Forensic Medicine affiliated to the Institute of Forensic Medicine and in districts of Konya by forensic medicine specialists. For this purpose, records belonging to 42 cases that were exhumed between 2001 and 2007 were examined. The ages of the cases varied between 15 days and 92 years and the average age was found to be 39.8 + 21.8. 29 (69 %) of the cases were male while 13 (31 %) were female. Exhumations were conducted within 1 to 10 days after death in 16 (38.1 %) of the cases. In 12 cases (28.6 %), of which 7 were in the provincial center (35 %) and 5 were in district centers (22.7 %), exhumations had been performed because death certificates had been prepared without the forensic case being reported by the municipal doctor or the hospital authorities. The most common reason for exhumations in districts was in 7 cases (31.8 %) that the forensic cases had been issued death certificates after only death examinations. To reduce the number of exhumations, it will be appropriate to give training to the units issuing death certificates about forensic cases and how to report forensic cases and to the public about not burying their dead without death certificates. Besides, in cases of forensic death, we believe that for a complete and accurate autopsy, all autopsies must be performed in certain centers and by forensic medicine specialists.Keywords: Exhumation, death certificate, death, forensic medicine


Douglas Harper, Visual Sociology. New York: Routledge, 2012, 294 pp. $43.95 paperback (978-0-415-77896-1). Douglas Harper has spent his career realizing Howard Becker's call to "make sociology visual" (p. 1). For more than thirty years he has been an innovator, leader, and promoter of visual sociology. He is the author of four books based on ethnographic studies incorporating visual research: Good Company (Chicago, 1982), Working Knowledge: Skill and Community in a Small Shop (Chicago, 1987), Changing Works: Visions of a Lost Agriculture (Chicago, 2001) and, with co-author Patrizia Faccioli, The Italian Way: Food and Social Life (Chicago, 2009). As a founding member of the International Visual Sociology Association and as the first editor of the association's journal, Visual Studies, he has played a central role in establishing the institutional presence of visual research and in mentoring subsequent generations of visual researchers. His eagerly-awaited new book, Visual Sociology, offers a knowledgeable history and up-to-date, critical overview of the field. It also functions as a career retrospective, filled with Harper's photographs and extended examples from his evolving research practice. Visual research is less well known in sociology than it is in anthropology or cultural studies. But visual research approaches are growing in popularity in many social science and human services disciplines, now that digital technology makes it easy to create, store, and disseminate visual material. There are a number of common visual research strategies, which are generally associated with qualitative research. These include the use of photographs or video to generate ethnographic data, photo elicitation interviewing, and collaborative projects in which research participants use cameras to document their lives. Other research strategies analyze visual representations (e.g., archival images) or study visual practices (e.g., family photography). There are presently quite a few books on visual research, with more coming out every year, but none of them is explicitly sociological, and that is the gap Harper intends his book to fill. His goal is to show how photography-based visual methods can contribute to recognizably sociological research in areas that deal with familiar sociological topics such as social and community life, social change, social stratification, and social construction. Not everything social has a visible form or leaves visible traces, but quite a lot does: we lead embodied, emplaced lives, and sociology has been remarkably backward in recognizing the investigative potential of the visual. Exploring social settings using visual methods "leads to new discoveries and insights" (p. 56). Furthermore, visual approaches can "invigorate a discipline that is increasingly abstract and distant from the world it seeks to understand" (p. 4). Harper is not just promoting visual sociology as a set of invigorating methodological options. He is also promoting visual sociology as a body of literature and a community of practitioners. He starts with a history of visual ethnography, and follows that with an enthusiastic history of documentary photography and its relationship to sociology. Then he gets into the various visual methods and approaches, which he introduces by way of examples drawn from the work of visual researchers. There are no methodological recipes here, just appreciative--but not uncritical --descriptions of actual projects, along with well-informed discussions of ethical, analytical, and presentational issues related to visual research. …


Objective: This article describes the outcome of a nurseled service developed to manage patients referred with a presumptive diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. We also describe the implementation of a nurse-led preoperative assessment and postoperative care clinic. Design: We assess the safety, efficacy and outcomes of 402 patients referred to the Department of Orthopaedic, University Hospital Lewisham for carpal tunnel decompression surgery prospectively. Patients and Methods: The service was developed around the role of a nurse practitioner providing a single practitioner pathway from first clinic appointment to discharge. General practitioners were advised of the service and the criteria for referral, which included patients with symptoms and physical signs, and some response to conservative treatment. Patients were assessed in the nurse-led preoperative assessment clinic and those deemed suitable for surgery were listed for operation. Results: 12.7 % patients (51 patients) were referred for electromyographic studies and 5.2% patients (21 patients) were referred to doctors for further consultations. Only 4 patients had trigger finger and a further 4 patients had De Quervians syndrome. Of the remaining 373 patients, 7 patients (1.8%) choose to wait before considering surgery, and 2 patients (0.5%) declined surgery. Waiting times improved considerably whilst the standard and quality of care was maintained. Conclusions: We developed a rapid-access service in response to unacceptable waiting times for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Implementing such a clinic improved access to care for patients with this particular problem. The safety and efficacy of the program and patient-centred outcomes commend its adaptation and implementation to other institutions. As the clinical diagnosis of Carpal tunnel syndrome is often easily made, a system of direct referral for carpal tunnel surgery was introduced. The service was an alternative to standard consultants' outpatient referral. Direct access to a nurse-led carpal tunnel syndrome assessment clinic works well and it will reduce delays and the costs of treatment. Adequate patient information is vital to make the best of the service. There is a role for nurses to perform certain clinic within a well-defined environment.


Abstract Identifying dimensions and levels of maturity in digital information management is of high significance for university libraries because it would highly influence their daily businesses and future decisions. The current study is an effort to develop, confirm and test a maturity model for digital information management in the context of university libraries as a response to ever-increasing digital information. A design science approach in qualitative-quantitative order was considered as the research design. Initially, a meta-synthesis was conducted to systematically review the related literature and to develop the conceptual model for dimensions and levels. Afterward, a set of 30 related experts analyzed and confirmed the model with a 95% confidence level. Finally, the maturity levels of 14 central university libraries across Iran were measured through a multiple case study design. The MMDIM (Maturity Model for Digital Information Management) includes 10 dimensions, 20 components and 5 levels. Regarding priorities given to the components by the experts, the digital business model and digital work environment were the first and last priorities respectively. The results showed that most selected libraries were at level three namely slight management of digital information. Moreover, library managers evaluated levels of their maturity which showed that digital processes and operations and digital culture were given the first and last levels respectively. The model could be regarded as a diagnostic tool to identify development needs that could be supported by objectives of other similar libraries.


This study investigated attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in Igbanke community in Orhionmwon local government area, Edo State. The descriptive survey design was used in the study. The target population of consisted of 1200 mothers in Igbanke community of Orhionmwon local government area in Edo State. A sample size of 120 mothers representing 10% of the study population was selected using the simple random sampling technique. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire scale titled "Attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding among mothers questionnaire (AEBMQ)" data collection was done over a period of five (5) alternate days. Out of the 120 questionnaire administered, 114 were retrieved indicating 95% retrieval rate. Analysis of data was done using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software version 16. Results revealed that majority of the mothers had negative attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding; the major factors influencing the attitude of mothers towards exclusive breastfeeding include their poor knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding, poverty and busy job schedule. There is therefore the need for health workers and other health care professionals to encourage mothers to practice exclusive breast feeding to adequately.


Abstract The geographical distribution, generic situation of Corallina elegans Lenormand in Areschoug and its transfer to the genus Jania are presented. Photographs of holotype specimens (CN) are included. Systematical value of the species is discussed. Its habitat on Eel-Grass rhizomes and its morphological characteristics are probably minor variations of a more largely distributed species caused by special conditions of life, similar to those noticed by Sauvageau in several Sphacelariales. Homonymy with an anterior species of Decaisne necessitates a change of name and new combinations are proposed.


Historically, medicine has focused on the treatment of disease. The aims were to diagnose the clinical problem, cure if possible and alleviate suffering where cure was not possible. While these still remain fundamental aims in health care, there has been an increasing focus on the prevention of disease and disability, including identification of syndromes or disease in the preclinical stages, and at-risk individuals or groups, with early intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality. There are several reasons for this shift in focus. Conceptually, if the goal of medicine is to relieve suffering from disease then prevention of disease, or at least long-term complications of disease, must be a key objective. Increasing medical knowledge and technology now provides the means to identify early pointers to future disease, including identification of genetic predispositions and other risk factors and better imaging techniques for early diagnosis, for a wide range of conditions. For health policy-makers, the potential economic efficiency gained by preventing disease and reducing the cost of treatment is also a contributing factor. However, strategies for preventing disease engender their own potential harms and there has been debate in both the academic and public arena about the ethical aspects of such programmes. In this Five-Minute Focus (FMF), the ethical issues raised by the strategy of predictive testing and population screening for disease are considered.

Screening can be broadly divided into whole population screening and screening of at-risk groups. Further, categorization according to the nature of the condition being screened for or the screening subjects can be made and includes the overlapping categories listed below. Predictive testing, for example genetic testing for Huntington's Disease, focuses on individuals and includes testing for conditions for which there may be no effective treatment.

Screening for conditions that only affect the person being screened. For example, cervical cytology screening, mammography screening, cardiovascular risk assessment;
screening for conditions which can be transmitted to others, for example, HIV testing or screening for TB; screening for genetically-determined conditions which have implications for other family members; screening those who are unable to give consent to screening, for example neonatal screening for metabolic diseases; screening embryos and fetuses.
Antenatal and pre-implantation screening are not considered here as this merits more detailed discussion in a future FMF.


Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of participation in a movement- to music program on the attention span of elementary school-aged children who have attention deficits. The hypothesis was that participants would demonstrate improved attention on the Test of Sustained Selective Attention (TOSSA) (Kovacs, 2015).
Methods: This quantitative study involved nine children who participated in four movement-to-music sessions with a staggered stop over a period of six weeks. The study incorporated a single group pre-test/post-test design, and a non-parametric Sign Test was utilized to analyze data from the TOSSA subcategories of concentration, detection, response inhibition, and test-taking time tolerance. Supporting qualitative data was also collected through peer debriefing, field notes, and a reflexive journal.
Results: TOSSA results found that the movement-to-music program can significantly improve the attention of children who have attention deficits.
Discussion: This study demonstrated positive implications for occupational therapy practice and for policy change regarding the inclusion of vestibular/proprioceptive movement opportunities available for children, especially those who have attention deficits.


We employ a functional renormalization group to study interfaces in the presence of a pinning potential in $d=4-\epsilon$ dimensions. In contrast to a previous approach [D.S. Fisher, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 56}, 1964 (1986)] we use a soft-cutoff scheme. With the method developed here we confirm the value of the roughness exponent $\zeta \approx 0.2083 \epsilon$ in order $\epsilon$. Going beyond previous work, we demonstrate that this exponent is universal. In addition, we analyze the generation of higher cumulants in the disorder distribution and the role of temperature as a dangerously irrelevant variable.


The need for launching Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) without the availability of a proper runway and in rough terrains, calls for the development of alternative launch mechanisms such as a catapult launcher. This paper involves the design process of a UAV launcher from a conceptual to a detailed phase with a focus on a bungee type catapult launcher. The design process includes identifying the critical design requirements, followed by developing a mathematical model in MATALAB which takes in the take-off speed requirement and helps in analyzing the motion of the cradle on the launcher by giving the energy requirements for the bungee cord. On the basis of these values appropriate selection of bungee cord is carried out. A final design has been proposed which was modeled on ABAQUS for structural analysis and material selection. Once the calculations have been verified, a prototype has been fabricated in-house with Aluminum CNC parts. It is finally tested by launching a flying wing UAV to validate the results of the mathematical model and structural analysis.


A full adder is one of the most commonly used digit circuit components, many improvements have been made to refine the architecture of a full adder. In this paper, 4 different types of 10 transistor (10-T) based full adder are proposed using a new design methodology called GDI (gate-diffusion input). In the meantime, a complete verification and comparison is also carried out to test the performance of the proposed adders. According to our test results, one of the proposed 10-T full adders is better than the prior designs which makes it a better alternative.


Social Studies learning has a role in maintaining the national integration and developing the citizens' characters. The problem is that education hasn't yet succeeded in developing the education of values of whether in the family, school or community. Social Studies book is a learning tool commonly used in schools serving to support the learning process and a means of value inheritance. The macro formulation of this study is "How to inculcate multicultural values in Social Studies textbooks through a brain-based learning approach?". This study applied research and development approach model where the processes refer to the cycle forms based on the research findings of the study which is then developed into a product. The applications of Neuropedagogy in Social Studies books can be: Quotes, timeline, news flash, moral value, behind the figures, mind map, caricature, humor, contemporary issues, if history, and memorizing strategy. Keywords— textbook, multiculturalism, brain-based learning


This chapter presents an analysis of a performance of ālāp, with reference to the compositional principles that it demonstrates. Following a long succession of ethnomusicological and musicological studies, including Nettl (1974), Lortat-Jacob (1987), Nettl and Russell (1998), Treitler (1974, 2003), Nooshin (2003) and many other contributions, it is clear that compositional principles are no less important in music that is unwritten and "improvised" than in music that is written and "composed"; and that indeed, one can no longer speak of "improvisation" and "composition" in any oppositional sense. It also seems clear that the importance of compositional principles in unwritten music, such as ālāp, is related both to the performer's need to recall memorised material and invent new material that is grammatical, and at the same time to the listener's need to engage with, comprehend, and be stimulated by an auditory experience that, for him, happens in real time, whether a written score exists or not, and whether he is listening to a live performance or a recording. In this essay I will consider primarily the listener's perspective; how far the cognitive processes involved in performing and listening to ālāp are equivalent remains an open question, but that they are closely related seems likely.


This study compares those interim disclosures that managers desire to make with those they are required to make. Managers and regulators agree on the optimal degree of disclosure on growth potential and size. It appears that the less managers voluntarily disclose, the greater the firm's growth potential. This may be because managers feel that other evidence signals the good future prospects or the information indicating positive growth is too proprietary to reveal to competitors. Some differences are observed. Managers would pay more attention to the specific needs of their governance groups. Regulations would require more disclosure of variables indicating: business risk; capital structure; and growth. These differences in perceived need for disclosure highlight the importance of continued study of the optimal scope and scale of disclosure.


Web‐based decision support tools have rationalized prescribing of antimicrobials in healthcare settings. Clinicians' acceptance of decision support tools is one of the important factors that determine successful implementation of such tools. This study evaluated the impact of a formative evaluation on the uptake of a web‐based antibiotic computerized decision support system (CDSS) by clinicians at a university teaching hospital.


The development and design of a kind of special frequency-modulated (FM) crystal oscillator is introduced.The crystal oscillator is featured by small size ,low phase noise ,FM constant and wide range of temperature.The SSB phase noise of the crystal oscillator is not more than -155dBc/Hz at 1kHz,and the fluctuation of FM constant is not more than±1.0dB at wide temperature range(-55~90℃).


This paper is focused on statistical and mathematical analysis of a direct punch. The analysis started with measuring of the velocity with help of high speed camera Olympus i-Speed 2 and then we continued with looking for the dependence of this velocity on time. For data analysis two pieces of software were used - i-Speed Control Software and MINITAB. 61 participants took part in this experiment. The results are presented in this paper - especially dependence of mean velocity on time and difference in velocity between genders. In this paper our new method for classification of direct punch based on training level is presented. This method is based on mathematical analysis of velocity and on definition of four coefficients which determines how the punch is trained.


(ProQuest: Appendix omitted.)INTRODUCTIONSince the launch of Sputnik and the passing of the National Defense Education Act of 1958 in its wake (Carney, Chubin, and Malcom, 2008), the U.S. government and nongovernment organizations have continued to increase their funding of endeavors meant to improve K-20 STEM education, mostly with the ultimate goal of swelling the pipeline of individuals that will, eventually, grow the national STEM workforce (Carney et al., 2008; Kuenzi, 2008). More recent reports such as Rising Above the Gathering Storm (Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, 2006) have kept the concern for STEM education reform paramount in the nation's psyche. In recent years, the principal federal agencies charged with distributing funds meant to improve STEM education have been The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and The National Science Foundation (NSF) (Kuenzi, 2008).The NSF, with access to one of the largest pots of money aimed at K-20 STEM education reform, manages multiple K-20 STEM education improvement initiatives. Most notable, financially, are the Math-Science Partnerships (MSPs) that, in fiscal year 2009 alone, were to be alloted $179 million by congress (Carney et al., 2008). Since their inception in 2002, MSPs have had the explicit aim to involve STEM researchers from institutions of higher education in the reform of STEM education, notably at the K-12 level. Given the main focus of many of these grants and others' required attention to broader impacts concerning society at large, the current reality for many postsecondary STEM faculty is that if they wish to compete for federal funding in the current economic climate they need to demonstrate involvement in K-20 STEM education improvement endeavors. This is an especially salient reality for STEM faculty working at research universities where the pressure to secure federal funding is at its greatest and the carrot of funding is especially motivating of faculty (Holley, 2009; Rhoten, 2004). This reality often requires STEM faculty to collaborate with their counterparts working in schools of education. Education faculty also recognize these funding realities and the need for greater collaboration between STEM and Education faculty is a felt need for those on both sides of campus. Regardless of the initial motivations, successful interdisciplinary collaborations can allow for great strides with respect to education reform in allowing for postsecondary environments to foster better understanding of, and solutions for, educational issues inadequately addressed by single disciplines' knowledge and practices (Aram, 2004; Holley, 2009; Lattuca, 2001; see also Caruso and Rhoten, 2001).The reasons for and the effects of collaborations of this sort have been a topic of recent study. Often interdisciplinary collaborations, across institution types, fail as a result of individual-, project-, departmental-, discipline-, and institutionally-based barriers (Bohen and Stiles, 1998; Eddy, 2007; Farrell and Seifert, 2007; Frank and Shapiro, 2007; Holley, 2009; Hora and Millar, 2008; Hora and Millar, 2007; Reed, Cooper, and Young, 2007). Failures have been attributed to lack of pertinent extrinsic reward for faculty participants and time constraints, especially those regarding promotion and tenure bids (Boyer, 1990; Callhan and Martin, 2007; Chait, 1998; Frank and Shapiro, 2007; Ginsberg, 1991; Holley, 2009; Kochan, 1999; Wallace, 1993; Westat, 2009). Other project failures may be attributable to a lack of shared leadership and ill planning with respect to project goals (Callhan and Martin, 2007; Eddy, 2010; Kochan, 1999; Ginsberg, 1991; Goodlad, 1991; Wallace, 1993; Westat, 2009). Also of note is the fact that teaching and research, two of the primary responsibilities of faculty, are organized by disciplinary domains (Holley, 2009). Discipline, in fact, is most salient to faculty in terms of professional identity (Levine, 1993) and advancement (Caruso and Rhoten, 2001; Holley, 2009). …