Morrison's novels consistently foregrounds the question of how the characters are to speak within the African American cultural community. In Tar Baby, Morrison shows how dissociation from the positive values of the black community leads to alienation. Morrison's protagonist in Tar Baby, Jadine, is assimilated into the white value system. She is a beautiful and successful fashion model in the sense that she is greatly admired by white society. Although she has the ability to earn great sums of money, and consequently to control her action, but her monetary success makes to keep her distance from black community. When she rejects Eloe, the small town her boy friend yearns for, she also rejects him, her aunt and uncle, and her blackness as well. Because she allows the illusion of white society on her consciousness, she constantly fights forces from the black culture which are just beyond the range of her control. While, the African Americans in Eloe have abilities to communicate each other. Their relationships as a member of black society are very healful. They develop their own African American values from the community they live in. By contrast with Jadine and the African Americans in Eloe, Morrison reveals great difference in their abilities to adapt with the African American community. Through her emphasis on community in Tar Baby, Morrison tacitly questions the Western values of individualism.


This report focuses on public meetings as a vehicle for public participation in nuclear waste management. The nature of public meetings is reviewed and the functions served by meetings highlighted. The range of participants and their concerns are addressed, including a review of the participants from past nuclear waste management meetings. A sound understanding of the expected participants allows DOE to tailor elements of the meeting, such as notification, format, and agenda to accommodate the attendees. Finally, the report discusses the organization of public meetings on nuclear waste management in order to enhance the DOE's functions for such meetings. Possible structures are suggested for a variety of elements that are relevant prior to, during and after the public meeting. These suggestions are intended to supplement the DOE Public Participation Manual.


N-acryloyl-1,2-diaminoethane hydrochloride and the resulting polymer were obtained,and chemical structures of the monomer and poly(N-acryloyl-1,2-diaminoethane hydrochloride) were characterized and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrum(FT-IR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum(1H-NMR).Intrinsic viscosity and pH of the polymer aqueous solution were investigated at different temperature.The experimental results show intrinsic viscosity is in accordance with Fuoss empirical formula and decreases from 28.49 dL/g to 15.77 dL/g when the temperature of solution increases from 20 ℃ to 60 ℃.In addition,pH values of the polymer aqueous solution reduce 0.35 when the temperature increases from 30 ℃ to 55 ℃.


Using data recorded during 2010, the ATLAS experiment has been able to mea-sure many QCD observables at previously inaccessible energy scales, by using the 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy proton-proton collisions provided by the LHC. These measurements have been used to produce new tunes of the general-purpose Monte Carlo (MC) generators PYTHIA 6 and HERWIG/JIMMY, to provide improved predictions for a wide range of QCD obervables up to jets of p T ∼ 2 TeV [1]. A comprehensive tuning of PYTHIA 6, using the p T -ordered parton shower al-gorithm, was as described in Ref. using measurements from e + e − , Tevatron and Aspects the where 7 TeV data plays an important role will be focused here.


The utility model belongs to the field of wireless power supply and specifically relates to a wireless power supply system comprising a broadband sine signal generating module, a high power radio frequency power amplifying module, an electromagnetic transmitting and receiving system and loads. The broadband sine signal generating module, the high power radio frequency power amplifying module, the electromagnetic transmitting and receiving system and the loads are connected successively. The broadband sine signal generating module comprises a clapp oscillating circuit, a buffer circuit and adjustable amplifying circuit, which are connected successively. Compared with the conventional wireless power supply system, the wireless power supply system is characterized by wide range of signal frequency and large output power, can meet the requirement for remote and synchronous multi-load power supply, can supply to the loads efficiently, can be applied to the wireless power supply experiment research and the wireless power supply fields such as medical treatment, automatic production lines, traffic and transportation and portable electronic products, and enjoys a promising prospect.


Both from previous research and from the media the documentation form of education plan receives a lot of criticism in terms of both content and design. An education plan must be written if a student is suspected not to achieve current knowledge requirements. It will therefore be important in a subject like mathematics which has a relatively high percentage of students who fails to achieve the knowledge requirements. Therefore it is important that the process with the education plan fulfils its purpose. This systematic literature study aims to identify factors that may increase the effectiveness of education plan process in mathematics. The results and conclusions of this study put forward several different factors that must interact in order to make the educational plan process in mathematics successful. Factors that this study concludes that might have an affect are for example, pupils' and parents' participation and the headmasters' commitment and volition to participate.


Nanocomposite vulcanizates comprising the poorly compatible acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/styrene butadiene rubber blend are homogenized with 20 parts per hundred montmorillonite forms showing various levels of amphiphathicity: slightly hydrophobic (Mont-25/50) and highly hydrophobic (Mont75/100) as compared to the highly hydrophilic pristine form (Mont-0). The purpose of the amphiphathicity is to afford simultaneous binding sites for the poorly compatible components. Thus maximum compatibility is reached with either Mont-75 or Mont-50 which improves the mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscopy corroborates cocontinuous morphology. Water vapor permeation through sheets/membranes fabricated from these compositions follows best performance with Mont-25 followed by Mont-50 while Mont-75 and Mont-100 based membranes acquire an organized continuous drop. This highlights the role of organophilicity in dominating the morphology and performance in pervaporation application. Dehydration of butanol is effective using such membranes with superiority for Mont-25 based membrane. A plausible model for the transport mechanism was proposed and supported by activation energy calculations for the permeation of the individual components and the sorption affinity measurements as well. All these parameters together suggest the arrest of the n-butanol within the macrmolecular chains of the membranes, favored by its chemical affinity. This allows therefore a passageway for the water to cross to the other side of the membrane through plasticization of the chains and creation of free volumes which is known as solution diffusion mechanism. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1560–1570, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers


This study examines the potential for a measure of fluency disruptions found in English to become a routine method in the forensic examination of speech. Filled pauses have been considered in relation to forensic speaker identification (e.g. Tschape, N, Trouvain, J, Bauer, D & Jessen, M 2005, Foulkes, Carroll, & Hughes, 2004). Other fluency disrupters have been considered by phoneticians (e.g. Shriberg, 2001) and by psycholinguists (e.g. Goldman-Eisler, 1968). This study will examine the taxonomy of non fluency phenomena and present an initial analysis of fluency disruptions in material available on the Ivy corpus. The hypotheses investigated stem from observations on speakers with atypical fluency disruptions found in stuttering. In stuttered speech it has been observed that people who stammer produce what appear to be consistent patterns of fluency breakdown (e.g. Starkweather & Givens-Ackerman 1997). On the other hand even these atypical disfluencies can be context dependent. Such context dependent variation is well known in non pathological speech in relation to measures of f0 and rate. This investigation seeks to find if speech disfluencies, might also demonstrate some degree of speaker specificity in the same way as f0 and rate and thus form another way of characterizing the speech of an individual. The initial exploration will be to establish if a robust measure of fluency disruption in English speakers can be identified.


If migration is the popular form of multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism is its elitist version. Both are products of the same global economic system. But since transnational capitalism also breeds isolation and anxiety, uprooting men and women from their traditional attachments and pitching their identity into chronic crisis, it fosters, by way of reaction, cultures of defensive solidarity at the very time that it is busy proliferating this brave new cosmopolitanism (Eagleton 2000: 63).


The purpose of this research is to propose a method and a computational tool to support designer/engineers' idea generation so that they can find or discern potential but essential design problems and needs and devise creative and innovative design solutions to solve or meet them. As the first step of study on Design Idea Generation Support (DIGS) software tool which actively DIGS up ideas from designer/engineers' mind by stimulating their conscious/subconscious memory with word association suggestion, the experiments of word association by students working on design project (1) by heart, (2) by referring concept relationship type information, and (3) using software with computational concept dictionary. Word association by referring concept relationship type information turned out to be effective to increase variety of association link types when the computational dictionary does not always contain ideally rich vocabulary and association links. Word association using software with computational concept dictionary turned out to be effective to obtain associated word which user cannot think of by heart.


The utility model relates to a water intake device for water supply engineering of fixed buildings, in particular to a gravity flow reservoir stratified water intake device employing a reservoir as a water source for cities and towns. In the gravity flow reservoir stratified water intake device, a water intake steel vertical pipe 4 is arranged in the reservoir and is provided with a plurality of water intakes 3 in a stratified mode; the water inlet end of each water intake 3 is provided with a long stem butterfly valve 2, and a grille 1 is arranged on the outermost side; during water intake, the water of the reservoir passes through the grille 1, the long stem butterfly valve 2, the water intake 3 and the water intake steel vertical pipe 4 and then flows into a collecting transverse pipe 5 of the steel vertical pipe, which is connected with a water guide culvert 6, and the water guide culvert 6; and when the water intake device runs, the water intake 3 on the upper layer is opened preferentially according to a water level in the reservoir, and the opening of the long stem butterfly valve 2 is operated by turning a hand wheel 7 and a long stem 8. The device has the advantages of simple structure, low engineering work load, short construction period and low construction cost, and can be used for newly-constructed and reconstructed projects of gravity flow reservoir stratified water intake.


Abstract : This report describes a real-time ship simulation investigation of the proposed design for improving the Sacramento River, river miles 12 to 20, California. The proposed improvements called for deepening the existing 300-ft- wide project from 30 to 35 ft. The purpose of the navigation study was to determine if the existing width was adequate for the deeper drafted vessels. A numerical model study of currents in the area was undertaken to develop the current database for the simulation. Tests were conducted with the San Francisco Bar Pilots to determine the optimum channel width. Channel design, Port of Sacramento, Deepwater channel navigation, Ship simulation


The Ancona Penrose Conference of October 2007 dealt with the current state of understanding of the late Eocene and the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, ~34 million years ago, a critical but very brief interval in Earth history. In this paper, we place that brief interval and the lessons from the conference in the broadest possible context by viewing them in the light of "Big History." This new intellectual concept maintains that there may be value in considering the entire past, from the big bang until today, as a single unit of study. At this very early stage in the study of Big History, not even the most fundamental questions have been well formulated, let alone answered. As a fi rst cut, Big History can be divided into regimes by considering the disciplines that study it: cosmic history (studied by cosmology and astronomy), Earth history (studied by geology), life history (studied by paleontology and evolutionary biology), and human history (studied by archaeology and historiography). These disciplines differ in terms of problems, techniques, and intellectual traditions. If we seek a common basis for a fi ner subdivision, the changes in utilization of the energy that have driven historical changes would seem like a good candidate. In two thought-provoking papers in 2007, Robert Aunger proposed "periodizing" all of history by placing divisions between periods when new methods of utilizing concentrated energy came into being, e.g., cellular metabolism or human agriculture. Aunger draws a parallel between this periodi za tion of Big History and the establishment of the geological time scale. In this paper, we carefully consider this parallel and conclude that periodizing history on the basis of energy use or any other conceptual scheme is quite different from the division of Earth history into the intervals that yielded the geological time scale. Both are important but they have different purposes. Time-scale construction is a procedure that ties history to the rocks that record the history. It is a necessary step in reconstructing Earth and life history but is neither necessary nor possible in studying spe452-01 page 1


In this chapter, I consider COVID-19 as a global catastrophe that will, in all likelihood, produce a new generational consciousness and possibly new meaning systems. To grasp these potential developments, we need a historical understanding of responses to catastrophe. Before the modern period of growing secularism, responses to disasters were couched in terms of theodicy, namely attempts to explain disasters involving vindications of God's will. I briefly trace the history of theodicies from the Axial Age to secular modernity. The actual concept of theodicy came originally from the philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, who claimed that we live in the best of all possible worlds. Leibnizian optimism came to an end with the Lisbon earthquake of 1756. Early theodicies were addressed to these natural disasters, but what about disasters that are directly caused by human agency such as the rise of fascism and the Holocaust? I consider religious responses that attempt to make sense of the Devastation. Jewish responses to the Holocaust raised in an acute form the question of God's presence at Auschwitz and what might be a meaningful human response, if any. I call these responses theodicies of rage. I conclude by looking at the possibility of secular political theodicies of the COVID-19 catastrophe specifically from the Far Right. Populism is an important seedbed of secular theodicies. While religious responses to the pandemic have been somewhat muted, through populism and President Trump's appeal to evangelical Protestantism in the United States, religious themes have been combined with the politics of protest. In response to the pandemic, Trump's "Make America Great Again" is an important component of an emerging "White political theology." Whereas traditional theodicies offered meaning and hope in the face of disaster, responses to COVID-19 have emerged as modern theodicies of rage. © 2021 selection and editorial matter, J. Michael Ryan;individual chapters, the contributors.


This presentation analyzes the context elements that characterize Italian digital libraries experiences, the international framework, technological-staff-competencies infrastructures, and major international non proprietary standards. Then it lists the possible content, access policies and the main cost categories.


Architecture, as the art of making a building, consists of an assemblage of elements that interact and interlock to create something whole—from an assembly of parts, emerges a unified composition. In this thesis exploration, I strive to take this simple idea, fundamental to all buildings—to the very process of building itself—and utilize it as a driving force. This proposal was conceived both as a response to the site and program,as well as an effort to control an arrangement of parts in order to create an integrated, functioning whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The resulting architecture derives its existence and identity from the articulation of these individual elements and the manner in which they interact and connect. Furthermore, this choreography generates a certain sequence of spaces creating moments of pause, compression, and release. There is a certain level of complexity that results from the formal play of setting elements into motion against the site and each other. Accepting this condition, the designer's will must be exerted in an effort to gain/maintain control of this composition. As such, this architecture explores the possibilities of complexity generated through the formal arrangement of parts.


Organic aerosols (OAs) account typically for 20 – 90% of fi ne particles (PM 2.5 ) in the lower troposphere. They contribute to a wide range of environmental problems, from local issues (e.g., urban haze) to global problems (e.g., climate change). Huge e ff orts have been dedicated to studying the composition, abundance, spatial and temporal distribution and sources of organic aerosols in China. This review aims to summarize recent studies on characteristics and sources of OAs and assesses the current state of understanding of the organic aerosol pol- lution in China. The OA constitutes ∼ 20 – 45% of the PM 2.5 with an annual mean value of 5.2 – 44.5 μ g/m 3 at sites across China, which is about fi ve times higher than that reported in North America and Europe. There are thousands of di ff erent organic compounds in atmospheric aerosols, but only about 5 – 10% of them have been identi fi ed and quanti fi ed. OAs show pronounced spatial variations with much higher concentrations in Northern than Southern China. Seasonally, the highest OA concentrations are observed in the winter, whereas the lowest are in the summer. This is due to higher emission rates from anthropogenic sources (e.g., biomass and coal combustion) and poorer dispersion conditions in the winter. Approximately 60 – 80% of total OA is apportioned by receptor modeling (such as Chemical Mass Balance, CMB) and tracer-yield method, based on the source pro fi les of primary organic aerosols (POA) and secondary OA (SOA) derived from local emission sources. A number of OA sources are identi fi ed, including motor vehicles, industrial emissions, biomass combustion, food cooking, and coal combustion for POA and anthropogenic and biogenic emissions for SOA. Industrial emissions and motor vehicular exhaust are the dominant sources of organic aerosols in the industrialized areas of Northern China, as well as the Pearl River Delta and Eastern China, whereas in other urban areas, residential coal combustion and motor vehicular exhaust are the dominant sources in winter and summer respectively.


The morphological characteristics of soot are of primary importance to quantify its effect on climate forcing and human health and also to interpret the signals acquired in optically based soot diagnostics. In the present study, the morphology of soot particles produced in laminar coflow diffusion flames was investigated under different fuel and oxidizer conditions. Particles were sampled thermophoretically at the centerline at different heights above the burner in laminar diffusion flames of three common fuels, namely, ethylene, propane, and butane, at two sooting statuses, i.e., under the smoke point and at the smoke point. The oxygen content in the oxidizer stream was systematically varied. Different morphological parameters of mature soot, including primary particle number, aggregate radius of gyration, fractal dimension and prefactor, and overlapping, were obtained based on analysis of transmission electron microscopy images. The diameter and number of monomers were calculated by using automated meth...


This paper presents a tri-mode non-inverting buck-boost DC-DC converter with segmented power devices, power transmission gate structure and dead-time control to improve the power conversion efficiency and the overall size. The proposed DC-DC converter accepts an input voltage, Vin from 2.7V to 5V and produces an output, Vout ranging from 1V to 6V. A peak power conversion efficiency of 94% is observed from the simulation result. It is designed to operate in buck, boost or buck-boost mode while maintaining peak efficiency. Unlike existing switch-mode power supplies, a power transmission gate is used as the high-side driver to eliminate external components such as the bootstrap circuit. This would save a significant amount of PCB space at the expense of only 18% silicon area overhead. The proposed IC is designed using Dongbu HiTek's 0.18μm UVCMOS technology.


Chronic granulomatous disease(CGD) is a rare type of primary phagocytic immunodeficiency disease.CGD is caused by a defective gene that encodes the components of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH) in phagocytes.Due to genetic mutations causing phagocytic respiratory dysfunction, phagocytic cells are not effective in killing peroxidase-positive bacteria and fungi, and clinical manifestations are characterized by repeated severe bacterial, fungal infections and granuloma formation.The current clinical treatments include routine therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). With the research development of CGD in genetics, molecular biology and vector science, clinical research on gene therapy of the disease has been carried out, in which CRISPR/Cas9 system has a good application prospect in gene therapy for genetic diseases.This article reviews the progress of gene therapy.

Key words:
Chronic granulomatous disease; Gene therapy; CRISPR casp9


Water contaminated with petroleum derivates is produced in large volumes in many stages of refining oil. This mixture should be treated to separate these derivates from water before it can return to the environment. However, treatment with conventional processes is very often not economically feasible, or do not have the appropriate efficiency with regard to separation, or produce large amounts of mud that also need treatment (Almeida Neto et al., 2006).


This study aims to investigate the role of entrepreneurial passion between entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial intention while measuring the entrepreneurial behavior of Pakistani students. The study has applied the quantitative methods to empirically test the study model and proposed hypotheses using the PLS-SEM technique in the computer version 3.0 of the Smart PLS software. The data were collected from the 240 university students using the structured questionnaire and the sample was drawn randomly. The results have shown significant positive relationship between subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial intentions. Similarly, students' entrepreneurial behavior is positively influenced by perceived behavioral control and entrepreneurship intention. In the case of mediation, the entrepreneurial intention significantly and positively intermediates the relationship between subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial behavior. Next is the case of moderation, the entrepreneurial passion does not moderate the associations of entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial intention. These findings contribute to broadening the paradigm of the theory of planned behavior by incorporating entrepreneurial passion and bridging a literature gap between the associations of attitudinal factors, entrepreneurial passion,


Composition and relative abundance of terrestrial medium- and large-sized mammals of Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Three northern areas of Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro (PESB) were sampled for terrestrial medium- and large-sized mammals, using camera traps, for twelve months. Nine wild species and one domestic species were registered, through 49 records. The community's composition was based on an exponential series with dominance of few species. In contrast, there was a relatively high proportion of species that might be "rare" in the community observed, with dominance of puma (Puma concolor) over the other ones. The results show that the area named Vale Perdido is the most


There are so many applications of cryptography in the field of statistics, particularly in game theory. The area of two party strategic games and the expected equilibrium payoffs can be much higher when a trusted third party assists the players to choose their moves than each player has to choose his move on his own. The role of trusted third party needed to get good payoff. In this paper we propose a beautiful protocol by using extended Elatrash Scheme to remove the mediator (trusted third party) in two player strategic games.


This paper aims at identifying and recording good music teaching practices that promote social inclusion, and at developing effective teaching strategies that incorporate student perspectives into the pedagogies. A music teacher in Hong Kong was selected for this study, and two different classes of Form 2 (ages 12-13) were observed. The teaching process was videotaped and reviewed. Afterwards the teacher and a group of students were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview to solicit their ideas towards good practice of music teaching. Findings reveal that the good practices observed were attributed to four factors: 1) teacher's personality, 2) teacher's pedagogy, 3) teacher's musical competence, and 4) teacher's philosophy of teaching.


The powdered roots and/or extracts derived from roots of the winter cherry plant— Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal— have been used for more than 3,000 years in India as a general tonic to build stamina, improve mental concentration, relieve stress and enhance health. Commonly known as "ashwagandha" in Ayurvedic medicine, scientific tests on the preparation have shown that it has anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antioxidant and antitumor properties, among others. The compound withaferin A, scientifically studied since the 1960s, seems to play the largest role in the plant's anticancer effects by reducing tumor mass and preventing the growth of blood vessels that make a tumor malignant. It also shows promise in treating Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. At the University of Arizona, scientists in the Southwest Center for Natural Products Research and Commercialization (Natural Products Center) in collaboration with the Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have discovered a second form of withaferin that has identical functions in a less potent, slower-acting form that might be used as a "prodrug," or drug precursor in the pharmaceutical industry. "Finding a water-soluble analog of withaferin A in this medicinal A New Anticancer Compound From An Ancient Plant


Objective
To investigate the clinical value of transradial and femoral artery coronary intervention in the treatment of elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Methods
Fifty elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome who were treated in our hospital from May 2016 to August 2017 were randomly divided into two groups of 25 patients.The control group was treated with PCI via the femoral artery.The patients in the observation group underwent radial artery PCI.The operative conditions, operative success rates, major cardiovascular events and complications of the puncture site were compared between the two groups.

Results
There was no significant difference in contrast agent dosage, X-ray exposure time, operation time and the total incidence of major cardiovascular events between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the puncture time, postoperative bed rest Time, postoperative discharge time were shorter, the incidence of complications at the puncture site was lower, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusions
The success rate of transradial and transthoracic PCI is similar, but the transradial artery can effectively reduce the major cardiovascular events and the complications of the puncture site.The postoperative bed rest time is short and has good safety.

Key words:
Elderly acute coronary syndrome; Transradial; Femoral artery coronary; Safety


The general objective of nutrition is to maximise the economic production performance of broilers but good nutrition is also important from a health point of view. Nutrition can indirectly impact bird welfare by acting on the environment. An excess of crude protein in the diet will increase the nitrogen emission along with wet droppings which will result in a high prevalence of contact dermatitis (Gordon et al., 2003). Footpad dermatitis (FPD) is a condition characterised by lesions on the ventral foot-pads of poultry. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of tree protein levels: high protein (HP), medium (MP) and low protein (LP). A total of 1272 as-hatched broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly allocated in 12 pens of 5.0 m x 1.4 m. From 7 days both foots were examined and scored for the incidence and development of FPD on a scale from 0 (no lesion) to 2 (very severe lesions). FPD occurred at as early as 7 days. FPD scores at 42 days were 51.16 (LP), 66.10 (HP), 76.56 (MP) exceeding the value of 50 points considered in the Directive proposal (European Commission, 2005). The protein level influences the FPD score of broiler chickens at slaughter.


The low frequency noise properties of organic thin film transistors are studied here as a function of frequency and bias. Various n-channel and p-channel devices were evaluated and found to exhibit 1/f-type of noise in the 1 Hz–10 kHz range. The drain current noise is found to vary proportionally with drain current. The noise level is comparable to that found in Si metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors within the operation region of the devices, owing to the smaller drain currents in organic transistors, although the intrinsic noise is considerably higher in the organic transistors. The viability of using the organic materials in low noise circuits is demonstrated by a ring oscillator.


SPECIFIC AIMSThe widely held concept of basal ganglia-mediated compensation postulates that the appearance of Parkinson's disease motor abnormalities closely reflects the breakdown of the striatal ...


In the current study, "Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia" was used to improve sleep quality in depressed patients. First, all participants, according to the population, were randomly selected and after clinical interview, they were categorized in two groups. Then, pre-test was performed on each participant and after intervention (sleep management) on experimental group, post-test was performed. Finally, data were analyzed for statistically assessing the effectiveness of intervention. There were 30 participants in the current study, who were randomly categorized into experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. "Beck Depression Inventory", "Insomnia Severity Index", "Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS)" and "Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)" were used as measures. The investigation of the effect of sleep management on cognitive function (memory and nonverbal conceptualization) in MDD with insomnia. The aim of the present study was investigating the effect of sleep management on depression, insomnia, and cognitive functions (memory and nonverbal conceptualization). To test the research hypotheses, analysis of covariance was used. The results were indicated that there is no significant difference between the groups' post-tests on the depression variable (P> 0.05). In addition, it was found that there is a statistically significant difference between the groups on the insomnia variable as the groups' post-tests. The effect size, which is an indicator of the impact of the independent variable on the dependent one, was 0.24. Moreover, the results of covariance analysis for the cognitive functions (memory and nonverbal conceptualization) were shown that there is a significant difference between the groups' post-tests on the memory sub-component (P< 0.05). However, the difference was not significant in the case of nonverbal conceptualization (P>0. 05). The effect size for the memory and nonverbal conceptualization was 0.30 and 0.01, respectively. To improve cognitive functions (memory and nonverbal conceptualization) in MDD with insomnia, we decided to manage sleeping in patients. We hypothesized that sleep management improve cognitive functions (memory and nonverbal conceptualization), depression and insomnia. Results were shown that only cognitive function (memory) and insomnia significantly improved by sleep management. However, depression did not shown significant differences. Moreover, we hope, sleep management along with other treatments reduces the possibility of recurrence in depressed patients. Nevertheless, it can be speculated that the findings from the present study may have implications for clinical treatment, rehabilitation and clinical research on patients with major depression.


Synopsis The incorporation of 14C‐labelled amino acids into egg white and yolk proteins has been studied. When the labelled amino acids were given intravenously as a hydrolysate of [U‐14C]‐protein from Chlorella, 10 per cent and 7 per cent of the 14G were recovered in the whites and yolks respectively of the first nine eggs laid. Differences in the specific activities of the conalbumin, the ovalbumins, ovomucoid, "postalbumins " and lysozyme, isolated from the first active egg, were related to differences in amino acid composition. The specific activity of each amino acid prepared from the proteins was similar between different proteins, although within each protein specific activities of different amino acids varied widely. The proportionate rate of decrease of specific activity in the plasma of amino acids essential for egg production (except glycine) was constant or almost so, but it rapidly decreased for the non‐essential ones (except serine and proline). The specific activities of the amino acids, ex...


A method to reduce the phase measurement errors generated from internal-reflection light noise in a Fizeau interferometer is proposed. In addition to an ordinary phase-shift by a mechanical translation of the reference surface, the test surface is also mechanically translated between each phase measurement to further modulate the signal phase. For spherical tests, a mechanical phase-shift generally generates a spatial non-uniformity in the phase increment across the observing aperture. It is shown that a minimum of three positional measurements is necessary to cancel out the systematic error caused by this non-uniformity. Linear combinations of the three measured phases can also cancel the additional primary spherical aberrations that occur when the test surface is out of the null position of the confocal configuration.


The traditional education in Mathematics should be accompanied by a playful tool that strengthens the teaching work and facilitates the learning of students in such a way that an approach is generated between the students and this area of knowledge. This project begins with the general aspects that contain an approach to the problem where the current situation is described, the problem is formulated, the need to undertake this study is justified and the conceptual, spatial and temporal delimitation of the subject under study is carried out.
In the next chapter the objectives are stated and then the theoretical referents are elaborated and divided into two main parts, which are the conception of mathematics and its teaching, where traditional and alternative ways of meaning mathematics are described, a meaning is postulated of the same as social construction and the Ludic is postulated as a teaching strategy, and a second part about some notes on factoring and statistics where by means of a methodology the factor decomposition is built sequentially and the importance is justified of introducing statistics in school subjects from an early age through contextualized problems. Then the chapter of the research methodology that contains the approach and the type of study where the autobiographical development of the research is justified, is explained because the activities were developed in two educational institutions; class workshops and activities are proposed that shape the pedagogical proposal and other data production techniques are proposed. Finally, the chapters of analysis and interpretation of the information appear, where the findings that result from the study of all the collected information are presented, among which are, mathematic conception, playful and the factorize teaching, but with a purely autobiographical view and some conclusions are constructed and the contributions of the research are presented.


Jangbu-sangtong-koange(臟腑相通關係) can be studied how it is applied in the clinics through the understanding of the characters of Kehabchu(開闔樞) in the aspect of Meridian Samum-samyang(三陰三陽) and the understanding of the characters of Oheng(五行) in the organs themselves in view of Jangsangha...


With the radially operating polishing and grip measuring method, a measuring method and a test apparatus 1 is being developed that allow a new quality of grip and grip measurement prognosis for various road surface layers. Used is an inclined measuring wheel 9, 11, similar to the scrim process, but with a significant change, such that two measuring wheels 9, 11 are used and those in the rotating working method. Similarly, the associated polishing brush 24th


The problem of ranking a set of elements, namely giving a "rank" to the elements of the set, may arise in very different contexts and may be handled in some possible different ways, depending on the ways these elements are set in competition the ones against the others. For example there are contexts in which we deal with an even paired competition, in the sense the pairings are evenly matched: if we think for example of a national soccer championship, each team is paired with every other team the same number of times. Sometimes we may deal with an uneven paired competition: think for example of the UEFA Champions League, in which the pairings are not fully covered, but just some pairings are set, by means of a random selection process for example. Mathematically based ranking schemes can be used and may show interesting connections between the ranking problems and classical theoretical results. In this working paper we first show how a linear scheme in the ranking process directly takes to some fundamental Linear Algebra concepts and results, mainly the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of linear transformations and Perron–Frobenius theorem. We apply also the linear ranking model to a numerical simulation taking the data from the Italian soccer championship 2015-2016. We finally point out some interesting differences in the final ranking by comparing the actual placements of the teams at the end of the contest with the mathematical scores provided to teams by the theoretical model.


India was the first country in Asia to start a nuclear programme in 1948 yet organised protest against nuclear plants in the country emerged only in mid-1980s mainly due to the loss of livelihood and inadequate compensation during appropriation of land for nuclear projects. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis in Japan following the tsunami on 11 March 2011 has, however, had a major galvanising effect on anti-nuclear movements in India. For the first time, nuclear protests assumed a mass character and brought the issue of nuclear risk and radiation to the public consciousness. The intensity of nuclear protests led the Indian Government to halt construction at the plant site and start consultation with the local people to 'allay their fears', and come out with better nuclear safety and regulation. It also forced some state governments like West Bengal to reject New Delhi's nuclear plant proposal. Notwithstanding this, there is yet to emerge a comprehensive anti-nuclear movement in India as was seen in Europe or America in the 1970s and 1980s. In order to be more effective, anti-nuclear movements in India should focus more on educating the people about nuclear catastrophe and suggest socio-economically viable courses of action that require less energy.


We meta-analyzed change in sexual function from pre-hysterectomy to post-hysterectomy and the role of cervix removal and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) in differences in such change.

 We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane from inception-January 2022. Two reviewers screened and included studies if they were published in a peer-reviewed journal and reported on sexual function pre-hysterectomy and post-hysterectomy for benign, non-prolapse indication. Methodological quality was assessed using the STROBE-checklist. We used random-effects multilevel-models to meta-analyze standardized mean-differences in preoperative to postoperative sexual function and the post-hysterectomy FSFI-mean across study groups in R(-Studio).

 We analyzed 32 articles: eight randomized-controlled-trials, 20 prospective studies, two retrospective studies, one cross-sectional study, and one secondary analysis compromising 4054 patients. Study quality was moderate and effect-sizes showed large between-study heterogeneity. Hysterectomy was not associated with significant change in overall sexual function irrespective of surgical route with patients tending to report (potentially remaining) sexual dysfunction post-hysterectomy. Cervix removal was not significantly associated with differences in change. Hysterectomy without (-)BSO was associated with significantly stronger improvement in lubrication and orgasm than hysterectomy with (+)BSO which was not the case for desire and arousal nor overall sexual function. However, these significant differences were not replicated within studies that directly compared +/-BSO.

 (Subtotal and total) hysterectomy was not associated with significant change in overall sexual function irrespective of surgical route with patients tending to report (potentially remaining) sexual dysfunction post-hysterectomy. Hysterectomy-BSO was associated with significantly stronger improvement in lubrication and orgasm than hysterectomy+BSO, but not for desire and arousal, nor overall sexual function. Conclusions need to be interpreted with caution due to the moderate methodological study quality and large heterogeneity. Future research should study predictors of different sexual function change-trajectories associated with hysterectomy, such as different indications. Clinicians should address (remaining) sexual dysfunction post-hysterectomy and BSO should not be considered if not medically required.

 J.A.F. Huirne received various research grants (Samsung, NWO/TTW/ZonMw), participated in an international course sponsored by Samsung, and a congress on surgical treatment by Olympus for which she received compensation for travel expenses, all of which were not related to the studied subject. She is chair of the niche working group of the ESGE (European Society of Gynaecological Endoscopy) and chair of the research committee of the NVOG (Dutch Society for Obstetrics and Gynaecology).
 The other authors have nothing to disclose.


An output and input device is connected between a controller and an inductor or between the controller and a trigger device, and comprises an input circuit, an output circuit and a connector, wherein both the input circuit and the output circuit are connected between the controller and the connector; the connector is connected with the inductor, or with the trigger device and a power supply in sequence; the controller is used for controlling the working state of the input circuit and that of the output circuit; when the input circuit does not work, the controller outputs a trigger signal, and controls the trigger device to work through the output circuit; and when the output circuit does not work, the inductor outputs an induction signal to the controller through the output circuit. Therefore, the output and input device can serve as an input device or an output device as required. The invention further provides an environment monitoring system comprising a plurality of output and input devices.


The dried roots, rhizomes and stolons of the plant Glycyrrhiza glabra L., belongs to family Leguminosae. It is commonly known as liquorice. It has been used as medicine since ancient times. Recently, it is also widely used in both food and pharmaceutical industries.A triterpenoid saponin glycoside, glycyrrhizin (2-20%) is the major constituent of plant, which yield one molecule of glycyrrhetinic acid (aglycon) and two molecules of glucuronic acid (glycon) on hydrolysis in acidic medium due to the breakage of ester linkage between glycon and aglycon. Glycyrrhizin is fifty times sweeter than sucrose. The techniques used for the production of glycyrrhetinic acid include production from salt of glycyrrhizin, by enzymatic reaction and by hydrolysis of liquorice roots/stolons.The present investigation deals with comparison between various extractions techniques of glycyrrhetinic acid from the stolons of liquorice. Three different extraction methods namely maceration, solvent treatment and Soxhlet extraction method were compared to determine percent yield of glycyrrhetinic acid as ammonium salt. The maximum extraction of glycyrrhetinic acid was found by solvent treatment method, which utilized change of pH of extraction solvent. It was concluded from the result that the extraction ratio of glycyrrhetinic acid can be increased by changing in pH of extraction solvent. Isolated component obtained from above three methods were investigated further for physical characterization, organoleptic properties, melting point, loss on drying, pH, UV, IR.


The purpose. The aim of this work was to study the level of autoantibodies to neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin, glutamate and GABA at different stages of development of the psychoactive substances dependence, as well as the effect of various types of narcotics on their serum levels. Methods. The study was performed on the basis of the department of addictive states and the laboratory of clinical psychoneuroimmunology and neurobiology of the Mental Health Research Institute Tomsk NRMC RAS.The group of healthy people was 148 students of secondary special and higher educational institutions. The group of narcological patients consisted of 203 persons. Blood for study in narcological patients was taken only once on admission to hospital or on a dispensary. The volunteers received blood once during the examination. Antibodies to neurotransmitters dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NA), serotonin (5-OT), glutamate (GLU) and GABA were determined by solid-state ELISA (ELISA) on polystyrene 96-well plates sensitized with test antigen. As test antigens were used. neuromediators conjugate with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Conjugated DA-BSA and 5-OT-BSA antigens were synthesized using a diazotized protein. Conjugates of NA-BSA, GLU-BSA and GABA-BSA were synthesized with glutaraldehyde. The data obtained were statistically processed using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test and Fisher's exact method. Results. As a result of the study, it was established that the level of antibodies to neurotransmitters (DA, NA, 5-OT, GLU, GABA) may reflect changes in neurotransmitter systems of the brain that occur when development of the psychoactive substances dependence and may to reveal the specific features of the action of various narcotic substances. The most significant increase in the production of autoantibodies to neurotransmitters was observed in patients with opiate addiction. Patients who abused psychoactive substances without dependence development, but with harmful health effects, were characterized by a low level of autoantibodies to neurotransmitters. In this case, we should especially note a more pronounced decrease in the level of autoantibodies to glutamate in this group of patients. Conclusions. The data obtained indicate that autoantibodies to neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, norepinephrine, glutamate can be considered as neuroimmune markers of the stage development of addictive states.


Simple Summary The sustainability of fish production is mainly driven by the protein source used in aquafeeds. In conventional fish feed, protein sources are mostly vegetable ingredients and fishmeal. The present study explored the potential use of full-fat Hermetia illucens prepupae meal (H) replacing 0% (H0), 25% (H25), and 50% (H50) conventional ingredients in practical diets for rainbow trout. No significant differences in growth were observed in all experimental groups, while in fish fed the H50 diet both hepatic and intestinal alterations were detected. In addition, in the same fish group, genes related to stress and immune-response were significantly up-regulated. The results obtained so far highlighted an overall physiological adaptation of fish to the dietary manipulation, suggesting an adverse effect of full-fat H at the highest inclusion level. Abstract This study investigated the effects of dietary inclusion levels of full-fat Hermetia illucens prepupae meal (H) on growth and gastrointestinal integrity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A 98-day study was conducted using triplicate groups of trout (initial body weight, 137 ± 10.5 g) kept in 1-m3 tanks in a flow-through well water system. Three dietary treatments were prepared: one based on fishmeal and purified protein-rich vegetable ingredients (H0), and two experimental diets including graded levels of H meal (25% and 50%, referred to as H25 and H50, respectively). At the end of the feeding trial, no differences were observed in growth performance and plasma metabolite levels, with the biometric data confirmed by the liver expression of the genes involved in somatic growth regulation (igf1 and mstn1a). In the H50 group, a three-fold up regulation of liver hsp70 was observed. An activation of the stress/immune response (il-10, tnf-α, and tlr-5) was observed in medium intestine in the H25 and H50 groups (p < 0.05) together with a villi length reduction detected through histological analyses. Liver histology and Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI) spectroscopy highlighted an increase in lipid deposition. These findings suggest that caution should be taken into account when 50% replacement of conventional ingredients with H is selected.


In this paper, the design and real time implementation of a Nonlinear Minimum Variance (NMV) estimator is presented using a laboratory based ball and beam system. The real time implementation employs a LabVIEW based tool. The novelty of this work lies in the design steps and the practical implementation of the NMV estimation technique which up till now only investigated using simulation studies. The paper also discusses the advantages and limitations of the NMV estimator based on the real time application results. These are compared with results obtained using an extended Kalman filter.


A new pterocarpan gangetial (1) has been isolated from the chloroform extract of the roots of the plant Desmodium gangeticum together with gangetinin. The structure of the new compound was elucidated as (5bR,10bR)-5b,10b-dihydro-8-hydroxy-5-methoxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H,11H-benzo[4,5]furo[2,3-d]pyrano[3,2-g]chromene-7-carbaldehyde based on the chemical and spectroscopic data.


Powdery mildew resistant sweet pepper lines were tested in line x tester analysis using commercial varieties as testers. Powdery mildew disease observed in parents and hybrids confirmed the dominant nature of disease resistance, which can be exploited in combination with heterosis for yield. Nonadditive gene action was predominant for plant growth and yield parameters except for number of secondary and tertiary branches. Among the eighteen lines studied, PMR 32 and PMR 45 were good combiners for fruits per plant, PMR 68 and PMR 57 for fruit weight, PMR 68 for early yield, and PMR 45, PMR 70 and PMR 68 for total yield. The good specific combiners for total yield were PMR 27 x IHR 1023, PMR 28 x IHR 1023, and PMR 52 X Arka Mohoni. The maximum heterosis observed over the best parent was 43.6% for total yield, 65.4% for early yield, and 42.1% for fruits/plant.


This report covers the results of the western pond turtle head-starting and reintroduction project for the period of October 2005-September 2006. Wild hatchling western pond turtles from the Columbia River Gorge were reared at the Woodland Park and Oregon zoos in 2005 and 2006 as part of the recovery effort for this Washington State endangered species. The objective of the program is to reduce losses to introduced predators like bullfrogs and largemouth bass by raising the hatchlings to a size where they are too large to be eaten by most of these predators. Twenty-six turtles were placed at the Woodland Park Zoo and 62 at the Oregon Zoo in fall 2005. These turtles joined two that were held back from release in summer 2005 due to their small size. All 90 juvenile turtles were released at three sites in the Columbia Gorge in 2006. Twenty-eight juvenile turtles were released at the Klickitat ponds, 22 at the Klickitat lake, 21 at the Skamania site, and 19 at Pierce National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). This brought the total number of head-start turtles released since 1991 to 944; 285 for the Klickitat ponds, 158 for the Klickitat lake, 227 for the Skamania pond complex, more » and 274 at Pierce NWR. In 2006, 20 females from the Klickitat population were equipped with transmitters and monitored for nesting activity. Fifteen nests were located and protected; these produced 55 hatchlings. The hatchlings were collected in September and transported to the Oregon and Woodland Park zoos for rearing in the head-start program. One wild hatchling captured in spring 2006 was placed in the head-start program to attain more growth in captivity. During the 2006 field season trapping effort, 414 western pond turtles were captured in the Columbia Gorge, including 374 previously head-started turtles. These recaptures, together with confirmed nesting by head-start females and visual resightings, indicate the program is succeeding in boosting juvenile recruitment to increase the populations. Records were also collected on 179 individual painted turtles captured in 2006 during trapping efforts at Pierce NWR, to gather baseline information on this native population. « less


Abstract— Suessite along with hapkeite and more Fe‐rich iron‐silicides up to Fe7Si2 formed near the entrance of aerogel track #44. These phases are ˜100 nm, quenched‐melt spheres, but the post‐impact cooling regime was such that melt vitrification produced a poly cry stalline mixture of Fe silicides and kamacite. The compositional similarities of the impact‐produced Fe‐Si phases and the Fe‐Ni‐S phases scattered throughout the aerogel capture medium strongly supports the idea that Fe silicides resulted from a reaction between molten Fe‐Ni‐S phases and aerogel at very high heating and cooling rates. Temperatures of around 1500 °C are inferred from the observed compositions had the silicide spheres formed at thermodynamic equilibrium, which seems unlikely. When the conditions were kinetically controlled, they could have been similar to those leading to the formation of solids with predictable deep metastable eutectic compositions in laboratory condensation experiments.


IL-12 was recently shown to induce CCR5 on TCR-triggered mouse T cells. Considering that STAT4 is the most critical of IL-12 signaling molecules, this study investigated the role for STAT4 in the induction of CCR5 expression. IL-12R was induced by stimulation with anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28 mAb similarly on T cells from wild-type (WT) and STAT4-deficient (STAT4 (cid:1) / (cid:1) ) mice, but the levels of IL-12R induced on IFN- (cid:2) -deficient (IFN- (cid:2) (cid:1) / (cid:1) ) T cells were lower compared with WT T cells. Exposure of TCR-triggered WT T cells to IL-12 induced CCR5 expression. In contrast, TCR-triggered STAT4 (cid:1) / (cid:1) T cells failed to express CCR5 in response to IL-12. IL-12 stimulation induced detectable albeit reduced levels of CCR5 expression on IFN- (cid:2) (cid:1) / (cid:1) T cells. Addition of rIFN- (cid:2) to cultures of IFN- (cid:2) (cid:1) / (cid:1) T cells, particularly to cultures during TCR triggering resulted in restoration of CCR5 expression. However, CCR5 expression was not induced in STAT4 (cid:1) / (cid:1) T cells by supplementation of rIFN- (cid:2) . These results indicate that for the induction of CCR5 on T cells, 1) STAT4 plays an indispensable role; 2) such a role is not substituted by simply supplementing rIFN- (cid:2) ; and 3) IFN- (cid:2) amplifies CCR5 induction depending on the presence of STAT4. The (STAT4 (cid:2) / (cid:2) ) 3 as well as IFN- (cid:1) deficient (IFN- (cid:1) (cid:2) / (cid:2) ) mice. The results demonstrate that TCR-trig-gered wild-type (WT) T cells expressed CCR5 in response to IL-12 whereas STAT4 (cid:2) / (cid:2) T cells failed. IFN- (cid:1) (cid:2) / (cid:2) T cells expressed detectable but reduced levels of CCR5, and the levels were restored to those observed for WT T cells by supplementing rIFN- (cid:1) particularly during TCR triggering. However, CCR5 expression was not induced on STAT4 (cid:2) / (cid:2) T cells even in the presence of exogenous IFN- (cid:1) . These results indicate that STAT4 plays an indispensable role in CCR5 induction on T cells and that while IFN- (cid:1) amplifies CCR5 expression, the role mediated by STAT4 involves the function for which IFN- (cid:1) fails to substitute.


Article history: Received 18 June 2015 Received in revised form 18 November 2015 Accepted 26 February 2016 Available online 9 March 2016 Due to the fast growth of consumption, the promotion of purchasing green products could be a way to minimize the environmental impact and achieve the sustainable consumption. Considering that there is a lack of studies about green purchase behavior and its determinants in all European Union countries (EU), the aim of this paper is to evaluate themain determinants of green purchase behavior by applying the Theory of Planned Behavior. Referring to Hostefe's cultural dimensions we revealed how cultural aspects contribute to purchase behavior. The results showed that therewere observed big differences in terms of green purchase behavior in the EU countries and it did not depend on economic development significantly. The subjective norms and interaction of knowledge and confidence in green products significantly determined the green purchase behavior in all countries. According to the cross-culture studies, all cultural dimensions did not have significant influence on green purchase behavior. However, cultural dimensions are related to factors which directly influence green purchase behavior. Therefore, due to the process of the EU cultural convergence and economic crisis, it could have indirect impact on green purchase behavior. These findings have important implication for marketers and policy makers. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Abstract Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), whose prevalence keeps rising, is still unsolved pathobiological/therapeutical problem. Historically, knee osteoarthritis was thought to be a "wear and tear" disease, while recent etiology hypotheses stressed it as a chronic, low-grade inflammatory disease. Inflammasomes mediated by the innate immunity systems have an important role in inflammatory diseases including KOA. A deluge of recent studies focused on the NLRP3 inflammasome with suggestions that its pharmacologic block would hinder degeneration. However, known inflammasomes are numerous and can also trigger IL-1β/IL-18 production and cells' pyroptotic death. Among them, AIM2 inflammasome is involved in key aspects of various acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Therefore, while presently leaving out little-studied inflammasomes in KOA, this review focuses on the AIM2 inflammasomes that participate in KOA's complex mechanisms in conjunction with the activation of AIM2 inflammasomes in other diseases combined with the current studies on KOA mechanisms. Although human-specific data about it are relatively scant, we stress that only a holistic view including several inflammasomes including AIM2 inflammasome and other potential pathogenetic drivers will lead to successful therapy for knee osteoarthritis.


Approximately ten to fifteen years ago the "danger of Europeanization" of the German law on churches and religion was hotly debated. The churches in Germany feared that the influence of the European Union would dramatically change their legal framework. But also academic writers worried about the influence of the common market law or European antidiscrimination law on the legal situation of the churches in the member states – sometimes in rather shrill tone. One almost got the impression that Brussels replaced the Marxist Ideologiekritik (critique of ideology) as the main enemy of Christianity in Europe.


Automatic emotion recognition has faced the challenge of lacking large-scale human labeled dataset for model learning due to the expensive data annotation cost and inevitable label ambiguity. To tackle such challenge, previous works have explored to transfer emotion label from one modality to the other modality assuming that the supervised annotation does exist in one modality or explored semi-supervised learning strategies to take advantage of large amount of unlabeled data with the focus on a single modality. In this work, we address the multimodal emotion recognition problem with the acoustic and visual modalities and propose a multi-modal network structure of the semi-supervised learning approach with an improved generative adversarial network CT-GAN. Extensive experiments conducted on a multi-modal emotion recognition corpus demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and prove that utilizing unlabeled data via GANs and combining multi-modalities both benefit the classification performance. We also carry out some detailed analysis experiments such as influence of unlabeled data quantity on recognition performance and impact of different normalization strategies for semi-supervised learning etc.


Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) have been a hot research topic in recent years, being widely advocated to represent a promising technology for beyond 5G cellular networks. In this paper, we propose a modulation scheme called RIS-IM in which Index Modulation (IM) is applied using RIS. However, to overcome the strong channel correlation caused by the small separation distance between the RIS elements a precoding stage based on the concept of signature constellations is added at the transmitter. The precoding stage is shown to counteract the degradations caused by these correlations providing interesting gains. We further improve the performance by passive beamforming, optimizing the phase shifts of the RIS elements using Semidefinite Programming (SDP) to improve the receiver SNR. We then provide performance analysis for this IM scheme using computer simulations. A comparison of RIS-IM with Spatial Modulation (SM), which is another member of the IM family, is also included, showing that RIS-IM provides substantial SNR gains.


The study was to analysed the determinants of stability of banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). The study used 8 of the 9 banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange for the study. The study used annual data of the sampled banks on the GSE from 2015 to 2019. Panel regression analysis was used to unravel the determinants of bank stability in Ghana. The study found that Income diversity, the size of a bank, inflation, regulation and gross domestic product do not determine the stability of banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). A weak positive relationship was found between income diversity, the size of a bank, inflation, regulation and gross domestic product and the stability of banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. The study concluded that income diversity, size of a bank, inflation rate in the country, the gross domestic product do not determine the stability of banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. The study makes the following recommendations. Future studies to be conducted into the determinants of bank stability using variables. The Bank of Ghana (BoG) and other bodies to pay more attention to other factors other than size, income diversity, inflation, regulation, gross domestic product in their bid to enhancing banking stability as these factors do not affect the stability of banks in Ghana


Analyzing a large amount of dynamic touch test by the heavy taper,the paper determines the solidity,bearing capacity and deformation modul of Earth with crushed stones,and further gets the bearing capacity of single pile,so as to check the capacity of foundation.


In this work we have established a mathematical function to model the influence of the ambient temperature, relative humidity and frequency on the change of impedance. The proposed empirical description is a combination of the power function (modeling the temperature effect) and a reverse-sigmoid function inspired by the three-parameter Weibull cumulative distribution function (modeling the relative humidity and frequency effects). This empirical model was validated by using our iron manganite (FeMnO3) thick film measurement data. The reduction of impedance of thick film samples with change in relative humidity in the range 30-90% was measured in a temperature and climatic chamber in the frequency range 42 Hz-l MHz at three ambient/working temperatures (25, 50 and 75°C). The obtained experimental data was successfully fitted using the specially tailored empirical model. Application of this model enables prediction of the iron manganite sensor performance for different temperatures both within the confines of the analyzed temperature range (interpolation) and outside of it (extrapolation). Future development will include applying this model to analyzing the temperature influence on relative humidity sensing for other metal oxide sensing materials that have shown a similar dependence and in a wider ambient temperature range.


Individuals of the colonial Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) in Amazo- nian Peru can defend their nests against predators in three ways. First, by nesting on islands and around wasp nests, caciques are safe from arboreal mammals such as primates, which destroy many more-accessible colonies. Caimans and otters that live in lakes also protect island colonies from snakes, which are vulnerable when crossing open water. Second, by clustering nests together and mobbing as a group, caciques can deter many avian predators, which take spatially isolated nests in small colonies. The effectiveness of mobbing increases with group size, which in turn is correlated with colony size. Third, by mixing their en- closed, pouchlike nests with abandoned nests, caciques can hide their nests from some predators. Overall, nests in clusters on islands and around wasp nests suffer the least pre- dation, largely because they are well protected against the cacique's major predators. Females switch colonies after losing nests to a predator, usually to sites that offer protection against that predator. By this mechanism, the best colony sites accumulate the largest numbers of nests. It is unclear, however, why all females do not nest in the safest colony sites. I argue that nest predation favors coloniality because of the scarcity of nest sites that are safe from mammals and the increased effectiveness of group defense. Received 15 June 1984, accepted 30 November 1984.


This study used Chongqing, a municipality in mountainous southwest China, and its surrounding areas as a case study to explore the spatial differentiation of farmland transfer rents in mountainous areas, with the aim of serving as a theoretical and practical reference to realize the value of farmland, ensure regional food security, and promote stable and sound development of the farmland transfer market. In doing so, we applied the GIS spatial analysis method to explore the spatial differentiation and influencing mechanisms of farmland transfer rents in mountainous areas. Our results indicate that farmland transfer rents in mountainous areas have a significant high and low clustering tendency. The high-value areas of farmland transfer rents are mainly located in the downtown area and the west of Chongqing, while the low-value areas are mainly distributed in the Daba Mountains and Wuling Mountains, which are two national contiguous areas of dire poverty. Location and terrain factors are the main driving forces for the spatial differentiation of farmland transfer rents in mountainous areas. Specifically, a 1% increase in farmland mean slope and farmland supply-demand ratio in the study area will lead to a 0.13 and 0.15% decrease in farmland transfer rents, respectively, while a 1% increase in GDP will drive up farmland transfer rents by 0.09%. The policy factor is not significant. The influence of terrain and farmland supply and demand on transfer rents increased from west to east, whereas the influence of traffic location on transfer rents decreased in an outward direction from the southwest of the study area. It is concluded that local governments should objectively view the spatial differentiation of farmland transfer rents in mountainous areas and avoid the blind comparison of transfer rents between regions. Mountainous areas with low transfer rents should focus on increasing the intrinsic value of farmland assets by stimulating effective demand for farmland and improving farming conditions, while mountainous areas with high transfer rents in major grain-producing counties should be wary of their impact on grain production to ensure regional food security.


A total of 18 camels (10 diseased and 8 apparently healthy; irrespective of sex, age and breed) suffering from sarcopticosis were included in the present study. The general condition of mangy camels was poor with variable degrees of emaciation. Microscopically, there were presence of minute cavities, filled with debris and mononuclear cells in the epidermis occasionally extended into the dermis. The epidermis showed hyperkeratosis and acanthosis. The inflammatory cells were also present around the blood vessels and the affected follicles contained mites, keratinous debris along with cellular infiltration. The mean ± SE values for copper, cobalt, iron, manganese and zinc in mangy camels were 98.1 ± 6.23; 13.3 ± 1.19; 150.5 ± 12.24; 17.1 ± 1.18 and 85.4 ± 5.52 μg/dl, respectively, where as these values for healthy camels were 93.25 ± 5.88; 14.87 ± 1.38; 149.75 ± 5.88; 19.0 ± 1.64 and 153.37 ± 12.96 μg/dl, respectively. Out of these parameters only serum zinc showed significant variation (P<0.05) between the mangy and healthy camels.


This paper investigates the static and dynamic characteristics of the precision hydrostatic spindle with a mid-thrust bearing under different working conditions. Firstly, the paper establishes the fluid governing equations of the coupled journal and thrust bearings based on orifice restrictors; and the dynamic and static Reynolds equations are solved using the perturbation and finite difference methods to obtain the steady and transient pressure distribution functions. Then the stiffness and damping characteristics of matrixes of the spindle are obtained by integrating the steady and transient pressure. Furthermore, by establishing the motion equation for the spindle rotor with five degrees of freedom, the quasi-static equilibrium position and stability criterion of the rotor under different working conditions are determined. Finally, the relationships between the dynamic and static characteristics of the spindle and cutting force, rotational speed, and cutting distance are simulated and analyzed. The simulation results show the patterns of variation in performance indices such as stiffness, damping, quasi-static position, and stability of the spindle under different working conditions, which provides important design information to be taken into consideration concerning the precision hydrostatic spindle.


This paper reviews the use of copper deactivators and iron corrosion inhibitors in lubricating oils. The auto-oxidation process is described in terms of initiation and chain propagation, branching and termination, and the primary and secondary oxidation inhibitors are described. Copper deactivators and corrosion inhibitors nature and action are discussed, and the paper also examines the applications for these additives.


Credibility means it Can be seen, in general, as an entire set of perceptions that receivers hold toward a source (Newell & Goldsmith, 2001). Technology has made it possible for green products to become more present and slowly replace ordinary products. For the good listening marketer, this sounds like an area of opportunity. There is an increasingly popular notion that environmentally-based product positioning should be an important consideration in consumer marketing.


Purpose – The purpose of the research is to utilize and expand on existing knowledge on organizational value‐based innovativeness, towards the development of the "strategic reflexivity" concept, for businesses competing in the contemporary ever‐modulating business environments.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based partly on primary qualitative research and partly on theoretical research. The former consists of a six month long in‐house observation and data gathering of a large company (OPERACOM Group) innovation process and on 45 semi‐directive interviews of practitioners and experts.Findings – The findings descriptively portray the varying competitive conditions as intolerant of conventional strategic marketing planning; and unable to sustain any lasting competitive advantage. Prescriptively, the research proposes a change of strategic philosophy and practice, through a shift from orthodox planning to the design of value‐based reflexive mechanisms that automatically adapt to change. The paper ...


For different texts, different translation strategies should be adopted. This paper makes a case study on lines from Disney animation picture Mulan in the light of functional concept of translation. And it draws a conclusion that in the process of film translation, the translator is allowed to make some adaptations to make the translated version more appropriate in the original context, and that the translator is supposed to have both "semantic awareness" and "functional awareness", to achieve the equivalence between the SL text and TL text functionally.


Since it is recognized that cyclo-oxygenase-2 mediates nociception and the sleep-wake cycle as well, and that acute inflammation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) results in sleep disturbances, we hypothesized that cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor would restore the sleep pattern in this inflammatory rat model. First, sleep was monitored after the injection of Freund's adjuvant (FA group) or saline (SHAM group) into the rats' temporomandibular joint. Second, etoricoxib was co-administered in these groups. The Freund's adjuvant group showed a reduction in sleep efficiency, in rapid eye movement (REM), and in non-REM sleep, and an increase in sleep and REM sleep latency when compared with the SHAM group, while etoricoxib substantially increased sleep quality in the Freund's adjuvant group. These parameters returned progressively to those found in the SHAM group. Etoricoxib improved the sleep parameters, suggesting the involvement of the cyclo-oxygenase-2 enzyme in acute inflammation of the TMJ, specifically in REM sleep.


Biological fitness is not an observable quantity and must be inferred from population dynamics. Bayesian inference applied to the Moran process and variants yields a robust inference method that can infer fitness in populations evolving via a Moran dynamic and generalizations. Information about fitness is derived solely from birth-events in birth-death and death-birth processes in which selection acts proportionally to fitness, which allows the method to be applied to populations on a network where the network itself may be changing in time. Populations may also be allowed to change size while still allowing estimates for fitness to be inferred.


Quantum dynamical time-evolution of bosonic fields is shown to be equivalent to a stochastic trajectory in space-time, corresponding to samples of a statistical mechanical steady-state in a higher dimensional quasi-time. This is proved using the Q-function of quantum theory with time-symmetric diffusion, that is equivalent to a forward-backward stochastic process in both the directions of time. The resulting probability distribution has a positive, time-symmetric action principle and path integral, whose solution corresponds to a classical field equilibrating in an additional dimension. Comparisons are made to stochastic quantization and other higher dimensional physics proposals. Five-dimensional space-time was originally introduced by Kaluza and Klein, and is now widely proposed in cosmology and particle physics. Time-symmetric action principles for quantum fields are also related to electrodynamical absorber theory, which is known to be capable of violating a Bell inequality. We give numerical methods and examples of solutions to the resulting stochastic partial differential equations in a higher time-dimension, giving agreement with exact solutions for soluble boson field quantum dynamics. This approach may lead to useful computational techniques for quantum field theory, as the action principle is real, as well as to ontological models of physical reality.


2 Abstract: In this study, copper (II) oxide and copper/copper (I) oxide mixture nanoparticles have been prepared via copper disproportionation reaction in non-aqueous solution. The performance of disproportionation reaction in dimethyl solfoxide (DMSO) was used to synthesis a Nano metallic element without any modification for the first time. Copper (I) Iodide (CuI), DMSO and ethylene diamine (en) have been used as copper (I) ion source, solvent and ligand, respectively. In this investigation the experiments were performed at two conditions. The products were characterized using both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD analysis of the solids produced at ambient atmosphere depicts the formation of pure copper (II) oxide (CuO) phase. The results also indicate that the achievement of the process after removal of oxygen and at N2 atmosphere yields a mixture of metallic copper (Cu ) and copper (I) oxide (Cu O). The SEM images of both 0 2 products showed that the particle sizes are less than 100 nm and are spherical in shape.


Data compression is a key part of database management systems for storage saving and performance enhancement. In column-oriented databases, records belong to the same attribute are stored nearby, and the similarity between these records increases the compressibility of data and expands the range of compression algorithms to choose. Since different data compression algorithms process data in different manners, the achieved compression ratio varies significantly. This makes it worth studying the choice of compression algorithms depending on features of data to be compressed. As Recurrent Neural Networks is good at processing and making predictions based on series of data, we propose a Long-Short Term Memory network based model to select compression algorithm for input data blocks adaptively. Given a typical database benchmark, we implemented our model to formulate compression strategies for each data block and managed to reduce at most 15% storage size than using a single compression algorithm scheme.


Few fossil remains of rodents have been collected in Java until now, and they have received little attention. In the reports published during his paleontological researches in Java, Dubois twice records finds of Hystrix remains, viz., at Pati-Ajam in Japara (Anonymus, 1891, p. 12/13), and in the region between Bangle and Djeroek (Anonymus, 1893, p. 12). In a subsequent paper (Dubois, 1907, p. 454) we find mention of the presence of porcupines in the fossil fauna of Java, but in his review of the latter fauna Dubois (1908) bestows no words upon these rodents. The Selenka Expedition to Trinil secured one tooth, which was figured by Stremme (1911, p. 83, pl. XVI fig. 5) as a right M2 of a small species of Hystrix. Finally a tooth of Hystrix from Sangiran II was made mention of by Von Koenigswald (1934, p. 193). Among the material from prehistoric caves in the Padang Highlands, in Central Sumatra, which were explored by Dubois in the years 1888 to 1890 (Anonymus, 1889-90) teeth of porcupines are prevalent, and almost every tooth or bone in the Sumatran collection bears evidence of the gnawing habits of these animals. We possess hundreds of isolated porcupine teeth, but also a number of rami with the teeth in situ, and a few bones referable to the same animals. The recent porcupine of Java is regarded by modern authors as a subspecies of Acanthion brachyurus (L.) from the Malay Peninsula. The Sumatran form of Acanthion is intermediate in size, as in geographical position, between A. b. brachyurus (L.) and A. b. javanicum Cuvier; it is named Acanthion brachyurus longicaudum (Marsden) in the present paper.


This is the third edition of the National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke and contains over 300 recommendations for Commissioners of stroke services, stroke service organisation, acute care, secondary prevention, recovery and rehabilitation and long-term care. It is designed for use by any member of the multi-disciplinary team involved with managing patients with strokes (TIA, stoke and subarachnoid haemorrhage) over the age of 16 from onset to death. So what's new in the Third Edition? Clearly the evidence has been updated from the Second Edition of the Guidelines, including the use of standard databases, current Cochrane systematic reviews and meta-analyses and relevant trial and study publications since the latest reviews. In addition, the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidelines on the diagnosis and initial management of acute stroke, transient ischaemic attack are included verbatim, and full reference is made to important strategy documents including the National Stroke Strategy for England and the National Service Framework for long-term conditions. One innovation trumpeted by the guidelines group is the highlighting of 21 key recommendations that if implemented would greatly enhance the quality of the United Kingdom stroke care. These recommendations were reached by a consensus of panel members voting on the importance of the topic rather than necessarily stating the strength of the evidence in the more formal fashion that one would expect of National Guidelines. For me, the lack of the usual gradings is a weakness, but nonetheless the publication continues to provide clear guidance for all professionals involved in the care of stroke patients across the duration of their stroke journey. Furthermore, a useful laminated concise guide, and a patient and carer document complete the set.


Problem setting. The concept of post -industrial society implies that the economy of modern states should prevail in the innovation sector with high -yielding industry, knowledge industry and high proportion in GDP of high -tech and innovative services. In this approach, information is considered by a separate full -fledged resource, which not only does not infer the traditional material resources, but may also be more important. The development of the economy in the realities of post -industrial society requires the creation of favorable conditions for the activity of competitive innovative enterprises, many of which begin as startups and SMEs. At the same time, such enterprises require significant individual information support and support. In order to understand what support can be calculated by representatives of the domestic innovation sphere, it is advisable to inspect and compare the services that contribute to their information support. One of the varieties of such services is information and communication platforms. Analysis of resent researches and publications. The roles of startups, SMEs and innovative infrastructure in modern society are devoted to many works of employees of the Research Institute of Providing Legal Framework for the Innovative Development, in S. V. Hlibko, D. S. Korytin, I. V. Podrez-Riapolova, M. H. Khaustova et al. Among the domestic scientists involved in the issues of information and communication technologies and systems, it is possible to distinguish K. O. Bezuhla, P. M. Lissov, P. P. Maslianko. Purpose of the research is to carry out inspection and comparison of services that contribute to information support (with emphasis A of information and communication platforms), in order to cover the support of startups, SMEs and other persons who directly and indirectly contribute to the development of the domestic competitive economy. Article's main body. Scientific work examines and compare services that contribute to information provision of innovation (business activity of innovative subjects). Special emphasis is placed on information and communication platforms, in particular on the development of the Scientific and Research Institute of Providing Legal Framework for the Innovative Development – Smart Law Innovation platform (SLI). The definition and classification of infocommunication systems, which allows you to outline the essence of Smart Law Innovation, is given. The article pays attention to the importance of information for building a modern competitive economy in the postindustrial world. While innovative activity is a prerequisite for the described development, information support is an important condition for the activity of innovative entities. The article emphasizes the importance of information support (information and counseling) of startups and SMEs, which bring a significant share to the innovative development of successful countries, but require special support for launching, developing and avoiding risk. Enterprise Europe Network and its regional centers (on the example of the Polish Center Podlaska Fundacja Rozwoju Regionalnego) are explored to analyze the EU's positive experience in the field of business. Services provided by the domestic network of business support centers, formed for the financing of the European Union under the EU4Business initiative during 2016-2020, are paying attention to a positive trend to the formation of online online communities providing online services. Services offered by platforms are performed. Attention is paid to powerful positive experiences and powerful sides that can offer outlined services. The final part of the article is devoted to the inspection of the information and communication platform of the Smart Law Innovation and its comparison with the existing concrete proposals outlined above. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The development of innovative enterprises is a prerequisite for building a competitive economy in the post-industrial world. At the same time, information support is an important condition for launching, developing and avoiding risks. The importance of timely information and counseling is especially noticeable for startups and SMEs, which bring a significant share in the innovative development of successful countries. Proper use of electronic technologies and the development of infrastructure capable of assisting innovative entities can significantly contribute to Ukraine's economic reconstruction. Further analysis of the EU's positive experience, including Enterprise Europe Network, can be used to increase favorable business conditions in Ukraine. In addition to state support, the article draws attention to private projects that provide information support and counseling, including online services, formed by lawyers and individual consulting projects. One of the projects that provides information support for innovative subjects, researchers and ordinary citizens is the Smart Law Innovation Information and Communication Platform, developed by the Research Institute of Legal Support of Innovative Development of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Although the platform is still under development, the analysis of competitive proposals allows you to see a number of advantages over this development.


By analyzing the problems and reasons in mine workplaces occupational hazard control in Shaanxi Province,combining the relevant laws and regulations for occupational hazard prevention and control,the paper puts forward some measures for mine occupational hazards control.


Preface Introduction Clare's 'Minorness' Viewing and Reviewing 'Grammar in Learning is like Tyranny in Government' 'The Cottager's Friend' 'Medlars' The Marketplace The Natural Histories of Helpstone Clare, Cobbett and 'Captain Swing' Epilogue: Clare's Agency Notes Index


We present titanium oxide nanotube arrays for solar cell, gas sensor, ultra filter, and biomaterials. To make titanium oxide nanotubes, potassium phosphate monobasic (KH2PO4) 1M aqueous electrolytes containing fluorine 0.15M and citric acid 0.2M were firstly prepared and 99.7% pure titanium was anodized. Titanium oxide nanotube arrays were fabricated at anodization potential range from 20 V to 28 V and 4.64 pH. Citric acid was very useful to control the pH of the 1M KH2PO4 water electrolyte solution within 3 to 5 [1]. Nanotube length of 2 mum was independent on anodization time at 20 V for anodization time from 5 to 23 hrs which was observed by FESEM. Pore diameter and length of titanium oxide nanotube were increased with anodization voltage of 20 to 28 V. The pore diameter and length of titanium oxide nanotube, as shown in Fig. 1 and 3, were 100 to 150 nm and 2.0 to 3.0 mum, respectively. At higher anodization voltages than 25 V, porous layer was made and titanium oxide nanotube could not be made. In previous work, it has been found that there were undesired thin oxide layer blocking the top of titanium oxide nanotubes which could be wiped out by increasing anodization time or etching in solution with higher HF concentration [2, 3]. We could wipe out surface blocking layer by increasing anodization potential with the voltage steps reached to higher voltage than primary anodization voltage, which was named as "multi step voltage method (MSVM)" [1]. The MSVM makes nanotube enlarge in comparison with the typical method having one holding anodization voltage. Fig. 2 shows the current transient curve depending on anodization time in both cases one holding voltage and MSVM. In MSVM, current was steeply increased when higher voltages were stepwise applied. Following eight step voltages, dramatically increased current and additional growth of titanium oxide nanotube arrays were observed. Fig. 3 shows FESEM images of titanium oxide nanotube arrays which were made by one holding voltage and MSVM. The final voltage of 28 V was same, but the length of two cases was very different. Anodization voltage of 28 V was too high to obtain titanium oxide nanotube arrays by typical method having one holding voltage. In MSVM, we could stepwise increase the voltage to 28V, which offered a driving force to corrode the titanium with fluorine ion in electrolytes. We could obtain the clean-top titanium oxide nanotube arrays having length of 3.0 mum and diameter of 150 nm by MSVM at 30 degC for 8hrs. Anatase phase of titanium oxide nanotube arrays was observed after lhr annealing at 500degC by X-ray diffraction patterns. The titanium oxide nanotubes having a very large surface area are very attractive for the battery, gas sensor, photocatalytic applications, and biomaterials [4-6].


The hybrid system with newly developed LXI instruments is the mainstream in the development of military ATS. On the analysis of LXI topologies and the architecture of hybrid system, a compliant system with LXI and VXI instruments working in dedicated network is constructed. The test software takes the advantage of generic test software framework and XML to separate the test flow and test execution. IVI-COM driver is developed according to the LXI specification. Actual application of this hybrid system indicates that it fully satisfied the test requirements of a missile.


Arsenic detection, far below the WHO's permissible limit, is reported using SERS studies. A stable deliverable FeOOH doped dendritic nanostructured Ag surface, obtained from a chosen galvanic reaction under ice cold conditions, serves well as a SERS substrate, which affirms affinity based arsenic detection down to ∼10−10 M level.


Sensorimotor deficits after stroke contribute to increased risk of falls. Sensory input related to the derivative of ankle sways shows a strong relationship with plantarflexor electromyography (EMG) modulation in healthy controls, suggesting that information regarding speed of movement facilitates the prediction of movement outcome (Masani et al. 2003). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of ankle plantarflexor EMG with the anterior-posterior centre of pressure (APCOP) velocity and displacement of people with stroke compared to controls using high density surface EMG (HDsEMG). Methods: Ten people with chronic stroke (mean ± sd 66.2 ± 9 yrs, 8 males) and ten age-matched controls (7 males) participated. Participants stood with each foot on a separate force platform. Anteriorly-directed loads were dropped by a pulley system and cable attached to a belt around the participants' pelvis. Loads of 1% body mass were added every 25-30s until a total of 5% body mass was reached. The static maintenance of standing balance was determined for 15s between loads. The APCOP displacement was measured simultaneously with HDsEMG from the soleus (SOL) (24 electrode grid, 2 cm interelectrode distance), medial (MG) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) (20 electrode grids each, 1.5 cm interelectrode distance) of both legs. APCOP velocity was derived from APCOP displacement. For each channel, cross-correlation values between rectified, 4 Hz low-pass filtered EMGs (EMG envelopes; 18 bipolar for SOL, 16 for MG and LG) and APCOP displacement and velocity during the static maintenance of standing balance were computed; for each muscle, the median correlation value was considered as representative. Results: The median correlation of each plantarflexor EMG envelope with the APCOP velocity was stronger than with the APCOP displacement in all groups (paretic, non-paretic and control; p<0.01). Furthermore, correlations were significantly higher in MG than LG and SOL muscles in controls (p<0.01), and both MG and LG were significantly higher than SOL in the non-paretic leg (p<0.01), but the correlations were not significantly different amongst the paretic plantarflexors. Conclusions: These data suggest that sensory information reflected in APCOP velocity interacts more strongly than APCOP displacement with plantarflexor EMG activity in plantarflexor muscles in people with stroke and controls. However, the gastrocnemii EMG activity demonstrates a greater relationship with APCOP velocity than the SOL muscle in non-paretic and control groups but not in paretic muscles. This may be related to remodeling of the plantarflexors following stroke, moreso in the gastrocnemii


This paper presents a complete system for accurately and efficiently counting vehicles in a highway surveillance video. The proposed approach employs vehicle detection and tracking modules. In the detection module, an automatically trained binary classifier detects vehicles while providing robustness against view-point, poor quality videos and clutter. Efficient tracking is then achieved by a simplified multi-hypothesis approach. First an over-complete set of tracks is created considering every observed detection within a time interval. As needed, hypothesized detections are generated to force continuous tracks. Finally, a scoring function is used to separate the valid tracks in the over-complete set. Our tracking system achieved accurate results in significantly challenging highway surveillance videos.


This paper studies the impact of dynamic navigation on the traffic process, especially in urban areas. Simulation studies are focused on the correlation of route choice behaviour, fractions of dynamically navigated vehicles, re-routing frequencies, and travel time reductions. The aim is to identify if already provided travel time information could be regarded as traffic management, and as a consequence, the main objective is to provide drivers with a database of the traffic state which is as large and accurate as possible.