Two conflicting but strongly entrenched intuitions about beauty hold sway in the hearts and minds of many. On the one hand, many people believe that attributions of beauty to objects or events are unmediated-that all that matters is one's direct, personal response. If something is beautiful, one just sees it; cognitive or ethical concerns matter little. On the other hand, many people are drawn to the view that the beautiful is not independent of other human values and attitudes-that our attributions of beauty are related to beliefs or moral judgments. At the end of the eighteenth century, Immanuel Kant represented the former view with such cleverness that his arguments continue to disturb even those who remain unconvinced by them. At the end of the nineteenth century, partly as a result of the influence of Kant's theory of beauty, Leo Tolstoy felt forced to downplay the importance of beauty's role in explaining the value of art-a trend that continued for several decades. At the end of the twentieth century, increasing numbers of aesthetic theorists and practitioners are persuaded that beauty does matter in art, and although many, including me, believe that beauty is a contextual property deeply connected to factual beliefs and moral attitudes, the tug of Kant's arguments remains strong. I stand near the edge of one of Minneapolis's many urban lakes. A tall purple flower brightens the marshy shore. I recognize that it is purple loose strife, an exotic plant species imported several years ago. I know that it tends to overtake areas where it takes root-that if left alone it will rapidly destroy the delicate ecosystem so important for water purification and for supporting a wide range of plant and wildlife. I know that this is a dangerous, even evil, plant. A friend of mine who is a landscape designer has a poster on her office door urging us to wipe it out. She tells me she finds it ugly-even repulsive. But as I stand near the lake, looking at the purple blossoms that stand out so vibrantly against the more or less uniformly colored background of the swamp, I cannot prevent myself from finding the plant quite beautiful. This is anything but an isolated example of conflicting perceptions of beauty. From admiring wispy female actors who we are certain must be suffering from bulimia to glorying in ancient temples whose construction we have learned resulted in the deaths of hundreds of oppressed slaves, we often find that we cannot help ourselves-that Kant seems to be right to have insisted that where beauty is concerned, what we know and what we morally approve or disapprove seems irrelevant. But then I think again of my ecologist friend. Does she not see what I see when she looks at the wetland? Is she truly unseduced by the lush color? How, if Kant is right, does she see ugliness where I see beauty? And how, if Kant is right, do changes in my beliefs or moral assessments sometimes produce a change in my aesthetic views? Kant argued that several features characterize a judgment that something is beautiful (Critique of Judgment, 1790). On occasion our imaginations take a holiday, as it were. In apprehending the form of some objects or events, we feel pleasure in the purposive way the properties relate, and realize that our pleasure is in no way dependent upon a particular interest, purpose, or concept. Because our pleasure is not in any way tied essentially to who we are as individuals, we expect that every other human being necessarily ought to feel pleasure as well upon apprehending this thing. We do not care what the object is (or even that it is-i.e., if we feel pleasure we do not really care whether the apparent cause of the pleasure actually exists), we do not have to know what it is, we do not care whether it is moral or immoral, we do not care who made it, or why. Judgments that something is ugly (not beautiful) will be like this, too-the only difference will be that we feel displeasure instead of pleasure. Tolstoy believed that pleasure alone cannot account for the tremendous value that art has. Pleasure-based theories like Kant's led him to dismiss beauty as central to art. Just as one may forget, as one eats with pleasure, that the real value of food is bodily nutrition and not the enjoyment one derives, so one may be misled into thinking that the value of art is pleasure and not, as it were, the nutrition of the soul of an individual and of a community. For Tolstoy the source of value of art is spiritual rather than hedonic, and thus any theory of art with a pleasure-based theory of beauty will be inadequate (What is Art? 1896).'


A recent work by the authors describes a new class of nonparametric statistics formed by summing the rank statistics on data subsets of a fixed number of sample values m . This paper derives the locally-most-powerful tests of this class under the assumption of independent sampling.


In order to realize the sharing of information between computer and infrared mobile, the present paper proposes the design method of the infrared communication adapter attached to computer in detail. The architecture and the implementation of mobile manager based on COM(Component Object Model) technology developed using ATL(Active Template Library) is specified. The software system that can control the operations of mobile has small size and can be modified, updated easily through the internet.


Based on ExtendSim software, this paper establishes a simulation optimization model for the location, path and inventory problem of the end-of-life vehicle recycling system, a heuristic algorithm is used to solve the model based on genetic algorithm and saving algorithm. Finally, an instance is given to demonstrate the feasibility of this simulation optimization model, and then illustrates the validity of localization, path and inventory of the end-of-life vehicle recycling system simulation optimization model based on ExtendSim in solving the problem under the dynamic system condition of random recycled automobile and random vehicle transportation time.


This project demonstrates the design and implementation of a management system for the maintenance division of a company with over 10 years in the market and is dedicated to the development of office supplies, factors which were analysed included high dropout rate in the production process, lack of management in the maintenance area of the company leading to losses in machinery, manpower, raw material and finished products. To achieve this objective the following will be used Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and in turn the application of Weibull statistics as tools for reliability analysis, continuous improvement in the production process, and a stock of spare parts plan. The application of these techniques will result in the reduction of large losses in the production process from conception of the raw material to produce the final product they will also increase quality, productivity and give rise to a culture of effective communication for development activities, implementing procedures and continuous monitoring of the process through indicators it will be possible to improve decision making and implement continuous improvement of tools.


Budget reforms have been undertaken for many years. There has been a movement by scholars and practitioners alike to put forward a comprehensive budgeting system. Budgets compilation changed from the typical annual budgeting to a multi-year budgeting system. The transformation and modernisation of the in South Africa has been based on key elements such as transparency, accountability and the integration of policies. The different budgeting systems available assist to enhance good governance.


The article analyses the methodological issues which arise in explaining European economic growth in the 1950s. The main concern is with Edward Denison's Why Growth Rates Differ - which is the outstanding empirical contribution to growth literature. While his growth analysis is a major extension of the national accounting framework, it is argued that that he seriously underestimates the role of capital formation and trade liberalisation in the acceleration of Europe's postwar growth. The author presents alternative estimates within the framework of Denison's model which provide a better explanation of the growth experience of the 1950s. Denison's implicit model and its historical origins are first described before his treatment of output, capital gains, labour inputs and other components of growth are analysed. JEL: O47, O52, N14


Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks, is considered to be the most serious disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and universal in occurrence. Leaf rust, also known as brown rust caused by the heteroecious basidiomycete is most common and widely distributed of the three wheat rusts and has become more serious problem of wheat causing great losses in grain yield ( Huerta-Espino et al., 2011). Yield losses in wheat from P. triticina infections are usually the result of decreased number of kernels per head and lower kernel weight (Roelfs et al., 1992; Marasas et al., 2004; Kolmer et al., 2005). Early infection of leaf rust on wheat generally causes higher yield losses; 60–70%, infection on the flag leaf at spike emergence may account for a yield loss of more than 30%. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 10 (2017) pp. 3592-3599 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com


The effect of L-norepinephrine (NE) on renin release by slices of kidney cortex from sodium-replete and sodium-deficient rats was studied in vitro . The rate of renin release by slic


Tree-ring dating was used to develop construction scenarios for two log structures. the Draper and the Fuller buildings. in the Edwards Plateau region of Texas. The Draper building was con structed in 1902-3. and added onto in 1906. The dating of the Fuller building is less certain. but the structure probably was built in the 1860s or 1870s.


Objective To evaluate the influence of the collateral circulation of aorto iliac occlusive disease on ankle brachial index in CT angiography.Materials and MethodsPatients with aorto iliac occlusive disease were analyzed retrospectively.In group A,there were 18 patients whose CTA showed collateral circulation in aorto iliac occlusive disease.In group B,there were 18 patients whose CTA did not show collateral circulation in aorto iliac occlusive disease and 24 patients whose CTA showed mild stenosis in group C.The ABI among three groups were compared,and the statistical analysis of sample mean were conducted.ResultsThe mean value of right ABI was(0.44±0.18) for group A,and the left was(0.41±0.16),respectively.The mean value of right and left ABI were(0.40±0.09) and(0.41±0.11) for group B;(0.73±0.22) and(0.71±0.19) for group C.There was not significant difference between the left and the right ABI in all the three groups(P0.05).Between these three groups,there was not significant difference between group A and B(P0.05),but significant difference was found between group A and C,group B and C(P0.05),respectively.ConclusionIn aorto iliac occlusive disease,the collateral circulation on CTA do not affect ankle brachial index(ABI).CTA performance and ABI can provide morphology and function information for vascular surgery,combination of these factors will be more helpful for diagnosis and treatment planning.


This study aimed to evaluate the effect of replacing NaCl with KCl and monosodium glutamate in beef burgers. The effect of this reformulation on physicochemical properties, salt content, color, sensory aspect, and consumers' acceptance was mainly examined. The findings of this study indicated that all treatments did not significantly differ in terms of moisture, color, and cooking loss. The presence of KCl induced little impact on pH. Furthermore, the replacement of NaCl with KCl did not affect the perceived saltiness and bitterness of the products. On the other hand, concerning overall acceptance, burgers with monosodium glutamate were mostly preferred by consumers. It was concluded that lowering sodium content by partially replacing NaCl with KCl and monosodium glutamate is possible even in beef burgers


Osteosarcoma is the most common solid malignant diseases of childhood, occurring in approximately 6 children per million annually; however, to the authors' knowledge to date, the cause of osteosarcoma has remained mostly unknown. Genetic alterations of genes that are specific for osteosarcoma have not been identified. Genetic alternations in the status of DNA methylation, known as epigenetic alterations, are the most common molecular alterations in human neoplasia. Aberrant methylation in the promoter region of tumor‐related genes is associated closely with epigenetically mediated gene silencing, which is a common feature in human tumors.


The base of aircraft data (BADA) model provides accurate modelling of aircraft performances over the complete flight envelope for flight simulation and prediction applications. BADA is based on a generic total energy model, which performance functions (e.g., drag, maximum and minimum thrust, fuel flow) are particularised for each aircraft type with coefficients included in the BADA databases. BADA has a high reputation within the academic and research world, thus it is widely used for air traffic management research applications. This poster presents the architecture and capabilities of pyBada, a Python-based software designed for the easy integration of the BADA model in trajectory simulation, prediction and optimisation applications.


The refractive index of the atmosphere, which is n ≈ 1:0003 at sea level, varies with altitude and with local temperature, pressure and humidity. When performing radio measurements of air showers, natural variations in n will change the radio lateral intensity distribution, by changing the Cherenkov angle. Using CoREAS simulations, we have evaluated the systematic error on measurements of the shower maximum X max due to variations in n . It was found that a 10% increase in refractivity ( n – 1) leads to an underestimation of X max between 8 and 22 g/cm 2 for proton-induced showers at zenith angles from 15 to 45 degrees, respectively.


The invention discloses an automatic direction regulating fan blade of a wind driven generator. The automatic direction regulating fan blade of the wind driven generator comprises blades, wherein the blades are hinged on a supporting member; the supporting member forms a rotating support for the blades; the rotation axes of the blades are deviated from the gravity centers of the blades; and limiting mechanisms for keeping a horizontal state or vertical state of the blades are arranged on the supporting member or between the supporting member and the blades. When a vertical shaft type wind driven generator adopts a pair of the blades provided by the invention and the regulating direction of one or several blades is same as a wind direction, the blades can keep in the vertical state by means of the gravity of the blades, a wind force and the limiting mechanisms, so that the blades directly and well bear the wind force; and when the rotation directions of other blades are opposite to the wind direction, the blades can keep in the horizontal state by means of the wind force and the limiting mechanisms to prevent the wind force from forming resistance to the blades, so that wind wheels can rotatably act towards one direction by using the wind force, and wind energy is maximally utilized.


As racial and cultural diversity increase in Canadian society, health care professionals face challenges in providing appropriate care for all clients. Gaps in health status information, and disproportionately low access to health care for racially visible minority groups, exemplify these challenges. Identifying and understanding the influence of culture on health and health seeking behavior can address some of the challenges in meaningful ways. This paper will discuss the findings of a study that examined Black women's childbirth experiences in one of the Atlantic provinces. The study was guided by the tenets of feminist Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology. Women's narratives can serve as a fundamental component of research knowledge for policy development. Data was collected mainly through in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions with Black women from Nova Scotia. Thematic analysis facilitated the categorization of key themes. Although five themes emerged from the data for this study, this paper focuses on one of these themes: lack of cultural competence and its implications for perinatal health care. In exploring Black women's perinatal health care experiences, this study has explicated some of the manifestations of insensitive and incompetent perinatal care services. Developing skills in cultural competence allows health care professionals to improve the quality of perinatal health care provided to clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. The paper proposes the use of cultural competence as a process that will enable health care provides to work effectively across cultures and ultimately, to address health disparities along racial and cultural lines.


From the Publisher:
Much has been written about the technical aspects of commerce in "Cyberspace." Almost nothing has been written about how to sell in Cyberspace. This book covers that gap. Even as the World Wide Web struggles to position itself among advertising/marketing media, many who believed "The medium is the message" are sustaining heavy losses. Why? This book explains why. Better yet: This book explains what to do about it, separating marketing from technical implementation. It also dismisses some of the artificial Internet folklore created by those who confuse enthusiasm and speculation with fact. Selling on the Net is a hard-boiled "how-to" marketing manual, loaded cover to cover with tips, facts, and rules for creating market-savvy sites.


In view of the complicated collecting problem in CAPP system, a CAPP system based on XML technology is presented in this paper. And a database which is similar to Native-XML Database is designed. The most information of the process card is stored with original XML codes, while some key information of it is abstracted before it is stored. This makes it easier to store data. By applying such database, the data can be queried quicker and more precise, which makes the automatic collecting in CAPP system possible.


Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to characterize the composition and distribution of forest vegetation within the Lishan National Nature Reserve (LNNR), Shanxi Province, China. The LNNR is located at E111o05'43"-111o56'29", N35o29'07"-35o23'10", and is part of the Zhongtiao mountain range. Forest vegetation was sampled from 58, 10 m×20 m plots along an elevation gradient from 1,400 to 2,100 m. Floristic and environmental data of different functional groups, such as trees, shrubs, saplings and herbs, were analyzed using CCA; and the changes of species richness, diversity and evenness of different functional groups were analyzed in relation to environmental variables. Overall, all the functional groups of forest vegetation showed a statistically significant correlation with elevation and soil Cu. Responses to other environmental gradients differed among the four groups of plants analyzed. Tree layer showed a correlation with soil P, shrubs and herbs showed a correlation with soil organic matter and N, while saplings showed a correlation with slope and aspect. Elevation was the most important variable in terms of variations in species diversity. Species richness, evenness, and diversity of different functional groups showed a similar responding model to changes in elevation, i.e. the maximum diversity occurring at intermediate elevations. Of the functional groups analyzed, trees were most important in maintaining species evenness within communities, while shrubs and herbs were significant in maintaining species richness within communities of the LNNR.


Considering that the strikes constituted important means of struggle for what workers considered as their rights, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the stoppages made by coachmen and carters in Rio de Janeiro, between 1870 and 1906. During this period, transport workers formed the category that made more strikes in the Brazil's capital, and its stoppages appear as important spheres to understand what rights were being required, and the ways used to achieve them.


The extraction of natural resources located beyond Earth to create products can be described as space resource utilization (SRU). SRU is under active investigation in both the public and private sectors. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are particularly promising early SRU targets due to their relative proximity and enrichments in two key resources: water and platinum group elements (PGEs). Water can be used to create rocket propellant, making it the only resource with significant demand given the current nascent state of the space market. Platinum group elements are valuable enough that their import to the Earth market is potentially economical, making them the other prospective resource in the current embryonic state of SRU. While it is possible to retrieve material from a NEA, doing so on an economical scale will require significant developments in areas such as autonomous robotics and propulsion technology. A parameterization accounting for asteroid size, resource concentration, and accessibility yields just seven and three potentially viable NEA targets in the known population for water and PGEs, respectively. A greater emphasis on spectral observation of asteroids is required to better inform target selection for early prospecting spacecraft. A further complication is the lack of a legal precedent for the sale of extraterrestrial resources. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits the appropriation of celestial bodies but makes no explicit reference to their resources while the U.S.A. and Luxembourg have passed legislation entitling their citizens to own and sell space resources. Whether these laws are a matter of clarification or contradiction is the matter of some debate.


An apparatus for removing a clog from a drain pipe, the apparatus having: (a) a container comprising a product chamber; (b) a pressurization assembly in fluid communication with the inlet; (c) a shaft coupled to the container, the shaft comprising a proximal end and a distal end; and (d) projections extending outwardly from the shaft. The product chamber is adapted to receive a drain cleaning composition and the product chamber has an inlet and an outlet. The pressurization sub-assembly has a canister of pressurized fluid and an adapter coupled to the container and including a socket defining a receptacle configured to receive at least a portion of the canister. The shaft has an exterior surface sized for insertion into the drain pipe. The shaft also has a channel that provides fluid communication between the proximal end and the distal end.


Given the difficulty of collecting biological samples from rare and elusive species, the collection and analysis of hair is a good alternative for the identification and differentiation of mammal species. Our study aimed to test the reliability of the morphological identification of guard hairs from cervids that inhabit Brazil. We collected guard hairs from five body regions (head, neck, side of the thorax, back, and buttocks) of one male and one female of eight Brazilian cervid species, and we analyzed hair cuticular and medullar patterns. We carried out qualitative and quantitative analyses on the morphology of the medullar (total thickness and thickness of the medulla) and cuticular patterns (area and perimeter of the scales) of the guard hairs. Based on the obtained data, we found no notable morphological differences in the cuticular and medullar patterns in the guard hairs. Furthermore, our quantitative analysis demonstrated that the guard hairs are not a useful material for differentiating the Brazilian deer species.


Developing countries constitute 70 percentof the world poplation but generate less than 11 percent od industrial production and have only 2,5 percent of the world's science and technology rescurces.
The gap between the developed and the developing countries in terms of sciencr and technology resourcesd is further widening. Developing countries are anxious to minimize their technological dependence on developer countries as they want to reduce the outflow of foreign exchange for the acquisition of technology. In this context, standards form one of the most valuable sources for acquisition of technology freely.


Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer an opportunity to delve into the mechanisms underlying development while also affording the potential to take advantage of a number of naturally occurring mutations that contribute to either disease susceptibility or resistance. Just as with any new field, several models of screening are being explored, and innovators are working on the most efficient methods to overcome the inherent limitations of primary cell screens using iPSCs. In the present review, we provide a background regarding why iPSCs represent a paradigm shift for central nervous system (CNS) disease modeling. We describe the efforts in the field to develop more biologically relevant CNS disease models, which should provide screening assays useful for the pharmaceutical industry. We also provide some examples of successful uses for iPSC‐based screens and suggest that additional development could revolutionize the field of drug discovery. The development and implementation of these advanced iPSC‐based screens will create a more efficient disease‐specific process underpinned by the biological mechanism in a patient‐ and disease‐specific manner rather than by trial‐and‐error. Moreover, with careful and strategic planning, shared resources can be developed that will enable exponential advances in the field. This will undoubtedly lead to more sensitive and accurate screens for early diagnosis and allow the identification of patient‐specific therapies, thus, paving the way to personalized medicine.


Objective To investigate the characteristics of endotoxin released from portal vein blood induced by different antibiotics under killing bacteria. Methods 62 Sprague-Daweley rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal group (NG,n=6), control group (CON,n=14), gentamycin group (GEN group, shock+ gentamycin,n=14),cyclopropane group (CYC group,shock+ cyclopropane, n=14) and rocephin group (ROC group, shock+ rocephin,n=14).All rats were injected with above-mentioned antibiotic at beginning and then an experimental rat model of hemorrhagic shock was set up. The blood samples from portal vein were taken at 3 h and 6 h after shock resuscitation for bacterial endotoxin assay.Results Compared with control group, the endotoxin levels were higher in GEN group and CYC group(P 0.01), but the endotoxin level in ROS group was lower than that of GEN group, CYC group (P 0.01 respectively) and CON group(P 0.05). Conclusion The different antibiotics may reduce different endotoxin liberating levels. It is important for decreasing the release of endotoxin to lay stress on the selection of antibiotics in severe disease.


Compact, light weight Hi-Vision recorders with low power consumption are very much desired. Our investigation of design concepts shows that a tape transport system with a small scanner, non-segmented format and high recording density would be suitable for reducing size, weight and power consumption.With respect to high recording density where a minimum recorded wavelength is less than 0.4, um, metal evaporated (ME) tapes with a high performance head have the potential to achieve such a short recorded wavelength. We have studied these tapes from the viewpoint of both magnetic recording characteristics and durability.Based on these studies, we have built an experimental Hi-Vision recorder. The diameter of the scanner in the transport system is 76 mm. This machine also has baseband bandwidth luminance of 20 MHz and baseband bandwidth chrominance of 7 MHz, a minimum recorded wavelength of 0.37 gm which is the shortest ever reported, and S/N luminance of 41 dB and S/N chrominance of 45 dB.


As technology continues to scale down, the number of transistors on a chip has increased rapidly and interconnect delay has become a dominant factor of system performance. Scalability and routability are two major concerns in floorplanning. In this paper, we present a multilevel floorplanner that addresses these important issues: congestion estimation, buffer planning and scalability. Experimental results show that this integrated multilevel approach, not only can handle large size problems, but can also improve the routability of the solution significantly by considering the interconnect issues.


This dissertation defends the explanatory value of unconscious mental states. Unconscious mental states are a subject's information-bearing states with certain properties. These states possess features that make them mental states but do not possess the properties that make them conscious mental states. The claim is that some human behaviors, driven by perceptual and cognitive mental states, are best explained by employing unconscious mental states of one kind or another. The general idea is that the explanatory value of unconscious mental states equals the number of a subject's behaviors valuably explained by their mental states minus the number of the subject's behaviors that are valuably explained by their conscious mental states. Support for the claim that some human behaviors are best explained by employing unconscious mental states comes in three forms. First, there is a coherent informationprocessing model for mental states. This model can account for certain of a subject's perceptually and cognitively driven behaviors, in part or whole, with unconscious mental states. Second, independent criteria regarding human subject's conscious mental states support explanations that use unconscious mental states. Finally, unconscious mental states are supported by the success of models that employ such states found in modern psychological and neurological explanations of some human behaviors. This dissertation will also support the idea that the set of unconscious mental states in human subjects are moderately unified, made of various kinds, and are numerous. Unconscious mental states in empirical psychology and neuroscience are often called a subject's "cognitive unconscious" (Kihlstrom 1987). The explanatory value of the "cognitive unconscious" has been recently attacked, for example by Searle (1990), as well as others. This dissertation defends the explanatory value of the cognitive unconscious against these attacks. This dissertation is dedicated to my unconscious; without its help I could not have read, much less written, this work CONTENTS CHAPTER General Introduction 1 1 The Cognitive Unconscious: A Brief Sketch 4 1.1 The Human Mind and the Information-Processing Framework 4 1.2 Brief Sketch of the Cognitive Unconscious 8 1.2.1 Intuitive Illustration of the Cognitive Unconscious 13 1.3 Further Clarifications 15 1.4 Summary and Overview 16 2 The Three-Tiered Information-Processing Model of the Human Mind 17 2.


Background: Fish oils enriched in omega-3 fatty acid possess anti-atherosclerotic properties; however, fish oils have diverse fatty acids, including long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids greater t...


Staphylococcosis in birds is everywhere and belongs to the number of ubiquitous bacterioses. The etiology and pathogenesis of this infectious disease are directly related to the immune status of susceptible individuals. In a practical aspect, the evaluation of the immune system is based on the characterization of immunocompetent organs. A special place in solving the problem of treatment of staphylococcal infection is the study of age-related morphology of immunocompetent organs. The article presents the data of histological studies of the thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius during critical periods of broiler chickens' cultivation when exposed to them with immunocorrection drugs of plant origin. Morphological changes in the immunocompetent organs when using the antibiotic florfenicol and the echinacea purpurea root against the background of the antigenic effect of the chickens Staphylococcus aureus on the body indicate the immunotropic effect of the antibiotics of the amphenicol group, as well as the immunomodulating properties of the drug based on echinacea purpurea.


This exploratory study aims to examine the moderating effect of novelty seeking and spontaneity on the relationship between asynchronous and synchronous personal electronic communication at work. Hierarchical moderated regression analyses were used to analyze a survey of 110 white-collar employees working in the midwestern region of the United States. Data analysis revealed the moderating effects of spontaneity and novelty seeking on the transition from personal asynchronous to synchronous communication, emphasizing the role of novelty seeking and spontaneity as the precursors to higher media synchronicity—a transition from conveyance to convergence processes as observed in various hedonic settings. Strategies for workplace communication management are discussed. DOI: 10.4018/ijicst.2012070102 20 International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies, 2(2), 19-32, July-December 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. the nature of work and non-work boundaries, contributing to the "spillover" effect that blends work-related activities with social and recreational needs (Rouibah, 2008). Given the relationship between technology and leisure activity (Bryce, 2001), it is not uncommon to find staggering evidence of workplace personal electronic communication. The 2004 Workplace E-Mail and IM Survey from the American Management Association (www.amanet.org) and the ePolicy Institute (www.epolicyinstitute.com) reveal that 86% of the respondents use workplace communications for personal activities1, while empirical finding suggests that 39% of the respondents use IM for personal reasons (Glass & Li, 2010). Unrestricted personal or informal communications, fueling unforeseeable risks, legal liabilities and loss of productivity, can subtly spread through various workplace communication media. To prevent employees from misusing the technology, perhaps a holistic approach is better suited to detect, deter and prevent future negative behaviors (Flynn, 2004). However, asserting stringent guidelines can be challenging and degrading to employee morale. E-mail, the de facto means of electronic communication, is now the workplace communication norm whether work or non-work related. Motivated to seek novel experience through interpersonal communication, employees can download and install IM client software on their office computers. Some companies have a dedicated IM/SMS or an office communication server that can be accessible via mobile devices from any geographical location—freeing employees from being stationed at any physical location. At the same time, connecting to the Internet through handheld devices can result in a spontaneous communication experience by providing an instant freedom of social interactions. The freedoms associated with personal electronic communication can benefit employees by reducing stress, relieving boredom, and clarifying task complexity and ambiguity. Research finds that personal electronic communication fosters work-life balance, but prolonged interactions also decrease employee productivity (Mahatanankoon, 2010). Personal electronic communication, an informal communication in the workplace that extends going beyond work-related responsibilities, can encourage employees seeking novel ways to invigorate their work life. Research indicates that when involving personal communication, a variety of motivational factors—attitude, social norms, relationship commitment and critical mass—collectively assert their influence on the behavior intention to use IM (Li, Chau & Van Slyke, 2010; Glass & Li, 2010). This suggests that the freedom of social interactions can extend to other less restricted office communication technologies. Any existing office communication technologies can satisfy employees' desired personal objectives. Employees also tend to strategically modify their uses for convenience and efficiency, changing from one type of communication medium to another, e.g., from e-mailing to text messaging or instant messaging. This ever shifting strategy of seeking to accommodate one's communication needs is related to the interchangeable processes of conveyance and convergence, according to media synchronicity theory (Dennis Fuller, & Valacich, 2008). In the conveyance process, communicating parties exchange significant cognitive processing and information; while in the convergence process, the communicating parties seek to reach a common understanding using sufficient shared information (Dennis et al., 2008). From the theoretical perspective of media synchronicity theory (MST), asynchronous e-mail is profoundly in the spectrum of the conveyance process—creating a shared understanding among communicating parties; on the other hand, synchronous SMS and IM are typically involved with the processes of convergence—seeking to reach a common agreeable goal, needing less elaboration. Using the understanding of the conveyance and convergence processes offered by MST (Dennis et al., 2008) as a basis, this exploratory study examines the personal electronic communica12 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the product's webpage: www.igi-global.com/article/moderating-effects-noveltyspontaneity-personal/75311?camid=4v1 This title is available in InfoSci-Journals, InfoSci-Journal Disciplines Communications and Social Science, InfoSciCommunications, Online Engagement, and Media eJournal Collection, InfoSci-Networking, Mobile Applications, and Web Technologies eJournal Collection, InfoSci-Journal Disciplines Computer Science, Security, and Information Technology, InfoSci-Journal Disciplines Engineering, Natural, and Physical Science. Recommend this product to your librarian: www.igi-global.com/e-resources/libraryrecommendation/?id=2


` What is the natural, usual, and normal duration of the life of man?'' [1]. When Florens asked this question in his 19th century book Human Longevity and the Amount of Life Upon the Globe, he was seeking an answer to an age-old question that has been the subject of inquiry and debate for thousands of years. Throughout history, the greatest thinkers of every era not only speculated about the duration of life [2,3], but many also devised what they believed were methods of modifying how long people are capable of living [4]. Questions of this sort are no longer esoteric, for how long we live as individuals and populations has important public policy implications. For example, the future solvency of age-entitlement programs (such as those involving retirement and health) is heavily dependent on how many people will live to retirement age and how long they will draw benefits from such programs. As such, forecasts of the duration of life have taken on new meaning in the public policy arena [5±8]. Although some researchers have used mathematical extrapolation models to forecast that human life expectancy at birth will rise steadily to 100 years by the year 2060 [9], others have suggested that such models, and the assumptions upon which they are based, are unrealistic because they completely ignore the underling biological forces that influence (and limit) the duration of life [10,11]. Furthermore, there is now strong theoretic and empiric evidence suggesting that the lifespans of individuals and the life expectancy of populations are fundamentally influenced and limited by biological forces that represent currently immutable genetic characteristics of the species [10]. In this review I will summarize these arguments briefly and suggest that in low mortality/high life expectancy populations, an effective biological barrier to further dramatic increases in human life expectancy is being approached.


Although the work of ombudsmen is the primary focus of this section, ombudsmen are but one component of a much wider network of institutions and mechanisms that are geared towards the provision of redress within the administrative sector. That network is complex. In addition to the ombudsmen, it includes the courts, tribunals, internal complaints mechanisms, independent adjudication, and arbitration and conciliation procedures. In many respects, this is a highly sophisticated system. However, a common complaint of academic commentators has been the lack of an overall vision and coherence within the administrative justice system as a whole. As a consequence, there are concerns that there are gaps in the system, that the service provided is not always adequate and that there are inefficiencies in delivery. A recent government White Paper has directly addressed this issue (Department for Constitutional Affairs, 2004). The White Paper started out as a response to the recent Leggatt Review of the tribunals system (Leggatt Report, 2001) but has succeeded in putting forward a more holistic approach to redress throughout the administrative sector than has previously been government practice. As a result of this work, it now looks likely that before the end of 2005 a new Bill will be introduced to revamp the tribunals system. The reach of this reform process promises to go further than the tribunals system alone, by increasing the use of alternative redress mechanisms (ADR). There may also be some long-term implications for the ombudsmen. This article will outline the key themes that come out of the White Paper. On the positive side, it now looks almost certain that the management of tribunals will be finally taken out of the hands of government departments and that a separate Tribunals Service will be established. However, the White Paper is not just a structural review of the tribunals system. It argues for much greater consideration to be given to ADR and charges the new Tribunals Service with responsibility for promoting more flexible resolution of citizen–government disputes. A key question which needs to be considered is whether these proposals will result in enhanced levels of satisfaction for the users of the tribunals system, or whether an underlying cost-cutting agenda will make it much harder for users to obtain full redress under the new system. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law Vol. 27, No. 2, June 2005, pp. 185–197


The invention provides the processing method and a kind of preparation method of over base sulfosalt detersive of a kind of sulfonate detergent percarbonic acid.The processing method of sulfonate detergent percarbonic acid of the invention, including:Continue to be passed through CO in the sulfonate detergent emulsifying material of percarbonic acid 2 , served as the CO being passed through in carbonation reaction 2 With the CO for continuing and being passed through 2 Intake sum be participate in carbonation reaction theoretical amount 140%~200% when, slagging-off, collection treatment after sulfonate detergent.The material waste liquid for emulsifying completely that the inventive method can be produced effectively due to percarbonic acid in process of production using over base sulfosalt detersive, and prepare qualified sulfonate with high base number product salt, the inventive method is simple and easy to apply, it is with low cost, can effectively reduce the three-waste pollution during Additive Production.


Biotransformation and bioactivation of aflatoxin play important roles in the activity of aflatoxin. These processes take place in liver cell. The soluble intracellular aflatoxin B1-binding protein (PAB1) was isolated using the affinity chromatography technique. For this, the AFB1 was immobilized on Br-CN activated nitrocellulose, and then incubated with duck and chicken liver crude extract containing the protein. The protein concentration in the duck liver was 0.4310 mg/ml and 0.3946 mg/ml in chicken liver. Two major protein bands (66 and 25 kDa) were expressed by the PAB1 isolated from liver of chicken while only one protein band (66 kDa) was observed in PAB1 isolated from liver of duck. The immunohistochemistry technique was used to explore the distribution of PAB1 in liver tissues. It was found that PAB1 could be detected in both duck and chicken liver preparations. The dissemination of PAB1 was wider in duck liver compared to chicken.


The First International Conference of Pure and Engineering Sciences (ICPES2020) The current volume contains 97 articles selected after rigorous peer review process. We are pleased to present this volume of the selected contributed articles, submitted and presented in the First International Conference of Pure and Engineering Sciences (ICPES2020) " organized by the Iraqi Academic Syndicate Holy Karbala Branch in cooperation with Imam Hussain Holy Shrine, and Nanotechnlogy and Catalysis Research Center (NANOCAT) Malaya University-Malaysia which held in Holy Karbala-IRAQ during 26-27 February 2020, https://sites.google.com/view/iraq-academic-syndicate-/home. The theme of the conference has been kept broad enough to include diverse areas of pure science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics) and Engineering Science and their interdisciplinary applications. Over hundred papers were selected for oral presentation in the conference after an initial review. Every submitted full length paper was sent for peer review to at least two potential reviewers in the related areas of expertise once it is passed by the program committee. Ninety-seven papers could have been finally selected on the recommendation of the peer review committees in the form of the present volume. We hope this volume of the proceedings from ICPES2020 will be a very useful contribution to the academicians, engineers, researches and scientists for enthusing new vistas of research and development in these emerging areas. The authors will be solely responsible regarding the authenticity and ethical issues related to their article contained in this volume. There were 10 invited talks delivered by the leading experts from Czech Republic, Malaysia, Lebanon, USA, Australia, etc. in the areas mentioned above besides the oral presentations in ten tracks. The fruitful discussions, exchanges and deliberations recorded among the delegates in every session of the conference marked the very success of the event. It is a great honour and opportunity for us to record our heartfelt deep appreciation to all the eminent guests including the keynote speakers, plenary speakers and other delegates who made their valuable contributions towards the success of the conference. We are very much grateful to the members of the steering and review committee for their continuous guidance and support leading to the selection of the oral presentation, contributed talks and the papers published in this volume. We would like to thank the Province of Holy Karbala for the partial funding of the conference. We also would like to thank Al-Zahrawi University College for providing the venue. We also record our sincere gratitude to the representatives of IOP for their collaboration and full cooperation.


: Over the last two decades, twenty-two states have moved away from traditional defined benefit (DB) pension systems and toward pension plan structures like the defined contribution (DC) plans now prevalent in the private sector. Others are considering such a reform as it is seen as a means of limiting future pension funding risk. It is important to understand the implications of such reforms for end-of-career exit patterns and workforce composition. Empirical evidence on the relationship between pension plan structure and retirement timing is currently limited, primarily because, most state pension reforms are so new that few employees enrolled in those alternative plans have reached retirement age. An exception, and the subject of our analysis, is the teacher retirement system in Washington State, which introduced a hybrid DB-DC plan in 1996 and allowed employees in its traditional DB plan to transfer into the new plan. Our analysis focuses on a years-of-service threshold, the crossing of which grants employees early retirement eligibility and, in many cases, a large upward shift in retirement wealth. The financial implications of crossing this threshold are far greater under the state's traditional DB plan than under the hybrid plan. We find that employees are responsive to crossing the years-of-service threshold, but we fail to find significant evidence that the propensity to exit the workforce varies according to plan enrollment. Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the National Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), which is funded by a consortium of foundations. For more information about CALDER funders, see www.caldercenter.org/about-calder. We thank the Washington State Department of Retirement Services for providing data necessary for pursing this work. All opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of our funders or the institutions to which the authors are affiliated.


The aim of the present study is to provide a reliable methodology relative to the use of MDA in the construction process of corporate failure prediction models. In the present study, a two-stage analysis is followed. In the first stage, we construct our sample for each sub-period: the pre-crisis period 2006-2008 and the crisis period 2009-2011. The distinction of the total sample in two groups (efficient, non-efficient) per sub-period is realised using DEA method. In the second stage, we develop the QDA and LDA in order to establish a reliable prediction model per sub-period. In more detail, we propose an output-oriented DEA model using six financial ratios from the fields of liquidity, activity and profitability. According to the efficiency score of DEA, we set two groups of firms for each sub-period. In the second stage emphasis is put on the assumptions of the model used. Firstly, we select financial ratios from the categories of capital structure, profitability and operating ratios. Secondly, the necessary normality tests and transformations are incorporated in the proposed methodology in order to apply the MDA.


INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a key competency for allied healthcare professionals, including biomedical engineering students. Yet, the adoption of EBM education in biomedical engineering course is largely unknown in Ethiopia. We surveyed students' current awareness, knowledge, and attitudes about EBM and their major barriers to practice EBM. METHODOLOGY: We collected data using a pretested self-administered survey. Data analysis included univariate and multivariate regression analyses. We expressed the strength of association using odds ratios (OR) with 95% with confidence interval (CI). RESULT: Of the 63 participants, 61.9% were males and 98.4% ≤30 years of age. While 33.3% have heard of Cochrane, none recognized Cochrane South Africa. Only 26.9% had awareness of EBM, 3.2% were exposed to EBM training, 90.5% had low EBM knowledge, 98.4% were keen to attend further EBM training course, 49.2% had positive attitude towards EBM, 47.6% valued EBM to their practices and only 9.5% approved EBM promotion by their higher institutions. Familiarity with the free Cochrane Library was 12.7% and nobody was a current user. Students adequate EBM knowledge was correlated with awareness about Cochrane [OR=22.00, 95% CI 3.78‒128.24, P=0.001]. Their positive attitude was si gnificantly associated with having EBM awareness [OR=37.56, 95% CI 2.68‒525.95, P=0.007] and reading English language with no difficulty [OR=4.74, 95% CI 1.03‒21.83, P=0.04]. CONCLUSIONS: Ethiopian biomedical students lacked EBM training but keen to learn and implement evidence in practice. Adding EBM in the core curriculum will develop their competencies and ease evidence-informed decisions making to deliver cost-effective and enhanced repairs of medical equipment in the national healthcare system.


Contents: V.M. Holland, Introduction: The Case for Intelligent CALL. Part I:Text-Based Language Tutors and Learning Environments. M.R. Sams, Advanced Technologies for Language Learning: The BRIDGE Project Within the ARI Language Tutor Program. A. Weinberg, J. Garman, J. Martin, P. Merlo, A Principle-Based Parser for Foreign Language Tutoring in German and Arabic. S. Kreyer, E. Criswell, Instructor as Author in an Adaptive, Multimedia, Foreign Language Tutor. M. Rypa, K. Feuerman, CALLE: An Exploratory Environment for Foreign Language Learning. L.S. Levin, D.A. Evans, ALICE-chan: A Case Study in ICALL Theory and Practice. C.H. Frederiksen, J. Donin, M. Decary, A Discourse Processing Approach to Computer-Assisted Language Learning. D. Loritz, GPARS: A Suite of Grammar Assessment Systems. Part II:Dialogue-Based Language Games. R.H. Sanders, A.F. Sanders, History of an AI Spy Game: Spion. W.H. DeSmedt, Herr Kommissar: An ICALL Conversation Simulator for Intermediate German. Part III:Graphics-Based Language Tutors and Learning Environments. H. Hamburger, Tutorial Tools for Language Learning by Two-Medium Dialog. S.A. Douglas, LingWorlds: An Intelligent Object-Oriented Environment for Second-Language Tutoring. R.S. Tomlin, Modeling Individual Tutorial Interactions: Theoretical and Empirical Bases of ICALL. J.H. Murray, Lessons Learned from the Athena Language Learning Project: Using Natural Language Processing, Graphics, Speech Processing, and Interactive Video for Communication-Based Language Learning. S. Felshin, The Athena Language Learning Project NLP System: A Multilingual System for Conversation-Based Language Learning. J.D. Kaplan, V.M. Holland, Application of Learning Principles to the Design of a Second Language Tutor. B. Dorr, J. Hendler, S. Blanksteen, B. Migdaloff, On Beyond Syntax: Use of Lexical Conceptual Structure for Intelligent Tutoring. Part IV:Theoretical Issues in Language Tutor Design and Assessment. B. MacWhinney, Evaluating Foreign Language Tutoring Systems. A. Bailin, AI and Language Learning: Theory and Evaluations. N. Garrett, ICALL and Second Language Acquisition. R.L. Oxford, Linking Theories of Learning with Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL).


Composition of energy metabolism was determined in children receiving chronic valproate treatment with indirect calorimetry. In eight of ten randomly selected subjects the resting respiratory quotient (RQ) increased as compared with age and sex matched controls (0.91±0.01 vs 0.87±0.01). A shift was observed in the metabolic fuel consumption, decrease was found in fats oxidised (0.68±0.23 vs 1.18±0.18 g/kg/day) and the utilisation of carbohydrates increased (5.31±0.79 vs 3.81±0.39 g/kg/day), with no significant change of the urinary output of nitrogen compounds. The resting total energy expenditure was not affected by the treatment. The children showing altered energy consumption pattern received carnitine supplementation for a month. After the carnitine administration the RQ value decreased (0.87±0.02) and an increase was in the oxidation of fats (1.42±0.25), the consumption of carbohydrates decreased (3.87±0.79). The resting energy consumption was not affected by the treatment. The results show, that carnitine depletion, which is a known adverse effect of valproic acid administration, may result in inhibited fatty acid oxidation leading to a shift from fats to carbohydrates in composition of substrates utilised.


AI is rapidly becoming enmeshed in our professional and private lives. The ubiquity of such technologies raises a host of ethical questions, value clashes, and unforeseen consequences that must be confronted. Developments such as Ai-Da and DALL-E 2 are exciting in that they present robust new capabilities in AI and creativity. However, the futures such technologies unlock are also unpredictable. Given the speed with which such technologies are emerging and becoming adopted, the need to engage target audiences to weigh in on possible AI futures is critical. Our pilot project, Artistic Process Futures and AI, seeks to explore the role and potential implications of AI technologies with artists. In this paper, we show how participatory speculative design processes might be channeled into a public statement, or manifesto, regarding possible and preferable AI futures for supporting the artistic process, and how our workshop exposed uncertainty at the core of such deliberation.


The paper reports the results of investigations on technological support of reliability indices for as-sembly units taking into account changes of contacting functional dimensions of single machine parts at the operation stage. At the heart of the work there is an analysis of dimension ties of an assembly unit ensuring a correlation between some basic stages of a product life cycle at which product quality is formed: designing with the quality parameter standardization of a surface and functional dimension accuracy, manufacturing with the definition of technological parameters and confirmation of accuracy achieved at separated operations and an operation at which changes of quality and accuracy parameters takes place.


Some of you may remember an Emmy-winning TV series from the 1950's, called "This is Your Life" [1]. Hosted by its creator, Ralph Edwards, the show's idea was to to surprise a guest while on the air and profile his or her life. Significant people from the guest's life would tell stories from their shared past, and tearful reunions would generally result. The guest of honor was usually a celebrity, but sometimes, he or she was just an ordinary person.


Satellite image positioning and registration is a key technology for geostationary Earth observation satellites. Our work can provide powerful prior information for the positioning and registration of Earth observation images. We simulate the process of geostationary orbit satellites observing the space region with discrete detector array, generate star observation sequence images considering various situation, and study the high precision subpixel star centroid extraction algorithm. Under the condition that the star trajectory passes through the pixel, the proposed algorithm achieves the extraction error of less than 0.5 pixels.


A silicon photodetector is presented with increased sensitivity using a focused grating coupler to efficiently redirect the incident light. At 35 Gb/s, the BER is 10–12, making it the fastest of its type.


Hypothesis / aims of study Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is an intractable disease affecting QOL, and its pathophysiology remains to be clarified. IC/PBS is divided into two types by cystoscopic findings, ulcerative and non-ulcerative interstitial cystitis. In the present study we investigated the genes responsible for ulcerative interstitial cystitis(IC), which could be the clue to the etiology of IC/PBS or potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of IC/PBS.


The potential for solar energy in indonesia which is a tropical country is very large with an insolation of around 4.5 Kwh/m2/day. Solar energy in the form of radiation waves will affect the power generated by solar panels and the efficiency of solar panels in generating power. This study was conducted at PV plant pamulang university which has a total of 108 panels with 6 strings and 18 panels in each string. The data in this study were taken per string to see the difference of efficiency in each string. The main problem of this study is to find out how much power and efficiency generated by PV plant against solar radiation. The purpose of this study is to understand and analyze the effect of solar radiation on power and efficiency. The method used is a quantitative descriptive method using a seaward irradiance meter to measure the average daily radiation per string and isolarcloud software to retrieve data from the voltage and current per string. The data taken is then calculated using a formula and then described using tables. Study shows that heat from the weather will result in decreased efficiency and the results of the analysis for a day the average value of radiation is 544.19 w/m2, the average power is 4227.79 watt and the resulting average efficiency is 18.57%.


Difference of prepreg technique and the tail rotor rigidity were the key resulting in product life decline.Through adjusting prepreg technique parameter and changing the design of spread structure according to the property of materials,the rigidity of tail rotor was improved.The fatigue property of materials was increased and the product life was agree with the demand of design.


Cholera![Figure][1]

The spread of cholera is consistent with person-to-person transmission rather than environmental contamination.

CREDIT: STEVE RAYMER/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

The cholera pathogen, Vibrio cholerae , is considered to be ubiquitous in water systems, making the design of


The Geniculisynnema strain L342 was isolated from the nest of Odontotermes formosanus in Sichuan Province, P. R. China, and sequence analysis of rDNA revealed strain L342 is G. termiticola. Ethyl acetate extract of G. termiticola in patato/dextrose broth(PDB) culture showed strong reducing ability and moderate 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐ picrylhydrazuyl(DPPH) scavenging ability in antioxidant bioassay. Six secondary metabolites were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of G. termiticola, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of HR‐ESI‐MS and NMR spectroscopic data as 3,4‐dihydro‐6,8‐dihydroxy‐3‐methylisocoumarin(1), regiolone(2),(3S, 4S)‐3,4,6,8‐tetradydroxy‐3,4‐dihydronaphthalen‐ 1(2H)‐one(3), ergosta‐4,6,8(14),22‐tetraen‐3‐one(4), cerebroside A(5), and cerebroside C(6). Their antioxidant effect and cytotoxic activity of 6 compounds isolated were assayed, and compounds 4, 5 and 6 showed moderate reducing ability, compound 4 showed weak cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells with IC50 value of 98.3μmol/L. It could be concluded that the fermentative products of G. termiticola greatly possess their potential of producing bioactive secondary metabolites, and might be hopeful of developing a new functional food.


The mixed alkali effect is one of the classic 'anomolies' of glass science. The mixed alkali borate xNa2O-(30-x)K2O-70B2O3 (5 ( x ( 25) glasses, doped with transition metal (Cu2+ and Mn2+) and rare-earth (Gd3+) ions have been investigated, using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and optical absorption techniques as a function of mixed alkali content to look for the 'mixed alkali effect' (MAE ) on the spectral properties of the glasses. We observed for the first time, several spectroscopic parameters revealing MAE and the change in the properties we investigated can be linked to the structural modifications of the network resu lting from the MAE. The results obtained from these (EPR and optical) studies will be discussed in detail.


Lauri Malksoo's monograph is aptly titled. He does not attempt an overview, much less an encyclopaedia of the history of international law in Russia. All the same, for any reader with the slightest interest in the role the Russian Federation plays in the contemporary development of international lawyer, this book is a treasure house of engaged argumentation and extraordinary erudition. Malksoo has an unrivalled knowledge of the Russian language scholarly literature, much of which is unknown outside the Russian-speaking world.


Said to be the first charge-transferdevice (CTD) filter family, this series of transversal filters includes two low-pass and two bandpass filters, each in a narrow- and a broad-band version.


Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) is produced by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. SEB is the most common cause of food poisoning often accompanied with nausea, diarrhea, and intestinal cramping. The purpose of this study is to use human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in order to better understand the apoptosis related events induced by SEB. This study is focused on inhibiting signaling pathways with the use of the inhibitor 4‐[5‐(4‐Fluorophenyl)‐2‐[4‐(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]‐1‐H‐imidazol‐4‐yl]pyridine (SB203580), followed by analyzing alterations to known expression patterns of genes associated with apoptosis. Here we attempt to better understand the type of pathway utilized by SEB by evaluating gene expression patterns using RT‐PCR. We will also investigate the Protein expression patterns of some genes through ELISA. We believe that our work will allow us to better understand the complex interactions of multiple signal transduction pathways as well as see the effects of inhibiting pathway interconnectors when induced by SEB.


With 18 published books and more than 1.2 million copies sold, Paula Pimenta is a sales phenomenon of the national publishing market. In view of her expressiveness as a celebrity to youth audience, this paper is based on a case study about the writer's relationship with her fans, which extrapolates the media environment and interaction through social networks. This has created a close and personal relationship where the affection and states of subjectivity are experienced on the tenuous border between fiction and reality. This study aims to investigate aspects of "consumption of experience" identified in this relationship, as well as to understand the impact of these social relations on the constitution of contemporary juvenile identities. Articles published in the media about the author and her books are analyzed, as well as the interaction between Paula Pimenta and her fans in online social networks.


Elections are the defining institution of democracy, in the sense of directly linking popular preferences to public policy. Which programme gets chosen depends on the outcome of the election. However, voters' choices are very much constrained by the policy packages parties put forward in the first place. In most representative elections, no alternatives can be voted on apart from those advocated by established parties, who thus play a role almost equal to electors in defining the election outcome. This article examines the policy choices offered by parties in their published programmes over 17 post-war democracies – uncovering a wide variety of patterns with only limited links to type of election system or number of parties. Voters always have a choice, though in some countries it is more limited and less nuanced than in others.


Analyzing the limitations which exist in content-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems on optimization model, generalization design and retrieval efficiency, a combinative model based on image features correlation retrieval is designed, using some proper algorithms of image retrieval, relevance feedback principle and the advantage of DSP chip in image signal processing. The work mode is useful for retrieving the specific images in large image database (e.g. remote sensing images in GIs) or general images in Internet. The rationality of the new scheme is validated by experimental results.


Abstract: The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is the keystone of galaxy evolution. The CGM mediates (1) the accretion of pristine intergalactic gas on the one hand, and (2) the AGNand star formation-driven multiphase outflows of metal-enriched material on the other. These flows, and the physics of the baryons cycling in and out of galaxies, have a profound impact on the formation of stars, black hole interactions with host galaxies, and the physical conditions of the IGM in the vicinity of galaxies. They may play an important role in the transformation of galaxies. As such, the CGM was recognized by the Astro2010 science committees as a key topic of galaxy evolution. Significant observational and theoretical strides were made in CGM studies in the 2010–2020 period, but the topic is now growing explosively, and this will remain a central theme of galaxy evolution during the upcoming decade. This white paper focuses on a largely unexplored discovery space for CGM studies: the rich diagnostic information provided by absorption lines in the "deep" ultraviolet at rest wavelengths < 912 Å. Quantum physics places most of the resonance lines of a wide array of ions in this region, and these lines can be accessed by studying QSO absorption systems with sufficient redshift to bring these unique lines into the observable UV band. Unfortunately, this information cannot be exploited with ground-based telescopes because when the redshift is sufficient to redshift these lines into the optical, the Lyα forest causes blending that precludes detection and analysis of the lines. However, in the UV, lower redshift systems can be studied where the forest is thin enough to allow robust measurements. This paper shows some examples of UV observations of the deep UV and argues that it is important to begin developing a new space-based observatory with high-resolution spectroscopic capability.


Chitinase 1 (CHIT1) plays a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis by modulating canonical and noncanonical TGF-β signaling via interaction with TGFBRAP1 and FOXO3. These findings highlight the CHIT1/SMAD7 axis as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target of pulmonary fibrosis.


It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the ACM SIGCOMM Workshop on Distributed Cloud Computing (DCC 2014)!

This interdisciplinary workshop is an opportunity for academic and industrial scientists working in the different fields of networking, cloud computing, and distributed systems, to meet and exchange their vision and expertise on how to plan and manage future research on distributed cloud. Indeed, after a very successful DCC 2013 workshop, co-located with IEEE/ACM Utility and Cloud Computing (UCC) in Dresden, Germany, we are happy to hold this workshop this year together with the premier networking conference SIGCOMM.

The great interest in distributed cloud computing is also reflected in the number of submissions we have received. This year, the program committee accepted 10 out of 36 papers (acceptance ratio 27%), which cover a variety of topics related to the distributed cloud. In addition, the program committee accepted 5 papers for the poster session as well as a short pitch.

The program is complemented with a keynote by Randall Sobie as well as an invited paper by Jacobus Van der Merwe. Moreover, we would like to encourage the workshop attendees to actively participate in the panel session which will take place at the end of the workshop.


The literature suggests, but provides no empirical evidence, that high trust levels within organizations may aid human resource management reform efforts. This article seeks to fill this empirical gap by assessing the effect of organizational trust across a variety of attitudinal variables. The analysis indicates that increased levels of organizational trust strengthen the pay-for-performance link; appraisal, and the supervisory role in that process; and positively influence organization-specific attitudes toward merit pay. As such, the findings suggest that a supportive and trusting organizational climate may be a necessary precursor to "successful" reform of human resource management systems.


Abstract : This technical note is a user's guide for Cascade Version 1, distributed in the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS). The SMS is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for generating, controlling, executing, and analyzing Cascade model simulations. Cascade and the Cascade interface are being developed under the System-Wide Water Resources Program (SWWKP). The interface, control options, data import and export features, and data analysis are described herein.


Objective To evaluate the significance of percutaneous transhepatic cholecystoscopy ( PTCCS) in managing cholecystolitheasis. Methods From September 1999 to November 2001, eighty - six patients with symptomatic gallstones were allocated into this study. At first percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage ( PTGBD) was carried out, one week later the formed fistula was dilated by bouginage to 16-22Fr in diameter, thereafter cholecystoscope was inserted into gallbladder through the dilated fistula to extract the stones using basket or electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL). Results PTGBD was attempted successfully in 82 out of 86 cases, PTCCS was performed in 80 of them. The amount of stones ranged from 1 to 76, single stone in 28 patients, stones more than two in 52 , with stone size ranged from 5 to 32 mm, and stones greater than 15mm in 45 cases. The stones were removed only using basket in 28, and by EHL in 54 cases due to their large size. The overall stone removal rate was 97. 5 % (78/80) . Complication of peritonitis appeared in 4 cases (4. 7% ) requiring emergent surgical intervention. The follow - up period with an average of 16. 4 months, gallstones recurred in 2 cases (2.5%). Stones were assayed by intra - red spectrom-etry in 30 of 54 patients with EHL, cholesterol stone existed in 24 of them. Conclusion PTCCS is relatively a safe and effective procedure for those patients with high risk on surgical cholecystectomy, or unsuitable to receive laparoscopic cholecystectomy. If the patients were selected strictly along the rules of indication, the complication and stone recurrence can be avoided.


The geometric properties are quantified for concentration iso-surfaces of a high-Schmidt-number passive scalar field produced by an iso-kinetic source with an initial finite characteristic length scale released into the inertial layer of fully developed open-channel-flow turbulent boundary layers. The coverage dimension and other measures of two-dimensional transects of the passive scalar iso-surfaces are found to be scale dependent. The coverage dimension is around 1.0 at the order of the Batchelor length scale and based on our data increases in a universal manner to reach a local maximum at a length scale around the Kolmogorov scale. We introduce a new parameter called the coverage length underestimate, which demonstrates universal behaviour in the viscous–convective regime for these data and hence is a potentially useful practical tool for many mixing applications. At larger scales (in the inertial–convective regime), the fractal geometry measures are dependent on the Reynolds number, injection length scale, and concentration threshold of the iso-surfaces. Finally, the lacunarity of the iso-surface structure shows that the instantaneous scalar field is most inhomogenous around the length scale corresponding to the Kolmogorov scale.


I have experimented with a SiGe heterojunction transistor at 4.2 K acting as a readout amplifier for dc SQUIDs. Flux noise level of 0.35 μΦ0 /√Hz was reached with one SQUID type. Slew rate exceeding 5×10 Φ0/s was observed with another SQUID type in a flux feedback arrangement. The SiGe transistor dissipated 9 mW at 4.2 K, but dissipation levels in the 0.1 mW range appear feasible. INTRODUCTION Multiplexed arrays of transition-edge sensors (TESes), such as the EURECA X-ray calorimeter array [1, 2], require readout amplifiers functioning in the close proximity to the sensors and subsequently at sub-kelvin temperatures. The readout amplifiers should have a large linear dynamic range, low power dissipation, low noise temperature and high bandwidth. Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) have the required properties, except for the linearity. The SQUID response can be linearized and the dynamic range extended by negative feedback over an additional post-SQUID amplifier stage. An additional stage is necessary because the signal at the output of a SQUID has typically challenging low level, and negative feedback over the SQUID alone would further reduce the signal level. So far room-temperature semiconductor amplifiers have been attempted as the post-SQUID amplifiers (Fig. 1a), but the delay in the cable between cryogenic and room-temperature stages limit the achievable bandwidth and loop gain. A cryogenic post-SQUID amplifier (Fig. 1b) would allow a short feedback path which makes large loop gains at high frequencies achievable. A suitable cryogenic amplifier should have a reasonably low power dissipation, sufficient dynamic range, and a sufficient noise match to the SQUID. In principle, a GaAs MESFET or HEMT could act as such an amplifier [e.g. 3], but to my knowledge has so far only been applied either at microwave frequencies or in conjunction with rf SQUIDs [e.g. 4]. We have proposed a direct unmodulated readout of dc SQUIDs by using a silicongermanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor [5, 6]. This paper reports our first quick experiment of the concept. Dissipation, dynamic range and inductance screening So far our approach [9, 10] has been an attempt to increase the natural non-fedback dynamic range of the SQUID by simultaneously reducing the flux noise and reducing the input sensitivity (the input coil mutual inductance) of the SQUID. The input-referred current noise is thus kept at a constant level approximately equal to the TES noise. This approach is based on the assumption that it is difficult to obtain large loop gains for negative feedback at high frequencies which are necessary in the frequency-domain multiplexing (FDM) approach [2, 8]. Such an approach, however, unavoidably increases the power dissipation of the SQUID located at the sub-kelvin stage where cooling power is at premium. The emergence of novel linearization schemes (Figs. 1 b-d) makes larger loop gains / linearization factors possible, so that it becomes attractive to trade the power dissipation at the sub-kelvin stage (due to the SQUID) against some more dissipation at the 4.2K (due to the SiGe amplifier) or at a higher temperature (more complicated electronics at the 300K compartment of the satellite). Note that when comparing power dissipation levels at different temperatures, one should scale them by the refrigerator efficiency which is often significantly less than the theoretical limit of the Carnot efficiency. * Presented in the 7 International Workshop on Low Temperature Electronics (WOLTE-7), 21-23 June 2006, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Preprint downloadable at http://www.iki.fi/msk/xeus/ . 1 The same limit applies both to single SQUIDs and SQUID arrays.


In China, under the heading of "private-for-public" banking, hybrid UCB banking has been politically supported by the government and is based on regulation developed since the 1990s. Although hybrid UCB banking was regarded as an "ethical" alternative to private UCB banking due to its accessibility to "the people", this study, based on archival research and interviews with bankers, medical professionals, scientists and pregnant women contends that the practice of this ideal needs to be closely scrutinized. Analysing UCB bank networks in China in terms of "public biovalue" and "ethical biocapital", we illustrate, first, how the synergy of public and private storage of UCB in hybrid models benefit private storage, and how transparency and oversight may increase donation and the uptake of UCB. Second, we describe the problems associated with this hybrid model. Finally, we show how the biovalue of public storage is used as ethical biocapital to buttress UCB networks.


The paper by Matthews et al. published in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal 66 (5), pages 261–66, 2018, entitled, "Effect of a one-off sporidesmin challenge on the milk production of dairy cows", was published with errors in the caption for Figure 2 on page 264. The caption incorrectly states the colours in the figure representing the three groups of cows. The correct wording should be: Figure 2. Milk yield (L), measured at the morning milking, of individual dairy cows that were untreated (blue lines) or received a single dose (0.24 mg/kg) of sporidesmin on Day 0 and were then categorised as non-clinical (red lines) or clinical (green lines), based on clinical signs of photosensitivity measured 0–42 days following dosing. Within-group averages are shown as sold lines, with 95% CI as shaded areas, calculated using a generalised additive mixed model.


The calculation algorithms and computer programs for brightness effective temperatures of "underlying surface - atmosphere" system simulation are proposed in the millimeter wavelength range. The open grounds and disturbed sea surface are considered to be the underlying surfaces.


Purpose: The megacolon after repairing an anorectal malformation is not a rare complication, and there is much controversiy on the causes, the treatment of choice and the results after a longterm follow-up. We present 5 cases of a megacolon after the repair of an anorectal malformation, which were controlled with either a surgical resection or conservative treatment. Methods: Five patients with a megacolon after the repair of an anorectal malformation were studied. A retrospective chart review was done and fecal continence was evaluated with an individual interview. Results: All five patients initially underwent conservative treatment with laxatives and/or enemas. One Patient responded well to conservative treatment and the diameter of the bowel reduced to normal size. Another patient responded to conservative treatment after correcting the location of the anus. Three patients needed a surgical resection and one of those needed a further procedure to correct the anal location. After the surgical resection of the megacolon and/or correction of the anus (one out of the three patients), they soon reported an almost normal bowel habit. Coneclusion: The first step in treating a megacolon after repairing an anorectal malformation was conservative treatment. However patients without an adequate response to conservative treatment are best managed with a surgical resection. The cause of the megacolon is now under investigation and the lack of adequate management after repair is one of the subjects.


A 2-year-old, totally anunic child was hemodialyzed for 3 months with a SCIRT pump and coil kidney utilizing a low flow system. No complications occurred. All clinical and chemical monitoring remained within satisfactory limits. Edema was controlled with two penitoneal dialyses during this time period. It is believed that this represents the longest reported hemodialysis, utilizing a Scribner shunt, in a child of this age.


This Thesis analyses the application of data-mining techniques on fuzzy data in an AAL context. The goal was to research decision making and recommender systems as part of the Reasoning subsystem of an AAL service. It tries to relate information and deduce valid behavioural patterns. The first part of the thesis explores fuzzy clustering and fuzzy control as a mean to describe human behaviour. After a theoretical introduction to clustering and fuzzy control, the Adaptive Online Fuzzy Inference System (AOFIS) is presented and analysed. AOFIS tries to learn from human behaviour and imitate it after a certain learning period. It is based on a doubleclustering technique, which extracts interpretable fuzzy granules. This granules are used to build an if-then-Rulebase as part of an inference system as described in the fuzzy control chapter. The second part of the thesis presents theoretical foundations of recommender systems and several popular techniques to process large amounts of data. It is a necessity to reduce the runtime of such a system and thus improve the performance. Furthermore a fuzzy recommender system was implemented for use as a module in the YouDo it! we help platform as a way to present the user similar videos and topics to the already watched or rated content. This recommender system is a hybrid system and makes use of fuzzy clustering methods to combine the advantages of content-based and collaborative filtering approaches. INHALTSVERZEICHNIS IX


Reviews on the internet can be an important part of a business and can influence owners or consumers for their decision making. Easy access to information in the form of opinions, experiences, and feedback from others can be used as a reference for taking an action. For businesses in the food and beverage sector, consumers usually provide reviews with negative or positive sentiments based on several aspects of the related business. The taste of the food, atmosphere, price, service are examples of aspects that are commonly written in a review. In this work, aspect extraction on consumer reviews of restaurants in Indonesia is going to carried out. Reviews on the internet usually contains words that are informal and very domain specific. This is where Domain Specific Word embedding can be used to reduce the amount of out-of-vocabulary word (OOV) and give the model more context of the review text given. The model used is Deep Learning with Recurrent Neural Network architecture, using Domain Specific Embedding as Word Embedding, and several attempts to reduce out of vocabulary in the model. The model used is able to reduce OOV from 17.16% (based on previous research) to 3.62%, with an evaluation of the F1-Score model of 79.54% using the Bi-LSTM model.


Glacial water is pristine; it has been held in a frozen reservoir for thousands of years, protected from modern day pollution. Across the U.S. and overseas, it is sold and served as a unique product. In Alaska, glacial water is available to many residents simply by turning on the faucet. The Eklutna Water Project delivers water from an alpine glacial lake to people in the Municipality of Anchorage. It is the largest water supply project in Alaska and one of the largest projects of any type in the history of Anchorage. The Eklutna Water Project is a source of pride for Anchorage. It can efficiently and economically treat enough glacial water to meet the needs of the Municipality well into the 21st century. It stands as a prototype for other large scale glacial water treatment projects in cold regions around the world. It also left a legacy of new design standards and construction methods that can be applied across a broad range of civil and structural engineering projects.


An attempt is made to formulate general regularities of changes in the amount and composition of Mn‐Fe conoretions in soils of humid landscapes, confined to various soil‐forming rocks within the Russian platform. It is concluded, that the intensive formation of concretions is highly conditioned by waterlogging degree of soils and their hydrological regime. The content of concretions is always maximum in gley‐like soils (seldom in gley ones), independing on genesis of parent rocks; the fraction distribution of Mn‐Fe concretions proves to be stable in time; Mn amount is declined with increasing the waterloggiing degree of soils, while the content of Fe becomes increased; the highest accumulation of such microelements as Co, Pb, Cd is observed in concretions, which are rich in Mn. The concretions are characterized by a high amount of X‐ray‐amorphous Fe as well as by a low magnetic susceptibility. The chemical composition of concretions is shown to be preferable for quantitative diagnosis of the water‐logging...


scientific spirit is the discipline of democracy, the escape from drift, the outlook of a free man."' So concludes Walter Lippmann's peroration on "Mastery" in his 1914 classic Drift and Mastery. The application of scientific method to all aspects of life, Lippmann deduced, necessarily would lead to man's mastery of his physical and social environment and of those internal and external states that conditioned his


Gaming is an important problem when firms use a nonlinear incentive contract. Previous empirical researches show that gaming reduces firm's profit. This paper derives the cost of gaming in a dynamic moral hazard model and show that this cost is higher when the employee is more productive. Moreover, we compare a liner contract and a quota-based contract and show that even when an employee can game the incentive system,a quota-based contract is more profitable than a linear contract.


The Cover Feature illustrates the microscopic interactions between oxygen and defective ZnO nanoparticles, including surface adsorption and bulk diffusion. The apparent activation energies are estimated to be 0.093 and 0.67 eV, respectively, which explain the extreme sensitivity and the varied electrical response of defective ZnO to environmental oxygen at different temperatures. It also suggests that attention should be paid to the environment when handling defective oxides. More information can be found in the Communication by H. Qiu and co‐workers on page 491 in Issue 7, 2018 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/open.201800044).


The non-local means (NLM) algorithm computes the pixel similarity using a globally-fixed average patch and research window. Few studies have attempted to find a method of adaptively choosing a patch shape and research window size based on local characteristics. To exploit the local characteristics effectively, we propose an adaptive directional non-local means algorithm with size-adaptive search window (ADNLM-AW). The proposed algorithm first computes the direction of each pixel and partitions the entire image region into three classes. Subsequently, the directional rectangular patches are rotated to coincide with the direction of the texture and the search windows are adaptively adjusted to match the local characteristics of the regions. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other current NLM algorithms in terms of visual quality and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR).


Parkinson's Disease (PD) is effecting 7-10 million people of worldwide as the report of WHO 2014. It has proved to be 2 nd most a neuro-degenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). It occurs due to the death of dopamine-generating cells in the substantia-nigra, a region of the midbrain. It is characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, dementia, depression and falls or emerges with the progression of the disease. Ropinirole HCl is a low molecular weight, highly water soluble drug. It is rapidly absorbed from the G.I.T and mean peak plasma concentrations have been achieved within 1.5 h after oral doses. The oral bioavailability of Ropinirole HCl is 50% due to extensive first pass metabolism by the liver. Its mean plasma half-life is 5–6 h. The present study tries to enlighten the prior art related to Parkinson's treatment and to prepare Ropinirole HCl loaded Nano-structured lipid carriers (NLC) that may overcome the problem of bioavailability and bypass the blood brain barrier by preparing the intra-nasal drug delivery targeted to the brain thereby decreasing the dosing frequency and increasing patient compliance. Keywords: Parkinson's Disease, Bioavailability, NLC, Nano-technology.


Report describes experimental study of effectiveness of seven oils with various additives and viscosities in prolonging surface-fatigue lives of spur gears. Experiments conducted on pairs of meshing spur gears of 3.5-in. (8.89-cm) pitch diameter, all fabricated to same specifications from same lot of steel.


Provided are: a polyamide resin which has low degree of yellowing and high transparency; a molded article; and a method for producing a polyamide resin. A polyamide resin according to the present invention is configured from a constituent unit derived from a diamine and a constituent unit derived from a dicarboxylic acid; 70% by mole or more of the constituent unit derived from a diamine is derived from meta-xylylenediamine; 30-60% by mole of the constituent unit derived from a dicarboxylic acid is derived from an α, ω-linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acid having 4-20 carbon atoms and 70-40% by mole of the constituent unit derived from a dicarboxylic acid is derived from an isophthalic acid; and this polyamide resin contains phosphorus atoms at a ratio of 20-200 ppm by mass, while containing calcium atoms at a (phosphorus atom):(calcium atom) molar ratio of 1:0.3-0.7.


Cu-Ni-Fe-based laser welding general saw blades of Φ180、Φ230、Φ350mm in diameter and Cu-based hot pressing ceramic blades of Φ180、Φ250、Φ350mm in diameter were made.The effects of diamond concentration on sharpness and durability of diamond saw blades were studied by cutting granite,cement and ceramic tiles.The results indicate that the higher the concentration of diamond,the longer life of saw blade under normal circumstances.The maximum cutting speed of saw blade varies with the concentration of diamond in parabola rule,increasing at first and then decreasing,with a peak value which corresponds to the concentration of diamond varying with different diameters of saw blade and processed materials.The conclusion provides a reference to composition design of the saw blade.


The present invention discloses a password-based authentication protocol wherein an authentication key is generated with an individual private key of the key servers and a public key of the group of the key servers, which do not store the user's password, and thereby it is possible to protect against a camouflaging server's dictionary attack for accessing the user's password.


A portable intelligent diagnosis system for rolling element bearing fault has been designed.Describes in detail the basic principle,hardware and software techniques of the system.The system is small in size,light in weight,with intelligent diagnosis and analysis functions,and easy to operate.The system is suitable to diagnose the rolling element bearing fault in the spot quickly and automatically.


It's should accommodate economic interests of the patterns of diversified development that strengthening and innovating social management in social transition.We should balance the relations among different interests from aspect such as expression and cooperative benefit and conflict resolution etc.Strengthen and innovate social management to accommodate the new patterns of interests,give full play to the functions of the social management,promote the economic development with society coordinately,affects the harmony and steadiness of our society.


The 450 m deep Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (Äspö HRL) provides a unique opportunity to access different aquifer systems within the Precambrian granodioritic basement of the Baltic Shield. In this study, emphasis will be placed on systematic variations of the isotopic and chemical composition including fractionation patterns of rare earth elements (REE) of three different aquifers. The aim is to identify end-member groundwater compositions and increase the knowledge and understanding of the groundwater evolution, and water rock interaction, parameters which are important for the subsurface microbial activity in the Äspö HRL. Groundwaters at the shallow and intermediate aquifers were influenced most from Baltic Sea water and meteoric water. The analyses of Sr-data and REE show especially long-term groundwater-rock interaction and δ18O values indicate the presence of glacial meltwater in the deep aquifer. During the 5 years of investigation, significant chemical changes caused by internal mixing processes or present microbial activity were not observed.


Transformers are vital component in power system for transfer of electricity in power system. Because of that reason protection of transformer is very much important; reliability of power system depends on transformer. Also due to high cost of the transformer and dependency of the power system on transformer, an efficient protection system has to be build which can protect transformer for any undesired condition. An ANN subroutine can build and to be used to discriminate internal fault current and magnetizing current, which can replace the traditional Fourier method and second harmonic restraining method, which are time consuming and less reliable. From study we found that now days there are certain faults, which contains second harmonic content so discrimination using second harmonic can pose a problem. This paper intends to present the advantages of ANN on other methods for discrimination between the inrush and fault condition in the transformers.


This paper investigated the English academic requirements of Moroccan computer engineering students at the National School of Applied Sciences in Berrechid. Questionnaires were the major data collection method used in this study. Data were collected from 32 undergraduate computer engineering students. The results of the study indicated that the perceptions of computer engineering students toward English learning are highly favorable. The findings alsorevealed that these students have difficulty with listening, speaking and writing skills.Basedon the obtained results, a task-based approach was applied to foster students' needs in the three skills by ways of delivering in-class presentations, writing reports, sitting for mock interviews, and taking part in a public speaking contest. More importantly, the study suggests a renewal of the current pedagogies by adopting a learner-centered approach to meet students'target needs.


In the structure of the title salt C12H11N2S+·I−, the methylsulfanyl group of the cation is nearly coplanar with the perimidine rings, as indicated by the C—S—C—N torsion angles of 2.9 (5) and −177.2 (3)°, respectively. The (S)C—N bond lengths in the heterocyclic ring are approximately equal [1.325 (5) and 1.326 (6) Å] suggesting a degree of delocalization. In the crystal, cations and anions are linked via two discrete N—H⋯I hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the b axis.


In this paper, we propose an efficient exemplar-based inpainting algorithm via sparse modeling and local similarity constraint. The inpainting procedure contains two steps: calculating the filling order and reconstructing the target patch. The filling order is decided by patch priority, which privileges the patch located at edge or corner. The target patch is then estimated by a combination of candidate patches. In the proposed method, three regularization terms are introduced to improve the patch reconstruction step. The first term ensures the compatibility between the target patch and the estimated one. The second term assigns larger combination coefficients for the candidate patches which are most similar with the target patch. The third term penalties the combination coefficients for the outliers in the candidate patches. Finally, the three regularization terms are incorporated into a unified sparse representation framework for reconstructing the target patch. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm can effectively fill in missing pixels in a visually plausible way.