Dongola experienced its heyday upon becoming the main center of the Kingdom of Makuria in the early medieval period. The first step was building a citadel on an apparently uninhabited rocky plateau rising steeply above the Nile on the east bank of the river. This is believed to have taken place at the close of the 5th century and before the kings of Makuria adopted Christianity. The choice of place for the royal court was dictated by the needs of a developing kingdom. The seat of power had to be moved from the vicinity of Kushite Napata to a central position in the Kingdom of Makuria, away from the great religious complexes of the Kushite period.1 There is no doubt that the decision was as much strategic as political, the current trends in defensive architecture of the time requiring towns to be fortified in order to ensure the new rulers proper economic and political security.


A new, selective method for the synthesis of 4-haloisoquinolines
and 3-haloindoles is presented by the halopalladation cyclizations
of alkynes with azides. In the presence of PdX2 (X = Br, Cl)
and halide sources, a variety of 2-alkynyl benzyl azides or 2-alkynyl
aryl azides smoothly underwent the halopalladation cyclization
reaction to afford the corresponding 3-substituted 4-haloisoquinolines
and 2-substituted 3-haloindoles in moderate to good yields.


The Saxon State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture called for a project to establish an information centre for reducing erosion. A wide range of advice and technical information will be available on effective field husbandry for erosion reduction.


In this essay, I offer a critical evaluation of Hilary Putnam's writings on epistemology and philosophy of science, in particular his engagement with interpretative problems in quantum mechanics. I trace the development of his thinking from the late 1960s when he adopted a strong causal-realist position on issues of meaning, reference, and truth, via the "internal realist" approach of his middle-period writings, to the various forms of pragmatist, naturalized, or "commonsense" epistemology proposed in his latest books. My contention is that Putnam's retreat from a full-fledged realist outlook has been prompted in large part by his belief that it cannot possibly be reconciled with the implications of quantum mechanics for our understanding of processes and events in the subatomic domain. However, I suggest, this response should be seen as premature given the range of as-yet unresolved problems with quantum mechanics on the orthodox (Copenhagen) interpretation and also the existence of an alternative account - David Bohm's hidden-variables theory - which perfectly matches the established predictive-observational results while providing a credible realist ontology. I also examine Putnam's case for adopting a nonstandard (three-valued) "quantum logic" in relation to the thinking of other philosophers - Michael Dummett among them - who have espoused a more global or doctrinaire version of anti-realism. I conclude that Putnam's early (causal-realist) position is by no means untenable in light of the various arguments that he now takes as counting decisively against it.


The utility model relates to the technical field of medicinal herb harvesting machinery, in particular to a long-stalk medicinal herb combine harvester which comprises a rack. A traction rod used for being in three-point suspension connection with a tractor is welded at the front end of the rack. The long-stalk medicinal herb combine harvester is characterized in that a lifting oil cylinder and a gearbox are arranged on the upper portion of the rack, a lifting rod of the lifting oil cylinder is connected with a digging shovel frame on the rack, a parallel four-rod mechanism, a copying soil breaking roller, a soil cutting disc, a finger stirring wheel and a digging shovel are arranged on the digging shovel frame, a primary separating and elevating chain device and a secondary separating and elevating chain device are arranged on the lower portion of the rack, and a soil block extruding roller and a grid-type material fetching device which correspond to the secondary separating and elevating chain device are arranged on the rear portion of the rack. The long-stalk medicinal herb combine harvester is small in mechanical damages to medicinal herbs, good in medicinal herb separation effect, high in working efficiency and capable of completing processes like medicinal herb digging, soil block and medicinal herb separation, medicinal herb elevating and conveying and medicinal herb collection in one step.


Our aim was to investigate the adsorption of humic acid (HA) on the Au(111) and Au polycrystalline electrode, as well as the adsorption competition between HA and chloride anion. The investigations are relevant to the situation encountered in estuaries, where HA interacts with increasing concentrations of inorganic salts from seawater. The adsorption of HA was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, differential capacitance measurements, chronocoulometry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements. The investigations were performed in NaClO4 and NaCl solutions at pH 5 and 2. HA adsorbs on the Au(111) surface practically in the whole double layer potential region (the potential region in which the faradaic current is negligible), from about −0.6 V (SCE) through all the measured positive potentials. Gibbs surface excess of HA increases with positive potentials. In the presence of NaCl two opposite effects are encountered: Na+ ions neutralize negative charges on HA and thus enhance its adsorption, while Cl− compete with HA for the adsorption sites on Au(111). Ratio of HA to NaCl concentration, electrode potential, and structural transitions of the Au(111) surface dictate which of the two effects shall predominate.


momentarily appear in these pages. The art of the author was surely tempered by design. Nor do the essays merely entertain. Of medicine and medical schools, of libraries and of books and their makers, many things are said; some strangely prophetic, some with a sly dig at the all-too-complacent, but many more based on what the author regarded as worthier than a shibboleth, on common sense. The seven essays presented under the general title "The Medical Career" and the nine "Biographical Sketches," reveal Doctor Cushing in many moods, each genuinely his own. This book was worth waiting for. It meets a need in public health literature which has long existed and which has grown more urgent in recent years. To write authoritatively on one of the newest developments in the relatively new field of public health is no simple task, but it is one for which the author is eminently qualified. Few public health authorities have tackled so many current public health administrative problems throughout the United States. Add this experience, his objectivity, keen discernment, and sympathetic understanding, and the usefulness of this book is explained. His collaborators are also well known for their many years on the firing line of day-by-day health education. The book was bound to be practical. The Commonwealth Fund has once more made an important contribution to the Nation's current public health needs. This is no lengthy, academic lecture on how to educate the public in health. It is not a pronouncement from the Oracle showing the one path of virtue. True to its title, it sets forth several of the best ways now being used to improve the health behavior of our people. It shows why health behavior needs improvement and gives convincing reasons why the modern health department should permeate its entire program with health education rather than rely solely upon imperialistic law enforcement. It is a brief, but comprehensive , worker's manual on health education of the public, as valuable to the health educator connected with the health department or the voluntary health agency, as is the pharmacopeia to the physician. It is direct, simple, unprovincial, well organized, and at times inspired. Practical examples for conducting a tuberculosis, diphtheria, or syphilis campaign are well selected and in sufficient detail. A chasm of unfamiliarity often exists between community health education and other forms of education. This book leaves one with the feeling that …


We develop an energy efficient digital data link connecting cryogenic superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) circuits to room-temperature electronics. The design is based on low-temperature (4 K) superconductor ERSFQ SFQ/dc drivers, high-temperature superconductor data cables spanning 4 K to 70 K temperature stages, mid-temperature (70 K) polarization modulation vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (PM VCSELs), and fiber optic links to room temperature electronics. The Energy-efficient Cryogenic Optical (ECO) data link design is based on balancing power dissipation and signal gain at each temperature stage to maximize overall energy efficiency following the recently introduced Thermo-Gain Rule. To achieve VCSEL light emission with two switchable distinct polarization modes, a cruciform-shaped anisotropic optical cavity is formed by fabrication of a photonic crystal with etched periodic air holes surrounding the unetched cruciform region. In this report, we present the results of design, fabrication, and preliminary testing of the ECO data link components.


The effects of oxygen flow speed and pressure on the iron and mild steel combustion are investigated experimentally and theoretically. The studied specimens are vertical cylindrical rods subjected to an axial oxygen flow and ignited at the upper end by laser irradiation. Three main stages of the combustion process have been identified experimentally: (1) induction period, during which the rod is heated until an intensive metal oxidation begins at its upper end; (2) static combustion, during which a laminar liquid "cap'' slowly grows on the upper rod end, and, after the liquid cap detachment from the sample; (3) dynamic combustion, which is characterized by a rapid metal consumption and turbulent liquid motions. An analytical description of these stages is given. In particular, a model of the dynamic combustion is constructed based on the turbulent oxygen transport through the liquid metal-oxide flow. This model yields a simple expression for the fraction of metal burned in the process and allows one to calculate the normal propagation speed of the solid metal–liquid interface as a function of the oxygen flow speed and pressure. A comparison of the theory with the experimental results is made, and its potential application is mentioned.


In recent years, various algorithms for mining closed frequent itemsets (CFI) have been proposed. Different structures such as prefix sharing are used within these algorithms. However the name challenging problem in many of them is the high requirement of memory, especially in case of sparse datasets. Thus, most of the proposed methods are proper for dense datasets. In this paper we present a new approach to mining closed frequent itemsets using two structures, namely Patricia tree and PTArray. By using these two structures, both the response time and also memory consumption are reduced, significantly. The proposed method, called PTclose is suitable for both dense and sparse datasets. The algorithm is assessed throughout a set of experiments. The results narrate for the relative efficiency of the algorithm compared to other existing methods.


An increase in half-life of antipyrine and a decrease in the metabolic capacity of microsomes were observed in rats 4 and 6 days after the in vivo gamma-irradiation. A correlation was noted between the in vivo half-life of antipyrine and the in vitro microsomal data.


1) A push gateway in a wireless network system which can maintain a file inventory stored in a client terminal and selectively push only one file, which is either added or changed, from a content server to the client terminal, and a method of operating the push gateway, 2) a push gateway in a wireless communication system which can maintain a template sub file as is and also can push only a variable value sub file or an include sub file, which is included in a file, to the client terminal, and a method of operating the push gateway, and 3) a push gateway in a wireless network system which can transmit a small amount of data received from a content server to the client terminal in a message format, such as a Short Message Service (SMS), and the like, and a method of operating the push gateway is provided.


This study investigated the change of the achievement rate of the target water quality conditioned on the occurrence of severe drought, to assess the effects of meteorological drought on the water quality management in the Nakdong River basin. Using three drought indices with difference time scales such as 30-, 60-, 90-day, i.e., SPI30, SPI60, SPI90, and three water quality indicators such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total organic carbon (TOC), and total phosphorus (T-P), we first analyzed the relationship between severe drought occurrence water quality change in mid-sized watersheds, and identified the watersheds in which water quality was highly affected by severe drought. The Bayesian network models were constructed for the watersheds to probabilistically assess the relationship between severe drought and water quality management. Among 22 mid-sized watersheds in the Nakdong River basin, four watersheds, such as #2005, #2018, #2021, and #2022, had high environmental vulnerability to severe drought. In addition, severe drought affected spring and fall water quality in the watershed #2021, summer water quality in the #2005, and winter water quality in the #2022. The causal relationship between drought and water quality management is usufaul in proactive drought management.


—Representing the spatial properties of facial at- tributes is a vital challenge for facial attribute recognition (FAR). Recent advances have achieved the reliable performances for FAR, benefiting from the description of spatial properties via extra prior information. However, the extra prior information might not be always available, resulting in the restricted application scenario of the prior-based methods. Meanwhile, the spatial ambiguity of facial attributes caused by inherent spatial diversities of facial parts is ignored. To address these issues, we propose a prior-free method for attribute spatial decomposition (ASD), mitigating the spatial ambiguity of facial attributes without any extra prior information. Specifically, assignment-embedding module (AEM) is proposed to enable the procedure of ASD, which consists of two operations: attribute-to-location assignment and location-to-attribute embedding. The attribute- to-location assignment first decomposes the feature map based on latent factors, assigning the magnitude of attribute components on each spatial location. Then, the assigned attribute components from all locations to represent the global-level attribute embed- dings. Furthermore, correlation matrix minimization (CMM) is introduced to enlarge the discriminability of attribute embed- dings. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of ASD compared with state-of-the-art prior-based methods, while the reliable performance of ASD for the case of limited training data is further validated. the blank of prior-free method in FAR task.


Medical Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) is a safe and effective method for women with unwanted pregnancies. Heterogeneity exists in the follow up protocols and in the definition of complete abortion following treatment.


The c ! l semi-leptonic branching fraction was measured using a double tag method based on the detection of exclusively reconstructed D mesons accompanied by a lepton in the opposite hemisphere. From the analysis of 3.0 Million Z 0 events collected in 1991-94 runs, (5369 182) D or D 0 decays with high charm purity were selected. From a sample of (411 26) identiied leptons opposite to the reconstructed D mesons, the charm semi-leptonic branching ratio was measured to be :


Monodispersed spherical particles are potentially available for various applications as building blocks for photonic crystals, chromatography stationary phase, and drug support for controlled release. Immobilization of a molecular recognizable unit to the surface of the spherical particles is important in such applications. Here we report that silica spheres of submicrometer size were covered by a swellable layered silicate, which plays a role in accommodating cationic species. The coverage was conduced by using colloidal monodispersed silica spheres as a sacrificial template in the presence of urea and layered silicate sources (LiF and MgCl2) at 373 K. X-ray diffraction peaks ascribed to hectorite (smectite group of layered clay) were observed in the resulting solid. The zeta potential distribution of the resulting solid had a single peak and shifted from that of the original silica. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations revealed that stacks of the silicate layers lay on the surface of the ...


This paper focuses on the effect of group dynamics on group effectiveness within the group support system (GSS) environment This study differentiates team-based GSS participants from non-team GSS participants and examines the influence of team dynamics within the GSS. Team-building exercises were used to differentiate "teams" from random group participation. The results indicate that team members exhibited a higher degree of agreement and willingness to change as a result of interaction than did the randomly assembled groups. Finally, the results indicate that the GSS environment and process may be enhanced through team building activities prior to the GSS session.


This annotated bibliography contains information pertaining to the health effects associated with various alternative energy sources. Data were compiled to aid applicants and their consultants in meeting National Environmental Policy Act and 1977 Clean Air Act Amendment requirements regarding assessment of health effects of energy alternatives. Items selected for inclusion in the bibliography were limited to those having a direct bearing on comparative health effects and risk assessment. References are included in five major sections: general articles, risk assessment methodology, electric power generation, fuel extraction and fabrication and waste management and disposal. Personal and corporate author indexes are included.


The wear resistance of Cu Cr Zr alloy sliding against brass in the presence of electric filed of various currents was examined on a pin on disk test rig. The effect of aging treatment on the mechanical and sliding wear resistance of Cu Cr Zr alloy under electric current was investigated. The worn surfaces of Cu Cr Zr alloy were analyzed with a scanning electron microscope. The test results show that the wear rate of the alloy decreases initially with the aging temperature and then increases to some extent when the temperature rises above 500 ℃. The smallest wear rate is reached for the alloy aged at 500 ℃ for 2h. The dominant wear mechanisms of the alloy against brass under electric current are adhesive wear, abrasive wear and arc erosion. Compared with Cu Ag wire alloy (CTHA110) under the same test condition, the Cu Cr Zr alloy has better wear resistance.


The invention relates to an underground coal mine water pump room monitoring system based on ZigBee. The system is characterized in that the system is composed of one computer, one ZigBee coordinator node and a plurality of ZigBee terminal nodes, wherein the ZigBee coordinator node comprises a control module, a serial port module, a JTAG debugging interface module, a press key module, an alarming module and a power module, the ZigBee terminal nodes comprise a control module, a JTAG debugging interface module, a parameter acquisition module and a power module. The computer is responsible for monitoring the system in real time and sending a control instruction, the coordinator node is responsible for having communication with all the terminal nodes and an upper computer, collecting information sent by all the terminal nodes, processing the information and sending the processed information to the upper computer, and the terminal nodes acquire real-time environment information through the parameter acquisition module.


CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is essential for macrophage recruitment and macrophages play an important role in muscle regeneration. We have shown that monocyte/macrophage recruitment was dependent on CCR2 expression on BM‐derived cells; the current study defines the role of CCR2 expression on muscle regeneration. Using radiation chimeras, WT or CCR2−/−male mice received transplanted BM from WT or CCR2−/−mice creating 4 groups (Donor BM→host): WT→WT, CCR2→CCR2, WT→CCR2 and CCR2→WT. Mice were sacrificed at baseline and days 14, 21, and 28 after cardiotoxin injury. Injury, necrosis, myofiber size, and fat accumulation were histomorphometrically assessed. While tissue injury was similar in all groups, residual myonecrosis at 14 days post‐injury was greater in mice receiving CCR2−/− BM. At baseline, myofiber cross sectional area (CSA) was similar in all groups, and CSA of regenerated fibers was decreased compared to baseline at all time points in all groups. Mice receiving WT BM had larger regenerated CSA compared to those that received CCR2−/− BM. Intramuscular fat was increased at all time points compared to baseline. Thus, mice that lack CCR2 expression on BM‐derived cells have impaired muscle regeneration; macrophages are the likely cell type that mediates this outcome. Funding: Veterans Administration and NIH HL074236


The fatigue behavior of LIPCA was so sensitive to the manufacturing condition, the environmental factors and the change of the test apparatus. Therefore, we could be considering not only the relationship between the stroke range (Δh) and actuating frequency but also the relationship between the stroke ranee (Δh) and the total effective moment (M^E). Thus, this study proposed the calculation method of the applying M^E when the Δh, of LIPCA was increased from 1mm to 20mm. To estimate the relationship between the total effective moment (M^E) and the Bernoulli-Euler bending moment (M) was reviewed. And the residual stress distribution of LIPCA and THUNDER using the CLT was evaluated. In conclusions, converting the Δh of LIPCA to the radius of curvature (ρ) and calculating the M^E, it was found that the ρ by the ME changed similarly as the Δh. It was found that the M^E was 2.2 times as the M. While CFRP and PZT of LIPCA, which had the superior compressive characteristic, had the compressive residual stress, GFRP was subject to the tensile residual stress. Since this reversed configuration between the compressive residuals stress and the tensile one was made, the requirement of the stroke range (Δh) increase was satisfied.


The modification of Romanovsky algorithm for the approximate solution to the homogeneous allocation problem is developed. The modification involves lower resource requirements as against the original algorithm. The changes in the original algorithm which permit to provide a more effective procedure of loading executors with tasks are described. The computational experiments are resulted.


We present herein a comparison between the areas of solar polar coronal holes and north-south (N-S) cosmic ray asymmetries (as measured by polar region neutron monitors). The observed N-S asymmetries over a 2-year period (1973--1974) are found to be related to asymmetries in the sizes of selected solar polar holes; the hemisphere with the smaller hole has a larger cosmic ray flux. An analysis is also made of the N-S asymmetries for intervals when there exists a relatively symmetric coronal region ( +- 40 /sup 0/) about the solar equator; the N-S asymmetry tends to be small for this situation of comparable-sized polar coronal holes. We discuss various mechanisms which can contribute to a N-S asymmetry. The radial gradient drift effect (deln x B) alone probably cannot explain a N-S asymmetry. The importance of the role of coronal holes in cosmic ray modulation processes as demonstrated in this work is stressed.


Results from the Fermilab 15-ft bubble chamber on the charged-particle multiplicity distributions produced in high-energy charged-current neutrino- proton interactions are presented. Comparisons are made to $gamma$p, ep, $mu$p, and inclusive pp scattering. The mean hadronic multiplicity appears to depend only on the mass of the excited hadronic state, independent of the mode of excitation. A fit to the neutrino data gives = (1.09+-0.38) +(1.09+- 0.03)lnW$sup 2$. (AIP)


In 1926 Boyd, Austin, and Ducey (1) reported that they had been able, by means of the administration of ammonium chloride, to reduce the frequency and severity of the attacks of tetany in thyroparathyroidectomized dogs. The period of survival was considerably prolonged but recovery was infrequent. Shortly afterwards, Wenner (2) described the results of his experiments in which he made similar observations but in which he had more favorable results as regards ultimate recovery. According to Wenner, the administration of ammonium chloride slightly increased the concentration of calcium in the serum, but Boyd, Austin, and Ducey did not find this always to be the case. Ammonium chloride had previously been employed by Freudenberg and Gyijrgy (3) and by Gyijrgy (4) in the treatment of infantile tetany. Although Gyijrgy found that the relief from tetany was accompanied by an increased excretion of phosphorus and by an increase in the concentration of calcium in the serum, he, nevertheless, ascribed the relief from tetany to the removal of the alkalosis that he regarded as the cause of tetany. It has been shown (5) that there is not the slightest reason for believing that there is an alkalosis in parathyroidectomized dogs. The explanation of the action of ammonium chloride


Partnership is one of the social welfare sector's buzz words and the concept is highly valued (if somewhat elusive). With resources in the sector scarce, it makes sense to develop programs in partnership and use the expertise and knowledge of various service providers for the benefit of service users. But breaking down the 'silo mentality' and promoting 'joined up' working in the quest to provide integrated and relevant services for children and families remains something of a pipe dream. However, the new Department of Community Services (DoCS) funded Early Intervention Program 'Brighter Futures' provides an excellent opportunity to embark on and test out partnership work.


The effect of the preparation method on the activity of Ga2O3–Al2O3 for the selective reduction of NO with propene was investigated. Ga2O3–Al2O3 prepared by the sol–gel method (Ga2O3–Al2O3(S)) exhibited excellent activity for NO reduction, compared with Al2O3, Ga2O3, and impregnated Ga2O3/Al2O3 (Ga2O3/Al2O3(I)). XRD measurements of Ga2O3–Al2O3(S) indicated that a part of the Al3+ ions in Al2O3 are substituted by Ga3+ ions, resulting in the formation of a composite oxide, [GaxAl(1−x)]2O3 (x<1). On the other hand, Ga2O3 particles and Al2O3 particles were found to be present separately for Ga2O3/Al2O3(I). The high catalytic activity of Ga2O3–Al2O3(S) was accounted for by the high surface area and the nature of the [GaxAl(1−x)]2O3 (x<1) composite oxide, which was formed uniformly by the present sol–gel method. The comparison of the reactivity between NO and NO2 suggested the participation of NO2 in NO reduction. The kinetic order for NO reduction was found to be 0.3 with respect to propene and 0.7 with respect to oxygen on both Ga2O3/Al2O3(I) and Ga2O3–Al2O3(S). However, a significant difference in the reaction order with respect to NO was observed between Ga2O3/Al2O3(I) and Ga2O3–Al2O3(S), 0.4 order on the former catalyst, and zero order on the latter one, indicating the presence of strongly adsorbed NOx species on the catalyst surface. On the basis of these results, a reaction mechanism was proposed in which the NOx adspecies formed through NO oxidation is reduced to nitrogen via organic intermediates containing nitrogen and oxygen.


In this article, we are dedicated to analyzing the void in Aristotle's philosophy. However, to carry out such an activity we have to return to what is commonly accepted as an emptiness, that is, a place where there is nothing. Only this definition is not enough, so we are looking for other positions on this topic. In order to realize our development, we must return to the ancients, the focus turns to two specific pre-Socratics, Democritus and Leucippus. The following unfolding brings to the fore the thinking of Aristotle, in the first movement, we make explicit the question of the Aristotelian method. Secondly, we move toward the concept of a place that. At the end of the exhibition on the void, we show the distinctions between the void for the pre-Socratics and for Aristotle. Then a brief discussion is held on the importance of the Aristotelian physics philosophy for the understanding of the contemporary conceptual universe and for the whole philosophy of science.


A short duration of ischemia (i.e., ischemic preconditioning) was shown to result in significant tolerance to subsequent ischemic injury. Since previous reports suggest that interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) may be involved in both ischemic damage and neuroprotection, the present work examined the expression of IL‐1β mRNA in cortical brain tissue after an established preconditioning (PC) stimulus known to produce significant brain tolerance to focal stroke after 1–7 days. Significant induction of IL‐1β mRNA was observed in the ipsilateral cortex at 6 hr (87 ± 9 copies of the mRNA per microgram of brain tissue compared to 16 ± 5 copies in sham‐operated samples, P < 0.001, n = 4) and 8 hr (46 ± 4 copies, P < 0.01, n = 4) after PC by means of real‐time Taqman polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The peak expression of IL‐1β mRNA after PC was significantly (P < 0.01) lower than that after permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO), i.e., 87 ± 9 and 546 ± 92 copies of RNA per microgram tissue at peak levels for PC and focal stroke, respectively. Immunohistochemistry studies revealed a parallel induction of IL‐1β in the ipsilateral cortex after PC. The maximal expression of IL‐1β was observed during the first week post‐PC, showing marked parallelism with the duration of ischemic tolerance. These data suggest that the significant but low levels of IL‐1β induction after PC may contribute to ischemic brain tolerance. J. Neurosci. Res. 59:238–246, 2000 © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


A mathematical model and optimization framework to aid farmers in selecting crop portfolios were proposed and discussed in (Bokhira et al. 2014; Chrispell et al. 2012). In this paper, we propose a refined mathematical model which reduces the number of constraints by nearly half while the number of decision variables is about the same. Also, the proposed model is easier to implement and maintain due to its generalized structure, and it provides more flexibility for us to expand the problem. Some key sensitive analysis is also provided.


Based on analyzing the characters and abuses of existent model measurement techniques,it was presented a model measurement technique for complicated surface product.Then,the detailed operation steps of the technique were studied and the advantages were summarized after analysis.Finally an example was presented,which validate that the technique could enhance mould′s manufacturing efficiency of and save mould′s repairing time of after production.


We propose a unified approach to exactly diagonalize generalized non-Hermitian so(3,2) models. This approach is a series of similarity transformations, which is constructed by some similarity transformation operators associated with su(1,1) and su(2) subalgebras of so(3,2) Lie algebra. During this diagonalization, it is worth noting that a key step is to get rid of the terms E ˆ ± and F ˆ ± together via the proper similarity transformations first. In this way, exact solutions of the non-Hermitian so(3,2) models are obtained. Meanwhile we give the corresponding eigenstates, which are regarded as Lie algebra so(3,2) coherent-like number states. The results can cover the generic form of the eigenvalues and eigenstates to the generalized non-Hermitian two-mode boson systems with the discrete spectrum, including 2D PT-symmetric and non-PT-symmetric oscillators as the special cases. Also they are true for the Hermitian case.


In this paper we prove the existence theorem for the implicit Darboux problem on the quarterplane x ≥ 0, y ≥ 0. Moreover, we study the topological structure of the solution set of this problem.


This paper describes the patient-specific frequency compression newly introduced in the Siemens micon platform. This feature is unique in its aim of ensuring benefit for all patients. The candidacy procedure of micon frequency compression indicates who is most likely to benefit from it and its fitting strategy prescribes the optimal parameters for these patients. Micon Frequency Compression 1 Copyright © Siemens AG 2012. All rights reserved.


A new method is presented to synthesise optimal block controllers for a class of multivariable control systems represented by the block companion form. The reverse process of obtaining the optimal block controller is used to determine the block-weighting matrices of the quadratic performance index from prescribed control specifications.


Sri Lankan apparel industry is the most significant contributor to the country's economy by constituting a large portion of GDP. In the competitive apparel world, manufacturers search solutions for future problems such as worker inadequacy to minimize human intervention to increase productivity. Therefore, there is a need to align value chain operations with the latest technologies. The world is now experiencing the fourth industrial revolution that integrates emerging digital technologies; cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things, big data, simulation, cloud computing and augmented reality. Industry 4.0 enhances process functions by providing real-time visibility for smooth production flow. Before aligning with Industry 4.0, there is an urgent need for assisting companies to improve their capabilities. Current literature mentions various existing readiness assessment models, but there is no standard and well-accepted model. This research presents applications of industry 4.0 in apparel industry and analysis of existing Industry 4.0 readiness assessment models based on systematic review of literature. Evaluation criteria were proposed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each model. This study will guide academics to develop a standardized readiness assessment model for Industry 4.0 that fills the current research gap, while practitioners may find assistance in implementing appropriate scenarios in apparel industry.


Abstract This paper aims to develop an effective theoretical method for analyzing the interaction of interfacial crack and complex defect in functionally graded magnetic-electro-elastic bi-materials with exponential variation under the action of anti-plane incident SH-wave. The boundary value problem of interest is solved by Green's function method. The mechanical model of the cracks is constructed through interface conjunction and crack deviation techniques, thereby simplifying the crack problem to solving a series of the first kind of Fredholm's integral equations, from which the dynamic stress intensity factor (DSIF) at the crack tips of the left crack are expressed. The validity of the present method is verified by comparing with a single crack model in previous work. Through the analyses of numerical cases, it can be concluded that the DSIF is related with 3 factors:the geometry of complex defect and crack, the characteristics of incident wave and the inhomogeneity of materials. Comparing with dual integral equations in dealing with asymmetric defects, the method in this paper is relatively more flexible and applicable, also it comes up with a new way to study fracture problems in functionally graded magnetic-electro-elastic materials with more complex defects.


The second-order elastic constants, third-order elastic constants, and the generalized-stacking-fault energy for semiconductor GaAs are investigated using the first-principles calculations. The predictions of elastic constants are obtained from the coefficients of the fitted polynomials of the energy-strain functions. It is found that the nonlinear elastic effects must be considered when the applied deformations are larger than approximately 1.5%. With the Lagrangian strains up to 6.4%, the terms included up to third order in energy expansion functions are sufficient. The elastic constants given in this work agree well with the previous results and experimental data except for C144. C144 given by the present paper is a positive value, and the estimated 3 GPa agrees well with the experimental result of 2 GPa. The research results can provide a reference for understanding the elasticity of GaAs. The generalized-stacking-fault energy has been calculated without and with structural relaxation, respectively. The unstable stacking fault energy with structural relaxation is about two-thirds of that without relaxation. The dislocation width and Peierls stress for 30° partial in GaAs have been investigated based on the improved P-N theory. The dislocation width is very narrow (only about one-fifth of Burgers vector b), which is reasonable for covalent materials. The Peierls stress is about 4 GPa, in good agreement with the experimental result of 2∼3 GPa.


A versatile an operation device for operating the biological cells, and methods of controlling There are easy-to-use mobile device flexibility. The invention relates to mobile devices, the operating device for controlling the movement device of the micromanipulator for manipulating biological cells in particular, and a method of controlling a mobile device. The operating device comprises an electric control unit and an input device with various input zone, whereby the mobile device can be controlled according to various control rules. .FIELD 1


FORMATION of intracellular colloid droplets in the thyroid epithelium occurs soon after the administration of anterior pituitary gland substance in a variety of species (Grant, 1930; Grant, 1931; Severinghaus, 1933; Uhlenhuth, 1934; Okkels, 1934; Ponse, 1938; Aleschin, 1935, 1939). In 1942 DeRobertis suggested that the number of droplets formed be used in thyrotrophic hormone assay. In 1944 DeRobertis and DelConte described a procedure using guinea pigs. This assay method was extremely sensitive, being able to detect as little as 0.0002 Junkmann-Schoeller (J.S.) units. Colloid droplets were preserved through use of the freezing-drying technique of Altmann-Gersh (Gersh, 1932). It seemed of interest to attempt a thyrotrophic hormone assay based on the formation of intracellular colloid droplets in the chick thyroid, since this gland has been found sensitive and useful in assays based, on increase in weight (Smelser, 1938; Kabac and Liapin, 1938; Cope, 1938;


In recent times, there appears to be a high rate of moral decadence amongst youths in our societies ranging from sexual abuse, drug addiction, rape, street and school cultism, lack of respect for elders to mention but a few, which can hardly be disassociated from what goes on in the family. This is because, the family still remains the smallest unit of socialization in any given society. It is where life begins for any given person or individual. Again, the saying remains valid that states that "charity begins at home". Thus, whatever the family produces, the society receives and experiences its manifestations. However, it would not be an overstatement to opine that modern day families have gone cold in inculcating good morals and disciplines in their children (youths). It is no longer surprising to see students especially of secondary school level, who fight their teachers for scolding or flogging them. Some have even been bold to declare openly, that at home, their parents do not scold or flog them. This is quite appalling and undoubtedly, a new development in our Christian homes because, before this era, it was not so. Family moral formation and discipline have always been held in high esteem and is in fact the first gift any child receives from his or her parents/guardians. This paper, with the tools of exegesis and consultation of other previous written research works attempts what could be termed a 'wake-up call' to modern day Christian families on the need for moral discipline and formation in our youths if we must have a society void of moral decadence considering the fact that love revolves around the formation of good morality as seen in the exegetical text.


This review will examine direct sales of fish by harvesters in terms of the current and potential extent of the activity, the public health aspects, the extent to which direct sales by harvesters might or should be expanded and the terms and conditions that might then apply, including such factors as species, product forms,
quantities and purpose. The overall issue is how this activity should be regulated and monitored in the future to accommodate reasonable needs of harvesters and seafood consumers while protecting public health and the commercial interests of other parts of the fishing industry. The obvious options range from maintaining
the current total prohibition to complete de-regulation of the activity or, more realistically and responsibly, establishing some structured framework that gives
harvesters some flexibility, provides assurances of seafood safety and takes account of legitimate concerns of existing licensed processors and food premises, their employees and customers


This article discusses one practice's experience in the implementation of supplementary prescribing. The factors which influence the situations in which supplementary prescribing is appropriate are discussed, including issues of diagnosis, comorbidity, hospital care, repeat prescribing, frequency of review and continuity of care. Supplementary prescribing can provide a useful addition to the care that nurse prescribers are able to offer to patients, but is not appropriate in every situation.


The invention relates to a low-power consumption touch display module, a touch electronic device with the same and a software system thereof. An MCU (microprogrammed control unit) is arranged in a touch display module and used for running a sub-system; a CPU (central processing unit) of a host is used for running a main system; in a standby state, the host gives the display control right to the MCU, the CPU of the host mainly keeps the detection on the functions of the network and communication part, the MCU enters a standby state, and the standby information and the application selection are both realized by the MCU directly driving a display screen; and once a specific application (such as making a call, browsing a webpage and the like) is selected, the display drive control right is handed over to the CPU, and the CPU of the host stays in a sleep state in the standby state, thus more energy is saved, the standby information can be displayed, and simple touch operation can be performed.


Abstract Organophosphate and carbamate pesticides are powerful neurotoxins that impede the activity of cholinesterase enzyme leading to severe health effects. This study reports the development, characterization, and application of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biosensors based on a gold electrode modified with mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) self‐assembled monolayer and either poly(o‐methoxyaniline) (POMA) or poly(2,5‐dimethoxyaniline) (PDMA) in the presence of polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA). The pesticide biosensors were applied in the aqueous phase detection of diazinon and carbofuran pesticides using Osteryoung square wave voltammetry (SWV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at low frequencies. The results of the study showed that up to 94% inhibition of the MBT‐polyaniline‐based biosensors can be achieved in sample solutions containing 1.19 ppb of these neurotoxin pesticide compounds. Both Au/MBT/PDMA‐PSSA/AChE and Au/MBT/POMA‐PSSA/AChE biosensors exhibited low detection limits, which were calculated using the percentage inhibition methodology. The Au/MBT/POMA‐PSSA/AChE biosensor exhibited lower detection limits of 0.07 ppb for diazinon and 0.06 ppb for carbofuran than did the Au/MBT/PDMA‐PSSA/AChE sensor system that had detection limits values of 0.14 ppb for diazinon and 0.11 ppb for carbofuran. The average sensitivity of the pesticide biosensor systems is 4.2 µA/ppb. A combination of the high sensor sensitivity and low detection limits means that it will be possible to deploy the polyaniline‐based sensor systems as alarm devices for carbamate and organophosphate pesticides.


A new modular insulation panel technology for insulating reefer vans is proposed that can solve some of the problems of traditional methods. New insulating materials with lower thermal conductivity and aging rate are considered to be sandwiched in composite panels to provide better thermal performance in addition to stronger structure. The developed technology can be applied on a variety of commercial vans to improve the quality of insulation while reducing the cost and installation time of the process dramatically. The present method suggests prefabricating of modular insulation panels with accurate size in controlled conditions instead of spraying insulation foam inside the vehicles. In addition, the installation method of modular panels enables the operators to replace the damaged parts of insulation easily with less cost instead of changing the whole insulation in the old method. The MATLAB optimization toolbox is utilized to optimize the thickness of insulation panels based on energy cost and operational conditions. To validate the proposed model, a full-scale prototype is built and installed on a Ford transit connect and tested under road conditions for performance approval.


In some laws in the early Yuan dynasty,there was the term "slaves' accusation of their master",that is,the slave could first accuse the master for committing a crime and then got freedom if the case proved true.In the early Yuan dynasty,this term was used to limit the power of the princes and nobles or in the power struggle of the Imperial Court,a reflection of the influence of the King on the relationship between the slave-owner and the slave in the process of centralization.This is quite different from the tradition of the Han laws in which the relatives and the slaves were encouraged to help cover their owners' or relatives' crimes.In the middle and later period of the Yunnan dynasty,some Han scholars submitted proposals for banning this term in the law but it did not completely disappear due to its historical influence.


Abstract : This report discusses a test problem for a computer program for numerically solving the equations governing a laminar, premixed, one-dimensional flame. The problem was proposed by GAMM (Committee for Numerical Methods in Fluid Mechanics), and has been solved for presentation at a workshop at the Technical University, Aachen, Germany, 12-14 Oct. 1981. The test problem is an unsteady propagating flame with one-step chemistry and Lewis number different from unity. A code developed for steady state problems with elementary chemistry was modified to use the simplified transport and chemistry of the test problem and to follow the details of the transient solution. The problem is solved for six cases. The cases differ in the Lewis number chosen and the activation energy of the single reaction. The initial conditions used are the steady state solutions predicted by the simplified analytic method of asymptotic analysis. In most cases, the numerical solutions rapidly converge, and the steady state solutions are similar to the asymptotic solutions. However, in one case, with activation energy and Lewis number equal to two, the solution does not converge. Instead, large oscillations in the flame speed and the profiles occur.


The present research paper consists of the study of an η1-Einstein soliton in general relativistic space-time with a torse-forming potential vector field. Besides this, we try to evaluate the characterization of the metrics when the space-time with a semi-symmetric energy-momentum tensor admits an η1-Einstein soliton, whose potential vector field is torse-forming. In adition, certain curvature conditions on the space-time that admit an η1-Einstein soliton are explored and build up the importance of the Laplace equation on the space-time in terms of η1-Einstein soliton. Lastly, we have given some physical accomplishment with the connection of dust fluid, dark fluid and radiation era in general relativistic space-time admitting an η1-Einstein soliton.


ABSTRACT This article explores the link between music and the construction of identity among a group of middle-class Thai-Chinese in contemporary Bangkok. Based on fieldwork conducted there, the article describes the nature, function, and activities of singing clubs that cater to middle-class Thai-Chinese singing Mandarin Chinese popular songs. Riding on the economic boom in Thailand in the early 1990s, these singing clubs have drastically increased in number since early 1994. Informed by the notion that identity is a social construct within specific historical moments, this essay focuses on a particular type of singing activity and calls attention to the importance of music as a way to understand the complex issues of overseas Chinese identity. Through an analysis of performance context, musical behavior, and music, I explore issues of "Chineseness," and the nature of diasporic Chinese culture, against the sociopolitical climate in contemporary Thai society. I argue that identity politics are integral to understanding music and performance because the choice to participate in any type of performance is often motivated by and embedded in ethnic consciousness and group identity. This case study enhances understanding of the processes of identity formation and the multifaceted dimensions of Chinese music in a changing global context.


The use of computational methods in order to determine NMR parameters can be challenging. Although Coupled Cluster and MCSCF calculations are the most accurate methods to evaluate magnetic properties, due to high computational cost they can be applied only for small molecular systems. On the other hand, DFT methods are the only ones that can treat properly "real systems" regularly, so that there is an interest to improve approximations to calculate coupling constants [1-3]. There is no "universal DFT" to evaluate all types of NMR coupling constants. Therefore, some benchmark studies have been reported in order to find the DFT with best accuracy for NMR properties – one of most recent evaluated the precision for 39 DFTs and compared with SOPPA ab initio methods [4]. In this work 26 DFTs are initially evaluated, changing the percentage of Hartree-Fock orbital exchange (EX) in order to obtain the best possible accuracy. The calibration set contains HF, CO, H2O, NH3, BF3, BHF2, F2O, PH3, PF3, CH4, C2H2, C2H4 and C2H6, and all systems are described by aug-pcJ-2 basis set. BHandH, B1B95 50% EX, B971 50% EX, B972 40% EX and B98 50% EX provided accurate results, so further investigation is done by optimizing geometries and performing vibrational corrections, and they are compared with SOPPA(CCSD) and SOPPA(CC2) levels of theory. New DFTs generated by combination of exchange and correlation potentials, changing EX, are evaluated to determine which approaches are better. Accurate ones are performed for geometries optimization, and compared with accuracy for every single coupling constant. Tests will be done to ensure if these functionals are good to describe spin-spin coupling in a variety of systems. Key-words: DFT, NMR, Indirect Spin-Spin Coupling Constant Support: This work has been supported by FAPESP and CNPq. References: [1] Helgaker, T.; Watson, M.; Handy, N. C. J. Chem. Phys. 2000, 113, 9402. [2] Sychrovsky, V.; Grafenstein, J.; Cremer, D. J. Chem. Phys. 2000, 113, 3530-3547. [3] Autschbach, J.; Ziegler, T. J. Chem. Phys. 2000, 113, 936-947. [4] Kupka, T.; Nieradka, M.; Stachów, M.; Pluta, T.; Nowak, P.; Kjaer, H.; Kongsted, J.; Kaminsky, J. J. Phys. Chem. A 2012, 116, 3728


To construct a litchi harvesting robot, the first key part is the machine vision system which is used to recognize ripe litchi clusters and their main fruit bearing branch. It selects and locates picking points. Hence, in order to establish a threshold computation model used to recognize litchi cluster, the research focus is in recognizing all parts of the litchi image. In this paper, a procedure on how to develop an automatic recognition of litchi cluster, fruits and their main fruit bearing branch guided for litchi harvesting robot is proposed. Firstly, according to the analysis on the specialty of litchi fruits and their main fruit bearing branch, particularity and uncertainty of illumination and environment, an overall scheme on the threshold computation model is used to recognize the litchi cluster based on exploratory analysis and its' application are provided. Secondly, after analyzing and comparing all thresholds, running time and effect on image segmentation by threshold computation methods of the maximum entropy, iterative, Otsu and histogram bimodal method, the interval for recognizing all sorts of litchi clusters is obtained, and a mathematical model for computing threshold to segment litchi cluster is put forward. Finally, all ripe litchi clusters of testing images from 6 groups (all together 120) of differently illuminated (in high light, normal light and backlighting) litchi images from differently-colored main fruit bearing branches (partial red, partial brown and partial brown) collected in natural circumstance are effectively recognized with the threshold segmentation method based on the given computing model, with recognition ratio of 88.89%, 92.0%, 88.24%, and 95.45%, 90.0%, 83.33%, which can satisfy the request of image segmentation on litchi-picking robots in complicated environment.


In 1924, the newspaper Lidove noviny was the leading daily newspaper in the fledgling Czechoslovak Republic. At that time, Kurýr, an evening tabloid of the Stranský family Syndicate, focused more on commercial aspects and covering criminal issues in particular, was founded. However, Lidove noviny was published twice a day - the new paper thereby competed with the afternoon issue. Its contributors were unable to speak tabloid language. In 1926, Vaclav David introduced his popular humour to the new paper Ceskoslovenský kurýr. The paper now contained a humorous Sunday supplement, Houpacka. Yet this enterprise was also unprofitable and publication of the paper ended after two months.


Peter Brüggeller und Erwin Mayer* Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie der Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52a, A-6020 Innsbruck Z. Naturforsch. 34b, 896-899 (1979); eingegangen am 5. März 1979 Dimethylbromonium Ion, Dimethyliodonium Ion, iH NMR, Aluminium Halides, Methyl Halides Evidence for the formation of (CH3)2Br+ and (CH3)2l+ in CH3Br and CH3I solutions saturated with AlBr3 comes from the appearance of a second singlet in the iH NMR spectrum. The (CH3)2Br+ ion is formed at —40 °C to about 5 mol%, the (CH3)2l+ ion at —12 °C with 50 mol% yield. At higher temperatures the concentration of the halonium ions decreases rapidly. The (CH3)2Br+ ion is not detectable at room temperature, the concentration of (CH3)2l+ decreases to about 30 mol%. Dilution of the saturated solutions with methyl halide also reduces the halonium ion concentration. An AlBrs/CHsBr solution with a molar ratio of 1:3 at —40 °C shows no sign of (CH3)2Br+ formation in the XH NMR spectrum. Both effects are best explained by formation of dimethylhalonium ions from the adduct CH3X-AIX3 and by dependence of adduct concentration on temperature and dilution. Exchange of (CH3)2Br+ and (CH3)2l+ with methyl halide is slow on the NMR time scale at low temperatures similar to the results in SbFs/SC^. The ] H NMR singlets of (CH3)2Br+ and (CH3)2l+ are shifted to lower field by 1.32 and 1.68 ppm in comparison with the chemical shifts in SbFs/SC^ solution.


A polymer electrolytic membrane exhibiting excellent dimensional stability and mechanical strength in which the dimensions are not varied by the water containing state, positional shift and creasing are prevented when a polymer electrolytic fuel cell is manufactured, and breakage is prevented when the polymer electrolytic fuel cell is manufactured and operated. In a composite electrolytic membrane comprising a porous reinforcing layer composed of resin, and an electrolytic layer formed of polymer electrolyte and laid on at least one major surface of the reinforcing layer, the direction of giving a high modulus of tensile elasticity in the reinforcing layer is substantially matched to the direction of giving a high dimensional variation rate in the electrolytic layer.


Leukemia is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. Distinguishing normal white blood cells from leukemia cells plays a role in the diagnosis of blood diseases. Over the years, manual methods can detect, classify, and count blood cells that are labor-intensive slow, time-consuming, subject to error, and costly. An automatic system is applied in the processing detection through microscopic images that will be fast, cheap, and high accuracy without special needs of equipment for lab testing. In this paper, we propose a method of detection, classification, and counting to distinguish five types of normal white blood cells (WBCs) from abnormal white blood cells (leukemia) using the You Only Look Once version 5 (YOLOv5) to aid the diagnosis of blood diseases. After using the YOLOv5 algorithm, we manually labeled the blood cells, and the leukemia cells labeled are the largest with 619 cells, while the number of normal WBCs labeled is a basophil, 115 neutrophils, 23 eosinophils, 80 lymphocytes, and 73 monocytes, respectively. The tested result with the average accuracy of detection and classification of the blood cells is 93.0%.


Masaryk University places great emphasis on supporting and developing lifelong learning for all professional and age groups. It is aware of the importance of further development of lifelong learning. Therefore, it wants to focus on gaining foreign experience in preparation, stepwise ensurement, and final implementation of lifelong learning programs. That is why a project called "Lifelong Learning without Borders" was created in 2018. Masaryk University's partner in this program is the Danube University in Krems, Austria, which focuses on adult education. The aim of the project is long-term cooperation, transfer of experience, joint implementation of activities, and simultaneous involvement of both countries' participants in educational activities. At the beginning of the project, two meetings of partners, executives at various levels of management, and organizational staff dealing with lifelong learning issues took place at the University of Krems. The Czech Center in Austria is also participating in the project helping to promote project activities in both countries. The advantage of the involvement of the Czech Center is its knowledge of the environment of both countries and rich experience in promoting activities. Demonstrations of planned activities will take place in both countries as part of the project promotion. Specifically, lectures in the field of astronomy, which are intended for those interested in further education will be presented. Following there will be a joint four-day interactive bilingual course entitled "Universe without Borders". The course topic was prepared based on a survey. The course will take place in Telč in the Czech Republic. It is intended for Austrian and Czech citizens interested in further education. The new course will serve as a template for the creation of other courses. Both project partners are involved in its preparation. Before the end of the project, the project partners will meet in Brno, the Czech Republic, where all project activities will be evaluated. The expected outcome of the project is to share the offer of activities implemented within the framework of lifelong learning programs.


Introduction. Influenza is one of the more common viral infectious diseases, the occurrence of which is a significant clinical, epidemiological and economic problem. According to reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), around 5% -10% of adults and 20%-30% of children fall ill worldwide every year. During the year, 3–5 million acute cases are registered, and around 250,000–650,000 people die. The annual influenza vaccine is the best method of preventing the disease. Health care workers are a risk group for influenza. Objective. The aim of the survey was to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards vaccination among health care workers (HCWs). Materials and method. The study was conducted among a group of 330 randomly selected employees of medical facilities in the Cieszyn County of the Silesian Province in southern Poland. The research tools were a self-made questionnaire and a knowledge test. To assess the statistical significance of differences in qualitative data between the groups, the chi independence test was applied. Results. 47.6% of the respondents had a low-level of knowledge about flu vaccination, in 41.8% it was at the medium level, and in only 10.6% the knowledge level was high. The average number of points scored in the knowledge test was 4.44 (SD = 2.33) out of 12 points possible. Only every third respondent was in favour of the vaccination. Slightly over 15% of the respondents (17.60%) were vaccinated against influenza in the current 2018–2019 season. Conclusions. Knowledge about vaccination against influenza is incomplete. A small percentage of health care professionals are in favour of influenza vaccination. There is a need to increase efforts to promote annual influenza vaccination among health care professionals.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and measure the relationship between a leader's religion and religiosity (independent variables) and leadership practices (dependent variables) in the context of non-western Christian and Muslim organizational leaders. Design/methodology/approach – The quantitative correlation study involved 384 organizational leaders (150 Christians and 234 Muslims) working in various industries in Lebanon. Organizational leaders supplied their religious affiliation and self-rated their religiosity and leadership practices. Findings – Results were somewhat mixed, supporting some prior studies and contradicting others. Differences in the hypothesized relationship between the religious affiliation, religiosity, and leadership practices of organizational leaders were noted. The findings revealed that religion and religiosity both have an influence on the behavior and practices of organizational leaders; although the former is much more significant than the latter. Research ...


A three-dimensional model of selective laser sintering of a two-component loose metal powder layer on top of previously sintered layers by a single-line laser scanning is presented. A temperature-transforming model is employed to model melting and resolidification accompanied by partial shrinkage during laser sintering. The heat losses at the top surface due to natural convection and radiation are taken into account. The liquid flow of the molten low-melting-point metal powders, which is driven by capillary and gravity forces, is also considered and formulated by using Darcy's law. The effects of the dominant processing parameters, such as laser-beam intensity, scanning velocity, and number of the existing sintered layers underneath, are investigated. DOI: 10.1115/1.2716714


Based on the analysis to the literature on the management and monitoring system of city outdoor advertising media,this article maintains that the institutional barriers of the city outdoor advertising media is rooted in the media resources property defects.Then it discusses the property demarcation,the property protection,the property restriction of the market-oriented media resources and the dilemma of government regulation,and puts forward the policy suggestions on the management and monitoring of city outdoor advertising media,which includes making clear the property rights of outdoor advertising media resource,establishing the judicial relief mechanisms of outdoor advertising of damage and improving the legal mechanism of property rights protection.


AbstractThe present study aimed to investigate risk factors for early onset breast cancer that are related to lifestyle and psychological stress. A comparative case–control study was performed among patients from the Department of Breast Surgery in Shanghai Cancer Center of Fudan University. The information regarding risk factors associated with the development of early onset breast cancer was collected using a questionnaire in a face-to-face interview. The distribution of the risk factors associated with the development of early onset breast cancer between the patient group and the control group was analyzed with logistic regression. A total of 582 cases of young patients (⩽40 years old) with breast cancer and 540 controls of young patients (⩽40 years old) with benign breast disease were included in this study. The risk factors for breast cancer in young women include age at first birth (odds ratio [OR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88–0.98), history of breast cancer in an immediate family member (OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.14–4.89), history of genital surgery (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.16–3.82), active and passive smoking in daily life or the environment (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.19–2.25), weekly intake of soy products (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.02–1.49), use of household cooking oil (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.04–4.00), disharmonious marital status (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06–1.26), frequent depression (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.00–1.75), and negative emotional experiences (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.03–1.29). Our study could provide the basis for risk assessment and preventive interventions for early onset breast cancer.


The problem of factors of development of xenophobia in the environment of student's youth is considered. Results of empirical research of influence of information of the intolerantny contents are presented in this article on the relation of students to various ethnic groups. During poll it was established that most with a negative assessment of representatives of certain ethnic groups young people with unstable tolerant belief are subject to influence of materials mass media.


The purpose of the article is to control the comparative analysis of the two that take place in the Blender application. These are the Eevee and Cycles engines. The analysis will include elements such as: applicable-possible tools, measurement possibilities and the provision of visual services. Perform research prepared research in the form of a desktop computer with a clean system.


In 2008,severe snowfall and freezing took place in Chongqing city,causing a great effect in nature,economy and society.There were some disaster characteristics in certain extent and degree in each county and district.Through investigation and research,the results show that different forest types suffered from different disaster effects.Especially,the forests that were cultivated with different tree species,forest types,management level,management measures,physical geography,were analyzed and compared.


This article draws on 35 months of ethnographic fieldwork and apprenticeship in a boxing gym located in Chicago's black ghetto to explicate how prizefighters apperceive and express the fact of being live commodities of flesh and blood, and how they practically reconcile themselves to ruthless exploitation in ways that enable them to maintain a sense of personal integrity and moral purpose. The boxer's experience of corporeal exploitation is expressed in three kindred idioms, those of prostitution, slavery and animal husbandry. The first likens the fighter-manager combo to the prostitute-pimp duo; the second depicts the ring as a plantation and promoters as latter-day slave masters; the third intimates that boxers are used in the manner of livestock. All three tropes simultaneously enounce and denounce the immoral marketing of disquiescent bodies. But this acute consciousness is neutralized by the doxic belief in the normalcy of exploitation, in the `agency' of corporeal entrepreneurship, and in the possibility of individual exceptionalism. This practical belief, inscribed in the bodily dispositions of the fighter, helps produce the collective misrecognition whereby boxers collude in their own commercialization.


To improve braking performance of anti-running-away mine car during inclined-shaft transport,a new mine car is designed,which is equipped with force-amplify-linkage centrifugal brake,which can detect the speed of the mine car,when the speed is higher than given speed,the mine car will be braked.Kinematics and dynamics analysis of the brake is performed,which demonstrate the feasible of the design.The technique characteristics of the mine car are introduced finally.


A chemoenzymatic approach to the title framework is reported. The reaction sequence starts with the whole-cell biotransformation of iodobenzene and the conversion of the resulting homochiral metabolite into a triene that engages in an intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction and so affording an adduct embodying the platencin core. Application of an oxa-di--methane (ODPM) rearrangement to a derivative of this core affords a cyclopropannulated form of the target framework that is then obtained through TMSI-mediated cleavage of the three-membered ring. A strategy for the assembly of the enantiomeric framework is also described.


Summary from only given. We demonstrate for the first time that a dispersive saturable absorption mirror (D-SAM) with positive group velocity dispersion (GVD) can be used for implementing a short cavity stretched-pulse fiber laser without employing dispersion compensating fiber. Changing the amount of negative dispersion, accomplished by the wavelength tuning, allows for direct comparison of pulse energy extraction in the soliton supporting dispersion regime and in stretched pulse mode-locking regime.


Climate has been long recognised as an important constraint to crop production. Many agroclimatic analyses have been developed in Mainland East Asian countries to assist their agricultural development and resource management. These analyses were all restricted to using a limited number of data points and static summations of climatic variables. The complex climatic patterns and the non-linear responses of crops to climate cannot be captured by such agroclimatic analyses. This thesis addressed the agroclimatic environment and its impact on crop production · using a different philosophy and methodology in order to overcome these shortcomings. There are four related components in this study. They are: 1). regular grid climatic data sets; 2). crop responses to the environmental elements in Mainland East Asia; 3). agroclimatic classification; and 4). crop modeling at selected representative stations from various agroclimatic zones. The regular grid climatic data sets consist of climatic surf aces and a digital elevation model (DEM). In this study they were developed at a resolution of I/20th degree. While this study focused on agroclimatic analysis these data sets can be applied to any other fields that relate to climate such as forestry, ecology and conservation. These climatic surf aces express climatic variables as functions of multi-dimensional thin plate smoothing splines in term of longitude, latitude and elevation. They were developed using the ANUSPLIN package, and are based on a network of up to 3800 stations across Mainland East Asia. Estimates for climatic variables at any location in the Mainland East Asian countries can be calculated from these surf aces with input of the appropriate independent variables. A DEM at a resolution of I/20th degree, calculated using the ANUDEM package and based on terrain data digitised from topographic maps, was used to construct data sets in this study. These data sets consist of 434,484 grid cells across the studying area. Based on such data sets, crop responses to the climatic environment were simulated using a general plant growth model GROWEST. This model transforms the non-linear


AbstractThe application of previously published equations describing the dependence of proof stress on the nitrogen content of austenitic stainless steels has been validated and also extended to higher nitrogen contents in an experimental study of the mechanical property–structure relationships in Rex 734 steel. The proof stress is increased by nitrogen alloying through a combination of solid-solution hardening and a grain-size effect. The effective grain size of these steels is influenced by the nitrogen content through changes in stacking-fault energy, which Increases the density of twinning. In the analysis of tensile test data this effect appears as an increase in the grain-size coefficient of the Hall–Petch equation with increasing nitrogen concentration. Compression–tension low-cycle fatigue properties are similarly enhanced by a combination of nitrogen in solid solution and the influence of nitrogen on stacking-fault energy. An increase in the extent of planar slip is observed with increasing nitro...


A good state governance system, which features democracy, scientific decision-making, efficiency, civility and rule of law, is indispensable for realizing the Chinese Dream. As both the foundation and the objective of a good governance system, human rights protection should be integrated in all the processes of building a modern governance system. Adherence to public law in administration should be guaranteed in this connection.


In the clinical venous transfusion,the large dose inoculation fluid and so on directly pours into in vivo through the infusion appliance by the vein drop,enters the body circulation.This process also has simultaneously brought the risk,if the insoluble particle can enter the blood along with the solution,again enters along with the blood pulmonary circulation to the body circulation in the microcycle,finally causes at the end of the end artery jamming,causes the damage to the human body.Domestic at present uses adds the terminal filter the way to reduce infusion the particle.This article through the infusion solution filter filtration rate determination which uses to several daily family activities,inquired about through installs the filter and reduces the infusion risk the relations.


The distribution of biomass and carbon storage was studied in 28-year-old Larch olgensis plantations with similar site and 5 kinds of different densities(780,920,1 099,1 190,1 377 number · hm-2) in Lesser Khingan Mountains(Northeast of China) based on the survey of sample plots and biomass research materials.The main results are as follows:(1) The stand density affected the individual biomass,arbor biomass and community biomass significantly.The individual biomass decreased with the stand density increasing and varied less and less.And their relationship could be expressed by the equation Y=aXb.The arbor biomass and community biomass increased along with enlarging of the stand densities and varied less when the density increased to a value(1 190 number · hm-2).And their relationship with the density could be expressed by equation Y=a+bln(X).(2) The total carbon storage of community in unit area increasing steadily along with enlarging of the stand densities,in sequence of arbor,litters and underground vegetation.The arbor carbon storage in unit area is main component with ratio of 93.84%.As the stand densities increased,the litters carbon storage in unit area decreased firstly,then increased.For underground layer,the carbon storage changed in decreasing tendency.In conclusion,our study shows that stand density has a great influence on carbon storage and its allocation rules for L.olgensis plantations.


DURING THE 1980s monetary policy emerged as the sole tool of U.S. stabilization policy when U. S. fiscal policy got caught up in an ideological battle over the appropriate size of government. Despite the inherent risks of reliance on a single tool to manage a multiplicity of domestic and external economic objectives, the monetary authorities have been highly successful over the past six years. There is, however, substantial uncertainty about the sustainability of the current policy mix. Financial markets, in particular, have been highly volatile and susceptible to sharp reactions to every rumor of potential change in Federal Reserve policy. The events of 1979-82 convinced all of us of the power of monetary policy to restrain aggregate demand. Yet we cannot ignore the large interest rate increases and the financial disruption associated with those restrictive policies. With the recent re-emergence of inflationary pressures, questions have been raised about how high interest rates will have to go to dampen future demand growth. Has the economy become more resistant to control by monetary policy, and will the range of interest rate change required to achieve a given change in aggregate demand be even larger in the future? In this paper I examine possible changes in the linkage between monetary policy and three sections of the economy: household expenditures, including expenditures for both housing and consumption, business investment, and foreign trade. I


The partition function of a single hydrogen atom diverges. While the astrophysical solution to this dilemma is the introduction of a density dependent alteration of the partition function, the question of what happens in an arbitrarily rarefied gas remains open. It is argued that in this case blackbody radiation changes the atom's spectrum. A unified derivation including these effects and the nonrelativistic Lamb shift and spontaneous emission is presented. Then recent numerical calculations performed by workers in the field of Rydberg atom spectroscopy are utilized to estimate the principal quantum number for which blackbody radiation significantly alters the spectrum.


When constructing kinetic models of chemical processes, one needs to insure that certain qualitative features are incorporated. Ideally one would like to have a minimal set of postulates such that any system obeying these postulates would necessarily exhibit the behavior observed in chemical systems. One of the most primitive properties of a chemical system is that concentrations cannot be driven to zero. On the basis of topological arguments we show that any system which obeys the laws of thermodynamics will have this property. Furthermore, by imposing constraints, such as structural stability, on the behavior of chemical systems under small perturbations of their vector fields, we show that there are no stable steady states on the boundary of a reaction simplex. The existence and uniqueness of thermodynamic equilibrium states is also discussed.


Abstract The complexes of Cu(II). Co(II) and Ni(II) with N-(O,O-diisopropyl phosplioryl)-alanine (HDIPPA) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses and spectral measurements. The molecular formulae of the complexes correspond to CuL2. CoL2.2H2O and NiL2.2H2O, respectively. The studies show that all the metal ions coordinate with the carboxyl of N-(O,O-diisopropyl phosphoryl)alanine in these complexes. The Cu(II) complex has a four-coordinate structure whereas the other two complexes have six-coordinate structures. The thermal decomposition studics of these complexes were performed under nitrogen atmosphere.


This study investigates the effects of three international technology diffusion (ITD) channels on regional economic convergence (REC): inward foreign direct investment (IFDI), outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and imports. Based on Chinese provincial-level data, econometric results suggest a converging trend of per capita income levels in China during 2004-2009. This study also confirms that IFDI has a negative effect on REC. This is due to the concentration of IFDI in comparatively developed regions (CDRs) and weak absorptive capacity of less developed regions. OFDI in developed countries (DCs) has a positive effect on REC, however, OFDI in transitional and emerging economies (TEEs) will lead to a wider income gap. In addition, imports fail to promote REC because of a high volume of imports of goods instead of services, as well as a concentration of capital goods. This study further confirms the convergence pattern of East, Middle and West China.


The relation of poor quality to 1B/1R translocation lines were analyzed according to the banding patterns of HMWgs,LMWgs and HMW gliadins of 38 wheat translocation wheat cultivars were using two-step SDS-PAGE and a modified A-PAGE.The results showed the HMW,LMW glutenin subunit types and positive subunits of HMWgs decrease,the HMW gliadins increase lead to poor quality in 1B/1R tralocation lines.we should pay attention to change the compositions of Glu-1,Glu-3,Gli-1 in order to improve the quality of resistance-disease cultivars,especially try to break the likage of Glu-3 and Gli-1 loci,discard type j encoded by Glu-B3,transfer positive subunits.


RIZKI AMALIA ADINDA PUTRI. The diversity of Felidae Using Camera Trap at Pemerihan-Way Haru Resort, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. Supervised by ABDUL HARIS MUSTARI. Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park cooperated with some nongovernmental organizations, such as Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program. One of the routine activities carried out annualy was vertebrate mammals terrestrial survey such as Felidae by using camera traps located at Resort Pemerihan-Way Haru. The purpose of this research was to identify the characteristics of the habitat, to analyze the diversity of Felidae, to identify the distribution, to analyze homerange overlap pattern and activity pattern in different species of Felidae in Resort Pemerihan-Way Haru, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung. The research methodologies used in this study were vegetation analysis and capture-recapture. The important value index dominating for seedlings is Etlingera sp (IVI = 22.47), for stake and sapling stage is Mallotus miquelianus (IVI = 15.03) and (IVI = 17.51), Dillenia excelsa for pole (IVI = 37.53) and trees Dracontomelon dao (IVI = 14.89). Species that successfully recorded using camera trap is Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) (RAI = 0.14; n = 2) and Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) (RAI = 0.14; n = 2). The activity pattern and overlap are inconclusive.


This paper analyses the relations between earnings informativeness, measured by the earnings-return relation, and bank ownership in Spain. Results show that bank ownership is positively associated with earnings explanatory power for returns. This finding is consistent with the role of banks as a monitoring institution. What is more, there exists no entrenchment effect associated with a high level of bank ownership. In general, major shareholder ownership is negatively associated with earnings explanatory power for returns. I suggest that at medium levels of major shareholder ownership the convergence-of-interest effect is dominant and the informativeness of earnings increases. At high levels of major shareholder ownership, however, the entrenchment effect is dominant and hence the informativeness of earnings decreases.


The method for scientifically evaluating the uncertainty of detection limit of manganese in urine by GFAAS was developed,which provides a technical guarantee to evaluate the analytical method.


Brutalist construction litter many city centers contributing to what is termed skyline. Several of these constructions have indeed elicited some form of identity crisis for the people on the margins given the cultural dimensions of these 'brutal' buildings. The buildings' coldness and its totalitarian gait confront diverse peoples making the construction problematic, in its presence. The very intense use of concrete suggests wastefulness and arrogance, all of which alienate certain sensibilities. The problem of 'the other', that is the minorities within the mainstream culture, is manifest in the intellectual constructs of these buildings since the essential characteristics of the 'other' is diversity hence a concern for equality. How may brutalism in construction deal with concerns about diversity and equality, which it creates? Do constructions based on brutalism consider equality and diversity and the sensibilities arising therefrom? To what extent does brutalism affect equality and diversity in cities where 'brutal' buildings exist? A philosophical hermeneutical analysis is essential to understand the problems created by these building types. Essentially, hermeneutics brings to the fore those parts of brutalism that alienates and which militates against equality. It is concluded that brutalism in innovative construction should now tend toward deconstruction such that a minimalist façade is created in brutalist buildings which accommodates the diverse nature of today's cities.


Following cleavage through p‐n junctions on degenerate n‐type and p‐type germanium in liquid nitrogen, a large additional exponential contribution to the excess current has been observed. It is established that this excess is associated with the clean surface at the junction. Inversion layer conduction is shown to be negligible. Experimental evidence supports the interpretation that the surface excess is due to tunneling via surface states.


This series was not randomly selected and is certainly biased; for example, many patients with renal colic had serum calcium estimations ordered, and this is doubtless a major cause for the large number of patients with renal colic in groups 2, 3 and 4. Also it is not usual in this hospital for serum calcium levels to be determined in cases of fracture, which may be why only one patient with hypercalcremia due to immobilization was found. However, it does indicate the probable frequency and cause of hypercalcremia in an adult teaching hospital, and it seems reasonable to conclude that about one-third of patients with hypercalcremia will have a neoplasm, and over 80% of. these neoplasms will have obviously spread to bone. The incidence of hypercalcremia in carcinoma has been frequently recorded (Swyer et alii, 1950; Warwick et alii, 1961; Bower and Gordon, 1965), but there are very few series in which the relative frequency of hypercalcremia due to carcinoma has been recorded. Boonstra and Jackson (1965) screened all patients attending a large clinic and found that out of 25,847 consecutive patients examined the commonest cause of hypercalcremia was primary hyperparathyroidism (31 patients) with neoplasia next (17). There may be several patients with hyperparathyroidism amongst the 11 in group 4 with symptoms of renal stones and pancreatitis; on the other hand, the incidence of hyperparathyroidism in our series was increased by the affected family found during this period. However, Boonstra and Jackson found that most of their patients with hyperparathyroidism had vague, non-specific symptoms, and their condition would not have been diagnosed if the survey had not been in operation. Patients in our hospital with similar symptoms may not have had a serum calcium determination. If the true incidence of hyperparathyroidism in our hospital population is similar to that reported by these authors, then we may be missing 50 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism a year, a most distressing thought. The most significant finding of the study was the number of abnormal results which apparently were not appreciated by the medical officer concerned. We have reason to believe that this is not limited to this hospital. The factors responsible are several and probably vary from hospital to hospital, but are beyond the scope of this report.


At the conclusion of his well-known book about the Byzantine Notation (published in 1917,and re-published in 19782) K. A. Psachos discusses with the "retrospective parallelism of the New Method of the analytical Byzantine Notation to the Ancient Method of the stenographical Byzantine Notation through the occasional exegeseis"[«ἀναδρομικὸς παραλληλισμὸς τῆς σημερινῆς μουσικῆς γραφῆς πρὸς τὴν ἀρχαίαν


The research article aims to analyze the history of the city of Presidente Prudente, to study the central quadrangle . Such research will enable a better understanding of social and physical development of the region, and thus make possible the understanding of the current situation of the city , and therefore the central quadrangle , both in physical aspects like social. The work was developed through research in texts , books and pictures , for a better organization of historical facts , a timeline from the first events involving the appearance of the city of Presidente Prudente until the situation today was developed. Throughout the study it can be concluded that the poor planning and disorderly and unexpected development of the city had consequences up to the present day.


Nowadays, news spreads faster than it is consumed. This, alongside the rapid news cycle and delayed updates, has led to a challenging news cold-start issue. Likewise, the user cold-start problem, due to limited user engagement, has long hindered recommendations. To tackle both of them, we introduce the Symmetric Few-shot Learning framework for Cold-start News Recommendation (SFCNR), built upon self-supervised contrastive enhancement. Our approach employs symmetric few-shot learning towers (SFTs) to transform warm user/news attributes into their behavior/content features during training. We design two innovative feature alignment strategies to enhance towers training. Subsequently, this tower generates virtual features for cold users/news during inference, leveraging tower-stored prior knowledge through a personalized gating network. We assess the SFCNR on four quality news recommendation models, conducting comprehensive experiments on two kinds of News dataset. Results showcase significant performance boosts for both warm and cold-start scenarios compared to baseline models.


Potential energy calculations were performed on the isolated chain of Kapton H (KH) in order to obtain information on the most probable conformations. A model with a COC angle of 130° and with the segments joining the ether oxygens forming a planar zigzag chain satisfactorily fits the x-ray experimental data. Although the equatorial reflections are very few and diffuse, it seems likely that the space group is P21 and the unit cell parameters are a = 4.66 A, b = 32.9 A, c = 5.96 A, β = 100°. The observed density is in agreement with two monomers in the unit cell. An intrachain vector distribution map was computed by rotating (angle θ) the pyromellitic acid dimide (DIPA) unit about the NC bond in the KH monomer. This map was compared with a one-dimensional Patterson synthesis calculated along b, the fiber axis, to establish the value of θ. Van der Waals' energy calculations were subsequently accomplished in the crystal as a function of θ and of the rotation around the helical axis of the KH chains. The results allowed us to choose a reasonable macromolecular conformation and packing in the crystal. KH is mainly ordered along the fiber axis but shows little order in the packing of adjacent helixes. The macromolecules are held together by Van der Waals' and, probably, by charge-transfer forces.


It has long been recognized that during the latter part of the 1st millennium B.C., as in other periods, there was contact between Spain and western Britain, and it has been claimed that there are structural resemblances between hill-forts in those areas. But although an excellent account of the Iron Age in northern Spain has been available for some time to English readers, it deals almost exclusively with the portable relics, and gives very little information about the forts themselves. Moreover, the original publications which deal with these remains are very scarce in Britain. It therefore seems worth while to give some account of four which the writer was able to visit during 1954. They were selected primarily because their defences incorporated chevaux-de-frise, which seem generally to be rare outside Spain, but which occur on two sites in Wales, and elsewhere in Britain.


Optical properties of the plasmonic structures based on the surface of variously structured metal plates became a subject of intense research ever since Ebbesen et al. reported the enhanced optical transmission through subwavelength hole arrays [1]. Their experimental results provided evidence that the enhanced optical properties originate from the coupling between the incident light and surface plasmon modes. Studies of such plasmonic structures and its mechanisms have a long history in the development of electromagnetism, though it has been an intense subject of research in recent years.


Management Training in U.S. Hospitality Schools: A Comparative Study of Instructional Methods
The article examines management education for Hospitality Management students in higher learning institutions. It provides the findings of a comparative study of two instructional methodologies—traditional classroom and online courses. The study compared cognitive retention learning outcomes of a sample of students in both modalities over a single academic year. The overall results indicate similar efficacy between the two instructional techniques for participants within the sample.


Abstract The Tully-Fisher Relation (TFR) is of fundamental importance for galaxy formation as it provides information about the relation between the baryonic content of galaxies and the depth of their dark halos potential wells. In recent years, it has been possible to study this relation at different redshifts. However, there are still controversies about its origin and evolution. In this work, we try to address the origin of the Tully-Fisher Relation by employing cosmological hydrodynamical simulations.


IRTFIT−RESAMPLE is an SAS program designed to evaluate the fit of item response theory (IRT) models when ability is estimated imprecisely (e.g., shorter tests such as performance assessments or assessments incorporating multiple-matrix sampling designs). When ability is measured imprecisely, traditional chi-squared tests are inappropriate (Stone & Hansen, 2000). Rather than using imprecise point estimates of the unknown ability parameter (θ ) to construct item-fit tables, probabilities (from the posterior distribution of θ ) that an examinee has θ equal to each ability subgroup level, given their response pattern and an assumed marginal θ distribution, may be used (Stone, 2000). The posterior probabilities for each examinee may be summed to form a pseudoobserved score distribution. Expectations based on the IRT model parameter estimates can then be obtained and used to compare the observed and expected performance using standard Pearson or likelihood ratio chi-squared statistics. However, a chi-squared distribution for the test statistic cannot be assumed because the posterior probability distribution for examinees extends across the θ scale and therefore violates the independence assumption. To provide a statistical test for the chisquared statistics, a Monte Carlo resampling procedure may be used. Empirical power and Type I error rates of this hypothesis testing procedure reveal that the procedure may be useful for evaluating goodness of fit of IRT models for most testing applications in which uncertainty in ability estimation is an issue (Stone, 2003; Stone & Zhang, in press). IRTFIT−RESAMPLE may be used to compute the goodness-of-fit statistics based on posterior probabilities for dichotomous logistic response models and polytomous response models. SAS macros are defined for the common IRT probability functions (graded logistic response model, as implemented in MULTILOG; one-, two-, and three-parameter dichotomous logistic response models; generalized partial-credit model, as implemented in PARSCALE). Macros defining other functions can be easily added. In addition, item sets representing mixed models can also be evaluated. Several technical aspects to the computation of the fit statistics are under user control: resampling rate, number of discrete subgroups used to approximate the continuous θ scale, range over which fit statistics are calculated, and treatment of sparse cells. With regard to the output, item-fit tables are produced with resampling-based tests for the fit statistics. In addition, graphical displays of empiricaland model-based item category response functions may be produced.


In this study using linear deformation theories and by closed-form analysis and finite difference energy methods respectively various buckling load factors are obtained for stiffened laminated composite flat panels with rectangular type longitudinal stiffeners and various aspect ratios which are made from Carbon/Epoxy USN150 prepreg and are simply-supported on four edges under uniaxial compression. and then for them. optimal design analyses are carried out by the nonlinear search optimizer. ADS.