The purpose of this paper is tocharacterize and to evaluate the diatomitepowder of Sig region (West Algeria) withoutfluorine by powder generally used in tundish tothermal insulation of steel bath contain fluorine,that affecting the environment and health ofworkers. Thermal and physicochemicalcharacterization showed different endothermicand exothermic peaks. The scanning microscopymethod was used and a large porosity wasobserved, which is very beneficial for improvingthe thermal conductivity of the product. The trialindustrial in steelwork with diatomite powder,showed a weak loss temperature of steel (10 °Cmax), and filled fully function in thermalinsulation of the steel bath.


This paper presents a new structure of Dielectric Separated Independent Gates Junctionless Transistor (DSIG-JLT) with four independent gates. The proposed DSIG-JLT is used to implement area and power efficient digital circuits by optimizing structure of the device and circuit level logic. This paper includes the modeling, simulation and design overview of DSIG-JLT to analyze the behavior of the device. Physics based analytical model explains the working principle of DSIG-JLT. It has four independent gates which are electrically controlled in multiple ways to realize full functionality of NOT, NAND, NOR Gate and Half-adder circuit. ATLAS 3-D device simulator is used to verify the developed model.


We give the first report on the experimental investigation of a p-β-FeSi2/n-4H-SiC heterojunction.A p-β-FeSi2/n-4H-SiC heterojunction near-infrared photodiode was fabricated on 4H-SiC substrate by magnetron sputtering and rapid thermal annealing(RTA).Sharp film-substrate interfaces were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The current density-voltage and photoresponse characteristics were measured.The measurements showed that the device exhibited good rectifying properties.The photocurrent density was about 1.82mA/cm2 at a bias voltage of-1 V under illumination by a 5 mW,1.31μm laser,and the dark current density was approximately 0.537 mA/cm2.The detectivity was estimated to be 8.8×109 cmHz1/2/W at 1.31μm.All of the measurements were made at room temperature.The results suggest that the p-β-FeSi2/n-4H-SiC heterojunctions can be used as near-infrared photodiodes that are applicable to optically-activated SiC-based devices.


THEMima-Herelleagroup of bacteria were not recognized as a distinct entity and remained undescribed until the studies of DeBord, 1942.1The tribeMimeaeare gram-negative, nonmobile, encapsulated aerobic bacilli which appear coccoid on gram-stain preparations from solid media. Coccoid and bacillary forms are present from liquid culture media. The organisms were assigned the namesMima polymorphaandHerellea vaginicola. Because of their uncertain taxonomic position and their absence from the seventh edition ofBergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, similar organisms with different names appeared in the literature.Mima-Herelleahave been variously called "B5W,"2Bacterium anitratum,3Moraxella glucidolytica,4Achromobacter lwoffi,5andAcinetobacter anitratum.6 TheMimeaegroup of bacteria have been indicated as the cause of septicemia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, synovitis, wound infection, postburn sepsis, and skin lesions.7,8Despite extensive search of the literature, there were no available reports indicating their association with


Late Geometric seeming more at home in Orientalizing times. With the numerous solid handmade figures, analogies with other Greek centres suggest that, although isolated examples may indeed be earlier, the vast majority are probably of Late Geometric, Orientalizing or later date. Imported Attic handmade horses, 271-3, provide some control. These are probably either from the teams on pyxis lids or from the Attic chariot groups on wheeled plinths, both at their height in Late Geometric times. The dating of the composition in both techniques, 469, presents greater problems. Is this to be related to the much later Attic satyrs apparently mounted on wheelmade donkeys? The range of wheels now added, 1131-40, and the animal legs pierced to take axles, 154-5, suggest closer analogies with the wheeled toys and models in Attic and other fabrics than hitherto allowed. Both wheelmade and handmade figures flourished on in the 7th century B.C., when the introduction of moulds added greater sophistication. The early masks, 1167-8, raise intriguing questions. Do they owe their origins to the elements of grisly oriental trophies or to diminutive death-masks or do they represent a decapitated Greek hero such as Orpheus? The closed eyes might, however, depict sleep, pain or grief as well as death. Among the ' Daedalic' figures of foreign origin or derivation, the roots of 1022 and 1026 are perhaps to be sought in Kamiros. This catalogue is regarded as terminating with the end of hollow wheelmade terracottas in Samos. That technique does not neatly stop around 600 B.C. on the Greek mainland or in Crete or Cyprus, but in East Greece it seems to have been largely replaced by the much more advanced one of hollow-moulding from the late 7th century on. The book does, however, end with more of a whimper than a bang because the faltering steps towards this, the greatest innovation in ancient terracotta-working, are only briefly dealt with in the technical discussion. The possible relevance of the development of hollow-casting in Samian bronze-working is touched on, but the apparent influence of the use of such front-and-back hollow-moulding in making 7th-century East Greek faience vases in statuette form and the circumstance that the early maturity of the technique in terracotta is marked by a huge development in just such vessels in clay—these are matters not dealt with here. Have they perhaps been held over for some later study covering the subsequent material from the Heraion?


The function of CAPP depends on manufacturing resource, product architecture and so on. Different CAPP systems need to be developed for different manufacturing enterprises, their function and application range are restricted severely, they lack for the agility and dynamic adaptability under the different production environment. In order to improve flexibility, expansibility, reusability, dynamic adaptability of CAPP system, the architecture of an intelligent CAPP based on MAS was put forward in this paper. Work mechanism of intelligent CAPP was researched, and the reason of conflict generation was analyzed, the conflicts which intelligent CAPP generated were resolved by use of case-based reasoning. Pro/E was developed by use of its TOOLKIT to build the feature model of the part, visual c++ and SQL Server were applied to develop the module of the conflict resolution based on CBR.


An experiment to determine the relationship between egg weight, hatch weight and subsequent body weight of the Japanese quail was conducted. A total of 607 eggs collected over 6 days from an existing flock at the Animal Pavilion of the University of Ilorin were used for the experiment. Eggs were individually numbered, weighed and grouped into small (S) medium (M) and large (L) sized eggs based on the mean and standard deviation of the eggs. Mean egg weight were correlated and regressed with mean hatch weight and subsequent weight. Average egg weights were 10.23± 0.84g, 8.49± 0.72g and 6.94± 0.93g for the large, medium and small group respectively. The result showed relationship between egg weight and hatch weight were positive and highly significant (P < 0.01) with values of 0.973, 0.977 and 0.967 for small, medium and large groups, respectively. Relationship between hatch weights and weekly body weights were also positive and significant (P<0.01) for the medium and large groups only but decreased with age. Linear regression equation showed a significant coefficient of determination for weekly body weight using the values for small, medium and large egg weight values. The results of the study showed that egg weight can be reliably used for estimating body weight in Japanese quail and may be used as criteria for early selection of Japanese quail for body weight.


It is shown, that the space quantum existence ( SQE ) non-ambiguously determines the metrical form for the space without a time, using weak con-dition of metrical additivity. The hypothesis is proposed, Riemann metric is only possible for quantized space classes. This statement probably can close the problem of metrical form.


: A speculative research was carried out on the decision of reinforcing enhanced concrete columns making use of FRP product. 4 strengthened concrete cantilever columns of 200x400x1610 mm measurements, standing for the old building and construction technique, were examined. One lap-spliced and also one continual longitudinally strengthened as construct control columns, as well as their strengthened columns were checked under consistent axial tons and also turned around cyclic side lots. n current years Fiber Reinforced polymer obtained vast use reinforcing and also repair for the light beams columns and also pieces of structures and also bridges. FRP is generally made use of in the aerospace, vehicle, aquatic, building markets and also ballistic shield. Today research is mostly concentrated on the examination of the result of on the surface adhered FRP after the toughness qualities of R.C columns. Multitude of researches on R.C columns wills reveals that the column will certainly stop working because of inappropriate or inadequate arrest. In instance of FRP, it will certainly give reliable arrest to the column, this residential or commercial property of FRP makes it much ideal as enhancing product. So I had actually prepared to examine the result of FRP on toughness as well as toughness element of RC column.


The invention provides Haidinger brush amblyopia therapeutic equipment and a control method thereof. When the therapeutic equipment is used, noise is low, vibration is little, rotation friction is little and service life is long. Rotation speed can be adjusted through control and adjustment. The Haidinger brush amblyopia therapeutic equipment comprises a shell, an optical brush assembly extending into the shell and a rotary drive mechanism disposed in the shell. The optical brush comprises a reflective bowl, a rotary cover, a lens cone and a lens cover, wherein the reflective bowl, the rotary cover, the lens cone and the lens cover are sequentially and coaxially arranged from inside to outside, the lens cover is connected with the outside of the shell, an LED light source is arranged in the reflective bowl, and the light emitting end is rotatably connected with the rotary cover through a bearing. The rotary drive mechanism comprises a motor and a rotary frame, wherein the motor and the rotary frame are coaxially arranged along the optical axis, the number of driving steel magnets fixed to the rotary frame and the number of driven steel magnets fixed to the rotary cover are the same, the driving steel magnets and the driven steel magnets are opposite in magnetic pole direction, and the axes of the N pole and the S pole are parallel with the optical axis at equal intervals. The control method includes the following steps of a, initializing; b, executing functions selectively; c, finishing the specific function and then staying in a standby state; d, repeating the step b and the step c to finish therapy.


In prior work we proposed Zeroploit, a transform that duplicates code, specializes one path assuming certain key program operands, called versioning variables, are zero, and leaves the other path unspecialized. Dynamically, depending on the versioning variable's value, either the specialized fast path or the default slow path will execute. We evaluated Zeroploit with hand-optimized codes in that work. In this paper, we present PGZ, a completely automated, profile-guided compiler approach for Zeroploit. Our compiler automatically determines which versioning variables or combinations thereof are profitable, and determines the code region to duplicate and specialize. PGZ's heuristic takes operand zero value probabilities as input and it then uses classical techniques such as constant folding and dead-code elimination to estimate the potential savings of specializing a versioning variable. PGZ transforms profitable candidates, yielding an average speedup of 21.2% for targeted shader programs, and an average frame-rate speedup of 4.4% across a collection of modern gaming applications on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 GPU.


Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) is commonly used to assess the dietary ecology of modern and fossil taxa. In carnivorans, teeth with different functions record dietary behavior differently. Here, we assess DMTA variability along the tooth row of an extant carnivorous marsupial—the Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisii—which has multiple carnassial-like molars that may function and record diet similarly. We compared the complexity (Asfc), anisotropy (epLsar), and textural fill volume (Tfv) of the lower second, third, and fourth molars of Tasmanian devils to test the hypothesis that teeth with similar forms yield similar functions. Although third molars do have significantly higher epLsar values than fourth molars, all other DMTA attributes are indistinguishable from one another. These data suggest that teeth with comparable morphologies in the same taxon have similar functions and largely record diet similarly. In addition, we compared fossil and modern specimens of S. harrisii from Tasmania to assess dietary behavior over time. These analyses indicate that foods with similar textures have been consumed since the late Quaternary.


To achieve the surface reconstruction for the triangle mesh of scattered data points,and overcome the shortcoming that the circle radius is difficult to identify for the existence of step edge on solid surface,the algorithm of generating triangular mesh by dynamic regulation of circle radius and implementing surface reconstruction is improved.The scattered data points are transformed into 2D image data and the image is meshed by triangle element.The experimental results show that the improved algorithm has a better reconstruction effect for solid surface with step edge although the efficiency decreases.


For two centuries, researchers have studied ex vivo perfusion intending to preserve the physiologic function of isolated organs. If it were indeed possible to maintain ex vivo organ viability for days, transplantation could become an elective operation with clinicians methodically surveilling and reconditioning allografts before surgery. To this day, experimental reports of successfully prolonged (≥ 24 hours) organ perfusion are rare and have not translated into clinical practice. In order to identify the crucial factors necessary for successful perfusion, this review summarizes the history of prolonged normothermic ex vivo organ perfusion. By examining successful techniques and protocols used, this review outlines the essential elements of successful perfusion, limitations of current perfusion systems, and areas where further research in preservation science is required.


A Mobile Ad hoc network (MANET) is self-configurable network systems of mobile nodes is connected by wireless links. These nodes infrastructure less (ad hoc) network and there is no centralized control. Each node operates not only as an end system. Every node participates in routing by forwarding data for other nodes dynamically on the basis of network connectivity. MANETs nodes are changed position frequently in case may be broken down due to mobility and dynamic infrastructure. Hence routing becomes a critical issue that needs to be addressed for smooth transmission. Number of protocols is proposed by many authors due to the wide application of MANETs. The objective of this paper is to survey and compare DSR and TORA routing protocols in Reactive routing protocols in the MANET routing protocols are discussed in details.


Many applications are using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to find the information by using Spatial Queries on specified Spatial Database. The result of these traditional queries can be improved by inclusion of fuzzy techniques. This paper describes the improvement in result by traditional queries by use of fuzzy techniques. The commonly used adjectives can be embedded to queries to give them natural wordings so that any person can understand and use it easily. These wordings are defined mathematically as per the situation and accordingly calculation is done using fuzzy techniques. The results so found are better than the conventional one. For example the traditional query is like "Find the Medical Aid with in 1 KM around Point P". The deficiency in this query is that it will yield the result after matching exactly 1 kilometer around Point P. There is possibility that any important Medical Aid is missing which is 1.1 kilometer apart. To improve result query can be modified like "Find the Medical Aid Near by 1 KM around Point P". By using fuzzy techniques we can improve the query and get the better results. This paper is an approach towards such techniques.


Ligand exchange from oleic acid-capped PbS nanocrystals was used to prepare sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfonate (DT) functionalized, water-soluble PbS nanocrystals. Oxygen-free aqueous solutions of the PbS-DT nanocrystals were observed to be stable for more than five months. In aerated solutions, the PbS-DT nanocrystals were observed to be stable to precipitation for more than 24 h in the dark, with precipitation accelerated by illumination. Under both light and dark conditions, the PbS nanocrystals prepared with the chelating DT ligand were observed to be more stable to precipitation than nanocrystals prepared with the monothiol analogue sodium 3-mercaptopropanesulfonate (MT). The greater stability of the PbS-DT nanocrystals is argued to be due to the formation of oligodisulfides that remain partially bound to the nanocrystal surface thereby inhibiting precipitation. Support for this comes from the fact that the PbS-DT nanocrystals were not observed to substantially accelerate the photooxidation of excess DT ligand, in contrast to the behavior of the PbS-MT nanocrystals in the presence of excess ligand. Due to the compact size of the DT ligand, thin films of PbS-DT nanocrystals were observed to exhibit much greater photoconductivity than PbS nanocrystals capped with the longer chain oleic acid ligand. Responsivities of greater than 1 A/W in the near-infrared were achieved with thin films of PbS-DT NCs on interdigitated array electrodes.


Abstract : Metal-forming processes of extrusion, drawing, ring compression, and closed-die forging were analysed by the rigid-plastic finite-element method. According to the individual problem characteristics, the method was modified in order to deal with the steady-state configurations of the extrusion and drawing problems, the neutral flow point (or region) problems of ring compression, and the complexity in geometric changes of the closed-die forging problems. The present investigation is a complete study of the axisymmetric steady-state extrusion and drawing processes, including multipass extrusion and drawing. Detailed deformation mechanics were revealed, showing the influence of the previous deformation history on the flow pattern in the current pass. To solve the neutral flow problems in ring compression, a variational formulation was developed for the case where the frictional stress is dependent on the relative velocity at the die-workpiece interface. The finite-element solutions of ring compression were then obtained under various friction conditions for several materials. Some of the results were compared with the approximate theoretical solutions and experimental results. It was concluded that this modified finite-element scheme does provide a useful tool for the analysis of neutral flow problems and for industrial applications. The closed-die forging problems are characterized by very complex geometries, large rigid portions, and rapid changes in velocity fields.


This paper considers the question whether the renovatio of the Frankish Church at the beginning of the ninth century must be understood as a deliberate and paradigm-shifting effort to institutionalize the religious life. It argues against the notion that lawmakers created uniform cohorts of (on the one hand) houses of canons or canonesses and (on the other) monasteries of contemplative monks or nuns; that each cohort was supposed to literally follow the lawmakers' written decrees; that the decrees led to a lasting paradigm shift in the perception of normative commentaries on religious community life; and that this triple focus set the agenda for subsequent reform efforts in the tenth century.


Anemia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia in perinatal period may result from placentally transferred maternal IgG allo or autoantibodies against RBC, Plt and PMN antigens (Ags). Alloantibodies (alloAbs) against RBC Ags most commonly cause of severe fetoneonatal anemia are anti-D and other alloAbs of the Rh system (anti-c, anti-c plus anti-E) as well as anti-Kell. Although maternal anti-D immunoprophylaxis has dramatically reduced the prevalence of feto-neonatal Rh hemolytic disease, during the last decade in our Neonatal Unit 60 affected infants have been observed. More than 70% of them showed early plus late or late severe anemia which had often required prenatal and/or postnatal RBC transfusions (Ts).


We report here the screening of five marine invertebrate species from two taxa (tunicates and echinoderms) for the presence of cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMP) in defence cells (hemocytes). Antimicrobial activities were detected only in the two tunicates Microcosmus sabatieri and Halocynthia papillosa. In addition, we report the isolation and characterization of two novel peptides from H. papillosa hemocytes. These molecules display antibacterial activity against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria. Complete peptide characterization was obtained by a combination of Edman degradation and mass spectrometry. The mature molecules, named halocyntin and papillosin, comprise 26 and 34 amino acid residues, respectively. Their primary structure display no significant similarities with previously described AMP. Copyright © 2009 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The first part of the paper presents an overview of the existing requirements in different European countries. These requirements are compared to existing requirements for very lowenergy building, e.g. passive buildings. The second part of the paper shows results of airtightness measurement made in Polish very low-energy buildings. The measurements were made in five single-family buildings with three types of construction: prefabricated wooden construction, precast concrete construction and traditional brick construction. Not all of tested buildings achieved the assumed level of airtightness. The paper presents what was done improperly and how to avoid errors in the future.


The Tarim River is the longest continental river in China, and also one of the longest rivers in the world. The ecological environment of Tarim River drainage area has been gradually deteriorating in recent twenty years. By using 1 km NDVI data from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and introducing an integrated vegetation index to the region of interest, conclusion was gotten that the whole ecological environment of the Tarim River drainage area is deteriorating rapidly and the ecological environments of upper, middle and down streams are changing differently. While the ecological environment of the upper stream is meliorating slowly, the ecological environment of middle stream is maintaining its actuality and the ecological environment of the down stream is deteriorating rapidly. After we analyzed the causes of the changes by using the monitoring data of the river discharge from hydrographic stations in the research area, practical suggestions were made for improving the ecological environment in the aspects of water conservancy developments, the exploitation of water resources, etc. Keywords-Remote Sensing; Tarim River; ecological environment; NDVI; integrated vegetation index


Taking into account the concept of universal competence in modern education and the basics of its improvement, taking into account that the main emphasis is on universal competence, at the beginning of the research work, the analysis of the term competence, the study of the problem of language and culture, the socio-pedagogical problem of improving the universal competence of students, its integral features and non-philological Pedagogical conditions for improving general cultural competence of students of the educational field have been implemented.


This article intends to discuss the influence of the Psychology in the educational transformations, that they influenced in the theory and Practice of the Brazilian pedagogic thought, for the understanding of the teaching processes / learning in organized and institutional contexts, verifying the development of the educational act with the integration of the several theoretical currents of the science of the Psychology, Philosophy and Education. For so much, in the qualitative methodological perspective, he/she stood out the bibliographical and exploratory research to beacon the study. It was verified that a correlation exists, that indicates that the knowledge of the Educational Psychology to the they be used in the education it subsidizes an improvement in the teaching and in practice educational, in the attempt of obtaining of answers about approach, it influences and relationship between psychology and education, by the coordinated application of the theoretical and methodological instruments that they propitiate the several educational disciplines, among which he/she is the Psychology of the education.


data type packages provide a name and library storage for a set of package specification data declarations and subprograms that appear useful to store and make use of together for abstract data types. They can be retrieved either in with clauses or in package declarations. For example a set of data declarations and subprograms in dealing with TEXT input and output, such as TEXT_IO or more special forms provide the capability of an abstract data type. The more declarations and subroutines assigned to a package name, the easier the individual declarations are to retrieve, but the larger are the units of retrieving. The same declarations and subprograms may appear in different packages, and it may make sense to have several packages in an area to give a choice of how large a package is needed for a specific program. For example, there are several 10 packages more special than TEXT_IO, such as INTEGER_IO, FLOAT_IO, ENUMERATION_IO. Consider TEXT_IO which tracks and operates on data in external TEXT files. The general form of TEXT_IO begins as follows. Its complete form is in Section 14.3.10 of the Reference Manual for the Ada Programming Language. 1 0.1 Package Uses In Program Design 10-9 with IO_EXCEPTIONS; package TEXT_IO is type FILE_TYPE is limited private; type FILE_MODE is (IN_FILE, OUT_FILE); type COUNT is range 0 .. implementation_defined; subtype POSITIVE_COUNT is COUNT range 1 .. COUNT'LAST; UNBOt~10ED : constant COUNT := 0; -line and page length subtype FIELD is INTEGER range 0 subtype NUMBER_BASE is INTEGER range 2 implementation_defined; 16; type TYPE_SET is (LOWER_CASE, UPPER_CASE); -File Management procedure CREATE (FILE : in out FILE_TYPE; MODE : in FILE_MODE := OUT_FILE; NAME : in STRING : = • • ; FORM : in STRING := ••); procedure OPEN (FILE : in out FILE_TYPE; procedure CLOSE procedure DELETE procedure RESET procedur>'.! .RESET MODE : in FILE_MODE; NAME : in STRING; FORM : in STRING := ••); (FILE: in out FILE_TYPE); (FILE: in out FILE_TYPE); (FILE : in out FILE_TYPE; MODE : (FILE : in out FILE_TYPE); in FILE_MODE);); function HCDE (FILE : in FILE_TYPE) return FILE_MODE; function NA~ (FILE : in FILE_TYPE) return STRING; function FOi::M (FILE : in FILE_TYPE) return FILE_MODE; function IS_OPEN (FILE : in FILE_TYPE) return BOOLEAN; -Control of default input and output files ~Specification of line and page lengths -Column, Line, and Page Control -Character Input-Output 10-10 Chapter 10 Ada Package Design -Generic package for Input-Output of Integer Types generic type NUM is range <>; package INTEGER_IO is DEFAULT_WIDTH DEFAULT_BASE end INTEGER_IO; FILED := NUM'WIDTH; NUMBER_BASE := 10; -Generic packages for Input-Output of Real Types generic type NUM is digits <>; package FLOAT_IO is DEFAULT_FORE DEFAULT_AFT DEFAULT_EXP end FLOAT_IO; generic FIELD . 2; FIELD .NUM'DIGITS-1; FIELD .3; type NUM is delta <>; package FIXED_IO is DEFAULT_FORE DEFAULT_AFT DEFAULT_EXP end FIXED_IO; FIELD ·NUM'FORE; FIELD ·NUM'AFT; FIELD .0; -Generic package for Input-Output of Enumeration Types generic type ENUM is (<>); package ENUMERATION_IO is DEFAULT_WIDTH DEFAULT_SETTING end ENUMERATION_IO; FIELD := 0; TYPE_SETTING .UPPER_CASE; 10.1 Package Uses in Program Design 1011


JAVA architecture of the Chinese online guiding systematic framework based on the data mining and artificial intelligence is designed in this research. The configuration stage of heterogeneous data sources is mainly at the data source layer. The data sources mainly include structured data from admissions systems, educational management systems, learning platforms, and learning spaces, and non-relational data such as the server system logs and external data from the schools. Systematically organize the connection access methods and data structures of these data sources. Inspired by this requirement, we design the data model to enhance the traditional JAVA structure. The data mining model, especially the fuzzy clustering is integrated to then construct the robust framework. The experimental results have proven that the proposed model is efficient.


Abstract . In 1953, a group of nine delegates (from non-communist countries) met in New Delhi to discuss Gandhi's "outlooks and techniques" as a creative means to resolve Cold War nuclear tensions. This article mainly focuses on the politics and lyrical impressions as observed by the Brazilian poet Cecilia Meireles in the Seminar proceedings and the Diario de Noticias . As the only Latin American delegate to attend the Seminar, she sheds new light on the ways emerging countries such as India and Brazil cope with racism, war, hunger, and violence. One pressing Gandhian issue Meireles and other delegates address is the ethical role of "machines" in modern society. Problems faced by postcolonial cultures, such as industrialization, poverty, and racial strife, seem to take a different (and more dangerous) perspective when thought of in terms of machines and progress. To elucidate this "machine-like" rhetoric, the ideas of Deleuze and Guattari have been applied throughout. Other participant comments such as those by Ralph Bunche and John Boyd Orr allow for additional insight into topics still relevant today.


This article examines the incidence of surveillance in higher learning academic institutions in Pakistan. It gives an overview of surveillance in a workplace and outlines how the latest technology has made the task more convenient for employers. It further delves into the privacy issues that arise as a consequence of surveillance. A review of related ethical theories has been undertaken to fathom the justification of surveillance practices in the modern workplace. In the literature review section, a number of studies that explore impacts of surveillance have been reviewed. The data has been gathered from 60 employees working in 5 different universities (both public and private sector) covering primarily their ethical stance on surveillance practices used. The study would help in figuring out the typical methods used and their extent of usage in order to establish incidence of surveillance in an academic institution setting. Finally, relevant hypothesis are tested with the available data to comprehend employees ethical stance on deployment of surveillance, their perception changes (if any) in case of availability of notices on surveillance etc.


The Miaos have their own unique and luxurious culture traditional and modern formed as they have experienced repeated fusion into and resistance against the Han Race or the Chinese in their long and old history. Taijiang County of Guizhou Provice, in which they have been living, is endowed with natural beauty. Thus their culture enjoys abundant and diverse contents of artificial and natural character. Naturally, their costume reflects cultural and natural features in abundance and variety. This dissertation aims to investigate the artistic character of Miaos` traditional costume as reflected in patterns for their embroidery. As for the artistic character of the patterns for embroidery, the following were found. To begin with, the space in the Miaos` embroidery is, unlike the measurable three-dimensional space found in Greek art, unmeasurable and fantastic with its beauty, majesty and peculiarity. It is as if immersed in limitless space, they were in communion with gods and universe. Another characteristic is the use of image construction beyond mere imitation. Their mode of image construction was realistic in that patterns as a whole reveal an abstract form or meaning but separately they portray visual representations of concrete things in nature. Still another is that sense of motion conveyed by the basic curve line is full of life. It was the result of using light rhythm breaking stereotypic balance and symmetry. Finally, the colouring was abstract, and a strong contrast between black and white was gorgeous and fantastic.


This article explores the relationship between Tide-race, a 1962 memoir by the Welsh poet and artist Brenda Chamberlain, and medieval culture and literature on Ynys Enlli. Written in the decades after the Second World War when Chamberlain had left mainland Wales, Tide-race is a memoir of the artist's time on Enlli living with its small community of fishermen and farmers. In contrast to other works of twentieth-century island literature, I argue, Chamberlain rejected dominant, medieval patriarchal histories of Enlli, refusing to read the island as a male monastic site, or as a Welsh nationalist or cultural space. Tide-race is a medieval modern text that is deeply ambivalent about what medieval culture means for modern conceptions of identity, specifically Welshness and womanhood. Chamberlain's late modernist work has been neglected because of her status as a Welsh woman writer working outside of the centres of modernism, and she has never been considered in the context of Medievalism Studies. By bringing archival material from the Brenda Chamberlain papers at the National Library of Wales together with the published memoir, this article brings to light an unremarked upon interest in Old English literature and traces the development of Chamberlain's medievalism in the post-war period. Although her use of the Old English elegies—The Wanderer, The Seafarer and The Wife's Lament—has remained unnoticed by Chamberlain's critics, these early medieval poems are translated and adapted in her prose in ways that allow her to exorcize old grudges and challenge masculine ideals.


Stable solutions of equations of the first kind and equations of the second kind at a characteristic value are given. Iterative processes for solutions are constructed. Extension of operators is used to turn an ill-posed problem into a well-posed one.


Surface energetics of reinforcement is one of the most important properties in case of adhesion of reinforcement in composites . For this study, PAN fibres were stabilized isothermally with three different timings (viz. 0, 1, 2 h) and eventually prepared fibres having different surface energetics were evaluated by DCA 322. Composites were made by using these stabilized fibres (designated as OP , 1 P, and 2P) with coal tar pitch as matrix precursor using match mould die technique. Green composites were carbonized upto 1000°C, then impregnated and heat treated to 1500, 2000 and 2600°C. Green composites as well as heat treated composites were studied for their mechanical properties . Microstructure as well as interfacial studies were carried out using optical microscope. Optical microscopic examination of composite samples show that Ill treated fibres offer much better adhesion with matrix precursor and the matrix also exhibits an obvious increase in the anisotropic domain size in case of 2P composites . Density of stabilized fibres and also of green composites has been found to increase with stabilization time. Flexural strength of green composites prepared with 0 and 2h treated fibres decreases ( 123 MPa to 60 MPa). However, as a result of better bonding between fibre and matrix , in case of IP composites , strength is always high except in green stage . An attempt has been made to correlate the surface energetics of fibre with mechanical properties as well as matrix microstructure of carbon /carbon composites. 1.0 Introduction Carbon/carbon (C/C) composites are the ceramic materials used for high temperature applications because of their far superior thermo-mechanical properties compared to the conventional materials[ 1]. These are good reasons to make them practically the ideal material for use in aerospace applications, such as rocket nozzles, exhaust cones, heat shields etc. [2]. However, processing of C/C composites is a complex process influenced by surface chemistry and topography of reinforcement, char or coke yield of the matrix resin and the fibre/matrix interactions at the interface[3 `6].


Traditional middle and lower facelifts are not suitable for patients with mild skin laxity or who wish to avoid incision scars.


The present invention belongs to the technical field of micro-nano catalytic material, the application relates to a catalyst degradation tetrahydroxy copper phosphate as organic wastewater. Copper phosphate tetrahydroxy preferably prepared by the following methods: 1) The water-soluble copper salt and a soluble phosphate ions mixed in deionized water and stirred rapidly for 30min, to obtain a suspension; 2) the suspension was 180 ℃ - at a temperature of 200 ℃, sealed reaction 12 h -20h; then cooled, washed with ethanol and 3 times with deionized water, and then dried at 60 ℃ -80 ℃, an average diameter of about 5μm spherical tetrahydroxy acid copper catalyst powder. The four hydroxy acid copper catalyst may be applied to the degradation of organic wastewater, having high catalytic activity.


" Free and equal access to information for all people of the community" is a core value of librarianship (American Library Association Council, 2004). However, some sectors of the community face barriers – physical and geographical, technological, cultural or sociopolitical, and economic – in accessing information. Public libraries themselves also face barriers in their efforts to provide access. This paper will explore these barriers in more detail and discuss some ways in which the library can help to mitigate them.


ABSTRACT A case study is presented of the babbling monologues produced by a Dutch child in the six weeks following acquisition of the first word. The relationship between word and babbling development is investigated. There appears to be a continuous interplay between both aspects of speech development: new words may influence the character and the course of babbling, whereas babbling in turn may give rise to phonological preferences for selecting other new words. It is concluded that the analysis of concurrent babbling may provide clues for explaining the highly variable phenomena of early word production.


To the Editor: —Sir Joseph Lister having recently retired from active hospital and teaching work, the occasion has been thought appropriate for presenting him with a testimonial of the esteem in which he is held by his former colleagues and pupils, and committees have, therefore, been formed in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London for the purpose of raising the necessary funds. It is proposed that the testimonial shall take the form of a portrait. Subscriptions have been limited to two guineas, and it is hoped that sufficient funds will be collected to permit of some memento of the occasion being presented to each subscriber of that amount. As there are probably many surgeons in the United States who may wish to join in the movement, but whose names and exact address it has been difficult to ascertain,I should be glad if you would permit me to state that subscriptions may be


In this position paper we argue that the presence of a flexible test environment, that allows the rapid prototyping of test techniques, would facilitate empirical research in software testing. Such an environment could be combined with a set of benchmark systems and specifications in order to allow researchers to rapidly prototype and evaluate new techniques. In this paper we focus on some of the requirements for a description language to be used by such an environment.


The effect in rats of an anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V) electrolytic lesion on salivary secretion induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) or intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of a cholinergic agonist (pilocarpine) was investigated. Sham- or AV3V-lesioned rats anesthetized with urethane and with a stainless steel cannula implanted into the lateral ventricle (LV) were used. The amount of salivary secretion was studied over a seven-minute period after i.c.v. or i.p. injection of pilocarpine. In sham-operated rats, i.p. injection of pilocarpine (1 mg/kg b.w.) (after 6 h, 2, 7, and 15 days) produced salivary secretion (486 ± 21, 778 ± 85, 630 ± 50, and 560 ± 55 mg/7 min, respectively). This effect was reduced 6 h, 2, and 7 days after an AV3V lesion (142 ± 22, 113 ± 32, and 290 ± 62 mg/7 min, respectively), but not 15 days after an AV3V lesion (516 ± 19 mg/7 min). I.c.v. injection of pilocarpine (120 μg in 1 μL), in sham-operated rats after 6 h, 2, 7, and 15 days also produced salivary secretion (443 ± 20, 417 ± 81, 496 ± 14, and 427 ± 47 mg/7 min, respectively). The effects of i.c.v. pilocarpine were also reduced 6 h, 2, and 7 days after an AV3V lesion (143 ± 19, 273 ± 14, and 322 ± 17 mg/7 min, respectively), but not after 15 days (450 ± 28 mg/7 min). The results demonstrate that the central nervous system, and particularly the AV3V region, is important for the effect of pilocarpine on salivary secretion in rats. Moreover, they suggest that activation of central pathways may play an important part in the salivary secretion to peripheral pilocarpine in rats.


The increasing performance demands in emerging Internet of Things applications clash with the low energy budgets of end-nodes. Therefore, hardware operators able to reconfigure their computational precision at runtime are increasingly employed in these devices, to obtain good-enough results at minimal energy costs. Among the many methods proposed to implement such operators, Dynamic Voltage and Accuracy Scaling (DVAS) is particularly promising, due to its broad applicability and low overheads. However, a straight-forward application of DVAS conflicts with the optimizations performed by classic EDA algorithms, and does not yield the expected results. In this paper, we propose a novel synthesis algorithm for reconfigurable-precision circuits, that allows to integrate DVAS in a standard implementation flow. Moreover, we show how this algorithm can exploit information about the application, namely on the frequency of usage of each precision, to further reduce the total energy consumption. Applying our method to the popular LeNet neural network for digit recognition, we are able to reduce the energy due to Multiply-And-Accumulate (MAC) operations by 25%, compared to a straight-forward application of DVAS.


A method for controlling the level of steel in
continuous casting in an ingot mold, wherein there are
provided a radioactive detector (17, 18) and a thermal
detector (22) in the proximity of a level (19) of the
steel fed to an ingot mold (13) by a casting duct (15)
wherein in a first initial step for regulating the
continuous casting method, the radioactive detector
(17, 18) is actuated at a high speed of detection of
changes in the level (19) of steel, and in a second
step at steady condition, as soon as the start up
transient has finished, the high-precision steel level
(19) thermal detector (22) is actuated.


Mirko Garasic's book investigates the principle of autonomy and, in an oblique way, joins the chorus of voices disenchanted with the tyranny of autonomy. I say oblique because he does not simply reorder the four famous principles of bioethics by trying to knock respect for autonomy from its pedestal, but employs a number of practical cases to demonstrate what I, not he, might call the abuse or misuse of autonomy. Apart from its rarefied formulations by Kant and, to a lesser extent Mill, autonomy has distinct social and political dimensions that shape its outsized role in bioethical deliberations. This is not a new argument but Garasic puts the case much more bluntly: the bioethical and medical community respect autonomy when it enhances their power, and disrespect autonomy when it diminishes their power. These claims appear early on but are most pronounced in the last two chapters of the book devoted to the dilemmas of force-feeding hunger strikers.

In a compelling fourth chapter, Garasic juxtaposes the Dax case (where medical authorities disrespected his autonomy not only to save his live but because he was, presumably, a compatriot) and the case of …


Rotating bending fatigue tests were carried out for an aluminum oxide dispersion strengthening copper alloy in order to investigate the notch sensitivity based on linear notch mechanics. The fatigue limit for crack propagation decreased with decrease in notch radius, and the sensitivity for crack initiation was high. These facts were discussed based on properties of the crack initiation and propagation.


An attempt was made in Part II to make it clear that, whereas the attention of the ancients was attracted to certain symptoms, such as palpitation and syncope, owing to their lack of knowledge of the structure and functions of the heart and blood-vessels, such symptoms were not associated with specific diseases of the circulatory system. CLINICAL CONCEPTS AND ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION It has been shown, furthermore, how, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when post-mortem observations made possible the building of a firm foundation for anatomy and after Harvey's demonstration of the circulation of the blood, the clinical concepts as we now know them began to appear. This fact in itself sufficed to indicate in a general way the dependence of our modern conceptions on the results of experiment. It might, however, be well to call attention to this dependence in somewhat greater detail. Why valvular defects, both organic


Industrialization, urbanization, intellectualization and modernization are inevitable processes in regional economic and social development. This paper discusses the relationship between modernization, industrialization, urbanization, intellectualization and economic development in China's provincial regions from different angles. In the paper we use many kinds of statistical methods on the basis of the enormous data. From the coastal east to the middle and then to the west part of China, all indexes decrease gradually. But between the South and the North, the comparison is more complex. The North's economic development lags behind the social advancement, while in the South it's the vice versa. Simultaneously urbanization, intellectualization and modernization show their increase as growing curve with economic development. However, the relationship between them and industrialization isn't remarkable. And the impetus of social enhancement in industrialization and re\|industrialization, which is led by township enterprises, hasn't been brought into play adequately.


NumerEx — Strong compression (10:1 in radius) of an FRC by imploding liquid metal liners, stabilized against Rayleigh-Taylor modes, using different scalings for loss based on Bohm vs 100X classical diffusion rates, predict useful compressions with implosion times half the initial energy lifetime [1]. The elongation (length-to-diameter ratio) near peak compression needed to satisfy empirical stability criterion and also retain alpha-particles is about ten. The present paper extends these considerations to issues of the initial FRC, including stability conditions (S*/E) and allowable angu-lar speeds. Furthermore, efficient recovery of the implosion energy and alpha-particle work, in order to reduce the necessary nuclear gain for an economical power reactor, is seen as an important element of the stabilized liner implosion concept for fusion. We describe recent progress in design and construction of the high energy-density prototype of a Stabilized Liner Compressor (SLC) leading to repetitive laboratory experiments to develop the plasma target. [1] P.J. Turchi, Liner Low-Cost Controlled Fusion Megagauss Field-Levels," IEEE Trans. Plasma 2017. *Supported by ARPA-E ALPHA Program


As a result of knowledge gained initially from a series of succinct sealed well and cavern field tests performed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Gaz de France (EZ58; EZ53), issues related to the long term abandonment of salt caverns became more focused. The tests were performed in cooperation with Ecole Polytechnique (France) and were partially funded by the Solution Mining Research Institute (USA). The long-term abandonment (sealing or plugging) of a solution-mined cavern in a salt formation that has been used for mineral production, hydrocarbon storage, or waste disposal has been a contemporary topic for many years. Sealing and abandonment of caverns in salt formations differs from sealing of an oil and gas well principally for two reasons: - cavern wells are generally completed with much larger casings than oil and gas exploration and production wells; - the cavern fluid pressure rises after sealing. The first difference is not a significant deterrent to effective cavern sealing and abandonment. Essentially all of the uncertainties and complexities associated with cavern sealing and abandonment are a direct result of the second difference – the fact that the cavern fluid pressure rises through time. After a short introduction to solution mining of salt caverns and their use as underground gas storages, the paper will first discuss the factors affecting cavern fluid pressure increase after sealing. The second part of the paper will highlight the practical impacts of these factors on a deep salt cavern abandonment experiment (Cavern TE02; 1500 meters deep), currently being performed on the natural gas storage of Tersanne operated for over 35 years by Gaz de France.


The disposal of materials dredged from commercial port areas, whether for maintenance or capital purposes, may create a number of environmental dilemmas. Foremost amongst them will be those arising from contamination by an ever increasing range and complexity of man made persistent compounds. When discussing the possible spread of toxic and other harmful substances away from dumped materials into adjacent pristine (i.e. non-contaminated) seafloor sediments and/or the overlying water column, mechanical and physicochemical factors are often the only ones given serious thought. However, there is a considerable body of evidence to suggest that biologic activity is potentially a far more effective mechanism in the transport and transfer of these contaminants. This review develops largely around local New Zealand examples, and emphasises the importance an evaluation of bioturbation (= churning over of soft, non-to-weakly-cohesive substrates by bottom dwelling biota) plays in the siting and management of marine spoil grounds.


In the article the condition of municipal primary specialized schools, their functioning problems in Nizhny Novgorod at the end of the XIX th – the beginning of the XX th century are described. The author studies how municipal government bodies tried to solve the problem of buildings shortage for primary specialized schools, adjust them in accordance with pedagogical and hygienic requirements, improve teachers' economic conditions. Notwithstanding town councillors' mistakes and stress of money, the town authorities paid a lot of attention to education development trying to satisfy the population's constantly growing requirement for primary schools.


My main research interest is educational reform from a comparative and international perspective. Thus, I read books and essays that allow me to broaden my analysis and accumulate concepts – some new, others offering variants – for interpretation. Although some studies record the conditions for success, most of the literature focuses on chronicling failures, bureaucratic blunders, or the resistance that reforms provoke amongst teachers and parents.


We define and analyze (local) multilevel diagonal preconditioners for isogeometric boundary elements on locally refined meshes in two dimensions. Hypersingular and weakly-singular integral equations are considered. We prove that the condition number of the preconditioned systems of linear equations is independent of the mesh-size and the refinement level. Therefore, the computational complexity, when using appropriate iterative solvers, is optimal. Our analysis is carried out for closed and open boundaries and numerical examples confirm our theoretical results.


A depth estimation algorithm for monocular infrared image based on nonlinear learning model is proposed in this paper. Firstly, some infrared image features corresponding to the depth are extracted using stepwise regression and independent component analysis. Secondly, we regress and train the features and the corresponding depth map of an infrared image based on BP neural network. A nonlinear depth estimation model is obtained. We can estimate depth distribution of an infrared image using the model. The experimental results show that more accurate depth information can obtained based on the proposed model comparing the linear estimation model.


In response to the opinions of the state council on accelerating the development of modern crop seed industry, Suichang in southwest mountainous areas in Zhejiang Province is now developing a rice seed production base county with its local ecological resources advantage. The Countermeasures as follows: strengthening the organizational leadership, innovating the management practices, strengthening the scientific and technological research, increasing support and incentives, strengthening quality supervision.


Through retrieving Chinese bibliographic databases, the characteristics and main corresponding diseasesof the research methods of clinical acupuncture documents [including randomized controlled trial(RCT), cohortstudy, retrospective analysis, case sequence study, single case study and clinical inspection] were summed up andanalyzed. Research methods of clinical acupuncture, at present, are flexible and diverse, and RCT and casesequence study are dominated. There is no significant difference in the kinds of disease studied by differentmethods and main diseases are nervous ones. The application directions of these research methods are optional, forexample, RCT are used for therapeutic studies and retrospective analysis, for etiological studies. RCT, as a goldencriterion, can be used for reviewing the effectiveness of interventional measures, while retrospective analysis andcase sequence study also have significant values to clinical acupuncture. At the same time, the research methods ofacupuncture decision effects should be developed, that is real word study.


A determination of Zr in U3O8 by ICP-AES with extraction was developed.The sample was dissolved in HCl-HF mixture and converted to UO2Cl2 with HCl.The uranium was separated by TBP levextred resin chromatography.The Zr element in aqueous phase was determined by horizontal ICP-AES.The recovery is 96.8%—99.4%.The relative standard derivations was superior to 5.3%.


The article discusses a burial in a catacomb discovered in a barrow at the village of Losevo in Pavlovsk raion, Voronezh oblast. In terms of the rite and accompanying grave goods, it is practically identical to the T-shaped catacombs of the area along the lower reaches of the Don River from the fourth century CE. The burial could have been that of an Alan who had survived a pogrom by Huns and fled northward into remote areas of the forest-steppe along the Don.


After billions of years of evolution, nature developed inventions that work, which are appropriate for the intended tasks and that last. The evolution of nature led to the introduction of highly effective and power efficient biological mechanisms that are scalable from micron to many meters in size. Imitating these mechanisms offers enormous potentials for the improvement of our life and the tools we use. Humans have always made efforts to imitate nature and we are increasingly reaching levels of advancement where it becomes significantly easier to imitate, copy, and adapt biological methods, processes and systems. Some of the biomimetic technologies that have emerged include artificial muscles, artificial intelligence, and artificial vision to which significant advances in materials science, mechanics, electronics, and computer science have contributed greatly. One of the newest fields of biomimetics is the electroactive polymers (EAP) that are also known as artificial muscles. To take advantage of these materials, efforts are made worldwide to establish a strong infrastructure addressing the need for comprehensive analytical modeling of their operation mechanism and develop effective processing and characterization techniques. The field is still in its emerging state and robust materials are not readily available however in recent years significant progress has been made and commercial products have already started to appear. This paper covers the state-of-the-art and challenges to making artificial muscles and their potential biomimetic applications.


With the onset of COVID-19, general practitioners (GPs) and patients worldwide swiftly transitioned from face-to-face to digital remote consultations. There is a need to evaluate how this global shift has impacted patient care, healthcare providers, patient and carer experience, and health systems. We explored GPs' perspectives on the main benefits and challenges of using digital virtual care. GPs across 20 countries completed an online questionnaire between June–September 2020. GPs' perceptions of main barriers and challenges were explored using free-text questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. A total of 1,605 respondents participated in our survey. The benefits identified included reducing COVID-19 transmission risks, guaranteeing access and continuity of care, improved efficiency, faster access to care, improved convenience and communication with patients, greater work flexibility for providers, and hastening the digital transformation of primary care and accompanying legal frameworks. Main challenges included patients' preference for face-to-face consultations, digital exclusion, lack of physical examinations, clinical uncertainty, delays in diagnosis and treatment, overuse and misuse of digital virtual care, and unsuitability for certain types of consultations. Other challenges include the lack of formal guidance, higher workloads, remuneration issues, organisational culture, technical difficulties, implementation and financial issues, and regulatory weaknesses. At the frontline of care delivery, GPs can provide important insights on what worked well, why, and how during the pandemic. Lessons learned can be used to inform the adoption of improved virtual care solutions and support the long-term development of platforms that are more technologically robust and secure.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non coding RNA molecules with a size range of 18 to 24 nucleotides that have important functions in regulating numerous cellular processes. Several technologies such as microarrays, real-time PCR and second-generation deep sequencing have been used to profile miRNA expression and characterize variances in miRNA species. This study focuses on miRNA expression profiling using ion semiconductor sequencing with an improved workflow that utilizes multi-channel microfluidics to isolate miRNAs from total RNA. This microfluidics approach replaces polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for size fractionation and enrichment of miRNAs commonly used in sequencing protocols. We compared miRNA expression profiles of commercially available preparations of lung and brain total RNA obtained by ion semiconductor sequencing, second-generation sequencing and real-time PCR array. We show that ion semiconductor sequencing using our improved workflow with the microfluidics device produced similar miRNA expression profiles compared to polyacrylamide gel based methods. We also detected similar numbers of miRNAs compared to second-generation deep sequencing. Finally, we were able to validate our results using a commercially available real-time PCR based miRNA array. Our workflow streamlines and significantly improves the utilization of semiconductor sequencing for miRNA profiling both in a research and clinical environment.


The first Born approximation corrected for the boundary conditions is used to compute total cross sections for charge exchange in ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$-He, ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$-N, and ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$-O collisions at intermediate and high energies. An independent-particle method is employed with a one-electron orbital for the target. Two sets of computation are presented in which the initial state of the active electron is described by the Roothaan-Hartree-Fock and hydrogenlike wave functions. These two approaches yield noticeably different results for the cross sections. Excellent agreement with existing experimental data is obtained at energies ranging from 50 keV to 50 MeV by using the Roothaan-Hartree-Fock wave function as a linear combination of normalized Slater-type orbitals.


In order to improve the performance of Uighur network content query expansion,this paper presents a kind of expansion w ords construction algorithm that is based on the combination of the Uygur synonym resources and Internet resources. An initial candidate w ords set is created by the Uyghur synonym,near-synonym and antonyms dictionary. The Internet is acted as a very large scale corpus,the similarity betw een the keyw ords and every w ord in the initial candidate w ords set is computed by the improved point mutual information algorithm. The w ords are sorted by the similarity evaluation and the top N w ords are selected to the candidate expansion w ords set-1. M eanw hile based on the partial collinear and point mutual information algorithm,it analyzes the Internet corpus w hich contained keyw ords and create the candidate expansion w ords set-2. The final expansion w ords are selected according to the results of w eighted summation for the candidate expansion w ords set-1 and set-2. Compared w ith the normal keyw ords query and synonym expansion query,the query results based on the expansion w ords in this paper show that the accuracy of this algorithm is much better than the others.


There are many questions around the sex difference, the sex change and its consequences. The paper presents the European countries' approaches to transsexuality and the position of the European Court of Human Rights expressed in its case-law.


This study was performed to investigate the eating habit, body image, and weight control behavior by BMI in Korean female high school students. Data on the 16,574 subjects was obtained from the sixth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (2010). Only 52.2% of the subjects had regular breakfast. The rate of skipping breakfast was higher in the underweight group than in the obese group, but the rate of skipping dinner was on the contrary to this. Underweight students had a higher intake frequency of fruits, fast food, instant noodle, and snacks than the obese groups. 3.5% of underweight students considered themselves to be overweight or obese. 53.4% of obese students considered themselves to be overweight. The experience of weight control increased according to BMI, but underweight students considered weight control as an effort to be slimmer. Meal restriction was used more frequently to control weight. The perceived stress level was higher in obese student, especially due to appearance. Therefore, an appropriate, integrated and personalized high school nutrition program should be established for proper body image perception and to develop the self-esteem of female high school students.


It is impossible to the existence and development of human beings if there are no technology and technological rationality that guides human beings to practice the technology.Technological rationality is developing dynamically since the technology itself was practiced dynamically in a long historical process.The historical approach to technological rationality is actually a successive "negation of negation" process,where the primitive tensile relationship between technological rationality and value rationality in agricultural civilization was kept up to a certain extent.However,the expansion of technological rationality and the lack of value rationality resulted in a tendency of instrumental rationality since the beginning and development of the modern industrial civilization.As a result of the reflection on modern industrial civilization in the perspective of traditional technological rationality,a conclusion is drawn that we shall highlight the harmony between technological rationality and value rationality so as to make technology the activities of practice to pursue multi-objective values.


This invention relates to a process for the production of phosphoric acid. More particular ly the invention relates to a process for the production of phosphoric acid which is Substan tially free from iron compounds and certain other impurities. In a narrow sense, the term ferrophosphorus is definitive of a rather complex mixture of compounds of iron and phosphorus and is under stood to be a mixture of alloys of iron and phoS phorus. This type of ferrophosphorus may be produced by fluxing appropriate amounts of me tallic iron and elemental phosphorus until the metals react to form an alloy having the requi site proportions of the elements. Depending up on the molecular proportions of iron and phos phorus employed in the reaction, an alloy is obtained which contains an extensive Series of compounds of iron and phosphorus. For ex ample, among the compounds of iron and phos phorus which are present in a typical ferro phosphorus product may be mentioned the fol lowing: Fe3P, FesP, Fe4P3, Fe2P, FeP and Fe3P4. This type of ferrophosphorus is generally pro duced for certain uses in the steel industry wherein controlled amounts of phosphorus must be added to alloy steel products in Order to control the oxygen content thereof. More liberally construed, the term ferrophOS phorus is definitive of a rather impure product which is produced in electrolytic furnaces where in a mixture of phosphatic material Such as tricalcium phosphate, silica and carbon or coke is heated in an electric arc in order to produce elemental phosphorus by a volatilization pro cedure. Periodically such furnaces are tapped in order to draw off molten slag or other in purities from the reaction mixture. A certain portion of this slag contains ferrophosphorus, including substantially all of the compounds of iron and phosphorus mentioned above, as well as certain compounds of calcium Such as cal cium silicate. This slag is known in the trade as ferrophosphorus, and the term ferrophOS phorus as employed herein and in the appended claims is deemed to include Such an impure product as well as the products of higher purity described in the preceding paragraph. It has been previously proposed to employ fer rophosphorus in a more or less pure state for the production of phosphoric acid by reacting fer rophosphorus with concentrated Sulfuric acid. For example as was taught in the article "The decomposition of ferrophosphorus' by F. A. Hen glein and K. Stoeckert, Beiheft Z. Ver, duet. Chem. No. 27 or Angew. Chem. 50,380-2 (1937), O


A three-dimensional simulation methodology is developed for the kinematic analysis of a ceramic grinding process. The simulation aggregates the results of each grit-workpiece interaction to obtain process output. The simulation combines a three-dimensional wheel topography model obtained from electron microscopic analysis of diamond grinding wheels with a single-grit cutting force model that was constructed from data collected from single-grit cutting experiments. The simulation is used to analyze the influence of processes parameters on process output. The simulated process output is verified with experimental data.


With China's reform and opening-up of the extent of further development,more and more U.S.enterprises to conduct direct investmentin China,the United States has become China's foreign direct investment an important source of the country.Overall,internatinal commodity trade and foreign direct investment to promote the relationship between increasing.However Specifically,the study of the relationship between investment and trade based on the vision to specific country,economic globalization today,the U.S.diret investment in China and China-US trade volume between the two there are still important.


This paper interprets the necessary of the reformation of college library user education under the network environment, then discusses three aspects of the reformation: the user education level, the education manner and the method of summoning user.


The present invention discloses a method and an optimized signal to noise ratio parameter, it relates to touch screen technology for solving the low accuracy of the touch screen recognizes a touch operation problems. The method of optimizing the signal to noise ratio parameter comprises: acquiring a capacitance signal when the touch screen is touched and not being touched; will not be performed when the touch signal and the capacitance of the filter is touched, to obtain a first filtered signal and the second filter capacitor capacitance signal; calculating an average value within a single cycle of the first filter and the second filter capacitor capacitance signal signal; mean compensating capacitor to the first signal or the second filtered signal, the filter capacitor; a second filter capacitor according to the compensated signal average ratio of the first average value signal filtering capacitor, filter capacitor or the second signal and the compensation ratio of the average value of the average signal of the first filter capacitor, determining the signal to noise ratio parameter. SNR parameter optimization method and apparatus of the present invention provides for optimizing the signal to noise ratio parameter to the touch screen.


Present study was carried out in 8 villages of 4 blocks in two selected district of Northern hills agro-climatic zones of Chhattisgarh State. Total 120 tribal farmers were considered as respondents for study purpose. The studies indicated that most of the respondents were belonged to medium category with land size 2.1 to 4 ha. In the study area, 56.67 per cent respondents had irrigation facility and major source of irrigation was tubewell (58.82%). Regarding annual income, majority of the respondents had annual income up to Rs 50,000. Regarding credit acquisition, majority of the respondents (65%) acquired credit and 49.17 per cent acquired from the cooperative society for the duration up to the 6 month for the purchasing of fertilizers and other instruments or inputs. Most of the respondents ware borrowed credit up to Rs. 10000 to 20000. Regarding seed management most of the respondents were practicing 1-2 ploughing, 25 to 30 kg -1 ha seed, 40.35 per cent adopted indigenous techniques, most of the respondents used fertilizer, manures and weeding. Most of the respondents had practiced cleaning threshing floor, separation of inert matters and weed seeds, drying, treatment of bins, grading and storage insect pest control.


This study aims to determine the effect of working capital turnover, liquidity and sales growth on profitability in food and beverage sub-sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2014-2017. This study utilizes secondary data of the financial statements of food and beverage subsector companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2014-2017 collected from the official website of the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sampling technique used purposive sampling. The samples in this study were 11 companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The analysis method used ratio analysis and multiple linear regression with a significant level of 5%. The results showed that the working capital turnover, liquidity and sales growth affected significantly on profitability.


This practicum project involved working with four preschool children with mental disabilities to increase their cognitive abilities through the use of computer-based instruction and use of manipulative materials. It also sought to improve the children's social-emotional development and self-esteem. The developmental levels of the four students were determined, and appropriate cognitive objectives were chosen. Concepts taught included shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. Appropriate computer programs were selected to introduce the concepts and provide relevant practice, and manipulative activities were developed to provide tactile stimulation. Children were also provided with opportunities to sort, match, identify, color, paint, paste, sing, and dance about the concepts. The practicum successfully met its objectives. Appendixes contain surveys and questionnaires documenting the baselines and results of the practicum. (Contains 17 references.) (JDD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Offtce of Educatp:mal Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organealon originating it Cl Minor changes have been made to improve raproeluction quality clointsof view or opinionsstated inthiSdOeu. ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position Or policy Improving Cognitive Skills in Mentally Handicapped Preschoolers through the Use of Computer-Based Instruction and Manipulatives


This paper presents a novel calibration method for micro-electro mechanical system gyroscope in attitude measurement system of small rotor unmanned aerial vehicles. This method is based on an observation vector and its cross product, which is especially valuable for the in-field calibration without the aid of external equipment. By analysing the error model of the tri-axial gyroscope, the principle of calibration is proposed. Compared with other algorithms, numerical simulations are performed to evaluate the effectiveness of integral form of the cross product calibration method. Experiment on the hex-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle platform shows that the proposed method has great advantages in low-cost integrated navigation system.


This article is adapted from a report on the symposium, "Strategic Scenarii: Social and Economic Effects of Modernisation—From 'Smart Devices' to 'Smart Social Networking Services' as a subject of 'Smart Investments'", Moscow, 28 February–2 March 2011. It proposes a new strategy for integrated technological modernisation based on Russia's R&D strength in order to trigger and lead the next industrial revolution, in cooperation with the financial and manufacturing centres of other countries. The suggested policy goes beyond mere technology transfer or purchase of manufacturing processes and knowhow to promote genuinely indigenous research and discovery for economic prosperity and holistic human development.


:  This paper examines the conservative critique of higher education in the USA. I argue, first, that the right's call for greater "intellectual diversity" in American higher education should be understood as an attack on the professional self-regulation and disciplinary autonomy that are central to academic freedom in this country. Second, I suggest that the right's politicization of politics in the academy brings to light the importance of our developing a vision of the university that accounts for rather than disavows the political nature of the work we do.


Many software vendors are providing mechanisms for parallel content retrieval using multiple connections, e.g., parallel HTTP channels, to increase the availability and reliability of the download procedure. At the same time, there is no native verification mechanism to support simultaneous content verification from multiple sources. While it is possible to set-up multiple TLS tunnels with different sources, there is no guarantee that the data itself is authentic since the trust is placed on the connection and not in the data itself. In this paper we present a parallel verification mechanism based on hash trees, allowing clients to authenticate data segments regardless of the container from where they were retrieved from, but just with the original provider. Some benefits of the proposed mechanism include low CPU processing costs, low verification overhead and possibility to support legacy data.


A cab mounting assembly attaches a cab to a chassis of a vehicle at the point of rotation of the cab when the cab is tilted. The cab mounting assembly provides two paths for the forces acting between the cab and the chassis. The static forces are supported by a bearing assembly which includes a relatively hard elastomeric member. The dynamic forces are supported by an elastomeric mount which includes a relatively soft elastomeric member. The elastomeric mount is attached to the bearing assembly and to a shock absorber. The bearing assembly is attached to the elastomeric mount and to an air spring assembly.


(1) Easy and rapid method of procuring Haematin. An easy method by means of which the decomposition products of baemoglobin can be procured in a short time has been long wanted, and the method I am about to describe is both easy and rapid. I may remark that the methods which until very recently have been used for the preparation of haematin are1 (1) the decomposition of haemoglobin by means of oxalic or acetic acid in the presence of ether which takes up the haematin formed, and treating with water, alcohol, and ether; (2) the very elaborate method of Hoppe-Seyler which requires the previous formation of haemin or hydrochlorate of haematin; (3) coagulation of blood by an excess of cold alcohol, and boiling the precipitate with alcohol and sulphuric acid and fuirther treatment; besides these three there are other methods which I need not mention, as in most of them the thorough separation of proteid from coloured constituit is not accomplished. Nencki and Sieber' have lately publishe another method which depends on the formation of haemin and its solution by amyl alcohol; from the haemin thus formed and separated by amyl alcohol they readily obtained haematin and haematoporphyrin. In 1880O when endeavouriiig to work out the connection between the colouring matters of blood, bile and urine, I found that chloroform was an excellent means of separating the acid haematin formed by the action of alcohol acidulated with sulphuric acid on blood, but owing to pressure of other work I had to postpone the further study of this subject until lately. Even now the subject is not thoroughly worked


Through the incorporation of optical filters in a cascade of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA's), with each amplifier exhibiting nonuniform gain, we determine the optimal conditions for passively equalizing many wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) channels while maintaining a high SNR. For 20 WDM channels spaced 0.5 nm apart, it is found that 3-dB, 2-nm-wide notch filters with center wavelength at 1.560 mu m will provide sufficient SNR equalization for potential megameter transmission when located after every 20 EDFA's. This performance is achieved with no a priori knowledge of the input or output signals.<<ETX>>


Online social networks are playing nowadays an important role in information dissemination, creating the conditions for the superfast spreading of information messages. Tracking and monitoring of the process of the creation, delivery and consumption of information has become much more diffi cult or almost impossible. Nevertheless, information is one of the most important resources of society. And during the time of the great accumulation and rapid dissemination of information is a need for understanding new forms of information transmission and factors that infl uence this process. However, most publications on this subject focused on factors not so much, so the goal of the study is to determine, to systematize and to analyze factors that infl uence the diffusion of information in online social networks. This article presents the results of an expert survey that partially open curtain of «magic» of information dissemination process in online social networks. Expert survey in this study was made with experts in the fi eld of Social Media Marketing. Summarizing the results of the study we can identify the main factors that infl uence the spread of information in online social network as target audience, the general social background, the relevance of topics, source, message platform (online network), and external infl uence. These factors correspond quite well the main links of H. Lasswell communication model – Who Says What In Which Channel To Whom With What Effect? This study is part of a broader study on the factors of information dissemination in social online networks and implies further usage of mathematical model for the empirical confi rmation of these factors' infl uence. Keywords: online social networks, information dissemination, Social Media Marketing.


Abstract:  Background:  Various groups have reported prolonged diabetes reversal and graft function after porcine islet transplantation into diabetic macaques using different experimental designs (macaque source, islet source, type of immunosuppression): subsequently, the International Xenotransplantation Association has published recommendations for entering a clinical trial. Our experiments showed limitations that affected consistent achievement of long‐term survival. We aimed to identify these limitations and underlying causes to emphasize the translational value of this highly relevant type 1 diabetic macaque model.


The influence of model complexity on integrated tagging and catch-at-age analysis (ITCAAN) parameter estimation is poorly understood for populations exhibiting natal homing. We investigated ITCAAN performance under varying levels of movement, degree of similarity in population productivities, data quality, spatial complexity in parameterization, and whether natural mortality and (or) reporting rates were fixed at actual values, estimated, or misspecified. Dynamics of four populations with natal homing that intermixed during periods of harvest were simulated based on Lake Erie walleye (Sander vitreus). Our results suggest, when high-quality tagging data are available, ITCAAN models are able to simultaneously estimate movement rates, natural mortality, and tag reporting rates, though accuracy and precision of model estimates will decrease with greater model complexity and fewer tags released. Additionally, ITCAAN models may have difficulty estimating individual population abundances under certain movement r...


Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant stressors in Vietnamese adolescents' lives. Coping skills play important roles in helping adolescents contend with stress. This study aimed to evaluate adolescents' coping skills during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine how those skills are impacted by excessive internet use during this pandemic. Methods The study used respondent-driven sampling and Google online survey forms to collect data. The study sample included 5,315 high school students aged 11- 17 years in Hanoi's rural and urban areas. The Kid Coping Scale was applied to examine adolescents' coping, and the coping score was compared among adolescents with different levels of internet use. Results The average coping score measured by Kid Coping Scale was 20.40 (std = 2.13). About half of adolescents often "avoid the problem or the area where it happened" when experiencing a hard time. One-third of adolescents often stopped thinking about the problem they faced. More than one-fourth of respondents stayed online for at least 8 h per day. The online time for learning/other activities showed a reverse dose-response relationship with the coping score; the longer the internet use duration, the lower the coping score. Conclusion The mean score of coping of Hanoi adolescents was moderate. Internet use has an adverse impact on their coping skills.


The temperature dependent transport coefficients are theoretically examined in different phases ofthe Al-Cu Fe system. In the present work we focus on the conductivity and the thermoelectric power. The spectral resistivity is modeled by means of Lorentzian functions, in agreement with our ab-initio results (linear muffm-tin orbital basis and Kubo-Greenwood formula). This model considers the most important information of the ab-initio results in order to explain consistently the transport coefficients mentioned above. The numerical results shown in this work are in good agreement with the experimental ones.


ABSTRACT COVID-19 is highly contagious respiratory illness that has spread globally to over 200 countries and territories. Like never before, the world has become reliant on effective health education to facilitate behavioral responses that will slow the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The prevention, risk mitigation, and containment of COVID-19 is an extremely high public health priority, especially for adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) who have compromised respiratory systems. However, despite being uniquely trained in the health education process, health education specialists have limited guidance for systematically communicating scientific information and personal health recommendations to the public during viral outbreaks. In this commentary, we propose three guidelines, linked to the Areas of Responsibility, Competencies, and Sub-competencies for Health Education Specialists, which we believe will attenuate morbidity and mortality risks associated with COVID-19 among those with underlying pulmonary conditions: 1) conduct novel health education needs assessments that systematically monitor respiratory symptoms and hygienic/sanitary behaviors; 2) build capacity to adapt, implement, and evaluate evidence-based health education strategies that optimize adoption of behaviors that protect lung health; and 3) develop communication plans for effectively and efficiently disseminating lung health education materials that address viral pandemic risk reduction, mitigation, and containment.


The present invention discloses a method for determining the blind detection, blind detection method and apparatus. Determine the blind detection of the method comprising: a base station configured blind detection capability information and the terminal according to the system, determines a subframe enhanced E-PDCCH blind detection mode terminal; the determined terminal E-PDCCH in the subframe to notify the blind detection terminal. Blind detection method comprising: determining a terminal E-PDCCH blind detection mode in a subframe; E-PDCCH blind detection for E-PDCCH blind detection according to the manner determined in the subframe. According to the system configuration resource information occupies one sub-frame, determining UE E-PDCCH blind detection mode in the sub-frame, so that the UE E-PDCCH blind detection in the subframe according to the E-PDCCH determined blind detection It is the way to avoid unnecessary energy costs.


Electromagnetic Forming (EMF) is a very promising high-speed forming process. However, designing these processes remains quite intricate as it leads to deal with strongly coupled multiphysics process and thus requires the use of computational models. We present here the main features of the numerical model which we are currently developing to model this process.


The integration of medical information is an important way to solve medical information sharing,medical resource reusing and further data finding.In recent years,it becomes one of hotspots.In this paper,a framework of medical information integration is proposed,which is based on Agent technology.Then system working process is described,collaboration strategy between the multi-Agents is given,and Agent communication model is defined.Finally,the design of integration Agent which is key technology is further studied.


This research has focused on the development of analytical methods for the quantification of benzodiazepines and opiates in forensic samples. Both these classes of drugs are regularly encountered in forensic toxicology, especially in cases of fatal heroin overdose, and thus quantitative methods for their analysis are particularly relevant. Chapter 1 outlines the nature of the heroin problem in Australia and the different drug policies currently employed to help reduce the problems associated with heroin use and overdose. The involvement of metabolic factors and CNS depressants, such as benzodiazepines, in heroin overdose is discussed. An introduction to post-mortem drug analysis, as well as a comprehensive review of previously published methods for the analysis of heroin, its metabolites and benzodiazepines in biological samples, is presented. Chapter 2 describes procedures for the synthesis of commonly encountered morphine and benzodiazepine metabolites as an alternative to purchasing these metabolites commercially. Yields of 48, 25, 74 and 70% were obtained for M3G, M6G, 7-aminonitrazepam and 7-aminoclonazepam respectively. Chapter 3 documents the development of a rapid capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for the analysis of nine benzodiazepines using dynamically prepared doubly-coated capillaries, consisting of a polycation of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDAC) and a polyanion of dextran sulfate (DS). The addition of cyclodextrins to the background electrolyte (BGE) was also investigated as a means of improving analysis time. The validated method was successfully applied to the analysis of spiked beverages, with run times of less than 6.5 minutes.


Perhaps more than any other aspect of the film production process, screenwriting has been the subject of political conflict and debate. In this respect, political authorities wanting to control film production are presented with two options: they can either censor the finished product or they can exert their influence on which films are approved for production and by whom these films are produced. In the case of the latter, political agents usually focus on the selection and development of story ideas rather than on the ways those ideas are staged, enacted, and shot. A purported lack of "good" screenplays and screenwriters has been one of the most politicized problems in both Eastern and Western Europe, from the early 1920s through to the present day. In fact, attempts to modernize, subsidize, and pre-censor national film productions under various political regimes and production systems were regularly confronted with what has been labeled a "screenwriting problem" or a "screenplay crisis".1) Even today, both the European Union and national subsidy programs aim to support development by increasing the international competitiveness of European films.2) Bureaucratic reformists have repeatedly tried to introduce organizational measures to professionalize, standardize, stimulate, and ideologically control screenwriting. They could hardly interfere in the everyday activities of directors, cameramen, production dePetr Szczepanik


Based on daily rainfall data recorded by 135 meteorological stations from 1961 to 2009 and multi-year average precipitation data of 225 counties in the Upper Yangtze River Basin,combined with water erosion distribution map calculated by USLE model,the relationship between precipitation and water erosion in the Upper Yangtze River Basin was analyzed through using the spatial analysis function on GIS software.The results show that water erosion accounts for 78% of the whole soil erosion;for the distribution of water erosion and precipitation,although there is significant difference in local area,they are all increasing from west to east.The source region and northwest of Sichuan,where multi-year average precipitation is less than 900 mm,occurs micro-degree water erosion mainly.In central Sichuan,just as uneven precipitation distribution,water erosion is uneven.In the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi,Sichuan and Gansu,where precipitation grade is 4 to 5 and north of Chongqing where precipitation grade is 7 to 8,water erosion is serious,intensity erosion occurs mainly;middle intensity erosion dominates the region of the northwest of Yunnan,southwest of Chongqing and Yichang of Hubei,where precipitation grade is 7 to 8.The soil erosion index reaches the maximum value(160.5) in precipitation grade 8.This result is close to 2000 Remote Sensing interpretation of soil erosion,revealing the soil erosion distribution features and causes under different precipitation condition in the Upper Yangtze River.


The Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) of the US NOAA Fisheries provides much of the US science advice for the management of Highly Migratory Species (HMS) in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and US Caribbean Sea. These stocks include the tunas, sharks, billfishes and swordfish all of which are targeted either commercially or recreationally or both in US waters. These species are managed internationally through membership to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT); however, while the US is an ICCAT member, few Caribbean nations are members. According to ICCAT (2006), both blue and white marlin are overfished and undergoing overfishing; western Atlantic sailfish are undergoing overfishing and fully exploited; western Atlantic Bluefin tuna are overfished and undergoing overfishing; north Atlantic swordfish are no longer undergoing overfishing and are rebuilding; and Atlantic yellowfin tuna are neither undergoing overfishing nor are overfished. The commercial ex-vessel value and recreational value continue to provide sufficient incentive for exploitation. For example, the ex-vessel value for tuna and swordfish steaks in 2003 and 2004 was US$22,000,000 and US$16,000,000, respectively. In Puerto Rico, the estimated value of recreational billfish fishing in 1994 was estimated at US$44,000,000 per year. A 1999 study (Sutton et al. 1999) estimated that for the US Gulf of Mexico, the charter boat industry produced 1000 jobs and total economic output of US$45,000,000 per year. This study also identified HMS as the most sought after species by the Gulf of Mexico charter boat industry. The billfishes are highly prized recreational targets globally, yet there is a lack of understanding of much of their life history. In 2000, the SEFSC first developed an "Atlantic Billfish Research Plan" currently in version 4 and revised in 2004. The objective of the plan was to provide guidance on research priorities to reduce uncertainty in ongoing stock assessments to improve the biological basis for management and rebuild the stocks. This plan prioritized information needs as: biology and ecology, including age and growth, fecundity, species identification and stock structure; analytical methodology and tool development and implementation; and fishery research including gear solutions to minimizing bycatch. As a result of this plan, increasing investments in funding of applied research began in 2002 and with an increasing number of research partners and collaborators. One measure of increasing the body of knowledge on which to base management is the number of publications resulting from these increases in investment. From 2004 to 2006, the number of publications specific to billfish life history, ecology, and potential impacts from fishing increased from less than 5 to 8 in 2005 and to 23 in 2006. Continued investments into research organized around a working hypothesis will progress towards improving the science advice and basis for management world wide.


The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of composite mass spectral (CMS) data from pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PY–GC/MS) for lignocellulosic materials. Various forages, by-products and fiber fractions derived from them were examined as CMS by PY–GC/MS. The PY–GC/MS system consisted of a heated platinum filament, a capillary gas chromatograph and an ion trap detector (ITD) mass spectrometer operated under electron impact conditions. Mass spectra were then composited in several ways by summing all the mass spectra acquired within retention times corresponding to major product classes. CMS data were entered in a dedicated library and compared using the ITD library editor software. The usefulness of such a simple procedure for studies related to lignocellulose analysis, such as forage recognition, development of analytical methods and digestibility/maturity correlation, is discussed.


Electrocardiography is a simple clinically useful non-invasive technique to evaluate the activity of the heart. The heart rate is very variable parameter and sometimes reaches very high values. In these cases, the frequency band of the electrocardiographic (ECG) signal overlaps the band of the surface electromyographic (sEMG) signal, which it represents an interfering signal. The aim of the present study is to show how the Segmented Beat Modulation Method (SBMM) can be used to clean the ECG signal from muscular noise. To this aim, a real ECG signal (characterized by a fast heart rate and corrupted by muscular noise) was acquired from a violinist while he was playing. Results indicate that the ECG and the sEMG signal can be separated without losing morphological features and spectral components of both signals. Thus SBMM is a promising tool for cleaning the ECG signal from muscular noise.