The later Wittgenstein believes that there are unlimited forms of language that can lead to language-games. In one of these forms of language-game, from the viewpoint of the later Wittgenstein, the verbal language in the recognition of communication not only represents thought, but in broader and social definitions, can serve as a sign for expressing power relations. This thought is reflected in the discourse between dominant forces in society. In this discourse, the power that takes advantage of verbal language is recognized as the center, who tries to impose its way of thinking on the margins. In the course of this language-game, however, the center is not fixed, and the margins periodically become the center and recreate itThe reflections of this theory can be explored in the performing arts form of Takht Houzi (also Siah-Bazi) as an Iranian traditional-ritual play. In this form, the master represents and acts as the center (power) that molds its superiority in a discourse with Black (Siah) Meanwhile, Black, as a marginal type from the traditional community, resists the center/master through verbal measures (known as the Kaka'i language). The paper aims to study the play that name Soltan and Siyah by Ali Nasirian, with the analytical-descriptive approach, first delineate the language-game theory of the later Wittgenstein, and then examine the verbal actions embedded in Takht Houzi to shows how social criticism is shaped by this notion and is represented by the margincenter game within the verbal language.


Since spherical roller bearings (SRBs) can carry high load in both axial and radial direction, they are increasingly used in industrial machineries and it is becoming important to understand the dynamic behavior of SRBs, especially when they are affected by internal imperfections. A dynamic model is reported herein for the study of vibrations of deep groove ball bearings having single and multiple defects on surfaces of inner and outer races. Masses of shaft, housing, races, and balls are considered in the modeling. The model provides the vibrations of shaft, balls, and housing in time and frequency domains. Rolling element bearings find widespread domestic and industrial application; Defects in bearing unless detected in time may lead to malfunctioning of the machinery. Different methods are used for detection and diagnosis of the bearing defects. This paper presents the literature review of ball bearing. It is essential to study the performance characteristics under different loading and operating conditions. Here in this paper different parameters and defect which are responsible for the performance of ball bearing where investigated.


The cluster ensemble approach is gaining more and more attention in recent years due to its useful applications in bioinformatics and pattern recognition. In this paper, we present a new cluster ensemble approach named as the neural gas based cluster ensemble algorithm (NGCEA) for class discovery from biological meaningful data, NGCEA first adopts the perturbed function to generate a set of new datasets. Then, it proposes to adopt the neural gas algorithm to obtain the clustering solutions from the perturbed datasets, In the following, NGCEA views the row of each clustering solution as the new features, and forms a new dataset. Finally, it adopts the neural gas algorithm as consensus function to perform clustering again on the new dataset and obtains the final result. The experiments in cancer datasets show that (i)NGCEA works well on most of cancer datasets (ii) NGCEA outperforms most of the state-of-the-art cluster ensemble algorithms when applied to gene expression data


Summary

During fiscal year 1983–84, Ontario general hospitals admitted 2651 patients with a primary diagnosis of alcohol dependence or non-dependent use of alcohol but with no secondary diagnoses requiring treatments only available in hospital. These averaged 10.7 days in hospital and the total cost of their hospitalization (excluding medical services) was estimated at $7.4 million. Many of these admissions appear to have been for alcohol detoxication or for psychosocial treatments of alcohol abuse. Because alternative, more cost-effective methods for detoxication and treatment are suggested by the research literature, efforts to use and develop such alternatives in local communities are recommended.


Double-density dual-tree complex wavelet transform is introduced to image fusion based on multi-resolution, multifocus images are decomposed by double-density dual-tree complex wavelet transform with multi-scale, multi-direction and shiftinvariance of nonsubsampled transform and according to variable characters of low and high frequency coefficients , different combination decisions are adopted to fuse images and composite coefficients are reconstructed by double-density dual-tree complex wavelet inverse transform. Some fusion experiments are done by several sets of multi-focus images and objective performance assessments are fulfilled to evaluate fusion results. The experimental results indicate that more favourable fusion performance is generated and image detail is described more fine.


In many applications real-time processing of non-stationary signals is required. This paper presents a digital/optical hybrid system which uses an optical co-processor for high speed processing and a digital computer for programmable flexibility. This system was primarily designed as a pattern recognition system for classification of non-stationary signals.


The photolysis of acetone in the presence of methyl alcohol and of methyl-d3 alcohol has been studied between 406 and 472° K. The rates and Arrhenius parameters for the following abstraction reactions have been determined: At 182 °C the rate of reaction [b] is found to be approximately four times greater than the rate of reaction [c].


Abstract : Development of a pressure ulcer acutely following spinal cord injury (SCI) has a devastating impact on the progress of initial rehabilitation for too many active duty military and veterans. All persons with SCI are at increased risk of pressure ulcer development which remains one of the most significant secondary complications for these individuals. Susceptibility appears to be unique for each individual. Changes in soft tissue composition and function following SCI may provide the key to personalized risk status which the clinician can employ to determine each individuals optimal pressure ulcer prevention regime. Good risk assessment tools are currently not available to reliably identify the individual with acute SCI at risk of pressure ulcers. This project is investigating potential linkages between skeletal muscle tissue biomarkers and tissue resilience under applied loads in individuals with acute SCI at risk for pressure ulcer development. In the first six months of this observational study we have developed a framework for an objective pressure ulcer risk assessment tool to reliably identify more susceptible individuals within this high-risk population and provide the basis for personalized clinical management of tissue health. Recruitment and data collection are ongoing to collate patient data on tissue health and muscle composition.


This study investigates the effectiveness of cultural instruction in a junior college EFL reading classroom located in Taiwan. Cultural materials were developed by an experienced Taiwanese instructor, and cultural instruction was placed at the center of the curriculum. Data included student questionnaires and interviews, interviews with the instructor and the researcher's observation field notes. The results show that the cultural instruction was considered beneficial by the students and that it generated positive effects in various aspects. In addition, the students considered small group activities and presentations helpful in terms of their acquisition of cultural knowledge and increasing their English abilities. Furthermore, the instructor considered the cultural instruction effective and was pleased with the students' learning and performance, but she also voiced concerns regarding culture teaching and learning.


It is very common that CMOS wafer fabs have distinct process solutions simultaneously in production for several technology generations. This adds complexity to manufacturing logistics, machine utilization and quality assurance. We have developed a scaleable CMOS modular platform that covers supply voltages of 1.8, 2.5, 3.3 and 5.0 Volt by adjusting only a few process parameters. Ninety percent of the process steps are common. This new CMOS process scheme can be modified to meet analog requirements, i.e. for radio frequency (RF) system applications.


Abstract:This article considers student resistance to course content that challenged the dominant narrative of Scandinavian heritage on the Northern Plains. The course viewed the Scandinavian-American immigration to the Upper Midwest through the lens of literary giants such as Drude Krog Jansen, Vilhelm Moberg, and Ole Edvart Rølvaag, but the course also questioned the relative scholarly silence devoted to encounters between Scandinavian Americans and Native Americans during periods of land-taking, settlement, and conflict, including the U.S.–Dakota War. Nonfiction books by Jon Gjerde and Carlton C. Qualey, Karen V. Hansen, and Karl Jakob Skarstein, among others, complicate and inform the realities of life in North Dakota and Minnesota during these years. The article discusses strategies for students' reflective writing assignments and lessons learned from formative and summative assessment during the semester. It concludes with possible revisions and plans for subsequent offerings of the course, including intentional work to incorporate best practices within diversity, inclusion, and equity to ensure student success.


Model order selection and parameter estimation for Gaussian mixture model (GMM) are important issues for clustering analysis and density estimation. Most methods for model selection usually add a penalty term in the objective function that can penalize the models and choose an optimal one from a set of candidate models. This paper presents a simple and novel approach to determine the number of components and simultaneously estimate the parameters for GMM. By introducing the degenerating model, the proposed approach overcomes the drawback of likelihood estimate that is a non-decreasing function and can not be used to select the number of components. The degenerating model is a more general form of mixture component density and it can degenerate into the component density or a crater-like density when its parameter K varies from 1 to a bigger value. The likelihood of the crater-like density evaluated for the training data approximates to zero. This characteristic of the degenerating model forms the foundation of the proposed approach. The experimental results show robust and evident performance improvement of the approach.


Abstract This paper seeks to explain national government allocations of urban budgets in England, which changed dramatically over the 1966 to 2003 period. The paper sets out three perspectives on major policy change: partisan shifts, external shocks, and media-agenda punctuations, which link respectively to the literatures on the policy-opinion link, the impact of political violence on welfare policy outputs, and on the media and agenda-setting. After discussing descriptive statistics, the analysis uses a time series regression model to explain budget change, with media attention to urban issues, public opinion on economic issues, unemployment, partisan control, and measures of urban riots as the explanatory terms. The paper finds that the media agenda and the key riot year of 1981 are the best explanations of budget levels.


This paper presents the design methodology for the direct torque neuro-fuzzy controller for PWM VSI-fed induction motor drives. The control method is based on a neuro-fuzzy structure. This kind of structure usually makes the system more complicated and requires automatic tuning methods. In spite of this structure the presented direct torque neuro-fuzzy controller does not require a complicated tuning procedure and is characterised by an easy manual design methodology. The design is illustrated by oscillograms with laboratory test results. The direct torque neuro-fuzzy controller guarantees very good dynamic and steady state characteristics, which are also shown on the measurement results.


Objective  To identify the accessibility of sources of pre‐admission medication (PAM) information, to quantify agreement between the PAM list and the 'gold‐standard' PAM list (GS‐PAML) and to categorise disagreements.


Enhanced Gd-doped ceria electrostriction: This study uncovers new anisotropic properties in thin films, enhancing the effect along with the 〈100〉 directions by one order of magnitude and proposing a new microscopic model to explain such findings.


We define appearance design as the creation and editing of scene content such as lighting and surface materials in computer graphics. The appearance design process takes a significant amount of time relative to other production tasks and poses difficult artistic challenges. Many user interfaces have been proposed to make appearance design faster, easier, and more expressive, but no formal validation of these interfaces had been published prior to our body of work. With a focus on novice users, we present a series of investigations into the strengths and weaknesses of various appearance design user interfaces. In particular, we develop an experimental methodology for the evaluation of representative user interface paradigms in the areas of lighting and material design. We conduct three user studies having subjects perform design tasks under controlled conditions. In these studies, we discover new insight into the effectiveness of each paradigm for novices measured by objective performance as well as subjective feedback. We also offer observations on common workflow and capabilities of novice users in these domains. We use the results of our lighting study to develop a new representation for artistic control of lighting, where light travels along nonlinear paths.


A method for the rapid determination of the temperature rise and the time constant of electrcal machinery and apparatus, based on the exponential heating and the Hak curves, is described. Tests are produced showing that there is a satisfactory agreement between the figures and curves of the graphical method by shor-duration tests and those obtained by measurement from long heat-runs. The theory of the Hak curve is discussed in the Appendix and its calcualtion fully explained. Finally a table of ?Calculations and Plottings for the standard Hak Cuve? is given from which this curve can be constructed and the method immediately applied.


country with few geographical barriers to protect itself against foreign incursions into its heartlands. The British extended their influence over Xinjiang in order to contain Russia and to protect the border between British India and Xinjiang. To tap Xinjiang's natural resources, Japan increased its activities in Manchukuo, a puppet state of Japan established in northeast China in 1931. The Soviet Union became an ally of the proSoviet governor of Xinjiang, Sheng Shicai, who helped in the defeat of the First East Turkestan Republic, a short-lived republic established by Islamic insurgents. The Soviet Union turned away from Sheng and supported the East Turkestan independence movement in 1942 after Sheng betrayed the Soviet Union and paid allegiance to Nationalist government. The shift in Soviet support gave birth to the Second East Turkestan Republic in 1944. The Soviet Union later withdrew all its support to the East Turkestan Republic after the latter formed an alliance with the United States, Britain, and China to fight the Axis powers. The Soviet Union decided to forego any interests in the East Turkestan Republic in return for China's recognition of Mongolian independence. Without the Soviet Union, the leaders of the East Turkestan Republic did not see any hope of victory in future armed conflicts with China. They were forced to negotiate a peace settlement with China. On the way to Beijing, the leaders were killed in an air crash. This marked the end of the Republic. The author provides many details and examples which convincingly show the crucial role played by the Soviets in the rise and demise of the Second East Turkestan Republic. The author relies heavily on first-hand accounts and publications in Uyghur, Chinese and Japanese in his treatise on the birth and collapse of the First and Second East Turkestan Republic. The first-hand data was enriched by interviews with high-ranking government officials of the Second East Turkestan Republic as well as with their descendants. Such a comprehensive review of archives and interviews was possible only because the author, as mentioned in an accompanying short biography, spent more than 10 years in Xinjiang before he enrolled at university and studied for a prolonged period in Japan for his master's and doctoral degrees. The discussion of the Second East Turkestan Republic is particularly detailed. The book documents the organization of the government, the names of major leaders, and the distribution of political power among social elites, rebel leaders and pro-Soviet intellectuals. It talks about how different groups of rebel forces joined hands, orchestrated by the Soviets. Easy to read, the book is a very useful reference for both laymen and scholars who are interested in the history of Xinjiang since the Qing Dynasty. The analysis in the first half of the book about the change from indirect to direct rule in Xinjiang may offer contemporary political leaders a recipe for governing restless territories. However, the discussion would have been more balanced if the author had devoted more chapters to the First East Turkestan Republic.


The genomic DNA of 22 wolfberry germplasms were tested with RAPD using 32 arbitrary 10-mer primers which were screened from 100 primers.The 162 polymorphic bands of 204 RAPD bands were obtained with thepercentage of polymorphic bands 79.41%.UPGMA cluster analysis based on RAPD markers data.The result showed that the RAPD approach was efficient in generating accurate information on genetic background,relationship and evolution of wolfberry germplasms.


This paper introduced the link between NRCMS and URBHI in Huzhu County of QingHai based on investigations.It was more better that integration of them was managed by Bureau of Health.The authors also proposed to simplify financing process,improve information system,unify basic drug list and improve running mechanism.


Thermonuclear reactors hold a great promise for the future of Humankind. Within Tokamak and Stellarator reactors, plasma is confined by twisted magnetic fields. Reactors which produce fusion energy have existed since Princeton Large Torus Tokamak in 1978, nevertheless in all reactors built up to now, energy loss from plasma vastly exceeded fusion energy production. In order for a thermonuclear power plant to run, generated fusion energy must significantly exceed energy loss by the plasma. There are four processes by which plasma looses energy – neutron radiation, Bremsstrahlung radiation, synchrotron radiation, and heat conduction to the walls. For a deuterium – tritium reactor, 80% of energy produced by fusion is lost to neutron radiation, about 4% to 6% of fusion energy is lost to Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation. For a deuterium – 3He reactor, 5% of energy produced by fusion is lost to neutron radiation, about 50% to 75% of fusion energy is lost to Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation. Increasing reactor operating temperature decreases loss to Bremsstrahlung radiation and increases loss to synchrotron radiation. Power loss to conduction is either independent or weakly dependent on fusion power production. Up to now, no single theoretical or experimental model can accurately predict conduction power loss. For small Tokamaks and Stellarators, conduction power loss vastly exceeds power generated by fusion. For large and powerful thermonuclear reactors which are yet to be built, conduction power loss should be much lower than power produced by fusion.


Great Britain's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), in replies to safety questions posed by the Secretary of State for Energy, Tony Benn, is confident that no injuries will result from a fast reactor accident. Tne NII points cut that, in contrast to other types of accidents, nuclear safety is always couched in terms of the worst possible situation. The worst nuclear situation is considered to be a combination of melt-down, partial core vaporization, and loss of containment in a semi-urban area. Much of the potential hazard is felt to be eliminated with remote siting. The newly formed Health and Safety Executive, of which NII is a part, investigates potential industrial accidents in order to establish preventive guidelines. NII feels that basalt below the core will contain a melt down and prevent melting into the ground below. A commercial fast reactor (CFR-1) is recommended as a way to identify safety problems for further study and to gain operating experience. Factual replies are made to many questions the NII feels to be anti-nuclear in intent. (DCK)


It was a potential technique to derive accurate DEMs from INSAR data.Baseline estimation was very critical to the accuracy of the final DEMs.Usually,the minor errors of baseline estimation induced a major slope in the derived DEMs.However,it was very difficult to estimate the baseline accurately so as to get DEMs with larger errors if there was no ground control point(GCP),such as the areas overseas.So,this paper presented a new baseline estimation method based on the principle of INSAR,which used the phases of flat earth.Two types of data were used to do experiments.One was acquired by the NASA Space-borne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar(SIR-C/X-SAR) on-board the NASA Space Shuttle in 1994.The other was obstained by a dual-antenna airborne system made in Institute of Electronics of Chinese Academy of Science(SAS).The results of the experiments showed that the new method could be used to get more accurate baseline parameters.What's more,it needed no control point.So,this method was fit for the baseline estimation of the data with no ground control point.


Chinese ancient novel began with Six Dynasties ghost novels,whose fantasy factors have far-reaching effect on future generations novel creation.The Chinese contemporary fantasy novel is one kind of new literature style in the new era,in which fantasy factor is the main body.Based on fantasy,the inheritance and breakthrough of the fantasy way of contemporary fantasy novels from Six Dynasties ghost novels can be traced.


Mathematics model and calculating approach of reliability indexes were set up based on the three-stage determination of the time length of the pressure pipeline.Using the bucket theory,calculation of actual reliability of pipeline and safety of target were done and thus formed the analysis technology of the reliability of long pressure pipeline in service.


An 84‐year‐old Japanese male had pruritic indurated erythema on his upper limb and left lower abdomen, which had developed abruptly two months before visiting our hospital. Hematological examination showed eosinophilia, 550/mm3. Histopathological findings were suggestive of erythema multiforme in response to a drug. By means of patch tests and a p.o. challenge test, Aczym®, a digestive enzyme drug, was shown to be the cause of his condition. Further study revealed that the specific ingredients involved were pancreatin and Taka‐diastase. An eruption resulting from ingestion of a digestive enzyme drug has not previously been reported.


The Manchurian walnut is a highly ornamental tree with large pinnate foliage and a beautiful broadly rounded crown. The species is naturally distributed in Russia in the Far East, as well as in Japan, Korea and North China. It grows in the composition of valley broad-leaved forests on deep, fertile, humus-rich and breathable soils. The Ussuri taiga owes much to its splendor and "tropical" appearance to the Manchurian walnut growing in it. In its homeland, the Manchurian walnut forms large trees, up to 27-29 m in height and 60-70, rarely 90-100 cm in trunk diameter. The root system is powerful, with a deep taproot and well-developed, shallow lateral roots. Trees are wind resistant. Stems are straight. The bark on young trunks is smooth, light gray, on old trunks it is dark gray, with deep longitudinal cracks. The crown is sparsely branched, openwork, on some trees - low-planted, spreading, growing in a plantation – more compact, highly raised. Lives up to 250 years or more. It is of particular interest for breeding work, as it deserves wider use as a valuable food, ornamental and medicinal plant. The fruits are of nutritional and technical importance. Manchurian walnut is the most winter-hardy of all walnut relatives. This paper provides a selection assessment of Manchurian walnut trees of different geographical origin, growing in the green zone of the city of Krasnoyarsk. The aim of the work is to analyze the selection evaluation of Manchurian walnut trees growing in the arboretum of the Siberian State University – an ecologically clean area of the city. When studying the variability, we identified a biogroup that is superior to the rest in height, trunk and crown diameter – B436. Biogroup D160 of Ussuri origin is inferior in size to plants of other biogroups. In 2020–2022, fruiting intensity was studied. Manchurian walnut trees bear fruit annually, but the yield is low: 24-78 fruits per tree. Selected specimens characterized by large-fruitedness and the largest mass of fruits: D 160 (1.2), B 316 (1.2). Given the significant variation in traits, specimens are being selected to obtain breeding planting material adapted to given environmental conditions.


In order to improve the performance of target damage assessment system,an intelligent target damage assessment method based on the data fusion of radar and infrared imaging sensor was proposed.For infrared sensor,the assessment algorithm of target image based on features was employed.The invariant moment features were extracted to select some features.For radar sensor,the target damage assessment method based on kinematics parameter was presented.Then,two basic probability assessment functions were obtained from radar and infrared assessment algorithms respectively,and the data fusion of radar and infrared sensors was achieved.Simulation results indicated that the assessment performance by data fusion was much better than that by single radar sensor or single infrared sensor.


An electrical contact assembly has a hollow cylindrical phase conductor (7, 8, 15, 21). The hollow cylindrical phase conductor (7, 8, 15, 21) is designed essentially hollow. In a Hohlzylinderwandung of the phase conductor (7, 8, 15, 21) is at least one opening passing through the Hohlzylinderwandung (11, 11a, 11b, 11c) are arranged. The opening (11, 11a, 11b, 11c) located at the intersection of a first inner shell-side depression (9, 9a, 9b, 9c) and a second outer shell-side sink (10, 10a, 10b, 10c).


Images captured under low-light conditions are generally characterized by poor illumination, low contrast, and nonignorable large amount of noise. In order to improve the visibility in weak illumination scenes, multiple artificial light sources are used, which leads to severe uneven illumination of the scene. The main challenges of dehazing images with complex illumination are to suppress the boosting of unsightly noise when enhancing contrast and avoid overenhancement in bright glow regions. To circumvent problems above, this letter proposes a generalized enhancement framework, which works well not only in uniform light conditions but also in strongly nonuniform illumination low-light scenes. To achieve this, we first decompose the input hazy image into a structure layer containing low-frequency illumination variance and a texture layer containing large amount of high-frequency details. Sequentially, benefit from two derived masks that are intrinsically similar to weight maps, the proposed framework can perform regional adaptive brightness adjustment on the structure layer according to the distribution of light in the input image. Meanwhile, regions of effective details in the texture layer are assigned higher weights, while regions that belong to noise are suppressed. Finally, adding the enhanced texture layer back to the brightened structure layer, visually appealing results are generated. Experimental results on various scenarios demonstrate the superiority of the proposed framework over state-of-the-art methods in terms of both qualitative and quantitative.


A computer-accessible catalog of submillimeter, millimeter, and microwave spectral lines in the frequency range between 0 and 10,000 GHz (i.e., wavelengths longer than 30 micrometers) is described. The catalog can be used as a planning or as an aid in the identification and analysis of observed spectral lines. The information listed for each spectral line includes the frequency and its estimated error, the intensity, the lower state energy, and the quantum number assignment. This edition of the catalog has information on 206 atomic and molecular species and includes a total of 630,924 lines. The catalog was constructed by using theoretical least square fits of published spectral lines to accepted molecular models. The associated predictions and their estimated errors are based upon the resultant fitted parameters and their covariances. Future versions of this catalog will add more atoms and molecules and update the present listings as new data appear. The catalog is available as a magnetic data tape recorded in card images, with one card image per spectral line, from the National Space Science Data Center, located at Goddard Space Flight Center.


To test the hypothesis that insulin receptor substrate (IRS) isoforms mediate the cardiac growth and metabolic adaptations that follow exercise training, mice with cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of either IRS1 (CIRS1KO) or IRS2 (CIRS2KO) were subjected to swim training (Ex). At 12 weeks of age, heart weight-to-tibia length ratios (HW/TL) were reduced by 12.5% (p


Objective:To investigate the T lymphocyte subpopulations and the expression of IL-10,TNF-α in peripheral blood and placenta of preeclampsia,and to study the realionship between their expression change and the incidency of pre-eclampsia.Methods:The T lymphocyte subpopulations and the expression of IL-10,TNF-α of peripheral blood of 60 pregnant women was determined.their placenta tissues was determined after delivery.The study group was further divided into two groups:the normal late pregnant group(n=20);the pre-eclampsia group[n=40,mild(n= 20),and sever group(n=20)].Results:①The intensity of IL-10 immunostaining of trophoblasts in sever pre-eclampsia group was significantly lower than that of normal late pregnant group,and there was negative correlation between the intensity of IL-10 immunostaining of trophoblasts and the state of pre-eclampsia(rs=-0.342 P0.01).But the intensity of TNF-α immunostaining of syncytiotrophoblasts in sever pre-eclampsia group was significantly higher than that of the normal late pregnant group.There was positive correlation between the intensity of TNF-αimmunostaining of syncytiotrophoblasts and the state of pre-eclampsia(rs=0.349 P0.01).②The intensity of IL-10 of peripheral blood in pre-eclampsia group was significantly lower than that of normal late pregnant group(P0.05).the intensity of TNF-α of peripheral blood was significantly higher(P0.05).③The CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte were not changed in pre-eclampsia group.But the ratio of CD4/CD8 was significantly higher than that of the normal late pregnant group(P0.05).Conclusion:The expression of T lymphocyte subpopulations and its cytokins was correlated with the state of pre-eclampsia.


The rate of leaf appearance [LAR (d-1)] was observed for two older (Marquis and Neepawa) and two newer (AC Barrie and AC Elsa) Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars grown in a semiarid environment on the Canadian prairies for four years. Although the newer cultivars significantly increased yield LAR did not change when compared with the older cultivars. A simulation model developed by Jame et al. (1998a), and using coefficients for Neepawa determined from a previous study adequately predicted LAR for all four cultivars.Key words: Wheat, leaf appearance rate, temperature, daylength, model


Of 21 Hodgkin's disease patients with laparotomy‐documented splenic and/or hepatic involvement (Stages IIIs and IVH) treated with total lymphoid and combined external and internal (198Au) whole liver irradiation, nine patients remain disease‐free for 17 to 34 months. All but two of the relapses occurred in patients previously treated to local fields only. One death is directly attributable to the isotope. Another death at 34 months was due to intercurrent disease. About half of the combined whole liver dose of 2,500 rads is delivered by external megavoltage x‐ray therapy and half by radioactive colloidal gold (198Au). The usual isotopic dose is 25–30 mCi administered intravenously at a maximum rate of 10 mCi every 2 weeks. Tumoricidal doses can thus be delivered to the critical periportal areas within the liver, whereas dose to the central vein region of the lobule remains within the normal liver tissue tolerance level, thus avoiding the immediate reaction of radiation hepatitis and the remote development of cirrhosis. Thrombocytopenia, the most serious complication, may be prevented or lessened by adjusting the fractionated and total dose of the isotope.


Color vision deficiency (CVD) or color blindness is an ocular disorder that hinders the patients from distinguishing shades of certain colors. Color blind patients are often not considered for critical occupations (e.g., military, police) and cannot differentiate colors in public places or media (i.e., watching TV). The most common form of color blindness is red‐green, which is a result of either a missing or defective red or green photoreceptor cone. Since no cure for this disorder exists, sufferers opt for methods to enhance their color perception. The products and methods that have been developed to aid CVD patients are discussed. These technologies include contemporary work on gene therapy, tinted glasses, lenses, optoelectronic glasses, and advanced features developed on smartphones and computers. Among these wearables, tinted glasses, developed by companies such as Enchroma, are the most widely used by CVD patients.


Objective To observe the effects of Guilu Erxian glue and its separated recipes on gene expression in chondrocytes of knee joint of cavia cobaya,and explore its compatibility mechanism.Methods The knee joint cartilage of 3 month old cavia cobaya was used to establish the culture system of chondrocytes in vitro.The expressions of acidic GAG,collagen type Ⅱ,Bax,Bcl-2 and iNOs were detected by immunohistochemical staining,RT-PCR and Elisa.Results The expressions of acidic GAG and collagen type Ⅱ were increased in Guilushen group(P0.05).The expressions of Bax and iNOs were decreased,and the expression of Bcl-2 were increased in Guiluqi group(P 0.05).The effects of the two groups were same to that of Guilu Erxian glue group.Conclusion Colla carapacis et plastri testudinis and colla cornus cervi can promote chondrocytes to secrete acidic GAG and collagen type Ⅱ,and ginseng is helpful for the effects.Colla carapacis etplastri testudinis and colla cornus cervi can delay the apoptosis of chondrocytes,inhibit chondro cytes to secrete iNOs,and lycum barbarum is helpful for the effects.


In this note, we determine the properties of the coef- flcients of Bell domains in the plane and flnd some coe-cients to consist of Bell domain.


Abstract The dopant and pyroelectric coefficient depth profiles of LiNbO3 single crystals grown by Czochralski method were investigated. Doping was performed after crystal growth by thermal diffusion at elevated temperatures. Diffusion doping did not deteriorate the pyroelectric properties of the crystal.


A closure procedure based on the probability density functions of the concentrations of chemically inert species has been proposed and applied to derive the mathematical forms of the local average values of the nonlinear reaction, nucleation and crystal growth terms. Applied to experimental results for BaSO 4 precipitation, satisfactory agreement between predicted and observed results was obtained for two tubular reactors. In experiments solutions of BaCl 2 and Na 2 SO 4 were contacted in tubular reactor equipped with an impingement mix-head.


"Fables"appear early in literature,but are used to name the literary style actually in the modern times. The concept of"Fable"is introduced from the West.The cultural difference and the understanding deviation will cause the Chinese researchers to have different opinions about the final recognization of the literary text of Chinese ancient fables. The author through"Fable"the existing name,analysis on the translation and the definition of the concept,proposes a new idea about the definition and limits of the concept of"fables".


There has been a great deal of attention paid to Genetic Algorithm (GA). The algorithm, as a methodology, is a multi objective methodology which can be used in different fields such as self-organizing wireless sensor network. The technique examines the applied parameters and at the same time takes into consideration the fitness function by the way of or considering the whole operational modes in produced feasible states. Majority of the GA implementations in clustering algorithm only deal with optimization of few parameters including coverage and energy consumption with noticeable effect on network quality. Keeping network coverage can be modeled as mathematical programming problem which is featured with heavy load of computation. On the other hand, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be of dynamic nature, if so it needs to have proper reaction to events; so that slightest management decision may lead to considerable problems on the quality of the network. This problem is dealt with in this study through a hybrid method in MATLAB with the help of Genetic Algorithm toolbox and custom codes. The optimum solution was obtained by mathematical algorithm that conforms to all the mentioned parameters.


Objective To investigate the preoperative anxiety relevant factors of the facial nerve microvascular decompression patients,so as to propose targeted care measures.Methods SAS was used to investigate 80 facial nerve microvascular decompression patients of their preoperative anxiety status,postoperative complications 3 days after surgery and on discharge,and length of stay,and the correlation was analyzed.Results The results showed that 4 cases had mild anxiety,32 had moderate anxiety and 44 had severe anxiety.29 cases had uroschesis and 51 did not.54 cases had nausea and vomiting and 26 did not.72 cases had headache and 8 did not.10 cases had no fever,27 had lower fever,31 had moderate fever and 12 had hyperpyrexia.2 cases were hospitalized for 7 days,43 cases for 8 days,33 cases for 9 days,and 2 cases for 10 days.All factors above were related to the anxiety status (P < 0.05).Conclusions The preoperative anxiety status of facial nerve microvascular decompression patients is influenced by their gender,economic status,payment methods for hospitalization and nature of work,and can affect their postoperative recovery,thus preoperative psychological care should be strengthened for them.

Key words:
Facial nerve diseases;  Microsurgery;  Psychological care;  Anxiety;  Relevant factors


Benzyl 3-deoxy-4-S-(β-D-galactopyranosyl)-4-thio-β-D-threo-pentopyranoside (3) is a potent inhibitor of the β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli synthesized in our laboratory. The 2′,3′,4′,6′-tetra-O-acetyl derivative of this thiodisaccharide was oxidized with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid to give a 2:1 diastereomeric mixture of sulfoxides 2S and 2R. The absolute configurations of their sulfur stereocenters were determined by using NMR techniques and by taking into account the anisotropic effects of the S=O group in the major conformers. O-Deacetylation of 2S and 2R afforded the free thiodisaccharide S-oxides 4S and 4R, which were evaluated as inhibitors of the above-mentioned enzyme. The kinetic studies showed that 4S and 4R are competitive inhibitors of the enzyme with Ki values of 0.19 and 0.45 mM, respectively. Further enzymatic reactions demonstrated that 4S is also a substrate of the β-galactosidase, as it was diastereoselectively hydrolyzed, with 4R remaining unchanged under the same conditions.


air France jet lifted off the runway of the New York airport, and all the Afro-Americans aboard applauded. There were sighs of relief that at last they were leaving racist, oppressive America and were heading "home"to Africa. There would be many hours before the chartered plane would land in Dakar, Senegal, so during the flight all the participantsblack and white college students from across the countryspent their time in talk, song and sleep. In preparation for the flight, the black participants had held a caucus at the orientation session in New Jersey. A sister there who had been to Africa before was concerned


This article presents the test results of the MOTHRA system, a multi-agent system which employs mobile agents for the retrieval of documents over the Web. Specific features of Web documents void the use of standard full text retrieval techniques, so specific approaches are required to solve this problem. The test results presented here are about the MOTHRA system performace and document relevance over the user query.


A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Community Health,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Health Education and Promotion, 2010


Abstract The completion of the natural gas pipeline 'Power of Siberia' in 2019 creates new dynamics in Eurasian trade. Russia's deepening ties with China present it with the opportunity to change its relationship with the European Union from monopsony to monopoly, thus gaining bargaining leverage. However, this argument goes both ways, being also applicable to Russo–Chinese affairs, with the European Union as the alternative option. The article concludes that Russia, while seriously strengthened by its developing energy relationship with China, will not endanger its status as a reliable supplier across Eurasia, since its nascent monopoly position depends on the existence of an alternative option.


To solve the problem that it is difficult to detect the intrusion of advanced industrial virus into the industrial control system, design flaws of Modbus TCP were analyzed, and a method was proposed, through which the Modbus TCP packet was deeply parsed to deal with the threat from the application layer. Furthermore, a normal method describing the security rule was proposed and a Modbus TCP communication protection method in the industrial control system or SCADA system that combining the IDS rule with "white-list" was designed, which defined what was necessary between different zones, thus the possibility of being attacked was diminished, while in the meantime a suspicious but probable legal packet would trigger an alarm. The simulation experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


We often use various services for creating bookmarks, tags, highlights and other types of annotations while surfing the Web or just reading electronic documents. These annotations represent additional information on particular information source. We proposed a method for query construction to search for related documents to currently studied document. We use the document content where we concentrate on user created annotations as indicators of user's interest in particular parts of the document. Our method for query construction is based on spreading activation in a graph created from the document content. We evaluated proposed method within a service called Annota, which allows users to insert various types of annotations into web pages and PDF documents displayed in the web browser. We analyzed properties of various types of annotations inserted by users of Annota into documents. Based on these properties, we also performed a simulation to determine optimal parameters and compare proposed method against commonly used tf-idf based method.


Purpose of review Contemporary treatments for prostate cancer have probably contributed to prolonged survival in a significant number of patients. Those under androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) face, however, the danger of increased bone complications that may arise due to compromised bone integrity. Such complications include fractures due to accelerated bone resorption and pathologic fractures due to the metastases that often occur with cancer progression. We herein discuss available strategies to avoid bone loss in this patient population. Recent findings Present recommendations to counter the effects of ADT on bone integrity include calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Bisphosphonates are helpful in reducing bone resorption and improving bone mineral density. New agents such as denosumab (a monoclonal antibody against RANK ligand) and selective estrogen receptor modulators seem to hold promise with respect to fracture risk reduction in patients on ADT. Summary Bone health in patients suffering from prostate cancer is gaining increased attention, especially with active agents reaching maturity in randomized trials. Ultimately, bone preservation should become the concern of every physician caring for patients on ADT.


1. Population 2. Migration 3. Settlement and urban growth 4. Urban change 5. Urbanisation in developing countries 6. Employment structures 7. Farming 8. Resources (energy) 9. Industry 10. Tourism 11. World development and interdependence 12. Britain's weather and climate 13. World climate 14. Ecosystems 15. Rocks and soils 16. Plate tectonics 17. Drainage basins and rivers 18. Coasts 19. Glaciation 20. Globalisation


While the gambling scene that opens George Eliot's Daniel Deronda has led scholars to believe that she and George Henry Lewes abominated European spas, records of the couple's travels in Europe reveal that they returned time after time to spas in France, Belgium, Switzerland and especially Germany, and further reveal that these destinations provided considerable stimulation for George Eliot's creative imagination beyond contributing to the single scene of Gwendolen's reckless roulette. Although the Leweses did dislike the gambling at such places as Baden Baden and Bad Homburg, they otherwise enjoyed the spa culture generated by (supposedly) healing waters, concerts, society and long walks in the gardens and hills, and there George Eliot found creative inspiration for her literature, as well as acquaintances who enriched her life and her literature. Spas turn up as settings occasionally in her poetry and fiction before becoming a major setting in Daniel Deronda : centrally in 'Agatha', where she adapts settings and characters from a short visit to Sankt Märgen in Germany; and tangentially in Middlemarch in the conclusion to Lydgate's plot. Fellow spa visitors make plausible models for characters, in particular a mother-and-daughter pair who share many similarities to Gwendolen and her mother Mrs Davilow, while nineteenth-century spa guide books contain narrative material similar to plot elements in Daniel Deronda. George Eliot's last two novels, as well as her less well-remembered but historically important poetry, acquired details of character, plot, setting and metaphor from nearly half a lifetime of her regularly availing herself of the culture and facilities of European spas.


The utility model discloses a variable-capacity rotary compressor, which comprises a shell, a motor and a cylinder assembly, wherein the motor and the cylinder assembly are arranged in the shell; the motor is connected with the cylinder assembly through a crankshaft; an elastic component is arranged at the tail part of a first sliding blade; an elastic component is omitted at the tail part of a second sliding blade; a groove is arranged in the second sliding blade or at a position of a second flange, which corresponds to the second sliding blade, or at a position of an intermediate baffle plate, which corresponds to the second sliding blade; a passage for being communicated with the groove is arranged on the cylinder assembly; the variable-capacity rotary compressor also comprises a gas switching device; and the gas switching device switches a pressure at the groove between a high-pressure-side pressure and a low-pressure-side pressure. The motions of the sliding blades are controlled through a pressure difference; the switching between single-cylinder running and double-cylinder running can be reliably realized; the leakage is effectively prevented; when the sliding blades are immobile, high pressures are both inside a cylinder and at the tail part of a sliding blade groove; and the mixing of the high pressure and the low pressure is avoided.


This paper is divided into two major parts. The first part focuses on the YF-22 aircraft and includes an overview of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) prototype program, a review of the control law development process and a thorough analysis of the YF-22 PIO mishap. This review will include a discussion of the Air Force accident review board conclusions and the corrective action plan that was developed after the accident investigation. The second part of the paper will discuss the development of the F-22 control laws. The F-22 control law design process will be reviewed; including the design philosophy developed for the F-22 and the use of simulation and other analysis tools. Particular emphasis will be placed on the handling qualities and PIO metrics that have been used to shape the longitudinal axis flying qualities of the F-22. Introduction to the ATF Program The YF-22A was the Lockheed, General Dynamics and Boeing entry into the Air Force Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) demonstration and validation program. It was a prototype of a single seat, twin engine air superiority fighter that combined stealth, agility and sustained supersonic cruise capabilities. It was designed to optimize the blend of these aircraft characteristics for the demanding threat environment of the 21 century. Aircraft agility was deemed essential across the entire Mach/altrtude envelope of the aircraft. The YF-22 incorporated thrust vectoring nozzles to provide enhanced agility and extend the maneuvering envelope of the aircraft to extreme angles of attack. The external lines of the aircraft Copyright © 1996 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved. were very comparable to the F-22, which is shown in Figure 1. The YF-22 was designed to meet the requirements of the ATF program and to reduce the risk for the Engineering Manufacturing Development (EMD) program. An extremely aggressive control law development schedule and flight test program led to the successful demonstration of the outstanding capabilities of the aircraft. As one might expect for a program whose ultimate goal was to demonstrate a number of new technologies, the YF-22 control laws started with a very conventional inner-loop design and added capabilities as aerodynamic and propulsion models matured. The basic command architecture was very similar to that used on the F-16. The initial control law version did not have active thrust vectoring. Many enhanced capabilities were added to the YF-22 control laws as the prototype program matured and flight test approached. The use of thrust vectoring nozzles to augment the aerodynamic pitch control power of the aircraft was incorporated into the control laws and the high angle of attack control laws were also added to the basic structure. For flight test purposes, a switch was provided in the cockpit to engage/disengage thrust vectoring. The flight envelope was initially cleared up to 20° angle of attack with vectoring disengaged. Test points were repeated with vectoring engaged. Envelope expansion into the high angle of attack flight regime with vectoring engaged and disengaged followed the initial buildup. In addition to the incorporation of thrust vectoring, other program objectives, such as the requirement to provide very high pitch rate capability in certain parts of the envelope, were added to the YF-22 control laws. Many of these features were designed to demonstrate capabilities at a specific point in the envelope and, 155 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics due to schedule constraints, did not represent a full envelope, production aircraft design. YF-22 Control Law Development Philosophy The YF-22 control law feedback/feedforward gains were designed using fairly conventional tools. Design goals were based on accepted short period mode, roll mode and dutch-roll mode frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes. An eigenstructure assignment algorithm was used to calculate the initial feedback gains for the longitudinal axis. However, by combining the pitching moment control power of the horizontal tails and thrust vectoring nozzles into a single, generalized controller, this technique essentially reduced to a pole placement algorithm. The short period mode frequency/damping and the integrator mode frequency were the primary design parameters. The short period mode design goals were also fairly conventional: • Control Anticipation Parameter (CAP)=1.0 • Damping Ratio (Q=0.8 Further refinements to the control law gains were developed from analysis of off-line simulation time histories (step/doublet pitch stick inputs) and comments from piloted evaluations using the fixed-base, YF-22 Handling Qualities Simulator (HQS). Command gradients and gain tweaks to shape rise times and mode characteristics were developed through piloted evaluations in the HQS. Due to the time constraints of the prototype program, much of the analysis of the handling qualities of the YF-22 was performed after the control laws were designed. That analysis generally consisted of stability margin predictions and time history analyses that were incorporated into the Flying Qualities Substantiation report and used to support safety and flight readiness reviews. Demonstration/Validation Flight Test Program The YF-22 development program was extremely successful and, in a very aggressive flight test program, the team was able to demonstrate the exceptional high angle of attack characteristics of the YF-22, as well as the incorporation of a number of other critical technologies. Supersonic cruise and internal weapon carriage/launch capabilities were also demonstrated. The maneuverability enhancements provided by pitch axis thrust vectoring were demonstrated at cruise altitudes (>10K ft). The flight test program commenced in the fall of 1990 and by December 1990 the YF-22 had demonstrated stabilized flight at 60° angle of attack. The brevity of the flight test program required an efficient and coordinated envelope expansion for aircraft loads, flutter and handling qualities. A very rapid response by the Vehicle Management System (VMS) team in Fort Worth allowed several Operational Flight Program (OFP) updates in support of the flight test program. The basic handling qualities of the aircraft were also validated. For all of the maneuvers flown during the initial flight test program the aircraft was very well behaved with predictable flying qualities. The aircraft generally received Level 1 CooperHarper ratings for both Up&Away (UA) and Power Approach (PA) handling qualities tasks. In April of 1991 the Lockheed team was awarded the EMD contract for the ATF program and a followon flight test program with the YF-22 began shortly thereafter. The primary objective of the follow-on test program was to expand the flutter and flying qualities envelopes of the aircraft. This phase of the flight test program ended prematurely when a pilot-induced-oscillation (PIO) occurred during a low approach, forcing a gear-up landing.


In this paper, we report a novel plating-friendly polishing mechanism for fabrication of high coplanarity and high density lead-free copper pillar bumps for advanced packaging applications. The final experimental results showed that the UIW (Uniformity in Wafer) could be sharply decreased from 6.37% after plating to 1.7% after polishing and even to 1.7% after reflow throughout the entire 4 inch wafer.


To prepare the monoclonal antibody(MAb) against regulator of expression of viral protein(Rev) of equine infectious anemia virus(EIAV),the SP2/0 cells were fused with the splenic cells from mice immunized with prokaryotically expressed and purified recombinant Rev of EIAV.The hybridoma cells were selected by indirect ELISA and purified by limited dilution method.One hybridoma cell line steadily secreting anti-Rev MAb was obtained which the subtype was IgG2a/κ.The western blot and indirect immunofluorescence assay indicated that the MAb was able to react positively with the native Rev expressed from EIAV.The preparation of MAb against Rev of EIAV provided an useful tool for the further study of Rev function in virus replication.


Youth involvement in trading/selling sex has become of concern for policy makers, scholars, and the general public in recent years (Cecchet & Thorburn, 2014; Hossain, et al, 2010; Pub L No. 106-386; Reid & Piquero, 2013; Sapiro, Johnson, Postmus, & Simmel, 2016; Shared Hope International, 2015). The behavior of trading/selling sex is defined dichotomously within the literature. One body of literature, employs the term "survival sex" when empirical work focuses on trading/selling sex among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) identified individuals or youth that are homeless (Greene, Ennett & Ringwalt,1999; Halcon & Lifson, 2004; Walls & Bell, 2011). Other literature refers to any youth involved in trading/selling sex as victims of "human trafficking" or "commercial sexual exploitation," especially when the focus is on cisgender young women (Cecchet & Thorburn, 2014; Hossain, et al., 2010; Reid & Piquero, 2013; Sapiro, Johnson, Postmus, & Simmel, 2016). This separation in the literature asserts a division in the perception of young people involved in trading/selling sex. Some have stated that this empirical divide has created a separation between youth who are seen as worthy (commercially sexually exploited youth) or unworthy victims (youth identified as involved in survival sex; Lutnick, 2016) Currently, among the research available regarding youth involvement in trading/selling sex, very


Exploring the implications of technologyfocused learning for teachers, learners and leaders in relation to two research projects recently completed by the author. The University of Industry (Ufi) provides one illustrative case of emerging trends in the United Kingdom. This paper explores, in particular, continuities and discontinuities with previous institutionalised forms of teaching and learning and interrogates Ufi's aims to extend participation in learning for economic success and social integration. A second case focuses upon a European Community-focused project POLESTAR. Exploratory analysis draws attention to the skills and pedagogies of those who mediate e-learning for vocationally orientated practice and raises important issues about changing conceptions of what it means to provide opportunities for learning. Conclusions point to diverse scenarios in which education is more and less learningorientated and where the term 'teacher' reemerges in multiple and 'flexible' forms. In this paper, the pivot towards teaching and leading teaching for technology-mediated learning is critical since attention is re-focused upon those who provide opportunities for learners to learn, and those who lead teachers. Unpacking the KT discourse in practice allows us to reconsider pedagogies for teaching and learning as well as strategies for leadership that are simultaneously being redefined and, it will be argued, undermined in the 21st century.


PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning) is a self- contained navigation technique with inertial sensors. The heading estimation dominates the overall accuracy in pedestrian navigations. In this paper, we propose a method of quantizing heading change angle by utilizing a vertical vector for improved indoor pedestrian navigation. Experimental results show that the proposed method with a quantization angle of 30 consistently determines the direction of movement in indoor environments.


On the basis of reviewing utilization status and protection of Taihu pig,the existing problems were put forward,corresponding improvement and protection measures were put forward.


The utility model discloses an elliptical steel dowel bar for a cement concrete pavement. The dowel bar is made from steel products. According to the elliptical dowel bar disclosed by the utility model, the performance in the aspect of pavement protection is relatively good, and the contact stress between the dowel bar and concrete is reduced compared with ordinary circular dowel bars, so that the damage to the dowel bar and the pavement concrete during surface contact is difficult to cause, and the durability of a structure is improved greatly; furthermore, the elliptical dowel bar has a relatively large contact area with the concrete, so that the area of contact between the dowel bar and the pavement concrete is increased, and the combination between the dowel bar and the concrete is better; compared with the circular dowel bars, the load transferring effect can be improved, so that the elliptical dowel bar has huge business prospects and economic benefits and can be widely applied to the field of road transportation construction.


Introduction: Blood cultures play a very important role in the diagnostic algorithm for managing patients with sepsis. Contamination of blood cultures complicate patient care resulting in unnecessary antibiotic use, prolonged hospital stays and more financial burden on the patient. Hence, microbiology laboratories strive to keep contamination rates within <3% as per international standards. Aim: To monitor blood culture contamination rate and reduce contamination using a novel blood culture collection (BCC) bundle. Materials and Methods: A prospective interventional study carried out in a newly set up Microbiology laboratory of a 200 bed tertiary care hospital in North Mumbai. Blood cultures from various clinical areas of the hospital were processed using the BacT/Alert system (BioMereiux, Marcy l'etiole, France). All positive blood cultures were co-related clinically and assigned as pathogens or contaminants. Blood culture contamination rates were actively monitored and BCC bundle was introduced to reduce contamination, which comprised six steps to follow while performing BCC. Active surveillance, audits of the collection process and root cause analysis (RCA) of blood culture contamination were done simultaneously. This was followed by feedback to phlebotomists, nurses and doctors. Periodic and need-based onsite training of health-care workers was also done. Results: Different types of Health Care Workers were performing the procedure. The most common contaminant grown were Gram-positive cocci 159 (25.5%), followed by Gram-negative bacilli 58 (9.32%), and Bacillus spp. 37 (5.95%). It was observed that skin disinfection and incorrect order of draw were two main reasons for the contamination. Over a period of 18 months, BCC bundle implementation reduced the contamination from 17% to 4%. Conclusion: RCA, training, surveillance and audits are essential to improve the quality of blood culture results. Implementation of the BCC bundle benefits both the microbiology laboratory and the clinical teams by decreasing the growth of contaminants and improving the utility of blood culture for better management of patients in sepsis bringing in favorable outcomes.


The small‐signal gain expressions for vibrational‐rotational transitions are examined in detail to determine possible methods of extracting the rotational temperature from experimental gain measurements in molecular gas lasers. Approximate values of Tr can be deduced from the rotational quantum numbers for which the P‐ and R‐branch gains are maximum. Quite accurate values of Tr and the population inversion density (nv′−nv″) can be determined by fitting data to suitably linearized gain relationships, or by performing least‐squares fits of the P‐ and R‐branch experimental data to the full gain expressions. Experimental gain measurements for 15 P‐branch and 12 R‐branch transitions in the 10.4‐μm CO2 band have been performed for pulsed uv‐preionized laser discharges in CO2 : N2 : He=1 : 2 : 3 mixtures at 600 Torr. These data are subjected to the several gain analyses described herein, yielding a rotational temperature of 401±10 °K and an inversion density of (3.77±0.07) ×1017 cm−3 for conditions of maximum ga...


Would you like to be able to gather spreadsheet data from people throughout your organization, automatically producing detailed reports or summaries that then can be shared with colleagues? Or would you like a team of users to be able to work on a spreadsheet report simultaneously, sharing information and coordinating the results? If so, Microsoft's Excel has just the thing for you--a built-in function called Share Workbook. It makes no difference whether the team members are in offices down the hall or on other continents. The only requirement: They must be on a shared network. Follow along and we'll show you how to create a workbook that as many as 256 users can share at the same time. Begin by clicking on Tools, Share Workbook, evoking the Share Workbook dialog box, as shown in exhibit 1, at right. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Click on the Editing tab and then place a check next to Allow changes by more than one user at the same time. If others are using the file, their names and their log-on times will appear under Who has this workbook open now. Note that as the originator of the Share Workbook function, you have the power to remove a user by clicking on the name and then on the Remove User button. Next click on the Advanced tab (see exhibit 2, page 62). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This box offers several options: The first, under Track changes, lets you keep a history of all changes made to the workbook for up to 10,000 days. Be sure to enter a large enough number to cover the period you want because Excel permanently erases the change history for any days beyond that deadline, including discarded changes. The second option lets you fix a common frequency for automatically seeing and updating changes other users made--from as short as 5 minutes to as long as 1,440 minutes. If you choose to automatically see other users' changes, then you have two more options: Save my changes and see others' changes (in which case Excel will save your changes and will incorporate those that other users made) or Just see other users' changes (Excel will save others' changes in your workbook but not your changes). Excel won't incorporate your changes in the shared workbook until you manually save (Ctrl+S) the workbook. However, be aware that users are allowed to create their own settings for the second option, so we suggest your group agrees on a common policy. If you let different users change the same cells in your workbook, you are bound to run into conflict. The third option, under Conflicting changes between users, allows you to choose between Ask me which changes win or The changes being saved win. In order to avoid error, we suggest you choose Ask me which changes win. With this option, when two or more users update the same cells and then save the workbook, the Resolve Conflicts dialog box will appear (see exhibit 3, below). Each user can then choose to accept his or her changes or the other user's changes by clicking on the appropriate button. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The fourth option allows participants to set their own personal view of the worksheet. Each person using the shared workbook is allowed to set his or her own1 printer or filter settings. Thus, each person can choose to have their information printed in landscape and with grid lines without affecting the printing options of any other user. Similarly, each user can set their own filter settings (a quick and easy way to find a subset of data that an individual person or department may want to work with), and this setting also will not affect what any other user will see. When you've finished your selections, click on OK, and the Save As dialog box appears to let you know you need to save the workbook on a network drive where others can gain access to it. Once you save it, the bracketed word [Shared] appears in the file's title bar (see exhibit 4, below) whenever anyone opens the workbook. …


Implicit measures are diagnostic tools to assess attitudes and evaluations that people cannot or may not want to report. Diagnostic inferences from such tools are subject to asymmetries. We argue that (causal) conditional probabilities p(AM+|A+) of implicitly measured attitudes AM+ given the causal influence of existing attitudes A+ is typically higher than the reverse (diagnostic) conditional probability p(A+|AM+), due to non-evaluative influences on implicit measures. We substantiate this argument with evidence for non-evaluative influences on evaluative priming—specifically, similarity effects reflecting the higher similarity of positive than negative prime-target pairs; integrativity effects based on primes and targets' potential to form meaningful semantic compounds; and congruity proportion effects that originate in individuals' decisional strategies. We also cursorily discuss non-evaluative influences in the Implicit Association Test (IAT). These influences not only have implications for the evaluative priming paradigm in particular, but also highlight the intricacies of diagnostic inferences from implicit measures in general.


Asian lineage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis associates with immune subversion,'' by Sandra M. Newton, Rebecca J. Smith, Katalin A. Wilkinson, Mark P. Nicol, Natalie J. Garton, Karl J. Staples, Graham R. Stewart, John R. Wain, Adrian R. Martineau, Sarah Fandrich, Timothy Smallie, Brian Foxwell, Ahmed Al-Obaidi, Jamila Shafi, Kumar Rajakumar, Beate Kampmann, Peter W. Andrew, Loems Ziegler-Heitbrock, Michael R. Barer, and Robert J. Wilkinson, which appeared in issue 42, October 17, 2006, of Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (103:15594–15598; first published October 6, 2006; 10.1073 pnas.0604283103), the authors note that the y axes of Fig. 4 B and D were labeled incorrectly. The corrected figure and its legend appear below. These errors do not affect the conclusions of the article.


Optical properties of hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) are in stark contrast to properties of ordinary media that fuels interest to various applications of HMMs in photonics. Special attention is attributed to the epsilon-near zero regime (ENZ) of HMMs that is the spectral point in which real part of the permittivity of the HMM becomes zero. This is accompanied by the effects of field enhancement having far-reaching applications. Here we focus on the experimental and theoretical investigation of the propagation of an ultrashort laser pulse through the silver nanorod-based HMM slab in the spectral range over the ENZ. We revealed pronounced resonant change of the pulse delay in HMMs and the transition between the superluminal and slow pulse propagation at the ENZ spectral point. Observed dynamical phenomena are confirmed theoretically and attributed to unusual case when the spectral half of an ultrashort pulse has elliptical dispersion and another has the hyperbolic one. Special attention is payed to the propagation of chirped laser pulses in the HMMs.


Random noise perturbs objective functions in many practical problems,and genetic algorithms(GAs) have been widely proposed as an effective optimization tool for dealing with noisy objective functions.However,there are few theoretical studies for the convergence and the convergence speed of genetic algorithms in noisy environments(GA-NE).In this study,Objective functions are assumed to be perturbed by additive random noise.We construct a Markov chain that models elitist-worst genetic algorithms in noisy environments(EWGA-NE).Then the convergence of EWGA-NE is deduced based on the absorbing state Markov chain.Next,the convergence rate of EWGA-NE was studied.The upper and lower bounds for the number of iterations that EWGA-NE selects a globally optimal solution were derived.


Metaphor is much more than a pyrotechnical flourish of language or a fascinating conceptual puzzle: it is a cognitive lever that allows speakers to leverage their knowledge of one domain to describe, reframe and understand another. Though NLP researchers tend to view metaphor as a problem to be solved, metaphor is perhaps more fittingly seen as a solution to be used, that is, as an important tool in the support of creative thinking and the generation of diverse linguistic outputs. Since it pays to think of metaphor as a foundational cognitive service, one that can be exploited in a wide array of creative computational tasks, we present here a view of metaphor as a public Web service that can be freely called on demand.


ABSTRACT Voice and speech practitioners have navigated unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, thirty scholar-artists assembled to discuss the realities of navigating their field during these challenges. Fifteen hours of video content was edited into an hour-long digital presentation that highlighted these individuals and their collective journeys. This article provides an analysis of the collected knowledge of the specialists who facilitate voice and speech-work in theatre, television, and corporate environments as presented in the digital documentary called "Quarantine Stories-VASTA." This article explores the questions: (1) How has the first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic changed voice and speech specialists as educators? (2) What innovative instructional methods have been discovered? (3) What innovative practices should continue past the current crisis? This article documents the practice as research methodology and artistic choices within the final digital presentation. Ultimately, the study concludes that the pandemic and the concurrent racial justice movement have led to innovation and a positive impact that will change the voice and speech field for years to come.


This review means to depict the investigation of visual learning styles as far as critical thinking capacity of understudies' two-variable direct condition framework at MTS Negeri 3 Mempawah. The examination strategy utilized is enlightening subjective as contextual analyses. The subjects in this study were class VIII students at MTS Negeri 3 Mempawah. The number of students who were used as research subjects were 38 students who had studied the material for a two-variable system of linear equations. In this study, six students were selected consisting of two students who had SPLDV Problem Solving Ability in terms of high, medium, low learning styles. The object of this exploration is Visual Learning Style as far as Critical thinking Capacity. In light of the aftereffects of information examination, meetings and conversation, it can be concluded that Analysis of Visual Learning Styles Judging from the SPLDV Problem-Solving Ability of MT.S Negeri 3 Mempawah Students" shows that students' problem-solving abilities are relatively balanced with learning styles. As a rule, understudies who have high numerical critical thinking capacities have great visual learning styles, understudies with moderate critical thinking capacities have great visual learning styles, understudies with low numerical critical thinking capacities have great visual learning styles.


We demonstrate octave spanning supercontinuum from 1.35 μm to 3 μm generated in a tapered crystalline silicon core fiber pumped at 2.4 μm using a femtosecond OPO.


Fundamental medical institution is the forefront and major places for prevention and control of chronic non-communicable diseases.The paper discussed the importance of fundamental medical institutions to carry out health management and proposed specific approaches: public awareness and education,health literacy,additional professional organizations,staff pre-service training;establishment of incentive mechanisms to encourage doctors and patients to participate.


The distribution and elimination of d -tubocurarine were investigated in 30 dogs at a minimal paralyzing dose and at a second higher concentration sufficient to produce saturation of depots. The concentration of d -tubocurarine in the muscle tissue closely paralleled that found in the plasma. At lower dose levels, the liver played little role in the distribution of d -tubocurarine, but with larger dosage the liver served as an important reservoir. The nephrectomized animal appeared to be able to reduce plasma concentrations of d-tubocurarine although the second phase of redistribution was slowed or eliminated. An additional study was undertaken to evaluate the protein binding of d-tubocurarine, and this was found to occur with each of the protein fractions examined. Data from these studies were analyzed with the help of a multicompartment analog model.


In this paper, we present a novel ensemble learning architecture for emotion intensity analysis, particularly a novel framework of ensemble method. The ensemble method has two stages and each stage includes several single machine learning models. In stage1, we employ both linear and nonlinear regression models to obtain a more diverse emotion intensity representation. In stage2, we use two regression models including linear regression and XGBoost. The result of stage1 serves as the input of stage2, so the two different type models (linear and non-linear) in stage2 can describe the input in two opposite aspects. We also added a method for analyzing and splitting multi-words hashtags and appending them to the emotion intensity corpus before feeding it to our model. Our model achieves 0.571 Pearson-measure for the average of four emotions.


The development of electrical machines was facilitated by the availability of high conductivity copper conductors, and the nonferrous manufacturers are still meeting the requirements of the electrical and electronics industry. Having shown that copper it still in plentiful supply, the review describes over 80 standardised wrought coppers and copper alloys and 37 casting materials. Compositions are given together with basic mechanical and physical properties in the annealed, worked or heat-treated conditions as appropriate. Machining and jointing techniques are described and the suitability of the materials for end use requirements is discussed. Sources of further information are given.


A recipe for the nutrient granular substrate for growing plants (the working name is "Zion") has been developed. The substrate contains all necessary for plant nutrient elements in the chemically bound state in high concentration; it does not contain any organic matter and nitrates, and does not need additional fertilization during the plant vegetation. All nitrogen in the substrate is contained in ammonium form. The substrate has been tested in the laboratory conditions in pot experiments for fertility and nitrates concentration in the biomass of the two cultures accumulating a large amount of nitrates that is leaf salad ( Lactuca sativa L.) cultivar Afficion and ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.). The plants were grown on a 100 % substrate as well as on its mixtures (3-10 %) with different fruitless media - quartz sand, peat, and vermiculite. It appeared that in all the cases, when Zion has been used, the maximal content of nitrates in the plant biomass was 209 mg/kg dry, the minimal one was less than 50 mg/kg dry, which is lower by an order of magnitude than the admitted sanitary norm for the plants used in the study.


The literature does not clearly describe the potential moral and ethical conflicts that can exist between technology sponsors and the technical communicators whose job it is to present potentially risky technology to the non-technical people most likely to be imperiled by such risk. Equally important, the literature does not address the issue of uncertainty -- not the uncertainty likely to be experienced by the community at risk, but the unreliable processes and methodologies used by technology sponsors to define, quantify, and develop strategies to mitigate technological risks. In this paper, the author goes beyond a description of risk communication, the nature of the generally predictable interaction between technology advocates and non-technically trained individuals, and current trends in the field. Although that kind of information is critical to the success of any risk communication activity, and he has included it when necessary to provide background and perspective, without knowing how and why risk assessment is done, it has limited practical applicability outside the sterile, value-free vacuum in which it is usually framed. Technical communicators, particularly those responsible for communicating potential technological risk, must also understand the social, political, economic, statistical, and ethical issues they will invariably encounter.


The photocatalytic mechanism and effect factors of acid orange Ⅱ(AOⅡ) in Fe3+/UV/O2 process were studied.The results showed that degradation of the dye was attributed to the oxidation of ·OH from photocatalysis in the presence of Fe3 +.The ferrous ion was photo-oxidized to ferric ion by dissolved oxygen,which was beneficial for the sustainable degradation process.Moreover,the optimum condition was that the initial pH value was 3 and the air flow rate was 1.0 L/min.Acid orange Ⅱ was degraded completely within 120 min and part of N molecule was transformed to N2,but only 35.77 % of TOC was removed in solution which indicated acid orange Ⅱ molecule could not be mineralized completely in Fe3+/UV/O2 process.


The goal of this project is to develop an advanced, low-cost manufacturing process for a new utility-scale, flat-plate module. The program has three main components: development of a Silicon-Film{trademark} (S-F) wafer machine that is capable of manufacturing wafers that are 225 cm{sup 2} in size with a total product cost reduction of 70%; development of an advanced solar cell manufacturing process that is capable of turning the wafer into a 14% efficient solar cell; and development of an advanced module design based on these large area, efficient silicon solar cells with an average power of 170 watts for 56 solar cells and 113 watts for 36 solar cells. During Phase 2, AstroPower made significant advances in improving S-F material quality and device performance. Advances were made in developing the prototype machines and processes toward reliable manufacturing counterparts. The following key achievements in Phase 2 are detailed: demonstration of a truly continuous production mode S-F machine; demonstration of a 2.5 watt, 15 cm by 15 cm solar cell; and demonstration of a 78 watt module fabricated from 36, 15 cm by 15 cm S-F solar cells.


The design strategy presently employed to obtain 'white' light from semiconductors combines the emission of an InGaN blue or UV light‐emitting diode (LED) with that of one or more yellow‐orange phosphors. While commercially successful, this approach achieves good colour rendering only by increasing the number and spectral range of the phosphors used; compared to the alternative of combining 'true' red, green and blue (RGB) sources, it is intrinsically inefficient. The two major roadblocks to the RGB approach are 1. the green gap in the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of LEDs; 2. the diode droop in the efficiency of LEDs at higher current densities. The physical origin of these effects, in the case of III‐nitrides, is generally thought to be a combination of Quantum Confined Stark Effect (QCSE) and Auger Effect (AE). These effects respectively reduce the electron–hole wave‐ function overlap of In‐rich InGaN quantum wells (QW), and provide a non‐radiative shunt for electron–hole recombination, particularly at higher excitation densities. SORBET, a novel band gap engineering strategy based upon quantum well intermixing (QWIM), offers solutions to both of the roadblocks mentioned above. In this introduction to SORBET, its great potential is tested and confirmed by the results of simulations of green InGaN diodes performed using the TiberCAD device modelling suite, which calculates the macroscopic properties of real‐world optoelectronic and electronic devices in a multiscale formalism. An alternative approach to the realisation of RGB GaN‐based LEDs through doping of an active layer by rare earth (RE) ions will also be briefly described. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Many scholars who study user-technology relations have shown from different perspectives that such relations are mutually constructive: users shape technology, and technology shapes users. This awareness raises questions about the part a designer plays in the workings of society. Are designers responsible for the social role of their products? Can designers promote the well-being of users and society at large? These questions are still largely absent in design education. In this paper we argue the importance and benefit of integrating concepts from Philosophy of Technology and the related field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) in design education. We will discuss a threefold benefit of a combined approach that draws on both traditional design education (generally focused on individual users and objects) and theoretical approaches to technology (generally focused on how technology marks and transforms the way we live our lives). In the first place such an integrated approach enables a deeper insight in the social significance of design. Secondly, it allows for a better understanding of design theory and practice itself. Thirdly, it provides a basis for the development of new design perspectives that promote human well-being. To illustrate we will introduce the notion of 'open script design' as a new design perspective that was developed in a Capita Selecta design course based on insights from philosophy of technology and STS.


The increase in out of pocket costs for consumers of Australian healthcare is a worrying trend. for those of us who share an unyielding commitment to a high quality, equitable, and truly universal health system the growing cost barriers represent a serious threat to these core values. When I was in medical practice I saw first-hand the difference a few dollars could mean to the health of a patient. Patients would put off visits, fail to keep up their medication and drop out of treatment programs. ultimately, the health system would bear the long term costs of these decisions through increased admissions to hospital and emergency departments.


Each year, an estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, making alcohol the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.


The fact that our forests are decreasing with speed, despite the increasing population, is the couse for the growing problems of the forest products industry sector. The inadequacy to standards and the fact tahat the raw material firewood more efficiently, a study related with its dimensional properties should be made. In this study, meetings were held with timber plants which are active in the forest industry sector in Turkey and of which the annual raw material firewood process capacity is 5000 m3 and above. As there was no possibility to examine the industry from all aspects, during this meetings, it was considered to be complated with other studies. As a result of the studies and calculations made, the main problems of the plants forming the subject of the study, could be determine; solution suggestions developed and standards related with dimensional properties of the raw material firewood requested to be processed, could be developed.


. This article aims to provide a consistent explication of the doctrine of Divine Simplicity. To achieve this end, a re-construal of the doctrine is made within an "aspectival trope-theoretic" metaphysical framework, which will ultimately enable the doctrine to be elucidated in a consistent manner, and the Plantingian objections raised against it will be shown to be unproblematic


Abstract : This study examines the changing demographics and its affect on the influence of the South on attitudes supportive of violence. The South has maintained a high level of violence compared to other regions of the country. Research has uncovered a myriad of correlates, predictors, and/or causal factors that explain high rates of violence in the South. To date, the consensus theory that explains this phenomenon is the subculture of violence theory. Previous research established the basis of a Southern subculture of violence based upon the consistently high homicide rates in this region. Research also has proposed many cultural and structural constructs that explain attitudes supportive of violence with the disparities in rates of violence in the South. Recent studies by Ellison and McCall have indicated the potential diminishment in the regional disparity in attitudes supportive of violence. Therefore, the present research examined the 1976, 1984, and 1993 GSS data years through regression analysis in an attempt to discover the%existence of a declining influence of the South in attitudes supportive of violence. After controlling for the main influences of region in each time period, the findings substantiate a declining trend from 1976 to 1993 in regional attitudes supporting violence. Finally, implication of the findings and future research are discussed.


The performance of tourism supply chain (TSC) is robustly tied to efficiency of all entities involved, including the travel agencies. Concomitantly, the efficiency of TSC itself can be obtained through tourism supply chain management (TSCM). This paper goes far beyond the borders of TSC and TSCM concepts and carries out the analysis of relationships between external integration (EI) with transport suppliers and the efficiency of travel agencies. To do so, data envelopment analysis (DEA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) are used. The obtained results showed a noticeable influence of external integration (EI) with water and air suppliers on the efficiency.


Monolayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) with unique spin-valley contrasting properties and remarkably strong excitonic effects continue to be a subject of intense research interests. These model 2D semiconductors feature two fundamental intravalley excitons species–optically accessible 'bright' excitons with anti-parallel spins and optically inactive 'dark' excitons with parallel spins. For applications exploiting radiative recombination of bright excitons or long lifetime dark excitons, it is essential to understand the radiative character of the exciton ground state and establish the energy separation between the lowest energy bright and dark excitons. Here, we report a direct spectroscopic measure of dark excitons in monolayer MoSe2 encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride. By applying strong in-plane magnetic field, we induce mixing and splitting of bright and dark exciton branches, which enables an accurate spectroscopic determination of their energies. We confirm the bright character of the exciton ground state separated by a 1.5 meV gap from the higher energy dark exciton state, much smaller compared to the previous theoretical expectations. These findings provide critical information for further improvement of the accurate theoretical description of TMDCs electronic structure.


Real-time prediction of train arrivals is important for proactive traffic control and information provision in passenger rails. Despite many studies in predicting arrival times or delays at stations, they are essentially the next-step time series prediction problem which may limit their applications in practice. For example, passengers on the trains or waiting on platforms may have different destinations and need the predicted train arrival times for any downstream stations rather than only the next station. The paper aims to formulate a real-time train arrival times prediction problem at multiple stations and arbitrary times. We develop multi-output machine learning models and systematically evaluate their performance using train operation data in Sweden. The direct multi-output regression models with different regression functions are tested, including LightGBM, linear regression, random forest regression, and gradient boosting regression models. The hyperparameters are optimized using random grid search and five-fold cross-validation methods. The results show that the Direct Multi-Output LightGBM significantly outper-formed other models in terms of accuracy. The predictions at downstream stations improve as the train moves along given more real-time information is observed.


Purpose – The paper aims to consider non‐viscous, laminar mixed convection boundary‐layer flow over a horizontal moving porous flat plate, with chemical reaction.Design/methodology/approach – The governing equations are expressed in non‐dimensional form and the series solutions of coupled system of equations are constructed for velocity, temperature and concentration functions using numerical method.Findings – The investigated parameters are: buoyancy parameter, chemical reaction parameter, order of chemical reaction, Prandtl number and Schmidt number.Originality/value – The partial differential equations are transformed to ordinary differential equations. The method of one parameter continuous group theory is used for this transformation.


As the world is becoming more globalized, English as a common language of the world is becoming more and more important in various fields. Nearly all the universities have opened English courses; however, there are many students willing to spend money to participate in English training outside of school. This paper is designed to explore the motivations of university students participating in English learning outside of school in China by empirical methods. The results show: the motivations contain development, interest, showing, to go abroad, situations, to obtain employment, and to escape from reality; among which development, to obtain employment, interest, and to go abroad are the main motivations.


We present Miura transformations for all discrete Painlevé II equations known to date. We then use these Miuras to derive special solutions in terms of discrete Airy functions and to construct auto-Bäcklund transformations for the discrete Painlevé equations. These transformations are then used to generate rational solutions. Some new forms of d-PII and d-P34 are obtained as well.


This paper presents an extension of the single-user scientific visualization system ZoomIn to a collaborative system. We discuss the principal challenges of remote collaboration in the case of scientific visualization and present the solutions realized for ZoomIn. The main issues identified include the support of slow/fast network connections, portability, ease-of-use, privacy, configuration of the working mode and permissions. We describe why the main concepts of the original ZoomIn are well suited for a collaborative extension and how collaboration is introduced. In particular, the volume of data for scientific visualization may be very large. Therefore, the transfer of data has to be optimized. We present three different methods of data transfer for collaborative visualization and compare their efficiency with respect to particular application scenarios.


Goat was the earliest ruminant and probably first animal after dog to be domesticated by man. Due to its economic viability, goat is also called the poor man's cow and it is an essential component among livestock in agriculture-based production system. Around 80% of the global goat population is in the developing countries. India holds second largest population of goats and stands first in goat milk production and is the second largest in goat meat production with an annual growth rate of 2.6% and 2.4%, respectively. Among small ruminants, main factors which affect production are lack of good management, reproductive disorders, harsh climatic conditions and diseases. Goats attain early sexual maturity with regular and successful reproduction and producing about two kids per year with 20–30% twinning. But due to genital problems among female goats this target is not attained. Reproductive tract diseases are more common in female goats as compared to male goats due to hormonal effects. Reproductive abnormalities inflict a huge economic loss by causing either infertility or sterility in animals. Uterine and ovarian lesions are more common in animals and these greatly contribute to sterility or infertility and thereby reduce the enterprise. Keywords : Goats, uterus, abnormalities, lesions, endometritis Cite this Article Beena V. A Brief note on pathology of uterine abnormalities in goats. Research & Reviews: Journal of Veterinary Science and Technology. 2018; 7(2): 20–23p


We used a neutral solution of Alcian Blue to stain transparent particles in eutrophic Lake Frederiksborg Slotss0, Denmark. Alcian Blue-stained particles (ABSP) appeared to be similar to the so-called transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) identified with an acidic solution of Alcian Blue. Our results on the abundance, size distribution and bacterial colonization of ABSP therefore reflect general patterns of TEP. The abundance of ABSP in the size range 3-162 urn and retained by 3 um pore size filters averaged 3.6 ± 2.49 x 10 s ml"1 (± SD), which is among the highest concentrations reported for comparable size spectra of TEP. On average, 35 % of ABSP (by number) were colonized by bacteria and 8.6 x 10 5 bacteria ml"1 lake water were attached to ABSP, which corresponds to 7% of the total bacterial abundance.