The typical medical image fusion methods are of great practicability in computer-aided medical diagnosis, however, they are facing with some confusing disadvantages, for example, the loss of the important features, the inefficiency of the used fusion rules. In order to obtain the better fusion results to facilitate the doctors to read the comprehensive medical information, a novel medical image fusion method based on the generative adversarial network (GAN) and the shift-invariant shearlet transform (SIST) is developed. The source images are firstly decomposed into the high-pass and low-pass sub-bands by the SIST. Then, the combination of the high-pass sub-bands in different levels is implemented by the trained GAN model, which mainly consists of two parts: the construction of the generator and the discriminator; for the low-frequency coefficients, the local energy weighted summation and bilateral filter are used to calculate the low-pass details by the preserving of the local energy. Finally, the fusion results can be shown by inversion of the SIST. Under the subjective comparison and four typical objective measurements, i.e. the standard deviation, entropy, $\mathrm{Q}^{\mathrm{A}\mathrm{B}/\mathrm{F}}$, and the mutual information, the experimental results indicate that the artifacts and distortions can be effectively suppressed and the detail information can be well preserved by the proposed method, as well as the better quantitative performance.


In both plants and animals, unsaturated fatty acids are considered to be essential membrane components. Also they play key roles in many cellular events. The synthesis and metabolism of unsaturated fatty acid are very complex processes, involving a variety of enzymes and regulated pathways. Most recently, research has focused on identifying genes modulating unsaturated fatty acids and studying the metabolism and synthesis at both transcriptional and post-translational levels. The key enzymes and regulated pathways involved in either the metabolism or the synthesis of fatty acid have been identified.


operationalize the NAADS' vision of demand-driven development in a way that enhances income while protecting the natural resource base upon which livelihoods in Kabale District depend. One of the envisioned outcomes of more participatory, demand-driven agricultural development is direct input from farmers into policy formulation and service provision. This represents a significant challenge not only from the standpoint of organizing farmers and civil society to articulate desired development pathways given a long history of top-down approaches to development, but also from the standpoint of policy makers and service A Coalition for Enabling DemandDriven Development in Kabale District, Uganda


A quasi-three-dimensional flow model is used to study the convective and radiative heat transfer characteristics of coal-fired MHD channels and diffusers. The radiative contributions of carbon dioxide, water vapor, potassium atoms, and slag particles are all included in the model. The scale-up of heat transfer with the size of MHD channels and diffusers is characterized as an aid to extrapolation of experimental heat transfer measurements. The scale-up of radiation with the channel or diffuser size, centerline temperature, wall temperature, boundary layer thickness, gas pressure, and average size and number density of slag particles is investigated. Generalized plots of gas emissivity and absorptivity are provided for use in estimating radiative heat transfer in MHD channels and diffusers.


ABSTRACT Parents' experiences and satisfaction with their child's compulsory school are affected by several factors. Some, such as parents' education and marital status, are social factors, while others are school factors that local leaders and school personnel can address. Findings build on data from an online questionnaire to parents in 20 compulsory schools in Iceland (n = 2129). Factor analysis generated two factors: communication and teaching. These, together with a question on parents' overall satisfaction with the school, were used as outcome variables in a regression analysis exploring what influences parents' satisfaction with the school. The majority of parents were satisfied, which may make it is easy to overlook those who are dissatisfied. Parents who felt that their children had special needs that were not acknowledged in school were more likely to be dissatisfied than other parents. Educational background was also influential. Single mothers were overrepresented in the group of unsatisfied parents; they experienced more difficulties in communicating with school personnel, believed less in the possibility for parents to influence the school, and more frequently experienced that their child's need for special support was not met in school. The findings imply that equity in Icelandic schools is disputable.


The thickness of multi-layer absorbing material is optimized to obtain lower electromagnetic reflection coefficient by using particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm in this paper. Two examples are employed to validate the excellent performance of PSO. The results show that the reflection coefficient of absorbing material is less than-20 dB over the bandwidth of 2GHz ~ 18GHz, less than-25 dB over the narrowband of 9 GHz ~ 11GHz, less than-30 dB during the bandwidth of 9.5 GHz~10.5 GHz. It also shows that the minimum value approaches to-48 dB in a certain range.


Superhydrophobic surfaces are known for a vast array of industrial applications. These surfaces and coatings are now increasingly finding applications in the biomedical sector. Such applications include substrates to control protein adsorption, cellular interaction, and bacterial growth and blood repellent actions. Superhydrophobic surfaces can be leveraged to develop advanced biotechnology platforms for drug delivery devices and also for diagnostic tools. In this short perspective, we have presented some of the most relevant recent research developments that have been reported on superhydrophobic biomedical surfaces and coatings and that have been considered significant in advanced healthcare.


The National Gallery of Ireland is delighted to announce a recent gift of ten superb original colour illustrations by Harry Clarke (1889-1931) which were executed for Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Fairy Tales', published in 1916 by Harrap & Co. in London.


The continued increase in incidence of some hormone-related cancers worldwide is of great concern. Although estrogen-like substances in the environment were blamed for this increase, the possible role of endogenous estrogens from food has not been widely discussed. We are particularly concerned about cows' milk, which contains a considerable quantity of estrogens. When we name cows' milk as one of the important routes of human exposure to estrogens, the general response of Western people is that "man has been drinking cows' milk for around 2,000 years without apparent harm." However, the milk that we are now consuming is quite different from that consumed 100 years ago. Unlike their pasture-fed counterparts of 100 years ago, modern dairy cows are usually pregnant and continue to lactate during the latter half of pregnancy, when the concentration of estrogens in blood, and hence in milk, increases. The correlation of incidence and mortality rates with environmental variables in worldwide countries provides useful clues to the etiology of cancer. In this study, we correlated incidence rates for breast, ovarian, and corpus uteri cancers (1993-97 from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents) with food intake (1961-97 from FAOSTAT) in 40 countries. Meat was most closely correlated with the breast cancer incidence (r=0.827), followed by milk (0.817) and cheese (0.751). Stepwise multiple-regression analysis (SMRA) identified meat as the factor contributing most greatly to the incidence of breast cancer ([R]=0.862). Milk was most closely correlated with the incidence of ovarian cancer (r=0.779), followed by animal fats (0.717) and cheese (0.697). SMRA revealed that milk plus cheese make the greatest contribution to the incidence of ovarian cancer ([R]=0.767). Milk was most closely correlated with corpus uteri cancer (r=0.814), followed by cheese (0.787). SMRA revealed that milk plus cheese make the most significant contribution to the incidence of corpus uteri cancer ([R]=0.861). In conclusion, increased consumption of animal-derived food may have adverse effects on the development of


Modeling of video traffic has always been an important research area for the design, simulation, and performance analysis of packet video networks and Internet streaming. In this paper, we present a frame-level hybrid framework for modeling multi-layer VBR video traffic, in which the base layer is modeled using a combination of wavelet and time-domain methods and the enhancement layer is linearly predicted from the basedlayer model. To accurately capture long-range dependent (LRD) and short-range dependent (SRD) properties of VBR base-layer traffic, we use wavelets to model the distribution of I-frame sizes and a simple time-domain model for P/B frame sizes; however, unlike previous studies, we analyze and successfully model both inter-GOP and intra-GOP correlation found in many VBR sequences. Through the use of QQ plots and leaky-bucket simulations, we demonstrate that our model not only effectively preserves the temporal burstiness of the original traffic, but also captures important statistical features of the original video such as the autocorrelation function and the frame-size distribution. We also show that our model performs better than the previous methods in single-layer and multi-layer MPEG-4 sequences and demonstrate that certain results obtained in prior work for MPEG-1 video do not hold for general GOP-based coding schemes.


Some cities are built on massive sandstone deposits and for the addition of services or infrastructure such as railways, road expressways and sewers, tunnelling through the sandstone may be an attractive alternative to the acquisition of land and buildings for surface construction. Whilst the overall route of a long tunnel would be carefully surveyed at intervals using available geophysical techniques, smaller scale sensing of material properties ahead of a tunnel-boring-machine may be desirable to avoid problems and delays. Looking ahead of the machine with a probe measuring complex dielectric constant may provide one means of remotely sensing changes in sandstone properties. The dielectric properties of sandstone are measured in a test borehole which passes through a "soft" region and compared with the properties measured in adjacent "hard" regions.


Objective: The main objective of this paper is to present the results obtained in the treatment of subtle lesions of the intercuneiform and tarsometarsal joints by a neoligament plasty. Methods: Between 1995 and 2004, 18 patients with subtle Lisfranc injuries were treated. All patients were able to confirm that they had suffered a foot sprain with the forefoot fixed to the surface. In 11 patients (61%), the accessory force acted in eversion and, in seven patients (39%), in inversion. Only nine patients (50%) showed radiographic signs that could confirm the suspicion of the clinical diagnosis. All of them had confirmation of anatomical structures involvement by the MRI. The ruptured ligaments were explored and their residue removed – one of the aims of the surgery that will control the pain and lead to the reduction of the joints. After the reduction, drill holes were made to reproduce the isometry and anatomy of the torn ligaments. In six patients, the 2 mm polidioxanone cordel (Johnson & Johnson) and, in two, the 5.0 dexon suture were used to substitute for the ligaments. In two, we used the 4th EDL and, in eight, the 3rd EDL passed as a substitute for the ligaments. Results: After an average follow-up of 5.9 years (1.3 ~ 10.2 yrs) 15 patients (83%) were considered as excellent or good results (complete recovery of motion and power; no pain; no soft tissue, or bone reaction to the neoligaments; no loss of anatomical reduction). Three patients (17%) had fair or poor results (arthritis). Conclusions: Resection torn ligaments, anatomic reduction of the subluxated joints, and isometric reconstruction of the ligaments showed to be an excellent solution to the subtle Lisfranc Injuries and an alternative to the screw fixation.


The durability of buildings and structures is dependent on the quality of building materials and operating conditions. Clearly, during operation there may be adverse factors that were not considered on the design stage. These include a salt corrosion of the brick walls. It occurs reasonably often therefore the study of this subject is quite popular and important issue.


The Asians of Uganda were a middle-man minority under great pressure during 1971. Many were leaving the country each week, and most viewed themselves as having no future in East Africa. A random sample of 190 Kampala, Uganda, Hindus, and 104 Ismaili Muslims was used to test, in this natural setting, several hypotheses concerning coping ability and defenses among a minority under stress. Findings were (1) religiosity reduces anxiety or insecurity, but tends to be accompanied by feelings of empirical fatalism in a stressful situation; (2) those Asians with high socioeconomic status and local investments see themselves as more vulnerable and are thus more emotionally insecure, but high SES also makes them feel more able to cope or change their situations if necessary. The significance and implications of these findings are explored in closing.


As we know, the current oil-immersed or thin film power capacitors used in electronic capacitive voltage transformer (ECVT) have the hidden danger of flammable, explosive, and easy pollution, so it is necessary to find their suitable substitutes in the future. High voltage ceramic capacitors have many advantages such as good electromagnetic compatibility, small volume and high withstand voltage, so it can be used as the voltage dividing capacitor of ECVT. However, the capacitance of the ceramic capacitors will become unstable when the ambient temperature changes, which will cause the fluctuation of the voltage dividing ratio of ECVT and greatly reduce its measurement accuracy. In order to obtain the ceramic capacitors with good temperature stability, a new kind of SrTiO3-PbTiO3-Bi2O3-nTiO2(SPBT) ceramics was prepared by mixed sintering, and the effects of CuO on the capacitance-temperature characteristics and microstructure of SPBT ceramics were investigated. In this study, we first synthesized two sets of SPBT ceramic materials with low and high Curie temperature by equimolar exchange of Sr and Pb elements, then M-SPBT ceramic materials were made by mixing low and high Curie temperature ceramic materials at a ratio of 7:3, finally, the different amounts of CuO were doped into the M-SPBT ceramic materials for good temperature stability. The results show that the sintered M-SPBT ceramics doped with 0.4 wt% CuO obtains the best temperature stability ($\Delta \mathrm{C}/\mathrm{C} < \pm 5\%$, −45 °C ∼ 85 °C), moreover, its dielectric constant is more than 1000 and dielectric loss is as low as 0.29% at 25 °C, besides, it also obtains the denser microstructure compared with undoped. Furthermore, it is suggested that CuO is an effective additive that can improve the temperature stability of M-SPBT ceramics. When 0.4 wt% CuO is added, Cu2+ may occupy Ti4+ site due to their close values of ionic radius, this migration will make the number of strontium vacancies in the lattice of M-SPBT ceramics reduced by electrovalent compensating replacement, so the excessive interdiffusion of Sr2+ and Pb2+ in the sintering process is suppressed, which effect a lot on broadening of Curie peak, the temperature change rate of capacitance and dielectric loss can be decreased accordingly. Thus, owing to its high dielectric constant, lower dielectric loss and flat temperature-dependent capacitance characteristics, this new M-SPBT ceramics will be a promising material for voltage dividing capacitor of ECVT.


Biological assessment of water quality in Australia is entering a stage of rapid development largely because of the inclusion of biological indicators in water quality guidelines and growing concern for ecological values. Approaches to water quality assessment include toxicity testing, use of biomarkers and several methods using community structure. For assessment diverse organisms such as fish, algae and (the most commonly used) macro-invertebrates are used. Interaction of data analysis with methods of data collection requires co-ordinated research on both fronts. Recent developments in the use of multivariate statistics to produce models for predicting water quality are likely to be useful in Australia. Much innovative work is still needed in Australia on the use of algae and fish, defining tolerance categories and establishing monitoring programmes performed in time-frames equivalent to those in use for physical and chemical methods.


Based on log amplifiers, the hardware design and software work flow of a suit of optical power meter has been depicted. With the use of the CAN bus technology, the acquisition channel is easy to extend. To meet the needs of wavelength range and measure precision, an In GaAs PIN photodiode is applied. To avoid errors in changing channels, a log amplifier is applied. A high speed 16 bit A/D converter is utilized to improve the acquisition precision. A 32 bit ARM microprocessor which has versatile peripheral interfaces is used as the control unit of master and slave board to dispose commands, display data and communicate with PC software. Finally SPICE simulation of the device and practical performance parameters are described.


For today's Internet world appears various network integrity, safety control problems, such as parsing the IP network security mechanism continuity and high credible runaway drawbacks, honesty network of innovation mechanism of strategy points. Full text aims to breakthrough "IP skillfulness" monopoly, show a can explore the new high trusted network era.


Fas (APO‐1/CD95) is an important apoptotic mediator for both immune and nervous systems. In the present study, we have investigated the expression and function of Fas in human embryonic/fetal brain primary cultures from 12 human embryos and fetuses with gestational ages between 5 to 22 weeks. Anti‐Fas fluorescent antibody was used for labeling of Fas positive cells and for quantitation of Fas expression in brain cultures. To demonstrate that Fas receptor is functional in human embryonic/fetal brain cells, anti‐Human‐Fas monoclonal antibody (0.5 μg/ml) was used to induce apoptosis in brain primary cultures. Apoptosis was investigated by flow‐cytometry and fluorescent microscopy using TUNEL and annexin V labeling. Fas was found to be expressed in the embryonic/fetal human primary brain cultures, on neuronal and glial cells or their precursors, varying with gestational ages. Cross‐linking of Fas induced apoptosis in brain cultures indicating that Fas receptor functions as a death receptor. We also showed that cell death triggered through Fas receptor was caspase dependent, hence it was blocked by a selective caspase‐8 inhibitor (IETD‐fmk).These results suggest that Fas is involved in neuronal apoptosis in the developing human brain.


Calcareous Ely Ash is a combustion by-product of Brown coal. Its technical properties depend on the combustion conditions – in the paper calcareous fly ash obtained from the traditional grate furnaces is considered. The presented paper shows the results of accelerated carbonation tests according to the draft of CEN / TS 12390-12 standard. The obtained models have self-terminating character. Concretes of water to cement ratio (w / c) from 0,35 to 0,55 and Ely Ash to cement ratio (p / c) from 0,2 to 0,5 were investigated.


A variety of popular P2P traffic let the network service providers (ISPs) in how to effectively and fairly use of network resources face a huge challenge. Therefore, how to accurately identify and effectively control a variety of P2P traffic has been a hot topic in network management. The traditional methods of support vector machine and its improvements require artificial extraction of application features and the accuracy of recognition is largely related to the correctness of manual extraction of features. For different features, we need to build the model several times, which led to low efficiency model construction. In this paper, we propose the P2P traffic identification model based on the deep learning. What's more, we build a P2P traffic identification model that does not require artificial feature extraction. Ultimately, we get a more accurate model for identifying P2P traffic. The experimental results show that the deep learning model in this paper is about 1.5%∼3% higher than the latest improved model based on support vector machine.


The relations among growth rates in GDP and four aggregate demand components associated with inventory management are approximated by a neural var model with t-Student disturbances and an ARCH covariance matrix. The estimation sample corresponds to Peru's market-based growth experience (1993Q1-2010Q1). The main finding is that a positive shock to private demand growth will contemporaneously generate a more than proportional increase in production growth. This amplifier impact effect is consistent with the cycle of inventories and the average incidence of the inventory investment growth inside the production growth during the last four recessions.


A single rate interface device, a dual rate interface device, and a dual rate interfacing method are provided to guarantee minimum power consumption in data transfer between chips by reducing a toggle rate under 50 percents in the worst case and adjust the number of power pins advantageously by guaranteeing the power consumption under a predetermined level. A packet generator(200) provides data to be transferred from a first chip to a second chip as a current packet. An inverse bit generator(210) provides an inverse bit determining inversion of the current packet depending on a toggle count of each bit of the data forming the current and previous packets. A transfer packet generator(220) provides a transfer packet including the inverse bit and inversion determination of the current packet. A packet recovery unit(230) recovers the transfer packet to the current packet by interpreting the inverse bit included in the transfer packet. A data recovery unit(240) recovers the data transferred to the second chip from the current packet received from the packet recovery unit. The inverse bit generator includes a register, first and second bit toggle checkers, and a comparator.


It is appropriate that How the Light Gets In ends with a reflection on Terrence Malick's film The Tree of Life, and not just because of Ward's oft used forest metaphors. Malick's movie and its deep resonances with the affecting philosophies of Martin Heidegger and Stanley Cavell does cinematically what Ward does rhetorically: portray the universe as top to bottom theo-logical. There are of course risks in taking on such endeavours. While many found The Tree of Life a revelation in film-making, others found it pretentious and nonsensical, with reports of patrons walking out and demanding refunds. For risking all that, How the Light Gets In proves not only remarkably successful in its endeavours (readable, learned, sharp) but also quite courageous. Jonathan Tran Baylor University, Waco, TX USA


he Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) is a widely accepted tool that was first devised in 1975 by Drs. M. E and Susan Folstein as a quick, practical means of evaluating cognitive impairment. The test itself is 85% specific and 87% sensitive in the hospital population. It focuses on four specific areas of cognition: orientation, registration, recall, and language. In administering the MMSE, the tester takes note of the patient's level of consciousness, which can influence the overall score. Clinicians who work with elderly populations have noted that their patients may present as cognitively intact even when they're not, often relating distant details of their lives and having superficial social interactions without revealing their cognitive difficulties. The MMSE is designed to help primary care providers evaluate whether a patient can attend to and incorporate new material required for overall well-being, while providing information to allow clinicians to make an objective determination of a patient's cognitive capacity. In an inpatient setting, the MMSE can be administered at the patient's bedside. Outpatients can be evaluated during a clinic visit or by a visiting nurse in the home. The tester first puts the patient at ease and explains the testing procedure by saying, for instance, "I'll be asking you a few simple questions. Please try to answer them, even if they seem silly to you at first." The tester will need to have a copy of the exam, an adequate writing surface such as a clipboard, and a pencil. You'll need to determine whether the patient has any visual impairments or physical disabilities, as well as his level of schooling. The patient should be comfortably seated and provided with good lighting and a quiet environment that will allow concentration. The tester initiates the exam by asking the first of five questions involving orientation to time: "Do you know what year it is now?" Each correct response generates one point; so, for the first five questions, the patient may earn up to five points. The next five questions regard orientation to place: "What is your house number? What is the name of your street?" Again, the possible total is five points. Next, the tester names three objects, taking a full second to say the name of each object. The patient is asked to repeat all three object names, for a possible total of three points. The patient's ability to calculate and to pay attention is tested by asking him to count backward from 100 by sevens. The tester may provide a simple context, saying, "If you had a hundred dollars and gave away seven, how many would you have left?" The patient earns one point for each correct response for a possible total of five more points. Sometimes patients have difficulty with math, and the tester can instead ask the patient to spell the word "world" backward; in that case, the patient earns one point for each correct letter Now the patient is asked to recall the three objects named earlier, for a possible total of three points. The tester points to a familiar object such as a pencil and asks the patient to identify it. The tester then repeats the question, pointing to a second object. The patient can earn up to two more points. Next, the tester asks the patient to follow a three-stage complex verbal command, and then to read a written sentence and follow its command. It's usually necessary to write the command sentence using large, black, block-print letters to accommodate for low vision. Finally, the patient is asked to construct a sentence and to replicate intersecting pentagons. A perfect MMSE score is 30 points. A score of 24 or below signifies a cognitive impairment, and you'll need to evaluate which components of the exam were troublesome. Often, elderly patients will have difficulty recalling all three named objects after a few minutes and remaining oriented to the day and date in the hospital setting. Yet patients whose scores fall below 19 and whose cognitive impairment levels are severe may still be able to give a home address correctly and identify familiar objects upon request. Patients with fewer than four years of formal education tend to do poorly because of their inability to calculate or to write sentences accurately. However, a patient with 12 or more years of formal education shouldn't receive a score below 30 if there's no cognitive impairment. The MMSE is a valued tool, and although it's widely used, it isn't foolproof. A hospitalized patient may have a significant delirium secondary to the admitting diagnosis, and this will affect his score. Depression is another factor that can interfere with the MMSE's efficacy. While the exam is useful for assessing cognitive functions, test results should be evaluated with appropriate discretion. It may sometimes be helpful to retest a patient when his physiologic condition improves. And all patients with borderline scores (23 to 25 points) should be retested after six months, because these scores can indicate the beginning of cognitive decline. Successive MMSE testing will allow providers to track a patient's cognitive deterioration or improvement. U


ED FROM Griffith-Lendering MF, Wigman JT, Prince van Leeuwen A, et al. Cannabis use and vulnerability for psychosis in early adolescence—a TRAILS study. Addiction 2013;108:733–40. Correspondence to: Merel FH Griffith-Lendering, Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, PO Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands; email@example.com Sources of funding Grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NOW, the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW), Social Sciences Council, the Sophia Foundation for Medical Research, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, the European Science Foundation and participating universities. OM M EN TRY This study addresses the highly contentious issue of whether adolescent cannabis use increases risk for psychosis. Griffith-Lendering and colleagues used cross-lagged path analysis to investigate potential bidirectional influences between cannabis use and vulnerability for psychosis. They found that cannabis use at age 16 had a small but statistically significant association with increasing psychosis vulnerability at age 19. They also reported that early psychosis vulnerability predicted subsequent cannabis use, a finding that has less often been reported in the literature. It is unlikely that these results will, in themselves, settle the on-going controversy of whether cannabis use increases risk for psychosis. First, as with all observational studies, it was not possible to control for all potential sources of confounding; the observed associations may reflect the influence of uncontrolled predisposing factors. For example, while the authors controlled for tobacco and alcohol use in the previous month (as well as socio-economic status and parental psychopathology), they did not control for use of other illicit drugs, such as amphetamines. Second, the authors analyse a continuous 'psychosis vulnerability' construct. There is increasing recognition of a continuum of psychosis vulnerability, including subdiagnostic threshold experiences, and these measures overcome issues related to reduced statistical power for studying low base rate disorders in general population samples. However, the relevance of such mild and relatively common experiences to clinical diagnoses of psychoses is debatable and the operationalisation of this construct in the current study may be particularly problematic. Specifically, in addition to a scale on 'thought problems', the authors included subscales of attention problems and social problems. Whether these constructs represent psychosis vulnerability per se, rather than a more general social and psychiatric vulnerability is questionable. Nonetheless, despite the limitations of individual studies, the convergence of findings across samples and methodologies suggest that cannabis use may play a role in encouraging the expression of psychotic symptomatology. These findings include results from laboratory and real-time experience sampling that cannabis use may induce mild psychotic symptomatology and that cannabis use is associated with a worse prognosis for individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.


An insert comprising a flexible pad (9) comprising a cylindrical element (10) at least partially hollow for placement around a pole to toes of a shoe sandal style, characterized in that the cushion comprises a substantially flat element ( 11) for placement along a footbed, whereby the cushion can be held in place by the interaction of the cylindrical element (10) at least partially hollow with pole for the toes and foot of user acting on the flat element (11).


The diamond-bearing Canastra-1 kimberlite represents a Cretaceous intrusion that belongs to the Alto Paranaíba Igneous Province (APIP), Brazil. This kimberlite hosts mantle xenoliths including garnet-bearing lherzolites, websterites (two samples are amphibole-bearing), clinopyroxenites and one eclogite. Magnesium number (Mg#) of lherzolitic olivine (88-91), orthopyroxene (90-92) and clinopyroxene (89-91) are typical of mantle origin. Minerals from the hydrated websterites contain lower Mg# (opx = 74-75; cpx = 78-79) than the anhydrous ones (opx = 90; cpx = 89), indicating a cumulate origin for these samples. The clinopyroxene Mg# of clinopyroxenites is low (86-87), except for one sample that contains high Mg# (90). The Mg# of eclogite omphacite is 87. Clinopyroxenes of the hydrated websterites show high CaO (>21 wt.%) and Al 2 O 3 (>5 wt.%)


This article describes a home energy management system that estimates household electricity consumption and costs. The system permits to build a home energy management system by connecting wirelessly smart appliances and smart meters. The system carries out electric measurement consumption, which enables to control the operation of smart appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, electric stoves and other white goods. The system is based on an electronic module capable to communicate with the smart appliances integrated in the system, in order to obtain their consumption and control their operation according to the total household energy demand. Additionally, this module is capable to communicate with an electronic energy meter that supports two-ways communication (electrical utility and consumer) for the purpose of obtaining information regarding the total consumption, and receiving commands and notifications from the electricity supplier.


A 26-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of appetite loss and epigastric discomfort. He had been undergoing peritoneal dialysis owing to renal failure caused by bilateral renal hypoplasia. His medications included olmesartan medoxomil, pravastatin sodium, furosemide, prednisolone, levothyroxine sodium, famotidine, sarpogrelate hydrochloride, and carbamazepine. Additionally, he had been taking lanthanum carbonate (750 mg/day), an orally administered phosphate binder, for 7 years. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed multiple flat, white patches in the gastric body and fornix and white thickening of the gastric mucosa along the folds (Fig. 1a–c). Multiple white lesions were also observed in the duodenum (Fig. 1d). Biopsy specimens revealed reddish-purple granular deposits both in the gastric and duodenal mucosa (Fig. 2a,b). The deposits were confirmed in the cytoplasm of the cells immunohistologically positive with CD68 and PU.1, indicating the phagocytosis of lanthanum by macrophages (Fig. 2c,d). Collectively, these findings supported a diagnosis of lanthanum carbonate deposition in the gastroduodenal mucosa. There have been several reports describing lanthanum deposition in the gastroduodenal mucosa. Lanthanum carbonate is administered to patients with advanced renal failure to reduce the absorption of phosphate. It binds to phosphate and forms an insoluble complex, which is excreted mostly in stools, because of extremely low levels of absorption (< 0.002%). Therefore, lanthanum deposition in the gastroduodenal mucosa does not seem to originate from the circulating lanthanum in the blood. The typical findings are white patches or white thickening of the gastric mucosa along the gastric folds, with intestinal metaplasia or regenerative changes. The relationship between epigastric discomfort and lanthanum deposition remains unclear; however, in this case, epigastric discomfort was disappeared after the discontinuation of lanthanum. Thus, the possibility of lanthanum deposition should be considered when encountering patients with epigastric distress receiving long-term treatment with lanthanum carbonate.


Traffic prediction is a critical component of intel-ligent transportation systems. However, highly non-linear and dynamical spatial-temporal correlations propose challenges for traffic prediction, especially long-term prediction. We propose a spatial-temporal channel-attention based graph convolutional network (STCAGCN) to improve the accuracy of both long-term and short-term traffic flow prediction. Firstly we design an attention mechanism to learn complex temporal and spatial correlations. Then we develop the stacked spatial-temporal convo-lution layer to model complex temporal and spatial correlations. Each spatial-temporal convolution layer is composed of a gated time convolution network and a graph convolution network. We develop a gated time convolution network to model non-linear temporal correlations, which process long sequences through stacked dilated convolution. Moreover, the graph convolution network exploits the hidden spatial correlations via learning self-adaptive adjacency matrix. Experiment results on real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed STCAGCN model obtains improvements over the state-of-the-art, especially for long-term traffic flow prediction.


ABSTRACT One-dimensional (1D) nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs) have recently played a major role in sensing applications. Due to charging of the surface functional chemical groups with protonation and deprotonation, the transport properties of these nanowire transistors affect the aqueous environment, altering the electrical double layer (EDL) potential drops and charge distributions in the electrolyte concentration. In this work, we have implemented the simple modified Poisson–Boltzmann (MPB) theory in a 1D silicon nanowire FET, and the effect of the various finite sizes of ions in z:z symmetric electrolyte concentration was investigated. For a given ionic concentration and surface charge, the EDL potential drop, accumulation of charges and the charge distributions of NaCl and CsCl ions were studied. From the MPB model results with the nanowire FET, it was observed that the potential drop of the EDL depends on the size of the ions in the electrolyte. The study of various electrostatic investigations of finite-sized ions was successfully done by implementing the MPB model on a silicon nanowire FET. It can be used in both chemical and biological sensors.


Li Shangyin is the most personality of the late Tang Dynasty poets.His world is a mixture of rains,full of deep love.By the description of habitat through the rains,rain to seize the emotions,emotioally and intellectually,rain's world is shown,and sentimentally,the poet's inner world is displayed to give a profound implication of the realm of poetry.


"We need a human face to global economy," claimed President Clinton in his State of the Union Address for 1998. The face of globalism, however, is all-too-human: Clinton and other inebriated visionaries of the political and economic elites fail to recognize that global economy is a world of human mirrors that reflect industrial images. The question is not how to make this global "house" more human or humane but how to protect and restore the place's ecological, social and communal features. Restoring the responsibility of being a member of a community is the challenge facing humanity today.


An increase in industrial activities, especially in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria comes with the attendant rise in environmental abuses by multinational companies. Income from oil exploration is the major source of revenue for the Nigerian government. However, over the years, the activities of major oil companies in the oil-rich Niger Delta region have caused and continue to cause monumental damage to the local communities and indeed, the environment. Efforts by successive administrations to address this issue have yielded few results. This development means that victims of environmental abuse and indeed environmental activists have only the court to approach for any remedy. In Nigeria, it is only the Federal High Court that has exclusive jurisdiction to entertain any dispute arising from mines and minerals, including oil and gas exploration. Apart from the significant delay occasioned by congestion of cases, the composition of the Federal High Court has no regard for expert personnel in environmental science who are capable of giving informed decisions that would improve access to environmental justice. This article examines the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in relation to environmental matters and argues that the court as presently constituted is not better placed to ensure access to environmental justice. This article employs doctrinal legal research methodology and content analysis of both primary and secondary legal sources relating to the practice of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, and Land and Environment Court of New South Wales of Australia. The article argues in favour of establishing a specialised environmental court in Nigeria as a superior court with a comprehensive jurisdiction to dispose of environmental-related matters.


As part of the adaptation of the «Psychological research methods, design and techniques» subject to the European Higher Education Area, an activity to promote integra tion in the process of acquiring methodological skills and their self-assessment was proposed. A «Significant Learning Activity based on Centres of Interest» was designed based on a subject well-known to the student. One of the centres of interest used was «the lack of discipline among students in the classroom» which in this context, is a teaching resource instead of a problem. The results show the suitability of the activity for the introduction of the subject and facilitating self-assessment. They also show a positive relationship between the level of completion of the activity and marks in the examination. They also provide evidence of the activity's «sustainability,» in the sense of its feasibility in large groups and the fact that it involves only a slight increase in the workload of the teaching monitor and teacher. General area of interest of this innovativion Changes to methodology and approach to curriculum. New teaching methodologies inspired by centres of interest. The proposed activity is of special interest for subjects with a methodological basis with a high number of students, regardless of the qualification. 1. Objectives As part of the requirements for adaptation to the European Higher Education Area, the purpose of this project was to promote the acquisition and assessment of transINNOVATIVE TEACHING EXPERIENCES AT THE UAB IN EXPERIMENTAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND IN HEALTH SCIENCES 213 1d espai angles.qxd:titulacions-copia 21/07/09 10:07 Página 213


The National Institute of Standards and Technology has recently begun a program to develop a primary pressure standard that is based on ultra-cold atoms, covering a pressure range of 1  ×  10−6 Pa–1  ×  10−10 Pa and possibly lower. These pressures correspond to the entire ultra-high vacuum range and extend into the extreme-high vacuum. This cold-atom vacuum standard (CAVS) is both a primary standard and absolute sensor of vacuum. The CAVS is based on the loss of cold, sensor atoms (such as the alkali-metal lithium) from a magnetic trap due to collisions with the background gas (primarily H2) in the vacuum. The pressure is determined from a thermally-averaged collision cross section, which is a fundamental atomic property, and the measured loss rate. The CAVS is primary because it will use collision cross sections determined from ab initio calculations for the Li  +  H2 system. Primary traceability is transferred to other systems of interest using sensitivity coefficients.


The three dimensional printing (3DP) process is among RP process technology that can fabricate three dimensional object of solid freeform using ink jet printing technology. As this technology uses multi nozzle, high speed fabrication is available and equipment price is inexpensive advantage. In this research, we developed a solid freeform fabrication(SFF) system to analyze 3DP process technology. We applied sliding mode control with sliding perturbation observer(SMCSPO) algorithm for control of system that is developed and minimised position error through SMCSPO speed mode control. And we measured process variables about droplet diameter measurement and powder bed formation etc. through an experiment. Finally, we successfully achieved a various 3D SFF experiments using developed SFF System.


The dcvclopmcnt of strength and endurance through work in overload has becn well documented (Morpurgo, Siebert, DeLorme, Hellebrandt). The majority of studies have employed a dynamic type of exercise based largely on the procedure sct down by DcLorme for resistancc exercise. The recent revival of the methods of doveloping strength by briefly held isometric contractions, promptcd by the works of Hettinger and Muller (11, 12), has brought a new series of investigations, in which the relativc merits of isotonic and isomctric contractions havr been st udicd.


Methods: Twenty young (age = 25 + 6 years) and 20 aged (age = 67 + 5 years) healthy males participated in the study. Cerebrovascular function and circulating triglycerides were assessed prior to, and 4 hours after the consumption of a standardised high-fat meal (2). Middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv; transcranial Doppler ultrasound), mean arterial pressure (MAP; photoplethsmography) and end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2; capnography) were continuously recorded throughout each testing session, while venous blood samples were obtained from an indwelling catheter. Cerebrovascular resistance (CVR) and cerebrovascular conductance (CVC) were calculated as MAP/MCAv and MCAv/MAP respectively, following 5 minutes seated rest. Cerebrovascular reactivity to carbon dioxide (CVRCO2) was assessed in response to 3 minutes of breathing 5% CO2 (balanced air), as described previously (3). Data were analysed using a 2 way repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferonni corrected paired sample t-tests and independent samples t-tests. Significance was established at P < 0.05 and data are expressed as mean + SD.


On the basis of an analysis of instrumentation and control (I&C) systems in nuclear power plants the need is outlined to design digital instrumentation and control systems with forward looking technical features to serve both for plant operations management under normal conditions and for safety related problems in reactor and safety I&C. Siemens KWU not only took measures to safeguard the availability of existing permanently wired I&C systems, but also advanced the development, evaluation by experts, and commercialization of the Teleperm XS and Teleperm XP digital I&C systems. The working principle and the advantages ofdigital I&C systems are outlined briefly. A report is presented of the status of the licensing procedure and commercialization of the Teleperm XS safety I&C system. A number of examples are cited to explain the various possible uses of the systems discussed for new plants andfor backfitting purposes, both in nuclear power plants by KWU and in facilities by other vendors. Siemens KWU remains a partnerfor in-plant and safety related I&C technology in nuclear power plants. This strategy is based on the principle of maintaining the availability of existing systems by adequate spare parts strategies as long as possible, and on the thorough innovation of I&C technology by the use of the forward looking Teleperm XS and Teleperm XP digital I&C systems. The Teleperm XS system is currently being introduced into the market and will be used on a broad basis in Germany and abroad in 1997/98.


The results of fine-needle aspiration biopsy under ultrasound control of 153 patients with subcentimetric thyroid nodules are presented in the article. All patients with "small" thyroid nodules regardless of the size of nodule need necessary to carry out fine-needle aspiration biopsy under ultrasound control. It allows to reveal malignant process and to form groups of the patients who are need to supervision and surgical treatment.


THE INVENTION RESPECT EFFECT TRANSISTORS VERTICAL TYPE OF FIELD. WHEN MAJOR CURRENT RESEARCH THEREIN, THE PADS SOURCE THEIR SS NOT INCREASE CONTACT SURFACE, AS IN TRANSISTORS KNOWN STRUCTURE, RISK OF SHORT CIRCUIT WITH GRID ELECTRODE G, LOCATED IN THE SAME PLAN THEY WOULD A FEAR. INVENTION, ON AVAILABLE SOURCE ELECTRODE 31 AND GRILLE G PLANS NEXT TWO BUNK WITH INTERPOSITION LAYER INSULATION OF SILICON DIOXIDE 30. APPLICATIONS ARE INCLUDING THE MAKING TRANSISTORS POWER FOR HIGH FREQUENCY.


The invention discloses a hydration-resistant high-calcium magnesia-calcium brick and a production process thereof. The hydration-resistant high-calcium magnesia-calcium brick comprises the following components in percentage by weight: 30 to 40 percent of 7-3 mm magnesia-calcium sand, 20 to 25 percent of 3-1 mm magnesia-calcium sand, 15 to 20 percent of <=1 mm magnesia-calcium sand, 15 to 20 percent of <=0.088 mm magnesia-calcium sand fine powder, 5 to 10 percent of <=0.088 mm fused magnesia fine powder, and 3 to 5 percent of additional bonding agent. The production process comprises the following steps of: preparing each raw material according to corresponding proportions; mulling, forming and baking the raw materials; soaking the raw materials in wax; and performing vacuum thermoplastic packaging to obtain a final product. The product has high slag resistance, thermal shock resistance and high-temperature resistance and high volume stability under high-temperature vacuum, simultaneously contains 50 percent of free CaO, has a function of purifying molten steel, and is particularly suitable for smelting clean steel.


Cortical vision impairment is caused by a variety of neurological insults affecting the posterior visual pathways and/or visual cortex. Children with cortical vision impairment often have additional disabilities and ophthalmic findings, which can complicate the diagnosis of CVI. Children with multiple disabilities and a suspected vision impairment require a thorough investigation to determine the source of their reduced visual responses. Orthoptists may be involved in this process. The importance of distinguishing between reduced visual responses due to cortical vision impairment as opposed to attention difficulties or cognitive delay is discussed in this paper. (author abstract)


This study represents an attempt to explain verbal comprehension by analyzing the multifaceted structure of the item of a sentence-completion test. Three stimulus constituents were postulated: technical, logical-semantic, and associative-contextual. Responses of 2,853 Israeli sixth graders to a sentence completion test provided the raw data for the investigation. Guttman's facet and order theories and Smallest space analysis were used to define and to test the radex and the cylindrex configurations of the item-stimulated processing procedures and skill components. The hypotheses, confirmed empirically, suggest that: (a) Item tasks are multi procedural, multi componential stimuli composites that explain cognitive and technical constituents of task responses. (b) Comprehension-successful performances, schematically portrayed by the radex and the cylindrex configurations, uniformly involve the application of analytic, associative, technical and higher level executive processing procedures and skill components. (c) Deviations from these uniformly applied procedures and skills may explain individual differences in comprehension.


The high real wage story is one of the leading hypotheses for how deflation caused the International Great Depression. The story is that world-wide deflation, combined with incomplete nominal wage adjustment, raised real wages in a number of countries, and these higher real wages reduced employment as firms moved up their labor demand curves. This paper studies the high real wage hypothesis in an international cross section of 17 countries between 1930-33 using dynamic, general equilibrium monetary models. We find that the high real wage story by itself does not account for output changes in the international cross section. The models make large errors predicting output in the international cross section, largely because the correlation between real wages and output in the models is -1, while this correlation is positive in the data. This means that the world-wide Depression was not just firms moving up their labor demand curves in response to high real wages. Instead, accounting for the Depression requires a shock that shifts labor demand curves differentially across countries. We add productivity shocks to the model as a candidate labor demand shifter. We find that the productivity shocks in the model are very similar to productivity changes in the data. We also find that productivity shocks account for about 2/3 of output changes, while monetary shocks account for about 1/3 of output changes


Objective To discuss the function mechanism of Toutongning caps in treating tension headache.Methods90 patients with tension headache were divided randomly into toutongning group,Flunarizine group and affiliation group.The changes of clinical symptom and electrolyte,magnesium,methionine enkephalin(MEK) were observed before and after treatment in three groups.ResultHeadache degree,blood potassium,MEK reduction and the magnesium ion concentration elevates in Toutongning group showed significant difference from that in Flunarizine group(P0.01).No significant difference in biochemical indices were found between Toutongning group and affiliation group(P0.05).ConclusionToutongning caps may improve the tension headache patient's headache degree,reduce the serum potassium,elevate the magnesium ion and reduce.The plasma MEK concentration is possibly one of its function mechanisms.


Prescribed burns are widely used for managing North American deciduous forests due to their ability to positively affect plant community structure and composition. This study examines the effects of neighboring herbaceous plants on the recruitment of Quercus alba (white oak) seedlings in fire-managed parts of Shawnee National Forest (Illinois, USA). We clipped herbs to induce plant community stress and assessed relative growth rates (RGR) of planted white oak seedlings to determine if a competitive or facilitative dynamic is present. In addition to RGR, we observed the mycorrhizal network via fungal colonization in mesh bags to quantify belowground activity for our experimental plots. Our results supported fire's positive effects on tree recruitment and herbaceous growth. Clipping combined with fire management decreased RGR. This finding suggests that a facilitative dynamic is at play and herbaceous neighbors help white oak seedlings persist due to protection from environmental stressors (p = 0.017). Soil moisture played a large role in promoting tree fitness on each of our sites. We observed lower hyphal biomass in areas where herbs were clipped. We further speculate that the stress caused by clipping may have suspended or eliminated the need for mycorrhizae to form, possibly due to herb mortality. Knowing how herbs and trees interact will lead to purposeful forest community planning especially in fire-managed forests where herbs are likely to dominate post-prescribed burn.


Capacity-approaching codes using iterative decoding have been the main research subject of coding area during past decade. In this paper, a new channel coding scheme called irregular concatenated zigzag (ICZZ) code is proposed. ICZZ codes can be viewed as a special case of irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes with linear-time encodable structure. They are different from concatenated zigzag (CZZ) codes in the sense that the number of information bits entering into each zigzag encoder can be different and different zigzag codes can be used as component codes. A simple method to design ICZZ codes is proposed and by using an example, it is shown that ICZZ code of rate 1/3 has better performance than the optimal CZZ code and turbo code adopted in 3GPP


ObjectiveTo assess activated carbon in the standard lymphadenectomy of gastric cancer.Methods183 cases undergoing radical gastrectomy before 1997 served as control group,87 consecutive cases after 1997 received intumour injection of activated carbon(AC) before undergoing gastrectomy.The areas and number of dissected lymph nodes,operative complication and hospital stay in subtotal gastrectomy and total gastrectomy were analyzed respectively.ResultsIn subtotal gastrectomy,the ratio of D 1 ,D 2 ,D 3 and D 3 +PAL over the total cases was 4 7%,10 3%,14 9% and 16 1% respectively in AC group and 25 7%,21 3%,9 9% and 2 7% respectively in control group.In total gastrectomy,the ratio of D 1 ,D 2 ,D 3 and D 3 +PAL was 3 4%,5 7%,21 9% and 23% respectively in AC group and 15 8%,14 8%,8 7% and 1 1% respectively in control group.The differences of the four procedures were all statistically significant between the two groups.The number of dissected lymph nodes in each case in AC group was more than that of control group.ConclusionsLocal injection of activated carbon is a simple,easy and safe method to increase the dissection of lymph nodes in radical gastrectomy.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is considered to be the gold standard surgical procedure for medium-sized prostates. However, there is a drastic difference between the weight of resected tissue reported by the pathologist and the sonographic estimate of prostate weight before the operation. The present study investigates the role of electrocoagulation in tissue loss during monopolar (M-) and bipolar (B-) TURP.

METHODS
In this experimental in vitro study, 33 prostate glands removed from patients by open suprapubic prostatectomy were roughly divided in half and the weight of each half was recorded precisely. One half of the specimen was resected using a monopolar resectoscope and the other half was resected by bipolar resectoscope in an out-of-body simulated condition. The weight of obtained chips was measured and the amount of lost tissue was calculated. Data from prostates with final pathologic diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was included in the analysis. The mean difference of prostate weight before and after out-of-body resection and also the proportion of tissue loss between M-TURP and B-TURP were compared using t-test.

RESULTS
Data from 62 prostate halves were included in the final analysis. The mean weight of samples after M-TURP was considerably lower than before resection (38.0±6.9 and 48.7±9.0 respectively, p<0.001). Similarly, the mean weight of prostate samples after B-TURP was lower than the weight before resection (36.2±7.3 and 48.4±9.1 respectively, p<0.001). However, the ratio of tissue loss in B-TURP (25.3%±2.5%) was significantly lower than in M-TURP (21.3%±3.7%) (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION
Prostate resection using electrocoagulation leads to a significant prostate tissue loss due to heat effect. Furthermore, tissue loss in B-TURP is slightly more than M-TURP.


The Nature of Early Word Comprehension: Symbols or Associations? Christopher W. Robinson (email@example.com) Center for Cognitive Science The Ohio State University 208F Ohio Stadium East, 1961 Tuttle Park Place Columbus, OH 43210, USA Erica M. Howard (firstname.lastname@example.com) Center for Cognitive Science The Ohio State University 207D Ohio Stadium East, 1961 Tuttle Park Place Columbus, OH 43210, USA Vladimir M. Sloutsky (email@example.com) Center for Cognitive Science The Ohio State University 208C Ohio Stadium East, 1961 Tuttle Park Place Columbus, OH 43210, USA Woodward, Markman, & Fitzsimmons, 1994), and extend these words to other objects in the category (Campbell & Namy, 2003). By 14- to 15-months of age, children can learn words by simply detecting correlations between words and objects in the environment (Schafer & Plunkett, 1998; Werker, Cohen, Lloyd, Casasola, & Stager, 1998), and shortly after, children can fast map words to objects in the environment (Carey & Bartlett, 1978; Markson & Bloom, 1997; see Woodward & Markman, 1998, for a review). Although the developmental changes that occur in early word learning are well documented, the underlying nature of children's early word comprehension is not fully understood. For example, adults understand that words refer or stand for objects and categories and differ from sounds that they simply go with objects (e.g., a four-legged pet can be substituted by the word dog but not by a barking sound). Do young infants at the onset of word learning understand the referential and symbolic nature of words or are words better understood as features that are associated with objects? From one perspective it has been argued that by 9-months of age children already have assumptions that words but not sounds refer to categories (e.g., Waxman, 2003), and it would be difficult if not impossible for word learning to begin without children making assumptions that words are symbols that refer to objects and categories (e.g., Golinkoff, Mervis, & Hirsh-Pasek, 1994). From a very different perspective, children's assumptions about words are better understood as features that are associated with objects. In particular, it has been argued that children do not perceive words as symbols or semantic markers, rather, words affect behavior on a variety of cognitive tasks by influencing the overall similarity of compared entities (Sloutsky & Fisher, 2004; Abstract The current study investigated comprehension of object labels in young children. Eight- and 14-month olds were presented with pairs of pictures (e.g., dog and ball) to establish infants' initial looking preferences and then children heard a linguistic label (e.g., dog). Only 14-month-olds reliably increased looking to the referents after hearing the labels relative to their initial preference, which suggests that 14-month-olds were familiar with the word-object relations used in the current task. When the referent was paired with the source of the auditory information (e.g., dog paired with a person) and children heard a label (e.g., dog), 8-month-olds increased looking to the person relative to their initial preference and 14-month-olds' comprehension of the word-object relations dropped to chance. These findings are consistent with the notion that children's early word comprehension is associative in nature and questions whether young children understand the symbolic nature of words. Keywords: Cognitive Development, Attention, Language Acquisition, Psychology, Human Experimentation. Introduction By 6- to 7-months of age, children begin recognizing familiar words embedded within the speech stream (Jusczyk & Aslin, 1995) and around 8-9 months of age infants (according to parental reports) begin associating words with objects in the environment (Fenson, et al., 1994). Although word learning during the first year is often described as a slow and laborious process, children become very efficient at learning words during the second and third years of life. For example, under certain conditions, 12- to 14-month-old children ably associate words with objects (Woodward & Hoyne, 1999;


Nova Aquilæ No. 2. Late in the evening of August 31, a telegram was received from Harvard College Observatory announcing the discovery of a new star by Mrs. Fleming in R. A. i8 56.9, Decl. — 4 34'. The telegram stated that it was of the seventh magnitude on August 18th, and fading rapidly. This is the second new star discovered in Aquila by Mrs. Fleming. Photometric measures were immediately begun here with the Rumford wedge photometer (see these Publications, Vol. XVII, p. 121), and have been continued to the present date. Eight comparison stars were selected covering a range of about eight magnitudes, two stars observed in the meridian photometry (Aw. H. C. O., Vol. XXIV, 154) being included. The following table gives rough positions of the eight referred to the Nova; the magnitudes of the five determined in the course of the observations ; and reference . data. The position of the Nova for 1900.0 is : R:A. i8 56 m 48-5, Decl. —4 35' 17".


The nanocrystalline cubic Phase of zirconia was found to be thermally stabilized by the addition of 2.56 to 17.65 mol % Y2O3 (5.0 to 30.0 mol % Y, 95.0 to 70.0 mol % Zr cation content). The cubic phase of yttria stabilized zirconia was prepared by thermal decomposition of the hydroxides at 400°C for 1 hr. 2.56 mol % Y2O3-ZrO2 was stable up to 800°C in an argon atmosphere. The samples with 4.17 to 17.65 mol % Y2O3 were stable to 1200°C and higher. All samples at temperatures between 1450°C to 1700°C were cubic except the sample with 2.56 mol % Y2O3 which was tetragonal. The crystallite sizes observed for the cubic phase ranged from 50 to 150 A at temperatures below 900°C and varied from 600 to 800 nm between 1450°C and 1700°C. Control of furnace atmosphere is the main factor for obtaining the cubic phase of Y-SZ at higher temperature.

Nanocrystalline cubic Fe-SZ (Iron Stabilized Zirconia) with crystallite sizes from 70 to 137 A was also prepared at 400°C. It transformed isothermally at temperatures above 800°C to the tetragonal Fe-SZ and ultimately to the monoclinic phase at 900°C. The addition of up to 30 mol % Fe(III) thermally stabilized the cubic phase above 800°C in argon. Higher mol % resulted in a separation of Fe2O3. The nanocrystalline cubic Fe-SZ containing a minimum 20 mol % Fe (III) was found to have the greatest thermal stability. The particle size was a primary factor in determining cubic or tetragonal formation. The oxidation state of Fe in zirconia remained Fe3+. Fe-SZ lattice parameters and rate of particle growth were observed to decrease with higher iron content. The thermal stability of Fe-SZ is comparable with that of Ca-SZ, Mg-SZ and Mn-SZ prepared by this method.


ABSTRACT This essay is a response to Angela Harris' "Racing Law: Legal Scholarship and the Critical Race Revolution." It further explores what Harris calls the "grammars of governance" from a historical case-law perspective and from the structure of our contemporary educational organization. First, a little-known case involving violence to a slave from North Carolina is analyzed to exemplify the devastating racial ramifications that results from the manipulation of words and meanings. Second, our contemporary funding structure in public education is called into question to further show an ongoing acquiescence to the "grammars of governance" that projects equality but nevertheless sustains inequality.


1M.Tech Marine Engineering and Mechanical Handling, Andhra University College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam. 2Professor, Department of Marine Engineering, Andhra University College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam. 3Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Raghu Engineering College, Visakhapatnam. ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract The ever increasing demand from aerospace industries, automotive industries and marine industries to manufacture components which lighter and stronger than conventional steel has prompted the significant usage of aluminium alloys..The effect of parameters on dry sliding wear characteristics of Al-Si alloys was studied. Aluminiumsilicon alloys containing 7%, 12% and 14% weight of silicon were synthesized using stir casting method. Dry sliding wear characteristics of samples were studied against a hardened carbon steel (Fe-2.3%Cr-0.9%C) using a pin-ondisc Wear Apparatus. The wear test carried out by varying one of the three parameters (Applied Load, Sliding Speed and Sliding Distance) and keeping other two constant at room temperature. Micro structural characterization was done using optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Hardness and wear characteristics of different samples have shown near uniform behaviour. The wear rate decreased when the percentage of silicon increases. Wear was observed to increase at higher applied load, higher sliding speed and higher sliding distance. The wear characteristics of Al-14%Si was observed superior to those of Al-7%Si and Al-12%Si due to the degree of refinement of their eutectic silicon.


Triclosan is a potent biocide that is included in a diverse range of products. This research was aimed to investigate the susceptibility of planktonic and biofilm-associated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to triclosan, and to identify potential mechanisms of adaptation. The effect of triclosan was studied on planktonic Salmonella (log and stationary phases), on biofilm-associated cells, on bacteria derived from disrupted biofilms and on a biofilm-deficient mutant. An eight-log reduction of exponentially growing cells was observed with 1000 m g mL (cid:1) 1 triclosan within 10 min, a 3.6-log reduction in stationary cells and a 6.3-log reduction in stationary cells of a biofilm-deficient mutant ( P o 0.05). Biofilm-associated cells were tolerant (1-log reduction). However, biofilm-derived cells showed sensitivity to triclosan similar to stationary-phase cells. Triclosan induced the transcription of fabI and micF . Within biofilms, triclosan also up-regulated the transcription of acrAB , encoding for an efflux pump, marA , and the cellulose-synthesis-coding genes bcsA and bcsE . Thus, Salmonella within biofilms could experience reduced influx, increased efflux and enhanced exopolysaccharides production. Our results demonstrated that the tolerance of Salmonella towards triclosan in the biofilm was attributed to low diffusion through the extracellular matrix, while changes of gene expression might provide further resistance to triclosan and to other antimicrobials.


It is discussed that preventive treatment of disease is guiding preventing and treating the chronic bronchitis,provide the reference for the clinical practice.The remission shoulded adopted measures like adjusts smooth emotions,reasonable work and rest,moderate movement and exercise.In the acute stage,it is not onlg the cause of disease treatment,but also according to the change tendency of pathogenesis,using coordinates to nourish Yin and lung,benefiting Qi to warming Yang,resolving phlegm and activating blood circulation and so on,interrupts chain of the changes,reduces appearance of complication.


As malware increases nowadays, it is necessary to safeguard your system from the malware. Malware is being protected by traditional methods but it only protects system from the malware whose signature is known. So we aim to prepare a software which detects the malware (signature is unknown) by the malware( signature is known) and after detecting the malware, steps must be taken to retrain the model and disallow the malware to compromise the system. For detecting the malware already known machine learning methods such as random forest classifier, multi view ensemble learning etc. will be used.


Significance Microbial parasites may behave collectively to manipulate their host's behavior. We examine adaptations of a microbial parasite in its natural environment: the body of its coevolved and manipulated host. Electron microscopy and 3D reconstructions of host and parasite tissues reveal that this fungus invades muscle fibers throughout the ant's body but leaves the brain intact, and that the fungal cells connect to form extensive networks. The connections are likened to structures that aid in transporting nutrients and organelles in several plant-associated fungi. These findings alter the current view of parasite-extended phenotypes by demonstrating that behavior control does not require the parasite to physically invade the host brain and that parasite cells may coordinate to change host behavior. Some microbes possess the ability to adaptively manipulate host behavior. To better understand how such microbial parasites control animal behavior, we examine the cell-level interactions between the species-specific fungal parasite Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato and its carpenter ant host (Camponotus castaneus) at a crucial moment in the parasite's lifecycle: when the manipulated host fixes itself permanently to a substrate by its mandibles. The fungus is known to secrete tissue-specific metabolites and cause changes in host gene expression as well as atrophy in the mandible muscles of its ant host, but it is unknown how the fungus coordinates these effects to manipulate its host's behavior. In this study, we combine techniques in serial block-face scanning-electron microscopy and deep-learning–based image segmentation algorithms to visualize the distribution, abundance, and interactions of this fungus inside the body of its manipulated host. Fungal cells were found throughout the host body but not in the brain, implying that behavioral control of the animal body by this microbe occurs peripherally. Additionally, fungal cells invaded host muscle fibers and joined together to form networks that encircled the muscles. These networks may represent a collective foraging behavior of this parasite, which may in turn facilitate host manipulation.


One of the unique features of the SRM is it requires only a unipolar current for its four-quadrant operation, thus simplifying the converter topologies. This chapter considers the analysis and design of one such converter with minimum switches. It is the C-dump converter for use in non-bifilar wound SRM drive. The analysis of this topology includes the evaluation of the switching losses of the power switching devices and diodes, their current and voltage stresses, the relationship between the energy storage capacitor, the inductor and the duty cycle of the energy recovery circuit and the efficiency of the overall system for a given switching frequency. From the analysis, a design procedure for the converter circuit is developed. The theoretical analysis and design procedure, both validated with experimental results obtained from a laboratory prototype, are presented in this chapter. The computer simulation is performed to verify the theoretical analysis and experimental results. The PFC circuit has been introduced widely in small dc-to-dc power supplies [36-55] and in VSDs [56-63] very recently. The topologies for PFC circuits for small dc to dc power supplies and VSDs are very different. The predominant PFC circuit used in the dc-to-dc power supplies is the single switch boost topology where the power levels rarely exceed 1 kW. Beyond this power level, the bridge configurations are preferred as given in the reference [41]. The single switch boost topology is ideal for the appliance drives as they are quite feasible within the power level of 1 kW and mostly operate from a single-phase utility input. This topology is considered for the appliance VSD in this study. At the end of this chapter the input PF corrected SRM-based VSD system is proposed. This chapter is constructed as follows. The principle of operation of SRM is introduced in Section 3.2. The C-dump converter which is one of the minimum switch per phase converter family is fully analyzed and experimentally verified with a significant power level in Section 3.3. The controllers developed for C-dump converter based SRM drive system are explained in Section 3.4. The validation of analysis and experimental and simulation results are presented in Section 3.5. The PF corrected SRM drive is proposed and experimental results are analyzed in Section 3.6. The key conclusions are drawn in Section 3.7. The SRM operates on the reluctance principle [2, 9]. The reluctance property causes the rotor iron to be attracted in order …


Neutrons stars are unique laboratories for discriminating between the various proposed equations of state of matter at and above nuclear density. One sub-class of neutron stars—those inside quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries (qLMXBs)—produce a thermal surface emission from which the neutron star radius (RNS) can be measured, using the widely accepted observational scenario for qLMXBs, assuming unmagnetized H atmospheres. In a combined spectral analysis, this work first reproduces a previously published measurement of the RNS, assumed to be the same for all neutron stars, using a slightly expanded data set. The radius measured is . On the basis of spectral analysis alone, this measured value is not affected by imposing an assumption of causality in the core. However, the assumptions underlying this RNS measurement would be falsified by the observation of any neutron star with a mass >2.6 M☉, since radii would be rejected if causality is assumed, which would exclude most of the RNS parameter space obtained in this analysis. Finally, this work directly tests a selection of dense matter equations of state: WFF1, AP4, MPA1, PAL1, MS0, and three versions of equations of state produced through chiral effective theory. Two of those, MS0 and PAL1, are rejected at the 99% confidence level, accounting for all quantifiable uncertainties, while the other cannot be excluded at >99% certainty.


Digitalisation of the construction industry is changing the processes of the sector and the use of information about the elements allows various automated checks to be carried out, including checks to reduce the environmental impact of capital construction projects. The study examines ways of dealing with such information, examples of verification algorithms and a means of determining the value of verification.


Objectives: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the abnormalities in circadian blood pressure (BP) pattern are associated with the peak incidence of cardiovascular disease. Knowledge of seasonal variation of circadian BP rhythm is still limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the seasonal influences on circadian BP variation based on a telemonitoring system in a large-scale hypertensive patients. Methods: Between May 2017 and March 2018, 10988 participants received ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), of which the values were automatically and immediately transmitted through the mobile Internet to a Hypertension Management Cloud Platform which stored and analyzed the data. The patients from 63 centers residing in the northern cities of China and measured in summer (June-August) and winter (December-February) were included in the analyses. Results: 5861 hypertensive patients were studied, 57.7% of whom were female and 32.3% of which were drug-treated. There was no statistical difference in the demographic characteristics between the summer and winter groups. In summer, mean 24 h BP and daytime BP were lower (all p < 0.001), but night-time systolic BP was higher than that in winter (p < 0.001). In summer, dipping patterns of BP were significantly shrunk and reverse dipping patterns were prevalent compared with winter (15.1% vs. 34.1%, p < 0.001; 39.4% vs.17.7%, p < 0.001, respectively). Antihypertensive treatment had little influence on the seasonal variation of circadian BP patterns. Conclusion: Summer was associated with higher night-time BP and reversed the nocturnal fall in blood pressure among hypertensive patients, regardless of antihypertensive treatment.


Husserl argues in the Crisis that the prevalent tradition of positive science in his time had a philosophical core, called by him "Galilean science", that mistook the quest for objective theory with the quest for truth. Husserl is here referring to Gottingen science of the Golden Years. For Husserl, theory "grows" out of the "soil" of the prescientific, that is, pretheoretical, life-world. Scientific truth finally is to be sought not in theory but rather in the pragmatic-perceptual praxes of measurement. Husserl is faulted for taking measuring processes to be "infinitely perfectible". The dependence of new scientific phenomena on the existence of prior "prescientific" inductive praxis is analyzed, also Husserl's residual objectivism and failure to appreciate the hermeneutic character of measurement. Though not a scientific (theory-)realist, neither was he an instrumentalist, but he was a scientific (phenomena-)realist.


The problem of poverty has been very present in Polish public discourse since 1989. One often hears the opinion that the problem has come to the forefront because the systemic transformation has led to the emergence of poverty itself. It is difficult to agree with such a simplified opinion. In ancien regime propaganda the metaphors of poverty, want, hunger and homelessness were reserved for the purpose of discrediting the capitalist system whereas the scale of these phenomena was diluted in empirical publications and presented in euphemistic terms. The presence of such a social problem as poverty could not be revealed so as not to shake the ideological foundations of the system. For these reasons those who study poverty more and more often agree that poverty is not a static state, it is a dynamic process, spread out in time. Not only must researchers identify and describe the present situation, they must also submit the previous decades of communist Poland to a secondary analysis, in order to identify past poverty and with it, some of the sources of present-day penury. It is therefore no accident that researchers want to learn more about the continuity and change of poverty in Poland and the history of poverty in post-communist countries. These questions were the focal point of the scientific meeting reported below.


In the recent era, an alternative fuel plays a vital role in the automobile and petroleum industry because of the fuel (petrol and diesel) demand, development of industries and diminution of natural resources. The economic way to produce bio-diesel from various resources and mixing or blending bio-oil with diesel, this method can widely follow by all developing and developed countries. This paper mainly examines the consumption of pine oil, methanol and eucalyptus blend with diesel in a diesel engine, the performance and emission characteristics of three different blends of pine oil, methanol, and eucalyptus oils. It is found that the above said bio-diesel blend is the best substitute for the pure diesel which plays a vital role against natural resource which may help the future generation. From these reports, the outcome of bio-diesel against engine power, economy, durability and combustion, and the corresponding effect factors are surveyed and analysed in detail.


BACKGROUND
The western corn rootworm is an economically important pest of corn. Management tactics include pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides, which may be applied as a mixture to protect corn roots. The goal of our study was to characterize the effects of pyrethroids and organophosphates alone and in combination on larval corn rootworm mortality and injury to corn roots. We evaluated two insecticide combinations: tebupirimphos with β-cyfluthrin, and chlorethoxyfos with bifenthrin. Using a soil-based, laboratory bioassay, we exposed larvae to five concentrations of the pyrethroid alone, the organophosphate alone, the combined formulation, and a water control. We calculated LC50 values and co-toxicity factors to determine synergism or antagonism between organophosphates and pyrethroids. We also measured adult emergence and root injury in a field experiment that tested tebupirimphos alone, β-cyfluthrin alone, the combined formulation, and an untreated control.

RESULTS
Bioassay results indicated antagonism between the pyrethroid and organophosphate at most concentrations for both insecticide combinations. In the field experiment, tebupirimphos alone or in combination with β-cyfluthrin significantly reduced adult emergence and root injury compared to the untreated controls, but β-cyfluthrin alone did not differ from the untreated control for either metric.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that, at the concentrations tested, the pyrethroid component of pyrethroid-organophosphate mixtures may not contribute to a reduction of rootworm emergence or root injury. While these pyrethroids may confer a management benefit for other pests, such as seedcorn maggot, the concentrations of pyrethroids present in current formulations of these mixtures are likely too low for effective rootworm management. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


There is a definite need for effective intervention programs that address the social-emotional, character and healthy development of preschool children. Strong social-emotional skills are necessary for children to be ready for school and so they can start on a trajectory of positive physical, mental, cognitive, behavioral and social-emotional development. A positive trajectory will also help prevent negative and unhealthy behaviors and failure later in life. The Positive Action program has a long history of effectiveness in schools (K-12) and communities, but has only recently developed lessons for preschool settings. This paper reports the results of the first evaluation of these lessons. Students were randomly assigned to classrooms/instructors who had previously been assigned to offer Positive Action lessons or not. Instructors in both Positive Action and control classrooms rated student behavior at pretest and immediate posttest. Results suggest that the Positive Action Pre-K lessons are effective at improving Pre-K student skills and behaviors across all of the domains that the program addresses.


ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Platycladi Semen was recorded in Shen Nong's Herbal Classic and was considered a herbal medicine with low toxicity after long-term medication. Multiple traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions containing Platycladi Semen have been used to treat insomnia. Modern clinical practitioners commonly use Platycladi Semen to treat anxiety disorders, but there are few studies on its composition and anxiolytic mechanisms.

AIM OF THE STUDY
To describe the main components of Platycladi Semen and investigate its anxiolytic effects and mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The main components of Platycladi Semen were characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The anxiolytic effects of oral Platycladi Semen were evaluated in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced mice. To explore the anxiolytic mechanisms of Platycladi Semen, serum non-targeted metabolomics combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking was performed.

RESULTS
Fourteen compounds were identified in the 50% methanol extract and 11 fatty acid derivatives were identified in the methyl-esterified fatty oil of Platycladi Semen. In CUMS mice, both the aqueous extract and fatty oil of Platycladi Semen had anxiolytic effects, which were shown by the increase in the time and frequency of mice entering the open arm in the elevated plus maze (EPM) experiment. Through serum non-targeted metabolomics, 34 differential metabolites were identified, and lipid metabolic pathways such as sphingolipid metabolism, steroidogenesis, alpha-linoleic acid, and linoleic acid metabolism were enriched. Through network pharmacology, 109 targets of the main components in Platycladi Semen were identified, and the 'neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction' and 'lipid metabolism' were enriched. The molecular docking results showed that the main components in Platycladi Semen could bind to the key targets such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARA), fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5), fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).

CONCLUSION
This study indicated that Platycladi Semen has anxiolytic effects, and the anxiolytic mechanisms may be the regulation of lipid metabolism and the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction.


Markup language executable on a client device for use in a client / server system, comprising a voice input based on the client device and a client based on multiple unified pattern for each client with no display identify relevant events network server machine equipment interaction, GUI events and telephony events in at least one. Also it provides an identification server for receiving data indicating a client device is provided to input data, and for indicating a recognition grammar.


SUMMARY

In cases of combined recto-vaginal and vesico-vaginal fistulae as seen occasionally in irradiated or otherwise treated carcinomata of the cervix, it is advised, particularly when these fistulae seem inoperable, to construct a double-looped sigmoid artificial anus on the left, to divide the distal sigmoid at its rectal junction and to close it, in order to implant the ureters in this sealed-off part of the intestinal tract.

In this way, even greatly dilated ureters can be safely implanted. The operation is a minor one; there is no intestinal anastomosis, faeces and urine remain separated in the patient, only one collecting bag is required which under proper care contains clear urine. The urinary tract in this deviation is remote from the carcinoma, so that further growth will not readily threaten it again.


Objective To investigate the expressions of hypoxia induced factor-1α (HIF-1α) protein and HIF-1α mRNA in human gliomas and find out the correlation with glioma grades and the significance. Methods The expressions of HIF-1α protein and HIF-1α mRNA in 41 human gliomas and 8 normal brain tissues were detected by means of SABC immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, and the positive expression rates in different glioma grades were compared. Results HIF-1α positive expression rate was 56.1% (23/41) in gliomas and 0 in normal brain tissues. The positive rate was significantly higher in gliomas than in normal brain tissues (P 0.05). HIF-1 positive expression rate was 42.3% (11/26) in pathological Grade Ⅰ + Ⅱ and 80.0% (12/15) in Ⅲ+Ⅳ. HIF-1α was more highly expressed in high glioma grades than in low grades (P 0.05). Expression of HIF-1α mRNA was not significantly different between glioma and normal brain tissues (P 0.05); neither was between each glioma grades. Conclusion HIF-1α is over expressed in gliomas, and there is a significant correlation with glioma grades. It can help glioma cells survive in the condition of hypoxia. It also helps to promote the growth and progression of gliomas. The expression of HIF-1α in gliomas is regulated in the level of post transcription.


With technology scaling, transient faults are becoming an increasing threat to hardware reliability. Commodity systems must be made resilient to these in-field faults through very low-cost resiliency solutions. Software-level symptom detection techniques have emerged as promising low-cost and effective solutions. While the current user-visible Silent Data Corruption (SDC) rates for these techniques is relatively low, eliminating or significantly lowering the SDC rate is crucial for these solutions to become practically successful. Identifying and understanding program sections that cause SDCs is crucial to reducing (or eliminating) SDCs in a cost effective manner. This paper provides a detailed analysis of code sections that produce over 90% of SDCs for six applications we studied. This analysis facilitated the development of program-level detectors that catch errors in quantities that are either accumulated or active for a long duration, amortizing the detection costs. These low-cost detectors significantly reduce the dependency on redundancy-based techniques and provide more practical and flexible choice points on the performance vs. reliability trade-off curve. For example, for an average of 90%, 99%, or 100% reduction of the baseline SDC rate, the average execution overheads of our approach versus redundancy alone are respectively 12% vs. 30%, 19% vs. 43%, and 27% vs. 51%.


Evolution of digital devices and computers makes an increasing attraction in document image analysis. Many of the paper documents have been transferred and stored using digital devices in large manner. In this work, we have done image enhancement techniques to reduce the noises from degraded document images. Here, we have taken sample images from Document Image Binarization Contest (DIBCO) dataset images. We have done contrast stretching, histogram equalization, noise filtering, Laplacian transformation, global and local thresholding methods to remove show-through noise, uneven illumination noise and shot noise from degraded document images using OpenCV open source software. Further, performance metrics were estimated to understand the efficiency of the above methods in removing the aforementioned noises.


This fact sheet, the first in a series from Mathematica's study of the insurance decisions made by Medicare beneficiaries, looks at enrollment and plan participation trends, availability of plan choices, and other factors.


While service quality receives growing attention in the construction industry, few studies have dealt with the relation between craftsmen and building users. However, when office staff are present in the building during conversion projects (refurbishment or office completion) craftsmen and users will interact. To analyse how this craftsman‐user interaction leads to satisfied or dissatisfied users and ultimately to reputations in the market, a questionnaire survey of office staff and craftsmen in two refurbishment and one office completion project has been carried out. While critical incidents are not as important as expected, the service provided by the contractor appears to be the key to improved reputation. Furthermore, minimizing noise and dust produced should reduce the number of negative views from building users. Findings from the craftsmen survey identify information and work satisfaction as fundamental ingredients for a contractor striving for a positive relation with the users.


Innovative application of risk assessment techniques and the development of complex computer models by Geo-Eng in partnership with Hazelwood Power Corporation (HPC) has reduced the cost of groundwater extraction at Hazelwood Mine by 10% per year. Hazelwood Mine is a major producer of brown coal for the electricity supply industry in Victoria. As an essential part of the mine safety program artesian groundwater must be depressurised to avoid floor heave, batter stability and water ingress to the mine. However, this activity, developed over the last thirty years, is a major cost to mine operations. In carrying out the Aquifer Depressurisation System Optimisation project the challenge was to reduce costs to meet a more competitive market without compromising mine safety. Equally important is the reduction of environmental effects due to depressurisation. Innovative design approaches, including the development of a probabilistic groundwater modelling program and the application of risk analysis, were required to enable the quantification of risks and costs associated with various depressurisation strategies. The project has delivered reduced costs, a positive environmental impact, opportunities for staff professional development and an innovative design tool.


We aimed to evaluate choroid structural changes using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) following hemodialysis initiation in diabetic and nondiabetic patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). In this multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional study, diabetic (DM group; 30 eyes; 16 patients) and nondiabetic patients (NDM group; 30 eyes; 15 patients) with ESKD were evaluated after hemodialysis initiation. SS-OCT findings were analyzed using a manual delineation technique and binarization method before the first and last hemodialysis sessions, conducted approximately 2 weeks apart. Subfoveal choroidal thickness changes and mean large choroidal vessel layer thickness were significantly greater in the DM group (−13.3% ± 2.5% and −14.5% ± 5.2%, respectively) than the NDM group (−9.5% ± 3.1% and −9.2% ± 3.4%, respectively; p = 0.049 and p = 0.02, respectively). Binarized SS-OCT analysis revealed that the mean subfoveal choroidal area was significantly larger in the DM group (−21.9% ± 6.5%) than the NDM group (−17.2% ± 5.9%; p = 0.032). The change ratio in mean luminal area values was significantly greater in the DM group (−27.7% ± 8.7%) than the NDM group (−17.7% ± 5.8%; p = 0.007). The DM group exhibited substantial changes in the choroidal layer, possibly reflecting choroidal vascular disorders caused by diabetes.


Global tides create continuous input of mechanical energy to the ocean, and produce inertia-gravity waves which change the processes of vertical mixing, affect background stratification, create mean and zonal currents. Internal and inertial wave attractors may arise in natural ocean and coastal topography, and due to energy accumulation they produce turbulence or increase turbulence intensity even for moderate values of the input energy. Previous studies of internal wave attractors at a laboratory scale were concerned mostly with basins of comparable vertical and horizontal dimensions, while in ocean we typically deal with horizontally elongated geometries and low ratios between the tidal and buoyancy frequencies. In this work we describe laminar and turbulent regimes of internal wave attractors in domains with large aspect ratio subject to forcing at low non-dimensional frequency.


Organized mapping activities within OpenStreetMap frequently lead to the production of massive amounts of data over a short period. In this article we utilize a novel procedure to identify such large‐scale data production events in the history of OpenStreetMap and analyze their patterns. We find that events account for a significant share of OpenStreetMap data and that organizational practices have shifted over time towards local knowledge‐based events and well‐organized data imports. However, regions in the "Global South" remain dependent on remote mapping events, pointing to uneven geographies of representation. We also find that events are frequently followed by periods of increased activity, with the exact nature of effects depending on contextual elements such as previous events. These findings portray organized activities as a significant and unique component which requires consideration when using OpenStreetMap data and analyzing their quality.