Background : The aim of the present study was to assess the auditory working memory span of children with (central) auditory processing disorders (C) APD aged 8 to 10 years and to compare the results with normal ones. Methods: Twenty five children with (Central) Auditory Processing Disorders (8-10 years) and 75 normal children (8-10 years) from both genders participated in this comparative study. Participants were chosen by convenient sampling method to assess their auditory working memory (WM) span. Forward digit span, backward digit span and non-word repetition tests were used to evaluate the WM span. Nonparametric statistics (Mann–Whitney U) were used for comparing group differences. Results: Forward digit and backward digit and non-word repetition tests showed significant differences in mean scores between those with (C) APD and normal children (p˂0.001). Conclusion: The results suggest that (C) APD children have poorer performance in the WM span than the age matched controls.


Background: Previous studies have not specifically measured skin characteristics at common sites of pressure ulcers in high-risk elderly patients. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the physiological skin characteristics at common pressure ulcer sites and their relationship with pressure ulcer risk and demographic/laboratory data in bedridden elderly Japanese patients. Methods: This study involved 55 elderly Japanese patients in a long-term care hospital and 25 female Japanese university students. Skin surface temperature, epidermal water content, transepidermal water loss, skin erythema/redness, skin elasticity, and skin thickness were measured using noninvasive devices. The sacral and both heel areas (sites predisposed to pressure ulcers) and mid-to-lower back area (control site) were observed. Results: Elderly patients showed a low epidermal water content at both heels (right heel, 14.8 ± 9.1 arbitrary units, AU.; left heel, 14.4 ± 8.3 AU). Transepidermal water loss remained acceptable at all sites in older patients despite the presence of dry skin (back, 7.1 ± 1.8 g/hm2; sacrum, 7.4 ± 3.0 g/hm2; right heel, 17.7 ± 7.1 g/hm2; left heel, 19.4 ± 8.1 g/hm2). Back (0.61 ± 0.13 AU) and sacral (0.67 ± 0.11 AU) skin elasticity and sacral skin thickness (0.97 ± 0.56 cm) were significantly lower than those of healthy young people (0.86 ± 0.04 AU, 0.87 ± 0.05 AU, and 2.27 ± 0.84 cm, respectively; p p p < 0.001) in older patients. Conclusions: Our findings showed that skin thickness and elasticity should be prioritized when evaluating pressure ulcer risk at the sacral region in bedridden elderly Japanese patients. Moreover, skin moisturization should be considered to minimize the risk at the heels in such patients.


In this paper, a single source points (SSPs) detection method based on local dominance is devised for mixing matrix estimation in underdetermined blind source separation (UBSS). In the proposed detector, time-frequency (TF) points of mixed signals are firstly divided into different groups, and the local covariance matrix of each group is calculated. Taking advantage of the local dominance property, the groups with rank-one local covariance matrices are then identified as single source groups, i.e., the TF points of mixed signals in single source groups are regarded as SSPs. Finally, the obtained SSPs are clustered by the hierarchical clustering algorithm to achieve mixing matrix estimation. Simulations with real audio sources show that the proposed method yields competitive robustness, efficiency and effectiveness, in comparison with the traditional methods.


Based on fire plume models,the smoke temperature above the fire source at different heights was predicted for typical fire scenarios of Beijing National Stadium of Olympics 2008.The strength and modulus of elasticity of steel under different temperatures were considered to determine the critical temperature value. Accordingly the fire hazard region for steel structures in Beijing National Stadium of Olympics 2008 was determined to be with in 10.2 m above the seats.


Objective: Increased levels of serum uric acid (SUA) are thought to be an independent risk marker for cardiovascular complications. Treatment with the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) losartan lowers SUA in contrast to other ARBs. Whether reductions in SUA during ARB therapy are associated with cardiovascular protection is unclear. We aimed to investigate this. Method: In a post-hoc analysis of the Reduction of Endpoints in Non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus with the Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan (RENAAL) and Irbesartan Diabetic Nephropathy (IDNT) trials we determined whether the short-term effect of losartan and of irbesartan on SUA is related with long-term cardiovascular outcome by means of Cox regression. Results: Compared to placebo, losartan significantly changed SUA [−0.16 mg/dl; 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.01 to −0.30; P = 0.031], whereas irbesartan did not (−0.09 mg/dl; (95% CI 0.09 to −0.28; P = 0.30). Each 0.5 mg/dl decrement in SUA during losartan treatment in the first 6 months resulted in a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular outcomes by 5.3% (95% CI 0.9 to 9.9; P = 0.017). Losartan reduced the risk of cardiovascular outcomes by 9.2% (95% CI −7.9 to 23.6). Adjustment for the 6-month change in SUA attenuated the treatment effect to 4.6% (95% CI −16.2 to 22.0), suggesting that part of the cardiovascular protective effect of losartan is attributable to its short-term effect on SUA. Conclusion: Losartan but not irbesartan significantly lowers SUA compared to placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. The degree of reduction in SUA explains part of the cardiovascular effect of losartan. This supports the hypothesis that SUA is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, at least in type 2 diabetics with nephropathy.


A study of the effect of feed and ether acidity on the extraction of vanadium and molybdenum from process solutions by ethyl ether is described. Results of batch and continuous extraction tests on the extraction of uranium from process slurries by tributyl phosphate-Gulfspray naphtha are presented, including studies of the effects of feed and scrub acidities on the concurrent extraction of molybdenum. The effect of temperature on the stripping of uranium from tributyl phosphate was studied briefly. Results from fractional precipitation of MgX from dilute sulfuric acid solutions indicate that, in the presence of sufficient iron, phosphate is precipitated as ferric phosphate, and not as uranyl pho sphate. (auth)


meltdown is one of the most challenging behaviors of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where a child could not calm down or too overwhelmed with a certain situation. Because social robots are becoming useful as a therapy tool between the therapist and a child with ASD, as robot designers, we want to anticipate that a robot could be thrown on the floor or to the therapist or caregiver. In addition, we want to investigate how to better protect the robot from being damaged. Typical robots are constructed in plastic material. In this paper, a sample of plastic material and a sample of silicone material were compared in a drop test experiment at the heights of 0.0254 m, 0.5 m, and 1 m. These heights simulate a possible situation where the robot can be dropped. Our result shows the differences in the impact between the silicone and the plastic samples. This work provides a baseline study as a step toward soft, robust robots for children with ASD.


Myosin V, a two-headed motor protein, ferries cellular cargo by walking hand-over-hand on actin filaments. Interplay between ATPdriven conformational changes in the heads and stress due to load produces a variety of stepping dynamics: The motor can step forward or backward, or "stomp," where one head detaches and rebinds to the same site.We created an analytically solvable theory capturing all these behaviors, quantitatively matching a wide array of single-molecule experiments. We describe (pp. E4059–E4068) the structural and chemical design principles underlying the motor's robust function, providing a guide for how bioengineering might alter its dynamics.


Microglial lysosomes lack ClC-7, which leads to incomplete lysosomal acidification. In quiescent microglia, ClC-7 is targeted for proteasomal degradation apparently by an endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway. Microglial activation recruits ClC-7 to lysosomes and causes lysosomal acidification, which leads to efficient amyloid degradation.


YLVISAKER (Am?er. ,JC7Jn,-. il Ied. &,i., Sep1tember, 1930, p 372), a, preliminary report uipon an improvement thiey ave devised in testiingcircuclatory fitness, point ouit that if comlparable results are to be obtained the accurate standardization of exercise andn respiratory tests is essential it he (leteel-ninatiou of myocardlial efficiency is to be reliable. By uteans of an instrun;ent termed the flarimeter, which is (described, the relative valuies of vital capacity, breath-holdii g ability, systolic and diastolic bloodl pressure, heart iate,


The linear regression model by Aalen for failure time analysis allows the inclusion of time{dependent c o variates as well as the variation of covariate eeects over time. For estimation Aalen considers cumulative hazard functions and derives estimates by applying counting process theory. Since often hazard functions themselves are of primary interest rather than cumulative hazard functions, in this paper we consider kernel estimation of the hazard functions, particularly in the presence of time{dependent c o-variates. Diierent kinds of bandwidths and kernel functions are discussed. A comparison of the considered methods is illustrated by data from the Stanford Heart Transplant S t u d y. linear hazard regression modell tail problemm time{dependent c o variatess time{varying eeects.


Let X = (Xt,Ft)t≥0 be a continuous local martingale with quadratic variation process〈X〉 andX0 = 0. Define iterated stochastic integrals In(X) = (In(t, X),Ft) (n ≥ 0), inductively by


The 'material' arts of Laos have so far been little studied, even though the country has recently had two sites included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. These arts are essentially religious in nature and are above all linked to the practice of Buddhism. The aim of this paper, building on initial research carried out over recent years in all provinces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is to provide new information that will allow a clearer vision of the origin, the development and the spread of original artistic practices, and to better understand a regional history that can be tortuous to penetrate if one has to rely solely on manuscript sources (chronicles). These inquiries show that what is today Laos, on account of its geographical situation and its complex physical features, has been an area of expansion for some very diverse civilizations, in different territories, and over often distinct epochs. The study of Buddhist art helps us to understand modes of interaction between these different cultures: it gives evidence of continuity, but equally underlines the ruptures that occurred. It enables us to reexamine long accepted ideas, and also provides a number of new perspectives for historical research on Southeast Asia.


The importance of properly optimizing code for execution on super-scalar processors was investigated. Access to the domain specialist was not available during the optimization investigation. For this study of an existing serial FORTRAN application, the use of compiler switches, manual coding techniques, a commercial preprocessor utility (KAP), and a commercial parallelization utility (FORGE) showed the potential to affect execution performance by more than an order of magnitude. The application for the case study was a three-dimensional boundary element code that modeled spherical particle transport phenomena in a particle suspension. Separate experiments were conducted using two different processor platforms: a four node IBM SP (160Mhz POWER2 CPU) and a single node DEC Alpha (667Mhz 21164 CPU). Execution times for the non-optimized, serial base case were 72 hours on a single IBM SP node and 66 hours on the DEC Alpha. Using a combination of compiler switches and manual optimizations, such as in-lining of inefficient subroutines, execution times were reduced to 7.5 hours on a single IBM SP node and 5.4 hours on the DEC Alpha. The use of the KAP pre-processor reduced execution time to 2.3 hours on the single IBM SP node. Using the parallelization software FORGE and four nodes on the IBM SP resulted in an execution time of 25.8 hours without compiler optimization and 3.0 hours using compiler switches for optimization. Applications of High Performance Computing in Engineering VI, C.A. Brebbia, M. Ingber & H. Power (Editors) © 2000 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-810-4


The applications of carbon and carbon‐based materials with high porosity, high surface area, and functionalities based on metal‐organic framework precursors and/or templates have attracted significant research interest in recent years, particularly in the field of batteries. The chemical and physical properties of carbon and carbon‐based materials obtained by the heat treatment of various metal‐organic framework precursors or templates are improved to a certain extent. In this comprehensive review, the synthetic methods and electrochemical performance of carbon materials derived from metal‐organic frameworks (metal/carbon, metal oxide/carbon, nitrogen‐doped carbon, porous carbon, etc.) along with their applications in batteries are outlined.


By analyzing the different aspects to regulate the "imitation" in the Intellectual Property Law and Law Against Competition by Inappropriate Means, it can be summarized that the two laws, with their own ranges in protection and encouragement in technological innovation, are different from each other in their legislative aims, objects of protection, range, etc. Therefore, "Slavish Imitation" is to be regulated by the Law Against Competition by Inappropriate Means.


A novel method of reducing the contact resistance (RC) is presented by adding a corrosion barrier layer between n+a-Si:H and source/drain electrodes. The performance of novel TFTs is greatly improved by 35% and $R_{C}$ are effectively decreased from $17.43 \Omega \cdot {m}$ to $2.97 \Omega \cdot$ m.


All spacecraft in low orbit are subject to hypervelocity impacts by meteoroids and space debris. These impacts can damage spacecraft flight-critical systems, which can in turn lead to catastrophic failure of the spacecraft. The numerical simulations of characteristics of debris cloud produced by an aluminum sphere projectile hypervelocity impact on different material bumpers at normal incidence have been carried out by using the SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) technique. The effects of impact velocity, the ratio t/d of the bumper thickness to the projectile diameter and the bumper materials on the debris cloud characteristics are presented.


The purpose of doing this research is to find out about the purpose and purpose of marriage applied by Imam Ghazali in the book of Ihya' Ulumuddin. Judging from the type of research is classified as library research, which is theoretical and philosophical. Its research methods include data sources and data collection. The method of data collection is done by means of literature studies. The method of data analysis using the deductive thinking method is to draw conclusions from a problem based on things or events that are common to a specific conclusion. Let the husband and wife before marriage study the science of religion related to marriage so that each right can be exercised, because how can he know the rights of each other if without the basis of religious knowledge. By knowing the science of religion, God willing the family will be awake from the fire of Hell. Let a husband patiently face the treatment or akhlaq of an unwise wife, for no matter what reason a woman is not equal to the man's mind.


Nigeria's public service is strategically positioned to manage the nation's resources for service delivery to the people. The service has however, been associated with poor or total absence of accountability, with the overall effects of default in service rendering. This paper examines this phenomenon within the context of governance and reveals a visible gap between performance and expectation arising from mismanagement of resources. The trend, paper recommends, can only be reversed through strict adherence to guide line for performance and compliance by the public servants, while the government must act appropriately to strengthen the existing institutional regulatory framework to mitigate the situation. Abstract: Imperativeness of Transparency, Probity, Public Service. Imperativeness of Transparency, Probity, Public Service.


Purpose: Nitrogen (N) is important for plant growth and development, and of the macronutrients, is often the one that is most limiting. Soil nitrate (NO3) and ammonium (NH4) are both forms of inorganic nitrogen that are readily available for use by plants. They are formed from the mineralization (by microorganisms) of organic forms of N such as soil organic matter, crop residue, and manures. Soluble fertilizers also provide nitrate and ammonium in forms that can be used by plants. Nitrogen in the soluble forms is mobile in the soil, and nitrate can be leached below the root zone of the crop. Both forms can be transported off site in runoff due to rain or irrigation, which contributes to eutrophication of surface waters due to excess growth of algae and microorganisms. Knowing the content of plant available nitrogen is important to assure that the crop has enough for adequate growth, but excess nitrogen is not running off the field.


This study analyzed the electric vehicle recharging station status with recharging time limitation due to long waiting time, and figured out the user status by user interviews. And then this study verified the validity of hypothesis in terms of environmental design perspective and suggested layout of recharging station model. 21 recharging stations in Korea and station operation cases of 7 countries were examined. Except for the USA, the reality of electric vehicle recharging station today is the 1st proving stage focusing on the infrastructure construction of electric vehicle recharging station. It focuses on performance of recharging facility, use efficiency and operation environment of electric vehicle. About the effective waiting time of the user to use it should be studied. The current conditions of recharging station are as follows: Lack of independent recharging space, lack of facility that reduces external effect of recharging space, and lack of lounge for users during the waiting time. These three are essential factors constructing a suggesting model after basic layout, which needs proper measurement on the long recharging time and long waiting time. The essential factors are applied to electric vehicle recharging station layout so that users might use 'digital refresh" i.e. lounge and information contents service during the waiting time which provides convenience of recharging and emotional space with users. Such upgrade recharging station environmental model might resolve the burden of long recharging time which may contribute to the popularization of electric vehicles.


Belfast: On the next level above Galileo Wales: 2nd All Wales Physics Teachers Meeting England: Good afternoon Natural Philosphers... Communication: Posters win prizes Careers: Physics On Course 2004 Visits: Refreshing Physics Sport: Cheating at baseball Physics on Stage: Polish performance Space: Forces that affect GPS satellites New Zealand: It's not All Black News these days New Initiatives: NOISE Physics on Stage 3: Lively stars heading for ESA


This article analyzes the effect of adopting hybrid maize on productivity per hectare, using data obtained from 1,622 producers in Ecuador. Special attention is given to examining whether there are differences between producers who adopted maize independently and those who did so through a technological package –partially subsidized by the state– which, in addition to hybrid seed, included complementary technologies, training, and technical assistance. The findings show that adopting hybrid seed had a positive impact on productivity per hectare, regardless of whether it was adopted independently or as part of a technological package. However, producers who adopted the technological package clearly saw the greatest increase in productivity.


I Using the strategy of examining the effects of racial, ethnic, and cultural factors on the process of identifying and serving students with emotional or behavioral disorders, this book provides the reader with an appreciation of the complexity of looking at "aberrant" behavior within the context of culture and community. The text is divided into five main parts. An introductory section provides an overview of how essential culture and community are to the education of students and briefly discusses "multicultural education" and related terminology. The second section consists offour chapters that provide comprehensive discussions of the topics of aggression, depression, substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency within a cultural context. The third section examines race and ethnicity across African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American, and European-American cu ltu res. The fou rth section of the book consists of the eight chapters that cut across the traditional racial and ethnic l ines of the book to address the role of families, religion, gender and sexual issues, immigration, refugee and generational status, rural and urban environments, and the culture of street gangs. The final section attempts a synthesis of the topics raised in earlier chapters and suggests areas for further discussion and research. In addition to the five sections, an appendix provides the reader with the 1989 "white paper" of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, "Best Assessment Practices for Students with Behavior Disorders: Accommodation to Cultural Diversity and Individual Differences," which effectively argues for adoption of a functional assessment approach with culturally diverse students. Intended to raise awareness and stimulate thinking on how behaviors can be treated within


Immunoaffinity chromatography can be applied to the treatment of biological samples. It consists of the separation, extraction, or purification of a molecule (para nitro analine in this paper) from a mixture by a selective interaction with an antibody. The latter is produced by living organisms after their contact with an antigen (modified protein in this case). The production of specific antibodies highly depends on the purity of antigen. This paper describes and compares two methods of antigen purification: dialysis and gel permeation chromatography. This chromatographic method allows one to obtain a pure antigen faster than dialysis but with a slightly larger dilution of the samples. It is not a drawback for the procedure of the antibodies production.


We discuss the local behaviour of vector elds in the plane R 2 around a singular point (i.e. a zero), on the basis of standard (Poincar e-Dulac) normal forms theory, and from the point of view of Poincar e renormalized forms 28]. We give a complete classiication for regular singular points and provide explicit formulas for non-degenerate cases. A computational error for a degenerate case of codimension 3 contained in previous work is corrected. We also discuss an alternative scheme of reduction of normal forms, based on Lie algebraic properties, and use it to discuss certain degenerate cases.


Since the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 has swept the world, bringing many inconveniences and even threats to human life. Through medical scientists' constant study, the vaccine was finally developed earlier this year. According to mathematical and medical modelling, if novel coronavirus transmission is counted as three (i.e., one patient can infect three), 70% of the vaccinations will be required for protection to be substantially achieved. To tackle the issue of vaccine coverage prediction, this paper proposed three-time series analysis models, which can be utilized to analyze and predict the COVID-19 Vaccine coverage worldwide with the application of machine learning. For a long time, statistical methods have mostly solved time series prediction problems (AR, AM, ARMA, ARIMA). Mathematicians try to constantly refine these techniques to constrain stationary and non-stationary time series, but the results are often not very good. In this paper, we propose a method based on deep learning, using CNN-LSTM, VAE-LSTM, DeepAR, and other models to analyze and predict the data of vaccine coverage rate. The experimental results demonstrated that the RMSE of LSTM, CNN-LSTM, VAE-LSTM and DeepAR are 9.295522e+07, 1.028151e+07, 1.857031e+06 and 1.961001e+07 separately.


The accurate estimation of hydrologic extremes is central to planning and engineering mitigation and adaptation measures. The traditional extreme value theory is based on often overlooked assumptions that preclude the use of all available observations and negatively affect estimation uncertainty. The Metastatistical Extreme Value Distribution (MEVD) was introduced to make full use of available data and was shown to significantly improve estimation uncertainty for large extremes. However, no systematic understanding existed as to how to optimally apply the MEVD depending on the statistical properties of the observed variables. With reference to daily rainfall, we identify here the local climatic factors that define the optimal MEVD formulation. We analyze a large set of long daily rainfall records, as well as synthetic time series with prescribed statistical characteristics, and find that (1) in most climates the MEVD should be based on yearly estimates of the ordinary rainfall distributions, and only in climates with less than n¯= 20–25 year the estimation of distributional/year the estimation of distributional parameters requires samples longer than 1 year; (2) the interannual variability in the distributions of rainfall should be explicitly resolved when n¯> 20–25 rainy days/year. Finally, we use the optimized MEVD to study the variability of daily rainfall extremes over 294 years in Padova (Italy) and compare it to traditional extreme value estimates. We find that, through its improved accuracy for short observations, MEVD better resolves high‐quantile fluctuations and allows the emergence of long‐term trends over estimation noise.


Heavy air pollution, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5), poses serious challenges to environmental sustainability in Beijing. Epidemiological studies and the identification of measures for preventing serious air pollution both require accurate PM2.5 spatial distribution data. Land use regression (LUR) models are promising for estimating the spatial distribution of PM2.5 at a high spatial resolution. However, typical LUR models have a limited sampling point explanation rate (SPER, i.e., the rate of the sampling points with reasonable predicted concentrations to the total number of sampling points) and accuracy. Hence, self-adaptive revised LUR models are proposed in this paper for improving the SPER and accuracy of typical LUR models. The self-adaptive revised LUR model combines a typical LUR model with self-adaptive LUR model groups. The typical LUR model was used to estimate the PM2.5 concentrations, and the self-adaptive LUR model groups were constructed for all of the sampling points removed from the typical LUR model because they were beyond the prediction data range, which was from 60% of the minimum observation to 120% of the maximum observation. The final results were analyzed using three methods, including an accuracy analysis, and were compared with typical LUR model results and the spatial variations in Beijing. The accuracy satisfied the demands of the analysis, and the accuracies at the different monitoring sites indicated spatial variations in the accuracy of the self-adaptive revised LUR model. The accuracy was high in the central area and low in suburban areas. The comparison analysis showed that the self-adaptive LUR model increased the SPER from 75% to 90% and increased the accuracy (based on the root-mean-square error) from 20.643 μg/m3 to 17.443 μg/m3 for the PM2.5 concentrations during the winter of 2014 in Beijing. The spatial variation analysis for Beijing showed that the PM2.5 concentrations were low in the north, especially in the northwest region, and high in the southern and central portions of Beijing. This spatial variation was consistent with the fact that the northern region is mountainous and has fewer people and less traffic, which results in lower air pollution, than in the central region, which has a high population density and heavy traffic. Moreover, the southern region is adjacent to Hebei province, which contains many polluting enterprises; thus, this area exhibits higher air pollution levels than Beijing. Therefore, the self-adaptive revised LUR model is effective and reliable.


In this paper a control method for the bilateral teleoperation of a mobile robot was proposed, which is combining position-position and position-speed command strategies. We consider bilateral teleoperation of a wheeled mobile robot. Our main objective is to combine position-speed command strategy, which is usual for mobile robot control, with position-position command strategy. Generally teleoperation scheme has two control modes, which are position-speed mode and position-position mode. In position-speed mode, a master haptic manipulator's position defines the linear velocity and heading angle of the mobile robot. In position-position mode, the position of the robot is controlled based on the position of the master device. In this paper we propose a strategy to adapt a reasonable control mode automatically. Sonar sensors were used to detect obstacle range information, which is the source of force feedback to human operator. Developed scheme was tested with numerical simulations and experiments. The different types of navigation tasks were evaluated. Productivity, accuracy and usability of hybrid control strategy are analyzed. Flexible and intuitive control was achieved.


To the Editor: Shevell1 reported a girl with daily brief (up to 5 minutes) episodes of visual hallucinations with \`little white spots and flashes of various colors' and \`metamorphopsia'. He concluded that`no other diagnosis seems plausible' than acephalgic migraine. We argue that this child's symptoms would favor benign childhood occipital seizures (BCOS) rather than migraine.

The differential diagnosis of BCOS from basilar migraine and migraine with aura has been detailed.2-4 The difficulties in their differentiation are shown by the fact that the first account5 compatible with what is now established as BCOS6-8 classified this type of epilepsy as basilar migraine. Although the epileptic nature of BCOS was evident from the occipital spikes, the clinical manifestations …


ABSTRACT In this study, we tested the effectiveness of stand age, multispectral optical imagery obtained from the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired by the Sentinel-1B satellite, and digital terrain attributes extracted from a digital elevation model (DEM), in estimating forest volume in 351 plots in a 1,498 ha Eucalyptus plantation in northern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithm was used following the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of various data combinations, including multispectr al and SAR texture variables and DEM-based geomorphometric derivatives. Using multispectral, SAR or DEM variables alone (i.e. Experiments (ii)–(iv)) did not provide accurate estimates of volume (RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) > 32.00 m3 ha−1) compared to predictions based on age since planting of Eucalyptus stands (Experiment (i)). However, when these datasets were individually combined with stand age (i.e. Experiments (v)–(vii)), the RF models resulted in better volume estimates than those obtained when using the individual multispectral, SAR and DEM datasets (RMSE < 28.00 m3 ha−1). Furthermore, a model that integrated the selected variables of these data with stand age (Experiment (viii)) improved volume estimation significantly (RMSE = 22.33 m3 ha−1). The large and increasing area of Eucalyptus forest plantations in Brazil and elsewhere suggests that this new approach to volume estimation has the potential to support Eucalyptus plantation monitoring and forest management practices.


The first of faur major sections in this report presents an overview of the background and evolution of computer applications to learning and teaching. It begins with the early attempts toward "automated teaching" of the 1920s, and the "teaching machines" of B. F. Skinner of the 1940s through the 1960s. It then traces the development of computer assisted instruction (CAI) that began in the 1960s with the PLATO project, through to the emergence of microcomputer-based CAI. The second section describes the entry of microcomputers into the homes and schools of North America. Distinctions are made between learning about computers, learning with computers, using computers as educational tools, and using computers with specific student populations. The results of three surveys of computer use in elementary and secondary schools are cited. Section three notes the response of faculties of education to the challenge of preparing practicing teachers and student teachers in the intricacies of applying computer technology in their classrooms. The final section describes the facilities, courses, and programs that have been developed at the University of Victoria. Included in this section is a brief description of the IBM/University of Victoria Cooperative Project. (Author /THC) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** COMPUTERS IN EDUCATION:


Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies have been carried out on a binary mixture of polystyrene-h{sub 8} particles (A, radius 168 A) and polystyrene-d{sub 8} particles (B, radius 510A). Two dispersions were prepared at a total volume fraction of ca. 0.03 and with number ratios N{sub A}/N{sub B} of 9 and 15. The electrolyte content of these dispersions was 6 x 10{sup -5}mol dm{sup -3} sodium chloride. Experiments were carried out at 3 contrasts, using H{sub 2}O, 75% D{sub 2}O, and D{sub 2}O so that the data obtained enabled evaluation of the three partial structure factors, S(Q){sub AA}, S(Q){sub BB}, and S(Q){sub AB}. Prior to examining the mixtures, separate SANS experiments were carried out to characterize the particles and to obtain the structure factors for the individual lattices, S(Q){sub A} and S(Q){sub B}. This enabled a comparison to be made of the single-component dispersions and the binary mixtures. The results indicate that the larger particles retain their structure in the mixture but that the structure of the smaller particles is distorted with evidence of long-range correlations resulting in `weak` cluster formation. The variation in the partial structure factors is consistent with the calculation that the strongest electrostatic interaction is between themore » larger B particles and the weakest between the smaller A particles. 42 refs., 11 figs., 4 tabs.« less


The use of hand phone (HP) as a means of communication is prevalent in all societies in Indonesia. HP-based applications, of course, be a very useful innovation and facilitate all parties to operate the application. Java (J2ME) -based Technology is able to create applications that can be installed almost in all types of HP that exist in Indonesia. How it works using the HP-based applications for Disaster Information System are: the application based on Java (J2ME) installed on HP, then the application will be connected to web service on the Disaster Information System Server. In addition to uploading images, photos or video an event (events), the application is also equipped with the detection of spatial coordinates of the scene.


prediction system. T H E NEEDS of the naval and academic community to expand their modeling activities were identified in an Ocean Prediction Workshop during 1986 (Mooers et al., 1986): 1) an openly shared hierarchy of well-documented models; 2) direct access to computational resources; 3) improvement of scientist-to-scientist communications through standardized procedures for model testing and validation; and 4) various kinds of certified data sets. The Institute for Naval Oceanography (INO) response to these needs was to implement an Experimental Center for Mesoscale Ocean Prediction (ECMOP). This is a specialized computational center to facilitate the development, demonstration, and evaluation of a mesoscale ocean-prediction capability. An early planning study (INO, 1988) investigated the functional components of an experimental center. This study concluded that the best overall strategy for ECMOP was to take advantage of the infrastructure provided by the Naval Oceanography Command for real-time operations and to provide capability for validation and evaluation of ocean models. Another feature was a conceptual design for ECMOP. The major functions within the framework of a numerical ocean prediction system should be structured with sufficient modularity to provide flexibility for modification as needed to conduct evaluation of ocean modeling and prediction. Figure 1 depicts the major features of such a modular prediction system (INO, 1988). This figure shows the many places where different data sets are needed or accumulated. It also shows clearly why a sophisticated data-base management system is a high priority for early implementation in a numerical ocean modeling and prediction system.


This study was designed to investigate the effects and the mechanism of Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) on endotoxic shock‐induced lung injury in a mouse model.


We investigate second order elliptic equations \[F(\mathcal{H}u) = 0\] where the function $F\colon S(n)\to\mathbb{R}$ on the space of symmetric $n\times n$ matrices is assumed to be sublinear.
There is very little to be found in the literature devoted particularly to sublinear elliptic operators. When examples of such operators occur, they are often merely treated as members of the larger class of convex operators. That class has been thoroughly investigated and many of its aspects are well understood.
There is, however, something to be said about sublinear operators that do not, in general, apply to convex operators.


The proposed system can optimize the management and efficiency of street lighting systems. It also uses a sensor combination to control and guarantee the desired system parameters. Embedded system is a main domain of this project. Embedded system is a combination of hardware and software integration. Internet of Things (IoT) is connected to high tech street lighting system. RTOS is defined as real time operating system. It is used for multitasking purpose. A real time operating system is necessary to handle the timely events and other multitasking requirements of the project. FreeRTOS is used to reconfigure the system, for example first enable the Ethernet task, Web server task and next enable the sensor task.


The invention discloses a construction method of a bricked large-span multiple-arc-arch. The large-span multiple-arc-arch consists of a large arc arch with span being 3100mm arranged at the outer edge of a common facade wall body as well as a double-small-arc-arch, wherein the double-small-arc-arch is formed by two small arc arches whose spans are both 1500mm at the inner edge the common facade wall body. The construction method for constructing the large-span multiple-arc-arch comprises nine processes: 1) firing common shale perforated bricks and wedge-shaped and polygonal abnormal-shape perforated bricks; 2) erecting small circular arch moulding beds; 3) measuring the number of brick moulds; 4) constructing the second small arc arch; 5) cutting and machining the abnormal-shape bricks; 6) constructing the wall body; 7) constructing an arc concrete beam; 8) constructing a sand aerated inner haunch wall and filling expanded and vitrified small balls while constructing; and 9) pouring structural columns of the inner haunch wall. By the construction method, the difficulty that the bricked large-span multiple-arc-arch cannot be constructed by the traditional construction method is overcome; the bricked large-span multiple-arc-arch can bear axial pressure and has structural safety; and the service life of the bricked large-span multiple-arc-arch is guaranteed.


The electron-beam excited KrF laser system is currently under investigation as a driver for laser fusion applications in the Single Pulse Test Facility.


Purpose – The Department of Health advocates the involvement of service users in the risk assessment and management process. Studies suggest that this is not routine practice and is dependent on individual professionals. The "Keeping me Safe and Well" screen was developed by Mersey Care NHS as part of a human rights healthcare project and this paper aims to analyse it.Design/methodology/approach – The screen was piloted to adopt a more participative holistic approach to risk whilst working in partnership with service users. This took place in a 16‐bed, medium secure unit for people with a diagnosis of intellectual disabilities and personality disorder; five service users took part in the pilot. Personal records were audited to assess the level of involvement in the risk assessment process and individual and focus group interviews provided narrative on the use and usefulness of the tool.Findings – All participating service users experienced an increased awareness and knowledge of the risk assessment proces...


ABSTRACT In this study, different combinations of Hemp, Bamboo and Coir fiber are considered as reinforcement materials, while AW106 epoxy resin and HV953 are used as hardeners. The composite lamina was prepared and tested using the hand layup technique with short and random fibers. The tensile and compressive test performed for the analysis of mechanical properties shows that 15% hemp fiber composite is better than bamboo and coir fiber composite. With the increase in fiber volume fraction mechanical properties increases up to a certain limit and a further increase in fiber volume ratio shows adverse effect. Numerical modeling of 15% hemp fiber composite, 15% bamboo fiber composite and 15% coir fiber composite has been done for the calculation of natural frequency and damping factor of natural fiber composite. Numerical modelling was performed using ANSYS 2021 R1 and the specimen was considered in the form of a cantilever beam with a size 200 mm × 20 mm × 4 mm. The damping factor was calculated with the help of the half-power bandwidth method. Numerical analysis reveals that natural frequency and damping values of hemp fiber composite are better than bamboo and coir fiber composite. The worst results were obtained for coir fiber composite. The nondimensional frequency response of hemp fiber composite is better than bamboo and coir fiber composite.


The scientific literature often reports examples of educational buildings with extremely poor ventilation performance. An in-field investigation for the environmental and energy assessment of a day care center in Italy in Milano, confirmed that operable windows were not opened on days when the average daily outdoor temperature was below 15°C, seriously affecting indoor air quality and potentially affecting the wellbeing and learning process of the children. A numerical model for the dynamic energy simulation of the school building was developed to optimize the thermal insulation of opaque and transparent envelope, the solar control strategy, reducing energy needs and uses to implement a nearly zero-energy approach to the retrofit. Different ventilation strategies were therefore simulated, in order to evaluate the one(s) that best fit the deep energy retrofit of the building, including building envelope and systems. A control logic for hybrid ventilation was simulated and analyzed, with the aim to develop a strategy suited for replication and effective in ameliorating both energy performance and indoor environmental quality. Daytime and nighttime natural ventilation showed to be extremely effective in improving thermal comfort conditions, during the cooling season, performing better than mechanical ventilation.


India still has one of the world's greatest burdens of infectious illnesses, driven by variables such as massive population, significant poverty, subpar sanitation, and impedances in access to basic health care. To overcome this burden, the Integrated Disease Monitoring Project (IDSP), funded by the World Bank, was established by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare in November 2004 to strengthen the country's monitoring and response system. Several challenges in the effective utilization of IDSP and the need for elaborated epidemiological data for quick response led to the development and design of a novel Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP). This platform's future impacts include better surveillance coverage, improved continuous monitoring, better-automated analysis, visualization and displaying of near-real-time data, and closed network linkage of various reporting units such as field staff, medical officers, and laboratory personnel. Data collection under IDSP was paper-based and it produced a weekly surveillance report this includes case-centric data with demographic, clinical, and laboratory details, and links it with IDSP's S, P, and L formats. Developed by the Government of India, with the support from the WHO, this platform integrates the electronic health records of individuals from all parts of India, allowing greater continuity of the treatment, secure and confidential storage of data/records, enhanced illness diagnostics, reduction, and even prevention of medical errors. This paper is intended to study this novel IHIP model of the Government of India, highlight its current challenges, propose possible solutions, and predict future possibilities.


Human performance is strongly influenced by the sequence of events. Decreasing the response-stimulus interval (RSI) between events qualitatively changes these so-called sequential effects. Using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to detect electrical brain activity related to sequential patterns helps to uncover mechanisms underlying the observed performance data. Using a spatial compatible two-choice task ERPs were recorded from 32 electrode sites and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) applied to separate sequence-sensitive ERP components from two experiments, involving different RSIs. Independent Component Analysis was able to separate temporally and spatially overlapping ERP components. Sensitivity to the sequence of preceding events could be revealed in an early subcomponent of the N100 complex. Moreover, and in line with earlier reports sequential effects were also observed in P300 subcomponents.


The article discusses the new paths in education. Transformations going on in society, the need for continuing education while working and the proliferation of new technologies stimulate changes in the educational paradigms. Classroom education is no longer able to attend to the challenges of the new times and Education at a Distance (EaD) presents itself as a solution. The article presents the characteristics, advantages and limits of classroom education and education at a distance and proposes a combination of the two modalities as a more appropriate alternative for the current historical moment.


Membership tier is an important measure for enterprises to implement customer loyalty programs in big data environment. The differences in online review behavior of different tiers of users directly affect the interaction between the company and the customer. This paper uses online review behavior data in the real membership tier to explore the differences in online review behavior from the perspective of membership tiers. This study find that customer membership tier is positively correlated with the review rating score, and membership tier is not significantly correlated with the length of the review. Membership tier is positively correlated with the ratio of review sentiment words, and negatively correlated with the objective description words, showing a significant difference between behavioral loyalty and attitude loyalty.


Herein we topotactically reacted sulphur, S, with Mo 2 CT x MXene powders to synthesize Mo 2 CT x sheets covered by MoS 2 nanosheets and tested the resulting material as a hydrogen evolution reaction, HER, electrocatalyst. As a result, a high electrochemical active surface area catalyst was obtained. It allows driving a current density of 10 mA cm -2 at a low overpotential of only 150 mV. Stabilization of the water activated complex as well as interfacial charge transfer accompanied by changes in the adsorption energy hydrogen are most likely responsible for the high electrochemical activity. Moreover, no efficiency loss was observed under working conditions during 30 h in a 1 mol L -1 KOH electrolyte, confirming the remarkable electrochemical stability of this composite catalyst.


The paper reviewed the classification and the directional differentiation of the stem cell,and studied the mechanism of the directional differentiation,which give a reference for the substitute therapy of the tissues and organs.


The supposedly inefficient use of resources in producer cooperatives has been the object of eager debate among theorists for decades. This debate originated from the fact that Ward and Vanek, whose model had long been rated as a blueprint for the working of cooperatives, had reached the conclusion that their short-run behaviour was not Pareto-optimal. Their finding is highlighted by a downward sloping supply curve. The first solution suggested by Meade was differentiating the pay rates of workers assigned to the same jobs, in terms of fixing the incomes of new entrants at levels not exceeding the value generated by their work inputs. The Inegalitarian Cooperative does solve short-term problems, but fails to remove the odds faced by cooperatives when it comes to financing their investments and working capital. In later years, Meade proposes a new business form in order to deal with the last mentioned drawbacks. The business form concerned is the Discriminating Labour-Capital Partnership, whose microeconomic characteristics will be analysed in this paper. The issue discussed by Meade has great importance with regard to the current debate on social welfare because it provides a comprehensive reform of the fiscal and social policy by introducing, inter alia, a generalized and unconditional social dividend. The critical analysis of his works shows some weaknesses.


Magnetic properties of bulk wurtzite n-type GaMnN and highly resistive GaMnN:Mg monocrystals were studied for the magnetic field applied parallel and perpendicular to the crystal hexagonal c-axis. Magnetization of both types of samples reveals paramagnetic behavior. However, for n-type GaMnN isotropic magnetization was observed which is in agreement with Mn d 5 configuration. On the other hand, GaMnN co-doped with Mg shows large magnetic anisotropy which suggests Mn to be in nonspherical d 4 or d 3 configuration.


The present thesis is a result of my work conducted in the Division Theoretical Bioinformatics at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). The explosive growth in the amount of biological data demands the use of computers for the maintenance and the analysis of these data. This led to the evolution of Bioinformatics, an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of biology, computer science and information technology. This thesis deals with the task, which comes from Proteomics. One of the concerns of Proteomics is the prediction of protein properties such as active sites, domains, secondary structure, shape, localization and interactions. The goal of my work is to automate the classification of proteins into subcellular location categories. This thesis focuses on the construction of predictors which use only the primary sequence of a protein for this classification task. As a base learning algorithm I use Bayesian classification procedure. This scheme represents each class with a single probabilistic summary. I examined the use of two models for the description of class density, Markov Chain Model and Multinomial Model. I found that Bayesian classification used with Markov Chain Model was superior in terms of prediction accuracy. I propose the extension of this base learning procedure that seek to further improve the accuracy. I introduce a new learning algorithm, termed as Bayesian Classification Tree (BCT), which combines the recursive structure of decision trees with the Bayesian classification procedure. The results are encouraging, since for all real-world data sets used for the evaluation of algorithms in this study, the hybrid approach outperforms significantly the original Bayesian classification. BCT also outperform clearly other methods proposed and investigated in this work, which suggests that BCT is a useful tool for subcellular localization prediction of proteins. Since different learning algorithms employ different knowledge representations and search heuristics, different search spaces are explored and diverse results are obtained. This is the reason why I explore also the use of ensemble learning methods. Ensemble methods build sets of classifiers using a base learning algorithm and classify new examples by combining their predictions. I evaluate different schemes to generate base classifiers: bagging, pairwise classification, different alphabet size for the Markov Chains using the knowledge about structural properties of amino acids, learning classifiers from different regions of the protein sequences. I have empirically evaluated several meta-learning schemes, such as stacking, arbitration, grading and construction of the decision tree of base classifiers. Further, I propose another divide-and-conquer approach, which constructs a type of probabilistic decision tree with classifiers in the leaves and mixture models on non-terminal nodes. A general training approach based on maximum likelihood, called Expectation Maximization (EM)


Three core topics in Alice Amsden's work have special relevance for the analysis of development in Latin America. First, relationships of reciprocity were prominent in developmental states of East Asia where governments provided firms with large subsidies in return for exacting performance standards. Reciprocity was weak or absent in many industrial policies in Latin America. Second, Amsden emphasised the central role of diversified, family-owned business groups in the industrialisation of East Asia. Business groups also predominate in Latin America though they tend to be risk-averse portfolio groups. Third, while East Asian countries limited entry by multinational corporations, they dominate many manufacturing sectors in Latin America.


Introduction : Laser therapy prevents complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVR), but its effect on visual acuity is controversial. This study evaluated the effect of laser on visual acuity in these patients. Materials and Methods: This interventional study conducted before–after treatment and evaluated 96 patients (133 eyes). After laser therapy the patients were followed for a period ranged between 3 weeks to six months and visual acuity based on Snellen chart was assessed. Results: 101 proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 16 branch retinal vein occlusion and 16 central retinal vein occlusion affected eyes were evaluated. This study evaluated 114 eyes of diabetic patients, 84 eyes of HTN patients and 46 eyes of hyperlipidemic patients. The means of corrected visual loss in PDR patients was 31.81+34.37 and 37.67 + 37.01 percent before and after laser therapy (p<0.05). Conclusion : It was concluded from this study that laser therapy in proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients does not cause visual improvement in short time.


The method of preparation of N,N'-m-Phenylenedimaleimide by the reaction of maleic anhydride with m-phenylene-diamine in acetic acid was studied.The optimum condtions were found out by orthogonal experimental design.Qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis were carried out by melting point determination meter,infrared spectrometer and high performance liquid chromatograph.The results show that the reaction is easily manageable when the weight of acetic acid is 3 times that of m-phenylene-diamine.The mole ratio of catalyst to m-phenylene-diamine is 0.05 to 0.3.the maleic anhydride to m-pheny-lene-diamine mole ratio is 2.1:1.The yield is 90.2% in the optimum condtions.The infra-red spectrogram of the product conforms to the standard.The content of the product is 96%.


Land use change is an important factor of increasing global atmospheric carbon dioxide content,only secondary to the fossil fuel combustion.Rational land use is the base of low-carbon economy,and is also the key point in the construction of"two-oriented"society.At the same time,many human activities are closely related to land use,such as social construction,economic development,industrial plan,city expansion and energy consumption.Therefore,researches on carbon emission from land use are of practical significance on the development of low carbon economic and "two-oriented"society construction.The objective of this paper is to estimate the amount of land use carbon emission,to analyze the carbon emission effects of different land use patterns,and to decompose the land use carbon emission factors of Wuhan Urban Agglomeration.With Wuhan Urban Agglomeration as the study object,we first estimated the amount of carbon emission from the land use.We then analyzed the carbon emission effects of different land use patterns and the spatiotemporal variations of the carbon emissions.Finally we decomposed the land use carbon emission factors of Wuhan Urban Agglomeration to provide reference and guidance to "two-oriented"society construction of Wuhan Urban Agglomeration.The methods included literature survey and LMDI model.The results showed that:(1)the amount of land-use carbon emission in Wuhan Urban Agglomeration was from 9.53million tons in 1996up to 45.50million tons in 2010with the average annual growth of 11.82%,presenting an increasing trend.(2)The land use carbon emissions intensity of residential and industrial land was the maximum in Wuhan Urban Agglomeration,and the land use carbon emissions intensity of arable land was the minimum.There were some differences between carbon emissions intensity and variation in different land use types.(3)There were very clear spatial and temporal variations on Wuhan Urban Agglomeration from 1996to 2010.The growth rate and amplitude of carbon emission varied,and the carbon emission also varied by city unit.(4)Factors of land use change,economic level,and population scale had a positive impact on amount of land-use carbon emission in Wuhan Urban Agglomeration;on the contrary, factors of energy efficiency and energy structure had a negative effect on the amount of land-use carbon emission in Wuhan Urban Agglomeration.We should use land rationally and accelerate the transformation of economic development mode to reduce the land use carbon emissions.


One of the main tasks of industrial poultry farming is the introduction of new technologies that reduce the cost of obtaining products through the use of non-traditional feed components. The aim of the research is to study the effectiveness of the technology of extrusion processing of feed components at the stage of interaction with the biome of the poultry digestive system. It was found that the inclusion of extruded bran in the diet is accompanied by a significant increase in the number of Lactobacillus. Moreover, the most significant growth was observed in the intestines of a bird receiving an extrudate with an input of 20 % calcium. This group was also characterized by a maximum growth of Escherichia 7.3 times in comparison with the control. The introduction of an extrudate with a content of 10 % calcium is associated with a decrease in the number of E. coli in the cecum of chickens. Thus, pretreatment of non-starch polysaccharides together with calcium in the extruder stimulates abdominal digestion of chickens, which indicates the possibility of their use in industrial production.


Resistance of primary human amnion cultures to Sindbis virus was found to correlate well with the presence of specific rubella cytopathic effects. Certain exceptions to this relationship were noted. Sindbis virus interfering activity present in rubella infected cultures was related to interferon on the basis of chemical, physical and biologic properties. With the indirect interference neutralization test for rubella, using amnion cultures and challenge with Sindbis virus, rubella cytopathology was found to be a useful criterion for determining the optimum time for Sindbis virus challenge. The incorporation of normal rabbit serum enhanced neutralization of rubella virus. Important factors contributing to reliability of indirect neutralization results include the use of 10 or more TCID50 of rubella virus, and the use of more than two cultures per serum dilution tested. It is concluded that the results of interference neutralization tests may reflect a variety of factors in addition to the specific neutralization of rubella virus.


Thesis (M.A.)--American University of Beirut, Dept. of Education, 2010.;"Advisor: Dr. Saouma BouJaoude, Professor ,Department of Education--Member of Committee : Dr. Rima Karami, Assistant Professor ,Department of Education--Member of Committee : Dr. Rola


The invention relates to an assembling type composite material wire pole molded through pultrusion, which mainly comprises an outer circle formed by an outer circle wall part and an inner circle formed by an inner circle wall part; one end of the outer circle wall part is an outer wall end; the other end of the outer circle wall part is provided with an outer wall clamping groove which can be clamped with the outer wall end; the inner wall of the outer circle wall part is provided with an outer clamping device; one end of the inner circle wall part is an inner wall end; the other end of the inner circle wall part is provided with an inner wall clamping groove which can be clamped with the inner wall end; and the outer wall of the inner circle wall part is provided with an inner clamping device matched with the outer clamping device.


Abstract Rationale: Periorbital cellulitis or an orbital abscess caused by acute sinusitis is a serious acute infectious disease. If not treated in time, serious complications may occur. Patient concerns: A 16-year-old girl with a history of right-sided proptosis, periorbital swelling, chemosis, hypophasis, restricted ocular movement in the upward direction, and diminution of vision was referred to our institution. The clinic, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination indicate right orbital abscess in the upper quadrant and sinusitis. Diagnoses: She was diagnosed with orbital abscess, acute sinusitis. Interventions: She underwent medical management, transnasal endoscopic surgery and then ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and catheter drainage. Outcomes: She was completely cured without any complications or sequelae. Lessons: Performance of surgical drainage in a timely manner and administration of effective antibiotic treatment according to bacterial culture can reduce the complications of orbital abscesses. Ultrasound-guided FNA and catheter drainage is a safe, simple, and effective method for the treatment of orbital abscess.


The role of leaders in developing organisations and increasing the engagement of personnel was widely debated in the academic literature. The relationships between managers and employees are essential motivating factors and research demonstrate that the personality of a manager enhance or inhibit engagement (Howell, 2017) finally contributing to teams development. As leaders are influential in determining the fate of their organizations through their decisions, strategies, and influence on others, this research is a quantitative leadership study conducted to draw the personality profile of Romanian leaders and to verify if there are differences among industries. It explores the values, day-to-day characteristic and stress reactions on a sample of 870 to 1116 top, middle managers and high potentials using Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) (Hogan, 1992), Hogan Development Survey (HDS) (Hogan, 1997) and Hogan Motives, Values and Preferences Inventory (HMVI)(Hogan, 1996). The results showed that Romanian leaders displayed average scores for most of their personality characteristics. Their top 3 motivational drivers are power, science and affiliation. They are motivated to get ambitious results, they are interested in learning and being up to date and making decisions based on data and they enjoy networking. In terms of usual working style, their top 3 scores are for ambition, prudence and learning approach. They are competitive and energetic, committed to get things done, they do display good planning and organizing skills, and they are well-informed and value education. Under stress, their top 3 derails are bold, diligent and colourful. They become overconfident and arrogant, they micromanage their teams being too much controlling and details oriented, and they are keen for self-display and getting others' attention. Looking for difference between professional services and pharma, we found that leaders and high potentials working in professional services showed higher drivers (status, social, and business interests) compared with the ones working in pharma.


Aim To study the mean value properties of the Smarandache function df(n).Methods Using the elementary and analytic methods.Results A sharper mean value formula of the Smarandache function df(n) is given.Conclusion Properties of the Smarandache function developed.


DNA cloning with vector plasmid and/or phage is stimulating not only in the interests of biological science but also in applications such as production of a new medicine, enhancement of yield in a particular metabolite in the fermentation industry, development of a new plant in the agricultural field, etc. Despite the substantial "species barrier" described schematically in FIGURE 1, not a few examples of cloning foreign DNA molecules in host cells have been made available.'.' For instance, once a specific gene is cloned, metabolites originating from the specific gene might be produced in large quantities due to the gene dosage effect.3 To exaggerate, the contribution of genetic engineering to the biological world is deemed to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Although the aspects and/or regions to which genetic engineering is closely related are comprehensive in this context, this paper will pay attention only to a limited area, i.e., the subject of expression and stability of a cloned gene or genes in the cultivation of host cells. Unless cloned genes are kept in situ in vector plasmid during replication in coordination with the growth of host cells, it is not possible to employ the recombinant plasmid as an agent to enhance production of specific materials in industry. Before proceeding to clarify the significance of genetic engineering in this work, a few examples on "stability" and "instability" in plasmid manipulation will be presented.


With the rapid development of high-speed mobile networks, the mobile applications related to vehicle safety, navigation systems are increasingly present in our lives, it is more and more easy for the driver to understand the situation on the road ahead, and this kind of change will greatly affect future traffic conditions. This article uses cellular automaton to simulate basic road sections, considering two modes of vehicle network safety applications may affect the future traffic flow, through the simulation, analysis the basic traffic flow data, conclude how the future vehicle network safety applications impact on traffic flow.


This paper analyses the effects of certain oral features on the process of transcription of spontaneous speech recordings. On the basis of the statistical analysis of the data obtained from the C-ORAL-ROM corpus, it will be shown empirically that transcription difficulties vary according to the communicative situation, the degree of formality and the number of participants.


In this article, the authors expand their prior research on 89 non-traded REITs with 51 non-traded REITs that first updated their NAVs after May 1, 2015, or came into existence after May 1, 2015, and had either had a liquidity event or updated their NAVs by December 31, 2019. They document significantly lower returns earned by investors in 140 non-traded REITs compared to the returns they would have earned in a portfolio of traded REITs. Non-traded REITs as a group underperformed traded REITs by approximately 8% annually. The dollar losses from investing in non-traded REITs instead of traded REITs exceeded $75 billion as of December 31, 2019. The underperformance did not decrease over time; non-traded REITs that broke escrow in 2015–2019 underperformed traded REITs to the same degree as earlier non-traded REITs. They show that non-traded REITs' aggregate underperformance is observed for capital raised in every calendar quarter. Key Findings ▪ Non-traded REITs continue to significantly underperform traded REITs. ▪ This aggregate underperformance was $75 billion as of December 31, 2019, and is observed for capital raised in every calendar quarter. ▪ Despite real estate risk and illiquidity, aggregate non-traded REITs returns approximately equal returns to short term Treasury securities.


This study investigated the use of the Career Orientations Inventory as a measure to determine the career orientations of a random sample of 2 978 participants at predominantly managerial and supervisory level in the service industry. Whereas an exploratory factor analysis yielded a nine-factor structure, a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed five constructs as measures of the career orientations domain. A similar factorial pattern was observed across the African and white groups and a weaker factorial pattern across the Indian and coloured groups. The findings of this study contribute valuable new knowledge to both the practice and the field of Career Psychology.


tion that carrying out one's occupational role(s) is therapeutic is not always borne out in practice, nor has it been demonstrated that occupational therapists playa significant part in assisting patients to change their roles should this be considered necessary. In any case, it might be pretentious talking about roles when some patients are unable to remember what it was like to be a mother or a father, or because their cognitive impairments make the therapeutic consideration of occupational roles almost irrelevant.


1. This brief report deals with the experiments concerning the difference of the cold resistance between diploid and artificial autotetraploid plants of Brassica chinensis L.. 2. By the degree of wilting (=wilting %-age : number of wilting leaves/number of whole leaves) under low temperature, -2.3°C, the 4x plants were observed clearly to be hardier than the 2x ones. 3. The osmotic pressure recorded in the cells of 4x plants was always higher than that observed in those of 2x ones. 4. No remarkable differences were observed between the 4x and the 2x in the content of water, total nitrogen, and total sugars in the plant tissue. It was, however, recognized that they differed in the soluble sugar content, which might have taken an important roll in causing the difference in their osmotic pressure.


An experiment was conducted to evaluate graded levels of Mormodica balsamina on the haematology of rabbits. The animals were fed diets containing 0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5% inclusion levels of M. balsamina in a completely randomized experimental design replicated five times. Blood sample was collected and evaluated at the end of 90 day feeding trial. Results indicated significant difference between the treatment groups on haemoglobin, Packed cell Volume (PCV) Red blood cells (RBC), (MCV), (MCHC), Basophils and Platelets (P 0.05).  It was concluded that inclusion of M. balsamina in the diet of rabbits did not affect the physiological functions of the animals.


teenth-century conventions on the contemporary novel and those wishing to support the avant-garde, the latter usually defined as work in the manner of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. The battles once fought over the acceptance of James Joyce as a major novelist are now being refought on somewhat similar grounds: Cary is idolized by critics who want to snipe at Joyce and derided by others who find nineteenth-century traditions moribund. In brief, Cary, like Joyce in the twenties and thirties, has received either outrageous praise or been subjected to excessive attack, all less for his work itself than for what he stands for and for what he


In the previous report, general description on the influence functions of a given plate and their application to plate problems was indicated. Then two classes of new influence functions are introduced and their fundamental relations are discussed. The method of application of those new influence functions to initial stress problems of infinite as well as semi-infinite plates were illustrated.In this report, influence functions for deflection of a rectangular plate are derived first for two different cases of boundary conditions, and newly introduced influence functions of the plate under concentrated hydrostatic pressure and couple are determined.From these functions, influence functions for infinite plate strips of two different boundary conditions are derived and application of these functions to initial stress problem are illustrated with numerical examples.


Psychologists and other specialists have written at great length about the process of becoming an individual, i.e., of becoming differentiated from the external world particularly from one's parents and thereby gaining at least a measure of freedom and of mastery over the environment. While the necessity and desirability of this process has ordinarily been granted (in fact, its achievement is one of the commonnest goals of psychotherapy),


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract Clinical judgment among new-to-practice nurses is critical for safe patient care. The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) is a known instrument in undergraduate nursing education research. This study evaluated the internal consistency reliability and changes in the LCJR in a sample of 17 new-to-practice nurses in a simulated setting across four measurements. Cronbach's alpha reliability for the LCJR was .90. Effect sizes (η2) ranged from .01 to .45, with only the reflecting subscale demonstrating an effect. Study team and study participants' self-ratings on the LCJR were compared; team members' ratings were significantly lower than participants' self-ratings.


• The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dramatic disruption in the delivery of education and health services in the Philippines. Schools were closed in March 2020 as part of COVID-19 containment measures, only to be reopened with distance learning in October 2020. As of mid-February 2021, the country stands out as one of few countries which have banned all face-to-face classes since the start of the pandemic with no clear plans to resume them. With school closures and challenges in the delivery of distance learning, students learning losses are expected to be enormous. Meanwhile, the health system is strained under the challenge of management of COVID-19 cases which likely crowd out the delivery of essential health services.


This paper presents a novel method for OFDM demodulation based on LMS adaptive filter. In this proposed method, data symbol is reconstructed from amplitude of reference signal without using fast Fourier transform and thus this method can be applied for real time system. In addition, the convergence rate of adaptive filter can be promoted by using the proper initial weights. The proposed technique will be applied for BASK-OFDM, BPSK-OFDM and QAM-OFDM demodulation. The obtained simulation results of the proposed method compared to the conventional scheme show that the proposed technique can be applied for real time processing of OFDM demodulation.


Surface meteorological records from Ocean Weather Stations are used to characterise interannualchanges in the intensity of synoptic and subsynoptic processes over the North Atlanticmid-latitudes during the period from early the 1950s to 1990s. Individual 3-hourly data werefiltered to separate ultra-high frequency variability (0–2 days) and synoptic scale variability(2–6 days). Joint consideration of the intensities at these 2 scales in mid-latitudes makes itpossible to construct parameters which are highly correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillationindex. In high latitudes, intensities of synoptic and ultra-high-frequency processes are stronglynegatively correlated on interannual and decadal time scales. This phenomenon is discussed inthe context of interaction between high and mid-latitudinal synoptic variability.


Aims: To compare the levels of serum FSH, Testosterone in infertile men with and without varicocele and to detect the Antisperm antibodies (ASA) in the serum of infertile men with and without varicocele. Study Design &Settings: It is a Cross sectional prospective study the laboratory work was done at Physiology Department, University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Methods: This Cross sectional study was conducted on ninety patients that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The patients were chosen from the infertile couples reporting to the Combined Military Hospital Lahore and General Hospital Lahore for infertility. Detailed history was taken meticulous physical examination and semen analysis of was performed on all the subjects. Scrotal ultrasound was done to confirm varicocele. Serum FSH, testosterone and antisperm antibody determination were carried out by ELISA. Results: Varicocele was found in 35 out of 99 infertile men by physical examination and confirmed by Scrotal Ultrasound. The infertile men with varicocele had higher levels of serum FSH than infertile men without varicocele. Levels of testosterone were lesser in subject with varicocele. All (99) infertile males with and without varicocele were subjected to ASA test. It was observed that out of 35 infertile men with varicocele1 was positive, while 3 out of 64 men without varicocele were positive for ASA. Conclusion: Our results suggest no relationship of varicocele with abnormal serum FSH & Testosterone levels and presence of ASA in infertile men with varicocele.


PurposeThis paper aims to provide insights regarding the state of the art of digital transformation for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt and propose avenues for future research.Design/methodology/approachA proposed framework for the digitization process in SMEs is developed by providing three layers of working steps toward full automation. The paper also provides an extensive analysis of the main requirements for improving the existing traditional information systems' performance in these enterprises. The challenges of digital transformation and the future research direction are discussed as well.FindingsThis paper provided an overview of the importance of digital transformation in real-life applications. The role of the information systems in building a digitalized information processing environment is covered as well. Also, a framework for the shifting process from the traditional approaches to the digitalized systems is proposed. Besides, the paper overviewed the future research directions related to digital transformation in SMEs, especially in Egypt. These research directions are related to technical challenges during the digital transformation process, such as cybersecurity, big data analytics and multimodality data.Originality/valueDespite the significant governmental and institutions' steps toward full automation and digital transformation, the traditional information systems, infrastructures, and unequipped employees make the digitizing process on-the-fly an open challenge. A technology shift that is not supported by a similar cultural change threatens digital business initiatives and increases the risk of their failure. This paper aims to provide insights regarding the state of the art of digital transformation for SMEs in Egypt and propose avenues for future research.


The Curry-Howard correspondence is often called the proofs-as-programs result. I offer a generalization of this result, something which may be called machines as programs. Utilizing this insight, I introduce two new Turing Machines called"Ceiling Machines."The formal ingredients of these two machines are nearly identical. But there are crucial differences, splitting the two into a"Higher Ceiling Machine"and a"Lower Ceiling Machine."A potential graph of state transitions of the Higher Ceiling Machine is then offered. This graph is termed the"canonically nondeterministic solution"or CNDS, whose accompanying problem is its own replication, i.e., the problem,"Replicate CNDS"(whose accompanying algorithm is cast in Martin-L\"of type theory). I then show that while this graph can be replicated (solved) in polynomial time by a nondeterministic machine -- of which the Higher Ceiling Machine is a canonical example -- it cannot be solved in polynomial time by a deterministic machine, of which the Lower Ceiling Machine is also canonical. It is consequently proven that P $\neq$ NP.


on loading,TLc,1=2, critical stress of transformation type, σLc,1=2 and extrapolated temperture of a line expressing the σL1 vs temperature relation to zero stress, TL1(σ=0)(which corresponds to a hypothetical Ms for the β'1 marten- site). Taking these effects into account, the composition for the appearance of consecutive transformations has been optimized and the origin of the high TLc,1=2 in Cu-14.2Al-4.2Ni alloy is discussed.


In order to setup an efficient mapping relation between object and database,the paper proposed a method for data persistence,in which a data persistence layer between logical layer and database layer is created based on the key function of data persistence layer.Compared the typical methods for data persistence and analyzed their merits and demerits,got inspirited from the function of Hibernate,then realized a universal data persistence layer frame.


For the real supergroup Osp(1‖2;R), with both its compact and noncompact versions, supercoherent states are introduced with a method close to the one by Perelomov for the even subgroups SU(2) or SU(1,1). These states labeled by a complex c number and Grassmann variable minimize the uncertainty of the quadratic Casimir operator of the group. A path integral formalism is developed for the transition amplitude between supercoherent states for a Hamiltonian linear in the generators of the superalgebra, which leads to a super‐Riccati equation. Finally, in the classical limit the canonical equations of motion are derived which involve a generalized super Poisson bracket.


Segmentation of MR brain image is quite useful in detection of tissues and further diagnosis. However, precise segmentation of tissues plays a significant role in diagnosing the patient more effectively. Previously, there are plenty of approaches was implemented and however they were failed to detect the exact tissue which led to the failure diagnosis. Therefore, an accurate detection of tissue is required for effective diagnosis. Here, this article presented an efficient segmentation of MR brain image tissues. Our approach includes a hybrid clustering mechanism with pre-processed by median filter. In addition, tissue area also estimated for better diagnosis of patient. In terms of computational complexity and segmentation accuracy the superiority of proposed hybrid approach over conventional segmentation algorithms of simulation results was disclosed.


The most serious loading condition for slender thin-walled metal silos has long been recognized to be the condition of discharge, with eccentric discharge causing more catastrophic failures than any other. Two key reasons for this high failure rate are the difficulties in characterizing the pressure distribution caused by eccentric solids flow, and in understanding the associated unsymmetrical stresses in the silo wall. Few studies have addressed either the linear elastic behavior of such a silo or its buckling failure under eccentric discharge. In this study, the eccentric discharge pressures are characterized using the new rules of the European Standard EN 1991-4 on Silos and Tanks. This novel description of unsymmetrical pressures permits a study of the structural behavior leading to buckling during eccentric discharge, including the critical effects of change of geometry and imperfection sensitivity, to be undertaken using geometrically and materially nonlinear computational analyses. The mechanics of the behavior are found to be quite complicated. A silo which is safe under axisymmetric loading is found to be susceptible to catastrophic stability failure under eccentric discharge. ASCE


A study of the rise in female-headed and female-supported households, this book reveals the disproportionate representation of women and children among the world's poor to structures of inequality in their particular national contexts and examines the strategies employed by women to "make a way out of no way". Drawing on examples from around the world, the contributors focus on the factors - restructuring of the labour markets or death and migration as a result of war or famine - that contribute to the problem.


The consistent calculations of bond energy in cluster water nanostructures have been performed following the P-parameter methodology and quantum-mechanical methods. The formation of high energy bonds in the process of hydrocarbon hydrogen containing fuel preparation has been explained.


This article reports on a qualitative study conducted in the Japanese foreign language (FL) context about good foreign language learners, in which the author analyzes the strategy use reported in 67 books on ''how I have learned a foreign language.'' Results suggest that there are strategies especially favored in the Japanese FL context and that the use of some strategies seems to be closely connected to specific stages of learning. Some research implications are also discussed.


Objective: The objective was to investigate
path analysis of work-family conflict, job salary and promotion satisfaction,
job burnout to subjective well-being of primary and middle school principals,
and provide advices for enhancing their subjective well-being. Methods: Totally
300 primary and middle school principals in Chongqing completed the WFC, JSPSS,
MBI-GS and GWB. Results: There were four significant paths: 1) work-family
conflict could influence subjective well- being directly (β = -0.125, P
-0.197, total effect
was -0.322), job burnout partially mediated the relation between
work-family conflict and subjective well-being; 3) job burnout could influence
subjective well-being directly (β = -0.529, P


A captive panel fastener assembly for joining a panel to a sub-structure. The fastener assembly includes a sleeve bolt, a grommet assembly which is attached to the panel and a receptacle assembly which is attached to the sub-structure. The sleeve bolt passes through the grommet assembly and engages the receptacle assembly thereby joining the panel and the sub-structure. The bolt includes an enlarged head and a threaded shank with a pair of slots extending longitudinally along the outer periphery of the shank. A C-shaped ring is trapped in the grommet assembly and has a pair of inwardly extending ends riding in the slots. In this manner, when the grommet assembly is installed in an aperture in the panel, which may be the skin of an aircraft panel, the bolt can be pushed between positions whereby, in a first position, the grommet assembly and C-ring are at one end of the shank holding the head and shank outwardly from the aircraft panel and, in a second position, the C-ring rides along the slots and abuts against the head so that the remaining threaded shaft can extend through the aperture with a stud on the receptacle assembly threaded thereon securing the panel to the sub-structure. An enlargement is provided along the slots adjacent the terminal end of the shank but spaced therefrom for forcing the ring upwardly when it engages the enlargement, then allowing the ring to grab down between the terminal end of the shank and the enlargement. This assures good retention of the C-ring with little play between the grommet assembly and the shaft resulting in maximum engagement and strength. Thus, the sleeve bolt is retained in the panel and remains in its withdrawn position when the panel is disengaged from the substructure.


Abstract : This software catalog was prepared in conjunction with the Sparse Matrix Symposium in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, October 25-27, 1982. It is intended to provide information on computer software for sparse matrix problems which should be useful to software developers and consumers alike. The information provided includes the problem domain to which the software is applicable, the method of solution, language and portability details, references to documentation, and a contact for further information or acquiring the software. This information is reported by means of a form which was filled out by each contributor for each item of software.


Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) has emerged as a major clinical and public health challenge, particularly in areas of sub-Saharan Africa that have a


Data from a 54-item survey directed at reverse transfer students in the University of Kentucky Community College System was analyzed based on responses from two subgroups: 734 completers (those who had completed a baccalaureate) and 148 noncompleters. Chi square and t tests indicated statistically significant differences between completers and noncompleters as to race and marital status, age, number of dependents, number of credit hours, and grade point average. The data also revealed differences between the two groups as to reasons for enrollment and current goals. The authors discuss the resulting profile of reverse transfers in a student services context.


The Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer of the British Railways Board, K. Taylor, explains how staff reorganization to give engineers responsibility for the design, performance and maintenance of a vehicle led to new designs and refinements of existing designs. Examples are given of some equipment which British Rail has produced with lowest total life cost as the primary target.


The large aperture and sensitive optical and near infrared imager spectrographs will enable an ELT system to observe some supernovae at large distances, deep into cosmological history when supernovae first began to occur.


Agreements may, with certain exceptions, include basically anything. Each day enormous number of agreements are concluded and the most common type of agreement is probably the purchase agreement. Although this type of agreements generally have a similar content and purpose, i.e. the parties generally agree on one performance in kind and one in money, the design of agreements may vary. This of course includes the penalties that could be utilized by any of the parties in case of a breach of agreement.

The wording itself in the agreements may vary greatly even though several agreements with different wordings are supposed to have the same or similar legal content. This puts great demands on the courts to, in an actual and predictable manner, utilize the available resources to determine the actual content of each agreement. First after the content of the agreement is established it might be necessary to proceed with an assessment of unfairness if there is an imbalance in the agreement or if any other conditions raises concern. In this research paper I will highlight a contractual term which might entail that, under certain circumstances, a seller is entitled to claim payment without being obliged to perform his part of the agreement. This research paper is primarily focused on commercial agreements.

The reviewed contractual term is presumed to have the aim of providing a seller in an agreement on an ongoing provision of services the opportunity to invoice the buyer for the remaining of the agreed services not yet provided, nor will be provided, if the buyer delays in payment.

The review of the contractual term is performed in a general point of view, mainly because it is, according to me, not very interesting to narrow the field to relate to fully given circumstances. However, this leads to the fact that no specific conclusions can be made about the contractual term itself regarding neither interpretation nor unfairness in the individual case. Nevertheless I will highlight a number of circumstances that might affect the assessment of the individual case even if these circumstances will remain unclear. The review is mainly based on contractual interpretation, incorporation rules, rules for filling incomplete contracts and the assessment of unfairness according to 36 § avtalslagen. The research paper is based primarily on HD's cases, doctrine and legislative history and the paper aim to determine the more general guidelines that can be found and then examine how these guidelines might be applied to the given contractual term.


Borrowing the title of Raymond Williams' famous study, the following reflections – sometimes collective and sometimes individual – are based on a series of "Keywords", specifically: "fear" "community" and "creativity". By reflecting on the meanings these words have for us today, we attempt to capture their dialogical character, posing them as sites of contestation and struggle, and thereby developing a language of both resistance and hope in the face of neoliberal and neoconservative attacks on education. These reflections continue a series of arguments in defence of the profession first presented in the publication "Only connect": English teaching, schooling and community in 2006.


The current generation of building simulation software is based upon separate building and mechanical system and equipment simulations. This scheme evolved primarily because of memory limitations of the computers which were used to develop the programs . These limitations are no longer important so the separate building and system scheme needs to be reevaluated. This paper will specifically discuss experience resulting from introducing simultaneous system simulations into the BLAST program. BLAST currently uses a linear univariate control profile to describe the heating and cooling provided by the fan system as a function of room temperature during the loads calculation part of the simulation. Control profiles for each thermal zone are used to model the system response during the system simulation. This model of the fan system works very well for systems that provide amounts of heating or cooling that are dependent only on zone temperature. When the output of the fan system is affected by the outdoor temperature or conditions in other zones, the control profile model is no longer adequate. The conditions in the zones must be known in order to calculate the system output, but the system output must be known in order to calculate the conditions in the zones. So a more sophisticated representation of the mechanical systems is needed. This paper specifically discusses the results of doing a complete system simulation within the loads calculation portion of the program by using a shortened time step combined with lagging the two parts of the simulation. The effects of time step length on accuracy and computation time are presented.


(1) BRGM, Water division, 3 Avenue C. Guillemin BP 36009, 45060 Orleans, France (email@example.com), (2) Consorzio Emilliano Romagnolo (CER), Via E Masi, 8 40137 Bologna, Italy, (3) National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF), Agrokipio, 731 00, Chania, Greece, (4) Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 6 Nemanjina Str., 11080 Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia, (5) Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University Department:Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Grønnegårdsvej 15, Frederksberg C, DK-1870, Denmark, (6) China Agricultural University (CAU), College of Resources and Environment, Haidian District, 100094 Beijing, China, (7) Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), South Street Zhong Guan Cun 12, 100081 Beijing, China, (8) Stazione Sperimentale Industria Conserve Alimentari (SSICA), Viale Tanara, 31/a 43100 Parma, Italy


Natural disasters such as earthquakes have a destructive impact on urban infrastructures and their performance. Due to the existence of inherent uncertainty in natural disasters, related organizations are not able to optimally use the critical infrastructures to reduce destructive effects. Also, estimating the demand for relief commodities according to various scenarios has always been a concern for decision makers and relief organizations. The correct estimate of demand can reduce the time of relief operations and can greatly reduce human casualties. In this paper, the demand forecast for relief commodities will be as the output of the fuzzy inference system. The proposed mechanism has been tested in a case study of Tehran city. The results of this research can be useful for many decision making centers, including the fire department, the Red Cross, hospitals and so on. Estimation of demand for relief commodities using the fuzzy inference system for different scenarios and considering a case study for a possible earthquake in Tehran are the contributions of this research.