Laser medicine is rapidly becoming a fashionable area of dermatology, and this textbook, the first on cutaneous laser therapy, is a timely arrival to meet the educational needs of dermatologists. The editors are leaders in the field, and the numerous contributors cover many aspects of a growing area of clinical research. The resultant slim volume provides an introduction to lasers and the small amount that is known about the interaction of laser radiation and skin, a description of port wine stains and results of treatment, the results of treatment of other cutaneous lesions, and an analysis of the psychological results of laser therapy for cosmetic defects. The mix of subjects provides adequate, up-to-date information for the practicing dermatologist who needs to know what laser therapy can offer potential patients. The textbook does not represent a complete how-to-do-it cookbook for the aspiring laser therapist; training in a laser unit would be


Phenylhydrazine complexes of metal(II) phthalates of the general formula [M(C8H4O4)(C6H5NHNH2)2(H2O)2], where M=Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II) or Cd(II), were prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic and spectral studies. The thermal decomposition behavior of the cobalt(II) complex was studied and the kinetic parameters for the decomposition reactions were evaluated according to the Coats‐Redfern, Horowitz‐Metzger and MacCallum‐Tanner methods. Slightly distorted octahedral geometries were established for the complexes with water molecules in the coordination sphere. The monodentate behavior of phenylhydrazine molecule was established. The thermal decomposition pattern of the cobalt(II) complex was characteristic of the proposed structure. Biotoxic studies revealed marked antifungal and antibacterial effects for several complexes.


We describe a Wizard-of-Oz experiment setup for the collection of multimodal interaction data for a Music Player application. This setup was developed and used to collect experimental data as part of a project aimed at building a flexible multimodal dialogue system which provides an interface to an MP3 player, combining speech and screen input and output. Besides the usual goal of WOZ data collection to get realistic examples of the behavior and expectations of the users, an equally important goal for us was to observe natural behavior of multiple wizards in order to guide our system development. The wizards' responses were therefore not constrained by a script. One of the challenges we had to address was to allow the wizards to produce varied screen output a in real time. Our setup includes a preliminary screen output planning module, which prepares several versions of possible screen output. The wizards were free to speak, and/or to select a screen output.


One kind of the cutting edge by a rounded edge portion (16) (29) the rake angle (30) and the rear angle (34) to optimize both the geometric parameters of the ball mill and the improved (10), wherein the the relief angle and the rake angle increases gradually from an outer diameter of the rounded part of the cutting edge along the cutting edge.


In this work by means of alkaline hydrolysis, the extraction of alcayota gum from Cucurbita ficifolia was carried out. The gum is purified by hydroalcoholic precipitations. This rubber is characterized by measurements of viscositydensity, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and rheological. The intrinsic viscosity of the gum was 149.83 cm3/g and the molecular weight of 1867 kDa (whose Mark-Houwink parameters were k=0.00263 and a=0.7583), a shape factor of 3.12 and a hydration value of 47.63 g/g. From DLS the hydrodynamic radius was determined with a value of 53 nm, a molecular weight of 1722 kDa and with Mark-Houwink parameters of aD=0.5998 and kD=0.002543. The studies carried out for CyOH(d) showed a thixotropic behavior for the dispersed solutions that increased with the increase in hydrolysis and glycerin and decreased with the increase in temperature. The degree of thixotropy is higher for CyOH(d) compared to Cy(d). This polysaccharide can be applied in the film forming technology, as a thickening agent, etc.


Joystick controllers are used mainly for modern civil drones. However, joystick controllers are non-intuitive and require two hands to be used simultaneously. Therefore, although single-handed drone controllers using a joystick and hand gestures have been introduced, they have only replaced the right stick of the joystick controller with gyro sensors. While this approach retains interface continuity with conventional joystick controllers, it is not user-centric. Therefore we propose a gestural drone controller based on hand gestures, and compare it experimentally with conventional controllers, including an investigation of the effective differences depending on the user's joystick experience. We separateparticipants into expert and novice joystick groups to investigate the joystick controller experience effects (e.g., radio-controlled cars, game consoles) for each controller type. The conventional joystick controller is found to be superior to the conventional gestural controller for five out of nine criteria, and superior to the proposed gestural controller for three out of nine criteria. The proposed gestural controller is more natural than the conventional gestural controller. There tends to be an interaction effect of the joystick experience and controller types, considering the naturalness of the controller.


Response surface methodology was used to optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction of C-S lyase from Lentinus edodes.A regression model describing the yield of C-S lyase with respect to extraction time,ultrasonic power and material-to-liquid ratio was established.Ultrasonic power had the most significant influence on the yield of C-S lyase followed by extraction time and material-to-liquid ratio.The optimal extraction condition for C-S lyase from Lentinus edodes was 100.0 W,21.5 min and a material-to-liquid ratio of 1:15(g/mL),and the yield of C-S lyase observed under these conditions was 48.76 U/g,which was close to the predicted value.


Steep mountain streams typically feature macro-roughness elements like large immobile boulders or channel-spanning bedforms such as step-pool sequences. The effects of macro-roughness on resistance and flow velocity are not well understood and appropriate field parameter for representing macro-roughness in flow velocity equations have not been identified. The prediction of flow velocity in rough and steep streams therefore remains challenging. We measured flow velocity and several macroroughness parameters, i.e. boulder concentration, boulder diameter and protrusion, and roughness of longitudinal channel profiles) in six reaches of steep mountain streams with plane bed/riffle, step-pool and cascade channel morphologies. The between-site variations in flow resistance can be explained to some extent by non-dimensionalization of discharge and flow velocity using channel slope and a characteristic roughness length. Using any of our roughness parameters as the characteristic roughness length, this nondimensionalization leads to a similarity collapse of the entire data set. The remaining differences in flow resistance among the streams are related to dimensionless measures of macro-roughness that describe the concentration of boulders or step density in a reach. Boulder concentration represents the measure best describing the data and is used in a simple regression equation for flow velocity. The predictions were somewhat better than predictions by the variable power-law equation of Ferguson. Although the regression might not be statistically significant, the observed trends suggest that measures of macro-roughness, particularly boulder concentration, explain a large portion of between-site variation of flow resistance. In review in Water Resources Research


Neural networks are examined for use as optimal controllers. The effect of the addition of noise to the neural network input measurements is investigated to determine the performance robustness of the neural network controllers. These techniques are applied to the autonomous control of interceptor-to-target rendezvous missions. For this example, the target lies in a circular orbit and remains passive throughout the maneuver. The linearized Clohessy–Wiltshire equations with thrust are used to describe the relative motion of the two vehicles. Parameter optimization is used to generate the training data for the neural network designs. A combination of open-loop and closed-loop control is shown to work effectively for this problem.


Abstract Norway reformed its pension system in 2011, introducing a Swedish-style, NDC system. Contrary to expectations, the reform was largely supported by the dominant confederation of trade unions, the LO. In this article, we look at LO involvement in the process at different stages. Through qualitative interviews with key reform architects, we have traced the process between 2005 and 2008, emphasising actors, meeting places and interests. Starting from the insight that unions can influence through lobbying, bargaining and (the threat of) mobilising, we suggest that lobbying can be a mutual process, where parties and unions move each other's positions. In addition, bargaining can take the form of behind-the-scenes cooperation, as well as of negotiations in the classic, Nordic-style industrial relations sense. Expanding on this framework, we suggest that the literature on pension reforms should pay more attention to negotiated and voluntary labour market occupational schemes, and to the importance of expertise and networks.


An analytical model for the electrical characteristics of Double Surrounding Gate MOSFET in strong inversion is presented in this paper. The analytical solution to the 1-D simplified Poisson's equation (Non-linear) in cylindrical coordinates with symmetric boundary conditions are examined. Closed form solution for body potential and the current has been developed. The concentration of the induced inversion charges by the same surface potential is found significantly higher in double surrounding gate MOSFET, which implies its better gate control and achievable higher current.


In this paper, an Adaptive Median Constant False Alarm Rate (AMCFAR) and multi-frame post detection integration algorithm is proposed for effective real time automatic target detection of boat-generated acoustic signals, in which, an observation space is created by sampling and dividing input analog acoustic signal into multiple frames and each frame is transformed into the frequency domain. In the created observation space, a Median Constant False Alarm Rate (MCFAR) and post detection integration algorithms have been proposed for an effective automatic target detection of boat generated acoustic signals, in which a low constant false alarm rate is kept with relative high detection rate. The proposed algorithm has been tested on several real acoustic signals from hydrophone sensors, and statistical analysis and experimental results showed it able to provide a very low false alarm rate and a relatively high detection rate in all cases.


Parent mediated interventions have the potential to positively influence the interactions and developmental outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, a range of factors relating to children, parents and caregivers, and study design may impact on outcomes and thus the generalizability of these interventions to the broader community. The objective of this review was to examine factors that may influence the feasibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, and generalizability of parent mediated interventions for children with ASD. We conducted a systematic review, yielding 41 articles. There was substantial variability in the intervention type, intensity, and study quality. Notably, 46 different inclusion/exclusion criteria were reported across studies including factors relating to children's development, access to other services, comorbidities, parental factors, and access to the intervention. Fifteen articles included examination of 45 different factors potentially associated with, or influencing, intervention outcomes including child (e.g., language skills, ASD severity, cognition) and parent (e.g., adherence and fidelity, education) factors. Although there is clear evidence for an increasingly sophisticated (e.g., systematic phased research for some interventions) and diverse (e.g., studies in geographical diverse contexts including low‐resource communities) approach to research examining parent mediated interventions, there remains a need for improved study quality and measurement consistency in research, including a detailed examination of factors that may predict, moderate, and mediate intervention effectiveness for children and their parents. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1304–1321. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


krly lE PeoP^e's consciences are of a peculiar build, particulittle h" reSards "stamped envelopes for reply." It is a f?r s0&1 . on a trusting nature who, writing to ask politely reply 6 ln^ormation, encloses a stamp and gets neither a Sentle^ st&mP back again. There was once an old heard %V^10 Went in for philanthropy, and he was overhelp e ? remark to his clerk: "John, all those appeals for sir.'i ^?Sed a stamped envelope, I believe ?" "They did, -then answer them all on halfpenny post cards.''


The renown of Bernini and the publicity of his trip to France-even though he was out-maneuvered by the French architects '-has helped to cast a shadow of forgetfulness over the activity at Paris at this same moment of another Italian architect, the Theatine Padre Guarino Guarini. Bernini himself, however, paid a visit soon after his arrival at Paris to the church of the Theatine Order, Sainte Anne-la-Royale, begun in 1662 by Guarini. Paul de Freart, Sieur de Chantelou, who served as guide to Bernini during his stay at Paris, relates that on June 14, 1665, Bernini "has been to see the church of the Theatines, and, when the Fathers asked him how it seemed to him, he made no reply except: 'I believe that it will turn out beautiful' [Credo che riuscirai bella]." The Theatine Fathers were apparently uneasy about the proportions of the dome planned for their church and remarked that the dome of the Gesil at Rome was too low, while that of Sant' Andrea della Valle, also in Rome, was higher. Bernini replied that "each had their own proportion; that one should not attempt to make the elevation only in proportion to the width, because otherwise it would be awkward to have to raise one's head so high;" and thus pointed out to them the importance of the relation of the dome to the interior space of the church. He added that "when their church would be covered, it will appear larger." There is, however, an implied criticism of the church in Bernini's later statement to them: "It would be good if they had some part on the facade which advanced, since churches which are entirely round, when one enters them, one ordinarily takes seven to eight steps, which prevents one from seeing the form well." 2 This principle is, of course, the one which Bernini himself had just been exploiting in his Italian churches at Castel Gandolfo and Ariccia.3


Radiology narrative reports often describe characteristics of a patient's disease, including its location, size, and shape. Motivated by the recent success of multimodal learning, we hypothesized that this descriptive text could guide medical image analysis algorithms. We proposed a novel vision-language model, ConTEXTual Net, for the task of pneumothorax segmentation on chest radiographs. ConTEXTual Net utilizes language features extracted from corresponding free-form radiology reports using a pre-trained language model. Cross-attention modules are designed to combine the intermediate output of each vision encoder layer and the text embeddings generated by the language model. ConTEXTual Net was trained on the CANDID-PTX dataset consisting of 3,196 positive cases of pneumothorax with segmentation annotations from 6 different physicians as well as clinical radiology reports. Using cross-validation, ConTEXTual Net achieved a Dice score of 0.716$\pm$0.016, which was similar to the degree of inter-reader variability (0.712$\pm$0.044) computed on a subset of the data. It outperformed both vision-only models (ResNet50 U-Net: 0.677$\pm$0.015 and GLoRIA: 0.686$\pm$0.014) and a competing vision-language model (LAVT: 0.706$\pm$0.009). Ablation studies confirmed that it was the text information that led to the performance gains. Additionally, we show that certain augmentation methods degraded ConTEXTual Net's segmentation performance by breaking the image-text concordance. We also evaluated the effects of using different language models and activation functions in the cross-attention module, highlighting the efficacy of our chosen architectural design.


The Chandra X-ray telescope has four separate detectors, two charge coupled devices, and two microchannel plates, behind a set of four highly polished, nested mirrors. The on-orbit performance of the imaging system is <1 arcsec, a dramatic improvement from the 5–8 arcsec previously available. In addition, two transmission gratings can be placed in the system, which for point sources can reach resolutions of 300–1000+ over the range λ∼1.5–160 A. The entire system was calibrated prelaunch at NASA/MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama. The results have been dramatic: the first light image of the supernova remnant Cas A showed a never-before-seen point source near the center of the remnant that may be the neutron star left over after the explosion. Even the calibration image of a distant quasar (taken for focusing purposes) showed an x-ray emitting jet extending out from the nucleus for more than 20 kpc, which challenges current theories about jet propagation. The grating observations done by Chandra take x-ray astroph...


Halimun Salak Mount National Park has many ecosystem and habitat types that support rare and endemic species including mammals. This study aimed to reveal the diversity of mammals in the national park using camera trap and direct observation, setting of live trap, mist net, identification of foot print. A total of 23 mammals' species (11 species were recorded using camera trap) in this study. Based on the capture rate, the highest abundance of mammals was muncak deer (Muntiacus munjak) of 31.25% with an encounter rate of 34.37 photos/100 day, while the lowest was malaysian wood rat (Rattus tiomanicus), treeshrew (Tupaia javanica), plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus), malay badger (Mydaus javanensis), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), and banded linsang (Prionodon linsang) each has 3.12%. Keyword: camera trap, encounter rate, mamals'abundance


ABSTRACT In this article I explore, in the context of general psychoanalytic considerations about creativity, the specific place of music in human development. With reference to early auditory experiences, I emphasize the central place that sounds occupy in the formation of a child's separate identity. My thoughts on this subject also give me the opportunity for looking at some aspects of the complex relationship between music and psychoanalysis - two exquisitely auditory experiences - and for providing a historical review of Freud's own ambivalent attitude to music.


The Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) is a software model for evaluation and formulation of ruminant diets, primarily for dairy and beef cattle. Development was initiated nearly 40 years ago (Fox, 2014), and CNCPS has undergone extensive and ongoing improvement ever since. The objective of this paper is to describe the more significant changes implemented in the recent updates to CNCPS v6.5 and v6.55, and to describe their implications for users of CNCPS. Our focus is on changes with significant implications for dairy, and to some extent beef, ration formulation and evaluation in terms of predictions of animal level performance outcomes. To better understand those recent changes and their implications for CNCPS users, it is helpful to see them in a context relative to the origin and ongoing evolution of CNCPS. Thus the first portion of this paper provides a general overview of the development of CNCPS since its first release, along with a brief description of some of the more significant changes along the way. The second part discusses changes specific to CNCPS v6.5 and v6.55, and the implications for users. Especially when combined with earlier changes implemented in CNCPS v6.0 and v6.1, these changes produce significant departures from the predictions made by CPM v3 and earlier versions of CNCPS. Users of earlier versions of CNCPS such as CPM v3 are therefore strongly encouraged to note the extent of these differences, and to move to a platform implementing the new version to capture advantages of CNCPS v6.55.


Molecular dynamics calculations have been used to investigate structural and dynamical aspects of the two-dimensional hexagonal mesophase of sodium octanoate and water. To model this liquide-crystalline «middle soap» phase, comprised of rod-shaped amphiphillic aggregates, we have employed a periodically replicated molecular dynamics cell with hexagonal boundary conditions. The cell contained a single cylindrical aggregate of 90 octanoate anions, an equivalent number of sodium cations, and 838 water molecules


The present invention relates to a female adult urine management device (10) designed to provide improved body fit between the flange and the skin of the wearer and thereby prevent leakage. The urine management device (10) comprises a bag (11) having an aperture (13), and a flange (12), which surrounds the aperture (21). The flange (12) provides for adhesive attachement to the uro-genital area of the wearer. In particular, the rear portion (46) of the flange comprises a projection (48), which provides an effective seal between the flange (12) and the skin of the wearer and prevents leakage to the urinary tract. In particular the device (10) fits snugly between the labia and the anus and thereby improves sealing. In another aspect of the present invention, projection acts as a application to assist in the easy and correct positioning of the device.


ABSTRACT The nature of the cytoplasmic pathway of starch biosynthesis was investigated in the model heterotrophic dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii. The storage polysaccharide granules were shown to be composed of both amylose and amylopectin fractions with a chain length distribution and crystalline organization very similar to those of green algae and land plant starch. Preliminary characterization of the starch pathway demonstrated that C. cohnii contains multiple forms of soluble starch synthases and one major 110-kDa granule-bound starch synthase. All purified enzymes displayed a marked substrate preference for UDP-glucose. At variance with most other microorganisms, the accumulation of starch in the dinoflagellate occurs during early and mid-log phase, with little or no synthesis witnessed when approaching stationary phase. In order to establish a genetic system allowing the study of cytoplasmic starch metabolism in eukaryotes, we describe the isolation of marker mutations and the successful selection of random recombinant populations after homothallic crosses.


This presentation explores the context of current changes in the regulation of health and social care research. It notes that the existing framework developed as a response to malfeasance in the conduct of research identified in a series of scandals that led to regulatory intervention.In the context of financial recession the 'scandal' that has driven reform is more one of non-feasance' and (perceived) bureaucracy that is disproportionate to both risks and public expectations. The consultation on amendments to the NHS Constitution is assessing the public's views and can be seen as a form of social contract on which the new research governance structures should build. The new Health Research Authority, chaired by the speaker, seeks to promote and protect the interests of patients, participants and the general public through a series of projects to streamline governance procedures.


This study proposes the screening criteria for optimum CO2 injection to enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM) recovery as well as predicting CO2 storage capacity by developing a novel numerical model based on the characteristic of coal seams and CBM field in South Sumatera Basin, Indonesia. The comparison of primary and enhanced CBM recovery was analysed by performing production forecasting for 30 y of simulation. A sensitivity study was then conducted in order to examine the performance of ECBM under the influences of CBM reservoir properties which are fracture permeability, matrix porosity, reservoir temperature, and coal seam depth. In summary, the reservoir screening criteria for successful application of CO2-ECBM have been fully defined and proposed. The key criteria of reservoir characteristics for successful application of CO2ECBM are likely to be homogeneous reservoir, simple structure, fracture permeability more than 2 mD, matrix porosity more than 0.5 %, reservoir temperature less than 100 °C, and coal seam depth more than 500 m. Furthermore, the method for estimating CO2 storage capacity in coal seams has been proposed by simplifying the Original Gas in Place (OGIP) volumetric computation which is validated with the numerical model through sensitivity studies. The proposed equation is applicable for 100 % gas saturation in coal matrix and adsorption process as the main and the only storage mechanism in coal seams.


The process of recombination of a quasi-free electron into a bound state of an initially bare nucleus with the simultaneous creation of a bound-electron--free-positron pair is investigated. This process is called the negative-continuum assisted dielectronic recombination (NCDR). In a typical experimental setup, the initial electron is not free but bound in a light atomic target. In the present work, we study the effects of the atomic target on the single and double-differential cross sections of the positron production in the NCDR process. The calculations are performed within the relativistic framework based on QED theory, with accounting for the electron-electron interaction to first order in perturbation theory. We demonstrate how the momentum distribution of the target electrons removes the non-physical singularity of the differential cross section which occurs for the initially free and monochromatic electrons.


Is it necessary to sacrifice welfare workers in the service of the citizenry? -Towards a coherent set of citizenship rights. This article raises the issue of "industrial relations" in thepublic sector i.e. how employer-employee relations are conceptualised in liberaldemocratic political theory. The historical and theoretical legacy of this conceptual apparatus help explain why the welfare workers (employed in publicly financed health care, social service, education, elderly care, day care for children) are hardly mentioned in the liberaldemocratic scheme. The liberal-democratic state traditionally focuses on political subjects as they all were citizens-cohabitants (in the civil society), when in fact roughly one fifth of the Swedish electorate at the same time are citizensco- workers (in the local welfare state). The issue of rights and duties in direct and indirect relations between the local state and the citizenry is therefore heavily biased in favour of the citizenas- cohabitant/consumer. If both these roles of the citizenry were adequately handled in political theory, this would possibly cast a new light 396 Abstracts on New Public Management as well as the current Swedish focus on freedom of choice ("exit rights") for welfare consumers. It is argued that there is nothing inherent in liberal-democratic political theory that block the application of the idea of a neutral and benevolent state to the citizen- as-co-worker. A coherent application of the Marshallian scheme of civil-, political- and social rights therefore means the inclusion of social rights to citizens-as-co-workers.


Tax revenue is one of the backbones of  economy in almost every country in the world. There are several determinants that influence the amount of tax revenue in one country, one of which is international transaction activities. Such activities can partly be presented by three variables; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Trade Openness (TO), and External Debt. This study aims to acknowledge the effects of international transaction experienced by a country  regarding its tax revenue.  External Debt is used as a moderating variable to the effects of FDI  and TO on tax revenue. The data source was taken from the World Bank within the period of 2002-2019 in 19 countries around LAC regions. The study implements an associative quantitative method with PCSE regression. The result showed that FDI affects tax revenue negatively, whereas trade openness and external debt affect tax revenue positively. External debt as a moderating variable strengthens the effect of FDI and weakens the effects of trade openness to tax revenue. Further research is expected to include all the LAC countries, add more variables  relevant to the international transactions, and renew the research period.


The cold ion limit of the local gyrokinetic model is rigorously taken to produce a nonlinear system of fluid equations that includes background flow shear. No fluid closure is required. By considering a simple slab geometry with magnetic drifts, but no magnetic shear, these fluid equations reduce to the Charney–Hasegawa–Mima model in the presence of flow shear. Analytic solutions to this model are found to study the impact of E × B flow shear on the stability of a single parallel velocity gradient driven mode. Additionally, the model is used to investigate the effect of background E × B flow shear on the basic three-mode nonlinear coupling, which reveals differences between zonal and non-zonal modes. These analytic results agree with gyrokinetic simulations and can serve to benchmark the numerical implementation of flow shear and nonlinear coupling.


Aims: To develop a multiplex reverse transciption-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol to discriminate aflatoxin-producing from aflatoxin-nonpro-ducing strains of Aspergillus flavus . Methods and Results: The protocol was first optimized on a set of strains obtained from laboratory collections and then validated on A. flavus strains isolated from corn grains collected in the fields of the Po Valley (Italy). Five genes of the aflatoxin gene cluster of A. flavus , two regulatory ( aflR and aflS ) and three structural ( aflD , aflO and aflQ ), were targeted with specific primers to highlight their expression in mycelia cultivated under inducing conditions for aflatoxins production. 48-h-old cultures expressed the complete set of the genes analysed here whereas 24-h-old ones did not. Genomic PCR (quadruplex PCR) was also performed in parallel using chromosomal DNA extracted from the same set of strains to correlate the integrity of the genes with their expression. Conclusions: We show that a good correlation exists between gene expression of the aflatoxin genes, here analysed by multipex RT-PCR, and aflatoxin production, except for one strain that apparently transcribed all the relevant genes but did not produce aflatoxin in the medium.


Sarkozy proved that dense sets of integers contain two elements differing by a $k$th power. The bounds in quantitative versions of this theorem are rather weak compared to what is expected. We prove a version of Sarkozy's theorem for polynomials over $\mathbb{F}_q$ with polynomial dependencies in the parameters.
More precisely, let $P_{q,n}$ be the space of polynomials over $\mathbb{F}_q$ of degree $ 2q^{(1 - c(k,q))n}$, then $A$ contains distinct polynomials $p(T), p'(T)$ such that $p(T) - p'(T) = b(T)^k$ for some $b \in \mathbb{F}_q[T]$.


Due to the rapid development of information technology and network technology, personal medical data information is increasingly challenged by privacy breaches and security issues at all life cycle stages. In this paper, we analyze the risk patterns of privacy information leakage of personal medical data in the comprehensive lifecycle of medical information in the context of the importance of hospital information system construction and discuss the risk factors of medical data privacy security in hospital information system based on the installation of the vulnerability scanning system, establishment of perfect access control mechanism, installation of the intrusion detection system (IDS) and data backup. The protection strategy of medical data privacy security under the hospital information system is discussed. The change strategy can physically separate the use and storage of patients' personal information and use different algorithms to encrypt privacy information hierarchically. The hospital departments protect the security of patients' personal privacy information from the source according to the mechanism of hierarchical grading and on-demand access without affecting the hospital business.


Transient triplet electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of dibenzocycloheptadienylidene (DBC) and substituted diphenylmethylenes were observed in a rigid glassy matrix at low temperatures. On excitation with the wavelength of the T-T transition of DBC, polarized EPR spectra due to the both ground (To) and excited (T 1 ) states were observed at a short delay time (180 ns) after the laser pulse. The T 1 components in the spectrum decayed faster than the other and diminished at 1 μs after the laser pulse irradiation. The remaining signals after the decay of the T 1 state were unambiguously assigned to the To state, taking into account the steady-state (SS) EPR results. From analysis of the spectrum of the short-lived triplet species, the zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameters, ‖D‖ = 0.201 and ‖E‖ = 0.008 cm - 1 , were determined for the T 1 state directly. The parameters obtained were comparable to those of the T 1 state of diphenylmethylene (DPM). The polarization patterns of the transient spectra match well with interpretation as anisotropic intersystem crossing induced by the spin-orbit couplings between the S n and the triplet states. On the basis of the results of magnetophotoselection experiments, we also confirmed that the principal axes in the T 0 and T 1 states did not differ significantly from each other. The behavior of the methyl-substituted DPM resembles that of DPM and DBC, indicating that the methyl group does not affect the photophysical and photochemical properties of the To and T 1 states. Although the SS EPR spectra were observed for the To state of substituted DPM derivatives, the chemical properties of the excited states were affected by substitution of electron-donating (OCH 3 ) or -withdrawing (CN) groups.


We read with interest the literature review We read with interest the literature review by Brockington & Mumford (2002) on by Brockington & Mumford (2002) on recruitment into psychiatry. We agree it is recruitment into psychiatry. We agree it is possible that recruitment might be impossible that recruitment might be improved by influencing medical student in-proved by influencing medical student intakes and having greater understanding of takes and having greater understanding of the pathways leading to a psychiatric ca-the pathways leading to a psychiatric career. However, we believe that the factors reer. However, we believe that the factors governing career choice at both undergrad-governing career choice at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels are uncompli-uate and postgraduate levels are uncomplicated. Students on clinical attachments in cated. Students on clinical attachments in psychiatry are exposed to wards which are psychiatry are exposed to wards which are often dirty, unpleasant, frightening and un-often dirty, unpleasant, frightening and un-derstaffed. They see a service that is under-derstaffed. They see a service that is under-funded and, subsequently, staff with low funded and, subsequently, staff with low morale and burnout. It is hardly surprising morale and burnout. It is hardly surprising that many pursue alternative specialities. that many pursue alternative specialities. Attempts to encourage potential and Attempts to encourage potential and existing recruits by repackaging psychiatry existing recruits by repackaging psychiatry at any nodal point in a medical career are at any nodal point in a medical career are likely to fail unless there is the financial in-likely to fail unless there is the financial investment to provide fully resourced work-vestment to provide fully resourced working environments. Attractive conditions ing environments. Attractive conditions might also reduce stigma, contributing might also reduce stigma, contributing further to recruitment. The findings of a further to recruitment. The findings of a study being carried out by the Royal Col-study being carried out by the Royal College of Psychiatrists looking at why psychia-lege of Psychiatrists looking at why psychiatrists leave the profession and retire early trists leave the profession and retire early will be of interest to us all (Camm, 2002). will be of interest to us all (Camm, 2002). We were encouraged to read both a review We were encouraged to read both a review article and an editorial on recruitment in article and an editorial on recruitment in Recruitment and retention is surely one of the most important tention is …


An assessment of long-term performance of low level waste-enclosing cement grouts requires diffusivity data for radionuclide species such as, 129I and 99Tc. The diffusivity of radionuclides in soil and concrete media was collected by conducting soil-soil and concrete-soil half-cell experiments. The soil diffusivity coefficients for iodide were 7.03 x 10-8 cm2/s and 2.42 x 10-7 cm2/s for soils at 4% and 7% moisture contents, respectively. Iodide diffusivity in soil is a function of moisture content and is about an order of magnitude slower at lower moisture content. The soil diffusivity coefficients for 99Tc were 5.89 {+-} 0.80 x 10-8 cm2/s (4% moisture content) and 2.04 {+-} 0.57 x 10-7 cm2/s (7% moisture content), respectively. The soil diffusivity of iodide and 99Tc were similar in magnitude at both water contents, indicating that these ions have similar diffusion mechanisms in unsaturated coarse-textured Hanford soil. The diffusivity of iodide in concrete ranged from 2.07 x 10-14 cm2/s (4% soil moisture content) to 1.31 x 10-12 cm2/s (7% soil moisture content), indicating that under unsaturated soil moisture conditions, iodide diffusivity is highly sensitive to changing soil moisture conditions. Depending on the soil moisture content, the diffusivity of 99Tc in concrete ranged from 4.54 xmore » 10-13 cm2/s to 8.02 x 10-12 cm2/s. At 4% soil moisture content, iodide diffused about 20 times more slowly than 99Tc, and at 7% soil moisture content, iodide in concrete diffused about 6 times slower than 99Tc.« less


In a recent guest editorial, Dr. Mark Pitkin states that " adopting the medullary canal as a holding compartment for the pylon's shaft creates a problem of shaft loosening, which has not yet been solved in arthro-plasty. " [1]. I wish to emphatically disagree! If one reviews the data from Nor-Report2007.pdf), it is documented that in following 104,316 total hip arthoplasties (THA), uncemented femoral stems had a failure rate of only 1 to 2 percent at the 10 to 15 year follow-up periods [2]. In the Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Register (Karrholm, et al., Annual Report 2006, page 47), 270,000 primary THA operations were followed since 1979 through 2006, following 19 types of uncemented femoral components ; patients could expect only a 3 to 4 percent risk of revision at 10 years follow-up in younger patients [3]. A careful review of the THA world literature supports that if a THA system is properly sized and aligned by the surgeon, that infection (1%–2%) should be the only concern in the first two years. The next major clinical concern is the aseptic loosening caused by wear debris from the articulating bearing surfaces. This usually leads to acetabular component loosening first, but may contribute to femoral component loosening. The femoral component in THA, unless inappropriately aligned, sized or poorly designed, captured in the medullary canal of the human femur, or humerus for that matter, could last a patient's lifetime if it were not for infection (1%–2%) or osteolysis caused by wear debris. Osteointe-grated, transcutaneous implants have no moveable joint to produce wear debris induced osteolysis, therefore, infection should be the only cause of failure in the properly placed and designed porous coated implants. The implant design advocated by Dr. Pitkin (Figure 5) will fail very early on (6–18 months) either by breakage of the implant at the terminal end of the bone or within the side elements. Another obvious region of possible failure will be between the most proximal side element and bone interface. Stripping the muscle and perios-teum away from the bone will lead to the loss of the outer third of the blood supply to bone leading to osteopenia of the cortical bone [4–5]. Early THA designs attempted to attach the femo-ral component to the periosteal surface of the cortex with early failures (<1 year). This concept has been abandoned since 1938 [6]. It would be interesting if Dr. Pit-kin could find …


In this work, the electrical and structural properties of tungsten, deposited with a magnetron cathodic sputtering system used in rf (13.56 MHz 1.7 W.cm-2) on silicon wafer covered with undoped oxide are described. RHEED, X-ray diffraction and TEM were used to relate the microstructure to the resistivity and the stresses of the W films. Without bias voltage, the resistivity and the grain size are associated with the instantaneous substrate température « 150 °C). The films consist of a continuous -W phase. High resistivity (> 1 pÇ2.m) and tensile stresses are measured. Under low negative bias voltage (-50 V), a mixture change of the a-W phase to the {3 W one is detected. At higher bias voltage (-150 V), the j3 phase changes to a one. The atomic peening is responsible for the production of high compressive stresses and low resistivity (0.1 03BC03A9.m). Article available at http://mmm.edpsciences.org or http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/mmm:0199000103017500


INTRA-ANNUAL CHANGES IN POPULATION PARAMETERS AS INDICATORS OF HUMPBACK WHALE (MEGAPTERA NOVAEANGLIAE) MIGRATORY BEHAVIOR by Casey Clark Many techniques used to study animal migrations rely on observations of specific animals, which provide valuable information about individuals studied but do not capture population variability. By examining changes in population parameters, researchers may gain a better understanding of migratory behaviors. In this study, intra-annual changes in population parameters were used to study migratory behaviors of humpback whales off central California in 2011/2012. Data were compared with a historic dataset from 2004/2005. Parameters measured included sex ratio, pregnancy rate, mitochondrial DNA haplotype frequencies and mean δC and δN values. Weighted moving averages of the sex ratio were moderately effective at revealing deviations from expected values. Progesterone assays successfully determined pregnancy in humpbacks and revealed a previously undocumented intra-annual decrease in pregnancy rate in 2011. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA haplotype frequencies indicated greater prevalence of haplotypes associated with British Columbia and Washington late in the year; however, the origin of these animals was unclear. Stable isotope ratios proved ineffective for measuring a fasting effect in humpbacks early in the year. The effectiveness of these parameters for investigating migratory behaviors varied, but used in conjunction with traditional methods of study, they may help create a broader understanding of animal migrations.


In this article the constructed modelling equation of dynamics of death rate of the popula-tion of Russia is short described by means of regression analysis. Also the factors, making the greatest impact on a death rate of the population of Russia, and the parameters, which are reflect-ing qualitative characteristics of the final modelling equation, are received and described. Correlation analysis; time series; regression analysis; regression model.


We suggest an extension of the Yang-Mills theory which includes non-Abelian tensor gauge fields. The invariant Lagrangian is quadratic in the field strength tensors and describes interaction of charged tensor gauge bosons of arbitrary large integer spin 1 , 2 , ... . Non-Abelian tensor gauge fields can be viewed as a unique gauge field with values in the infinite-dimensional current algebra associated with compact Lie group. The full Lagrangian exhibits also enhanced local gauge invariance with double number of gauge parameters which allows to eliminate all negative norm states of the nonsymmetric second-rank tensor gauge field, which describes therefore two polarizations of helicity-two massless charged tensor gauge boson and the helicity-zero "axion". The geometrical interpretation of the enhanced gauge symmetry with double number of gauge parameters is not yet known. We suggest higher-spin extension of the electroweak theory and consider creation processes of new tensor gauge bosons.


Chiral deformation of a conventional helical actuator is unidirectional in each activation (stimuli-on) process and each recovery (stimuli-off) process, meaning that the twisting direction remains the same regardless of the...


Foreign direct investment (hereinafter referred to as FDI) are an important segment of economic-financial activity in the national economy. Being so important they deserve special attention from the politicians as well as an analytical review in scientific terms. FDI are one of the key factors for promoting the country's sustainable economic development. They have economic and financial impact, but their legal aspect is also very important. This paper elaborates the concept of foreign direct investment, their impact on the national economy and the legal basis of foreign direct investment. As an analytical case is used the Republic of Kosovo, whose institutions are creating policies and are adopting laws for an appropriate environment that affects the attraction of foreign investors and investments. The focus of this paper is the analysis of the concept of FDI, the legal infrastructure, the factors that impact the attraction of investments, and their role in the economic development of the country. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role and importance of FDI for national economic development as well as the legal security of investments in the Republic of Kosovo. In the elaboration of the paper was used the literature of foreign authors, statistical reports of local and international institutions as well as local legislation dealing with the regulation of this issue. The main methods used are descriptive methods, methods of analysis and synthesis, statistical methods, legal methods and comparative methods.


The utility model relates to a traditional Chinese medicine internal-medicine blood-letting puncture needle with the induction function. The traditional Chinese medicine internal-medicine blood-letting puncture needle with induction function comprises a three-edged needle body, a handle, an inducer, a signal transmitter, a signal receiver, a display screen and an ultraviolet sterilization lamp. The three-edged needle body is composed of a body needle and a needle tip, the inducer and the signal transmitter are arranged on the needle tip, the signal transmitter is connected with the signal receiver, the signal receiver is connected with the display screen, the signal receiver and the display screen are located on the handle, a through hole is formed in the middle of the needle body, the ultraviolet sterilization lamp is connected with the interior of the through hole, a lampshade is installed on the ultraviolet sterilization lamp, the handle is located at the upper end of the needle body, and a rubber pad is installed on the handle. By means of the traditional Chinese medicine internal-medicine blood-letting puncture needle with the induction function, the problem that an existing blood-letting puncture needle simple in structure is single in function is solved; the blood-letting puncture needle has the advantages of being variable in function, good in health care effect, simple in structure and convenient to use, and requirements of a patient can be met.


Today, diagnosis and monitoring of retina diseases related to pathologies such as accumulated fluid can be performed using optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT acquires a series of 2D slices (Bscans). This work presents a fully-automated method to segment and detect three types of fluid including sub-retinal fluid (SRF), intra-retinal fluid (IRF) and pigment epithelium detachment (PED) in OCT Bscans of subjects with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) or diabetic retinopathy. Segmentation method is based on graph shortest path algorithms and convolutional neural network (CNN). Proposed method achieves an average dice coefficient of 76.44%, 92.25% and 82.14% in Cirrus, Spectralis and Topcon datasets, respectively.


The present invention provides a process for preparing a carbon nanotube device, comprising: a reaction chamber; a gas inlet disposed in the bottom of the reaction chamber; an exhaust port provided at the top of the reaction chamber, the intake port and the exhaust port disposed opposite; a substrate carrier means located in the reaction chamber, and the air located between the intake and exhaust ports; and at least one substrate, which is loaded on the substrate carrying device, the substrate comprising a plurality of flow holes, and a catalyst layer is formed on one surface of the catalyst layer is situated on the inlet port side. The present invention further provides a process for preparing the above-described device using carbon nanotubes.


The majority of radial electric field declining in the very close vicinity of inner electrode results in very much non-uniform distribution of coaxial radial electric field in coaxial electrodes. Under the circumstance of invariable inner electrode diameter, increasing the diameter of outer electrode, the radial electric field decrease, following a stage of rapid decay, is markedly slowed down after the gap between the inner and outer electrodes is longer than a threshold; the same is only increasing the diameter of inner electrode as well as accordingly increasing the diameter of outer electrode, a given gap between inner and outer electrodes. After the inner electrode diameter passes a threshold because of the slight increment of diameter of inner electrode, the radial electric field also first decreases fast a very short stage, then evidently shows a flat process. The appearance of two thresholds about two parameters, the interval between inner and outer electrodes and the diameter of inner electrode, implies the optimum conception of the coaxial insulation structure of pulsed power equipments. This paper provides the empirical formula relevant to flashover length and the inner electrode diameter on the basis of the results of ANSYS software and experiments, the experimental results is of flashover data of polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) and nylon 1010 in transformer oil under coaxial electric field under the applied pulsed voltage in the range of nanosecond.


The paper explores potentials for increasing residents' wellbeing in multi-family social housing (MSH) undergoing energy renovation. The renovation measures needed to reach national and global climate goals are often not financially feasible when viewed in isolation. Therefore, it is relevant to identify potentials for added value, which can justify more extensive measures. This paper is based on the hypothesis that every renovation project holds potentials for added value in terms of increased resident wellbeing. Further, that it is crucial to extend current understandings of wellbeing beyond single, quantitative wellbeing parameters in order to promote more holistic, long-term sustainable renovation solutions. The paper sheds light on potentials for increased resident wellbeing based on an analysis of residents' experience and satisfaction with gestures in the existing built environment and comparing these findings to their perceived health. The analysis is based on data collected through a mixed-methods approach in three MSH areas facing extensive renovation. The findings demonstrate and exemplify that energy renovation measures may influence a number of interrelated physiological, mental and social wellbeing aspects across scales. As such, the paper contributes with new insights, which can help promote previously neglected aspects of resident wellbeing in future energy renovation design processes.


Cost control in canteens of colleges and universities is the main core of the management of canteens. The control of cost is an effective way to reduce cost, guarantee the quality of food and control the price of food. It is necessary for us to control the cost of canteens in colleges and universities because it may show whether our reform of logistics is successful or not.


Topological indices are extensively used as molecular descriptors in building Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR), Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship (QSPR) and Quantitative Structure-Toxicity Relationship (QSTR). In this paper, Gourava and hyper-Gourava indices are tested with physico-chemical properties of octane isomers such as entropy, acentric factor and DHVAP using linear regression models. The first Gourava index highly correlates with entropy (coefficient of correlation 0.9644924) and the second Gourava index highly correlates with acentric factor (coefficient of correlation 0.962243). Further, Gourava and hyper-Gourava indices are obtained for the line graph of subdivision graph of 2D-lattice, nanotube and nanotorus of TUC4C8[p, q].


what is posthumanism by is just one of the best seller publications in the world? Have you had it? Never? Silly of you. Currently, you could get this impressive book merely here. Discover them is layout of ppt, kindle, pdf, word, txt, rar, as well as zip. How? Just download and install or even read online in this site. Currently, never ever late to read this what is posthumanism. Searching for most marketed book or reading source in the world? We give them all in style type as word, txt, kindle, pdf, zip, rar and ppt. one of them is this certified what is posthumanism that has actually been created by Still perplexed how to get it? Well, merely read online or download by registering in our site below. Click them. Are you looking to uncover what is posthumanism Digitalbook. Correct here it is possible to locate as well as download what is posthumanism Book. We've got ebooks for every single topic what is posthumanism accessible for download cost-free. Search the site also as find Jean Campbell eBook in layout. We also have a fantastic collection of information connected to this Digitalbook for you. As well because the best part is you could assessment as well as download for what is posthumanism eBook GO TO THE TECHNICAL WRITING FOR AN EXPANDED TYPE OF THIS WHAT IS POSTHUMANISM, ALONG WITH A CORRECTLY FORMATTED VERSION OF THE INSTANCE MANUAL PAGE ABOVE.


The present invention, even if the screen a large screen serves to provide structure and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device as a low power consumption, an insulating layer 101, and the buried wiring (Cu, Au, Ag, Ni in the insulating layer, Cr, form an as Pd, Rh, Sn, Pb, or an alloy thereof), and also, to form the after flattening the surface of said insulating layer, metallic protective layer (Ti, TiN in the exposed portion, Ta, TaN, etc.) , by using the embedded wires on the part of the various wiring lines of the light emitting device or a liquid crystal display device (the gate line, the source line, the power supply line, a common line, etc.), to promote the resistance. The light emitting device, a liquid crystal display device, embedded wiring, a gate line, a source line, the power supply line


In this paper, we propose a new characterization for elementary trapping sets (ETSs) of variable-regular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. Recently, Karimi and Banihashemi proposed a characterization of ETSs, which was based on viewing an ETS as a layered superset (LSS) of a short cycle in the code's Tanner graph. A notable advantage of LSS characterization is that it corresponds to a simple LSS-based search algorithm that starts from short cycles of the graph and finds the ETSs with LSS structure efficiently. Compared to the LSS-based characterization of Karimi and Banihashemi, which is based on a single LSS expansion technique, the new characterization involves two additional expansion techniques. The introduction of the new techniques mitigates two problems that LSS-based characterization/search suffers from: (1) exhaustiveness, (2) search efficiency. We prove that using the three expansion techniques, any ETS structure can be obtained starting from a simple cycle, no matter how large the size of the structure $a$ or the number of its unsatisfied check nodes $b$ are. We also demonstrate that for the proposed characterization/search to exhaustively cover all the ETS structures within the $(a,b)$ classes with $a \leq a_{max}, b \leq b_{max}$, for any value of $a_{max}$ and $b_{max}$, the length of the short cycles required to be enumerated is less than that of the LSS-based characterization/search. We also prove that the three expansion techniques, proposed here, are the only expansions needed for characterization of ETS structures starting from simple cycles in the graph, if one requires each and every intermediate sub-structure to be an ETS as well. Extensive simulation results are provided to show that, compared to LSS-based search, significant improvement in search speed and memory requirements can be achieved.


ABSTRACT Gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is an important mediator of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS])-induced immune responses. However, the specific cell types that produce IFN-γ in response to LPS and the cellular factors that regulate LPS-induced IFN-γ production have not been fully determined. The present studies were undertaken to characterize the cell populations that produce IFN-γ after LPS challenge in the spleens of mice and to determine the regulatory factors that modulate LPS-induced production of IFN-γ. Our studies show that the levels of splenic IFN-γ mRNA and protein production peak at 6 and 8 h, respectively, after systemic LPS challenge. Approximately 60% of IFN-γ-producing cells are natural killer (NK) cells (CD3−DX5+) and 25% are NKT cells (CD3+DX5+). Most of the remaining IFN-γ-producing cells are T cells (CD3+DX5−), macrophages, and dendritic cells. Functionally, interleukin-12 (IL-12) is the major IFN-γ-stimulating factor after LPS challenge, with costimulation provided by IL-15, IL-18, and B7 proteins. IL-10 is a major inhibitor of LPS-induced IFN-γ production. Unlike intact heat-killed gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, the class II major histocompatibility complex did not play a functional role in LPS-induced IFN-γ production. LPS is a potent stimulus for splenic IL-10, IL-12 p40, and IL-15 mRNA expression, whereas IL-12 p35 and IL-18 mRNAs, as well as B7 proteins, are constitutively expressed in the mouse spleen. Of the factors studied, IL-18 serves as the most potent costimulus with IL-12 for IFN-γ production, followed by IL-15 and B7 proteins. These data demonstrate that NK cells and NKT cells are the most abundant IFN-γ-producing cells in the mouse spleen after LPS challenge and that IL-10 and IL-12 are key functional regulators of LPS-induced IFN-γ production.


We present in this paper a technique based on symbolic animation of models that aims at producing model-based tests. In order to guide the animation of the model, we rely on the use of a deterministic finite automaton (DFA) of the model that is built using a well-known machine learning algorithm, that considers a complex model as a black-box component, whose behavior is inferred. Since the DFA obtained in this way may be an over-approximation and, thus, admit traces that were not admitted on the original model, this abstraction is refined using counter-examples made of unfeasible traces. The computation of counter-examples is performed using a systematic coverage of the DFA states and transitions, producing test sequences that are replayed on the model, providing either test cases for offline testing, or counter-examples that aim at refining the abstraction.


Some samples obtained from ancient French ceramics were studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy to test the potential of this method for determining the origin and the manufacture of pottery. The relative abundance of Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ from Moesshauer spectra gave information about the atmosphere in the kilns used to fire ancient pottery. On the other hand, the comparison with transformations induced by firing clay characterized by Moessbauer spectroscopy may lead to valuable infor-mation regarding the manufacture of ancient pottery as, for instance, the final temperature of firing in it. -- AATA


Electrical isolation of pulmonary veins (PVI) is a cornerstone for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. The overall effect of AF ablation, and especially lesions beyond PVI, on left atrial (LA) function is currently poorly understood. Our aim was to determine if LA function is different in patients after extensive LA ablation compared to PVI only. We performed non‐inferiority analysis of LA function after PVI with additional nonpulmonary vein ablation lesions in LA (PVI+) and PVI alone.


An interesting problem that is amenable to solution by digital computer is posed by the following questions. How late can a shipment be detained at city A so that it arrives at city B by a given time ? By what route should it be sent? The available routes consist of those provided by scheduled common carriers such as the airlines.


Accurate visual tracking of soccer players is in high demand in the industry. Existing solutions are however unable to track players during severe occlusions, making manual supervision necessary. In order to get to a fully autonomous system we propose a setup based on the fusion of 14 cameras. An algorithm with at its core visual hull calculations combined with an HOG and HSV based appearance model is employed to track the players. It is shown that the proposed system is able to reduce the number of identity switches while maintaining tracking accuracy during severe occlusions.


In recent years there have been a number of significant commercial and technological developments in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market. These include issues around pricing, changes in patterns of supply and demand, and the potential for exploiting previously uneconomic reserves. These developments will bring about adjustments in the balance of power between old and new players in this market and will also have an impact upon the contractual arrangements generated. This in turn may lead to new trends in the types of dispute that arise, and in the form of dispute resolution mechanism chosen to accommodate them. This commentary considers the nature of these commercial and technological developments, and various factors that those drafting LNG-related contracts may wish to consider.


Social entrepreneurship is highlighted as a result of general entrepreneurship development because the traditional entrepreneurial factors are accomplished with the social aspects of common good. Entrepreneur's responsibility in choosing the main business activity within an industry increases if the way he conducts his activities is considered. Institutional support for social entrepreneurship is achieved by generating many business activities in order to fulfil different kinds of social needs. Social entrepreneurship is possible if both entrepreneur's initiative and institutional support for small and medium sized enterprises (SME) are included in performing for traditionally non-profit activities. Allowing private initiative to fulfil the real needs of different users in social, educational, cultural and other non-market fields is a good way to support SMEs. However, the institutional control should still remain in place in order to protect the minimum performing standards. SMEs contribute to the Croatian national economy as an important part of the process of transition and adjustment to the democratic societies and market economies. Based on the participation in generating Croatian GNP and contributing to the rate of employment, SMEs should have permanent institutional support. This is the primary purpose of newly established Ministry for Entrepreneurship and SMEs. The development of social entrepreneurship in transition countries is important for general economic development, but also for the supporting values of ethics in business activities.


The collection focuses on 'the device' to explore how methods for knowing and handling the world have their own social life or even triple social life: how they are shaped by the social;work to format social relations; but also how they are used opportunistically by social actors in the systematic pursuit of political, economic and cultural advantage.


Rivers are an important geographic element and a carrier of natural resources on which the development of human society and culture relies.The Chinese people in ancient times had a deep understanding of the important role of rivers in the survival of mankind and began to cleverly exploit water resources like irrigation and the controlling of the Yellow River,through which they maintained a fairly good relation between man and rivers and helped develop the society,culture,science and technology.


It is shown that a lattice-ordered algebra is embeddable in a product of totally ordered algebras provided (i) it is archimedean, contains a left superunit which is an f-element, and satisfies a polynomial identity p(x) > 0 or f(x, y) > 0 (for suitable f( x, y)); or (ii) it is unital, and semiperfect, 7T-regular, or left 7T-regular, and some power of each element is positive.


A common science data processing software framework yields the benefits of reuse while remaining adaptable to address requirements that are unique to the mission. The Earth Science Data Systems section at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been developing infrastructure services that allow for reuse and rapid development of new science data systems at relatively low cost, increasing the reliability of the deployed software system. The software framework, named Enterprise Data Management (EDM) Services, implements a set of services for data archiving, database hosting, application hosting, middleware and metadata management. These services enable projects to reuse services that are already provided by the institution in the construction of their applications. In addition to operating the framework using common information services, the EDM service components can be delivered to and operated by the mission to allow for scalability and tailoring to the needs of the mission. The SeaWinds Processing and Analysis Center (SeaPAC), for example, integrated the EDM Catalog and Archive Service with the SeaPAC ground data system to enable the process management function of the system. The Catalog and Archive Service was delivered to the SeaWinds project through a collaboration established with EDM and SeaWinds providing a database and system independent implementation that scales and adapts to meet the needs of the SeaWinds mission. As the EDM framework matures, new services to support the construction of science data systems will be added to support small and medium size missions and experiments. Simple PI-led experiments will then be able to use science data system services without having to implement and run their own systems. This will alleviate scientists and mission specialists from having to reconstruct new data systems for each science mission while providing a common interface and operating environment for running science data system applications and services. The EDM framework is an extension of the research and development work performed under the Object Oriented Data Technology (OODT) task at JPL. OODT has successfully integrated its software through collaborative efforts with the National Institutes of Health and NASA's Planetary Data System.


The construction of the academic atmosphere in Art College is an eternal subject for college.As an important part of college,the construction of the academic atmosphere in Art College not only has the commonness with general colleges,but shows its own characters.This text will propose some countermeasures to strengthen the construction of the academic atmosphere in Art College upon the analysis of the problems of the construction of the academic atmosphere in Art College.


A case-control study of stomach cancer was conducted in hospital patients in South Wales. The frequency of fresh fruit consumption prior to the onset of illness was recorded in 149 stomach cancer patients and in 1934 control patients. The relative risk for stomach cancer among those who ate fresh fruit on most days was less than half that of those who ate no fresh fruit. Fruit was eaten less frequently by the men than by the women, especially among the controls. Relative risks of stomach cancer in men and women were similar at each level of fruit-eating, suggesting that the sex-difference in stomach cancer mortality may, in part at least, be attributable to a difference in fruit consumption.


Summary form only given. In addition to traditional applications, which have contributed to the popularity of the Internet, we have assisted since a few years ago in the deployment of new multimedia applications having strict temporal constraints. Actually, the Internet cannot offer any quality of service guarantees to satisfy these requirements. Many approaches have been proposed by the IETF in order to improve the overall performance of the Internet such as IntServ, DiffServ and MPLS. We study and evaluate the MPLS support of differentiated services, a promising approach to improve considerably the quality of service. The setting up of a tentative platform, supporting DiffServ and MPLS, permitted us to achieve experimental tests in order to put in evidence contributions of this approach.


This paper discusses conflict of Sunni-Shi`a which occurs in East Java. The relationship among them is dominated by contravention, competition/contestation and conflict. The contravention occurs during the emergence of Shi`ite community in Madura. when the majority of Madurese community who are mostly Sunni rejected their first existence. For instance, Ali Karrar Shinhaji (The local Ulama) was against the decision of Kyai Makmun to deliver his son, Tajul Muluk, to study at YAPI Bangil that affiliated with Shi`i. The conflict further escalates because of Tajul Muluk's and Roisul Hukama's personal problem. Eventually, the conflict thus increases on the higher level in Sampang and in Province level.  This paper examines how the conflict of Sunn-Shi`i emerges, whether it is a pure of family conflict or involves the conflict among the religious authorities in Sampang society.  This paper utilizes Myers' theory combined with critical discourse analysis on the causal factor of conflict. Through both bibliographical and empirical investigation, this paper finds that the conflict emerges from family to province, when the contestation and conflict between Tajul Muluk and Roisul Hukama increase to higher level, from community of Sampang to East Java Province. In addition, this conflict also involves the contestation among religious authorities, when the positivisation of fatwa, which is morally binding, transforms into a public policy of the government that legally binding is the evident of this conflict.


Objective To obtain elastic modulus through displacement of the ear structure.Methods The finite element model(FEM) of human ear structure based on Patran software was constructed and the neural network for inverse derivative of elastic modulus for the ear was established using Matlab software.The frequency response of the ear structure FEM was calculated to obtain the displacements of tympanic membrane and stapes.The displacements acting as input data of training samples and the corresponding elastic modulus acting as output data were used to train the neural network.Results The elastic modulus was inversely derived by adopting this mature neural network with relatively less error.Conclusions The viability of the proposed methods for inverse derivative of elastic modulus was demonstrated in this paper,which could provide a simple and effective method to obtain mechanical parameters for clinic work.


Web usage mining focuses on techniques that might predict user behavior whereas the user interacts with the net. It tries to create sense of the info generated by the net surfer's sessions or behaviors. There has been an effort to supply a summary of the state of the art within the analysis of internet usage mining, whereas discussing the foremost relevant tools obtainable within the sphere likewise because the niche needs that this form of tools lack. It offers an outlook on the prevailing tools, their specialized focus with reference to the practical objectives and also the would like for a additional comprehensive new entrant during this sphere within the light-weight of this state of affairs. In the end, the paper are finished by listing some challenges and future trends during this analysis space. Overall the main target of the paper are to gift a survey of the recent developments during this space that is obtaining an excessive amount of attention from internet development arena.


Electrical resistivity in an amorphous simple metal alloy host Mg70Zn30 containing up to 4 at.%Gd has been studied. the 'non Kondo' upturn in resistivity at low temperature is interpreted in terms of conduction electrons scattering from correlated pairs of spins. A universal behaviour of excess resistivity per at.%Gd versus reduced temperature T/ theta s (where theta s marks the onset of excess resistivity) is observed. Comparison is made with theoretical predictions. Magnetic susceptibility data are found to correlate well with resistivity measurements. No significant attenuation of magnetic interaction is observed.


We explore the role of mass loss and convective core overshoot in the evolution of Classical Cepheids. Stellar evolution models are computed with a recipe for pulsation-driven mass loss and it is found that mass loss alone is unable to account for the long-standing Cepheid mass discrepancy. However, the combination of mass loss and moderate convective core overshooting does provide a solution, bringing the amount of convective core overshooting in Cepheids closer to that found for other stars.


Space-borne scatterometers are instruments designed to measure the radar backscatter of the earth's surface at a variety of azimuth angles from orbiting satel- lites. Empirical model functions relate these backscatter measurements to geophysical parameters such as wind speed and direction. For SeaWinds on QuikSCAT, stan- dard wind retrieval is performed on wind vector cells of 25 x 25 kilometers in size. Because of the inherent spatial over-sampling, image reconstruction techniques may be applied to enhance the resolution of the backscatter images. Using such methods, higher resolution winds are possi- ble. This paper compares the use of standard resolution QuikSCAT wind information with ultra-high resolution QuikSCAT data for the observation of hurricanes.


Three months following the birth of my daughter I became extremely Ill with postpartum thyroiditis and was unable to find the necessary medical support. Postpartum thyroiditis happens to up to 10 per cent of women post birth and is not uncommon. This illness can present with symptoms of anxiety and depression, so it is important for women's care to distinguish between postpartum thyroiditis and postnatal mental ill health. For this to happen, women need to be actively listened to and trusted as the most passionate advocates of their own health and wellbeing. I call it a battle with postpartum thyroiditis because that is what it was. To find someone to listen, to understand, or even to know about the symptoms and nature of the condition was impossible. I thought I was going to die, and truly believe that I am here now only because I have three incredibly supportive family members.


In order to improve speech de-noising effect,a new threshold de-noising method based on wavelet analysis is proposed.This method overcomes the hard-threshold function is not continuous,the soft threshold function that exists the constant deviation,a kind of arbitrary order derivable the new threshold function is constructed,which is easy to carry out a variety of mathematical treatment.At last,hard threshold,soft threshold and the new threshold methods are analyzed and compared by MATLAB software.Experimental results show that the new threshold method is not only visually,but also is better than the traditional hard and soft-threshold method in signal to noise ratio(SNR),minimum mean square error(MSE) and so on,which has more advantages and effectiveness than the traditional methods.


The purpose of this study is to investigate primary factors influencing college students` security awareness and bow difference in gender affects students` perception on national security. Furthermore, based on these data, this paper will suggest alternatives to promote awareness among the college students. Summarizing the result of this study, the college students` sense of national security relatively high. Also, there are seven primary factors that influence the sense of awareness. Approval rate towards the national system, depth of affirmation towards the stability of the society, and so on. It turns out that the most powerful factor affecting the sense of security is the sense of crisis coming from North Korea`s potential threat. Contrasting men, female students display relatively lower sense of national security. Therefore, to promote college students' sense of security, first, dear understanding of North Korea`s threat and current circumstance is required. A measure to strengthen the bondage between the people and the pride towards South Korea`s society and culture is also necessary. Secondly, actions to reinforce national defense capability and advertisements emphasizing the significance of security education are strongly needed. Finally, education programs for the students should be designed to guide and raise their interests. Moreover, female students should not be alienated from national security issues and their active participation in security policy making procedure should be guaranteed from an institutional level.


The effects of norgestimate triphasic (Ortho Tri‐Cyclen®, Tri‐Cilest®) and levonorgestrel triphasic (Triphasil®) formulations on lipid and androgen metabolism were assessed in a study of 66 healthy women treated through six menstrual cycles. Levels of the following were measured: cholesterol and its subfractions, triglycerides. carrier lipoproteins, estradiol, testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Comparison of baseline values with values after 3 and 6 months of treatment indicated that both regimens influenced lipid and androgen metabolism. There was a statistically significant between‐regimen difference in levels of high‐density lipoprotein, which were favorably increased with norgestimate triphasic hut reduced with levonorgestrel triphasic. Related data on SHBG showed that plasma levels of this marker of estrogen/androgen balance were increased significantly more in the norgestimate triphasic group, providing additional evidence of low androgenicity. Both regimens inhibited follicular growth to the same extent, as evidenced by low mean levels of estradiol in all on‐therapy cycles; and both decreased free testosterone. Side effects in both groups were minor and characteristic of those observed with low‐dose oral contraceptive agents. The results of the study support the reported safety and positive effects of norgestimate on lipid and androgen metabolism. in comparison with a levonorgestrel‐containing combined oral contraceptive.


The main problems of construction in distribution management systems (DMS) are surveyed in this paper. The design concept, framework, system function design and key technologies are presented. The application condition in dispatch center of Nanjing Power Supply shows: non-paper and workflow management in distribution work is realization; large-scale economic benefit in DMS is visualized; The system can bring info play in many sides, such as safety and rational dispatching running, improvement of reliability, lightening work strength of dispatcher.


Recent advances in our understanding of the underlying genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders, has blown away "old" diagnostic boundaries defined by currently used diagnostic manuals. The DISC1 gene was originally discovered at the breakpoint of an inherited chromosomal translocation, which segregates with major mental illnesses. Many biological studies have indicated the role of DISC1 in early neurodevelopment and synaptic regulation. Given the additional insight that DISC1 is thought to drive a range of endophenotypes, which underlie major mental conditions, the biology of DISC1 may provide a hint on constructing new diagnostic categories for mental illnesses with more meaningful biological foundation.


This paper focuses on the close correlation between drawing and writing in the architecture of Vittorio Gregotti, in order to understand how both constitute symbiotic tools for his praxis, and showing how the practice of architecture and theoretical thought in Gregotti are to be understood
 as one. Drawing and writing constitute inscriptions of his ideas, a calligraphy that expresses his understanding of architecture as a conceptual reality, regardless of its later physical construction. It is therefore essential to comprehend how theoretical thought in Gregotti is materialized
 in the architectural project. For this purpose, based on Gregotti's drawings and writings, this paper aims to underline the deep importance of drawing and writing as complementary processes related to the symbiotic connection between theory and praxis in his work. Considering both tools
 as a mechanism for visualizing the author's ideas, we intend to prove that drawing and writing are close components of his expression and the development of a thought that, in the process of being materialized, acquires physical shape, strength and coherence, becoming perceived by others.


Job and production processing steps in print production are highly automated, except print quality assessment. Forests-based technique is used for automatic print quality assessment in newspaper production based on independent values of several attributes based on print quality. Recent developments for assessing the print quality are image analysis and computer intelligence based techniques since manual analysis are time consuming and results are dependent on observer. The soft sensors are used to determine the values for attributes through data mining and image analysis (only colour). The experimental shows the better result for print quality evaluations. The total of 25 print quality attributes are measured automatically by testing the double grey bars on the newspaper and it can be used for expert system. Although mapping, random forest and clustering techniques have been used for investigating the print quality. Report shows that even min number of attributes can score max accuracy in prediction of print quality.


One of the challenging problems in networks-on-chip (NoC) design is optimising the architectural structure of the on-chip network in order to maximise the network performance while minimising the corresponding costs. In this study, a methodology for multi-objective optimisation of NoC standard architectures using Genetic Algorithms is presented. The methodology considers two cost metrics, power and area, and two performance metrics, delay and reliability. Our methodology combines the best selection of NoC standard topology, the optimum mapping of application cores onto that topology, and the best routing of application traffic traces over the generated network. The methodology is evaluated by applying it to different NoC benchmark applications as case studies. Results show that the architectures generated by our methodology outperform those of other standard architecture customisation techniques with respect to four metrics: power, area, delay and reliability, and their combination.


Ilex (serrata ⨯ verticillata) 'Apollo', U.S. National Arboretum Accession No. 29739 and PI 422217, is a new introduction from the U.S. National Arboretum as part of its hybridizing program in Ilex for improved plants for landscape use (1). The selection is a large multi-stemmed deciduous staminate shrub as a preferred pollinator for its pistillate sibling selection 'Sparkleberry'.


The study investigates the effects of incentives on employee's productivity. The study had the following objectives: The relationship between incentive and productivity of employee's in organisations, to determine the influence of employee's productivity incentives on employee productivity in the organization, to analyze the link between incentive and employee productivity in organizations in Nigeria. To achieve these goals, a questionnaire was designed based on the objectives. The completed questionnaires were processed and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings of this study revealed that there was a positive relationship between incentives and productivity, alongside monetary incentives, another key factor in motivating employees is to involve them in the process aimed at attaining organizational effectiveness because without their co-operation the organization cannot perform. The study recommends the establishment of a unit to look at issues of incentives that will enhance productivity


Low concentrations of retinol (10 nM ‐ 10 μM) and dexamethasone (0.1 nM ‐ 1.0 μM) elevated activity of alkaline phosphatase (E.C. 184.108.40.206) in bovine endothelial cells in culture. The effect was apparent after 48 hr of growth in the presence of either of the two compounds, prior to any growth stimulatory effects. A synergistic stimulation of alkaline phosphatase was achieved in the presence of both retinol and dexamethasone implying different mechanisms of induction. Retinoic acid and retinyl acetate also elevated alkaline phosphatase but the retinol analogue reduced in the side chain (perhydroretinol) was inactive. The ability of steroids to elevate alkaline phosphatase activity was associated with the structure commonly required for glucocorticoid activity; however, competitors for the steroid receptor binding failed to prevent the elevation by dexamethasone or the synergism in the presence of retinol and dexamethasone.


The formulation of 70 % acetamiprid water dispersible granule was studied by using 97.9% acetamiprid and packing bentonite as raw materials,ammonium chloride as the disintegrating agent,M as wetting agent,naphthalene-sulfonic acid formaldehyde condensate and ZX-D9 as dispersing agents.An optimized formulation was obtained.The performance tests of the product showed that the suspension rate was over 90 %,the dispersion time was less than 1 minute and the decomposition rate of its active ingredient was less than 2.5% at(54±2)℃ within two weeks.All of them reached the quality standard of water dispersible granule.


Casual games are one of the main phenomena in the video game industry, but remain under-explored and are not highly regarded. Scientific definitions are scarce, inconsistent, and often disconnected from actual games. Further, theoretical models for game design, centered on gameplay, often fall short in defining casual games. The objective of this study is to use Donald Schön's model of the reflective practitioner to shed a new light on casual games through the collection of professional knowledge of game designers. This study follows a qualitative approach with phenomenological inspiration. Eight one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with casual game designers who were asked to provide a narrative of their professional practice. Results show that traditional game design concepts remain relevant for understanding and defining casual games, but need to be reworked in the light of new experiences and contexts in gaming. Namely, challenge is no longer synonymous with obstacle, but should be considered as an opportunity of a player's action. Progression should be based on the variation of challenges instead of increasing difficulty. In addition, participants rejected some concepts that were previously considered appropriate for defining casual games, like positive fiction. Finally, this study provides insight into the role of casual game designers and the context of their work, which can help explain the often negative perception of casual games.


Acute optic neuritis (ON) is an inflammation of the optic nerve that is commonly associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the differential diagnosis of MS is extensive, and variants and mimickers of MS can easily confound the diagnosis. This case study reviews the current diagnostic work up strategies for MS and teaches a practical lesson: diagnosis depends on both clinical findings and an exclusion of alternate explanations.


Purpose: To define the use of human amniotic membrane transplantation (hAMT) for reconstruction of the ocular surface after ocular surface lesion excisions in pediatric population during the last decade in a tertiary eye center. Methods: A total of 31 patients who underwent hAMT procedure because of the excision of ocular surface lesions between January 2009 and December 2021 were included in this study. The medical data were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The female-to-male ratio was 14/17. The mean age of the patients was 10.1±4.1 (range, 1–18) years. Although a single hAMT was applied to most of the cases (94.4%; 34 eyes), more than one hAMT was applied to 5.6% of cases (2 eyes). The amniotic membrane degradation duration was found to be 21.5±10.8 (range, 13–50) days. Conclusions: Amniotic membrane is used as a biomaterial in various ocular surface diseases with its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound healing properties. Although widely used, there are only a few studies reporting its clinical efficacy in the pediatric age group. It seems to be safe and effective in pediatric age group for ocular surface reconstruction after ocular surface lesion excisions.


A method and apparatus for processing digital map data, which is useful in making accurate road maps and can be used for navigation and control of vehicles based on such road maps. A map image processing station (16) includes an image processor (20) that receives photographic data of geographical profiles through a station (14) for communication with a satellite and converts the received photographic data into orthographic data equivalent to images viewed perpendicularly without distortion. A skeleton map (road network data) including information about roads and their associated 3-dimensional data is extracted from the orthographic data by a data extractor (22). The skeleton map is processed by a data converter (24) to provide basic road data, and desired attribute data are combined by a mapper (28) to provide precise digital orthographic map data with less distortion. The resulting data are distributed from a transmitter (30) to vehicles (18) for use in navigation and vehicle control.


Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii were electrofused and fermented in germaniumfortified nutrients to produce high-yield, organic germanium. The conditions for the preparation of protoplasts from both strains and for electrofusion were studied. The protoplasts of both cells formed long pearl chains and the cell membranes were lysed and fused through cellulase and high frequency voltage . The fusants with the fastest growth were selected, and then characterized for their carbohydrate usage and tolerance to glucose and salts. The glucose tolerance of the fusants was better than that of S. cerevisiae and similar to that of Z. rouxii. The fusants appeared to have resistance to 12% NaCl. The cell size of the fusants was greater than that of the parental strains. The fusant cells contained more gemlanium than the parental cells did. The electrofusion of S. cerevisiae and Z. rouxii increased the cell capacity and accumulation of germanium in the yeasts. This method was proved to be effective to produce a high quantity of organic germanium.


The photoelectron spectra of SiF3H, SiF3X (X = C or Br), and SiF3Me excited by He(I) and He(II) radiation are described, with the He(I) spectrum of Si2F6; assignments of bands to molecular energy levels are based on comparison with the spectra of related compounds


We investigate how analysts' perceptions and evaluations of a firm are influenced by CEOs' rhetorical personality . In particular, we shed light on analysts' perceptions of CEOs' metaphorical commu...


A construction of stabilized granular mixtures protected by a surface treatment can constitute a valid solution for secondary roads carrying modest industrial loads. This illustrated article describes laboratory tests, the results of which have provided an improved knowledge of the behaviour under load of such mixtures, and are used as a basis for an analysis of the internal stresses of a superstructure consisting of a simple layer of stabilized granular material. The tests were carried out by means of a specially designed road testing machine which transmitted the loads through twin rubber tyred industrial vehicle wheels, operating in a circular basin. Details are given of the materials and the compaction procedures used. (TRRL)


In order to build the optimal process of waste iron scraps coupling with aged-refuse-based reactor,the influences of retention time on the iron-scraps-based treatment of landfill leachate and the effluent from the agedrefusebased reactor have been contrasted and analyzed,respectively.Subsequently,the treatment effect of the preceding waste-iron-scraps coupling with the aged-refuse-based reactor on the landfill leachate is investigated.The results show that without pH adjustment,the preceding iron-scraps-fixed reactor and the intermittent aeration-sedimentation have apparent capacity for strengthening the removal performance of the aged-refuse-based reactor in terms of COD and ammonium-nitrogen.The COD and ammonium-nitrogen concentrations in the effluent are less than 150 mg/L and 5 mg/L.With the continuous improvement in the iron-scrap-fixed reactor,the preceding iron-scrapsfixed reactor and the intermittent aeration-sedimentation could be considered as a promising way in strengthening the removal performance of the aged-refuse-based reactor,which is of great significance for the economic and effective treatment of landfill leachates.


A study of the mechanics of the single jersey weft knitting process is initiated with experiments designed on two different small diameter, circular bed machines. The results highlight the role of the dynamic geometry of the knitting zone and the dynamic equilibrium of forces on the needle hook, as well as the importance of cast-off loops hanging around the yam, pulled in by needles inside knitting zone, on the loop for mation process.


The agricultural and industrial activities that are developed to the riverbanks of the river Catatumbo from Colombia made the Venezuelan territory, they are altering the quality of the waters of the river Catatumbo, being necessary their characterization. The phosphorus concentrations and nitrogen were evaluated in samples of water in the low part of the river Catatumbo, in 10 stations: 4 in the river Catatumbo, 5 lagoons and 1 station in the Lake of Maracaibo (in front of the outlet of the river Catatumbo). The concentration average, of total nitrogen and phosphorus respectively, in stations of the river Catatumbo was of 1,05 mg/L and 0,31 mg/L, in the lagoons of 0,87 mg/L and 0,12 mg/L; and in the lake of 0,67 mg/L and 0,18 mg/L. The nitrogen concentration in water is bigger than the certain one for phosphorus, being presented the nitrogen in smaller form as inorganic nitrogen and the match like dissolved phosphorus. In the lagoons the phosphorus concentrations went smaller to those reported for the stations located in the river. The results indicate that the transport of materials laughs below coming from the high areas; it is possibly retained in the plane areas and lagoons of Juan Manuel's marsh. It is necessary the necessity to increase the protection and recovery of the different forest that surround the river Catatumbo, as well as of regulating the activities that are carried out in both countries, to counteract the haulage of nutritious to the same one and possibly to the Lake of Maracaibo. Key word: River, Catatumbo, quality of the water, phosphorus, nitrogen


There are many knot invariants which are invariante under mutation.This paper studies the signature of a knot.By discussing the changes of the Goeritz matrices of the knot under its mutation and their normal Euler numˉbers,and by using the formula of the signature of a knot given by Gordon and Litherland,it proves that the signature of a knot is a mutation invariant.