Simple Summary Ovarian cancer and its treatment are associated with energy balance-related problems, such as overweight, malnourishment, compromised muscle mass and quality, and physical inactivity. This may impact the quality of life and treatment outcome. These factors may be modifiable, and women with ovarian cancer have indicated that they want to do something themselves to help improve their treatment outcome. In order to better understand the role of energy-balance-related problems in patients treated for ovarian cancer, this study synthesized the available research on (i) the association of body weight, body composition, diet, and physical activity or exercise with survival or treatment-related complications and (ii) the evidence from exercise- and/or dietary interventions. The results indicate that body mass index has a limited prognostic value, while other measures of body composition may have more prognostic potential. Additionally, the findings provide important leads for future research directions. Abstract Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence in patients with ovarian cancer at diagnosis and/or during first-line treatment on; (i) the association of body weight, body composition, diet, exercise, sedentary behavior, or physical fitness with clinical outcomes; and (ii) the effect of exercise and/or dietary interventions. Methods: Risk of bias assessments and best-evidence syntheses were completed. Meta-analyses were performed when ≥3 papers presented point estimates and variability measures of associations or effects. Results: Body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis was not significantly associated with survival. Although the following trends were not supported by the best-evidence syntheses, the meta-analyses revealed that a higher BMI was associated with a higher risk of post-surgical complications (n = 5, HR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.06–2.51, p = 0.030), a higher muscle mass was associated with a better progression-free survival (n = 3, HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.04–1.91, p = 0.030) and a higher muscle density was associated with a better overall survival (n = 3, HR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.62–2.79, p < 0.001). Muscle measures were not significantly associated with surgical or chemotherapy-related outcomes. Conclusions: The prognostic value of baseline BMI for clinical outcomes is limited, but muscle mass and density may have more prognostic potential. High-quality studies with comprehensive reporting of results are required to improve our understanding of the prognostic value of body composition measures for clinical outcomes. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO identifier CRD42020163058.


Over the past decade, the RMCProfile software package has evolved into a powerful computational framework for atomistic structural refinements using a reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) algorithm and multiple types of experimental data. However, realizing the full potential of this method, which can provide a consistent description of atomic arrangements over several length scales, requires a computational speed much higher than that permitted by the current software. This problem has been addressed via substantial optimization and development of RMCProfile, including the introduction of the new parallel-chains RMC algorithm. The computing speed of this software has been increased by nearly two orders of magnitude, as demonstrated using the refinements of a simulated structure with two distinct correlation lengths for the atomic displacements. The new developments provide a path for achieving even faster performance as more advanced computing hardware becomes available. This version of RMCProfile permits refinements of atomic configurations of the order of 500 000 atoms (compared to the current limit of 20 000), which sample interatomic distances up to 10 nm (versus 3 nm currently). Accurate, computationally efficient corrections of the calculated X-ray and neutron total scattering data have been developed to account for the effects of instrumental resolution. These corrections are applied in both reciprocal and real spaces, thereby enabling RMC fitting of an atomic pair distribution function, which is obtained as the Fourier transform of the total-scattering intensity, over the entire nanoscale distance range accessible experimentally.


The accumulation of natural gas is a dynamic equilibrium process of gas accumulating and dissipating. The late accumulation is more favorable for the gas preservation. By analyzing the characteristics of natural gas pools in Midwest China, it is indicated that the modern structure movement significantly controls the late accumulation of natural gas, which is showed in four points: ① the late accumulation is favorable for the late generating gas of gas source rocks and the late quick subsidence is also advantageous to the late quick curing of gas source rocks; ② The modern structure movement provides the new driving force for the late accumulation of gas; ③ The late formation of traps controls the late accumulation of natural gas; ④ The late fractures act as the migration pathway for the late accumulation of shallow gas. This article will work in the four points.


This paper discribes the delaunay triangulation of vector terrain data for virtual city. It gives details about the implementation of triangulation algorithm by using visual C~(++),and provides its source code.


Professor David Aleksandrovich Kveselava, Doctor of Mathematics and Physics, died on 6 November 1978 in his 68th year. He was an eminent member of the Georgian mathematical school, a highly respected scientist of the Georgian SSR, and the Director of the Muskhelishvili Computing Centre of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Kveselava was born on 25 August 1911 in the village of Letsitskhvai (now in the Gegechkorsk district of Georgia) into a peasant family. Having completed in 1937 his studies in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Tbilisi State University, he became a research student at the Mathematical Institute of the Georgian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, under the supervision of M. A. Lavrent'ev. In 1940 Kveselava defended his Ph.D. thesis "On the theory of conformal mappings" and was appointed a lecturer. In 1941 he was promoted to Senior Scientist. In 1952, at the Steklov Institute of Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, he defended his D.Sc. dissertation "Some boundary problems of the theory of functions and singular integral equations". He then became a professor of the University of Tbilisi. From 1956 to the end of his days, Kveselava was Permanent Director of the Computing Centre of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Kveselava's research can be divided into three topics: approximate methods of conformal mappings, boundary problems for analytic functions, and singular integral equations. In his papers on approximate methods of conformal mappings the main subject concerned domains that are close to one another and the related problems of the variation of the mapping functions and their derivatives; here he gave quantitative estimates of the variation in terms of parameters characterizing the proximity of the domains in question. In a joint paper with his supervisor M. A. Lavrent'ev, Kveselava obtained a substantial improvement of an important result due to Ostrowski. They proved the following proposition: Let D be a schlicht simply-connected domain whose boundary lies within the ring θ < \ ζ | < 1, θ > 1/2, and let w =/(z),/(0) = 0, /(0) > 0 be a function mapping D conformally onto the unit disc | w \ < 1. Then for | ζ | < θ


Reduction of state-owned shares has always been greatly concerned for several years. This task has met a lot of difficulties since June, 2001 when it was started, leading to the suspension of it in October, 2001. But reduction of state-owned shares is the in dispensable measures for the perfection of stock market and the entry into WTO. How to go on the task is detailedly discussed in the perspective of reason, purpose, and the train of thought.


In this paper we survey the "informational view" of classical propositional logic that has been outlined in (D'Agostino & Floridi, 2009; D'Agostino, 2010, 2013; D'Agostino et al., 2013). This view is based on a kind of "informational semantics" for the logical operators and on a non-standard proof-theory. The latter is a system of classical natural deduction (Mondadori, 1989; D'Agostino, 2005) that, unlike Gentzen's and Prawitz's systems, provides natural means for measuring the "depth" of inferences in terms of the minimum number of nested applications of a single (non-eliminable) structural rule, which is an informational version of the Principle of Bivalence and is closely related to classical (analytic) cut. This leads to defining, in a natural way, hierarchies of tractable depthbounded logical systems that indefinitely approximate Boolean logic. We argue that this approach may be apt to provide more realistic prescriptive models of resource-bounded logical agents and, at the same time, solve the most disturbing anomalies that affect the received view in classical semantics and proof-theory. We also suggest that this informational view of classical logic can partially vindicate the old Kantian idea of synthetic a priori knowledge.


Different test schemes are designed in the paper, which fully aware of the characteristics and important indicators of fiber-optic gyro compass OCTANS. After analysis the towed system working environment, this paper propose the towed system to use part of OCTANS heave compensation outputs for combined DR navigation system[1].


AbstractThermal tolerances have been studied for individual fish species but few have investigated how stream fish assemblages respond along a temperature gradient and which thermal ranges act as a threshold, triggering discernible community change. The purpose of this study was to define summer temperature thresholds of fish community transitions in Connecticut streams. The program Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis suggested that the coldwater class had a June–August mean water temperature 21.70°C. Significant indicator species of coldwater streams were Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus and Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis. Significant indicator species of warmwater streams were Cutlip Minnow Exoglossum maxillingua, Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu, Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris, Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus, Redbreast Sunfish Lepomis auritus and Yellow Bullhead A. natalis. The narrow 3.41°C temperature range between the coldwa...


The second half was played at a significantly faster tempo with Segezha having the clear advantage. However, in minute 27, Mai-Guba's attack managed to break through with the ball toward Segezha's goal, and, taking advantage of the congestion formed in front of the net, Mai-Guba scored a third. Three minutes later, Biketov evened the score with a strong strike into the opponents' net. Chistiakov put one more past Mai-Guba in the last minute of the game. The match ended 4:3 in favor of Segezha. Segezha displayed good technique but lacked sufficient teamwork. The play of Biketov, Buslaev, Khodakov, and Chistiakov deserves special attention.1


In this study, we investigate the short-term taxi demand prediction. We develop a deep learning based approach that utilizes Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) units in our artificial neural network. We compare our method against well-known time series prediction baselines in the literature. Using a dataset collected in real life, we show that our deep learning based method performs better than the baselines in forecasting short-term taxi demands in Manhattan, NYC.


Fuzzy comprehensive model was used to assess water quality states of six monitoring sections of Huangpu River in 2005.It was found that water quality for all of the six monitoring sections belonged to ⅴlevel.The main pollutants belonged to nitrogenous and phosphorus nutriments.


We consider Guth's approach to the Fourier restriction problem via polynomial partitioning. By writing out his induction argument as a recursive algorithm and introducing new geometric information, known as the polynomial Wolff axioms, we obtain improved bounds for the restriction conjecture, particularly in high dimensions. Consequences for the Kakeya conjecture are also considered.


Although Latin American countries have made significant strides in reforming their financial markets, these markets remain shallow, implying a need for further reform. Stronger protection of creditor rights can improve the size and stability of credit markets and provide greater access to capital for small and medium-sized enterprises that operate under greater financial strictures. ; In discussing creditor protection's impact on the size of financial markets, the authors first document the state of Latin American creditor protection. They then discuss the effect of enhanced creditor rights on small and medium-sized firms and how the dynamics of financial markets are affected by the regulation of creditor rights. To examine the effects of adverse economic shocks on creditors, the authors study the credit cycle in various countries. ; In addition to increasing the size of financial markets and stimulating economic growth, reforms that strengthen creditor protection can affect credit allocation, the authors find. Their research suggests that the rules and regulations concerning the seizure of collateral need reforming and, more importantly, that the judicial system must become more agile to assure prompt, effective, and less expensive enforcement of creditor rights. The authors note that the successful introduction of these reforms may require convincing the citizenry that creditor protections benefit not only the financial sector but the economy overall.


Chloroplasts and other plastid forms possess a genuine biosynthetic pathway for the synthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and isoprenoids: the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-phosphate/2-C-methylerythritol 5- phosphate pathway, known as DOXP/MEP pathway. This isoprenoid pathway provides the C 5 isoprenoid precursors (IPPs) needed for the light-induced biosynthesis of chlorophylls (C 20 phytyl side-chain) and of the tetraterpenoid carotenoids (C 40 isoprenoids) which are essential constituents of photochemically active thyla- koids of chloroplasts. The performance of the DOXP/MEP pathway is reviewed and the accumulation and final concentration of chlorophylls and carotenoids in photosynthetically active leaves is provided. Under high-light (> 1000 μmol photons m -2 s -1 ) and high temperature conditions (> 28 °C) many plant leaves emit volatile hemiterpenes at high rates, either isoprene (broadleaf trees) or methylbutenol (American ponderosa pines), both of which are formed via the plastidic DOXP/MEP pathway. Biosynthesis and physiological significance of the emission of isoprene and methylbutenol are briefly discussed. This paper is dedicated to Professor Guivi Sanadze, Tbilisi, Georgia, the pioneer in plant isoprene research, on the occasion of his 80th birthday (July 30, 2009). © 2009 Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci.


Behaving animals have to process partial or incomplete information to plan movements. Neural activity and behavior of highly trained animals are strikingly variable across behavioral trials. In the present study, we show that incomplete information is reflected in both neural and behavioral variability. We study a mechanism for such variability in spiking neural network models with cluster topologies that enables multistability and attractor dynamics. Multistable attractors have been studied in spiking neural networks through clusters of strongly interconnected excitatory neurons. However, we show that existing models suffer from weak robustness and fail to reproduce the experimental findings. To overcome these problems, we introduce a novel architecture with excitatory and inhibitory clusters of spiking neurons. In contrast to earlier prominent models of excitatory clusters, this model ensures the local balance of excitation and inhibition and shows robust multistability across a wide range of network parameters. Furthermore, with the appropriate stimulation of network clusters, this network topology enables qualitatively and quantitatively reproducing in vivo firing rates, variability dynamics and behavioral reaction times for different task conditions as observed in recordings from the motor cortex of behaving monkeys.


∗A review of the Rugg Textbooks in the Social Studies, Six Volumes (Chicago: Ginn & Company), and Culture and Education in America (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company), both by Prof. Harold Rugg, Teachers College, Columbia University.


The BOB.1 / OBF.1 / OCA‐B protein (henceforth designated as BOB.1 / OBF.1) is a B cell‐specific co‐activator of the Oct1 and Oct2 transcription factors. It is involved in mediating the transcriptional activity of these proteins. Surprisingly, animals deficient for BOB.1 / OBF.1 showed normal expression of genes that contain an octamer motif in their regulatory regions. Here we have addressed the role of BOB.1 / OBF.1 for octamer‐dependent transcription. We show that promoters exclusively dependent on functional octamer motifs are completely inactive in BOB.1 / OBF.1‐deficient B cells. The lack of activity is a direct consequence of lack of the co‐activator. To show this, a hormone‐regulated conditional allele of BOB.1 / OBF.1 was introduced into the BOB.1 / OBF.1‐deficient B cells. This resulted in the hormone‐dependent transcriptional activity of octamer‐dependent reporters in these cells. The BOB.1 / OBF.1 requirement for octamer promoter function was also observed when an authentic immunoglobulin κ‐promoter was assayed. BOB.1 / OBF.1 dependence could not be overcome by including the strong enhancer element from the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. Induction of pre‐B cells with lipopolysaccharide led to increased Oct2 levels but did not significantly increase octamer‐dependent transcription in BOB.1 / OBF.1‐deficient B cells. Thus, these results demonstrate that BOB.1 / OBF.1 itself is a non‐redundant protein in B cells and absolutely required for octamer‐dependent transcriptional activity.


The following article is a summary of a paper entitled The Long Term P-presented by Cathen'ne A. Barnard, PhD, a clinical psychologist currently in private practice in Santa Rosa, Cal. at the annual meeting of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change, Sacramento, Cal., June, 1990. Since the legalization of abortion in 1973 there has been a significant amount of literature regarding both its positive and negative sequalae. The studies that have focused on the long term effects of abortion have described and identified high stress reactions. Research to date has not focused on psychometric measurement of identified high stress reactions but instead has relied almost entirely upon subjective reactions. No research has attempted to measure stress reactions as a type of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and only limited research has been done to determine predictor variables which may indicate the likelihood of high stress reactions to the abortion experience. Clinical psychologist Catherine Barnard (1990) undertook a study in an attempt to address these shortcomings in post-abortion research.


A 49-year-old man without a specific past medical history underwent tympanoplasty under general anesthesia due to chronic otitis media. After uneventfully awakening from general anesthesia, the patient was delivered to postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Ten minutes after arrival at the PACU, he became unresponsive to stimulation. Neurological examination revealed lack of awareness, verbal output, and pain response. After 20 minutes, the patient suddenly responded to pain and recovered consciousness. No neurological deficits were found. He was clinically diagnosed with an atypical absence seizure. Unlike grand-mal seizures, it is generally difficult to detect an absence seizure without a careful observation. Through this case report, we want to highlight the importance of careful monitoring of patients in the PACU. If symptoms develop, the patient should be protected from secondary damage due to external impact, treated to maintain spontaneous breathing, and consulted to a neurologist for further evaluations.


Monitoring sediment yields from catchments is important for assessing overall denudation rates and the impact of environmental change. One of the methods used to assess sediment yield is by quantifying sedimentation rates in reservoirs, lakes or small ponds. Before reliable sediment yield values (t ha−1 a−1) can be computed from such sedimentation records, the measured sediment volumes need to be converted to sediment masses using representative values of the dry sediment bulk density. In textbooks, simple relations predicting dry sediment bulk density from sediment texture, time since deposition and hydrologic condition are presented. In this study, 13 small flood retention ponds in central Belgium were sampled to reveal the variability in dry sediment bulk density and to test the commonly used relations to predict dry sediment bulk density. Dry sediment bulk density varies not only between the selected ponds (0·78–1·35 t m−3) but also within individual ponds (coefficient of variation at 95 per cent ranges from 7 to 80 per cent). The observed variability can be attributed primarily to the hydrologic condition of the retention pond and, also, to sediment texture. The existing relations are not a reliable predictor for the observed dry bulk densities, because they are primarily based on sediment texture. Thus, when using volumetric sedimentation data from small ponds with varying hydrologic condition to predict sediment yield, existing relations predicting dry sediment bulk density cannot be applied. Instead, frequent and dense sampling of sediments is necessary to calculate a representative value of the dry sediment bulk density. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This staþ presents a anaþrct about constrution technica/i þrn a ts an d di s fi b a ti o n of th e c o n cerning b or ni ng s tru c tore s (stoues and Farnaaes) found in archaelogical places related to tbe H1$oric - Archaeological saluage prEect, deueloþed in the area to be reached b1 Serra da Mesa rereranir - Coiai - Bralil


2. 1 proposed that more systematic attention be given by social scientists to the political significance for unions of semi-autonomous work groups and, more specifically, of the conditions associated with their success: which often approximate a form of subcontracting. (There are, one might add. profound difficulties about conceptualising a role for unions at crll within a theoretical framework, such as Emery's, which is explicitly derived from biological and organic models (Emery 1969: 7; Lilienfeld, 1978).


The present study was undertaken to find out the relationship between emotional intelligence and professional performance of the assistantprofessors teaching at Teacher Training College. The sample of the study consisted of 200 Assistant Professors from B.Ed colleges located atGhaziabad, Meerut, Noida and Greater Noida cities of Uttar Pradesh. Considering the independent variables namely gender, academic rank,years of experience and age; stratified random sampling technique was used as proportionate to the size. In this study, the tools used for datacollection were; Bar-On Emotional Intelligence and Self made a questionnaire of Professional Performance. The descriptive survey method wasadopted for the study. The data, which was obtained from that survey, were analyzed using MANOVA and Regression Analysis. The findingsindicate that there is a significant positive relationship between emotional intelligence and the professional performance of the faculty.Journal of Teacher Education and Research (2019). DOI: 10.36268/JTER/1416


Traditional techniques for estimating a hydro project's dependable capacity are of limited value when evaluating a hydro project in a thermal-based power system. For such systems, a new approach has been developed, which approximates the way the load-carrying capability of a thermal plant is determined in a loss-of-load-probability analysis. This paper describes both the traditional procedures and the proposed new method, and shows how the latter has been applied to a typical project evaluation.


This paper will discuss the telecommunication techniques used for personalizing services for virtual home environment (VHE). First a brief overview is given of the ideas behind the concept of VHE. Both users' and service providers' points of view are covered. A glimpse is cast to the current situation on the telecom market and then some scenarios of VHE are introduced and briefly analysed to see whether they are feasible commercially or technically.


Globalization has currently provided concept of arts with new approaches, the most significant of which is that art has entered a new process in an interdisciplinary dimension. Whatever is known of arts changes not only through its related definitions, meanings and contents but also with disappearance and fusion of borders between all disciplines of arts. Bridges and pluralism established between interdisciplinary arts in post modernism in1960's in particular undoubtedly caused very different and attentionattracting(interesting) products of arts to emerge. Closely interrelated with painting, sculpture and architecture since its appearance, fiber art has not only declared its own independence together with the fact that textile materials were on the agenda for their uses in disciplines of plastic arts but began to form its current identity by making leaps under the influence of countless search as well. The aim of the present study is not to define fiber art intertwined with numerous disciplines but rather assess and understand the process of its development and transformation in the light of data in the past.


This study aimed to examine women's experiences of crisis pregnancy counselling using
both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study group comprised women with a
crisis pregnancy who either decided on abortion or were continuing the pregnancy, with
either the intention of parenting the child or placing the child for foster care or adoption.
The study examined women's expectations of crisis pregnancy counselling, the extent to
which their experiences corresponded with expectations, their perceptions of strengths
and weaknesses of counselling and recommendations for enhanced counselling
services. The study also explored the reasons why some women chose not to avail of
counselling services.


In a recent paper by Mao, Shi and Sun that appeared in Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation, the authors discuss, among other approaches, the construction of exact confidence intervals for the underlying parameters by 'pivoting the cumulative distribution functions' of the corresponding maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs). The authors assume that this method is applicable without providing the appropriate justification. In this short note the two requirements for the applicability of this method are discussed, namely, the stochastic monotonicity of the MLEs and the existence of solutions to the equations defining the exact confidence interval's endpoints.


A mechanism for the formation of hydrogen peroxide by lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) in the absence of substrate is proposed.


PURPOSE: A mechanical fastener is provided to minimize and/or remove difficulties in a manufacturing process when connecting electrode terminals of a battery module. CONSTITUTION: A mechanical fastener(26) for connecting electrode terminals of a battery module comprises includes a trapezoidal-shaped plate and a cover portion. The cover portion is disposed over the trapezoidal-shaped plate(60) and is urged toward the trapezoidal-shaped plate to couple to electrical terminals from battery modules disposed between the trapezoidal-shaped plate and the cover portion(62).


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an expanded introduction of Jasanoff's (2003, 2007) work on "technologies of humility" to the accounting literature and to show how it can be useful in developing critical dialogic accountings for non-financial matters.

Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on Jasanoff's (2003, 2007) distinction between "technologies of hubris" and "technologies of humility", this study extends prior research on critical dialogic accounting and accountability (CDAA) that seeks to "take pluralism seriously" (Brown, 2009; Dillard and Vinnari, 2019). This study shows how Jasanoff's work facilitates constructing critical, reflexive approaches to accounting for non-financial matters consistent with agonistics-based CDAA.

Findings
Jasanoff's four proposed focal points for developing new analytical tools for accounting for non-financial matters and promoting participatory governance – framing, vulnerability, distribution and learning – are argued to be useful in conceptualising possible CDAA technologies. These aspects are all currently ignored or downplayed in conventional approaches to accounting for non-financial matters, limiting accounting's ability to promote more socially just and ecologically sustainable societies.

Originality/value
The authors introduce Jasanoff's work on technologies of humility to show how CDAA, informed by Jasanoff's proposed focal points, can help to expose controversial issues that powerful interests prefer to obscure, to surface the normative foundations of technocratic analytic methods, to address the need for plural perspectives and social learning and to bring all these aspects "into the dynamics of democratic debate" (Jasanoff, 2003, p. 240). As such, they provide criteria for constructing accounting technology consistent with agonistics-based CDAA.


The purpose of this study was to find out how price perception and the site`s delivery system affected consumer satisfaction in surrogate internet shopping for apparel products. A survey questionnaire was used to collect information from 233 respondents who had experience in purchasing apparel products from online venues within the preceding 6 months. Collected data underwent descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and regression analysis. Results showed that the price perception and the delivery system was influenced by three factors. Both price perception and the delivery system factors showed a significant difference depending on the gender of consumers. Also, according to the regression results, both price perception and the delivery system had a positive effect on consumer satisfaction in surrogate Internet shopping mall for apparel products.


Five species of the genus Mesocyclops from various waterbodies of Uzbekistan are described. Some data on the variability and distribution of these species are given. The synonym of M. aequatorialis similis van de Velde and M. thermocyclopoides acutus Dussart et Fernando is proposed. A key to females of Mesocyclops species occuring in Uzbekistan is presented.


The purpose of this study was to investigate how some elected established coaching models works in practice, and how the respondents perceived the situation of having a coach. There were three participants in the study, two men and one woman. The first part of the study was to investigate how some established coaching models work in practice, which was inspired by action research. The coaching process was grounded in Hoigard and Jorgensens (2002) four-stage model, while the transtheoretical model was used as a complement to describe and analyze the participants incline to change. Both of these models emphasize the weight of using a good goal setting strategy and the SMART-model (Faskunger, 2002) was used to meet this. The data collection was performed on qualitative grounds when notes of the coaching interviews were taken to notice the participants willingness to change. This could for example be something that the participants had sad or something they've done to move between the different stages according to the transtheoretical model. The second part of the study was to investigate how the participants experienced the situation of having contact with a coach. This part was executed on qualitative grounds were an interview met the purpose. The result indicated that the coaching process might have influenced the participants motivation to change their behavior. This was presumed to depend on the techniques and methods that had been used (i.e., target strategies, empowerment and the confidence shown from the coach). Initially it was shown that the participants motivation to change seems to be extrinsic. During the process the motivation factors changed and the participants seems to have acquired a motivation of a more internal character. This because the participants after some time described that they changed their behavior for their own sake. According to the transtheoretical model the participants advanced from the preparation stage to the action stage, with hope to reach all the way to the activity stage.


This paper describes four case studies of parental involvement programmes and examines: the factors that enable partners to collaborate effectively; how the role of 'parent' is constructed; the contribution that education can make to combating social exclusion.


Geographic information services was to settle the problem of geographic information sharing.This paper put forward technique system,conception framework and hiberarchyand of Grid GIService.Also,this paper discussed key techniques of Gird GIService: safety and security technology for GeoSpatial data network transmission,seamless integration technology for multisource GeoSpatial data,search technique for multi-grid GeoSpatial information,lossless compression for GeoSpatial information multi-grid,service specification for GeoSpatial information.


Recent estimates of cosmological parameters derived from cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies are based on the assumption that we know the precise amount of energy density in relativistic particles in the Universe, ω r e l , at all times. There are, however, many possible mechanisms that can undermine this assumption. In this paper we investigate the effect that removing this assumption has on the determination of the various cosmological parameters. We obtain fairly general bounds on the redshift of equality, z e q = ω m /ω r e l = 3100 + 6 0 0 - 4 0 0 . We show that ω r e l is nearly degenerate with the amount of energy in matter, ω m , and that its inclusion in CMB parameter estimation also affects the present constraints on other parameters such as the curvature or the scalar spectral index of primordial fluctuations. This degeneracy has the effect of limiting the precision of parameter estimation from the MAP satellite, but it can be broken by measurements on smaller scales such as those provided by the Planck satellite mission.


Currency depreciation has been an influential instrument to boost-up the net export of the developing economies that face the strict conditions of international donors along with elevated trade deficit. The eventual intention behind this channel is to achieve the improved current account status that result in higher output level. But the output growth may be dwindling in long-run that may not allow the traditional channel to work. This study examines the given analysis by utilising the annual data set over the period 1972-2010 for output, nominal exchange rate and price level along with different control variables in case of Pakistan. The findings based on Bound-testing approach to auto-regressive distributive lag model (ARDL) indicates that traditional theories do not work in long-run and currency depreciation may lead to reduction in output while the short-run Error-Correction Model (ECM) results robustly support to the traditional theories of open economy macroeconomics in which currency depreciation increases the output level. The study explores the new dimension of research both for policy-maker and international donors working in developing countries, particularly in South Asian region.


This paper explores the idea that to confer legitimacy on the police is to feel not only obligated to obey the police but also morally aligned with the values of the police. A national probability survey of adults in England and Wales supports an extended version of Tyler's procedural justice model of public cooperation with legal authorities. We find especially strong correlations between (a) negative contact with the police, (b) trust in police procedural justice, (c) obligation to obey the police (recognition of police authority) and moral alignment with the police (an endorsement of police values) and (d) willingness to cooperate with legal authorities. Our conclusions focus on an enlarged conception of police legitimacy that includes both recognition and justification of police power. If one part of legitimacy is disconnected from moral substance, and another part of legitimacy is connected to shared value positions, what does this mean for the influence of legitimacy in diverse societies?


The Beltrami-Maxwell equations for free space arise as specializations of the Beltrami-Maxwell equations for general material continua. Here, we investigate the novel concept of time-dependent Beltrami fields to solve the electromagnetic radiation problem in free space. We derive Beltrami field representations in terms of dyadic Green functions and vector potentials. Closed-form results for the Beltrami fields are presented for elementary point sources.


In recent years, interest in solar sailing has grown greatly, and significant research and resources are being contributed to its development and the development of similar and supporting technologies. Sailcraft utilise large deployable membrane structures to exchange momentum with photons in order to generate thrust from Solar Radiation Pressure. Many small solar sailing satellites make use of three-axis stabilisation and semi-rigid booms, however this design places limits on the sizes of sails possible due to the physical properties of these booms and the size of the deployment mechanisms required. Larger sails are desired in order to achieve greater solar thrust. The use of a spinning solar sailcraft with flexible booms makes it possible to deploy significantly larger sails, as the centrifugal force acts to deploy the sail and maintain the deployment thereof, eliminating the limits enforced by available semi-rigid boom technologies. The low cost and small size of CubeSats may be used to further develop spinning solar sail technology. This thesis focuses on the deployment of a spinning solar sail on a CubeSat platform. The dynamic equations which describe the behaviour of a spinning solar sailing satellite with flexible booms duringand postdeployment are developed. These equations, which describe the system, are used to investigate the behavioural trends in the deployment under various deployment strategies. Particular focus is given to the passive deployment of the sail booms. No direct active control is placed on the boom deployment in this case; the deployment rate is instead indirectly controlled through the spin rate of the satellite. This is achieved by the application of rotational damping to the pulley on which the booms are stowed and where from they are deployed. Passive deployment cases are investigated where control is based on strategies including free spin, centrifugal force-based control and constant spin rate control. The dynamics of active deployment, where the deployment rate is directly controlled, are also investigated. An experimental deployment mechanism is designed in order to validate the trends seen in the cases of passive deployment. This experimental deployment mechanism makes use of a geared rotary damper to apply a torque to the pulley from which the booms deploy this slows the deployment rate with no external inputs. The trends seen in simulation are confirmed where possible. A control algorithm is developed, which is capable of detecting the deployment state of the booms based on the control input supplied to the motor driving the mechanism spin. Based on the deployment state detected, the spin rate of the mechanism can be appropriately adjusted. Based on the practical experience and insights gained from experimentation, the designs of three deployment mechanisms are presented. Two of the mechanisms designed make use of rotary dampers in different configurations in order to achieve passive deployment. The third mechanism is intended for actively controlled deployment and possess an actuator to control the deployment rate directly. The design takes advantage of centrifugal force, which allows the actuating motor and the mechanism as a whole to be very small in size. iii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za


Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to detect auditory 40 Hz components in responses to stimuli (optimized chirping sounds) regularly repeated at a rate of 40 times/s. The phase of the 40 Hz component was synchronized to a certain degree with the repeated chirps, giving rise to increased phase coherence. To quantify the synchronization and obtain information on its mechanism, we used a differential equation describing the dynamics of the phase. It was found that the obtained increase in coherence during stimuli could not be accounted for by evoked responses to the repeated chirps alone, even if it is in complete synchrony with the stimuli, indicating that the phase of the ongoing 40 Hz component was also synchronized to the stimuli to some degree.


C4 hydrocarbons produced in oil refining and processing were commented in this paper.It expatiated the technics and chemical utilization of n-butane,ibutane,n-butene,i-butene and butadiene,and also discussed the purification technique of n-butene,i-butene and butadiene.Finally,it is proposed strengthening the rearch on chemical utilization of olefins and alkanes transformation to olefins in our country in the end of this paper.


In this work, a new pair of diagonally implicit Runge–Kutta–Nyström methods with four stages is constructed. The proposed method has been derived to solve initial value problems of special second-order ordinary-differential equations. The principal local truncation error of the new method is obtained, and the main characteristics of the new method are analyzed. Some numerical experiments are performed, which demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the new embedded pair.


A regular circuit structure called a Checkerboard (CB) is proposed. In some CB configurations, all mask layers except the via layers are pre-designed, which is attractive for high manufacturability and performance predictability and for lowering mask costs. The synthesis algorithms developed for the CB makes use of their structural regularity and flexibility. No technology mapping is needed; placement and routing are integrated. Experimental results are favorable for CB up to about 10k gates, compared to other structures such as standard cells. For example, the Vk-CB version of CB uses on average only about 4% more area but is 8% faster.


The present invention is metal aluminide or sparingly soluble titanium alloy of the first component (1,3) steel, a metal aluminide or sparingly soluble titanium alloy, in particular, the second component of a steel shaft (2) relates to a method of joining by friction welding. According to the method, an intermediate joining portion made of nickel alloy (4) is inserted between the first component (1,3) and the second component (2), and friction welding is carried out. Bond layer (4 ') is generated from the intermediate joining portion (4), is firmly bonded to the first component (1,3) and a second component at both ends (2). The present invention is also produced by the method, a turbocharger rotor and the valve for an internal combustion engine.


An interactive online mapping tool is now available to assist with scientific, environmental, and emergency response needs in the Arctic region, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on 31 July. The Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) already has been used in other regions, including in the Gulf of Mexico, as part of the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. The tool—which is a product of the combined work of NOAA, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), the University of New Hampshire, and others—offers near–real time oceanographic observations, weather data, environmental and commercial information, and other data.


Reductions in a limiting nutrient might be expected to necessitate compromises in the functional traits that depend on that nutrient; yet populations existing in locations with low levels of such nutrients often do not show the expected degradation of functional traits. Indeed, we previously found that fish of three species, Logperch (Percina caprodes), Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus), and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) residing in low-calcium water in the Upper St. Lawrence River nevertheless maintained levels of scale calcium comparable to those of conspecific populations in high-calcium water. However, it remains possible that the maintenance of one functional trait under nutrient-limited conditions could come at the expense of maintaining other functional traits that depend on that same nutrient. Hence, we here extend prior work by examining other calcium-dependent traits: skeletal element sizes and bone densities in the same fish species in the same area. Using radiographs of 101 fish from the three species across four locations (two in high-calcium water and two in low-calcium water), we document multi-trait "homeostasis" along the gradient of water calcium. That is, we did not detect any effect of calcium regime (low-calcium versus high-calcium) on any of the measured variables. Further, effect sizes for the skeletal traits were very low - lower even than effect sizes previously documented for scale calcium. Our results thus show that native fishes maintain phenotype stability across a suite of functional traits linked to calcium regulation, perhaps pointing to an "organismal-level homeostasis" scenario rather than a "trait-level homeostasis" scenario.


The era of antibiotics began in the mid-twentieth century, which resulted in changing the basic views on the treatment of infectious diseases and significantly increased the life expectancy among individuals on average by 20 to 30 years. The widespread uncontrolled use of antibacterial drugs has led to development of resistance to antibiotics and a number of adverse events, one of which is diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is caused by the use of antibiotics in 6–7% of cases. Pre- and probiotics are used to prevent diarrhoea. A study of the efficacy and safety of Ecomed (a powder to prepare a suspension containing 100 mg/5 ml azithromycin manufactured by AVVA RUS JSC (Russia) in combination with prebiotics lactulose) in comparison with azithromycin without lactulose was conducted in children with acute bacterial rhinosinusitis. A total of 100 patients were included in the study (50 boys and 50 girls) aged 3 to 14 years, who were divided into 2 groups: the main group consisted of 50 children (mean age 6.16 ± 2.78 years) who received Ecomed for 3 days; the control group of 50 children (mean age 6.9 ± 3.24 years) who received azithromycin for 3 days. The observation period was 2 months. During the observation period, the gastrointestinal tract state was evaluated for such symptoms as flatulence, bloating, frequency of bowel movements and consistency of feces. Feces were collected from children of both groups for gene sequencing by the 16s rRNA method during 4 visits: visit 1: before therapy, visit 2: 3 days after start of the therapy (end of the therapy), visit 3: 17 days after start of the therapy, visit 4: 60 days after start of the therapy. The study showed a significant difference between the microbiota profiles against the background of therapy with azithromycin and Ecomed. It was established that the total share of micro-organisms exposed to the drugs accounted for approximately 20–25%. The use of azithromycin provoked the development of intestinal dysbiosis according to the criteria for the deviation of the microbiota families, genera and species profile from the initial state, and according to the diagnostic signs of clinical symptomatology. An important observation was the fact that even after 2 months the dysbiotic state did not return to normal. The use of Ecomed containing a combination of azithromycin and lactulose reduced dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota exposed to azithromycin. The main advantages were that opportunistic microorganisms had been prevented from growing against the background of azithromycin therapy and useful and other microorganisms had been preserved.


In the soil there are many compound of Fe and Mn as well as in the clay. Those two compounds need to be reduced to improve the resistive value of the clay. One method to reduce those compounds is by electromagnetic filter using solenoid. From the experiment circuit, it was found that the resistive value was 4.5 Ohm with maximum current of 5 Ampere. Concentration of Fe and Mn after filtered were 0.46 ppm and 0.40 ppm respectively.


Nowadays, when crashes and crises are rather frequent events, an effective monitoring system for the international financial market is needed. Modern nonlinear methods, such as Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA), demonstrate the ability to reveal the regularities of the system behavior. Thus, they can be useful for the analysis of the market state in real time. In present paper we did an effort to apply the RQA for the purpose of economic time series monitoring. 12 stock indexes, 6 currency pairs and 4 commodities were taken for the study.


The article considers the issue of testing and optimization of the automated analyzer of turbid media. The conducted factor experiments show that the accuracy of the proposed method of correlation spectroscopy of scattered light by analyzing a video file allows obtaining results within the permissible error. If the number of samples corresponding to the statistical accuracy and the quality of the survey are observed, the particle size is calculated correctly and corresponds to the results obtained by other methods.


In this paper, we investigate the performance of hard switching‐based radio frequency/visible light communication (RF/VLC) downlink system, for indoor wireless communication system. The proposed system exploits the advantages of VLC and RF system, ie, high data rate transmission by VLC and pervasive coverage by RF. The indoor RF link is considered to be Nakagami‐m fading channel while the VLC links are subjected to statistical channel model based on the uniformly distributed end user position. In this paper, we study the performance of hybrid RF/VLC system in terms of outage probability, average bit error rate, ergodic capacity, packet error rate, and throughput. Furthermore, we compare the results of proposed RF/VLC system with stand‐alone VLC system to prove its effectiveness. The results prove that, for lower values of average signal‐to‐noise ratio, the proposed system outperforms the stand‐alone VLC system.


Abstract:This field report describes a partnership between University of California-San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (UBCHO) and East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) where nature is used as treatment for young people to combat stress and build resilience. Patients are recruited by health care providers at the UBCHO Primary Care Clinic. Patients come from diverse populations, the majority of whom live below the poverty level. Recruited patients are invited to join monthly excursions to local EBRPD parks and are encouraged to bring family members along with them. These excursions leave from the clinic on the first Saturday of each month, are facilitated by a naturalist and a physician, and include unstructured exploration, physical activity, and a group picnic. The lessons learned from this collaborative program include: 1. The health benefits of nature extend beyond physical activity. For our patient population nature has served as a tool to treat some of the stress associated with poverty; 2. Variations in temperament and developmental stage make each child's response to nature unique; 3. Parents' efforts to get their children outdoors should be acknowledged; 4. Being culturally responsive is as important in nature as it is in the clinic; and 5. Nature is about friends, family, community, and the security of place.


This article describes an active learning demonstration to increase student interest in and involvement with the topic of research ethics and deception. Students received false, low feedback on an exam and then completed a faculty evaluation form. The class was then informed about the deception and the research issue (the impact of grades on evaluations). Students then discussed their immediate reactions to the experience of deception. Two weeks later students wrote a reflective essay that described how their reactions and views had evolved. The discussion and essays indicated that the demonstration produced a high level of student involvement, empathy toward research participants, and self-examination.


Light responsive azobenzene functionalized polymer networks enjoy several advantages as actuator candidates including the ability to be remotely triggered and the capacity for highly tunable control via light intensity, polarization, wavelength and material alignments. One signi cant challenge hindering these materials from being employed in applications is their often relatively slow actuation rates and low power densities, especially in the absence of photo-thermal e ects. One well known strategy employed in nature for increasing actuation rate and power output is the storage and quick release of elastic energy (e.g., the Venus ytrap). Using nature as inspiration we have conducted a series of experiments and developed an equilibrium mechanics model for investigating remotely triggered snap-through of bistable light responsive arches made from glassy azobenzene functionalized polymers. After brie y discussing experimental observations we consider in detail a geometrically exact, planar rod model of photomechanical snap-through. Theoretical energy release characteristics and unique strain eld pro les provide insight toward design strategies for improved actuator performance. The bistable light responsive arches presented here are potentially a powerful option for remotely triggered, rapid motion from apparently passive structures in applications such as binary optical switches and positioners, surfaces with morphing topologies, and impulse locomotion in micro or millimeter scale robotics.


A theoretical analysis is made of unsteady doubling of optical frequencies in nonlinear media with random inhomgeneities. It is shown that such inhomogeneities cause an additional reduction in the intensity and broadening of the harmonic spectrum, compared with unsteady generation in homogeneous nonlinear media. The theory is applied to the multiplication of frequencies of picosecond pulses in nonlinear crystals and to the generation of harmonics in a laser plasma.


Abstract : The objective of this study was to establish that thermoprocessed foods in flexible packages can be readily produced under production conditions. Analytical studies and bench model and special equipment testing, have established that the objective is feasible. Progression to the confirming engineering, line fabrication, and production phase is recommended. Proposed product guideline formulas were revised to meet commercial production requirements. These were approved and commercial production guides were prepared for seventeen food items. Packaging material and packaging systems specifications were established. Technical feasibility of pouch, filling, vacuum sealing, and processing has been established within the constraints of the developed bench model system. Quality assurance testing methodology has been established.


This study set out to examine parents' and teachers' explanations of the malleability of children's competences. Parents and teachers were asked in which aspect of schoolwork the child could improve his/her competence most and to explain why. The participants were parents and teachers of third- and sixth-grade boys and girls (n=97). The parents and teachers were found to refer to the amount of effort, motivation, and ability in their explanations of the malleability of children's competences. The explanations concerning ability divided into those in which the child was seen as possessing ability and those in which the child was seen as lacking ability or having difficulties that prevented her/him from succeeding. The teachers perceived sixth-graders as needing more effort and motivation than third-graders did, and girls as somewhat more competent and motivated than boys. The teachers also seemed to explain children's potential for improvement in more complex ways than the parents did.


At first blush, drug development, although expensive to undertake, does not appear to be a complicated endeavor. First there is an idea, based on basic science, that interdiction of some target will have a positive outcome on a disease. At this point a search is made to find a molecule that is highly specific for the target and has other "drugable" properties. Once a group of candidates are discovered, in vivo and in vitro tests are undertaken to determine which candidate appears best. Toxicology studies are then undertaken in order to start the process of narrowing the dose range. Assuming that these studies look good, clinical trials in humans are begun. The clinical trial paradigm is well known as phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3. Through this process decisions need to be made whether the molecule really is promising and warrants moving forward in development. If progression is determined then decisions about the dose need to be made that will hopefully lead to dosing regimens that would be used for phase 3 and eventually marketed. Although there is only a 10% chance of success if the drug candidate progresses from preclinical to clinical development, it seems as if it is just a question of doing trials in order to prove the original hypothesis that interdiction of the target has a positive outcome on the disease. This seems conceptually simple. Although drug development was certainly not ever as simple as the above paragraph purports, as with all industries, globalization has had a large impact on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Many of these changes not only have positive implications for the companies developing new molecules by increasing markets available for their compounds, but also have a positive impact on patients across the globe who now have available to them treatments that once would have only been available, mostly, to patients in "developed" countries. Table 1 shows the rapid growth in "pharmemerging" countries from 2009 to 2013. Yet at the same time it has made drug development a much more complex process. Differences in patients due to factors such as genetics and standards of healthcare practice must be considered and explored. In addition, with more markets there are a larger number of regulatory considerations to take into account. Approval to sell in a market is not necessarily sufficient, since in many countries healthcare is paid for by governments and organizations must demonstrate that in addition to it effectively treating an illness, the molecule is worth the cost that is charged. Lastly, since clinical trials themselves have tended to become larger in order to prove safety and efficacy, patient populations in clinical trials


Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. Who is a Good Representative? An Ethics of Democratic Representation. The Proper Scope of an Ethics of Democratic Representation. Three Assumptions. The Theoretical Contribution of The Good Representative. The Structure of The Good Representative. 2. Moving beyond Descriptive Representation. Democratic Representation and Descriptive Representation. Two Problems with Descriptive Representation. Justifying the Silence about Criteria. The Need for Criteria. The Need for Democratic Standards. 3. Democratic Advocacy and Good Democratic Representation. The Scope of Democratic Representation. Sources of Authority for Democratic Representatives. Holding Democratic Representatives Accountable. Existing Standards for Identifying Bad Representatives. Why Democratic Standards? The Importance of Function. The Three Virtues. Democracy and Democratic Citizens' Preferences. 4. The Virtue of Fair-Mindedness. Political Efficacy. Democratic Efficacy. Why Civic Equality? The Meaning of Civic Equality. Using the First Virtue to Evaluate Representatives. Two Problems with the First Virtue. 5. The Virtue of Critical Trust Building. Democratic Representation and Participation. Problems with Evaluating Representatives by Citizen Participation. The Virtue of Critical Trust Building. Promoting Critical Trust. Problems with the Second Virtue. 6. The Virtue of Good Gatekeeping. Developing the Right Relationships. The Scope of Mutual Relations. The Virtue of Good Gatekeeping. A Perspective of Exclusion. Problems with the Third Virtue. Conclusion. 7. Preferable Democratic Representatives: Real-World Political Virtues. Preferability and the Virtues. Preferability and System-Dependency. Are Good Descriptive Representatives Good Democratic Representatives? Choosing among the Virtues. Bad Democratic Representatives. Notes. References. Index.


The study presents the characteristics of the Mściwojow Reservoir equipped with a unique pre-reservoir structure that supports the process of self-purification of waters. The authors present more than ten years of studies, focusing mainly on the issues of water quality and the concentration of phosphorus, which is considered as the main factor influencing water eutrophication process. Quite a high concentration of phosphates was noted in the outflow from the main reservoir, in spite of a lower concen tration of these compounds in the water leaving the pre-reservoir. Basing on the conducted analyses, the catchment of the reservoir was qualified as group 4, being very prone to the movement and supply of material to the reservoir. The negative value of the retention coefficient of phosphorus obtained for the main part of the reservoir points to the existence of an internal source of phosphorus supply to the reservoir. During over 10 years of studies, new directions of the development of the rural areas were determined. Future works should be extended so as to cover all elements of the ecosystem of the reservoir. In a longer term it seems natural to extend the research works to cover the whole catchment of Wierzbiak River.


Adara Goldberg. Holocaust Survivors in Canada: Exclusion, Inclusion, Transformation, 1947-1955. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2015. 300 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. $24.95 sc. Adara Goldberg, the Education Director at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, tells the story of Canada's settlement of 35,000 Jews (disclosure: I am the son of two of them) in the decade following the Holocaust. The product of a Ph.D. dissertation at Clark University, Goldberg's book is structured thematically and chronologically. Meticulously researched and documented, it draws on over 100 oral histories, newspapers and magazines, many archival and library collections, as well as secondary sources. Canada's Jewish social agencies were overwhelmed and poorly equipped to handle the post-war newcomers, many of whom were traumatized and in need of psychological and emotional support, but the survivors adapted and integrated successfully into the established Jewish communities and Canadian society more broadly. However, the survivors were not cut from a single cloth nor was there uniformity in their settlement experiences; they included refugees, orphans, sponsored immigrants, and transmigrants. The latter, like me, came primarily from Israel in the early 1950s. Survivors settling in western Canada found a warmer reception among the smaller Jewish communities than those who settled in Montreal and Toronto, the largest Jewish centres. The diversity of the activities of survivors matched the diversity of their backgrounds. Some contributed to rejuvenating Yiddish education, literature, and culture, some were religiously ultra-orthodox, others practised a more liberal form of Judaism, and still others forsook their ethno-religious origins, turning away from God. Some even converted to Christianity. Before, during, and immediately after the war, Canada was the most ungenerous Western state in admitting Jews fleeing the Nazi extermination machine, as Irving Abella and Harold Troper's None is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933-1948 has documented. Many Canadians, some of whom harboured virulent anti-Semitic feelings, looked down upon the Jewish survivors. Goldberg digs into Mackenzie King's diary for this telling entry: "we must nevertheless seek to keep this part of the Continent free from unrest and from too great an intermixture of foreign strains of blood," he wrote in 1938. "I fear we would have riots if we agreed to a policy that admitted numbers of Jews." Goldberg reminds us as well of Alberta Social Credit premier William Aberhart's propagation of the idea of an international Jewish financial conspiracy and of the anti-Jewish prejudice of Quebec's Roman Catholic clergy during the pre-war period. One of the book's two dozen illustrations is a photograph of a 1940 sign for an Ontario lodge stipulating "Gentiles Only. …


In paper the thermal stratification of liquid lead–bismuth eutectic in accelerator driven subcritical system (ADS) under LOCA is investigated. By means of establishing the space geometric distribution model of thermal stratification which produced in ADS interspace as well as using H2TS scaling analysis to simulate the phenomenon, the main parameters of model facility can be calculated and discussed. When the geometric scaling ratio is chosen be 1/10, by analyzing the Ri number, we can get scaling ratio of leak fluid velocity U0 and process time τ in model is 1/3.16 of the prototype, leak fluid flow Q0 and power q is 1/316.23 of the prototype in the formation process of thermal stratification. Moreover, scaling distortion quantitative analysis for the scaling simulation results be made. So the law related to the time, speed change and so on can be researched, all these work would provide reference and theory for testing facility constructing and ADS safety analysis.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


As a prelude to studying epidermal chalone in disease states, a heat separation technique has been employed to isolate epidermis from the skin of newborn rats for chalone extraction. A consistent cleavage plane through the epidermal basal cell row can be demonstrated by light microscopy. From this heat-isolated pure epidermis we prepared aqueous homogenates, which showed complete destruction of cells and organelles by electron microscopy, exhibited 16 protein bands by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and contained an active mitotic inhibitor demonstrable by bioassay. By using pure epidermis, a reproducible extraction procedure, and a reliable bioassay, it should be possible to develop a rapid biochemical chalone assay, to determine the chemical properties of chalone, to study its mechanism of action, and to examine its possible relevancy to the diseases of epidermal differentiation.


The article deals with description and comprehension of the problems of human being in metaphysical coordinates of Russian Cosmism and the pre-history of its value foundations formation. The author believes that not spiritual impoverishment, but divine transformation, ascension and rise of a human are the maxims of the idea of Russian Cosmism, which fundamental basis was laid by the Christian tradition and original Russian culture. The spiritual transformation of human being becomes especially relevant in the time of globalization, technical progress, instability of the world, and aggravation of the spiritual and moral crisis.


Technologies for notating music pose usage barriers to blind and visually impaired musicians requiring many to overcome a significant learning curve and/or rely on complicated tool chains with limited screen reader support. To address a need for accessible music notation software, we present SoundCells, a browser-based system designed to make music notation easy, intuitive, and accessible to screen reader users, and output music in audio, print, and braille formats. We share findings from a co-design process, in which two experienced musicians used SoundCells for two months guided by four remote meetings, and from a Design Probe, in which five other musicians tried SoundCells with a screen reader and reflected on its usability and accessibility in the context of their current practices. Finally, we discuss design recommendations relevant to a broader ecosystem of creative technologies, including how text-editing and multi-modal output capabilities could be extended and improved, how SoundCells' current design facilitated remote collaboration between sighted researchers and blind musicians, and future opportunities for learning and sharing music on the web.


The principal aim of this article is to raise awareness of a collection whose singular nature endows it with enormous heritage value. It presents a historiographical and artistic analysis of the collection of wax models formed at the Royal Veterinary College in Madrid in the period from 1793 to 1863 and currently preserved in the Complutense Veterinary Museum. The data extracted from primary documentary sources, such as the records from the old school which have been preserved, have been verified using secondary bibliography, complemented by scientific observations on the sculptures in question. The results obtained have enabled us to reconstruct the history of the creation and functioning of the 'Waxworks Laboratory', to identify the manufacturers and the technical choices they made, to date each model, and to determine the reasons behind the loss of a significant number of them.


In the article theoretical and practical aspects of influence of a clustering on the regional economy of the country are considered. In modern conditions, globalization of economy interacts with local trends of cooperation which increases communication between of a cluster. For several decades various approaches, both to understanding of the cluster, and to factors of development of a clustering are formed. To begin with there is a factor of development of the innovation potential of a cluster and assessment of its influence. In this article we present he point of view of both the Russian authors, and the foreign researchers noting the innovation orientation of activity of clusters, their complex impact on development of economy, benefits of formation, development and realization of the innovation potential. Authors note the tendency of clusters to innovate, generate new information and knowledge, implement innovations. A number of authors consider regional clusters in the concept of a glocalization, noting complementarity of global and local tendencies in activity of clusters that it promotes forming of a glocalized innovation in their activity. In this regard, the research purpose of this article consists in assessment of the impact of the innovation potential of a regional cluster on development of economy of the region or country. The authors have conducted a case study on the innovation opportunities of a regional cluster – the Petrochemical cluster of the Omsk region. The methodology of this research includes general scientific, empirical, social, practical researches. The article describes the Strategy of Innovative Development of the Russian Federation, where pointed out benefits of the clustering to national economy and its role in the innovative development of regions and the states. Omsk region is assessed in terms of its innovative attractiveness for Russian and international business. Based on the BCG-matrix, the cluster portfolio of the Omsk region is assessed. It includes both existing and potential clusters. The petrochemical cluster takes the leading place in a cluster portfolio of the Omsk region, so the purposes, benefits and key performance indicators in the innovation aspect are allocated to it. Based on the SWOT-analysis method, an assessment of the innovative potential of the Petrochemical Cluster is given. The main strategies for it are formed taking into account the influence of internal and external factors. In the introduced strategic pyramid of all levels, the interrelation of the innovation strategy of the Russian Federation, the Omsk region and a petrochemical cluster is marked out. In the conclusion aspects of influence of the innovation potential of a regional cluster on the innovative development of the region are revealed. Keywords—cluster; regional cluster; the innovation potential; glocalisation; glocalisation of innovations; Omsk region; Petrochemical cluster


— as credit card becomes the most popular mode of payment for both online as well as regular purchase, cases of fraud associated with it are also rising. In this paper, we model the sequence of operations in credit card transaction processing using a Hidden Markov Model and show how it can be used for the detection of frauds. An HMM is initially trained with the normal behavior of a cardholder. If an Incoming credit card transaction is not accepted by the trained HMM with sufficiently high probability, it is considered to be fraudulent. At the same time, we try to ensure that genuine transactions are not rejected.


Describes many shortcomings of traditional periphera interfaces of computer the newlycome Universal Serial Bus has many advantages, such as: easeofuse, high speed, supporting plugplay,ease to expand port etc, so it gradually becomes the main computer interface and is used very widely now Systematic analysis some main features of usb, including bus topology, physical interface, data transmission mode, data structure scheduling the usb, etc


In all cases, an application of PREP caused immature cotton bolls to open and be ready for harvest approximately two weeks before the check plots. at the higher elevations in Arizona where a hard freeze may come even before the first pick, this is a definite plus, but one that is difficult to evaluate in dollars and cents. The findings of this study were not adequate to determine whether the degree of boll opening would be sufficient for a one -pick harvest. The application of PREP did not affect the quality of the lint produced, but by increasing the portion of the harvest in the first pick, did cause the overall crop to be of higher quality. Lastly, more research must be done to determine what role PREP has in the production of long staple cotton.


The present invention provides a mold set and a method of manufacturing an optical element, a simple structure can be smoothly release the optical element. Mold set (10) via an optical material having a (100) disposed opposite the first mold (11) and a second mold (12), disposed on the first molding die (11) and the second mold (12) a first spacer (14) and a second spacer (15) between the first spacer (14) at (100) conditions during pressurization of a first temperature (T1) of the optical material, to ensure that the first interval molding die (11) and the second mold (12) during the cooling process in the second temperature (T2) of the first spacer (14) at a first temperature (T1) to the optical material (100) in the mold than the second spacer (15) opening and closing directions is more contracted, the second spacer (15) at the second temperature (T2), to ensure that the first mold (11) and the second mold (12) interval.


Ball burnishing is a cold work process where a hard ceramic or diamond ball rolls on a metal surface and flattens the roughness peaks under high local pressure. The small deformation created on the surface imposes compressive residual stresses and raises hardness in a shallow sub-surface layer, leading to improved fatigue, corrosion, and foreign object damage performances. Trial-and-error type experimental work to determine the optimum process parameters for a cold-forming process like ball burnishing for acceptable performance is costly. Therefore, the article aims to investigate the effects of various force control strategies in the double-sided low plasticity burnishing (LPB) process to find the effects on deformation and residual stresses on thin Ti6Al4V flat sheets. A 3D static-implicit finite element model was developed with an elastic-rigid plastic flow curve. Simulations were conducted to predict residual stresses and deformationі on the surface. As a result, it was proven that ball burnishing can produce a deterministically controlled surface. An increased vertical force produced higher deformation normal to the surface and, therefore, a deeper pool. As the ball proceeded further, a plowing effect developed such that when a 3.5–4.8 mm deep pool was formed (at a vertical force of 150 N), a peak of 2.8 mm was produced at the front end. Overall, the deformation on the surface and the residual stresses were directly interrelated. Parallel to the deformation on the surface, residual stresses on and beneath the surface also showed some variation. Nevertheless, the predicted residual stress variations were not big. They did not switch to the tensile mode in the burnished zone. Therefore, the whole sheet surface should be burnished to obtain all the compressive residual stresses.


I present a lightweight approach to incremental application upgrade in the context of component-based software development. The approach can be used to efficiently implement an automated update feature in a platform and programming language agnostic way. A formal release model is presented which ensures consistency and allows the computation of incremental updates. Finally i show how this model can be implemented on top of Subversion.


In a previous paper (Laskar, Nature, 338,237-238), the chaotic nature of the solar system excluding Pluto was e s t a b lished by the numerical computation of the maximum Lyapunov exponent of i t s secular system over 200 Myr. In the present an explanation i s given for the exponential divergence of the o rb i t s : i t i s due to the t r a n s i t i o n from l i b r a t i o n to c i r c u l ation of the c r i t i c a l argument of the secular resonance 2(g4~g3 ) ( s 4 s " ) r e l a t e d to the motions of pe r ihe l i ons and nodes of the Earth and Mars. An other important secular r e s o nance i s i d e n t i f i e d : (g1~g5 ) ( s . s 2 ) . I t s c r i t i c a l argument stays in l i b r a t i o n over 200 Myr with a period of about 10 Myr and amplitude from 85° to 135°. The main f ea tu re s of the solu t ions of the inner p l a n e t s a re now iden t i f i ed when taking these resonances in to account . Estimates of the s ize of the chaotic reg ions a r e determined by a new numerical method using the evolut ion with time of the fundamental f requencies . The size of the chaot ic reg ions in the inner solar system are large and correspond to v a r i a t i o n s of about 0.2 arcsec/year in the fundamental f requencies . The chaot ic nature of the in ner solar system can thus be considered as robust agains t snail v a r i a t i o n s of the i n i t i a l condi t ions or of the model. The chaot ic reg ions r e l a t e d to the outer p l ane t s frequencies are very t h i n except for gg which present v a r i a t i o n s s u f f i c i ently l a rge to be s ign i f i can t over the age of the solar;, sys tem .


This paper presents a process and system along with a demo flow for crowd-supported systematic literature reviews (SLRs). SLRs in general and meta analyses in particular are one of the most important kind of scientific publication: they summarize results achieved by different research groups and, thanks to a systematic process [Grant and Booth 2009; Khan et al. 2003; Henderson et al. 2010], aimed at finding many relevant papers and selecting them in an unbiased and transparent way, they are supposed to provide a comprehensive and objective summary of research in a field [Steinberg et al. 2011; Haidich 2010]. For this reason, especially in medicine, they form the basis of policy decisions. They are also one of the most highly cited form of publication, and their number is growing steadily in all fields of science [Krivosheev et al. 2017]. The commonly accepted SLR process starts with defining and executing a keyword-based boolean query over paper databases such as Scopus, typically returning thousands of results. For example, for an SLR that reports on studies on how technology can help social interactions among older adults, we may query for papers that include in the title or abstract keywords such as technology, internet, intervention, study, older adults, etc. The results is likely to include many irrelevant papers that authors filter out based on a set of exclusion criteria, such as "does the paper describe an intervention-type study", or "does the paper describes a study involving 75+ older adults". This is typically done based on title and abstract only. Papers that survives the screening (often a small fraction) are then read in full and, if still considered relevant, analyzed and discussed in the SLR. As it can be appreciated, performing SLRs is not easy: the process is long, laborious, error prone, and possibly frustrating. As we witnessed, sometimes the process becomes so long that the work is not completed and not made available in a form useful for the community to consume. This also applies to the screening phase, often lasting for several months. The fact that literally millions of scientific papers are published every year makes the task more daunting [Green 2011; Sampson et al. 2008; Krivosheev et al. 2017]. Even when completed and published, it has been shown that it is not uncommon for SLRs to miss a very high percentage of relevant papers (well above 30% [Créquit et al. 2016]). In this paper and demo we present a crowd and crowd+AI based system, called CrowdRev, supporting the screening phase of literature reviews and achieving the same quality as author classification at a fraction of the cost, and near-instantly. CrowdRev makes it easy for authors to leverage the crowd, and ensures that no money is wasted even in the face of difficult papers or criteria: if the system detects that the task is too hard for the crowd, it just gives up trying (for that paper, or for that criteria, or altogether), without wasting money and never compromising on quality. The theory for this work is laid out in our recent publications [Krivosheev et al. 2017; Krivosheev et al. 2018] (also showing experimental results) and is inspired by a number of contributions by many authors that have shown the feasibility of crowd-based screening of scientific papers, even in complex fields such as medicine [Wallace et al. 2017; Sun et al. 2016; Mortensen et al. 2016; Weiss 2016].


Commercial self-service restaurants have arisen as a fast-food option well adapted to the new necessities of the Brazilian population. They constitute an industry in growth all over the country, and have evolved in terms of both supply and service. This paper analyses the phenomenon of "eating out" and presents the competitive and operational strategy of the "per kilo" self-service restaurants. From a study conducted in a branch enterprise, it identifies and analyses the process characteristics present in the "per kilo" system, suggesting internal changes in the form of management directions.


Lupinus mutabilis protein-rich seeds must be debittered before consumption. The aim of this research was to assess free phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and FT-NIR spectra of flours from debittered seeds of 33 Andean ecotypes of L. mutabilis, and five varieties belonging to L. luteus, L. angustifolius and L. albus, as controls. The free phenolics were quantified by RP-HPLC, while the antioxidant capacity was evaluated spectrophotometrically through the Reducing Power, ABTS, FRAP and DPPH methods. The free phenolics of L. mutabilis were mostly (85.5–99.6%) flavonoids (genistein and genistein derivatives, apigenin, catechin and naringenin). Other compounds, detected in low quantities, were phenylethanoids (tyrosol and tyrosol derivative) and phenolic acids (cinnamic acid derivatives). The highest total free phenolic concentration was observed in H6 INIA BP (1393.32 mg/kg DM), followed by Chacas, Moteado beige, Huánuco and Lircay. The antioxidant capacity of the L. mutabilis ecotypes exceeded that of the controls and was correlated to flavonoids content. Additionally, a relationship between free phenolic compounds and spectral bands was established by FT-NIR, paving the way for a fast, reliable and non-destructive approach to lupin seeds characterisation. Even after debittering, lupin flours maintained high free phenolic concentrations and antioxidant capacity.


A strategy has been developed for the enantioconvergent lactonization of symmetrical hydroxy diesters which exploits the prochiral stereospecificity of lipases in organic solvents. Using this approach, prochiral γ-hydroxypimelate diesters were converted into either enantiomer of γ-butyrolactone γ-3-propionates


Abstract Since the discovery of apoptosis (1) and its potential implications for the treatment of cancer, various in vestigators have devoted their efforts to the development of novel, apoptosis-based, therapeutic strategies. Among various approaches being tried is the synthesis of chemotherapeutic agents (cytotoxic or noncytotoxic) capable of inducing apoptosis in apoptosis-susceptible tumor cells.


The article discusses the preconditions of HAMANN'S project of a metacritique of pure reason in the period of medieval philosophy, especially in the medieval 'logos-metaphysics'. After introductory remarks, part I starts with AUGUSTINE'S theory of the verbum intimum, in which he explains what 'understanding' means. Part II continues with the discussion of the relation between language and silence as - according to ECKHART OF HOCHHEIM - relation between human speech and divine word. The subject of part III is the concept and the explanation of the irreducibility of signs, through which NIKOLAUS OF KUES summarizes the results and the heritage of medieval thinking of language discussed in this paper. The logos of language is the 'centet' and the singular 'medium' of a universe of signs which is thought as creation. As its own prehistory, every critique of pure reason will conclude the post-antique achievements of medieval thought. This concerns especially the divine sense and the divine meaning of language, on which the (meta-)critique of pure reason is based. It is the 'eloquence of things' - the residuum of the 'creative λOγo?' -, which ordinary language shows and reflects.


With the rapid development of Internet technology, information security issues have become an important guarantee for society. Image encryption technology can achieve security by converting images into other unrecognizable formats. Many existing visible image encryption methods are not highly visual, which not only causes the leakage of important image information, but also easily causes a waste of resources. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a new visual image encryption scheme based on BTC compression. The original image is protected by converting the original image into other formats that ordinary users cannot recognize to achieve the security level required by the user. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme is not only simple and convenient, but also has excellent performance in terms of compression rate and visual distortion. It has been widely used by many researchers.


Background Animal models of myocardial infarction(MI) have been widely used to study the pathological and physiological changes that occur in MI, and to objectively evaluate the efficacy of new treatments.They are an important tool in this procedure. However, the mortality rate of MI animal models has so far been higher than in real-life situations. The aim of this study was to explore the use of a modified retrograde traction tracheal intubation(MRTI) method for increasing the success rate of MI models in rats. Methods Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the experiment. Using the MRTI method of artificial airway generation, we established the MI model by ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. We analyzed the effects of MRTI, the use of lidocaine, operative details, nursing considerations during the operation, and post-operative factors on the success rate of the MI model in rats. Results The success rate of generating an MI model in rats can be significantly increased using the following methods : 1) Setting up the artificial airway through the use of MRTI by using a single-lumen central venous catheter; 2) Selecting a ligation site 2 mm below the midpoint of the connection between the left atrial appendage and the pulmonary cone; 3) Adding a drop of lidocaine to the surface of the heart to slow down the heart rate, make the operation easier to perform,and prevent arrhythmias postoperatively; 4) Clearing up airway secretions timely both intra and postoperatively; 5) Making sure that rats are in a warm state both intra and postoperatively; 6) Preventing wound infection.Conclusions Use of the MRTI method can quickly establish an artificial airway in rats. Intraoperative use of lidocaine, selecting a precise vascular ligation site, and appropriate care both intra and postoperatively can increase the success rate of MI model generation.更多还原


An information reproducing system 15 for a vehicle includes an input device 12, which receives a selection signal sixteenth In addition, the information reproducing system 15 includes a processor 10 which generates a video or control signal 18, 18a, so that a arranged on an edge of a touch-sensitive display surface 22 of display device 20, status bar 24 and an adjacent to the status bar 24 display area based on the video or control signal 18, 18a reproduced by the display device 20 on the touch-sensitive display surface 22nd The selection signal 16 in this case has information about a start point 23 and an endpoint 25 of the display surface 22 the display device 20 continuously contacting movement 21 by a user, where the beginning point 23 in the area of the status bar 24 and the end point is in the display area 25th Further, the processor 10 generates the video or control signal 18, 18a based on the select signal 16, so that a content of a selected displayed at the location of the starting point 23 content category 30 26a in at least one at least partially 25 comprising half of the display area located in an end point portion is reproduced 26b of the display area with as compared with the displayed status bar 24 extended information content information content by said display means 20th Furthermore, the information reproduction system 15 includes an output 14 which provides the video or control signal 18, 18a to a display device 20th


Historically, flood risk management in the United Kingdom has mainly concentrated on river and coastal flooding, yet flooding from surface water runoff is a risk to urban areas. A comprehensive study of the causes, the impact and the consequences as well as the management of serious pluvial flooding in Heywood, Greater Manchester, in 2004 and 2006 revealed that the victims of the floods were unprepared, ill‐informed and confused as to responsibilities before, during and after the event. Householders had to rely on their insurers for loss mitigation, but the response of the insurance industry was varied and inconsistent, and there were difficulties in building in resilience after the event. In 2006, only one property was on the Office of the Water Regulator DG 5 Register on the basis of previous flooding. Thus the area falls between the responsibilities of the Local Authority (LA), the Environment Agency and the water utility. The people affected do not know whom to turn to for assistance. A way forward may be through the establishment of an overriding agency to provide a coherent voice and strategic guidance, supported by dedicated flooding experts within LA planning departments, the adaptation of buildings for flood resilience and through changes within the insurance industry.


Leaf samples of six coconut varieties were collected to determine stomatal studies. Scanning electron micrograph showed that stomata, found only on the abaxial epidermis, were arranged in parallel rows and sunken below the epidermis. The stomatal complex is characterized by the presence of two guard cells and four subsidiary cells, two of which are roundish and the other two are lateral to the guard cells. The values of stomatal features were statistically significant for some Tall, Dwarf and Hybrid coconuts. The mean number of the stomates per mm 2 of leaf surface were higher in Tall and Hybrid compared to the Dwarf varieties of coconut. The mean length of the varieties ranged from 31.66µm to 39.06µm and the width 9.46µm to 12.8µm was noted. Stomatal densities of the Sri Lanka Green Dwarf and Ranthambly have 215.18mm 2 and 189.87mm 2 respectively.


State Administrative Procedure Acts (APAs), like their federal counterpart, attempt to even the odds that citizens'rights will be protected as administrative agencies exercise quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial functions. North Carolina is one of several states which has recently attempted to constrain agency power in rulemaking and complaint adjudication. This is a case study of policy outcomes attained by the North Carolina General Assembly in its 1985 revision of the state's APA. Why did some state legislators'efforts to assume stricter oversight over administrative rulemaking fall far short of the kind of control and accountability they aimed forq We explore three types of obstacles to APA reform encountered in North Carolina. Each is relevant to other states. First, direct surveillance or "police-patrol" techniques of legislative oversight impose undesirable political costs on legislators. Second, there is an absence of (or categorical precedence is against) the adoption of such techniques. Third, executive-legislative branch conflict and complex separation of powers issues arise when state legislatures attempt to curtail administrative rulemaking in significantly new and restrictive ways. Copyright 1987 by The Policy Studies Organization.


The article is devoted to the study of problems of intellectualization of control systems of moving objects to ensure their reliable operation in difficult conditions in various physical environments. Intelligent traffic support systems are developed based on the integration of measurement, computing, communication and control technologies and are designed to ensure the collection, accumulation and processing of information, determination of navigation parameters, formation of control influences, visualization of the positioning and movement trajectories of objects, monitoring of thefunctional state of objects and the state of the operating environment, etc. When restoring the lost trajectory of a moving object in the conditions of its complex movement, when approximating complex algorithms in adaptive control systems, with sudden changes in the trajectory or conditions of movement, there is a need to extract a complex trend from noiselike signals. The existing filtering algorithms do not provide acceptable efficiency, especially in conditions of limited a priori information about the nature of changes in the useful signal component.The article proposes and substantiates the use of wavelet filtering to suppress interference and extract the initial signal of a complex shape. A study of the effectiveness of extracting a complex useful signal against the background of Gaussian noise and harmonic disturbances was conducted. To process the simulated signals, wave functions of various orders from the families of Dobechies, symlets, and coiflets were used. The effectiveness of wavelet filtering was evaluated by the mean square deviation value of the selected trend and the model of the useful signal. The comparative analysis of the obtained results showed the feasibility of using the wave function of the family of symlets, which ensured the minimum value of the root mean square deviation of the selected trend from the model of the useful signal.


The National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) is the primary document of Japan's defense policy, setting both guidelines for defense force planning and outlining the basic principles and policies of Japan's national security strategy. The most recent NDPG, completed in 2010, introduces several new concepts such as "dynamic deterrrence† and based on recognition of a new security environment in the region. This brief highlights the new concepts and indicates two areas that must be addressed soon in order to make the NDPG fully executable.


This article describes the design and construction of the 1380m long Pakse Bridge across the River Mekong in Laos. The bridge will save up to an hour's travel time across the river, compared with the ferry journey, and improve and facilitate trade between Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The bridge is a continuous-frame post-tensioned concrete box girder structure, consisting of four smaller bridges, separated by hinges in mid-span, whose lengths are 325m, 306m, 306m, and 443m. There are 13 piers, whose concrete heads are cast in situ. There are also 384 precast concrete segments, cast in moulds in the precast yards on site, and put in place with internal and external prestressing. Several factors influenced the decision to use this method to make the segments, each of which uses 25-40m3 of concrete. The whole deck from piers 1 to 12 was built using the balanced cantilever construction method; the parts for pier 13 and both abutments were cast in situ. The three main spans, around piers 11 and 12, were strengthened with stays. Each pier had nine pairs of stays, anchored at deck and deviated at the pylons. The construction period was scheduled to start in September 1997 and end in October 2000. Despite allowance having to be made for varying river conditions between seasons, completion is expected ahead of time.