When optical measurements of wafer curvature are used to determine thin-film stress, the laser beams that probe the sample are usually assumed to reflect specularly from the curved surface of the film and substrate. Yet, real films are not uniformly thick, and unintended thickness gradients produce optical diffraction effects that steer the laser away from the ideal specular condition. As a result, the deflection of the laser in wafer-curvature measurements is actually sensitive to both the film stress and the film-thickness gradient. We present a Fresnel–Kirchhoff optical diffraction model of wafer-curvature measurements that provides a unified description of these combined effects. The model accurately simulates real-time wafer-curvature measurements of nonuniform GaN films grown on sapphire substrates by vapor-phase epitaxy. During thin-film growth, thickness gradients cause the reflected beam to oscillate asymmetrically about the ideal position defined by the stress-induced wafer curvature. This oscil...


During the Resistance War against Japan, there were two problems of th e agriculture labor forces in the Border Region. One was the shortage of farmes. The other was the unbalance distribution. After the Great Agriculture Productio n Movement, there was a reclaiming wasteland activity on purpose of increasing f ood production, the lack of labor force became more prominent. To this problem, the Border Region Government took measures to integrate the labor force resource s. There were two steps. First, organizing the individual into groups, turning i ndividual work into group work. Second, moving the surplus labors and the refuge es of enemy-occupied area and the Guomin Party area to the of less labor forces. During the process of integration, there were many turns and twists. It showed whenever the state power was making laws and administrative systems and didn't c onsider the traditional customs, there must be contradictions. When the contradi ction was adjusted, the government policy was easy to be accepted and carried ou t by people. Research shows the integration proceeded by Comniunist Party of Chi na to the labor forces during the Yan'an period have direct effects on New Chin a's rural area policy and agriculture.


Model chemistries that employ additivity schemes have become increasingly popular within the chemical community. These approaches are predicated upon the assumption that less rigorous (and, therefore, less expensive) calculations may be combined to approximate a more accurate (and otherwise intractable) level of theory. Most of these models make some use of an empirical correction, the desirability of which is at best questionable. The present paper critically examines the importance of one such correction (the "higher-level correction") to the most widely used additivity method (the Gaussian model). An alternative approach, which does not depend upon any sort of ad hoc empiricism, is also outlined. The current model is found to offer accuracy comparable to that of the Gaussian model.


[Objective]To understand nurseries disinfection,provide a scientific basis for the formulation of effective prevention measure.[Methods]Based on Disinfection Technical Specifications by The Ministry of Health in 2002 to conduct bacteriological contamination monitoring in 255 nurseries from 2005 to 2008.[Results]In Hunchun from 2005 to 2008 nurseries a total of 1 020 samples were tested,637 were qualified,a pass rate of 62.45%.Different years,the difference between the passing rate was statistically significant(P0.01).Air test pass rate of 83.53%,showing a downward trend year by year,the difference was statistically significant(P0.05);Air test pass rate of 83.53%,showing a downward trend year by year,the difference was statistically significant surface inspection pass rate of 55.42%,showing an upward trend year by year,the difference was statistically significant(P0.01).Board of Education Office of the sample pass rate was higher than the individual kindergarten,the difference was statistically significant(P0.01).[Conclusion]Bacterial contamination in private nurseries of Hunchun can not be ignored,and should enhance the disinfedtion of surface pollutants and indoor air vulnerability management.


The invention discloses a differential-interference-contrast (DIC)-technology-based sheet metal forming performance testing device. The device mainly comprises an image acquisition module and a bidirectional stretching experiment device, wherein the image acquisition module comprises an optical mirror, a high-speed camera and a computer, the optical mirror is positioned in front of the high-speed camera, and the high-speed camera is connected with the computer; and the bidirectional stretching experiment device comprises a base, a female die, a blank holder, a male die, a bell-shaped cover and a guide post. A using method comprises the following steps of: spraying speckles with alternate black and white on a sheet metal test piece, and fixing the sheet metal test piece between the female die and the blank holder; allowing the bell-shaped cover and the female die to move downward, deep-drawing the sheet metal test piece, shooting the whole optical change process through the optical mirror by the high-speed camera, and transmitting the whole process to the computer; and processing obtained images by the computer, calculating the strain of the test piece, and drawing a sheet metal forming limit diagram. The device is easy to manufacture, and can conveniently realize the continuous acquisition of surface images of test pieces and the research and analysis on the necking-down phenomenon in the experiment process.


The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of PGSD students of class 2019 on the implementation of online learning during the Covid 19 pandemic in Regional Language courses in elementary schools and to find out the applications used during online lectures, as well as to determine the factors that hindered the implementation of online learning. in the Regional Language course in elementary school.The research method used is descriptive quantitative research with research instruments in the form of questionnaires distributed online via google form. The subjects in this study were PGSD students in the third semester of the class of 2019, totaling 106 students. Data collection used a closed questionnaire method consisting of 4 groups of questions representing aspects of participation in online lectures, the use of online media/online learning applications, the choice of using online learning applications, and barriers to online learning. The research data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative analysis of the percentage technique directly from the google form.The results showed that 94.3% of students took online learning in Regional Language courses at elementary school from home, 88.7% of students used data packages during online lectures, 91.5% of students had moderate internet signal conditions, 96.2 % of students choose cellphones as the media that are often used, 86.8% of students prefer to use google classroom than googlemeet during online learning, 50% of students can understand the material provided, 89.6% of students complain about internet network problems as an obstacle in online learning, and 95, 3% of students expect lectures to be held online and offline during the Covid-19 pandemic.


In this study, experimental observations have been performed to understand the cyclic stress-amplitude response, the cyclic hardening/softening characteristics and the cyclic fatigue properties of AISI 316 stainless steel. Based on the experimental observations, these results are found so that the tested AISI 316 stainless steel possesses cyclic hardening characteristics. The shape of the stable hysteresis loop is symmetrical in tension and compression. The Massing cyclic stress-strain behavior is obviously absent. For the case of the absence of the Massing behavior, the power-law type equation is successfully applied to simulate the shape of the stable hysteresis loop at all applied levels of fully-reversed cyclic straining. For the �������� -based and ���������������� �������� -based fatigue life curves, the typical expressions are developed via cyclic fatigue properties. Besides, a power-law type relationship is also used to develop the fatigue life curve. In contrast to the typical expression, it is found that the power-law relationship is a viable and valid expression in fatigue life predictions. Similarly, the power-law relationship is also used to describe the correlation between the cumulative plastic strain energy W_f with the corresponding the fatigue life cycle N_f. Based on the comparison between the predicted and experiment cycles, it is confirmed that the predicted value of W_f calculated on the basis of the simulated hysteresis loop is capable of yielding reasonable life predictions via the W_f- N_f curve.


The Schiff bases 1-acetylferrocenethiosemicarbazone and 1-acetylferrocenesemicarbazone have been synthesized by the condensation of 1-acetylferrocene with the corresponding thiosemicarbazide and semicarbazide hydrochloride, respectively. These Schiff bases on interaction with dioganosilicon (IV) chlorides, yield complexes having Si-S or Si-O and Si*-N bonds. The structure of the ligands and their compounds have been elucidated on the basis of their elemental analysis, IR.UV, proton-1, carbon-13 and silicon-29 NMR data. Spectroscopic data indicate that the Schiff bases act as bidentate ligands and coordinate to silicon via nitrogen and either the S or Ο atoms giving trigonal bipyramidal and octahedral geometries for the resulting complexes.


In this paper structures of experimental cathodes, made by means of new technology are presented. The presented W-matrix technology allows to deposit porous tungsten layer practically on any configuration substrate using special paste. The main aspect in this technology is atomically active agent formation during thermal treatment, which bands together tungsten particles. It is generated during dissociation of the paste components. Results of research of thermionic characteristics are also considered in this paper. From experiments work function of new cathodes is lower than that of Levi's cathode as much as 0.2%0.3 eV.


The effect of gasliquid backmixing on the foam separation process was investigated. By using the dampingdistribution components, the flow pattern in gas and liquid phases could be improved and the separation efficiency could be promoted. The influences of the intervaldiameter ratio, the opening rate, the gasliquid ratio and the pore diameter on the removing of LAS from the waste water of synthetic detergent factory were discussed. The results showed that the separation efficiency of a dampingdistribution type foam column was about two times as much as that of an empty column.


The invention relates to a device (1) for electrical power supply of a load (C) to direct current. The device (1) is characterized in that it comprises: - a system (4) switching power supply having a loop against feedback (48) incorporating a voltage divider arranged to divide according to a division ratio ( R), an input voltage (Ue) of the voltage divider (483), this for obtaining an output voltage (Us) of the voltage divider; - means for changing, dynamically, the division ratio (R) of the voltage divider that incorporates the loop against feedback (48). The invention relates, again, an electrical installation comprising such a power supply device (1) and a filler (C) DC electrically powered by such a power supply device (1). The invention also relates to a motorized occultation device comprising a movable occulting element, a DC motor, and a speed variator consisting of a device (1) supply.


Erosion induced by particles striking on a surface is very common in many industrial processes and Computational Fluid Dynamics is one of the most widely used tools for erosion prediction. In this work the most commonly used erosion models are implemented and their review is carried out in OpenFOAM®, an open source CFD package. A comparison of the results yielded evident disparities in the location of the maximum erosion. Once an appropriate test rig is designed and the experimental work carried out, a more detailed assessment of the erosion models will be possible together with a study of the development of erosion with the deformation of the surface, relationship that none of the existing models accounts for.


The objective of this study was to test whether the pattern and dynamics of occurrence of Hazel Grouse (Bonasa bonasia) in a fine‐grained landscape mosaic could be predicted from the results of a study in a more intensively managed coarse‐grained landscape with much less suitable habitat and a different matrix. Twenty‐one years of regular inventories of Hazel Grouse during spring, summer, and autumn and a vegetation map of suitable Hazel Grouse habitat were used to analyze the extinction and (re)colonization of Hazel Grouse in different patches in relation to the size and isolation of the patch and the vegetation surrounding it. As predicted, patch area was the most important variable determining Hazel Grouse occupancy, (re)colonization, and local extinction. Also as predicted, the proportion of open habitat surrounding the habitat (i.e., an isolation effect) was also important. The isolation effect occurred at a smaller scale in the fine‐grained habitat than the intensively managed landscape. This was apparently related to the type of matrix: open land in the fine‐grained landscape and unsuitable, but forested, habitat in the coarse‐grained landscape. The Hazel Grouse appears to be unusually sensitive to habitat fragmentation, but the mechanism causing the isolation effect differed between landscapes, probably because of the amount of suitable habitat left and the type of matrix in the landscape.


The quadratic decaying property of the information rate function states that, given a fixed conditional distribution <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p_{ \mathsf {Y}| \mathsf {X}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, the mutual information between the (finite) discrete random variables <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathsf {X}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathsf {Y}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> decreases at least quadratically in the Euclidean distance as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p_{\mathsf {X}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> moves away from the capacity-achieving input distributions. It is a property of the information rate function that is particularly useful in the study of higher order asymptotics and finite blocklength information theory, where it was already implicitly used by Strassen (1962) and later, more explicitly, by Polyanskiy–Poor–Verdú (2010). However, the proofs outlined in both works contain gaps that are nontrivial to close. This comment provides an alternative, complete proof of this property.


adverse events they considered to be "significant," including any event that was "unusual, novel, dangerous, significantly inconvenient, or requiring further information." There were no reports of serious adverse events, defined as events requiring hospital admission, leading to permanent disability, or resulting in death (95% confidence interval 0 to 1.1 per 10 000 treatments). Practitioners did, however, report 43 minor adverse events, a rate of 1.3 (0.9 to 1.7) per 1000 treatments. The most common events were severe nausea and fainting (table). Three avoidable events—two patients had needles left in, and one patient had moxibustion burns to the skin—were caused by practitioners' errors. Participating practitioners recorded 10 920 mild transient reactions occurring in 5136 treatments, 15% (14.6% to 15.3%) of the 34 407 total. Some local reactions at the site of needling were reported—mild bruising in 587 (1.7%) cases, pain in 422 (1.2%) cases, and bleeding in 126 (0.4%) cases. Patients experienced an aggravation of existing symptoms after 966 (2.8%) treatments, 830 (86%) of which were followed by an improvement, possibly indicating a positive "healing crisis." The most commonly reported mild transient reactions were "feeling relaxed" in 4098 (11.9%) cases and "feeling energised" in 2267 (6.6%) cases, symptoms that often indicate an encouraging response to treatment.


Modern naval vessels have become more vulnerable to long range attacks. These threats have tended to outstrip the ability of command and control systems to counter them. Interest has been aroused in the application of knowledge-based systems to alter the balance in favour of warships and, incidentally, to reduce manpower and equipment costs. This article gives details of such a system, based on a research programme inaugurated by the British Admiralty Research Establishment in 1982.


The invention relates to an urban grid load balancing operation strategy based on high-voltage distribution network capacity topological reconstruction. On the basis of analyses of an in-station structure and inter-station connection of a 110-kV transformer station, a high-voltage distribution network topological model based on a distribution capacity unit; and the combined space of a global variable during the solving process is effectively compressed by cooperating a load distribution table method with a feasible state solution of a capacity unit group at any power path. A complete urban grid balancing operation strategy model is constructed based on a defined load balancing function; and solving is carried out by using an improved chaos particle swarm algorithm. The effectiveness of the method is calculated and verified by using a local system of a large urban power grid. The result demonstrates that the urban grid load balancing can be realized by rapid reconstruction of the high-voltage distribution network capacity unit group by the model, thereby guaranteeing the global power supply margin. Besides, because of the topological processing method in the model, the topological non-feasible solution generated by the intelligent algorithm during the optimizing process can be eliminated, thereby substantially improving the solving efficiency. Therefore, the provided urban grid load balancing operation strategy is suitable for on-line application.


Both obesity and underweight are related to the adverse outcomes in the chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the effects of longitudinal weight changes on predialysis CKD population has not been studies so far. In this study, we analysed the effects of longitudinal body weight changes on the adverse outcomes in the predialysis CKD population, using the multicentre prospective cohort study in Korean pre-dialysis CKD cohort, so called KNOW-CKD.

 In this longitudinal analysis, total 2,022 patients were included. Longitudinal weight changes of study population were calculated into the percent change per year using regression analysis and classified into five groups: group 1; ≤ -5%/year (74 subjects), group 2; -5< to ≤-2.5 %/year (122 subjects), group 3; -2.5< to <2.5%/year (1642 subjects), group 4; 2.5≤ <5 %/year (123 subjects), and group 5; ≥ 5 %/year (61 subjects). The risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) development and composite outcome of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause death were compared according to the longitudinal weight changes.

 During the median 4.4 years of follow-up, total 414 and 188 events of ESRD and composite outcome of CVD and death occurred. When cause-specific regression analysis was conducted before and after adjusting age, sex, body mass index, mean blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, diabetics, cardiovascular disease, and modified Charlson Comorbidity Index score, all groups showed significant increased HR compared to group 3 for the ESRD. There was U-shape correlation between the degree of longitudinal body weight changes and the renal outcome (HR 3.89, 2.00, 1.89 and 3.34, P <0.001, <0.001, =0.001 and <0.001 for group 1, 2, 4 and 5, respectively). Also similar U-shape relationship was seen with composite outcome, (HR 3.14, 2.05, 1.65 and 2.68, P <0.001, 0.007, 0.123 and 0.007 for group 1, 2, 4 and 5, respectively) when compared to the reference group 3 When spline curve was drawn between the longitudinal body weight changes and adjusted HR for ESRD and composite of CVD and death, clear U-shape relationship was observed (Figure). The U-shape correlation was highlighted in the subgroup of estimated glomerular filtration rate <45 mL/min/1.73m2.

 Both rapid weight reduction and gain are independent risk factor for the ESRD development and composite outcome of CVD and death in predialysis CKD patients, especially in advanced CKD stages. Therefore, monitoring bodyweight changes are important and more studies are needed to give safe guideline to the predialysis CKD for maintaining optimal nutritional status.


If U and V are independent random variables, both drawn from the Normal distribution, then it is known that the distribution of U/V follows the Cauchy law, i. e. has frequency function 1/π(1+x2). Conversely if U and V are independently drawn from the same distribution and U/V is known to follow the Cauchy law of distribution must U and V be necessarily drawn from a Normal distribution? This question has been considered by several authors ([3], [4], [5], [7]) who have obtained several examples to show that the ratio property above is not confined to the Normal distribution.


Aims: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) which is an index of long term glycaemic control in diabetic patients is measured in majority of patients worldwide. Glycated albumin (GA) is useful for the evaluation of short term glycaemic control (2 weeks) in patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the GA levels at different stages of diabetic nephropathy in Indian population. Materials and Methods: A total of 147 subjects (M:F; 95:52) were selected for this study and were divided into three groups based on their renal function and compared with a non diabetic control group (n = 50, M:F; 14:36). The groups were as follows; group1 (control) n = 50, group2 (normoalbuminuria) n = 42, group 3 (microalbuminuria) n = 55, group 4 (proteinuria) n = 50. GA was measured by enzymatic procedure using the Lucica GA – L kit (Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp, Japan). Results: The normal cutoff value for GA was derived using control group and it was found to be 15% (range 717%). GA was significantly higher in diabetic patients at different stages of diabetic nephropathy compared to non diabetic control group [cont: 12.9 ± 1.8, normo: 20.8 ± 5.8, micro: 26.1 ± 8.6, macro: 23.5 ± 8.3). Microalbuminuric patients had significantly higher GA levels than normoalbuminuric patients (p< 0.05). Proteinuric subjects had slightly lower GA levels compared to microalbuminuric group but it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: GA was found to be a better marker for evaluating short term glycaemic status among diabetic patients with different degree of renal impairment prior to ESRD.


Selecting appropriate suppliers has strategic significance for every company. The Free Replicability Hull (FRH) model is one of the models in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). In many real world applications, data are often stochastic. A successful approach to address uncertainty in data is to replace deterministic data via random variables, leading to chance-constrained DEA. In this paper, a Chance-Constrained FRH (CCFRH) model is developed; its deterministic equivalent, which is a nonlinear programme, is also derived. Furthermore, it is shown that the deterministic equivalent of the CCFRH model can be converted into a quadratic programme. In addition, sensitivity analysis of the CCFRH model is discussed with respect to changes in parameters. Finally, a numerical example demonstrates the application of the proposed model.


The present invention relates to a device and a method for managing power based on data comprising a code segment searching part searching at least one code segment where a usage power type is being inserted; a block determining part determining at least one block based on the at least one searched code segment and a power mode controlling part controlling the at least one determined block to operate in a power mode corresponding to the usage power type. [Reference numerals] (100) Power management device; (110) Code segment search part; (120) Block determination part; (130) Power mode control part


Dongyun Zuo Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Javaria Ashraf Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Hailiang Cheng Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Shang Liu Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Youping Zhang Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Qiaolian Wang Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Limin Lv Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Feng Xiaoxu Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Linlin Song Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Yuanyuan Liu Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Cotton Research Institute Guoli Song (  firstname.lastname@example.com ) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3236-9286


The experiments are described in sections on approach to critical, control system evaluation, measurements of fuel worth, measurements of reactivity and other coefficients, flux measurements, power measurements, and measurements of fuel plate, control rod, and graphite temperatures. (J.R.D.)


A simple wearable device for sit-to-stand timing detection was designed and constructed with rate gyroscopes and accelerometers and a dedicated adaptive algorithm. The method was validated by comparison with optoelectronic equipment. Results from the comparison showed a maximal error always lower than 2.5 × 10−2 s for start and stop detection.


The pyrolysis of 2-methylfuran (MF) was studied from 900 to 1530 K in a flow reactor at 30 and 760 Torr. Synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry and gas chromatography were used for identification and mole fraction measurements of pyrolysis products, especially free radicals and aromatics. Specific products were observed for the two main unimolecular decomposition pathways of MF, such as propargyl radical, methyl radical, 1-butyne, and carbon monoxide. A previous kinetic model of MF was updated on the basis of recent theoretical and modeling progresses, especially for the aromatic formation sub-mechanism. The updated model was validated by the new pyrolysis data. Kinetic analyses including rate of production analysis, and sensitivity analysis were used to provide insight into the pyrolysis chemistry of MF, especially the decomposition of MF and aromatic formation. The pyrolysis of MF was found with the kinetic characteristics of both furan pyrolysis and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) pyr...


INTRODUCTION
French nurse schools use more and more frequently scanned lecture courses because of their partnership with universities.

OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed to identify the training strategies set up by nursing students with regard to lecture courses given by CD-ROM/DVD, as well as their perceptions of such an educational system.

METHOD
88 nursing students (second semester) answered a questionnaire; 62 were collected, from which a frequency study was led.

RESULT
Students attempt to set up in-depth training strategies but do not succeed significantly and spare much efforts. It does result discouragement with lack of motivation in regard to their training.

DISCUSSION
Using CD-ROM without adapted didactic environment disturb the development of requested training strategies compared to socio-constructivist principles it does refer to.


The article explores the issue of prohibition of civil servants, during service, which is either a receive remuneration. Not once, with the development of legislation, the issue became one of the most important, who stood in front of the country's leadership. At present, the remuneration of public servants is a serious problem, because it inhibits the conversion of many state and moreover undermines the authority of the government.


We address the problem of cross-domain image localization, i.e., the ability of estimating the pose of a landmark from visual content acquired under various conditions, such as old photographs, paintings, photos taken at a particular season, etc. We explore a 2D approach where the pose is estimated from geo-localized reference images that visually match the query image. This work focuses on the retrieval of similar images, which is a challenging task for images across different domains. We propose a Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) framework that adaptively combines multiple image descriptions. A regression model is used to select the best feature combinations according to their spatial complementarity, globally for a whole dataset as well as adaptively for each given image. The framework is evaluated on different datasets and the experiments prove its advantage over classical retrieval approaches.


A novel systematic algorithm for the dynamic reconfiguration of the distribution network was proposed based on multi-agent system in this paper. In which, one day was divided into several time intervals and each was managed by a work agent. An improved hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm was applied in each time interval to produce a solution set which included some enough good solutions. Then the coordination agent would select a solution from each work agent's solution set, and coordinate them until the number constraint of switching operations was satisfied. The whole architecture of the multi-agent system was presented, and the function modules of the work agent and coordination agent were also discussed. Computer simulations were conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


The aim of this study was: 1) verify if the level of strength in young Portuguese gymnasts change according to competition levels and ranking positions; 2) compare the level of strength in finalists' gymnasts of different competition levels; 3) identify the strength tests that discriminate the gymnasts from the different competition levels. The sample consisted of 68 Portuguese young gymnasts (11.7±0.6 years old) of two different competition levels (Base and 1st division). The International Gymnastics Federation recommended tests for strength assessment were applied. For the statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests, and the discriminant function (forward stepwise) were used. The 1st division presented higher results than the Base gymnasts in all strength tests. Regarding to competition levels by ranking groups, we observed that the finalists in Base level showed higher results than the remaining ranking groups in all strength tests. In 1st division level gymnasts, the finalists achieved higher results only in 66.7% of strength tests than the remaining ranking groups. The finalists in 1st division had higher number of years of training practice in RG and training volume than the finalists in Base level. However, the 1st division gymnasts obtained higher results in 66.7% tests but a superior statistical significance in only one strength test. Lastly, the tests "rope skipping" and "partial trunk elevations" were the strength tests that discriminate the gymnasts groups according to the competitive level.


A.O. Smith Corp. warns the gas industry that in the year 2000, manufacturers will make residential, energy-consuming appliances for whatever form of energy is available at that time, despite present loyalties to a specific fuel. If gas is available at competitive prices and if government regulations do not prevent manufacturers from making a competitive product, gas appliances will be on the market in 2000. The gas industry is directly responsible not only for making gas available but also for convincing the consumer that gas has definite advantages over competing fuels, particularly when first-cost considerations, including installation, would otherwise limit the attractiveness of a gas appliance.


In 1985, "During experiments aimed at understanding the mechanisms by which long-chain carbon molecules are formed in interstellar space and circumstellar shells", Harry Kroto and his collaborators serendipitously discovered a new form of carbon: fullerenes. The most emblematic fullerene (i.e. C$_{60}$ "buckminsterfullerene"), contains exactly 60 carbon atoms organized in a cage-like structure similar to a soccer ball. Since their discovery impacted the field of nanotechnologies, Kroto and colleagues received the Nobel prize in 1996. The cage-like structure, common to all fullerene molecules, gives them unique properties, in particular an extraordinary stability. For this reason and since they were discovered in experiments aimed to reproduce conditions in space, fullerenes were sought after by astronomers for over two decades, and it is only recently that they have been firmly identified by spectroscopy, in evolved stars and in the interstellar medium. This identification offers the opportunity to study the molecular physics of fullerenes in the unique physical conditions provided by space, and to make the link with other large carbonaceous molecules thought to be present in space : polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.


XML has gained popularity for information representation, exchange and retrieval. As XML material becomes more abundant, its heterogeneity and structural irregularity limit the knowledge that can be gained. The utilisation of data mining techniques becomes essential for improvement in XML document handling. This chapter presents the capabilities and benefits of data mining techniques in the XML domain, as well as, a conceptualization of the XML mining process. It also discusses the techniques that can be applied to XML document structure and/or content for knowledge discovery.


Research into teams has focused largely on intra-team or sub-team activities. Although activities involving two or more teams are becoming increasingly common due to outsourcing and globalization in the workplace, there are few studies about them. In this project, we studied two engineering teams and their activities for five months. The two teams, which belong to a Canadian company, are located in different countries. We collected different kinds of data to explore various aspects of the teams and their activities. In this research note, we report our preliminary findings about two teams' communication practices. Specifically, the findings suggest that despite the presence of video conference tool, file sharing tool, electronic mails, and phones, onsite visit and/or face-to-face interactions have great impact on the satisfaction level of the members' experiences of working with another remote team of different national culture.


Materials are the major cost factor in an organization. It requires progressive follow up to keep the organization running without any interruption. This can be achieved only through effective material management. The nurses play an important role in the procurement of the materials, especially in the patient care sector. The current paper helps the readers to understand the concept of materials, aims, objectives, and principles of material management. The author discusses the scope of materials at four levels such as planning, purchasing, supplying and utilization of materials. The objectives of the material management can be classified into two categories; primary and secondary objectives. The author concludes the paper with the discussion of the procedure of a material management system and the advantages of the material specification.


Recently, a disturbance observer based controller has been widely used in the industrial world because of its simplicity. However, this method depends on the intuitive approach in determining the disturbance estimation filter, therefore, more systematic approach is desired. In this paper, we make a bridge between the generalized compensator and the disturbance observer based controller by clarifying the internal structure of the generalized two-degree-of-freedom compensator. We apply the proposed algorithm to a trajectory control of a three-degree-of-freedom direct drive robot, and show some experimental results to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Plant spores from core samples of three wells and five outcrop samples of the Hardinsburg formation of Upper Mississippian age from Kentucky and Illinois are described. The spore assemblage consists of 19 genera including three proposed as new, and 59 species of which 37 are new. The difference in the tech- nique employed in the maceration of carbonaceous shale from that in the macera- tion of coal is discussed. Literature on Mississippian spores is meager and vague, as the few articles concerning spores of this age refer to coal seams which have not been definitely correlated with type Mississippian sections. New genera described are Auroraspora, Convolutispora and Grandispora. New species described are Acanthotriletes echinatus, Apiculati-sporites pineatus, Aurora- spora solisortus (genotype), Cirratriradites granulatipunctatus, C. praetergranulatus, C. uber, Convolutispora ampla, C. florida (genotype), C. mellita, C. tesselata, C. venusta, Denso-sporites brevispinosus, D. capistratus, D. parvus, D. spinifer, D. tenuis, Endosporites endorugosus, E. minutus, Grandispora spinosa (genotype), Granulatisporites politus, G. tuberculatus, Knoxisporites rotatus, K. triradiatus, Microreticulati-sporites fundatus, Punctati-sporites baccatus, P. cerosus, P. fissus, P. grandis, P. nitidus, P. plicatus, P. pseudolevatus, P. reticulopunctatus, P? callosus, Raistrickia multipertica, Reticulati-sporites decoratus, Schulzospora elongata, Triqui- trites marginatus.


Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), with significant progressive development in the last decade, have been considered as effective ways to improve the efficiency of the transportation system. The state and local planning agencies in the US and elsewhere will soon consider ITS facilities in their transportation plans. However, ITS, which are primarily operations and information oriented, are different from the traditional "facility‐based" projects. Therefore, the traditional transportation planning models are not suitable for the evaluation of ITS. In this paper, we present a hybrid modeling method which combines the use of the transportation planning model (TPM) and the traffic analysis/simulation model (TAM) with an interface. After examining the functionalities and the data used by the models, we found that TPMs and TAMs share a large amount of data in similar formats and provide most of the measures of effectiveness for the evaluation of ITS. The complementary use of TPM and TAM is discussed based on three factors: 1) the scope of the expected impacts; 2) the planning horizon; and 3) nature of the impacts (e.g., travel demand oriented or traffic operations oriented). Finally, a conceptual interface framework for converting the information between the two types of models is discussed, while various issues related to the development of the interface are explored.


A multiangle gas-filled counter has been used to measure the fragment angular distribution in fission induced by neutrons in the energy range $0.5\ensuremath{\le}{E}_{N}\ensuremath{\le}9$ Mev. The target nuclei used were: ${\mathrm{Th}}^{230}$, ${\mathrm{U}}^{233}$, ${\mathrm{U}}^{234}$, ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$, ${\mathrm{U}}^{236}$, ${\mathrm{U}}^{238}$, ${\mathrm{Np}}^{237}$, and ${\mathrm{Pu}}^{239}$. In the cases of ${\mathrm{U}}^{233}$ and ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$ the neutron energy range was extended to include energies between 14.8 and 23 Mev. The general features of these data are the following: The anisotropy ---($\frac{0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}{90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}$) intensity ratio---has values between 1.1 and 1.2 depending on the target and is roughly independent of energy for ${E}_{N}$ between 2 and 5.5 Mev. At higher energies a rise is observed such that at 7 Mev even-odd targets give values of anisotropy in the range 1.2 to 1.3 while even-even targets show greater values in the range 1.6 to 2.2. The anisotropy decreases somewhat by 9 Mev. Near thresholds for the even-even target nuclides considerable fluctuations of anisotropy are observed. The example of ${\mathrm{U}}^{236}$ at 0.85 Mev shows a new case of minimum intensity at 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, the anisotropy being 0.64. In the energy region 2-4 Mev, the anisotropy of ${\mathrm{Pu}}^{239}$, ${\mathrm{U}}^{233}$, and ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$ increases by a few percent from one to the next as the spin increases. This is contrary to simple theoretical expectations. These data have been compared to recent theoretical developments of the Bohr model as given by Griffin and by Halpern and Strutinski. The theory provides a satisfactory account of many features of the data.


Over the past few years, there has been a growing realisation that small satellite platforms can provide militarily useful levels of capability. But how much of the military requirement can currently be met by small satellites, and how much will be achievable in the future? As military planners weigh up the appropriate levels of investment in both small and large satellites, a robust examination of the requirements is required to identify those areas


Deng Xianping' s theories on the youth ideological and policitical education have the very important guiding meaning for deepening the reform of "Two Courses". Deng Xiaoping has emphasized the importance of the youth ideological and policitical education,which not only provides the theories for the building of "Two Courses" but indicates the direction for it. The forms and contents, the categories and directions of the construction of " Two Courses"are decided by Deny Xiaoping' s theories. Deng Xiaoping' s theories guide the reform of categories and e-valuation systems. Especially they can guide us to strengthen the opening and building of the courses of the contemporary and modern history and hardworking education. That makes the "Two Courses"have real function of educating college students and training the qualified revolutionary successor.


In contrast to the long-lived nature of resident-memory CD8 T cells (Trms) residing in the skin or intestine, Trms located in the lung parenchyma wane and their loss coincides with the decline of protective immunity against subsequent heterosubtypic Influenza infections. We utilized intravital 2-photon microscopy of live mice to dissect the relative contribution and examine the real-time spatiotemporal dynamics of secondary CD8 T cell responses containing or lacking lung Trms. Early post-Influenza infection, the lung contained a mixture of phenotypically defined circulating and CD69+/CD103+ resident-memory transgenic P14 cells which exhibited heterogeneous motility patterns, comprised of both highly motile cells and those exhibiting a slow to moderate scanning pattern. The incorporation of IV exclusion during intravital imaging predominantly labeled highly dynamic cells, and largely spared slower CD103+ Trms in the lung parenchyma and surrounding airways. Conversely, the selective loss of this slow to moderate population was observed with either CD103 antibody-mediated depletion of early memory or at 6 months post infection, suggesting that CD103+ CD8 Trms exhibit slow to moderate motility dynamics in the lung at homeostasis. Importantly, upon secondary infection, hosts containing Trms exhibited a higher proportion of CD8 T cells with altered dynamics, more pronounced clustering around infected cells in the lung in an antigen-specific manner and provided superior early heterosubtypic protection compared to hosts containing only circulating memory. Overall, these data indicate that lung Trms exhibit slow to moderate motility patterns, rapidly respond to and mediate early immunity to subsequent infections in the lung.


This paper proposed several methods to transplant the compound chaotic image encryption scheme with permutation based on 3D baker into image formats as Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). The new method averts the lossy Discrete Cosine Transform and quantization and can encrypt and decrypt JPEG images lossless. Our proposed method for GIF keeps the property of animation successfully. The security test results indicate the proposed methods have high security. Since JPEG and GIF image formats are popular contemporarily, this paper shows that the prospect of chaotic image encryption is promising.


This paper contributes to the literature debate on the role that formal tools used in the management of CSR activities can play in the integration of CSR into corporate strategy. In particular, the purpose of this research is two-fold: firstly, to investigate if a high degree of formalisation of CSR activities is needed to reach a high degree of integration of CSR into corporate strategy; secondly, to understand what roles CSR formal tools play in this integration process. In order to answer these research questions, eleven case studies of large multinational companies operating in Italy were developed. The results of the empirical analysis show that a high degree of integration is often coupled with intensive use of formalization, with some interesting exceptions. This result can be explained by the active role that almost all CSR formalisation elements play in the integration process of CSR in the overall corporate strategy.


The combination of immunogenic cell death (ICD) induction and immune checkpoint blockade has emerged as a major direction of cancer immunotherapy. Among currently available ICD inducers, sonosensitizers that produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under an external trigger to evoke ICD of tumor cells have shown great promise. However, a highly efficient sonosensitizer-based ICDinducerwithanaggregationinduced emission (AIE) characteristic has yet to be developed. Herein, a novel AIE sonosensitizer with a twisted molecular structure, very small energy gap between the singlet and triplet excited states (ΔEST), andefficientROSgeneration ability,which can serve as an effective ICD inducer, is reported for sonodynamic processes in cancer immunotherapy. Furthermore, an AIE sonosensitizer-based nanosystem with surface modification of anti-PD-L1 peptide is constructed for boostingantitumor immunotherapy. In this system,AIE sonosensitizer-mediated sonodynamic therapy can successfully convert a hypoimmunogenic cold tumor to ahotoneand further facilitate themultivalentblocking of programed death ligand (PD-L1) by anti-PD-L1 peptides. Such an advanced nanosystem could effectively initiate the activation of antitumoral immune reactions and modulation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment, contributing to systemic antitumor effects to further inhibit the growth of distant tumors.


Of the thirty cases of fracture of the thyroid cartilage reported by Durham, but ten of these recovered and most of them after a tracheotomy. Indeed, most authorities unqualifiedly condemn any delay in operating, Cohen saying: "Unless forestalled by precautionary tracheotomy and insertion of a tube, suffocative phenomena may intervene at any time from edema, displacement of fragments, or occlusion of the caliber of the air tube with blood clots." 1 He further says, "better far that an unnecessary tracheotomy should occasionally be performed without detriment to the patient than that a number of cases should be allowed to terminate fatally for the want of it." Stimson says: 2 "It is not safe to wait until it (dyspnea) has become extreme, for its increase at the last is often so rapid and so sudden that death takes place before relief can be given. It is therefore the part of prudence


Abstract : An investigation is being made of the extent to which personal characteristics of team members differentiate effective from less effective teams. An Assumed Similarity (AS) score was obtained by asking a person to describe himself and to predict the self-description given by another person. It is suggested that the person who assumes similarity is a warmer, less critical person. Studies on basketball and surveyor teams indicated that effective teams prefer co-workers with low AS. Preliminary evidence showed that the design of forced-choice instruments where each item has about equal scale value may be inferior to a design in which items grouped together differ in scale value. A method was derived for obtaining a hierarchy index from sociometric ratings.


The authors analyze the essence and content of the policy of engineering education. The article proves that national and state policies are not identical. The authors characterize educational policy as a space of struggle and coordination of the interests of the state and civil society in the face of various institutions, primarily economic structures and the academic community. There are three models of educational policy: paternalistic, liberal and socially oriented ones. The main components of educational policy as an activity are goal setting and strategic planning; development and extrapolation to the education system of axiology and ideology of education; rationing; administration and regulation; control over the development of the educational system.


Malaysia, in its effort to achieve its Vision 2020, launched a National Broadband Pelan (NBP) in 2004; subsequently Broadband Implementation Plan was formulated in 2007 as an effort and strategy by the government to provide and upgrade the ICT infrastructure and broadband facilities throughout Malaysia. The initiative to bridge digital divide is encapsulated in two strategic foundations of the National Mission which are: 1) Strategic foundation 1.2 whose purpose is to increase the effort to bridge digital divide effort; 2) Strategic foundation 3.7 whose purpose is to increase the development of underserved states by providing economic opportunity and upgrading the infrastructure, social facilities and basic necessities. As at the heart of these is the need to educate its citizen and to instill socioeconomic competitiveness, the government sets a target for the broadband penetration for each household at 50% by the end of 2010. This means one telecenter per district has been set as a target and the main focus is ICT literacy. Therefore, the paper discusses the roles of government initiated telecenters in Malaysia in an effort to bridge digital divide by focusing on the education aspects of telecenters. Key-Words: Broadband Implementation Plan, Bridging Digital Divide, ICT Infrastructure, Telecenters, Education, Broadband Penetration


In the present study, we evaluate the ethno pharmacological usage of the root parts of Turmeric extract, using in vivo pharmacological experimental models. In vivo excision wound models were used in order to assess the wound healing effects (wound contraction and histopathological assay) of the hydroethanolic extracts of the plants. Skin samples were also evaluated. Forty five rats were divided into four groups of eight rats each. Group 1 (negative control), group 2, placebo (as the reference standard group) and groups 3, 4 and 5 (experimental) applied respectively with the 1g, 2g and 3g of powder extract mixed with base formulation until complete epithelialization. Wound area was monitored on days 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 with graph paper and histological evaluation was carried out on the samples on days 3, 7, 14 and 21. The results show that all ointment formulation prepared with hydroethanolic extract of E. platyloba, especially group 2%, more effective in stimulating the enclosure of wounds, increased fibroplasia, re-epithelialization and collagen disposition in treatment groups compared to the control groups, and remarkable promote wound healing activity in rat as an in vivo experimental wound models.


We develop the probabilistic implementation of a nonlocal gate exp [iξσnAσnB ] and ξ ∈ [0, π 4 ], by using a single non-maximally entangled state. We prove that, nonlocal gates can be implemented with a fidelity greater than 79.3% and a consumption of less than 0.969 ebits and 2 classical bits, when ξ ≤ 0.353. This provides a higher bound for the feasible operation compared to the former techniques [9, 14, 16]. Besides, gates with ξ ≥ 0.353 can be implemented with the probability 79.3% and a consumption of 0.969 ebits, which is the same efficiency as the distillation-based protocol [14, 16], while our method saves extra classical resource. Gates with ξ → 0 can be implemented with nearly unit probability and a small entanglement. We also generalize some application to the multiple system, where we find it is possible to implement certain nonlocal gates between many non-entangled partners using a non-maximally multiple entangled state.


Vestibular VN (VN) is the third most common in the structure of peripheral vestibulopathies. The study of the features of damage to peripheral vestibular receptors in vestibular neuritis using instrumental research methods (video head impulse test, registration of VEMPs) allows us to develop factors associated with the preservation of persistent peripheral vestibular hypofunction after the disease. On the basis of Sverzhevky Research Institute of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology examined 77 patients with vestibular neuritis (age 44,2±12,3 years, of which 37 were men, the duration of the disease until the moment of treatment was 3,2 ±1,7 days). There was a higher prevalence of total VN compared to superior VN (57 and 43%, respectively). Violation of the function of otolith receptors according to the data of registration of VEMPs was recorded in 46% (n = 35) patients with VN. The dynamics of vestibular function recovery in patients with superior VN was better than in patients with total VN (73 and 45%, respectively). Damage to otolith receptors detected by the method of registration of VEMPs was associated with worse dynamics of restoration of vestibular function in patients with vestibular neuronitis (p < 0,05).


The purpose of this study is to derive a set of parameters for improved forecasting of significant cool season tornado occurrences in the coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico during the period from mid November through mid February. It is important to examine these tornado events because they are characterized by very strong vertical shear and weaker instability than the more typical warm season tornado events. These cool season tornado occurrences are rare, which makes them more difficult to forecast. Forecasting these tornado events are essential since the chance for loss of life is greater with stronger tornadoes. The study examined F2 and stronger tornado events from six cool seasons (1998-2004). Temperatures, dew points and wind data were examined at various levels to see which parameters were better discriminators for these types of events.


INTRODUCTION The Need for Statistics Types of Data The Use of Computers in Statistics PROBABILITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS Probability Populations and Samples Means and Variances The Normal Distribution Sampling Distributions ESTIMATION AND HYPOTHESIS TESTING Estimation of the Population Mean Testing Hypotheses about the Population Mean Population Variance Unknown Comparison of Samples A Pooled Estimate of Variance A SIMPLE EXPERIMENT Randomization and Replication Analysis of a Completely Randomized Design with Two Treatments A Completely Randomized Design with Several Treatments Testing Overall Variation Between the Treatments CONTROL OF RANDOM VARIATION BY BLOCKING Local Control of Variation Analysis of a Randomized Block Design Meaning of the Error Mean Square Latin Square Designs Multiple Latin Squares Design The Benefit of Blocking and the Use of Natural Blocks PARTICULAR QUESTIONS ABOUT TREATMENTS Treatment Structure Treatment Contrasts Factorial Treatment Structure Main Effects and Interactions Analysis of Variance for a Two-Factor Experiment Partial Factorial Structure Comparing Treatment Means - Are Multiple Comparison Methods Helpful? MORE ON FACTORIAL TREATMENT STRUCTURE More than Two Factors Factors with Two Levels The Double Benefit of Factorial Structure Many Factors and Small Blocks The Analysis of Confounded Experiments Split Plot Experiments Analysis of a Split Plot Experiment Experiments Repeated at Different Sites THE ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND THE ANALYSIS Our Assumptions Normality Variance Homogeneity Additivity Transformations of Data for Theoretical Reasons A More General Form of Analysis Empirical Detection of the Failure of Assumptions and Selection of Appropriate Transformations Practice and Presentation STUDYING LINEAR RELATIONSHIPS Linear Regression Assessing the Regression Line Inferences about the Slope of a Line Prediction Using a Regression Line Correlation Testing Whether the Regression is Linear Regression Analysis Using Computer Packages MORE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS Making the Crooked Straight Two Independent Variables Testing the Components of a Multiple Relationship Multiple Regression Possible Problems in Computer Multiple Regression LINEAR MODELS The Use of Models Models for Factors and Variables Comparison of Regressions Fitting Parallel Lines Covariance Analysis Regression in the Analysis of Treatment Variation NONLINEAR MODELS Advantages of Linear and Nonlinear Models Fitting Nonlinear Models to Data Inferences about Nonlinear Parameters Exponential Models Inverse Polynomial Models Logistic Models for Growth Curves THE ANALYSIS OF PROPORTIONS Data in the Form of Frequencies The 2 ' 2 Contingency Table More than Two Situations or More than Two Outcomes General Contingency Tables Estimation of Proportions Sample Sizes for Estimating Proportions MODELS AND DISTRIBUTIONS FOR FREQUENCY DATA Models for Frequency Data Testing the Agreement of Frequency Data with Simple Models Investigating More Complex Models The Binomial Distribution The Poisson Distribution Generalized Models for Analyzing Experimental Data Log-Linear Models Logit Analysis of Response Data MAKING AND ANALYZING SEVERAL EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS Different Measurements on the Same Units Interdependence of Different Variables Repeated Measurements Joint (Bivariate) Analysis Indices of Combined Yield Investigating Relationships with Experimental Data ANALYZING AND SUMMARIZING MANY MEASUREMENTS Introduction to Multivariate Data Principal Component Analysis Covariance or Correlation Matrix Cluster Analysis Similarity and Dissimilarity Measures Hierarchical Clustering Comparison of PCA and Cluster Analysis CHOOSING THE MOST APPROPRIATE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The Components of Design Units and Treatments Replication and Precision Different Levels of Variation and Within-Unit Replication Variance Components and Split Plot Designs Randomization Managing with Limited Resources Factors with Quantitative Levels Screening and Selection On-Farm Experiments SAMPLING FINITE POPULATIONS Experiments and Sample Surveys Simple Random Sampling Stratified Random Sampling Cluster Sampling, Multistage Sampling and Sampling Proportional to Size Ratio and Regression Estimates REFERENCES APPENDIX INDEX


A case of pilomatrixoma occurring in the breast of a middle‐aged male is presented. Many of the clinical features of this case were not typical of a pitomatrixoma and it was originally diagnosed clinically as a breast carcinoma.


The proposed invention relates to electronic technology, more specifically - to gas-discharge electron guns for processing applications and can be used for electron beam melting, evaporation and other thermal processes performed in a vacuum using high- power electron beams. The goal of the proposed invention is to expand the range of working pressures when using gas-discharge electron beam guns for thermal processes and increase the consistency of their operation. The goal specified is achieved as follows: the gas-discharge electron gun, containing (in a sealed case (1) on a high-voltage insulator (2) ) a cold concave cathode (3), a coaxial anode (4) with an opening for the electron beam passage, a beam guide (5) attached to the anode with two focusing lenses (6, 7) and beam deflection coils (8) fixed on it, has a gas-ballast chamber (9) between a focusing lens and deflection coils that covers the beam guide and is equipped with a connecting branch for degassing and connected with the beam guide by openings (10), which transverse dimensions do not exceed 5 - 6 mm, and their total gas conductivity exceeds the beam guide conductivity between the gas-ballast chamber and its section.


New diagnostic direction as antibody detection with the help of peptides which are the analogous of Ig-binding site, located in active centers of receptors for immunoglobulins, are presented in this publication. High affinity receptor for immunoglobulin E (Fc?RI) is key high-specialized structure on the surface of the number of immune cells. The classic method of peptide chemistry the fragment of active center Fc?RI? octapeptide WRNWDVYK have been synthesized. The synthesized octapeptide's capacity to bind specific IgE to allergen for mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus have been proved with the help of immunoenzyme test-system. Obtained peptide is potentially may be used in diagnostic aims.


Every couple of decades sociology is jolted (or at least pin-pricked) by a book from a Janus-faced genre which both critiques social theory and also places it within a social framework. Our attention is sometimes captured by important theoretical advances, and sometimes we relish technical history of sociology, but it is the occasional combination of each which can have a heightened impact. In the postwar period, such critical books have included C. Wright Mills's Sociological Imagination and Gouldner's Coming Crisis of Western Sociology and also Coser's masterful history of sociology, each of which is particularly sensitive to its social context. Moreover, many theoretical works which have had a major impact have also offered us an interpretation of sociology's own social role and history most notably the historical vision of convergence built into Parsons's magnum opus. On the other hand, there are also many failures in this high-risk genre, and it may be interesting to consider why some attempted interventions have not worked. Donald Levine's finely crafted and paradigm-setting opening up of the historical interpretations of proto-sociology, and the contribution to commentary on the 'contemporary crisis of sociology' which flows out from his historical considerations, are a powerful addition to this slender genre. Levine's book (Visions of the Sociological Tradition, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995) works successively at (and to some extent between) several levels: (1) it provides a review of historiographical models of the development of sociology; (2) it then provides an astounding presentation of major themes in the development of sociology; and (3) finally, it attempts to pull many threads together to formulate a foundation from which a sociological resurgence might be launched. As the book moves through these three successive parts the pace quickens: the review of past histories of sociologies is measured and leisurely, the historical pictures are drawn crisply and pointedly (undoubtedly with increasing crispness as we move towards the present), while the final part is


Tourist service trade is not only the international law and guidelines to regulate nations' tourist service trade,but also an important policy basis to develop foreign trade.Based on the analysis of formation process of tourist service trade,the paper introduces the relevant concepts and contents,summarizes some concerning principles and at last puts emphasis on conforming to some other relevant international regulations.


Eighty years ago, on February 2, 1932, Joyce marked his fiftieth birthday and the tenth anniversary of the publication of the first edition of Ulysses. This turned out to be a decisive year in Joyce's life and in the history of his most famous and bestselling work. In August, Sylvia Beach sold the last copy of her Shakespeare and Company edition, thereby marking another decisive juncture in the trajectory of Joyce's work and in the history of her publishing house and shop. Then the Odyssey Press, an ad hoc imprint of the Albatross Press, issued a new, much lower-priced, continental edition of Ulysses at the start of 1933 that sold more than twice as many copies in its first year as Shakespeare and Company had ever sold in any two-year period. Notable as they are, these figures elide the complex and dynamic forces that shaped the material production and consumption of one of modernism's most emblematic works of art. By scrutinizing the relatively complete archival record of these various negotiations that survive, this article analyzes previously little-known aspects of the often conflicting strategies that motivated the author, his agents, as well as the various international publishers who vied to add this iconic and lucrative title to their lists in 1932. Although focused on just one critical year, this article clarifies the legal and financial decisions that determined the long-term commercial success of Ulysses. It thereby dispels some persistent misconceptions and myths and should encourage further inquiry and debate about these crucial aspects of modernist studies. In the midst of Joyce's continuing concerns about his own ill health, he was still grieving his father's death at the start of 1932 when his first


JMAJ, May / June 2012 — Vol. 55, No. 3 195 The Japan Medical Association (JMA)'s Global Health Committee was launched in 2008 to examine its past international activities and to consider its future perspective. This report first reviews the progress in JMA's domestic and international activities in 2010– 2011. It then discusses the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake as the top priority issue. This is because the scale of the disaster was so devastating that the JMA's effort in response inevitably went beyond the domestic framework and expanded to the international stage. This report concludes with recommendations for the JMA's international activities in the future.


The model potential method developed by Valiron et al. (1977, 1979) is applied to the calculation of the potential energies of the ground and excited states of the Na-He molecular system. The excellent agreement with the ab initio calculations and the stability of the results to variations in the model potential parameters establish the reliability of the method. Interesting features in the more highly excited states are observed. The calculated interaction energies are used to compute the profile of the fluorescence spectrum from optically thin Na vapour in the presence of He at moderate pressures. The theoretical results for the Na resonance line profile are compared with the experimental data of York et al.


Abstract : A presentation of the British Aircraft Corporation approach to the problems of maintaining a high standard of structural integrity is presented. The discussion is restricted to those topics which it is thought will be of interest to those responsible for aircraft maintenance.


after reading Seidensticker's work that there are things still to be said about the importance, the "greatness," of Kafu as a writer and about the special nature of the form he used for his fiction. There is a certain prejudice at work in the book against that form, whether it may rightly be called that of the "novel" or not. It determines many of the critical comments. For Seidensticker there are certain requirements, plot, conflict and characterization, for example, which determine the novel and when these are lacking the work is something other than fiction, or less than good fiction. "Yet not even when the last lady is caught [by the prose of the work being described, Rivalry] disporting wantonly in a communal bath does the reader feel that she has been revealed in the round. She remains a caricature from a \atagimono" (p. 87). The pleasure which the author's own reading of the great and varied body of Kafu's work has given him comes across in the translations which are beautiful. They have, surely, been made in the excitement of rendering into English the texture and particularities of the culture Kafu enjoyed.


Under the background of economic development,the wide use of information communication technology,the need for share of information exchange and construction of harmonious society,the literature resources share in Foshan's libraries seems very necessary and urgent.The construction of the sharing system shall follow the principles of local condition,user,benefit,standard and wholeness.The measures taken for the construction include: setting up a three-level management system,forming two-level organizational structures and performing six co-operative activities.Furthermore,such problems shall be considered during the construction: commercialization,copyright,sense,technology,financial support,human resources and achievement evaluation.


Sea offshore geological exploration engineering in northern Sanshandao area has transferred from traditional terrestrial solid mineral prospecting to offshore prospecting.It has expanded the prospecting space and made a breakthrough in prospecting.As the main means of geological exploration work of offshore exploration decides the success or failure of geological drilling engineering project.Ensuring the offshore drilling positioning accuracy is the basis in exploration engineering work.By using geological drilling technology of RTK network based on SDCORS in Shandong province,positioning work has been carried out by geological survey personnels.Comparing with traditional measurement method,CORS-RTK positioning technology has the advantages of high positioning accuracy,reliabledata quality,fast measuring speed,long distance and other advantages in offshore drilling.


This study allowed the characterization of the tambaqui Colossoma macropomum testes structural organization, emphasizing Sertoli and interstitial cells and analyzing morphometrically the Sertoli cell nucleus diameter and the interstitial tissue area during the reproductive cycle. Fragments of tambaqui testes were collected in the following reproductive cycle stages: immature, resting, maturation I and II, mature, and regression, and were histologically processed. The Sertoli cells were found at the periphery of the cysts of germinative lineage cells and the nuclei were shown to be smaller as these cells developed. The interstitial cells were better observed between the seminiferous lobules next to vessels in the interstitial tissue of maturing testes.


Identifying the mechanisms that drive development of self‐organized patterned landscapes is essential for guiding ecosystem management and restoration. In this work, we modeled flow through real and geostatistically simulated landscapes to test the hypothesis that feedbacks between patch anisotropy and hydroperiod may be sufficient to explain development of the flow‐parallel ridge‐slough mosaic of the Everglades (Florida, USA). Results show patch anisotropy to be a strong predictor of hydroperiod, with ecologically significant increases in flooding duration (>40 days/year) in isotropic landscapes compared with areas of the Everglades with the best‐conserved anisotropic patterning. Notably, hydroperiod differences among landscapes were largest in dry years, suggesting that low flow periods may be most influential in landscape pattern development, contrary to alternative models of pattern formation. This study demonstrates the potential for coupled feedbacks between landscape geometry and hydrology to drive anisotropic pattern formation via inundation frequency without requiring velocity‐driven erosion and redistribution of particulates.


Data access control is an effective way to ensure the data security in the cloud. However, due to data outsourcing and untrusted cloud servers, the data access control becomes a challenging issue in cloud storage systems. Existing access control schemes are no longer applicable to cloud storage systems, because they either produce multiple encrypted copies of the same data or require a fully trusted cloud server. Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-based Encryption (CP-ABE) is a promising technique for access control of encrypted data. It requires a trusted authority manages all the attributes and distributes keys in the system. In cloud storage systems, there are multiple authorities co-exist and each authority is able to issue attributes independently. However, existing CP-ABE schemes cannot be directly applied to the access control for multi-authority cloud storage systems, due to the inefficiency of decryption and revocation. Keyword: Access control, attribute revocation, revocation security, CP-ABE, multiauthority cloud.


The work performed during this contract included the following tasks: (i) the development of a novel numerical model for the dynamic simulation of a rockfall prevention fence using the descrete element method (DEM), (ii) the numerical implementation of the DEM numerical model in a computer code to be used by engineers at CDOT, and (iii) demonstration and validation of the DEM computer technique to simulate rockfall impacts against rockfall fences. The original DEM numerical model was designed to analyze flexible rockfall prevention fences that were comprised of a single layer of columnar attenuators. In an additional research task funded under this contract the DEM model was extended to deal with fences with two layers of attenuators.


Abstract : This study investigates the use of Tank Extended Range Munition (TERM) at the company/team level. From the company/team perspective this study attempts to determine the command and control configuration that maximizes the effectiveness of TERM. This study recommends changes to the current command and control configuration with regard to organization, procedure, equipment, and personnel. TERM provides the tank company/team with new capabilities in range and precision target engagement. This study emphasizes the use of command and control to realize the potential for increased lethality and effectiveness for the company/team using TERM. This study investigates the increase of battlespace and the need for expanded situational awareness at the company/team level as a result of TERM. This study promotes reorganization of the scout platoon to company/team level, sensor to shooter linkages between scouts and TERM firing tanks, improvements to digitized equipment to improve situational awareness, and changes to the roles and functions of the company/team commander, executive officer, and fire support officer. The proposed command and control configuration promotes optimal use of TERM, which in turn optimizes the effectiveness of the tank company/team.


Abstract : The study forms one input to a continuing investigation by DoD agencies into the economy of warehouse modernization. Specifically, this study focuses on the 1980 time frame and attempts to describe a methodology for predicting the investment costs for an automated DoD storage facility. The facility design used is the one found in the Phase II Final Report of Task Group 5-70, the group established in 1971 to study modernization of DoD storage facilities. The study presents a computer model which calculates investment costs for the building and the equipment of the proposed facility. (Modified author abstract)


First - a brief word about the importance of mineral and energy resources - something those of us in the industry are acutely aware of, but the public generally is not. It is estimated that the world population is expected to double in the next 35 years. World energy needs will grow at a faster rate - perhaps doubling in the next 15 years. Metals will be under strong demand pressure, with outputs having to double in about 20 years t o meet the higher living standards demanded by third world countries as well as the population growth. All in all, a challenging prospect.


On Feb.2,2006,America published《Quadrennial Defense Review》,which first time called China "the most competitive military country to America" and censured China for normal constructing of defense.The strategic position of China by the Pentagon reflected the substance of conflict between China and American.As a protective country of hegemony,America used all the effective tricks to defend "challenger" and brought competition,conflict and struggle.As the strategy of Peace and Development of China is clearly,Future conflict between China and American will depend on the trend of American policy to China.


First test of a certain launch vehicle power system was conducted at the new generation launch vehicle power system test stand.During the debugging of blow-off in the fuel dome of the engine,it was found that the blow pressure in the cavity was too low to meet the test requirements.Based on introducing the constitution of blow-off system and debugging method of utilizing the orifice plate to simulate backpressure in blow-off path of the engine,the causation of low pressure in blow-off path is analyzed,by which the reason is revealed that the resistance coefficient of the rated blow-off flow of orifice plate simulation or the air supply pipeline is too high.By flow coefficient calibration of orifice plate and the flow resistance calculation of the pipeline,it is affirmed that high flow resistance coefficient of the air supply pipeline is the main factor that leads to the low blow pressure of the cavity.Some pertinent measures were adopted to optimize the gas distribution system and decrease flow resistance of the pipeline.Therefore,the inflation pressure and volume of gas source were confirmed.The analysis results ensure the success of power system test.With the measures,the flow resistance loss was decreased by 47%.


Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly affects both visual and cognitive functions, which is complicated by the fact that these functions are inter-related (termed visuo-cognition). Visuo-cognitive deficits range from impairments in basic visual functions (i.e. acuity and contrast sensitivity) to higher levels of visual attention and perception. Studies have shown that people with PD are more likely to experience visual impairments, and these impairments are associated with an increased risk of hip fracture, depression, anxiety, dementia, and hallucinations [1]. Furthermore, visuo-cognitive dysfunction is associated with freezing of gait in PD, which is one of the most common reasons for falls and dependency in this population [2]. Accurate and timely diagnosis of visuo-cognitive impairments is important in PD, as early intervention could prevent loss of independence and reduce falls risk. In practice, visuo-cognitive function is assessed using pen and paper outcome measures or eye charts, which can be subjective (based on expert rating), time-consuming and only examine global function. Visuo-cognitive function is rarely considered for rehabilitation in PD, with limited studies using eye movement exercises, pen and paper tasks, or inter-active games to improve visuo-cognitive performance. There is a need for a more objective technological approach that can comprehensively assess and provide rehabilitation for visuo-cognitive deficits in PD. Here, we present the package of visuo-cognitive tools offered by Senaptec Ltd., a company who have developed a series of digital technologies that can be deployed with healthy and clinical populations to assess and rehabilitate visuo-cognitive function (https://senaptec.com/). We discuss how this technology may offer a solution to address the need for faster diagnosis of, and targeted intervention for, visuo-cognitive deficits in PD.


Federal law requires mine operators to salvage and respread topsoil on the surface of minesoils as part of the reclamation process. Guidelines are needed to ensure that the best available topsoil is obtained and used. The productivity and land use capability of minesoils must compare favorably with premining conditions. Guidelines for rating the quality of cover soil and the agricultural capability of minesoils are proposed. (24 references, 5 tables)


The relations between Marxist theory and social engineering are analyzed.It is proposed that Marxist theory plays a role of guidance of science and value in social engineering,and social engineering in turn propels the development of Marxism theory.We must strengthen Marxist guidance so as to develop social engineering healthfully.


197 patients with IMCCI aged 35-55 years have been examined. Certain investigations of the immune and hormonal status have been performed. The peculiarities of the clinical manifestations and pathological disorders depending on the condition of the immune and hormonal systems have been studied. The performed investigations have revealed dysfunction ofthe nervous, endocrine and immune systems, their quantitative and qualitative dysregulation reflecting the disorders in the regulation systems of the body in the initial stages of chronic cerebral ischemia. All the above-mentioned proves the necessity ofcorrection of disorders found in the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.


Real-time electricity prices and volatile workload patterns have a major impact on the operational costs of distributed data centers. A smart grid enables large consumers to regulate their usage patterns with the knowledge of real-time prices at different locations, and their energy consumption through the demand response (DR) program. However, the price inclined workload assignment may lead to an increase in peak demand, and decrease the benefits of workload offloading. Moreover, energy-efficient service management is challenged by unpredictable network conditions that can cause service performance degradation. Using an actor-critic approach, we developed a system that distributes a service's load among distributed sites to take advantage of the spatial variations in energy pricing. Our experimental results on the CloudLab testbed have proved with 45% reduction in running costs without impacting the response time using the Wikipedia request traces considering peak-based pricing.


............................................................................................................................... vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................ ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS....................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1. PERILS ASSOCIATED WITH CONTINUED RELIANCE ON PETROLEUM ................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2. FEDERAL POLICIES TO REDUCE PETROLEUM CONSUMPTION .......... 5 CHAPTER 3. TEXAS PETROLEUM REDUCTION TRANSPORT POLICIES .................... 9 CHAPTER 4. OVERVIEW OF BIOFUEL SOLUTIONS FOR PETROLEUM REDUCTION .................................................................................................................. 11 Renewable Energy Production ........................................................................................ 11 Renewable Energy Market Expansion ............................................................................ 12 CHAPTER 5. CHARACTERISTICS OF DOMESTIC VS. INTERNATIONAL BIOFUELS ...................................................................................................................... 15 Energy Return on Investment .......................................................................................... 15 Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions ............................................................................. 19 Land Use .......................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 6. BIOFUEL TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS .................................................... 23 CHAPTER 7. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATION BIOFUEL SUPPLY CHAINS ................. 29 Iowa, United States – Corn Ethanol Cultivation and Production .................................... 32 Domestic Ethanol Infrastructure – Rail Dominant Option .............................................. 35 Domestic Ethanol Infrastructure – Barge Alternative ..................................................... 38 Sao Paulo State, Brazil – Sugarcane Cultivation ............................................................. 41 Sugarcane Ethanol Synthesis ........................................................................................... 45 Brazil's Ethanol Export Infrastructure ............................................................................ 46 CHAPTER 8. SUPPLYING THE TEXAS ETHANOL MARKETS ........................................ 57 Houston ............................................................................................................................ 57 Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex ....................................................................................... 59


One kind of heat insulating material, which is a wall material having a heat insulating material, wherein the wall material comprising: an end edge and a density disposed in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the wall material is high-density portion than 0.45g / cm3, and and arranged in the middle in the thickness direction of the orthogonal direction, and having thermal insulation properties and a density of 0.45g / cm3 or less density portion. Is provided along the entire edge of the end edge of the high density portion, and the thickness of the high density portion is thinner than the thickness of the low density portion.


This paper examines the impact that environmental factors have on the decision of Australian companies to adapt products for Middle Eastern markets. It  concludes that of all product aspects, labeling requires the greatest amount of adaptation and that socio-cultural factors have the greatest influence on overall product adaptation. Furthermore, environmental factors impact on product   adaptation in different ways, reflected in the adaptation of different aspects of the overall product.


This paper introduced a voice net detection system, which is based on C/S and B/S modes. The paper also illustrated the function, the theory and the implement. The system used the SQL Server as its Database, and used the visual programming tool-Delphi, the ASP technology is also used to publish Web.


We address the problem of object co-segmentation in images. Object co-segmentation aims to segment common objects in images and has promising applications in AI agents. We solve it by proposing a co-occurrence map, which measures how likely an image region belongs to an object and also appears in other images. The co-occurrence map of an image is calculated by combining two parts: objectness scores of image regions and similarity evidences from object proposals across images. We introduce a deep-dense conditional random field framework to infer co-occurrence maps. Both similarity metric and objectness measure are learned end-to-end in one single deep network. We evaluate our method on two datasets and achieve competitive performance.


In recent years, the integration of digital technology development and the traditional financial service industry has generated a new financial service model, that is, digital finance, which has exerted a certain impact on various industries. This paper selects the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020 to explore how digital finance will affect the agglomeration development of the logistics industry. The two-way fixed model is used for empirical analysis and the results show that digital finance has a significant role in promoting the agglomeration development of the logistics industry. From different perspectives, the coverage breadth, depth of use, and digitalization finance greatly promote the logistics industry, while digitalization development has no such impact on the logistics industry. The positive impact of digital finance on logistics industry agglomeration has clear regional heterogeneity. Specifically speaking, the impact of digital finance in central and western regions is significant on logistics industry agglomeration, while that in the eastern region is not. Therefore, in order to further expand the role of digital finance in promoting the agglomeration development of the logistics industry, we should spare no efforts to develop digital finance, strengthen regional cooperation, and improve the coordinated development of digital finance and logistics industry agglomeration.


A method for combining ground-based passive microwave radiometer retrievals of integrated liquid water (LWP), radar reflectivity profiles (Z), and statistics of a cloud model is proposed for deriving cloud liquid water profiles (LWC). A dynamic cloud model is used to determine Z–LWC relations and their errors as functions of height above cloud base. The cloud model is also used to develop an LWP algorithm based on simulations of brightness temperatures of a 20–30-GHz radiometer. For the retrieval of LWC, the radar determined Z profile, the passive microwave retrieved LWP, and a model climatology are combined by an inverse error covariance weighting method. Model studies indicate that LWC retrievals with this method result in rms errors that are about 10%–20% smaller in comparison to a conventional LWC algorithm, which constrains the LWC profile exactly to the measured LWP. According to the new algorithm, errors in the range of 30%–60% are to be anticipated when profiling LWC. The algorithm is applied to a time series measurement of a stratocumulus layer at GKSS in Geesthacht, Germany. The GKSS 95-GHz cloud radar, a 20–30-GHz microwave radiometer, and a laser ceilometer were collocated within a 5-m radius and operated continuously during the measurement period. The laser ceilometer was used to confirm the presence of drizzle-sized drops.


Weather is an important variable to form the characteristic natural ecosystem of the region along with topography and soil. Since the ecosystem change is expected by the global warming, the preparation for the change has to be made to accumulate the investigative data for the relationship on local weather and ecosystem. As the study method, the measurement data and sea surface temperature data were analyzed and the atmospheric model was performed. As the result, the weather characteristics, changing patterns and the causes of the weather change in Ulreungdo and Dokdo regions could be analyzed. For the last 67 years since the weather measurement was started in Ulreungdo, annual temperature elevation rate was 0.013℃ and 0.88℃ was elevated for 68 years, and the temperature elevation rate during the winter season recorded the highest elevation rate of 0.024℃/year. The amount of rainfall in Ulreungdo has been significantly increased recently. The strength of a typhoon that had affects on the peninsula and the increase of rainfall was mainly attributable to the increase of sea surface temperature alleviation at the East Sea. Sea surface temperature near Ulreungdo and the weather of the Ulreungdo weather station has high correlation each other. The acute sea surface temperature elevation could be assumed to cause the temperature elevation in Ulreungdo. According to the weather model of MM5, the simulated effect of sea surface temperature elevation on the atmospheric temperature resulted the average 1.3℃ temperature increase in Ulreungdo as the sea surface temperature was increased 2℃. Therefore, it was able to confirm that the major reason of temperature elevation at the Ulreungdo weather station was attributable to sea surface temperature elevation.


This manuscript presents a game-theoretic investigation of the conditions for the emergence of institutions of property rights in decentralized political and economic settings. Rather than assuming agents' preferences over contracts as given, these preferences are shown to be a function of the equilibrium strategies played in the dynamic game of con‡ict and production in the "state of nature," modeled as an asymmetric war of attrition with incomplete information. Although in the steady-state equilibrium of this game no con‡ict occurs, control of the scarce productive resources is distributed in a way that gives rise to allocational ine¢ciencies. The model of contractual exchanges in the steady state of the con‡ict and production game shows the possibility of and gives rise to the conditions for enforcible voluntary contracts between those who control the scarce productive resource and the relatively more e¢cient "outsiders." The e¤ects of the endogenously derived conditions on the control and alienability components of ownership rights on the aggregate features of economic performance are also considered.


This paper discusses the issues surrounding the financing of social security in Canada and the U.S., but the discussion has public policy implications around the world. The paper critiques moves toward greater pre-funding of social security. There are numerous authors who speak in favor of greater pre-funding (e.g., Robson, 1995, World Bank, 1994, Taverne, 1995, Pesando, 1997, and Ferrara and Tanner 1998). The purpose of this paper is to pose important questions that need to be anSecurity for Social Security: Is Pre-Funding the Answer?


The present study focuses on the evaluation of weft knitted fabric roughness using image processing. Various knitted fabric samples have been produced using flat and circular knitting machines. The SMD value of fabrics which refers to surface roughness has been measured by Kawabata surface tester. Images of samples have been taken by a high resolution scanner, converted to grayscale image and then been processed by Matlab; a signal is obtained from each sample. Six different features have been extracted from the signals. The results of correlation test reveal that there is a good correlation between the wave lengths of obtained signal extracted from fabric images and the measured roughness by KES surface tester.


Several simple circuits with rather complex nonlinearities are presented, essentially based on diodes and varistors. These circuits are believed to extend the family of chaotic circuits based on diodes, as illustrated by the literature. Potential applications to chaotic sensors are briefly discussed.


Primes and scores split the cash flows of a share of stock into dividend and capital gain components, respectively. An analysis of the transaction prices reveals that the sum of prime and score prices exceeds the price of the underlying stock. This paper develops a tax-clientele explanation of this premium over the stock price. It test jointly the clientele effect and an after-tax version of the Black-Scholes option pricing formula. The data reject this joint hypothesis in a manner that suggest the tax-clientele model is not supported.


The major focus of this work is to compare several methods for computing the proximal point of a nonconvex function via numerical testing. To do this, we introduce two techniques for randomly generating challenging nonconvex test functions, as well as two very specific test functions which should be of future interest to Nonconvex Optimization Benchmarking. We then compare the eectiveness of four algorithms (" CProx," "N1CV2," "N2FC1," and "RGS") in computing the proximal points of such test functions. We also examine two versions of the CProx code to investigate (numerically) if the removal of a "unique proximal point assurance" subroutine allows for improvement in performance when the proximal point is not unique.


Truck tire pressure is closely related to tire-pavement contact pressure and could be an easy index representing the tire-pavement contact pressure level. To characterize in-service truck tire pressures and truck configurations on Texas highways, a truck survey was conducted on major Texas trucking routes. The survey data demonstrate a significant increase in in-service truck tire pressures in the state of Texas. Analysis of the collected tire-pressure data showed that factors such as axle weight, tire temperature, geographic area, highway class, traveled distance, and axle type are related to the in-service tire-pressure values. In a survey study, a factorial experiment design and a stratified sampling design were used. Analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and t-tests were used for comparisons of truck tire-pressure data. Laboratory experiments and linear regression were used to identify relationships between the parameters of tire pressure and tire temperature. The survey results for in-service truck tire pressures and the comparisons and analyses of factors differentiating truck tire pressures are presented.


The article analyses the interdisciplinary nature of reading and its priority role in obtaining basic education by students. The issues of the development of reading literacy of schoolchildren as an important component of functional literacy are considered on the basis of the cognitive-synergetic approach. Special attention is paid to the methodology of teaching reading in the historical aspect. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the need for selfregulation and self-organisation of schoolchildren in the process of teaching them types of reading and working with a book. The hypothesis of the study is that it is possible to educate an experienced reader on the basis of the cognitive–synergetic approach to teaching to read. Clarifying ways to improve the reading literacy of schoolchildren as an indicator of the level of general literacy in a broad sense is an important task of the methodology of teaching the Russian language and training of teaching staff. The research methods included theoretical and methodological analysis of philosophical, psychological and pedagogical, educational and methodical literature, retrospective analysis of textbooks and programmes on the Russian language. The result of the study was the theoretical justification of the research problem.