The goals of this study were: (1) to explore a previously reported Gene-by-Intervention (G×I) interaction between the effects of The Incredible Years program (IY) and a polygenic dopaminergic index consisting of enzyme-related polymorphisms (COMT, MAOA) in boys and (2) to test whether this interaction could be explained by genetic differences in reward sensitivity, specifically sensitivity to parents ́ use of praise. The original sample consisted of 387 Dutch children between 4 and 8 years of age (Mage = 6.31, SD = 1.33; 55.3% boys) and their parents, who participated in a three-wave randomized controlled trial. Results of completers only analyses on boys (n = 192) indicate that the previous reported polygenic G×I was specifically due to the MAOA polymorphism: The effects of IY on child externalizing problems were stronger for boys carrying the MAOA low-activity allele, compared to boys carrying the high-activity allele. Theoretically, these children might be specifically sensitive to reward due to upregulated dopamine availability. However, although our results show that IY caused a large (partial η2 = .19) increase in parents' use of praise, this increase did not explain the intervention effects on child externalizing problems in boys with and without the MAOA low activity allele. This might indicate that reward sensitivity might not be a mechanism underlying G×I or that we did not fully capture reward-oriented parenting due to limitations of our observation data. An important next step in G×I research will be gaining insight into the underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms. 89 / Is Reward Sensitivity a Mechanism? C hpter 5 Individual differences in how (strongly) children are affected by their surroundings have become an important theme in research on child development (Belsky, 1997; Boyce & Ellis, 2005). There is growing evidence that the strength of the relation between children's environment and the development of both adaptive and maladaptive behavior differs due to children's genetic make-up, specifically dopamine related genes (i.e., gene-by-environment interactions: G×E, for overviews and meta-analyses see Bakermans-Kranenburg & Van IJzendoorn, 2011; 2015; Byrd & Manuck, 2014). Interestingly, the same genetic markers that predict disproportional negative outcomes under adverse circumstances have also been shown to predict more favorable outcomes when the environment is enriched through intervention (i.e., gene-by-intervention interactions: G×I, Van IJzendoorn & BakermansKranenburg, 2015). These genotypes might therefore not just predict an increased vulnerability for environmental risk but instead predict an increased susceptibility to both environmental risk and enrichment. Indeed, a recent meta-analysis including 22 genetically informed randomized controlled trials showed that intervention effects are stronger for individuals with "susceptibility genotypes" than for individuals without such genotypes (Van IJzendoorn & BakermansKranenburg, 2015). This suggests that failure to take into account such child characteristics might lead to overor underestimation of intervention effectiveness for individual children. In addition, incorporation of these child characteristics might increase our insight into "what works for whom" and, in turn, enable us to tailor interventions accordingly to increase their effectiveness. In a previous paper we showed that in boys the intervention effect of the behavioral parent training (BPT) The Incredible Years (IY) was moderated by a dopaminergic polygenic factor (i.e., "plasticity index") consisting of receptor(DRD2, DRD4), transporter(DAT1), and enzyme(COMT, MAOA) related polymorphisms (Chhangur et al., in press). Further investigation showed this G×I effect was specifically due to variability in polymorphisms coding for the enzymes catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) (Chhangur et al., submitted for publication), which are responsible for degradation of amines among which the neurotransmitters dopamine. Specifically, boys in the intervention condition carrying more enzyme-related "plasticity alleles", namely the low-activity alleles of the MAOA gene and/or Val-alleles of the COMT gene, showed a significantly larger decrease in externalizing behavior compared to boys in the intervention condition who carried fewer of these alleles. The COMT Val-allele is related to more catechol-O-methyltransferase production, leading to faster inactivation of dopamine and lower dopamine availability (Chen et al., 2004). In contrast, the MAOA low-activity allele is related to less monoamine oxidase A production, resulting in less degradation of dopamine and higher dopamine availability (Weyler, Hsu, & Breakafield, 1990). Our G×I finding that IY works better for boys carrying more enzyme related plasticity alleles than boys carrying less of such alleles (Chhangur


In order to improve the performance of the cognitive radio resource management,a new wide-band resource management channel (WB/RMC) with lower transmitting power and better anti-jamming ability is presented.Instantaneous and reliable sensing information exchange is carried out utilizing DSSS.According to interference temperature,the interference of the WB/RMC to primary user is analyzed.Then,we get the relation between interference temperature limit of the primary user and the number of the accommodated sense users in a certain area.Analysis and simulation results show that this scheme can avoid the interference between sense users and primary user.Moreover,this scheme can provide enough chances for sense users to access the WB/RMC.


Using the unique setting of a large tax rate cut on patent income in Belgium (IP box regime) as a quasi-experiment, we examine the effect of IP boxes on firms' patenting activities and effective tax rates (ETRs). We find that firms, on average, do not significantly increase their patenting activities after the introduction of an IP box regime. However, firms with patent activities experience a 1.8 percentage point lower ETR after the introduction of the IP box regime compared to non-patenting firms. Moreover, we find that firms separate into three groups. Tax savings are most pronounced for subsidiaries of multinational firms without opportunities to shift income out of the country (10.1 percentage point reduction in ETR) followed by domestic firms (1.9 percentage point reduction in ETR). In contrast, subsidiaries of multinational firms with opportunities to shift income out of the country do not experience significant reductions in effective tax rates. Overall, we provide initial evidence that IP boxes provide benefits for domestic firms and multinationals without income shifting opportunities. JEL Classification: H21, H25


Distribution network reconfiguration (DNR) is a crucial issue in the operating horizon of distribution systems. In distribution networks tie switches will be changed to obtain an appropriate network configuration with minimum losses. Distribution networks have hundreds of switches and determining the best status of switches is a complicated combinatorial, non-differentiable constrained optimization problem, which can be solved using heuristic optimization algorithms. Many researches have been focused on introducing appropriate search algorithms to this real-time optimization problem. To judge which method is best suited for this particular problem, performance comparison is necessary. In this paper GA and DEA are compared solving reconfiguration problem from convergence rate and computational time point of view.


We study the Helmholtz morphism in terms of the variational sequences. We find conditions for the Helmholtz form to be invariant with respect to the Galilei group. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 34C40, 70H33


Results of a survey of 23 community colleges in Washington State in regard to the use of potential use of paraprofessionals in the area of guidance and counseling are provided. Of these colleges, 6 were using paraprofessionals, 1 was planning to add two, 11 planned to add paraprofessionals "when their budget allowed," and 5 reported no plans for including paraprofessionals. The functions assigned to paraprofessionals currently on staff were varied; these included information giving, scheduling/advising, receptionist, data-control test coordination, administration and scoring, admissions, distribution of occupational-educational information, and a number of other duties.. Contractual arrangements for the six institutions that had paraprofessionals varied. The educational preparation of the paraprofessionals ranged from a currently enrolled student to one who had completed a Master's Degree in higher education and counseling.. In a similar survey of 23 Deans of Instruction of community colleges, there were significantly more paraprofessionals reported to be performing functions in the instructional programs, ranging from a high of 23 in the system to 1. It appeared that a majority of the paraprofessional positions were held by work-study students or students hired through some type of institutional fund. Common definitions for paraprofessionals presently exist that may be used as guidelines for community colleges..Four models for identifying the role of the paraprofessional, as advanced by Dr. Jane Matson, are provided. (DB) U.S, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, LLJ EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY PARAPROFESSIONALS TN WASHINGTON COMMUNITY COLLEGES Robert A. Anderson, Jr. Dean of Student Services Howard Community College December 28, 1972 FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY PARAPROFESSIONALS IN WASHINOTON COMMUNITY (ALLEGES Of 26 community college campuses in the state of Washington, 21 were represented by their guidance directors who participated in a survey conducted in-February, 1972, that included information regarding the use or potential use of paraprofessionals in the area of guidance and counseling. Six of the guidance directors reported paraprofessionals currently on their !itaffs, one was planning to add two paraprofessionals for 1972-73, 11 Planned to add paraprofessionals "when their budget allowed," and fivereported no plans for including paraprofessionals on their staff. The functions assigned to the paraprofessionals currently on staff included information-giving, scheduling/advising, receptionist, data-control test coordination, administration and scoring, admissions, distribution of occupational-educational information, intake interviews, financial aid, Placement, internal office administration, student-institution relationship functions in SPS, veterans information, federal program liaison, counselor aid for disadvantaged and minorities, coordinator of volunteer informationreferral service, intramural advisor, tutor, and student health information. Contractual arrangements reported for the six institutions which had paraprofessionals varied: (1) two paraprofessionals on 12 month contracts -one at $600 per month($3.75 per hour) and one at A800 ner month(A5.00,per hour); (2) one person hired for in months but no salary figure reported: (3) one paraprofessional at a rate of $3.5n per hour but the position existed on a quarter-by-quarter basis; (4) one individual at A600 per month (53.75 per hour) for 11 months; (5) one work-study student at 51.65 ner hour but no time period indicated; and (6) one paraprofessional on a half-time basis (20 hours per week) at a rate of $1.nn per hour for nine months. Three paraprofessionals were placed on a classified employee schedule, three on n classified exempt status, one on a work-study rate, and none were placed nn the faculty salary schedule. The educational preparation of the paraprofessionals ranged from a currently enrolled student to one individualhaving completed a master's degree in higher education and counseling. The respondents were asked to develop definitive statements applying to the qualifications and responsibilities of the paraprofessional. A summary of the statements elicited formulated the following: "A paraprofessional'is an individual who has had limited but rather specific training.. The training may range from a few hours to a bachelor's degree. The paraprofessional works under the supervision of a qualified professional and assumes some of the "lower level" professional functions such as information-referral, scheduling-advising, maintaining records, and administering (hut not interpreting) tests."


Received September 11, 2009; accepted after revision March 14, 2009. 1Both authors: Department of Radiology, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave., Washington, DC 20010. Address correspondence to N. Kadom (email@example.com). AJR 2010;194:WS5–WS9 0361–803X/10/1943–WS5 © American Roentgen Ray Society OBJECTIVE A 10-month-old girl presented with an abnormal left posterior head shape and was referred for head CT to evaluate for the possibility of lambdoid craniosynostosis. At CT, a diagnosis of deformational plagiocephaly was made. An understanding of CT criteria to differentiate posterior deformational plagiocephaly from abnormal head shape caused by lambdoid craniosynostosis is necessary to help make the correct diagnosis.


It is pertinent to note in the context of India-China relations a few inescapable facts: the two are neighbours, with large populations; they are the two most populous countries in the world; and both are developing countries albeit with very different systems of governance and development. Both are amongst the fastest growing economies in the world. Their usefulness to the global economic system, especially in the midst of the current financial and economic crisis, is of particular significance.Historically, India and China have impacted each other significantly both civilizationally and in practical terms. Both civilizations evolved in a fairly similar manner, even though their contacts dimmed since the eleventh century, to be restored meaningfully after the respective independence/liberation of the two countries in 1947 and 1949.Their single most important point of contact historically was the journey of Buddhism from India to China. Buddhism flourished in that country even as it declined rapidly in India. The practice of Buddhism has been revived in recent years in a major way in the People's Republic of China, its belief in Communism notwithstanding. Recognition of this fundamental linkage between the two countries by both governments was symbolized by a joint decision taken by them in April 2005 to build an Indian-style Buddhist temple in Luoyang, Henan province. This splendorous temple was inaugurated by India's President during her visit to China in May 2010.Details of the many other ways in which the two countries interacted in the past are well established and known, be it the exchange of ideas, travels by monks, transmission of knowledge, products, etc. The use of Chinese fishing nets in Cochin is, for example, very well known.Since India's independence and China's liberation there have been several phases in their bilateral relationship. India was amongst the first countries to recognize the PRC in December 1949. This required India to derecognize the regime of Chiang Kaishek. There were mixed feelings in India at the success of China's revolution. Thereafter, India's approach to the PRC was underlined by a certain mix of utopia and naivety born perhaps out of inadequate understanding of China's history, its new leadership and the basic thumb rules of power politics. There was perhaps also an element of intellectual snobbery involved. As a result, signals were not read or were misread; errors of judgement were made on both sides and there was lack of clarity in communications. This ended in the unilateral aggression unleashed by China against India in October 1962. This was a cruel watershed and a harsh reality check.Relations obviously plummeted and thereafter remained in virtual cold storage. Things began to change following the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's decision to send India's Ambassador to China in 1976.The visit by Foreign Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in February 1979 marked a turning point in the new opening. The process that began with that visit, especially discussions on the boundary, continued and culminated in the visit by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988 during which both sides decided to look ahead in an effort to put the past behind and seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.The end of the cold war provided further momentum and very important agreements were signed in 1993 and 1996 during the visit of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to China and President Jiang Zemin to India respectively. These were agreements on Peace and Tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas and on (military) Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) along the LAC.India's nuclear weapon tests in 1998 halted the growing momentum in the evolution of the relationship. China saw itself as a major target of this decision of the Government of India and reacted angrily. …


Neuromorphic computing aims at mimicking the synapses, dendrites, and neurons in the brain as well as their associated connected networks to perform a variety of complex tasks including sensing, computing, perception, sometimes by directly utilizing the physical properties of materials. Their functionality diversity and performance highly depend on the use of materials. Compared to the conventional materials, 2D materials exhibit many unique physical properties and the research of 2D materials has reshaped the field of neuromorphic computing. This special issue presents some of the innovations in using devices based on 2D materials to emulate the biological synapses or generate noise injection to hardware neural networks. The issue also provides a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in exploiting the unique physical properties of 2D materials for neuromorphic computing. These innovations and analysis may serve as a useful guide to further advance 2D materials for practical applications. This special issue includes two research articles and four review articles, with contents briefly summarized in the following paragraphs.


High-temperature second-harmonic-generation, x-ray powder diffraction, dielectric, differential scanning calorimetry, and structural data are presented to show that Sr9InsPO4d7 exhibits an antiferroelectric (AFE) phase transition of the second order at 773±3 K. Sr9InsPO4d7 complements a group of Ca3sVO4d2-type ferroelectric phosphates and vanadates and is the first example of an AFE material in this family. Structural data obtained for the AFE and the paraelectric phase of Sr9InsPO4d7 show evidence that both displacive and order-disorder contributions are responsible for the physical properties of the Ca3sVO4d2-type materials.


Six inequivalent Cu2+ EPR spectra were observed at 4.2 K in single crystals of FeSiF6 ⋅ 6H20. The estimated parameters gz∼2.38 and θ∼40°, where θ is the angle between the ionic z axis and the c axis, differ from those measured in crystals of similar structure. These differences have been explained in terms of an isotropic Cu2+–Fe2+ exchange Hamiltonian JS1 ⋅ S2, with J=+(0.030±0.003) cm−1, which gives a contribution gex∼−5.05 J sin2 θ, where θ is the angle between the external magnetic field and the z axis. Perpendicular to the c axis, an independent estimate of +0.034 cm−1 for J was made from the low‐field displacement of a satellite spectrum.


The optimal gate delay time control between the two internal devices to achieve excellent electrical and thermal performance of the Si/SiC hybrid switch is considerably affected by several factors and requires careful adjustment to suit the different operation conditions of power converters. However, the conventional gate control solution for the hybrid switch applies a fixed delay time to achieve the minimum switching loss at a specific load current, resulting in disparities in junction temperature of internal devices over a wide load range. This effectively reduces the safe operating area by risking one internal switch subjected to overrated junction temperature in a wide range operation with regard to power handling condition. To avoid such a serious risk of reliability degradation or thermal breakdown, a novel active gate delay time control strategy based on the electro-thermal coupling loss model is proposed. The gate delay time was dynamically adjusted and optimized according to the operation conditions of power converters so that the operation junction temperature difference of the two internal devices can be minimized. Experimental results demonstrate that the junction temperature of the hybrid switch decreases by 20 °C at 8-kW load condition and its maximum power handling capability increases by 18%, without compromising the power converter's efficiency in a 20 kHz Si/SiC hybrid switch-based dc/dc buck converter compared with the conventional approach.


The invention relates to a method and device for detecting and tracking a barbell central point. The method comprises the following steps of: extracting a barbell central point in a first image frame; making a rhombic matrix for all image frames on the basis of the barbell central point, recording the position of each matrix point and setting the weight of each matrix point; carrying out LK pyramid optical-flow method tracking on a central point of the rhombic matrix in every adjacent two image frames to obtain a tracking point and carrying out optical-flow method tracking on the rest multiple matrix dots to obtain respective tracking points; removing the wrong tracking point and removing a tracking point symmetric to the tracking point with respect to a rhombic central point; and averaging the weight of all the tracking points after adding to obtain a smooth tracking vector of the barbell central point and confirming the tracked barbell central point, wherein the weight of all the tracking points is the weight of the corresponding matrix dots. The method provided by the invention can realize the detection and tracking of the barbell central point and effectively inhibit a tracking error brought by a trailing phenomenon.


This research explores the use of the versatile 4,4-difluoro-4-boro-3a,4a-diaza-sindacene (BODIPY) dyes and the modification of their spectroscopic properties. The synthesis of a tetramethyl-BODIPY bearing a sterically hindered meso-phenyl ring with an ethynyl functional group at the para-position was compared to that of its freely rotating counterpart with no methyl substituents on the BODIPY core, with the fluorescence properties in particular proving to be markedly different. These phenylethynyl-substituted BODIPYs were used as the starting materials for the synthesis of novel BODIPY dyes for sensor applications via Sonogashira coupling reactions at the ethynyl position, but this resulted instead in the serendipitous synthesis of a novel BODIPY dimer in which the para-positions of the meso-phenyl rings are linked by a diethynyl bridge. Following iodination at the 2, 6-positions, the dimer was found to have a singlet oxygen quantum yield of 0.88, compared to the value of 0.86 that was obtained for the analogous monomer. Since the εmax values for the main spectral bands of the dimers are significantly higher, the compounds may be of interest for singlet oxygen generation applications. A second study was carried out on the interaction between methyl ester functionalized BODIPY dyes and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to explore the possible use of BODIPY-UCNP conjugates in biomedical applications. The singlet oxygen generation properties of the BODIPY were tested following iodination at the 2, 6-positions, a singlet oxygen quantum yield value of 0.86 was obtained. Three sets of oleate capped UCNPs were synthesized with different diameters and were rendered water dispersible with the addition of a silica shell. The necessary scaffolding for conjugation to the BODIPY was provided by amine groups following functionalization of this shell. v All of the sets of oleate capped and silica coated UCNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and their emission properties were studied upon excitation at 978 nm with a diode laser with a Picoquant Fluotime 300 spectrophotometer that enables the measurement of anti-Stokes emission. The potential utility of UCNP-BODIPY conjugates for singlet oxygen applications, such as PDT, was then assessed.


Starting with the analysis of recent changes in the capitalist mode of production – the transition from Fordism to flexible accumulation – this article intends to help in understanding the current nature of teaching in basic education, particularly the transformations in the work process. To this extent, we analyze some aspects of the teaching work, such as school social function, class composition, hiring forms, autonomy, in addition to the degree of subordination of the work of these professionals to capital and to the state.


Steve Chaplin analyses the latest statistics for prescribing in primary care in 2011, showing no overall change in spending despite continuing growth in prescribing.


Purpose of this research was to study mucoadhesive tablets of Amoxicillin trihydrate using Neem gum as mucoadhesive natural polymer. The conventional oral dosage form of this drug has low half life and high dosing frequency. Plant gums and mucilages are being used due to their abundance in nature, safety and economy. So in The present investigation was an effort to study the suitability of gum obtained from Azadirachta indica as mucoadhesive polymer. The present study aims to reduce the dosing frequency by using single and combinations of synthetic and natural polymers for preparation of mucoadhesive tablets. Various approaches to combine synthetic (HPMC K4M, carbopol 934P and sodium alginate) and natural (neem gum) polymers have been made to prepare total ten formulations. Further, different evaluation studies like friability, content uniformity, surface pH, wash-off and dissolution tests was done for all formulations. Results for in vitro drug release and wash-off studies suggest that the formulation (F1) containing neem gum has shown better mucoadhesive property. Other studies have shown satisfactory results in all ten formulations. Thus, the present investigation suggests that neem gum is suitable for preparation of mucoadhesive tablets


[Objective] The research aimed to study the relationship between spermidine and activities of 3 kinds of antioxidases. [Method] With Yudou 24 (high drought-resistance) and Yudou 6 (low drought-resistance ) as research materials, the effects of PEG,MGBG and exogenous Spd on MDA and Spd contents and activities of 3 kinds of antioxidases (SOD, CAT and APX) in leaf of soybean seedlings under osmotic stress were studied. [Result] Under osmotic stress for 3 d, Spd content in seedling leaf of Yudou 24 increased obviously, MDA content of in seedling leaf of Yudou 6 increased obviously and the activities of 3 kinds of antioxidases in seedling leaf of Yudou 24 increased. MGBG treatment promoted the rise of MDA content in Yudou 24 and inhibited the rise of Spd content and antioxidases activities, but had little effects on Yudou 6. Exogenous Spd treatment increased Spd content and activities of 3 kinds of antioxidases in seedling leaf of Yudou 6 and inhibited the rise of MDA content, but had little effects on Yudou 24. [Conclusion] Under osmotic stress, exogenous Spd could reduce MDA content and alleviate the damage of active oxygen.


The number of people suffering from dementia is estimated at around 24 million and will rise to 81 million at the year 2040. Behavioural (eg restlessness at night) and psychological symptoms mostly lead to the situation where people are no longer able to live in their own physical and social environment and become institutionalized. In different ways, lighting can have a positive influence on the behavior and well being of people with dementia and several guidelines are available. In this paper it will be shown that it is possible to create lighting for people with dementia that enhances the visual and the non-visual performance without creating an unpleasant atmosphere. This will be shown by a lighting design for a specific care home in The Netherlands.


In September 2012, news broke of a developing drug disaster in the United States. Health authorities tracking a fungal meningitis outbreak linked the disease to a contaminated steroid injectable drug made by a company called the New England Compounding Center. The contaminated steroid was a compounded drug that had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. By the time health officials pinpointed the source of the outbreak, an estimated 14,000 people had been injected with the contaminated drug. By December 2012, thirty-nine had died of meningitis and hundreds more had been diagnosed with the disease and other drug-related conditions. Many factors contributed to this drug disaster. One was a decision by the United States Supreme Court. In a 2002 decision, the Court ruled that a 1997 federal law regulating drug compounding was unconstitutional. Because the law prohibited providers of compounded drugs from promoting their products through advertising and other means, the Court held that it impermissibly restricted commercial speech.


The basic means to improve the competitiveness of enterprises in equal financial opportunities are their implicit or explicit knowledge. Modern workers of intellectual labour themselves own the producer goods. Personnel knowledge management has the following objectives: timely preparation of workers for a good performance of official duties, staff development, the growth of people''s satisfaction with the development of their careers. This work presents three major domestic organizations OJSC " MTS", OJSC "Sberbank of Russia ", OJSC " SIBUR Holding", the study of their social reporting let us to understand that they are doing an extensive systematic work on the construction of high quality and efficient knowledge management system. These companies pay a great attention to the development of knowledge management system (accumulation, storing, exchange, and implementation of corporate knowledge ) by creating the most favorable conditions for the improvement and efficient use of intellectual, creative and professional potential by the workers. Such approach to the construction of the relationship between management and employees will not only allow the company to successfully implement the current production goals and objectives, but will also provide purposeful movement towards sustainable growth and strengthen its market position through the development and improvement of corporate knowledge capital.


Microfluidics has been an area of active research for the past decade. This piece analyses the frictionless motion of sessile droplets in a specific design of an electrowetting-ondielectric (EWOD) chip. The analysis is numerical and employed the commercial computational fluid dynamics package FLUENT. Focus areas included mesh and time step analysis as well as the effect of property change on fluid flow, with general correlation of some observations with the Young-Lippmann (Electrowetting) equation and the Navier-Stokes equations. The paper also includes a background study of the model-excluded phenomena currently only partially comprehended: contact angle saturation and contact angle hysteresis. Interpretations of the numerical simulations undertaken comprised, for droplet translation and coalescence, faster flow for lower viscosity and higher surface tension values. For droplet splitting, high dependencies on the droplet size, electrode-actuation symmetry, and most importantly the mesh type were observed. The elimination of the aforementioned two phenomena resulted in highly magnified velocities.


Boiling process for silkworm cocoon is one step that very influence for product of fibre quality. In the boiling process is needed specific condition temperature and level. Reality, In the conventional boiler, this condition is very difficult. So, In the research was designed and build a controlling device that can control temperature and level. For cunstruct this device, it needs temperature and level sensor, amplifier, microcontroller as brain of controlling, ADC, sevent segment as display, and keypad as input. Conclusion of The result of measurement for this device is this device can work as temperature and level controlling well. This device also can used as boiler for other field that need temperature and level controlling keyword : Boiling process, silkworm cocoon, fibre quality, temperaturelevel controlling


Background: Cell behavior is affected by changes in extracellular matrix stiffness during disease progression. Results: Fibronectin matrix assembly is inhibited on soft substrates but can be restored by manipulating cell-fibronectin binding or by partially unfolding substrate fibronectin. Conclusion: On soft substrates, cells are deficient in integrin-fibronectin bond strength and therefore cannot induce fibronectin conformational changes required for assembly. Significance: Rigidity-dependent changes in fibronectin conformation provide a novel mechanism for mechanotransduction. Cells sense and respond to the mechanical properties of their microenvironment. We investigated whether these properties affect the ability of cells to assemble a fibrillar fibronectin (FN) matrix. Analysis of matrix assembled by cells grown on FN-coated polyacrylamide gels of varying stiffnesses showed that rigid substrates stimulate FN matrix assembly and activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) compared with the level of assembly and FAK signaling on softer substrates. Stimulating integrins with Mn2+ treatment increased FN assembly on softer gels, suggesting that integrin binding is deficient on soft substrates. Guanidine hydrochloride-induced extension of the substrate-bound FN rescued assembly on soft substrates to a degree similar to that of Mn2+ treatment and increased activation of FAK along with the initiation of assembly at FN matrix assembly sites. In contrast, increasing actin-mediated cell contractility did not rescue FN matrix assembly on soft substrates. Thus, rigidity-dependent FN matrix assembly is determined by extracellular events, namely the engagement of FN by cells and the induction of FN conformational changes. Extensibility of FN in response to substrate stiffness may serve as a mechanosensing mechanism whereby cells use pericellular FN to probe the stiffness of their environment.


This paper presents a control framework for a biped robot to maintain balance and walk on a rolling ball. The control framework consists of two primary components: a balance controller and a footstep planner. The balance controller is responsible for the balance of the whole system and combines a state-feedback controller designed by pole assignment with an observer to estimate the system's current state. A wheeled linear inverted pendulum is used as a simplified model of the robot in the controller design. Taking the output of the balance controller, namely the ideal center of pressure of the biped robot on the ball, as the input, the footstep planner computes the foot placements for the robot to track the ideal center of pressure and avoid a fall from the rolling ball. Simulation results show that the proposed controller can enable a biped robot to stably walk on balls of different sizes and rotate a ball to desired positions at desired speeds.


The annealing process for 430BA plates is conducted in the bright furnace with a pure H2 atmosphere,and the dew point of the atmosphere is an important influencing factor on the finish surface of plates. The influence of the dew point on the corrosion resistance of 430BA plates were investigated by anodic polarization curves and corrosion titration,and the cause for corrosion resistance difference was analysed with the Fe-Cr equilibrium curves and the structure of the surface oxide film determined by GDS. The results show that the corrosion resistance is influenced significantly by a dew point above-60℃ and decreases with the increase of the dew point. A higher dew point indicates a higher moisture content,which accelerates the high temperature oxidation of Cr. The high temperature oxidation film is harmful to the corrosion resistance.


Intercellular mitochondrial transfer is the acquisition of exogenous mitochondria by one cell from another cell. The transfer event is generally not stochastic but directed. It largely results in a benefit for the recipient cell. In the brain, the support structure astrocytes provide to neurons establishes a framework to investigate mitochondrial transfer between neural cells. During neurodegeneration or brain development, mitochondrial transfer between neural cells may alleviate disease phenotypes or help form the early cytoarchitecture and connectome of the brain. To begin to investigate intercellular mitochondrial transfer in neural cells, co-culture experiments were performed, between two independent, fluorescently labelled cell populations, either in a monolayer or in three-dimensional spheroid culture. Initially, fluorescently labelled mitochondria were co-cultured with neonatal neurons. Although punctate mitochondrial fluorescence was found in neurons, the conventional tools and methods used to label mitochondria and assess their location were found to have limitations, and new methods were developed.  Transfer is most often seen in response to injury. Stable mtDNA-depleted (ρ⁰) astrocytes were generated as a mitochondrial specific injury. These astrocytes cannot respire, have impaired biosynthesis and ATP production, fractured mitochondrial networks with swollen mitochondria, and require pyruvate and uridine to meet their bioenergetic demands. When ρ⁰ astrocytes were co-cultured with the appropriate cell type in the absence of pyruvate and uridine, mitochondrial transfer was observed, leading to restoration of an entire mitochondrial network. The mechanism of mitochondrial transfer into ρ⁰ astrocytes was highly suggestive of cell fusion and was donor cell-type specific. This went against the convention in the literature that tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) or extracellular vesicles (EVs) discretely transfer clusters of mitochondria to damaged recipient cells. This PhD dissertation challenges the conventional tools to produce microscopic images proving mitochondrial transfer and suggests cell fusion as the mechanism by which non-native mitochondria exist inside a cell.


For the past three centuries, sanatorium treatment has been an integral part of the Russian health care system. Wise use of natural resources can significantly reduce the morbidity rate, prevent many diseases, and effectively treat chronic illness. In Russia, after the reforms of the 1990s, the health resort complex was not able to immediately enter the market of services, which led to a reduction of personnel, obsolescence of material and technical base. However, nowadays, the situation is changing radically. At the moment, the state has already solved the problems of the transition period but has faced other challenges in the field of health protection of the nation. The author concludes that special attention should be paid to the further development of the industry aimed at recovering the most valuable resource – a person.


The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a scalp-recorded electrical response elicited from the brain by acoustic stimuli. It consists of several waves (peaks), each representing synchronous neural activity elicited from the auditory nerve and/or auditory nuclei within the brainstem. The ABR is most commonly used for neonatal hearing screening, hearing threshold estimation, long term monitoring of intensive care unit patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and intra-operative monitoring (IOM) for any skull base surgery. When recording the ABR the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is extremely poor, due to the omnipresent electrophysiological noise between the neural generators and the surface recording electrodes. Theoretically, the SNR can be improved by stimulating a greater number of auditory nerve fibres. Hence, effective acoustic stimuli are those that stimulate many frequency-specific hair cells simultaneously. Broadband 'click' stimuli were originally thought to be such ideal stimuli, as they contain many frequency components - all of which are presented to the outer ear at the same instant. However, the physiology of the inner ear suggests that click stimuli undergo temporal distortion when entering the cochlea, and no longer achieve synchronous firing at all. To elicit ABR waveforms of maximal amplitude, recent studies have suggested that 'click' stimuli be replaced by rising-frequency 'chirp' stimuli. Chirp stimuli theoretically compensate for temporal dispersions that occur down the basilar membrane by delaying the higher frequency content of the stimulus until the lower frequency traveling waves are closer to the cochlea apex. This compensation results in simultaneous membrane maxima and allows all regions of the basilar membrane to contribute to the ABR. The final product is an ABR waveform that is larger, can be recorded in less time, and potentially has more diagnostic power. However, one aspect of this paradigm that is not yet clear is how to ensure that the temporal compensation offered by a chirp is suited to the cochleae under test. Previous chirp studies have based their parameters on population averages, but normal variation in physiologies across male and female populations may limit the applicability of a 'one-size-fits-all' design for compensating chirps. This thesis investigated the utility of several 'population-based' chirp stimuli from the literature, with regard to synchronous discharges and ABR amplitudes. Until now, synchrony in chirp-evoked responses have been largely quantified using observed improvements in wave V amplitude. However, measuring wave V amplitude alone is not necessarily a robust measure of neural synchrony. This research quantified the synchrony of basilar membrane displacement, and hence neural synchrony, in a series of studies involving click and chirp-evoked responses from normally hearing individuals. A range of surrogate measures were employed to quantify neural synchrony, such as wave V amplitudes, latency variances, rates of SNR increase, Fourier-domain magnitudes, and Fourier-domain phase variances. The results of one study, at high presentation intensities, indicated that the chirp-evoked responses were less synchronous than for click stimuli, despite evoking larger wave V amplitudes. In a subsequent study, at lower presentation intensities, the surrogate measures for synchrony indicated that the chirp-evoked responses were more synchronous than for click stimuli. Taken together, these results suggest that synchronous displacement on the basilar membrane can be impaired by a broadening of excitation at higher intensities and that enhanced wave V amplitudes can sometimes be more attributable to increased neural recruitment rather than neural synchrony. Additionally, this thesis also examined the relationship between chirp sweep-rate and response synchrony by varying the delay between high- and low-frequency portions of chirp stimuli. Two approaches to tailoring chirp parameters to individual cochleae (in order to maximize neural synchrony) were described and investigated. Such research is of interest both to enhance the ABR and as a potential way to map the physiology of the basilar membrane. The results of these investigations confirm that gender-based differences exist in the synchrony of chirp-evoked ABRs, but that the described methodologies of tailoring chirp parameters to individual cochleae are not yet tenable. The thesis concludes that a tailoring of chirp parameters to gender may be beneficial in pathologies that severely affect neural synchrony, but that such a customization may not be necessary in routine clinical applications.


bjective: Direct Acting Antiviral (DAA) drugs have been recently approved by the Food and Drug Administraation for children with HCV infection (FDA news release, April 7, 2017). We describe the first two HCV- infected children from Kentucky treated successfully with DAA drugs from a research protocol. Methods: The charts of two children with HCV infections were reviewed. Once adolescent age was achieved (12 years), both children (one naïve and one experienced) were treated for eight weeks with Sofosbuvir and Ledipasvir (Harvoni) and were monitored. Their aminotransferases and HCVRNA levels were followed before and after treatment. Results: Both children were followed for their HCV infections since infancy. Both children achieved SVR at the end of therapy, one achieved SVR 12 weeks post therapy. The second patient is still on follow up post treatment. Conclusion: This is the first report of children treated with DAA drugs not under a research protocol. We suggest the eightweek treatment may be sufficient to achieve SVR in children. Patient advocacy groups and government agencies should pressure the insurance companies to approve DAA therapy for HCVinfected children.


Traditional cooperative localization schemes often rely on centralized information sharing to implement the joint power and bandwidth allocation for localization error minimization. In order to minimize the sharing overhead and reduce the implementation complexity, we propose a low complexity distributed power and bandwidth allocation scheme for high accurate collaborative localization. By decomposing the expected global squared position error bound (SPEB) into individual ones, our proposed scheme is able to determine the power and bandwidth distributively with limited information exchange overhead. Through analytical and numerical examples, we show that the proposed collaborative scheme can achieve about 11% mean square localization error improvement and offer over 71% complexity reduction for six agents, if compared with the traditional iterative searching schemes.


The tracking of human motion has always been a subject of interest in many disciplines such as sports, health, computer, and virtual applications. With the recent advancement in Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), the size of inertial and magnetic sensors has been reduced significantly. This project is motivated by the combination of public awareness on daily activities that promotes a healthy lifestyle and the increasing number of smart phone users. This project incorporates a system based upon the smart phone, the inertial and magnetic sensors which are used to recognize different leg gesture, track users foot step and distance. An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) which consists of a tri-axis accelerometer and gyroscope is attached to a microcontroller and the data is transmitted to an Android mobile device via Bluetooth connection to allow real time tracking functions. A quaternion based algorithm is implemented in the sensor device to monitor the orientation with respect to the sensor's position in the user's body. The results are studied and evaluated to confirm the accuracy of the method used in this project.


ABSTRACT The distillation based separation can be extremely complex if highly non-ideal mixtures are to be separated. In spite of different successfully applied unit operations there is still a possible way to improve the distillation technique and widen its toolbar. A new improvement in this area is the development of the extractive heterogeneous-azeotropic distillation (EHAD). This unit operation includes the merits of extractive- and heterogeneous-azeotropic distillations in one unit without extra material addition. Our work supports EHAD features with successful experiments compared with modelling and comparison with other separation structures proving that the application of EHAD makes the separation of extremely non-ideal mixtures possible on an easy, powerful, energy saving, and cost efficient way.


This paper presents an analytical and numerical investigation of an impedance tube in the presence of a mean temperature gradient. Full Navier-Stokes simulation of the acoustic wave propagations through an impedance tube in the presence of a mean temperature gradient without mean air flow is investigated. Results from the simulations are compared with an analytical model of the behaviour of one-dimensional oscillations in an impedance tube with an axial temperature gradient in the absence of mean flow. Time and axial distance dependent acoustic pressure and velocity are visualised as 3D surface plots. The agreement between simulation and the analytical model is shown to be very good and represents a baseline validation of the numerical methodology for the simulation of impedance tubes in the presence of temperature gradients.


Background Obesity is a disease of multiple complex causes, leading to accumulation of excess body fat owing to imbalance between energy intake and output. Adiposity produces a state of chronic inflammation that adversely affects the immune system, which could affect the response to vaccination. Aim To evaluate the effect of overweight and obesity on the polio-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies (anti-polio immunoglobulin G) production in a sample of Egyptian children. Patients and methods This case–control study was conducted at Al Azhar University Hospital from February 2019 to February 2020. It included 150 children, aged 24 months. According to BMI centiles, they were classified into three groups: obese group and overweight group, each included 45 children, and 60 nonobese age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls. All children fulfilled both the obligatory vaccination schedule as well as additional doses. Assessment of anti-polio antibody production was done using qualitative enzyme immunoassay technique kits. Results A significantly higher anti-polio antibody production was observed in nonobese group compared with both obese and overweight children. Additional doses of polio vaccine were associated with a significant increase in antibody titer in healthy children but not in either overweight or obese children. Conclusion Obesity and overweight adversely affect the antibody production against polio vaccine.


We investigated how many cases of the same chemical sold as different products (at possibly different prices) occurred in a prototypical large aggregated database and simultaneously tested the tautomerism definitions in the chemoinformatics toolkit CACTVS. We applied the standard CACTVS tautomeric transforms plus a set of recently developed ring–chain transforms to the Aldrich Market Select (AMS) database of 6 million screening samples and building blocks. In 30 000 cases, two or more AMS products were found to be just different tautomeric forms of the same compound. We purchased and analyzed 166 such tautomer pairs and triplets by 1H and 13C NMR to determine whether the CACTVS transforms accurately predicted what is the same "stuff in the bottle". Essentially all prototropic transforms with examples in the AMS were confirmed. Some of the ring–chain transforms were found to be too "aggressive", i.e. to equate structures with one another that were different compounds.


In order to have a reliable welding strength between Molybdenum wire and Nickel wire of special HID(High Intensity gas Discharge)lamp,the welding depth between both wires will be monitored during resistance welding process,once the welding depth reaches the set value the welding pulse will be cut off immediately,in this way the welding strength could be guaranteed,so the welding quality enhances effectively and the reject rate of loose weld reduced significantly after a displacement control system installed on the welding machine as well as a SPC(Statistical Process Control)control being established for welding depth.


This reflection, which considers the positive impact of attending online conferences on building writing momentum is in response to the ABO Call for Short Reflections (500-750 words) on Writing and Research during the Pandemic.


"Vendetta" is a cinematic of a videogame in 3D with the finality to attract and like the user. The story explains about the revenge of a police, who is looking for the murder of his police partner. It is a story with an opened final to make the user think about how is going to end this story.


A location-based service with spatial objects having lifetime constraints has received much attention in recent years. With the increasing prevalence of smartphones, the number of spatial objects with lifetime constraints is increasing, and this incurs frequent updates on the R-tree, which is a representative spatial index. The previous work mainly considers an efficient R-tree update method over moving object databases. In this paper, we propose a method for updating R-tree over a large number of spatial objects with lifetime constraints. Based on the fact that spatial objects have lifetime constraints, we propose a new index, called deferred RR-tree. We also verify the superiority of our proposed method through experimental evaluation.


Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be diagnosed on the presence of symptoms, according to Rome II criteria, and some studies have shown that abnormal colonic fermentation may be an important factor in the development of symptoms in some patients with IBS. Since the fermentation of substrates by the intestinal flora may play a key role in the use of probiotics in the treatment of IBS, seventy patients (31 males, 39 females), mean age 40 years (range = 26–64 years) with IBS, according to Rome II criteria, were enrolled into the study after informed consensus. Patients were randomly assigned to receive for 4 weeks either the active preparation (containing Lactobacillus plantarum LP 01 and Bifidobacterium breve BR 03 or Lactobacillus plantarum LP 01 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA 02, all strains at concentrations of 5 3 10 CFU/g) or placebo powder containing starch identical to the study product. To evaluate treatment efficacy two different scores were considered. Pain score in different abdominal locations after treatment decreased in probiotic groups A and B 42% and 49% versus 25% (P , 0.05) in placebo group after 14 days and 45% and 49% versus 29.5% (P , 0.001) after 28 days. The severity score of characteristic IBD symptoms significantly decreased in probiotic groups A and B versus placebo group after 14 days, 49.3% and 55.6% versus 8% (P , 0.001), and these data were confirmed after 28 days (56% and 55.6% versus 14.4%, P , 0.001). In conclusion, short-term therapy with Lactobacillus plantarum LP 01 and Bifidobacterium breve BR 03 or Lactobacillus plantarum LP 01 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA 02 may be considered a promising approach for IBS therapy.


One of the more mysterious aspects of RDF (Resource Description Framework) is typed literals. For instance, confusion over the difference between a plain character string ("foo") and a string that is explicitly typed ("foo"ˆˆxsd:string) is common. Also, questions often arise about comparisons between literals of the various numeric types (e.g., long, integer, decimal, and float). This paper explores how several popular triple stores handle literals via direct testing, and also compares their behavior to the relevant standards. Along the way, we highlight a number of implementation inconsistencies and some surprising aspects of the standards themselves.


Justiciable problems do not always occur in isolation. However, little empirical research has examined multiple problems in depth by identifying common clusters of problems, their extent, and those who experience them. The Legal Services Research Centre's Periodic Survey of Justiciable Problems is a large-scale survey undertaken in England and Wales, documenting 5,611 respondents' experience of 21 discrete problem categories. Having assessed the overall incidence and overlap of problem types, hierarchical cluster analysis, based on each respondent's experience of these categories, was used to identify clusters. We then established social and demographic predictors of each cluster using mixed-effects Poisson regression and examined each problem type's likelihood of overlapping with further problems, both within and between identified clusters. We highlight policy implications of our findings, particularly concerning developing "joined-up" solutions to multiple "joined-up" problems.


Electron optics can assist in the fabrication of semiconductor devices in many challenges that arise from the ongoing decrease of structure size. Examples are augmenting optical lithography by electron beam direct write strategies and high-throughput imaging of patterned structures with multiple beam electron microscopes. We use multiple beam electron microscopy to image semiconductor wafers processed by electron beam lithography.


Abstract:Much scholarship on the far right focuses on Europe and North America, whereas case studies outside of these regions are often neglected or not recognized as constituting the same phenomenon. In this article, we compare two democracies in the Global South—India and Brazil—to showcase far-right movements within these countries. We situate the "postcolonial neoliberal nationalism" that has shaped the basis of far-right claims in India and Brazil. To illuminate this, we explore female social media influencers within these far-right milieus, and their role in the reproduction of gender, class, and racial hierarchies. Combined with this are insights from media studies on influencer culture as a means of analyzing the performativity of far-right women to advance exclusionary agendas. Overall, we highlight the inherent contradictions and complexity of how far-right female influencers in the Global South are promoting local expressions of gendered indigeneity while also contributing to global far-right narratives.


A practical control design methodology for turbine engine control synthesis is presented. The procedure utilizes elements of linear theory and optimal control synthesis to produce practical, implementable digital controllers for modern, high performance, aircraft turbine engines. The advanced technology, F100 turbofan engine, multivariable digital controller is used as an example.


Based on backstepping approach and BP neural network theory,a new adaptive robust nonlinear controller is designed for a class of nonlinear system with uncertainty and unknown parameter. The controller expression with undermined parameters can be acquired by using backstepping design idea,and the controller parameters are adjusted online by using BP neural network. The simulation result shows that the controller is robust to nonlinear system and can guarantee the globe boundness of all closed-loop signals.


A two-step sequence for the conversion of heterocyclic imines to saturated and unsaturated polycyclic chlorinated e-lactams is disclosed. In the first step, an acyl chloride addition followed by a substitution is used to achieve unsaturated methoxyamides. The final lactamization to two different classes of polycyclic e-lactams via formation of a C–C bond is realized by the use of metal chlorides as Lewis acid and as a source of chloride. The potential of the e-lactams in subsequent reactions is demonstrated by an elimination reaction.


The Ebola Virus (EBOV) is a deadly virus first identified in 1976 from the Ebola River region of Zaire (presently the Democratic Republic of Congo). EBOV is known for causing viral hemorrhagic fever and it can cause a high mortality rate in infected patients. VP40 is the matrix protein of EBOV (eVP40), which has an N‐terminal domain responsible for dimerization and oligomerization of the protein to form filaments of dimers at the plasma membrane inner leaflet of the host cell. The eVP40 dimerization and filament formation is necessary for viral budding from the host cell membrane. This project aims to investigate which amino acid residues in this N‐terminal dimerization domain are necessary for the protein to be able to oligomerize at the plasma membrane inner leaflet. First, computational screens were performed to determine which residues may play a role in dimerization, and then mutant plasmids with changes at these residues harboring a green fluorescent protein tag were created. Based on the computational screen, we hypothesized amino acid residues Arg52, Ile54, Ala55, Asp56, Asp57, and His61 would be essential for dimerization of eVP40. Mutants of these residues were then transfected into Cos‐7 cells and imaged using confocal microscopy and compared to WT eVP40. Cellular images were analyzed using ImageJ to determine the amount of fluorescently‐tagged protein present at the plasma membrane. Confocal imaging confirmed our central hypothesis and the computational data as these mutations had a significant loss of eVP40 plasma membrane localization. The next steps in this project will be to perform virus‐like particle (VLP) collection to further analyze the effects of point mutations on the dimerization domain as it relates to VLP formation budding out of the host cell.


The development of a standard for the safe, long-term storage of {sup 233}U-containing materials resulted in the identification of several needed experimental studies. These studies were largely related to the potential for the generation of unacceptable pressures or the formation of deleterious products during storage of uranium oxides. The primary concern was that these conditions could occur as a result of the radiolysis of residual impurities--specifically fluorides and water-by the high radiation fields associated with {sup 233}U/{sup 232}U-containing materials. This report documents the results from a gamma radiolysis experiment in which UO{sub 2}F{sub 2} {center_dot} 0.4H{sub 2}O was loaded in helium. This experiment was performed using spent nuclear fuel elements from the High Flux Isotope Reactor as the gamma source and was a follow-on to experiments conducted previously. It was found that upon gamma irradiation, the UO{sub 2}F{sub 2} {center_dot} 0.4H{sub 2}O released 0{sub 2} with an initial G(O{sub 2}) = 0.01 molecule O{sub 2}/100 eV and that some of the uranium was reduced from U(VI) to U(IV). The high total dose achieved in the SNF elements was sufficient to reach a damage limit for the UO{sub 2}F{sub 2} {center_dot} 0.4H{sub 2}O. This damage limit, measured in terms of the amount of the U(IV) produced, was found to be about 9 wt%.


Translation from: Strongly regular graphs and partial geometries. - Enumeration and design, Conf. Combinatorics, Waterloo/Can. 1982, 85-122 (1984; Zbl 0555.05016)


Training artificial agents to acquire desired skills through model-free reinforcement learning (RL) depends heavily on domain-specific knowledge, and the ability to reset the system to desirable configurations for better reward signals. The former hinders generalization to new domains; the latter precludes training in real-life conditions because physical resets are not scalable. Recently, intrinsic motivation was proposed as an alternative objective to alleviate the first issue, but there has been no reasonable remedy for the second. In this work, we present an efficient online algorithm for a type of intrinsic motivation, known as empowerment, and address both limitations. Our method is distinguished by its significantly lower sample and computation complexity, along with improved training stability compared to the relevant state of the art. We achieve this superior efficiency by transforming the challenging empowerment computation into a convex optimization problem through neural networks. In simulations, our method manages to train policies with neither domain-specific knowledge nor manual intervention. To address the issue of resetting in RL, we further show that our approach boosts learning when there's no early termination. Our proposed method opens doors for studying intrinsic motivation for policy training and scaling up model-free RL training in real-life conditions.


In order to model the impact of climate changes on the infrastructure for the built environment, such as embankments and cuttings, an understanding of the water retention behaviour is required. To this end, a series of filter paper tests were carried out on remoulded samples of a sandy clay material of medium plasticity. The soil samples were prepared with different initial water contents and dynamically compacted. Filter paper tests were performed to determine the soil water retention curve (SWRC) from a saturated state. Other subsamples were wetted or dried to reach different water contents for testing. The obtained results were then compared with the SWRC. The drying tests showed typical behaviour of scanning curves, however the wetting curves showed untypical behaviour, where the curves appeared to overlap each other with no clear pattern. The observed behaviour from laboratory samples can be extrapolated to field conditions, where future climate change will have a major impact on the water retention behaviour on earth structures, which will have implications for the geo-mechanical behaviour.


The matter of the article under consideration is such legal categories as citizenship, legal capacity and guarantees, which have dominant influence upon the regulation of administrative law status of the road users. Statistics data analysis for the last ten years enables to retrace the improvement and development of the old juristic devices focused on realization of the administrative law status of road users.


We develop a goodness-of-fit (GOF) test for generative models of self-exciting processes by making a new connection to this problem with the classical statistical theory of Quasi-maximum-likelihood estimator (QMLE). We present a non-parametric self-normalizing statistic for the GOF test: the Generalized Score (GS) statistics, and explicitly capture the model misspecification when establishing the asymptotic distribution of the GS statistic. Numerical experiments based on simulation and real-data validate our theory and demonstrate the proposed GS test's good performance.


This research focus on the route of public transportation from Kuantan to Gambang (UMP). The research aim to reduce time taken by Rapid bus from one stop to another stop. Currently, there are quite number of stops in between these two destination. Yet, some of the stop are close with each other. Thus, it increased the total time of the route. By using the simulation software, this study try to reduce the route time from Kuantan to Gambang by eliminating certain stops which is economically less.


This paper describes the development and validation of software to automate the authoring of training materials written in controlled English, such as Simplified English (SE). In SE, writers must adhere to many writing rules. While such materials are easy to read, they are very difficult to write. For example, use of short names for equipment must be consistent; also use of synonyms is not allowed. The software provides feedback regarding adherence to stipulated vocabulary and writing rules. Algorithms contained in the software include sentence parsing routines to verify that words are used according to their defined part of speech.


Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) plays an important role in the control of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation, a process critical for normal development of the skeleton. To reveal the contributions of the epithelial Fgfr3b isoform and the mesenchymal Fgfr3c isoform to skeletal overgrowth seen in mice, in which both isoforms have been inactivated (Fgf3c−/− mice), we have generated mice in which each of the two Fgfr3 isoforms has been selectively inactivated. Whereas no apparent phenotype was detected in Fgfr3b−/− mice, strong stimulation of chondrocyte proliferation in the growth plates of Fgf3c−/− mice caused dramatic skeletal overgrowth and other skeletal abnormalities resembling the phenotype of mice deficient in both Fgfr3 isoforms. In addition, Fgfr3c−/− mice exhibited decreased bone mineral density in the cortical and trabecular bone, whereas the bone mineral density of Fgfr3b−/− mice resembled that of WT mice. These experiments demonstrated that the mesenchymal Fgfr3c isoform is responsible for controlling chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation that mediate normal skeletal development, whereas the epithelial Fgfr3b isoform does not contribute toward this process.


Critical thinking is one of the potentials of a child and needs to be developed. In Sunday School, teachers must play a role in developing critical thinking skills in children, especially for children aged 11-12 years. Therefore, this study aims to generate ideas about the role of Sunday School teachers in developing critical thinking skills in children aged 11-12 years. This study uses qualitative research methods through a literature study approach. The results of this study are Sunday School teachers can do several things to develop children's critical thinking skills, namely understanding the concept of Biblical theology about critical thinking, imitating Jesus as the Great Teacher in critical thinking, and guiding children in critical thinking. Sunday School teachers must understand each child with their thinking abilities; provide teaching materials that stimulate children to think critically; provide a variety of learning methods; provide opportunities for children to search for their learning materials; and encourage children to express their thoughts creatively and usefully. Keyword: The role of Sunday School teacher, critical thinking, children aged 11–12 year.


This paper uses annual aggregate data for 16 countries in Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) for the period 2000-2006 to determine the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on growth. The OIC countries are classified based on 4 geographical groups of region (Africa, Asia, Middle East and Western Hemisphere). We have used panel regression analysis and empirical result support that a FDI and openness has a positive impact on growth into the OIC countries. In addition study finds FDI caused GDP growth in these countries. These suggest that FDI has indirect effect on economic growth in OIC.


The arrival of summer,the temperature of the hot weather caused many security pyoblems;to the outdoor physical education in teaching students pyevetion and treatment of high temperature on the impact of the body.


This paper aims to examine the effects of the Negotiated Planning in Italy in the last decade, withparticular attention to the impact of funding related to the Territorial Pacts on beneficiary firms. The literatureis divided into different analyses on the effects of the «new Italian economic planning». The firstand more drastic argument is attributable to the idea of the failure of Negotiated Planning, coordinatedsince 1999 by the Department for Development Policies of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Rossi,3382005; De Blasio - Lotti, 2008; Accetturo - De Blasio, 2011). In response to specific additional investmentflows addressed to the South of a significant amount, distances North-South were not reduced and especiallythe enormous effort of the new season of the decentralized territorial policies showed radical methodologicallimitations and results, with negligible effects on economic development and on employmentof the involved areas. The second theory emphasizes instead the presence of «positive signs» in economicdynamics of the South in the last decade, while recognizing the need of some major revisions in contentand practices of development policies (Viesti, 2005). However in the economic empirical literature thereis a lacks of comprehensive assessment of the effects of Territorial Pacts concerning complete data ondisbursements to firms, investments, performance of funded firms. The paper aims to fill this gap. Themethodology used for the assessment is consolidated in literature of public policy evaluation, and in particularthe implemented instruments are the difference-in-differences analysis and the matching analysis.Two reasons for caution in interpreting the results has to be pointed out: first, that the assessment of theeffects of Territorial Pacts is much broader than the analysis of the performance of the beneficiaries andgenerally concerns the territorial development of eligible areas, the institutional learning and the capacityto cooperate, and secondly the impacts of incentives on firms also derive from anticipatory effects whenincentives accelerate investment processes already programmed.


Situational triggers for urinary urgency and incontinence (UUI) such as "latchkey incontinence" and running water are often reported clinically, but no current clinical tools exist to directly address symptoms of UUI provoked by environmental stimuli. Previously we have shown that urgency and leakage can be reproduced during urodynamic studies with exposure to personal urgency‐related images. Here we investigate the neural signatures associated with such situational triggers to inform potential therapies for reducing reactivity to these personal urgency‐related cues among women with situational UUI.


This chapter discusses the influence of Jewish apocalyptic and visionary-mystical merkava traditions on Paul's thought and experience, and on his understanding of his apostolic role. It provides a unique apocalyptic disclosure passage encountered in 2 Corinthians 12 and the significance of that disclosure in relation to the polemical context in which the passage is embedded. Main tenets of the argument are the existence in late Second Temple Judaism of a trend of mysticism involving visionary practices and experiences, which resembles and prefigures the type of mysticism encountered in rabbinic documents from the third century onwards and in the hekhalot literature; the close relationship of the visionary experience mentioned in 2 Cor 12:1-12 to this proto-rabbinic mysticism; and the centrality of that vision to Paul's claim to have received his apostolic commission not by human transmission, but directly from the heavenly-enthroned Christ.Keywords: apostolic commission; hekhalot literature; merkava traditions; Paul; Second Temple Judaism


Discipline is one of the elements composed institutions of higher learning.It′s a tendency to focus upon the construction of discipline during the reform and development of Chinese higher education.This thesis proposes some countermeasures on how to solve the existing problems of the construction of discipine.


This paper describes recent applications of heat pipe technology in fuel cell systems, which include new stack designs with heat pipes to improve heat transfer as well as work on fuel cell system level design and engineering with adopting the heat pipe concept. In one design, micro-heat pipes are inserted and bonded in bipolar plates for thermal control in the fuel cell stack. In another design, flat heat pipes are integrated with a carbon bipolar plate for improving thermal control in the fuel cell stack. Finally, based on the heat pipe concept, we specifically developed a series of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems characterized as passive technology for methanol fuel delivery, water recirculation, and air and thermal management. Long-term durability and stability of the passive DMFC systems have been proved experimentally.


The glass industry is considered one of the most important features of the traditional Egyptian handicraft industries, especially what bears the ancient Egyptian heritage, because this heritage has established the foundations and principles of many modern glass technologies such as casting techniques and techniques for reforming glass free, in addition to the aesthetic and heritage values it bears distinctive industries that qualify them for Small heritage. In light of globalization and international agreements and the conquest of Egyptian markets with international glass products that are not commensurate with the Egyptian thought and heritage, there have been no serious scientific attempts to benefit from the ancient Egyptian glass industry, technically and aesthetically, and this is what the research focused on how to revive this heritage, which is distinguished by innovative glass techniques and methods by forming For traditional glass products such as charms, amulets and utensils, which suit the level of small craftsmanship and reach a high level of quality that is competitive in the global market. From here, the research problem arose in the need to revive the ancient Egyptian glass industry heritage with innovative techniques for heritage glass products suitable for small heritage industries, leading to the research goal of creating modern technical methods and methods using glass pastes to form glass products to revive the ancient Egyptian glass industry heritage, and for which research appears in the ancient Egyptian glass industry. With the ancient Egyptian glass industry heritage to compete not only at the local Egyptian level but also at the global level, the research assumes that by studying and analysing the techniques of the ancient Egyptian glass industry and taking advantage of the glass paste forming techniques that were reached in previous research. 2 Technological methods and methods for forming pastes can be devised Glassware carrying the ancient Egyptian glass heritage, such as amulets, medallions and utensils, which are suitable for small traditional crafts industries. The research has reached some results, including: The analysis of the forms and methods of production of ancient Egyptian glass products through historical development can be used in devising technical methods and methods of forming with glass pastes to form amulets, inlays and utensils


Adopting the indexes of function of external service,using the data of 2000,2005 and 2010,this paper makes a comparison research on the external service function among the three economic zones in the southeast of China,which are Yangtze River Delta Region,Pearl River Delta Region and Haixi Economic Zone.The result reveals that external service function of Pearl River Delta grows most quickly,Yangtz River Delta grows steadily,Haixi Economic Zone has a slight growth,because of its relatively low labor specialization.The finding further indicates the differences mentioned above to some extent are relative to spatial distribution and urban hierarchy structure of external service function for each region.In last 10 years,the external service function gravity is transferred in Yangtz River Delta and Pearl Delta Region,that shows why Haixi Economic Zone develops slowly,and indicates that it still faces the predicament of extrusion both by Yangtz River Delta and Pearl River Delta.


The purpose o f this correlational study was to establish concurrent validity o f functional reach, the maximal distance one can reach forward beyond arm's length without taking a step, as a measure of physical decline, by determining the relationship between functional reach and other physical performance measures. Subjects included 46 community-dwelling women over 65 years o f age who performed the functional reach test, the timed Up and Go, and the 10-foot walk. Data analysis employed Pearson correlation coefficients. The association between FR and timed Up and Go and 10-foot walk was r = -.51 and r = -.53 respectively. After controlling for age, partial correlation coefficients between FR and timed Up and Go and 10-foot walk were r = -.46 and -.48, respectively {p = .001). In conclusion, FR showed modest concurrent validity with other physical performance measures.


Objective To know the epidemiologic characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS)in Shanxi province,in order to provide the scientific evidence in making preventive countermeasures.Methods Authors based on the surveillance findings of SARS in Shanxi province, epidemic areas,epidemic time and epidemic population of SARS were analyzed.Result There were 448 SARS cases cumulated in Shanxi province. the cumulative disease incidence was 1.36/100 000 including 24 dead cases and the mortality was 5.36%. All cases distributed of 39 counties in Shanxi province. The top four occupations ranked among SARS cases were doctors, students, managers and peasants. The male cases constituent ratio(52.23%)was more than female cases(47.77%).Disease incidence under 20 years older of SARS was a higher than others and children were more significant and the similar tendency was found among the elderly over 70 years.The cluster phenomenon was found which means:there was a higher disease incidence of SARS in hospital and family.


Objective: Prospective studies have linked both negative affective states and trait neuroticism with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. However, identifying how fluctuations in cardiovascular activity in day-to-day settings are related to changes in affect and stable personality characteristics has remained a methodological and logistical challenge. Design: In the present study, we tested the association between affect, affect variability, personality and heart rate (HR) in daily life. Measures: We utilized an online day reconstruction survey to produce a continuous account of affect, interaction, and activity patterns during waking hours. Ambulatory HR was assessed during the same period. Consumption, activity, and baseline physiological characteristics were assessed in order to isolate the relationships between affect, personality and heart rate. Results: Negative affect and variability in positive affect predicted an elevated ambulatory HR and tiredness a lower HR. Emotional stability was inversely related to HR, whereas agreeableness predicted a higher HR. Baseline resting HR was unrelated to either affect or personality. Conclusion: The results suggest that both state and trait factors implicated in negative affectivity may be risk factors for increased cardiovascular reactivity in everyday life. Combining day reconstruction with psychophysiological and environmental monitoring is discussed as a minimally invasive method with promising interdisciplinary relevance.


Methotrexate (MTX) is one of commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs, with well-known nephrotoxic effect. This study aimed to investigate the protective mechanisms of gossypin; a bioflavonoid present in plants, against MTX-induced nephrotoxicity. Rats were allocated into 4 groups: control, gossypin, MTX, and gossypin/MTX groups. Evaluation of renal function and histological images were done. Renal tissue oxidative markers of lipid peroxidation, total nitrite/nitrate (NO) level, reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured. Inflammatory and apoptotic markers as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and beta-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) mRNA and protein expressions, respectively, as well as renal immunohistochemical expression of cyclooxygenase-II (COX-II) and fas ligand, were assessed. Renal P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression was also measured. MTX caused a significant elevation in kidney functions, with noticeable elevation inoxidative stressmarkers' levels, aswell asCOX-II and fas ligand expressions. Moreover, MTX decreased renal antioxidant enzymes, P-gp level, and Bcl-2 expression. Gossypin administration significantly improved renal functions and oxidative insults, in addition to significant improvement of inflammatory and apoptotic parameters. Gossypin administration before MTX also ameliorated renal damage, at least in part, via modulation of P-gp level. In conclusion, gossypin may be an effective nephroprotective adjuvant to MTX through antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.


Dr. Good, the assistant medical officer, gives lectures on mental nursing to the staff, and ten of the attendants have obtained their nursing certificates. Dr. Sankey had one very unpleasant experience during the year. The female side of the building caught fire, and could not be put out until the roof and second floor of a iwing 200 feet long had been burned. Temporary arrangements were at once made to cope with the loss of space entailed by the destruction, and much energy was shown in putting e\ei>thing right again, for in ten weeks the work was finished. The Committee of Visitors traverse the Commissioneis report, and " venture to deny the accuracy of the statement that 'the entire building was gutted' by the fire." The Commissioners say "the asylum appliances in a measure broke down," while the Committee reply that " the


Colorectal cancer, ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision) categories C18-C21 (cancer of the colon, recto-sigmoid junction, and rectum) is considered among the top ten malignancies globally with a 25 fold variation worldwide (Parkin, 2005). Higher incidence rates are reported for North America, Australia/ New Zealand, Western Europe, and Japan. A lower incidence is reported for Africa and Asia and intermediate rates for southern parts of South America (Parkin DM, 2005). In 'Cancer Incidence in Five Continents' (CIV)


Structure in music is traditionally analyzed hierarchically: large-scale sections can be sub-divided and refined down to the short melodic ideas at the motivic level. However, typical algorithmic approaches to structural annotation produce flat temporal partitions of a track, which are commonly evaluated against a similarly flat, human-produced annotation. Evaluating structure analysis as represented by flat annotations effectively discards all notions of structural depth in the evaluation. Although collections of hierarchical structure annotations have been recently published, no techniques yet exist to measure an algorithm's accuracy against these rich structural annotations. In this work, we propose a method to evaluate structural boundary detection with hierarchical annotations. The proposed method transforms boundary detection into a ranking problem, and facilitates the comparison of both flat and hierarchical annotations. We demonstrate the behavior of the proposed method with various synthetic and real examples drawn from the SALAMI dataset.


BACKGROUND
Primary systemic amyloidosis (AL) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the extracellular deposition of immunoglobulins light chains in different organs and systems. Median survival with current standard treatment is less than 2 years. Intensive chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell rescue has been used in AL for the last five years. The reported results are encouraging, with a high response rate (65%). Nonetheless, this procedure is associated to an important toxicity, with high transplant related mortality (about 25%). In patients with advanced AL (more than two involved organs) and/or complicated cardiac disease, the mortality is particularly high. In the current report we describe the outcome of the first five patients who received high dose therapy for AL at our institution.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
This treatment was administered to patients up to the age of 70 years, who met the standard eligibility criteria for an autologous bone marrow transplantation. Intensive treatment consisted of melphalan 200 mg/m2 in all patients but one who received 140 mg/m2.

RESULTS
Two patients died during the first month after the transplant (arrhythmia: 1, multiorganic failure: 1). Both patients had a poor performance status and advanced disease, with more than two organs involved. The response in the remaining three was of stabilization of the nephrotic syndrome in one and objective response in all the involved organs in the remaining two.

CONCLUSIONS
High dose therapy (HDT) with stem cell rescue in AL produces a high response rate. Nevertheless, this treatment approach is associated to a high toxicity.


The invention relates to a manufacturing method and a production technology of a solid wood imitation door from laminated wood made of fast growing poplar rotary-cut single plates (figure 1.2), aiming to solve the problems of low structural strength, easiness in joint breaking, high expansion ratio, decorative finish cracking, easiness in deformation and warping for the existing solid wood composite door. The manufacturing method of the solid wood imitation door are characterized by comprising the following steps of: comparing the density of the fast growing polar rotary-cut single plates with the densities of larch and Korean pine; determining the densities of a door vertical pole and a core plate respectively; solving the compression ratio of the door vertical pole to the core plate by utilizing the ratio of two densities; determining the thicknesses of a door vertical pole assembly and a core plate assembly respectively by utilizing two compression ratios; determining technology parameters of the door vertical pole assembly and the core plate assembly in pressing according to the compression ratio, the adhesive curing temperature, time, and pressure; and cutting, manufacturing, assembling, and finishing products according to the actual design dimension of the solid wood imitation door after the assemblies are finished. The manufacturing method and the production technology of the solid wood imitation door have the advantages that the solid wood imitation door has the mechanics strength superior to the natural solid wood, good water resistance and humidity resistant performances, light weight, and difficulty in deformation, cracking and warping.


The present invention provides a control system for a single-acting pump chamber outlet of the feedback variable displacement vane pump, comprising a single-acting pump chamber outlet feedback variable displacement vane pump, pump outlet, the main gallery, the oil pan, and the relief valve a main control valve, the outlet of the pump chamber acting single feedback variable displacement vane pump includes a pump body, a blade, a rotor, a feedback pressure oil chamber, the rotary slide a positioning pin, slider and variable variable spring; single-acting outlet pump chamber feedback variable displacement vane pump by increasing the main structure of the two variable displacement control valve, the control by the main difference between the cross section of the upper end of valve piston chamber formed in the lower end of the piston chamber differential pressure control than double-acting feedback chamber simplified variable displacement vane pump, the control valve arrangement and design more flexible, more stable pressure control; while integrating the switching function between the low-pressure stage and high pressure stage variable displacement variable displacement in function of the relief valve .


Today's paleomagnetic and magnetic proxy studies involve processing of large sample collections while simultaneously demanding high quality data and high reproducibility. Here we describe a fully automated interface based on a commercial horizontal pass‐through "2G" DC‐SQUID magnetometer. This system is operational at the universities of Bremen (Germany) and Utrecht (Netherlands) since 1998 and 2006, respectively, while a system is currently being built at NGU Trondheim (Norway). The magnetometers are equipped with "in‐line" alternating field (AF) demagnetization, a direct‐current bias field coil along the coaxial AF demagnetization coil for the acquisition of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) and a long pulse‐field coil for the acquisition of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM). Samples are contained in dedicated low magnetization perspex holders that are manipulated by a pneumatic pick‐and‐place‐unit. Upon desire samples can be measured in several positions considerably enhancing data quality in particular for magnetically weak samples. In the Bremen system, the peak of the IRM pulse fields is actively measured which reduces the discrepancy between the set field and the field that is actually applied. Techniques for quantifying and removing gyroremanent overprints and for measuring the viscosity of IRM further extend the range of applications of the system. Typically c. 300 paleomagnetic samples can be AF demagnetized per week (15 levels) in the three‐position protocol. The versatility of the system is illustrated by several examples of paleomagnetic and rock magnetic data processing.


The BaBar experiment at the PEP-II accelerator at SLAC, due to come online in early 1999, will generate approximately 300 TB of physics and simulated data per year during its lifetime. The user community of approximately 500 physicists is widely dispersed, but require high speed access to much of the data. The placement of data throughout the collaboration and across media of different access characteristics and costs will be crucial in allowing high speed, efficient access to the most frequently used information. Placement or clustering strategies must perform in a fully multi-process and multi-user environment and must be able to utilize an arbitrary configuration of file servers (including hierarchical mass storage systems such as HPSS) in a distributed client-server architecture. Site-specific configuration must be able to cope with the requirements of the collaboration, regional and institutional centers. BaBar is using object oriented database (ODBMS) technology as the basis for the event store and conditions database. This paper will describe the data placement strategy and its implementation in terms of clustering hints and configuration files. The BaBar project is a High Energy Physics experiment at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). A central theme of its research program is the detailed study of the difference between matter and antimatter. The project is constructed by a large international collaboration of physicists and engineers from 10 countries. A new detector as well as the software are currently being designed and are due to come online in April 1999. Data taking is expected to last 10 years, leading to a total data sample of some 3 PB. Designing a system that can handle such enormous data volumes requires special tools and techniques. One of important aspects of a system which is expected to handle petabytes of data is the issue of how to actually store data. Over half of BaBar data will reside on tertiary storage (tapes), and careless data placement is simply unaffordable. Data should be placed in a way that will optimize its later access: "hot" data (like compressed event data, e.g. tag data) should go on fast media, while rarely used data should end up on tapes. Placement of data is undoubtedly one of the most important parts of the access optimization, the other equally important is efficient data clustering. Once a file is "touched", as much data should be read out of it as possible; it is clearly undesirable to bring up a tape just to read several bytes. In addition to basic requirements, which have to be fulfilled by the module responsible for placement and clustering, several others like ƒ full concurrency support ƒ multiple file servers support ƒ allow data distribution ƒ allow site specific configuration must also be fulfilled. The BaBar persistent data storage is based on two commercial products: an object database: Objectivity/DB and a mass storage system: HPSS. They introduce many new features and relieve the burden of writing low-level coding, but at the same time they add further restrictions and complications which should not be underestimated.


Provided is an assembling connector suitable for furniture, comprising a male element (1) and a female element (2). The female element is provided with a back plate (21) of the female element, and the upper end of the back plate of the female element is greater in width than the lower end thereof. A first side plate (22) and a second side plate (23) are connected on both sides of the back plate of the female element. A guiding slot (25) is provided on the female element. The upper end of the male element is greater in width than the lower end thereof and the male element is inserted in the guiding slot of the female element. The assembling connector enables the assembly of furniture to be convenient and improves the stability of connections by arranging two connectors oppositely inserted into each other.


A general formula for the g/sub R/ factor is derived in accordance with Skyrme' s variational method. Numerical values of g/sub R/ for Yb/sup 172/, Yb/ sup 173/, Yb/sup 174/, Lu/sup 175/, Hf/sup 176/, Hf/sup 177/, H/sup 178/, H/sup 179/, and Hf/sup 180/ are obtained using Nilsson's wave functions. The calculated values of g/sub R/ depend on the discrepancy of the spin-orbit coupling parameter x between the neutron and the proton. They are near to the observed values, smaller than Z/A and greater than those of the cranking model with pair-correlation interaction taken into account. (auth)


Various Hmong villages are located in the Leigong Mountain area,a national natural reserve,reflecting the coexistence of biodiversity and ethnic cultural diversity.Based on an analysis of biological and cultural diversity,the present study is to explore the coupling relationship between the biodiversity and Hmong cultural inheritance so as to provide useful tips to the protection of the local biodiversity resources and Hmong cultural heritages.


The metastability of 20NeH and 20NeD previously identified by neutralized ion beam studies in this laboratory has been confirmed by the observation of metastability for 22NeH and 22NeD in a similar study. A lifetime of τ≥10 μs is determined for the metastable states which are tentatively identified as Rydberg levels of intermediate n(n≤14) and possibly high l. The discrepancy between our previously measured dissociative kinetic energy release for 20NeD and that of Peterson et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 91, 6880 (1989)] is resolved.


JAK2V617F mutation as a marker of a latent myeloproliferative disorder in a patient with Budd-Chiari syndrome and factor V Leiden mutation -