By blending the concepts of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, in this paper, a novel hybrid scheme is conceived for supporting diverse services in future wireless systems. Motivating to maximize energy efficiency (EE), the joint resource management of user clustering (UC) and power allocation is investigated for the downlink hybrid NOMA systems. Under two different power consumption cases, the optimal resource allocation (Opt-RA) algorithm is developed with the help of converting the original mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem to the tractable decoupled problems. For practical implementation, the heuristic resource allocation (Heur-RA) algorithm is also proposed, and it includes a low-complexity UC algorithm based on the candidate search-and-allocation approach. Our simulation results show that, both the Opt-RA and Heur-RA algorithms achieve significantly higher EE performance than other existing algorithms. Further, the results also prove that, the hybrid NOMA conceived is able to exploit the advantages of NOMA scheme, and is superior to conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) in terms of EE, as well as achieving higher flexibility for system configuration than NOMA.


An object of the present invention is accurately calculating the remaining capacity of the driving battery 2, and bridge the capacity difference between the secondary cells constituting the driving battery 2, In addition, the driving battery 2, the memory effect and the self-discharge of the and the best eliminated, the addition, to prevent lowering of the output in a low temperature state. And a battery system including a battery control circuit for calculating the remaining capacity of an electric vehicle power supply apparatus for, at the same time the driving battery and controls the charging and discharging of the driving battery and the driving battery for driving a driving motor of the present invention, and a for electrical and electronic devices for driving the electric car electronics products in cells. In addition, the driving battery and the charging circuit to control charging between the battery for electronic devices, at the same time as the car when it is in stop state, charging the driving battery with power of a battery for the electronic device to a predetermined state, the battery control circuit , the value of the remaining capacity of the driving battery is corrected to a predetermined capacity, and then by charging the battery for the electrical and electronic apparatus with a driving battery, the remaining capacity of the driving battery to a predetermined value. Electric car power supply, batteries for electric electronics


PURPOSE
To evaluate patient acceptance of stereotactic or ultrasonographically (US) guided directional vacuum-assisted 11-gauge needle biopsy of breast lesions and short- and long-term changes at mammography and US resulting from the procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
For 91 benign lesions that had been sampled at either stereotactic or US-guided directional vacuum-assisted breast biopsy performed with 11-gauge needles, clinical, mammographic, and US changes were evaluated 1 week after biopsy; 6-month follow-up findings were available for 74 lesions. The subjective outcome of the procedure and patient satisfaction were assessed on the basis of a patient-completed questionnaire that incorporated a multistage scoring system. Statistical analysis of scores for condition for both biopsy methods was performed with the chi2 test.

RESULTS
Adverse events occurred during the procedure in four patients. Clinically visible hematomas were observed at 1-week follow-up in 79% of patients. Densities were observed on mammograms in 46% of patients 1 week after biopsy; hematomas with a maximum diameter of 2 cm were seen on sonograms in 74%. Six months after biopsy, mammography revealed discrete architectural changes in one case. No abnormalities were found at 6-month follow-up US. Fifteen patients had various complaints during the procedure; six reported feeling constrained during the first few days after biopsy, and one patient was not satisfied with the cosmetic result. No patient reported a retrospective preference for surgical biopsy instead of directional vacuum-assisted biopsy. Analysis of scores for the stereotactic and US-guided methods revealed a significant difference (P <.001) in favor of the stereotactic method for condition during biopsy, while scores for condition in the first days after biopsy were more equally distributed between the two methods (P =.386).

CONCLUSION
Directional vacuum-assisted 11-gauge needle biopsy of the breast is well accepted by patients and rarely produces changes that may alter the mammographic or sonographic appearance of the breast at 6-month follow-up.


Classic path finding algorithms are not adequate in real world path planning, where environment information is incomplete or dynamic and Markov Decision Processes have been used as an alternative. The problem with the MDP formalism is that its state space grows exponentially with the number of domain variables, and its inference methods grow with the number of available actions. To overcome this issue, we formulate a MDP solver in terms of matrix multiplications, based on the Value Iteration algorithm, thus we can take advantage of the graphic processor units (GPUs) to produce interactively obstacle-free paths in the form of an Optimal Policy. We also propose a hexagonal grid navigation space, that reduces the cardinality of the MDP state set. We present a performance analysis of our technique using embedded systems, desktop CPU and GPUs and its application in crowd simulation. Our GPU algorithm presents 90x speed up in desktop platforms, and 30x speed up in embedded systems in contrast with its CPU multi-threaded version.


This article investigates the impact of increases and decreases in the level of net immigration in the United States as well as the effect of changes in the unemployment rate on the financial status of the Social Security program. After presenting the historical values of these important factors, the article describes the SSASIM policy simulation model results concerning the actuarial balance of the Social Security program assuming different values for the unemployment rate and the level of net immigration. The study found that a half a percentage point change in the unemployment rate leads to a 0.06 percentage point to 0.07 percentage point change in the Social Security program's actuarial balance. Furthermore, should net immigration fall by one-half from the Board of Trustees' intermediate assumption value, the actuarial balance would decrease by -0.28 percentage points, or about 15 percent of the Board of Trustees' 2001 report's value.


The study presents the data on the concentrations of chemical components measured in aerosol samples collected during the IAO complex atmospheric radiation experiment (organized by the V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics) carried out in December 22, 2015. Their vertical distributions derived from the sampling data performed with the use of "Optik" Tupolev-134 aircraft laboratory are reported. Both parts of the experiment were conducted on the same route over background areas of Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions in the daytime. General time duration of the flight was about 3,5 hours. Sampling was carried out on both routes onto Petryanov's filters AFA-HP-20 in the following troposphere layers 7000-5500, 4000-3000, 2000-1500 and 1000-500 m. The differences in concentrations of carbon-free inorganic ions and chemical elements in the aerosols on the Tomsk and Ordynskiy routes are discussed in the paper. An altitudinal distribution of inorganic ions in both areas is very similar only for one ion - SO4 2-. The top layer is characterized by the smallest differences in the concentrations of the other components under consideration, and even almost complete coincidence of the total concentration of ionic macro components for both sensing areas. The trend in the vertical distribution of elements stored for 2/3 of them like ionic component. As many ionic components in the Tomsk region of sensing we observed inverse nature of the distribution of a large part of the element concentrations in the middle layers.


Recommender systems are able to learn user preferences based on user and item representations via their historical behaviors. To improve representation learning, recent recommendation models start leveraging information from various behavior types exhibited by users. In real-world scenarios, the user behavioral graph is not only multiplex but also dynamic, i.e., the graph evolves rapidly over time, with various types of nodes and edges added or deleted, which causes the Neighborhood Disturbance. Nevertheless, most existing methods neglect such streaming dynamics and thus need to be retrained once the graph has significantly evolved, making them unsuitable in the online learning environment. Furthermore, the Neighborhood Disturbance existing in dynamic graphs deteriorates the performance of neighbor-aggregation based graph models. To this end, we propose SUPA, a novel graph neural network for dynamic multiplex heterogeneous graphs. Compared to neighbor-aggregation architecture, SUPA develops a sample-update-propagate architecture to alleviate neighborhood disturbance. Specifically, for each new edge, SUPA samples an influenced subgraph, updates the representations of the two interactive nodes, and propagates the interaction information to the sampled subgraph. Furthermore, to train SUPA incrementally online, we propose InsLearn, an efficient workflow for single-pass training of large dynamic graphs. Extensive experimental results on six real-world datasets show that SUPA has a good generalization ability and is superior to sixteen state-of-the-art baseline methods. The source code is available at https://github.com/shatter15/SUPA.


Objective To explore side population(SP) cells in human neuroblastoma cell lines SH-SY5Y,WN and to observe the expression of the universal stem cell markers ABCG2 and CD133.Methods Neuroblastoma cells were stained with Hoechst33342 and PI.The SP cells were analyzed and sorted by the fluorescence-activated cell sorter.Then the expression of ABCG2 and CD133 was analyzed by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR method.Proliferation of SP and non-SP cells was measured with MTT colorimetric assay.Results SP cells accounted for 0.2%~1.3% of total human neuroblastoma cells in culture,which decreased to 0.1% ~0.5% after addition of verapamil.SP cells were shown to express ABCG2 and CD133 using immunofluorescence and RT-PCR method.SP and non-SP cells had disparity in cell growth as assessed by MTT colormetric assay (P < 0.05).Conclusions SP cells in neuroblastoma cell lines had cancer stem cell-like properties.

Key words:
Neuroblastoma;  Side population cells;  Neoplastic stem cells;  ABCG2;  CD133


Mandibular condylar hyperplasia is a malformation of development of development, characterized by an excessive and self-limitating condylar growth, resulting in occlusal disturbances and facial asymmetry. The etiology of this condition has not yet been fully clarified despite the fact that factors like previous trauma, hormonal disturbances and joint diseases have been indicated as possible causes. There are many classifications of the condition and different forms of treatment are possible depending on the type of presentation. In view of this, choosing the most appropriate form of treatment may represent a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to present the case of a fourteen-year-old boy with an active mandibular condylar hyperplasia treated previously by a high condylectomy without the need for any further ortognatic surgery. Descriptors: Condylar Hyperplasia, treatment, high condylectomy.


Tanggamus is one of the regencies in Lampung Province as a producer of banana commodities. Bananas are the mainstay of agricultural products in Tanggamus Regency. The Tanggamus banana has successfully competed with the Cavendish banana as an export commodity from Lampung Province. This study aims to determine the opportunities, marketing strategies and institutional bananas from Tanggamus. The assessment was carried out through a diagnostic study approach in Tanggamus District. The study was conducted from August to November 2020. The data used in this study are primary data. Primary data were obtained through field observations and FGDs as well as interviews with banana producing farmers, agricultural service officers, extension workers, middlemen, marketing divisions and farmer groups. Data were analyzed descriptively qualitatively and quantitatively. The results of the study explain that the Tanggamus banana makes a positive contribution to farmers' household income and has the potential to be developed because it is supported by the availability of land that is conducive to cultivation development. The marketing of the Tanggamus banana is quite potential in the domestic and export markets. It is necessary to diversify products to add value added products and develop market networks.


The East Slavic copies of Nomocanon contain two unidentified fragments presented as commentaries on the Council of Constantinople's decree regarding the fourth marriage of Emperor Leo VI the Wise and on Canon 71 of the Council of Carthage. Both fragments address ordination of bishops and their translation between sees. The research suggests that the fragments come from the same source and were translated from Greek. The manuscript tradition and some features of the text indicate a Bulgarian origin of the translation. Probably the source was a non-extant decree by the Council of Constantinople from the first half of the 13th century expanded by a Slavonic scribe. This work came to the Kiev Metropolis together with Nomocanon in 1262 and attracted constant attention and editing at the end of the 13th and in the 14th centuries. Its variants were included into two church legal miscellanea: Merilo Pravednoye and Blasphemia. Additions by Russian scribes gave different interpretations to the text. Thus, the editor of Merilo Pravednoye turned it into a sermon on bishops' duties, whereas the author of Blasphemia limited the authority of bishops by excluding a permission to move to another see. The Supplements include the texts in question as found in the three earliest church legal compilations: Nomocanon, Merilo Pravednoye and Blasphemia. DOI: 10.31168/2305-6754.2019.8.2.11


The recent rise of populism is a topic that has been widely investigated, particularly in the field of political science (Laclau 2005; Mudde 2017; Muller 2016; Žižek 2006). However, the question arises whether populism should only be considered as a purely political phenomenon, or can also be studied from a cultural perspective: through literature, cinema and visual culture for example. The relationship between populism and culture is normally seen as one of mutual exclusion – populism dismisses culture as a waste of time and money, while culture perceives and represents populism as its disturbing Other. But on the other hand, populism's own active use of culture tends to be underestimated. In this present article, I will illustrate these aspects by analyzing the reception of a controversial novel, namely Soumission by Michel Houellebecq (2015). This text has been widely investigated by scholars (Jones 2016; Rosenthal 2015; Spieser-Landes 2017); at the same time, far less scholarly attention has been paid to the cultural appropriation of the text on the part of populist politicians and media. By mapping the public debate on Soumission through a variety of sources (reviews, newspaper articles, interviews, etc.), I will illustrate how French populists have used Houellebecq's novel to define their political agenda, with particular regard to the alleged 'Islamization' or 'Africanization' of Europe. On the other hand, we will see that these populist interpretations fail to grasp the complexity of the work.


This article presents a historiographical inquiry into the instruments and technologies employed in Italian Foley art during the 1960s, drawing on an ethnography of the manual techniques involved in sound post-production. It draws on extensive research based on oral accounts of technical directors, Foley artists, rerecording mixers, and sound technicians employed in post-production facilities in and around Rome since the late 1950s. The first section considers the Foley artist's status and responsibilities within the industrial organization of sound post-production in the 1960s; the second analyzes a category of sound effects in which Foley artists specialized early on, the so-called rumori sala("Foley stage sounds"). The third section examines how Foley artists progressively extended the scope of their work to include ambienti ("ambient sounds") and so-called effetti sonori speciali ("special sound effects"), which had previously been the prerogative of fonici ("re-recording and production sound mixers"). The final section discusses the long-term consequences of these changes in the creation of ambient sounds. There is also brief consideration of the introduction and development of the so-called macchina per ambienti("ambient sound machine"), which remained in vogue in post-production practices until the mid-1990s and was, as far as is known, used exclusively in Italy.


A study has been made of thirty strains of red halophilic organisms from reddened fish, salt and the timbers of salt fish plants. Eleven were cocci and belong to the species Sarcina litoralis and Sarcina sp. of Lochhead. The rod forms are of five types. Three resemble Bact. trapanicum Petter, Serratia salinaria and Serratia cutirubra Lochhead. The others do not resemble any of the described species. Of thirty samples of salt, reddening organisms were found in twenty, seven of which were mined or evaporated salts.


Depression is a state of low mood characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, decreased energy of the person, feelings of guilt, low self-esteem, and poor concentration. These problems could become chronic or repetitive and lead to substantial impairments in an individual's skills in relation to the daily care responsibilities, and depression can lead a person to make suicide. The present study aims: H1: Low academic success at the university has negative correlation with depression; H2: Girls tend to show more depressive symptoms compared with boys. This study included 102 students, conveniently selected by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Prishtina "Hasan Prishtina" in Kosovo. As reported in the results section and after discussed, the findings (partially) support our hypotheses. More specifically, a correlation analysis showed that: Low success affects the appearance of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, an independent- sample t-test showed that: there are no significant differences regarding to the gender in the appearance of depressive symptoms.


We analyze lump-sum transfers financed through consumption taxes in a heterogeneous- agent model with uninsured idiosyncratic wage risk and endogenous labor supply. The model is calibrated to the U.S. economy. We find that consumption inequality and uncertainty decrease with transfers much more substantially under divisible than indi- visible labor. Increasing transfers by raising the consumption tax rate from 5% to 35% decreases the consumption Gini by 0.04 under divisible labor, whereas it has almost no effect on the consumption Gini under indivisible labor. The divisibility of labor also affects the relationship among consumption-tax financed transfers, aggregate saving, and the wealth distribution.


The advantages of this novel precise step-shaped soft- start technique for integrated dc-dc converter are not only owning excellent constant peak current limiting capacity for any load conditions to diminish initial inrush current powerfully but also solving the over-voltage or drop-voltage problem during the changing between the start-up mode and normal operation. Furthermore, the on-chip design for this technology reduces the numbers of the external I/O pin to decrease the cost of the converter. Therefore, this novel soft-start technique is more available and smoother for integrated dc-dc converter than the conventional soft-start technique.


Automotive sensors need to fulfill severe electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements. The space available for EMC solutions based on discrete filter elements is limited. Furthermore, direct voltage or current measurements for analysis purposes are difficult. Innovative simulation methods are therefore needed to further understand and develop non-conventional EMC solutions. In this paper an analysis method to extract the dominant coupling path within sensors and to generate minimized electrical equivalent circuits (EEC) using network based sensitivity analysis is presented. In addition, a computational method that indicates the hotspots causing the EMC immunity failures with high resolution is introduced. Consequently, potential geometric and layout optimizations are derived easily. Failures due to small asymmetries are finally analyzed and optimized using an automotive pressure sensor.


[Abstract] The acetylesterases are hydrolytic enzymes which in plants cleave acetyl groups from acetylated cell wall components, primarily polysaccharides. To estimate acetylesterase activity in plant apoplast, two assays can be used. First assay is a direct measurement of the acetylesterase activity in protein extract using synthetic substrate, pNP-acetyl. In this assay, amount of pNP released after hydrolysis of pNP-acetyl is determined by measuring the intensity of developed yellow color using spectrophotometer. The absorbance of reaction mixture is directly proportional to the activity of acetylesterases in the reaction mixture. Second assay is a determination of acetylesterase activity and its specificity towards natural polysaccharides and based on interaction between ferric perchlorate and acetyl residues resulting in ferric acetohydroxamic complex that can be quantified using spectrophotometer. In this assay, commercially available acetylated polysaccharides (xylan from Birchwood for acetylxylan esterase; pectin from citrus fruit for rhamnogalacturonan acetylesterase; or any other available polysaccharide of interest) incubated with apoplastic extract and amount of acetyl residues released from this polysaccharide is estimated using ferric perchlorate reagent (protocol was modified from McComb and McCready, 1957). The absorbance of produced colored complex is directly proportional to the amount of acetyls released from acetylated polysaccharide.


Foreword by Yomeo IshiiForeword by Chatthip NartsuphaAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I The Shan (Tai) in Burma1. Mao kingdom of the early Shan2. The early Shan in Burma3. The early Shan relationship with Burma4. Bayinnaung and the Shan5. The Shan under the Burmese6. Burmese adminstration in the Shan states7. The Shan states and Siam (Thailand), and the British annexation8. The Shan and BuddhismPart II The Early Development of the Shan Scripts9. The origin of the Shan (Tai) language and scripts10. Lik Hto Ngouk11. Lik Tou Moan12. Khamti Shan13. HKunPart III Pali in Shan Religious Writings14. Pali in Lik Hto Ngouk (Lik Tai Mao) writings15. Pali in Lik Tou Moan (circular letter) writings16. Pali in Hkun writings17. Pali in Yuan writings18. New Shan scripts for PaliPart IV The New Shan Scripts19. Shortcomings of the early Shan script20. The new Shan sripts21. Comparative study of the new Shan scripts22. Education in the Shan languageAppendix 1 Shan writing cultureAppendix 2 The style and vocabulary of early Shan writingsAppendix 3 Shan poetryBibliography


The aim of this article is to investigate the process and the sociocultural meanings of the entrance in and the transmission of Korean herbal medicine(Hanyak:韓藥) for ethnography of the culture of everyday lives in korean traditional medicines. For this, I applied to a method of the oral life history through a deep interview of the older Korean herbal pharmacists(Hanyakupsa:韓藥業士) in Daegu Metropolitan city. Hanyakupsa is specialists of Hanyak in Korean traditional medicines. The role of Hanyakupsa in medicinal law is to sell by retail as a mixing one in various medicinal stuffs(藥材). The entrance in and the transmission of Hanyak were followed to traditional methods based on patron-client relationship(徒弟關係) for a long time. This is a result of the exclusion from formal education institutions because of much conflict surrounding to interests among a several medicine groups. The patterns of the entrance in Hanyak is two, 'entrance by tie-in relationship' and 'self-decision entrance.' There is in all the social preference of carrying out a healing art(仁術) and economic initiative. The skills and knowledges of Hanyak comprise the basic understandings of various medicinal stuffs(names?tastes?shapesㆍeffects), refining and regularity(修治), Bupje(法劑), processing(加工), management(管理), physical discernment(官能識別), recipes(處方), disease exams.(診察法) etc., being needed to carrying out the role of Hanyakupsa. These skills and knowledges of Hanyak have been handed down by the way of a several channels, a long learning of everyday lives based on patron-client relationship, self-education through books of Korean traditional medicine(韓醫藥書), making famous specialists in Hanyeuyak(韓醫藥) their teachers, group-study at informal academy. Therefore, Hanyakbang(韓藥房) is a place being practiced the everyday lives of Hanyak business and a very important social champ being handed down, shared of, created to the culture of Hanyak everyday lives.


Today's vehicles are typically outfitted with passenger convenience features that require Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs). HMIs can be relatively simple – such as a remote key fob – or more sophisticated – such as a radio face plate. Traditional development of HMIs involves two typically independent processes – (1) Physical Component Design and (2) Functional Logic Design. The physical component design is developed by a team that usually includes both graphics and ergonomics designers to ensure that the HMI is intuitive and fits well with the interior styling of the vehicle. The functional logic design follows a more typical software development process. This process is based on functional requirements commonly written in terms of user requests and system responses as represented by the HMI. As the complexity of the system increases, it is essential for the intuitiveness and ease of use of the HMI to advance as well. For teams using traditional methods to design, prototype, and fully test an HMI, achieving this level of ease of use is becoming increasingly challenging. In an earlier paper, the authors demonstrated how to create a "soft" version of the HMI under development and then use this to generate and record test vectors [1]. These test vectors could then be used to exercise the design under test to determine if the HMI logic was completely tested and if the design met the specified requirements. In this paper, the authors will address two important workflow issues to support the logic design and verification of HMIs – (1) integration of the HMI graphics and HMI logic and (2) formal verification of the HMI logic.


As part of its mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) researches methods to ensure the safety and reliability of emerging safety-critical electronic control systems in motor vehicles. As advanced driver assistance systems and other emerging technologies are introduced into new motor vehicles, the overall safety of these advanced electronic systems relies in part on the safety of the underlying foundational systems, such as steering systems. This study applies the Concept Phase (Part 3) of the ISO 26262 industry standard to two generic representations of foundational steering systems – electric power steering (EPS) and steer-by-wire (SbW). The generic EPS and SbW system architectures were developed based on interviews with industry subject matter experts and through literature describing existing EPS and SbW system designs. The paper outlines one approach to performing a Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) and developing a Functional Safety Concept. The approach incorporates several analysis methods, including Hazard and Operability study, Functional Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, and Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis. This approach is then applied to the EPS and SbW systems to identify vehicle-level hazards, and derive safety goals and functional safety requirements. The paper presents the vehicle-level hazards and safety goals derived from the analysis and includes a discussion of "failsafe" and "fail-operational" needs, which may inform the derivation of functional safety requirements. The results of this study may serve as an example for how different analytical methods could be applied to develop a functional safety concept. This study is primarily illustrative of the methods and is not intended to reflect a minimum set of safety requirements for existing or future foundational steering systems. Therefore, this paper does not provide any functional safety requirements.


We devised a novel Western blot (WB) test for anti-human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) detection which contains viral structural polypeptides, significant portions of recombinant p150 (ppUL32), and a significant portion of the most immunogenic nonstructural protein p52 (ppUL44). This new test was evaluated in latently infected blood donors, pregnant women, and transplant recipients with ongoing HCMV infection and shown to be more sensitive and specific than traditional WB and conventional enzyme immunoassay for the detection of HCMV-specific IgM.


First, this paper analyzes the congestion of container ports at home and abroad under the current epidemic situation, then takes Yantian port of Shenzhen as the key research object to analyze the waiting time at anchorage and the stopping time at berth of the main container ports in China based on the data statistics. It studies the anchorage demand of ships with random and fluctuating arrival based on queuing theory. It gives the relationship between the stopping time of ship at berth and the maximum waiting time of the arriving ship, and reveals that the increase of ship stopping time and uneven arrival at the port are the main factors causing the current container port congestion, and puts forward some countermeasures to alleviate the port congestion.


DR. WILLIAM EVANS (London) writes: I first met Gwilym James when I visited Australia as a guest-lecturer at the centenary meetings of the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1948. In the gathering I was introduced to a doctor whose shortness of stature and a natural shyness and humllity failed to hide the greatness of a discerning physician. I next met him during his visit to this country, and when 1: drew closer to him, I found that my first estimate of his sterling qualities had been well founded. Thereafter, although separated by immense distance, we cultivated an abiding friendship, through correspondence which recounted identical views on the ethics of clinical medicine and the way it should progress in order to bring the greatest amount of good to the patient, causing the least amount of discomfort in uncovering and treating his ailment. We were at one with the dictates of Claude Bernard, the father of experimental medicine, who laid down that any investigation which could only do harm should be forbidden, that which was innocent was permitted, and that which could do good was obligatory. Gwilym James was an erudite physician possessed of great integrity. Medicine is the poorer for his passing. His many patients will mourn the loss of a trusted friend as they remember his inordinate care of them. I shall miss receiving letters which carried so much wisdom. and which greatly enriched me. As a fellow Welshman. it pleased me to know that he was the great grandson of James who composed the Welsh national anthem.


This study aims to examine the impact of monetary and non-monetary rewards on the motivation level of employees. In order to fulfil the requirement, a questionnaire prepared in Google form was circulated. The questionnaire consisted of two sections. The first section pertains to determining the demographic factors of the respondents, and the second section is related to identifying and evaluating the reward preferences of the respondents. The conclusion of the study was that employees are likely to perform more efficiently if they receive monetary rewards for their efforts. However, the benefits achieved through non-monetary rewards are also significant.


This paper proposes a method for fault diagnosis of high-resistance connection (HRC) in vector-controlled permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drive system, which is based on a signal injection strategy applied to the PMSM control system during its normal operation. Two kinds of the signal injection methods are proposed to diagnose the HRC. In the proposed method, not only HRC fault can be detected, but also fault severity can be estimated and faulty phases can be identified. The simulation is carried out to verify the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method has high sensitivity to the HRC fault, high accuracy estimation of fault severity and good ability to identify the faulty phases. In addition, the proposed method is immunity to symmetrical stator resistance variations and inter-turn fault.


The paper analyzes an old medieval tile, studied previously, by other authors. We propose a new interpretation of the emblem it displays, connecting it to the ideals of courtly love, distinctive of the XVth century. These appear represented on many other samples and media of the time, used as a parallel of our tile, which were captured and inspired by the contemporary literature, outstanding in this, the Valencian novel,


To maintain and enhance the efficiency of a property portfolio the portfolio manager should select those property investment propositions which promise the maximum improvement of portfolio return and reduction of portfolio risk. To cope with this difficult task the portfolio manager needs appropriate decision criteria. This paper discusses some of the selection criteria evolved through the developments in capital market theory in order to assess their usefulness in property asset selection procedures. The use of the 'reward‐to‐volatility' criterion to select appropriate property portfolio projects is explored through a worked example. The reliability of such selection procedure depends on the availability of reliable historic record of the performance of the property market and of the property portfolio together with the portfolio manager's ability to perceive expected returns in different 'states of the world'.


Engineering changes (ECs) in engineering and manufacturing companies usually involve a wide range of time-consuming information processes. Commercial product data management (PDM) systems offer capable management of data for a single company, but not for a distributed engineering environment. In this paper, we present a concept for improving the handling of ECs not only within the various disciplines of a company but also across collaborating enterprises. We propose a parameter-based approach that is able to propagate ECs and engineering tasks across company borders. In addition, we introduce a mechanism of workflow management based on engineering parameters, an application of ECs in a distributed environment and a concept for the architecture of a Web-based distributed workspace. We developed the workflow system as a prototype for the SIMNET 1 project to verify the parameter-based approach.


The improvement of infant feeding practices has been reported as an effective preventive strategy for reducing the burden of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs). While high rates of NCDs are reported from Lebanon, little is known on child feeding practices in the country. This paper is based on a pilot‐study investigating feeding practices and nutritional status among 0–2 years old children, in one of the main rural areas of Lebanon (Beqaa). Subjects (n=150) were recruited from selected villages by cluster random sampling. Data on feeding practices, anthropometric measurements and 24‐hour dietary recalls were collected. Stunting, underweight and wasting were identified in 16.8, 9.1 and 4.1% of children, respectively; overweight and obesity were documented in 11.5 and 2.7%, respectively. Less than 10% of infants were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, with 52.6% being introduced to complementary foods at less than 4 months of age. Approximately, 45% of subjects did not meet the WHO indicators for Minimum Dietary Diversity and Minimal Acceptable Diet. Inadequate nutrient intakes were noted, particularly for iron, calcium, vitamin D and folate. Findings highlight the need for nationwide investigations of feeding practices and child nutritional status in Lebanon. Evidence‐based interventions can then be spearheaded to enhance early childhood nutrition, thus potentially reducing the burden of NCDs.


A new developed HPLC method calculates pigment concentrations in picophytoplankton samples within a very short runtime. Chlorophyll-a (Figure 1) is generally used as a biomass parameter and other pigments (like Fucoxanthin, Diadinoxanthin, Neoxanthin, Peridinin etc) serve as identifiers of different algae classes. Comparison with the long-term series data of phytoplankton from the Helgoland roads (54°11.18' N , 07° 54' E) shows, that peaks in the picophytoplankton abundance during springtime (end of April and mid of May) come shortly after the larger phytoplankton organisms disappeared and nutrients (nitrate, silicate, phosphate) decreased. This is also supported by the fluorometric data.


Total ionizing dose response of 14-nm bulk-Si FinFETs has been studied with a specially designed test chip. The radiation testing shows evidence of interface trap build-up on 14-nm Bulk FinFET technologies. These defects created in the isolation layer give rise to a new radiation-induced leakage path which might lead to a reliability issue in CMOS technologies at or below the 14-nm node. TCAD simulations are performed and an analytical model for TID-induced leakage current is presented to support analysis of the identified TID mechanism. TCAD simulation and analytical model results are consistent with the experimental data.


In recent years, major advances have taken place in our understanding of welding processes and welded materials. Because of the complexity of fusion welding processes, solution of many important contemporary problems in fusion welding requires an interdisciplinary approach. Current problems and issues in fusion welding are reviewed. Solution of these problems, apart from being a contribution to the advancement of science, is also necessary for science-based tailoring of composition, structure, and properties of the welded materials.


Abstract. The rapid development of the wind industry in recent
decades and the establishment of this technology as a mature and
cost-competitive alternative have stressed the need for sophisticated
maintenance and monitoring methods. Structural health monitoring has risen
as a diagnosis strategy to detect damage or failures in wind turbine
structures with the help of measuring sensors. The amount of data recorded
by the structural health monitoring system can potentially be used to obtain knowledge about the condition and remaining lifetime of wind turbines. Machine learning techniques provide the opportunity to extract this information, thereby improving the reliability and cost-effectiveness of the wind industry as well. This paper demonstrates the modelling of damage-equivalent loads of the fore–aft bending moments of a wind turbine tower, highlighting the advantage of using the neighbourhood component analysis. This feature selection technique is compared to common dimension
reduction/feature selection techniques such as correlation analysis,
stepwise regression, or principal component analysis. For this study,
recordings of data were gathered during approximately 11 months,
preprocessed, and filtered by different operational modes, namely
standstill, partial load, and full load. The results indicate that all
feature selection techniques were able to maintain high accuracy when
trained with artificial neural networks. The neighbourhood component analysis yields the lowest number of features required while maintaining the interpretability with an absolute mean squared error of around 0.07 % for full load. Finally, the applicability of the resulting model for predicting loads in the wind turbine is tested by reducing the amount of data used for training by 50 %. This analysis shows that the predictive model can be used for continuous monitoring of loads in the tower of the wind turbine.


Beef chops (longissimus dorsi) were pre‐treated with 5% carbon monoxide (CO) − 95% N2 for 24 h, vacuum packed in thermo‐contractile bags and stored at 0 ± 2°C. Shelf life, as determined by the viable aerobic bacterial load, was 11 weeks. Vacuum‐packed chops with heat‐contractile film produced a smaller drip loss, had a more intense red colour and higher colour stability under storage than chops with non‐heat‐contractile film. Chops pre‐treated with CO were redder during all the storage period than controls without CO. The pre‐treatment did not affect pH, water‐holding capacity, drip loss or rancidity of the meat stored in vacuum. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In 2016, the Fortune 500 earned two-thirds of the US GDP and 37% of the global GDP, with 28 trillion in revenue and 1.5 billion in profits. These companies employ 67 million people in 34 countries. In an attempt to develop a global mindset and skills among students, this international, virtual, collaborative student project specifically aimed to: Improve English language skills, improve the ability to work with non-native English language speakers, develop intercultural competencies, promote the use of digital channels in cross-border communication, cultivate team project management skills, develop an understanding of the communication challenges facing companies operating in a global context. Instructors in four countries (USA, Scotland, Germany and Portugal) created a 6-week, cross-cultural, virtual teams' project designed to achieve the project aims. It was conducted with postgraduate and undergraduate students in university business programs whose courses ranged from organisational communication and multicultural teamwork to social media communication and public relations.


The spectral reactions of thallium have been made the subject of observation by so many distinguished physicists as to leave little to be gleaned by further research of the spectrum of this interesting element. A strong line in the red seems, however, to have been overlooked, with one exception, in all the tables of the spectrum of thallium which have hitherto been published. Huggins would appear to have observed this line in the spark spectrum, and assigned a place for it in his table corresponding to a wave-length of 6547 of Ångström's scale.


Previous research has concluded that teachers are at higher than normal risk for voice issues that can cause occupational limitations. While some risk factors have been identified, there are still many unknowns. To gain more understanding regarding some of these unknowns, a self-reported survey was distributed electronically with more than 500 female respondents. The survey quantified vocal fatigue using the Vocal Fatigue Index. The areas investigated with the survey included the amount of potential risk involved for teachers of varying classroom sizes. Teachers' responses from several different school districts throughout the United States were analyzed to compare grade level and classroom size on the teachers' reported experience of vocal fatigue. Results indicated a significant effect of the physical size and capacity of classrooms on teachers reported amounts of vocal fatigue. Teachers of larger classrooms experienced significantly more vocal fatigue. Age related factors were also examined in this stu...


Lubrication equations are fourth order degenerate diffusion equations of the form $h_t + \nabla \cdot (f(h) \nabla \Delta h) = 0$, describing thin films or liquid layers driven by surface tension. Recent studies of singularities in which $h\to 0$ at a point, describing rupture of the fluid layer, show that such equations exhibit complex dynamics which can be difficult to simulate accurately. In particular, one must ensure that the numerical approximation of the interface does not show a false premature rupture. Generic finite difference schemes have the potential to manifest such instabilities especially when underresolved. We present new numerical methods, in one and two space dimensions, that preserve positivity of the solution, regardless of the spatial resolution, whenever the PDE has such a property. We also show that the schemes can preserve positivity even when the PDE itself is only known to be nonnegativity preserving. We prove that positivity-preserving finite difference schemes have unique positive solutions at all times. We prove stability and convergence of both positivity-preserving and generic methods, in one and two space dimensions, to positive solutions of the PDE, showing that the generic methods also preserve positivity and have global solutions for sufficiently fine meshes. We generalize the positivity-preserving property to a finite element framework and show, via concrete examples, how this leads to the design of other positivity-preserving schemes.


The issue of urban sustainability is addressed, based on the controversial nature of
the category built by the association of the two words (sustainable and urban), some
considerations are proposed and perspectives are proposed to deal with the geographic issues that can be

circumscribed in the framework of urban sustainability. The
synthesis of the reflection validates the relevance of more integrative conceptual
instruments that transcend political or economic perspectives. For which reason the
approach to territorial cohesion with a view to sustainability is proposed.


Abstract : The end of the Cold War has caused a massive restructuring of the Armed Forces and has precipitated nearly unprecedented force structure downsizing based upon the perceived reduced threat to national security. In addition to reshaping the military forces to meet the warfighting and peacekeeping requirements, a new national strategy must include how to man, equip, and train those national defense organizations that remain. This study addresses the need to continue a viable Army ROTC program to produce high quality junior officers as well as maintain a positive, mutually beneficial presence on university and college campuses throughout the nation during what promises to be an era of severely restrained resources. The paper begins with a brief historical look at officer training and moves through the present to the future in how to reshape and refocus Army ROTC to continue a viable, successful on-campus program.


PURPOSE: To provide an apparatus for economically and efficiently preparing spheroidal polymer beads having a uniform size distribution by forming a jet flow of a polymerizable monomer having a laminar flow property, exciting it into droplets by the vibratory excitation and polymerizing them. CONSTITUTION: An apparatus composed of (A) a monomer tank 1 contg. a monomer phase 14 comprising a polymerizable monomer fed through a feeding pipe 2, (B) a column 3 contg. a continuous phase 7 comprising a suspending liquid immiscible with the polymerizable monomer or the monomer phase 14 fed through a feeding pipe 4 and a stabilizing amt. of a suspending agent, (C) an orifice plate 11 in contact with the monomer phase 14 and the continuous phase 7 and having a passage 15 through which the monomer phase 14 can be fed as a jet flow having laminar flow properties into the continuous phase 7, (D) a vibrator 5, a piston 6 and a rod 13 for exciting the monomer jet flow to divide it into droplets, and (E) a polymn. reactor 9, having a stirrer 10, a transportation pipe 8 and a product-outlet pipe 12, wherein the polymerization can be conducted without causing the combination of the monomer droplets in the suspension or the additional dispersion. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO


This paper considers a problem of optimal buffer allocation in cyclic asynchronous mixedmodel assembly lines with deterministic processing times. An analytical model is used to provide new insights into properties of optimal buffer allocation, that is, a buffer configuration that guarantees the highest possible throughput rate on the assembly line with a minimum number of buffers. Optimal buffer configuration is characterized, and an efficient algorithm to find such a configuration is developed. The approach proposed in this paper also provides insights on how to allocate a given number of buffers to workstations on the assembly line to maximize the throughput rate.


High density self-assembled platinum nanodots are elaborated using a radio frequence sputtering technique and embedded in memory structures. Electronic microscopy methods are used to characterize the morphology. Scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy observations allow quantification of the density (>3×1012cm−2) and size (2–3nm) of the nanocrystals, whereas their crystallinity is investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Then, capacitance-voltage sweep measurements give excellent memory characteristics with a 7.1V maximal memory window. Promising retention performances and an estimation of the number of electrons stored in the metallic nanodots are also given in this paper.


Based on the construction of the bottom sealing concrete of steel sheet cofferdam about the third stage diversion water pumping station of the Yangtze river,this paper expounds the construction technology that using commercial concrete as the bottom sealing concrete of the nearshore deep water foundation.The construction technology is good for reference of other similar engineering projects.


Lupus nephritis (LN) is histologically evident yet early diagnosis can be challenging since some patients do not exhibit overt clinical manifestations until advanced stages. The objective of the present study is to determine if B-cell expression of interferon beta (IFNβ) can be a unique systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) clinical prognostic marker and if specific histopathologic features of LN can be identified in patients with elevated B-cell expression of IFNβ. A total of 80 patients who met the ACR/EULAR classification criteria of SLE were recruited. LN was identified in 41% (N=33). Multivariate regression analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between naïve B-cell IFNβ with race (African American > European American; P=0.006) and LN class (P<0.0001). Patients with elevated serum anti-Smith (P=0.01) and anti-DNA (P=0.013) exhibited significantly higher naïve B-cell IFNβ. B-cell IFNβ was further compared with renal histopathology microscopy findings on light, electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence (IF) (N=23). Patients with a higher percentage of IFNβ in naïve B cells showed increased segmental scaring (P=0.046). These patients also exhibited aggressive LN class (P=0.14), membranous pattern (P=0.15), and global sclerosis (P=0.18), although the differences were not significant. B-cell IFNβ did not show significant correlation with IgG, IgM, IgA, and C1q, and C3 in situ staining. The present study suggests that B-cell endogenous IFNβ may be developed into a unique target-based marker for the development and severity of LN. IFNβ blockade may be developed into an individualized therapy for this subset of SLE patients.


Chatter is an instability phenomenon,which greatly reduces the efficiency of the cutting process,the material removal and rapid tool wear.This paper the main works about application researches of varying speed cutting in chatter suppression at home and abroad.This lays the foundation for the research work of the machining stability in the future.


the tax rate (or other parameters of the tax system) implies a level of total spending and vice versa - in some real sense there can be only one independent fiscal decision' (Buchanan, 1967: 87). The usual form of this bridge in public choice voting models seem simplistic when compared to the complex incidence analysis of neoclassical public finance. We propose to continue the merging of these two complementary forms of analysis.' In most public choice analysis which explicitly recognizes the bridge between tax and expenditure, the concept of taxshare or taxprice is used. A taxshare is the cost share for each taxpayer of an increment to the public sector budget. If a dollar more is spent publicly, the taxshare is the additional cost to each taxpayer. In its simplest form, a head tax could be used


Economics UKRAINE The formation of professional competence of the future specialist, his professional development takes place in the educational environment of higher education. Therefore, the issue of ensuring the quality education, the formation and development of educational services, the definition of indicators of this quality is relevant for research and their implementation in pedagogical practice [1]. Thus, it is necessary to explore such identical concepts as "quality education", "quality of educational activities", "quality of the educational process", "quality of educational services". The quality of education is strongly linked to the quality of educational services. The complexity of their evaluation lies in the multidimensionality of the definition of the concepts of "education", "educational activity", "educational process" and "educational services". The problem of the quality education has become relevant, first of all, in foreign pedagogy and is now recognized as a priority among the problems of the XXI century. In economics and management, the essence of the concept of "quality" is related to the evaluation of the process and result of creation and use of products and evaluation of services, that is the object of research and management is the quality of products services [2]. Consider the interpretation of the concept


Traditional input devices are increasingly unable to meet people's needs of random input.Aiming at the defect,a 3D gesture recognition scheme based on gyroscope sensor is proposed.The hardware architecture of scheme includes a high accuracy data acquisition hardware system based on gyroscope and a MCU based on atmega16 and a wireless transmission module based on nRf24API.The gesture recognition algorithm includes data preprocessing module based on multisection filter.A feature extraction algorithm is based on angular movement to extract the 3D gesture feature.Experimental results show that the average recognition rate of this scheme is 99.3% which can well realize 3D space mouse input function and the keyboard function.


High‐resolution topography data sets have improved the spatial and temporal scales at which we are able to investigate the landscape through the analysis of landform attributes and the computation of topographic changes. Yet, to date, there have been only limited attempts to infer key geomorphic processes in terms of contributions to shaping the landscape. Highly erodible landscapes such as badlands provide an ideal demonstration of such an approach owing to the rapid changes observed over a relatively short time frame. In this technical note we present the Mapping Geomorphic Processes in the Environment (MaGPiE): a new algorithm that allows mapping of geomorphic process signatures through analysis of repeat high‐resolution topography data sets. The method is demonstrated in an experimental badland located in the southern central Pyrenees. MaGPiE is a geographic information system (GIS)‐based algorithm that uses as input: (a) terrain attributes (i.e. Slope, Roughness and Concentrated Runoff Index) extracted from digital elevation models (DEMs), and (b) a map of topographic changes (DEM of difference, DoD). Initial results demonstrate that MaGPiE allows the magnitude and the spatial distribution of the main geomorphic processes reshaping badlands to be inferred for the first time. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Maitreya (Metteyya in Pali; Byama-pa in Tibetan; Mi-lo in Chinese; and Miroku in Japanese), also known as Ajita or "unconquered," is the only Bodhisattva recognized by the Theravada tradition. Believed to be the future Buddha, whose coming would signify the fulfillment of the Buddha's Law as well as the establishment of universal concord without conflict, Maitreya is a popular divinity venerated by Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhists. When, and how, the idea of the recurrent Buddhas originated is an intriguing issue, but one that cannot be dealt with in this paper. May it be said simply that many scholars postulate Iranian influences in the belief in the future Buddha, a belief that probably developed in Hinayanist circles in Kashmir.' According to Basham, at any rate, "by the time of the 'Questions of Menander,' around the


Motivated by our earlier paper [Allahverdi R and Mazumdar A, Quasi-thermal universe and its implications for gravitino production, baryogenesis and dark matter, 2005 Preprint hep-ph/0505050], we discuss how the infamous gravitino problem has a natural built-in solution within supersymmetry. Supersymmetry allows a large number of flat directions made up of gauge-invariant combinations of squarks and sleptons. Out of many, at least one generically obtains a large vacuum expectation value during inflation. Gauge bosons and gauginos then obtain large masses by virtue of the Higgs mechanism. This makes the rate of thermalization after the end of inflation very small and as a result the Universe enters a quasi-thermal phase after the inflaton has completely decayed. A full thermal equilibrium is generically established much later on when the flat direction expectation value has substantially decreased. This results in low reheat temperatures, i.e., , which are compatible with the stringent bounds arising from the big bang nucleosynthesis. There are two very important implications: the production of gravitinos and generation of a baryonic asymmetry via leptogenesis during the quasi-thermal phase. In both the cases the abundances depend not only on an effective temperature of the quasi-thermal phase (which could be higher, i.e., ), but also on the state of equilibrium in the reheat plasma. We show that there is no 'thermal gravitino problem' at all within supersymmetry and we stress the need for a new paradigm based on a 'quasi-thermal leptogenesis', because in the bulk of the parameter space the old thermal leptogenesis cannot account for the observed baryon asymmetry.


In recent years, the transfer learning framework has gained increasing interest in the machine learning community. Fundamentally, this framework aims to train a new target system using existing data or knowledge from one or more previous source systems. By extending the theory of standard machine learning techniques, this framework allows us to solve many challenging problems directly and intuitively. This paper presents an application of this framework to train a novel target system whose goal is to measure a cotton fiber property named maturity using image analysis. In addition, this paper also presents a feature-based supervised domain adaptation approach named G2DA which performs mapping using the generalized (kernel) discriminant analysis. After domain adaptation is complete, model estimation is performed easily using traditional machine learning algorithms. Specifically, RANSAC-based regression is performed to learn a maturity function for the target system. This function is then used to estimate the maturity of any newly scanned fiber. Validation studies performed show good results for our overall approach.


Organic compounds in the waste water, in particular organic suspension, without generating by-products which give off harmful malodorous organic nitrogen compounds, and methods which can be decomposed to inorganic compounds such as carbon dioxide and water device I will provide a. The organic compound in the organic compound-containing wastewater in at least an anode and electrochemically harmless by using a diamond electrode. In this case the current density was 0.5~10A / cm It is preferable that the alkaline pH of advance the drainage. Further, when the organic compound is an organic nitrogen compound, after the cathode and anode 1-stage electrolysis process using diamond electrodes with the first stage of the electric reactor 1, the diamond electrode to the cathode used, preferably it performed anode 2-stage electrolytic treatment using the metal electrode to a second-stage electrolytic reactor 2.


Objectives This study was conducted to conducted the relationship between adolescents' childhood invalidating environment, destress intolerance, non-suicidal self-injury expectation, and non-suicidal self-injury, and to determine whether destress intolerance and non-suicidal self-injury expectation as a double medium between adolescents' childhood invalidating environment and non-suicidal self-injury.
Methods For this purpose, 737 copies of the questionnaire were collected from 13 ages to 19 ages, and the collected data were analyzed using Mediated Analysis with Hierarchical Regression for IBM SPSS (Statistics Package for the Social Science ver.22.0) and PROCESS macro.
Results The results of the study are as follows: First, the distress intolerance showed a positive partial mediating effect between childhood invalidating environment and non-suicidal self-injury. Second, there was a positive partial mediating effect of non-suicidal self-injury outcome expectation between childhood invalidating environment and non-suicidal self-injury. Third, the dual mediating effect of distress intolerance and non-suicidal self-injury outcome expectation between childhood invalidating environment and non-suicidal self-injury was significant in a positive (+) direction.
Conclusions In this way, it was confirmed that the destress intolerance and the expectation of non-suicidal self-injury in the relationship between childhood invalidating environment and non-suicidal self-injury play a role in increasing non-suicidal self-injury by double mediation. Based on this, a plan for prevention of adolescent non-suicidal self-injury was presented.


The book of Judges is great historiography of the Old Testament. This book is composed of many rhetorical devices in the form of narrative. Scholar, pastor, professor etc pay attention to elaborate theological issue of this book. Some of academic journal elaborate about ethical issue about Jephthah's vow. Common interpretation used topical approach to examine ethical issue. The main problem to interpret Jephthah vow is that many interpreters did not used narrative approach, so that they have lost the writer emphasis. This article aims to examine Jephthah's vow according narrative approaches. Some of interpretation book of the Old Testament, especially commentary on Judges 11:29-40 forget narrative approach as literary that writer used. Literary approach of the Judges 11:29-40 presents the properly approach to produce properly theological interpretation. This article elaborating each plot of Judges 11:29-40 to find the motive of narrator. The interpretation is according the structure of narrative text produce the precise and clear interpretation. The writer striving to consistent with an interpretation rule in examine each part of the passage. Therefore, this article is an academic writing that gives rich insights.


Genetic factors and early-life exposures1 are both important determinants of childhood asthma. Among the more than 150 loci identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), 17q12-q21 is the most replicated childhood-onset asthma locus.2 Fine-mapping at this locus has been difficult in populations of European ancestry because of extensive linkage disequilibrium (LD) in this region. Taking advantage of the reduced LD in African ancestry populations, we3 and others4,5 have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GSDMB are likely causal for childhood-onset asthma at this locus. However, it remains unclear whether the same variants underlie the many genotype-exposure interaction (GEI) effects.


In this paper, we present a method by which to build a metaphorical map of a portion of the scholarly literature along conceptual dimensions that have been previously characterized in terms of positive, negative and neutral terms. The method allows to "locate" scholarly works in this space, according to multiple criteria, like the definitions that they contain; the relevant concepts that can be extracted by means of a content analysis; and relevant passages that researchers can extract in studying their content. The resulting maps are not representational, nor trying to extract any objective essence of a scientific contribution. Rather, they are resources for the qualitative research, review and interpretation of literature sources. As such, these maps are "knowledge artifacts" in themselves, as they visualize, so to say, the interpretation of a set of works by qualitative researchers, and allow to build a visual comprehension of topological and qualitative relationships between the considered literature contributions. We applied the method to the case of the "knowledge artifact" literature and report the main results in this paper.


OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively compare rats' tibial nerve regeneration stimulation by Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and nerve fragments using silicone tubes. METHODS: 18 Wistar rats were employed in this experiment. The experimental surgery consisted of resection of an 8-mm tibial nerve segment, followed by an interposition of silicone tubes. On the right side, the tube was filled with a Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) solution, and on the left side, it was filled with 1 mm nerve segments. After three months, the animals were submitted to an additional surgery for exposing tibial nerves to the neuronal marker Fluoro-Gold®. After 48 hours, they were perfused with a paraformaldehyde solution and the medullar segment between L3 and S1 was removed and cut into 40 mm-thick segments. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results of neuronal counts showed a higher amount of neurons on the side where FGF was used compared to the side where nervous fragments were placed, suggesting a superior performance of the fibroblast growth factor over nerve fragments for stimulating nervous regeneration in silicone tubes.


ABSTRACT Solvent extraction of titanium(IV) from hydrochloric acid solutions by mixtures of mono- and di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid esters (MEHPA and DEHPA) has been investigated as a function of HC1 concentration in the aqueous phase and extractants concentration in the organic phase It was found that MEHPA extracts Ti, 3 orders of magnitude more efficiently than DEHPA. Efficiency of extraction by MEHPA does not depend on acid concentration in the aqueous phase in the range of 0·1 – 8·8 mole/Kg. As a rule Ti/MEHPA ratio in the complex is 1/2. At low aqueous phase acidities (0·1–1·0 mole/Kg HCl) formation of six- (or eight-) coordinate bidentate hydrated Ti(IV)-2MEHPA complexes is suggested. At acidities above 7·0 mole/Kg HC1 titanium forms tridentate six- (or eight-) coordinate complexes. At medium acidities (2·0–6·0 mole/Kg HCl) mixtures of these complexes are formed. Prolonged mixing of the phases or aging of the organic phase leads to dehydration and to transformation of bidentate to tridentate Ti-2...


Coconut fiber (CF) and eucalyptus leaves (EL) were upgraded by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and fuel qualities of corresponding hydrochars were determined in the present study. Compared to raw biomass, the hydrochars have increased energy density, and the decreased nitrogen and sulfur contents showed that reduced pollutant emissions are produced during hydrochar combustion. The ignition temperatures of hydrochars were higher and the combustion also shifted to higher temperature ranges. In addition, HTC significantly reduced the slagging and fouling tendencies of raw biomass and the fouling index of CF and EL changed from 2.59 to 0.09 and 1.11 to 0.24, respectively. This study demonstrated that solid fuel with high quality can be produced by HTC and improved thermal efficiency and environmental benefits can be achieved by hydrochar combustion.


An experimental study of a microemulsion system consisting of equal volumes of brine (water plus salt) and
oil (cyclohexane), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant, and a mixture of hexanol and pentanol as
cosurfactant is presented. Increasing the hexanol fraction in the cosurfactant mixture causes a competition
between the (disordered) microemulsion phase and a lamellar phase at vanishing spontaneous curvature,
culminating in four-phase brinelamellar phase-microemulsion phase41 coexistence. A SAXS study of the
lamellar phases is presented. Although a rather high salt concentration was used (0.2 M NaCl), several indications
for the presence of electrostatic repulsion between the lamellae are found. When the dispersion size F of the
middle-phase microemulsion exceeds the value of approximately 70 nm, the lamellar phase becomes stable in
the presence of excess oil and water. A similar dispersion size is estimated for a nonionic surfactant system
where the lamellar phase is close to the three-phase body (Kahlweit, M.; Strey, R.; Firman, P. J. Phys. Chem.
1986, 90, 67 1). The experimentally observed phase behavior is compared with a phenomenological theory
(Andelman, D.; Cates, M. E.; ROUX, D.; Safran, S. A. J. Chem. Phys. 1987,87, 7229). It appears that the
theory qualitatively correctly describes the competition between the microemulsion and the lamellar phases.
However, quantitatively there is a difference between theory and experiment which is attributed to the effect
of a negative Gaussian bending elastic modulus.


Supernatants from young cultures of Vibrio cholerae in Bacto peptone dialysate medium contain type 2 cholera toxin (Burrows, 1965) which is responsible for diarrhea in the infant rabbit model (Burrows et al, 1965) and for the toxininduced water and ion movement from the tissues into the lumen of the bowel in the adult rabbit ileal loop model (Leitch et al, 1966). The use of young cultures minimizes contamination with vibrio autolysate, including endotoxin (type 1 toxin), and such preparations contain no polysaccharide detectable by anthrone. The activity associated with inhibition of active sodium transport in anurian epithelium is readily removed from such preparations, together with


For improving the production efficiency and reduce labor costs in Industry, robotic grasping method has been concerned. The most common scenario in industry is sorting various parts and components, which is also the most suitable application scenario for robot grasping. For the U-shaped buckle grasping job, this paper proposes a scheme based on objection detection algorithm, fusing of classification angle information. At the same time of meeting real-time requirements, it can achieve more than 0.9 accuracy of the rotation target detection. Then using a mask-based digital image processing method to obtain the grasping points, providing reliable information for the subsequent grasping tasks.


Accounts receivable is the normal business caused by various factors.Systematic,standardized and institutionalized measures should be taken,emphasizing marketing,management and finance,to reduce accounts receivable.


This paper examined the extent to which sustainable marketing strategy affected the corporate performance of the electronic marketing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. This study adopted the survey design where one hundred and thirty six (136) copies of questionnaire were used for analysis. The findings revealed a strong positive correlation between sustainable marketing strategy and corporate performance of the electronic marketing firms in Rivers State. This implies that sustainable marketing strategy to a very large extent determines the level of customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and profitability that the electronic marketing firms can attain over time. This paper therefore, recommends that the electronic marketing firms should strive to sustain a high reputation for their loyal customer by providing them with reliable products and services that meet and exceed their expectation as to give them confidence in dealing with them.


Thermo-structural analysis with advanced composite plates and shells has been performed using Finite element method in order to determine temperature response and associated thermal stress. On solving the Fourier's heat conduction equation, temperature profile is arrived at, with the assumption of linear/uniform temperature distribution through the thickness. Finite element program is developed for steady-state heat transfer problems using Semiloof shell element. Validation for integrated thermo-structural analysis has been done and compared with the available results from literature. The new results thus obtained are presented in terms of temperature, thermal stress, and displacement. The results obtained will be useful particularly in nuclear reactor vessels and Thermal Protection System (TPS) in aeronautical engineering.


BACKGROUND
Periodontitis is initiated or accelerated by dysbiosis of oral microorganisms. When hypertension is accompanied in periodontitis patients, the changes of oral microbiota occur. Since there are no reports of antihypertensives, we assessed the effect of antihypertensives on the oral microbial profiles of patients with periodontitis.

METHODS
This study involved 95 participants divided into two groups: those with periodontitis and hypertension (P_HT) and those with periodontitis and taking medications for hypertension (P_mHT). Plaque samples were collected from the buccal, supragingival, and subgingival sites of the oral cavities of these patients. DNA was extracted, and the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA was sequenced and analyzed.

RESULTS
The P_HT and P_mHT groups were similar with respect to the alpha- and beta-diversity as well as the dominant phyla and genera but differed in the relative abundance of bacterial species (85 species). In the P_mHT group, the relative abundance of major periodontal pathogens was greatly increased. In particular, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, and Fretibacterium fastidiosum increased nearly three times the LDA score in the supragingival plaque. Also, there was an increase in relative abundance of Prevotella spp. associated with periodontitis and nitrate reduction, which was also evident in the supragingival plaque.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that antihypertensives induce dysbiotic changes in the oral microbiota of patients with periodontitis which are associated with increases in the relative abundance of periodontal pathogens. Therefore, more active periodontal treatment and supportive periodontal therapy are required in patients taking antihypertensives. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


This paper aims to identify functional requirements that graphical toolkits should support. It proposes some ideas for implementation and a functional separation of concerns for distributed user-interfaces.


In future optical networks, versatile functionalities will be required for the optical network subsystems to fully utilize the spectral resources with low energy consumption. The key technologies are the spectral efficient MUX/DEMUX technique and flexible control of optical channels with high frequency granularity. An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and Nyquist wavelength division multiplexing (N-WDM) are the most promising candidates of spectral efficient multiplexing techniques, and all-optical (AO) processing is expected to reduce the energy consumption. In an AO-OFDM systems, discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and inverse DFT (IDFT) are performed in optical domain by specially designed arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs). In our experiment, 12.5 GHz spaced AO-OFDM system has been successfully demonstrated with no guard interval. In N-WDM systems, the Nyquist signal is generated by using carrier-suppressed return-to-zero (CS-RZ) signal and optical Nyquist filtering, which is achieved with two flat-top AWGs and optical interleaver, and the 25 Gbaud signals are successfully multiplexed in the experiment. Although both AO-OFDM and N-WDM can achieve the highest spectral efficiency, N-WDM is more suitable for flexible optical networks. This is because the N-WDM channels have less spectral overlap with the other channels than AO-OFDM, owing to its rectangular shaped compact spectrum. Therefore, N-WDM channel can be easily multiplexed and demultiplexed by optical filters. At an optical network node, channel defragmentation is indispensable technology to flexibly control the optical channels. We have experimentally demonstrated a format independent optical channel defragmentation with N-WDM signal. We believe these technologies are promising for future flexible optical networks.


This article mainly aims to analyze the concept of hermeneutic, historicism, historicity and universality. Also, it emphasizes the use and purpose of these concepts in Qur'an. It is implied that the thought of historicism has risen and developed in West, and then, transferred to islamic world. The authenticity which are claimed to be available in tradiotion have beeen examined in the discussions islamic world. Also, the consequens of the method are studied by focusing on the concrete samples.


Background: To determine the frequency of congenital heart diseases in neonates Methods: In this descriptive study, echocardiography was performed in all 459 suspected cases of congenital heart diseases. Results: In 162 confirmed cases, the frequency of congenital heart disease was 2.86%. Male outnumbered female (100vs 62). Acyanotic lesions were more common than cyanotic lesions (127vs 35). Ventricular Septal Defect was the most common acyanotic lesion while Transposition of Greater Arteries was the most common cyanotic lesion Conclusion: Congenital heart diseases, being one of the commonest problem in newborns, requires early diagnosis, so that the affected child can get maximum medical support and benefit


THIS LIST of members of the Long Parliament who were disabled to sit has been compiled from the Return of the Names of Every Member Returned to Serve in Each Parliament (2 vols.; 1878) and the Journals of the House of Commons, Volumes II-VII. The conditions under which the research was done prevented recourse to other sources. It is likely, therefore, that the list is not quite complete, even for the members who were expelled by the House itself. It takes no account at all of those members who were excluded by the army or other outside agencies. The arrangement is chronological, and for convenience of reference to the Journals dates are in the old style, by which the days from January 1 to March 24 were reckoned as part of the previous year. The cause of dismissal was, unless the contrary is stated, "acting against the Parliament, or deserting the service of the House (during the Civil War)"-to borrow a phrase from the index to the Commons' Journals (page 705). Members who were expelled twice, presumably because their first expulsions were revoked, are listed twice, even when no records of the revocations of the first expulsions have been found. No attempt has been made to give all variations of the spelling of surnames or even to give the modern forms. In the main, the list speaks for itself and little comment is needed. There were ten expulsions before the passing of the Grand Remonstrance by a majority of eleven. There were many expulsions during August and September, 1642, when members had for the most part decided whether they would adhere to Parliament or to the King. There were some scattered all through 1643 and a great batch in the followingJanuary and February, no doubt as a consequence of Charles I's summoning, the previous December, a Parliament to meet at Oxford. Of the eleven Presbyterian members impeached in the name of the army in the summer of 1647, nine were expelled by the House, although in every case the expulsions were revoked the following June. It is hard to explain why one of the members, Edward Harley, escaped the fate of the other nine. Sir Philip Staple-


Abstract In this paper we present a systematic and efficient approach to deal with uncertainty in Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC). The main idea of the approach is to represent the NMPC setting as a real-time decision problem under uncertainty that is formulated as a multi-stage stochastic problem with recourse, based on a description of the uncertainty by a scenario tree. This formulation explicitly takes into account the fact that new information will be available in the future and thus reduces the conservativeness compared to open-loop worst-case approaches. We show that the proposed multistage NMPC formulation can deal with significant plant-model mismatch as it is usually encountered in the process industry and still satisfies tight constraints for the different values of the uncertain parameters, in contrast to standard NMPC. The use of an economic cost function leads to a superior performance compared to the standard tracking formulation. The potential of the approach is demonstrated for an industrial case study provided by BASF SE in the context of the European Project EMBOCON. The numerical solution of the resulting large optimization problems is implemented using the optimization framework CasADi.


Background: Coffee cultivation is highly sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation, as well as to the presence of extreme weather events, which impact coffee production. In the way producers adapt, impacts will be reduced. Objective: Know the perception of coffee producers about changes in the climate and identify the adaptive measures implement that contributes to face the adverse effects of climate change and reduce their current and future vulnerability. Methodology: A questionnaire was applied to sixty-four members of two coffee organizations in the central zone of the State of Veracruz, Mexico. Results: Coffee producers perceive changes in the climate, which affect production. Five physical and three socials measures of adaptation to climate change were recorded. Agroecological producers apply a greater number of adaptive measures than conventional producers, being less vulnerable. Implications: Results allow elaborating recommendations for adaptation to climate change and reducing future vulnerability. Conclusions: All the adaptive measures currently being used are autonomous and reactive, meaning, they will contribute to face climate change effects in the short term. However, anticipatory and planned long-term measures are recommended.


[Objective] The aim was to research the effect of the balanced fertilization on corn in alpine areas of Jilin province.[Method] The tested corn variety was Haiyu-5,with the planting density of 50 000 plants/hm2.14 treatments of balanced fertilization including N,P,K were set up.All the fertilizaters including N,P2O5,K2O were deeply applied at original furrow before ridging for once.[Result] The optimum fertilization amount in alpine areas of Jilin province was determined as treatment 13(T13,the fertilization amount of N,P2O5,K2O was 100,80 and 50 kg/hm2 resp.).After treating by T13 the barren ear tip length of corn was the smallest,being 0.8 cm;the ear diameter was the biggest,being 4.3 cm;the grain number was the most,being 286.8 ten thousand grain/hm2;the 1 000-grain weight was the highest,being 272.7 g and the yield and net income were the highest,being 7 189.5 kg/hm2 and 8 037.4 yuan/hm2 resp.with highest economic benefit.[Conclusion] This research could provide the technical support for fertilizering rationally on corn in alpine areas of Jilin Province and coming true the high production and high efficiency of corn.


: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of die geometry, food material and operating parameters on flow distribution in an annular extrusion die. A diverging annular die with a conical insert was designed such that the eccentricity of the central conical core could be maintained at 0, 1, and 2 mm. Corn syrup, cornstarch, cornmeal, and wheat flour were extruded through the die using a twin-screw extruder at varying mass flow rates. It was found that perfect geometrical alignment was very critical in achieving flow uniformity, and should be considered as the important factor in practical applications. The type of food material and mass flow rate had negligible effects on the flow distribution.


K(+) uptake in the high-affinity range of concentrations and its components have been widely studied. In Arabidposis thaliana, the AtHAK5 transporter and the AtAKT1 channel have been shown to be the main transport proteins involved in this process. Here, we study the role of these two systems under two important stress conditions: low K(+) supply or the presence of salinity. T-DNA insertion lines disrupting AtHAK5 and AtAKT1 are employed for long-term experiments that allow physiological characterization of the mutant lines. We found that AtHAK5 is required for K(+) absorption necessary to sustain plant growth at low K(+) in the absence as well as in the presence of salinity. Salinity greatly reduced AtHAK5 transcript levels and promoted AtAKT1-mediated K(+) efflux, resulting in an important impairment of K(+) nutrition. Although having a limited capacity, AtHAK5 plays a major role for K(+) acquisition from low K(+) concentrations in the presence of salinity.


Rosettes formed by peripheral T- and B-lymphocytes were studied in 23 normal controls and 23 marijuana smokers. The mean percentage of cells forming B type rosettes were normal in both groups. The percentage of T cells forming rosettes was lower in the marijuana smokers, and 39% had values below 2 standard deviations of the mean of the normal control group. These observations suggest some alteration in some T cells in some marijuana smokers.


The effects of different pretreatments on enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol fermentation in maize straw were investigated.The maize straw was pretreated by grinding,steam explosion(SE) and liquid hot water(LHW),respectively.The glucose concentration,hydrolysis rate,ethanol yield and inhibitor concentrations(acetic acid,furfurol and methylfurfurol) in enzymatic hydrolysate through different pretreatments were determined.The results showed that LHW pretreatment could significantly improve the hydrolysis rate,under the conditions of solid-liquid ratio 2:10 and time 48 h,the glucose concentration is 60.6 g·L-1 and hydrolysis rate was 63.13%.In addition,the inhibitor concentrations were very low.28.29g·L-1 ethanol was obtained and ethanol productivity was up to 46.68%.The theoretic rate for ethanol is 91.5%.Superfine grinding of LHW method effectively improved enzymolysis rate and ethanol productivity.


By analyzing the factors affecting the conversion efficiency of high-order harmonic generation(HHG),we suggest to employ the suitable atom to enhance the efficiency of the HHG.The suitable atom has intense coupling strengths between the ground state and the continuum states.With this way,our numerical results show the efficiencies of the harmonics near the plateau cutoff position are enhanced two orders of magnitude.


In this paper, we propose a new texture descriptor GLBP (Gradient LBP) for age group estimation. LBP exploits the only signs of the gradients between a center pixel and its surrounding pixels in a local patch and it does not reflect their magnitudes. This fails LBP to describe local signal structure in detail. Motivated by this observation, we propose so called GLBP, which considers the magnitude as well as the sign of the gradient. Experimental results show that when the proposed method is applied to age group estimation, it can achieve higher classification rate than existing well-known texture descriptors.


The system uses mobile internet to feed the user information about sites and monuments in the landscape – in this case on the seabed – while on the move. The information is targeted using the current position of the user as recorded by a GPS satellite navigator wirelessly connected to the mobile phone. Furthermore the user can participate in heritage monitoring by adding comments or even new sites directly from the phone.


The capacitated edge activation problem consists of activating a minimum cost set of capacitated edges to ensure the routing of some traffic demands. If the demands are subject to uncertainty, we speak of the robust capacitated edge activation problem. We consider a capacity formulation of the problem and investigate, from a polyhedral perspective, the similarities and the differences between the robust capacitated edge activation and the robust network loading polyhedron, as well as between the polyhedra corresponding to different routing and flows policies.


In order to study the dynamic characteristics of multi-rigid-body and multi-freedom degree mass moment system,the mathematical model and practical prototype of hardware-in-loop were built for large inertial and non-linear test system,and variable parameter PID control algorithm was improved.The system was used to analyze the dynamic response of mass moment balancing system with multi-freedom(degree),to study control algorithm and decoupling of complex system.The system can maintain dynamic(balance) within±10° interference.The emulating effect conforms to practical conditions.The algorithm is(feasible) and efficient.


of Charles Taylor with its "radical" implication comes to mind. Now Laden argues that Taylor "misunderstands what is required for mutual recognition" in thinking that we can recognize others in modern societies only if we allow for political affirmation of their projects. For Laden, joint participation in reasonable deliberation is sufficient for mutual recognition (p. 207). This may be right, but if so, Laden's project may not be as radical as some proponents of identity politics would like. Reasonably radical may not be radical enough for them. Laden's project, then, is perhaps best described not as a reconciliatory project, but one of defining the limits of identity politics, and whose limits are defined on quintessentially liberal terms. If this is right, what Laden has done is show how—and the limits to which—liberals should take the different kinds of personal identities seriously, rather than showing how the reasonable associated with liberalism and the radical associated with identity politics may be reconciled in the strict sense of the term. But the clarification of the relationship between liberal justice and claims of identity is an important one as it is, and Reasonably Radical is a fine contribution toward this end.


The electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones and base antennas can penetrate tissues of the human head, and can be absorbed and transformed into heat. Due to the increase of mobile telephony, there is interest in studying its effects on human health. An analysis of the medical literature from 1996 to 2013 was carried out through internet searches using Med-line and PubMed. Using mathematical modeling, the effect of 0.9GHz frequency was studied. The finite difference model was used to predict specific absorption ratios in W·m-2. The finite element model was based on a horizontal section of a 10 years old child head at eye level. Two dimensional analysis and a minimum thickness were used. The finite difference model predicted specific absorption ratios reaching 0.72W·m-2, while 2.0 is admitted by the European Union. Calculations of absorp-tion obtained from finite element predictions (to determine the displacement of the electric field) showed a better match for the 2009 version (0.685W·m-2). The new 2014 version peaked at 0.636W·m-2, but has slight differences between the 2nd and 3rd subdivision of the cerebral hemisphere. However, this la-test version of the finite element software has a good agreement with the results obtained by other authors. Modern software tools allow modelling the effect of cell phones on the brain but there are some minor differences between the predictions of di-fferent computer programs.


This paper provides some initial findings from a current longitudinal study that examines the implementation of a 1:1 laptop program in a school for boys in Perth, Western Australia. One issue that has emerged from the study is the problem of managing student distraction. The school in this study has taken a proactive approach to managing student conduct on its own network. Two student monitoring initiatives were implemented during the course of the research. The first: parental control software sought to integrate the parental control features of the laptops with the school network. The second initiative: e-safe is a web tracking service that records suspicious searches and URLs that students visit. When used in tandem, these tools were shown to have a marked impact on the conduct of students in using their laptops. This paper describes these initiatives including their effect on the broader school community, and suggests some ways in which student distraction can be best managed in future practice.


Objective To observe the effect of electrical stimulation of Guanyuan point on the ovary of perimenopausal rats.Methods Female SD rats with perimenopausal syndrome examined by vaginal smear were chosen and given transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on Guanyuan point by continuous wave of 2.5 Hz frequency and 2 V intensity.Electrochemiluminescence immunity assay(ECLIA) was applied to detect the estrogen levels in the serum of perimenopausal rats.The changes of ovarian tissue were observed and the number of follicles at all levels was counted by histology.Results The estrogen levels in the serum of perimenopausal rats and the number of ovarian primary follicles were increased with the electrical stimulation on Guanyuan point after 10 days with 30 min/d and 20 min/d compared with the control group(P 0.05).Conclusion Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on Guanyuan point can increase the secretion function of rats with perimenopausal syndrome and affect the follicular development.


Utilizing Lean Tools to Improve Value and Reduce Outpatient Wait Times in an Indian Hospital: Richard Miller Nirisha Chalapati Article information: To cite this document: Richard Miller Nirisha Chalapati , (2015),"Utilizing Lean Tools to Improve Value and Reduce Outpatient Wait Times in an Indian Hospital", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 28 Iss 1 pp. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/LHS-01-2014-0001


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to estimate the effects of liquidity on corporate bond spreads. Design/methodology/approach - Using a systematic liquidity factor extracted from the yield spreads between on- and off-the-run Treasury issues as a state variable, the authors jointly estimate the default and liquidity spreads from corporate bond prices. Findings - The authors find that the liquidity factor is strongly related to conventional liquidity measures such as bid-ask spread, volume, order imbalance, and depth. Empirical evidence shows that the liquidity component of corporate bond yield spreads is sizable and increases with maturity and credit risk. On average the liquidity spread accounts for about 25 percent of the spread for investment-grade bonds and one-third of the spread for speculative-grade bonds. Research limitations/implications - The results show that a significant part of corporate bond spreads are due to liquidity, which implies that it is not necessary for credit risk to explain the entire corporate bond spread. Practical implications - The results show that returns from investments in corporate bonds represent compensations for bearing both credit and liquidity risks. Originality/value - It is a novel approach to extract a liquidity factor from on- and off-the-run Treasury issues and use it to disentangle liquidity and credit spreads for corporate bonds.


A twisted ligand, 4,4'-dithiobis(pyridine), 4pds, was reacted with copper(II) carboxylates to synthesize one-dimensional coordination polymers: [Cu 4 (CH3COO)6(μ 3 -OH) 2 )(4pds) 2 ] n (1), [Cu(CH 3 COO)2(4pds).6H20],, (2), [{Cu 2 -(C 6 H 5 COO) 4 } 2 (4pds) 2 ] n (3), and [{Cu 2 [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 COO] 4 } 2 (4pds) 2 ] n (4). The crystal structure of 1 reveals a repeated rhomboid structure in which the Cu 4 (CH 3 COO) 6 (OH) 2 core is linked by two 4pds ligands. The 4:2 (Cu:4pds) stoichiometry of 1 transforms into the 1:1 (Cu:4pds) one of 2 in aqueous solution. Compound 2 has a porous honeycomb-like structure, which is occupied by carboxylate ions and water molecules. Compounds 3 and 4 are zigzag chains consisting of alternate linking of the Cu 2 (RCOO) 4 unit and 4pds ligand. The variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility data of 1 and 3 are consistent with the net antiferromagnetic interaction within the tetranuclear or dinuclear core.