The present work presents results from bibliographical and documentary research. For research purposes it is considered necessary to understand how the relationship between Covid-19 and education is configured, reflecting on its consequences and possible ways to solve the post-pandemic problem; Locate the relationship between Covid-19 and education according to the inequalities presented in the pandemic period; Identify the relevance of fulfilling the right to education in the pandemic period according to documents that offer this guarantee fully, as well as analyzing the inequalities in the pandemic period between public and private education. This is a bibliographic and documentary study in relation to the design of methodological procedures. KEY-WORDS: Rule of law; Right to education; Covid-19 Pandemic; Public education; Educational Inequality.


The reactions of Cl - with CH 3 Br and CD 3 Br have been studied as a function of ion-neutral average center-of-mass kinetic energy, (KE cm ), at several temperatures. The reactions are inefficient, proceeding at only a few percent of the collision rate. Both increasing temperature and increasing kinetic energy are found to decrease the rate constant as approximately T -0.8 or (KE cm ) -0.8 . The rate constants were found to be independent of pressure at 300 K


The current era has been characterized by diverse transformations in practically all areas of human life, in the development of technology, in science, in economics and of course in education, changes that at least two decades ago They seemed distant. It is in this context of transformations and necessary changes where education has not been able to remain static and logically has had to adjust to the new requirements that are demanded of it. Faced with this panorama it is not possible to face the demands of the social, economic, and scientific scenario of the 21st century standing in the same trench.


Radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) measurements can be tedious as measurements for all directions have to be performed. A radiated EMI measurement method, which can identify the points of highest emissions, is often desirable. In this paper, real-time feedback about the field distribution around the EUT is presented. This method allows the test engineer to focus on the areas of the highest emissions, hence time-optimizing the measurement. The method using time-domain measurement, in combination with augmented reality visualization, is proposed.


Kinbote. He terms Nabokov's threat to resume writing only in Russian "a statement which was made, I judge, primarily in order to surprise or tease his closest confidant, who reacted to this sudden public pronouncement with amused lack of interest." There is also a streak of unabashed cuteness: we encounter "cousins by the dozens"; mention of "chintz" breeds the witticism "chintzy"; the name Yurick inevitably acquires the adjective "poor"; and I shall spare you what is done with the name "Cross." Jane Grayson's book examines Nabokov's translations (and concomitant revisions) of his own works, with particular attention to resulting alterations of characterization and style. This examination aptly illustrates Nabokov's "developing preoccupation with pattern and artifice," as well as "the increased detachment and stylization of his later writing." Some of Grayson's details and observations (perhaps necessarily) seem to repeat those of other critics. For example, Carl Proffer's article "A new deck for Nabokov's Knaves" (TriQuarterly, Winter 1970) also discusses the following material from King, Queen, Knave: two allusions to Flaubert, two prophetic clothing associations, and five new sexual details in the English version (see Proffer, pp. 308, 304, 295, 302; Grayson, pp. 92, 93, 104, 112). Grayson repeatedly refers to Proffer's article but does not acknowledge, either generally or specifically, 'these and other similarities. Credit could also have been given to Dabney Stuart (p. 39) for the detection of three hidden prophecies in Laughter in the Dark, to Stephen Suagee (p. 67) for a glimpse of the future in Despair, and to Andrew Field (p. 117) for his discussion of the Vasilii Shishkov affair. Grayson's book contains worthwhile discussions on the use of color in Laughter in the Dark, Nabokov's "false alarm device," and the "Tamara theme." A chapter called "Technique of Translation" (treating the problems of "cultural translatability" and of maintaining stylistic effects) and the conclusion are also quite valuable. As could be expected, the reader of this specialized, thorough study should know Russian.


The increase in population and industrialization has increased the consumption of electricity. Currently, it is impossible to live without electricity. Indeed, it is necessary for the economic, social and industrial progress in all the countries of the world. This is why we are always asked to develop all types of energy to produce clean and safe to improve energy efficiency. Indeed, the use of new renewable energy sources helps to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on centralized energy sickles. The difficulties of renewable energy-based power systems lie in their production, which is not controllable and may not meet the increase in energy demand.


Judging by the continuing stream of nuclear power plant cancellations and downward revisions of nuclear energy forecasts, there is nothing riskier than predicting the future of commercial nuclear power. U.S. Nuclear Regulation Commissioner John Ahearne (1981) likens the recent events affecting the nuclear power industry in the United States to a Greek tragedy. Others, particularly other nations, take a different view about the future.


Fuad Aleskerov - Head of Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Economics, National Research University Higher School of Economics; head of laboratory, Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences.Address: 20, Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Belousova - Head of Budgeting Methodology Department, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics.Address: 20, Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.E-mail: email@example.com Egorova - Lecturer, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Economics, National Research University Higher School of Economics.Address: 20, Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Mirkin - Professor, Department of Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence, School of Applied Mathematics and Information Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics.Address: 20, Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.E-mail: email@example.com this paper the term 'pattern' is referred to a combination of values of some features such that these feature values define a group of objects that significantly differ from other objects. In the paper's first part, we presented a review of the literature on each of the three main aspects of this concept: (1) examples of usage of the concept of 'pattern' in sciences and technology, (2) methods of cluster analysis, with an eye over those relevant, and (3) dynamics of multi-dimensional objects. Then we proposed three different, but mathematically equivalent, definitions of the concept of pattern using (a) parallel coordinates, (b) conjunctive descriptions, and (c) geometric 'boxes'.In this part we give a representative sample of examples of static and dynamic analysis of patterns, within the most common framework of parallel coordinates. The static pattern analysis is a two-step method of the automated pattern formation. At the first stage we use classical cluster analysis to find clusters of objects, and at the second stage we find patterns that adequately represent the obtained clusters. Dynamic analysis of patterns is to highlight the types of functional stability of objects depending on how frequently an object changes between the patterns to which it belongs at different time periods. This typology may help in managing objects; also, it allows us to determine groups of risk consisting of objects changing too frequently.Specifically, we build and demonstrate patterns in data for: (a) comparative macroeconomic analysis, (b) evaluation of efficiency and analysis of business models attended to by banks in Turkey and Russia, (c) patterns of voting behavior and electoral change in General Elections in the UK and Municipal Elections in Finland, and (d) issues of innovation in the development of regions in the Russian Federation in the long run. This review outlines a number of research projects at which authors participated. Some of these projects had been conducted before the concept of pattern was developed in full. In this sense the current paper generalizes those earlier publications.


The ultimate aim of policy making should be to improve people's wellbeing. Drawing on evidence from across Europe, this report explores new ways in which policy can support and encourage high levels of wellbeing, using data from the European Social Survey.


ABSTRACT Rural migration is an integral component of land systems, altering land management both at the origin and destination of migration in regions of Europe and North America. We examine population moving in and out of rural areas in Ohio, U.S.A, between 2008 and 2016 and examine spatiotemporal patterns in land cover. Among families changing residential location, one-third of all household moving events are migration from or to rural areas. A PCA ordination and cluster analysis of rural migration revealed qualitatively distinct patterns. Urban peripheries grew due to in-migration from metro suburban areas, while agricultural and forested areas reflect intra-rural and micropolitan migration. Forested communities have lost population to other rural areas, and rural poverty pockets have gained low-income families from both rural and metro urban areas. Spatial analysis of rural migration patterns and associations with land use helps develop targeted land management strategies and reveals under-represented dynamics in prior studies.


This paper is a detailed investigation into one of Arthur Morrison's Tales of Mean Streets (1893/1894). "To Bow Bridge" describes a short tram journey late at night as drinkers move from the closing pubs of metropolitan Essex to fit in a last hour's drinking "over the border" in the County of London. The story shows not only the disorder of the drinkers heading towards town to squeeze in the extra drinking, but also the shift workers and families heading westwards towards home at the end of a long day. Morrison is painting a picture of more than one type of suburbanite inhabiting the public space. In just five pages the story raises questions of gender, class, respectability and local identity, without apparent judgement on one side of a moral argument or another, all situated in a real – and recognisable – part of east London. This sort of realist fiction had an ambiguous place in the contemporary debates about alcohol consumption, and exists within the broader journalistic, medical and local authority narratives of disorder, temperance and regulation. The paper also briefly explores public drinking in Morrison's other fiction, and in other sources about this part of London in the period.


With the limit to the detection equipment memory and FFT calculated length in the detection algorithm,the useful frequency band needs to be selected and partially analyzed to obtain a higher frequency resolution.This paper combines the band-pass sampling technology and the spectrum refining technology,and simulates and verifies the detection algorithm of domestic 18 information track circuit frequency shift signal based on the software Matlab.The simulation showes that the detection algorithm is totally feasible.And the accuracy of the basic detecting method of parameters for the frequency shift signals has been verified,which supplies a direction for designing the track circuit frequency shift signal detection instruments.


The Ekman layer in a conducting fluid with constant angular velocity, provided with a magnetic field aligned with the flow, is studied here. The existence of solutions to the magnetohydrodynamic linearized equations depends on the balance between viscosity and resistivity, on the one hand, and the angular and Alfvén velocities, on the other. In most cases, exponentially decreasing solutions exist, although their longitudinal oscillations do not need to be periodic. One of the instances without a solution is explained by the presence of Alfvén waves traveling backwards along the streamlines.


Abstract Often it is necessary to provide a filter for cohesive base materials. The presence of sands in cohesive soils such as silts and clays has a marked influence on the filter behavior, when such soils are used as base materials. Recently a filter design criterion based on controlling pore size of filters was developed to protect cohesive base materials (silts and clays) without addition of sands. This paper describes the applicability of the same filter design procedure for cohesive bases with non-cohesive sands as an additive. Based on laboratory investigations, an attempt has been made to ascertain the maximum content of non-cohesive sands in the base to which the said criterion can be employed. For this purpose cohesive soils were tried with addition of different percentages of sand content (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30%) by weight. The study has shown that the design criterion for cohesive soils on the basis of controlling pore size of filters can be safely adopted up to 25% of non-cohesive content in the base soil. Beyond 25% of non-cohesive content such as sand the behavior of bases in terms of filter requirements changes and filter design is based on design criteria that is based on controlling pore size of filters for non-cohesive base materials.


Abstract We assess the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic on the labour markets and economies of 16 SADC member states using a qualitative risk assessment on the basis of high‐frequency Google Mobility data, monthly commodity price data, annual national accounts, and households survey labour market data. Our work highlights the ways in which these complementary datasets can be used by economists to conduct near real‐time macroeconomic surveillance work covering labour market responses to macroeconomic shocks, including for seemingly information scarce African economies. We find that Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe are at greatest risk across several labour market dimensions from the COVID‐19 shock, followed by a second group of countries consisting of Comoros, DRC, Madagascar and Mauritius. Angola faces relatively less general employment risk than South Africa and Zimbabwe due to more muted decreases in mobility, though faces large pressure in its primary sector. These countries all face high risk in their youth populations, with Angola and Zimbabwe seeing high risks for women. South Africa faces more sector‐specific risks in their secondary and tertiary sectors, as does Mauritius. Comoros, DRC and Madagascar all face high risks of employment loss for women and youth, with Comoros and Mauritius facing severe general employment risks.


Based on systematic study on the effects of the reservoir sand production,the minimum formation fluid flow-rate,i.e.threshold flow-rate,which causes formation sand migration,was theoretically studied using the artificial neural network model,and the model was established for calculating maximum formation sand production radius at the higher daily production rate.The model for calculating critical bottom hole flow pressure which causes rock structure failure was also established by adopting theories of rock mechanics and permeation fluid mechanics,and the method for calculating radius of massive sand production caused by rock structure failure at actual bottom hole flow pressure lower than critical bottom hole flow pressure was derived.Meanwhile,the sand production inhibitor amount and solid sand control agent amount were theorectially determined for sand control design to avoid improper use of sand control agents.Field application proved that a series of models established can exhibit significant effects on sand control success and prolong sand control life.


In this paper we consider the first order nonlinear delay differential equations with deviating arguments of the formx′(t)+a(t)f(x(t))+p(t)g(x(t))h(x(t-τ_1(t)),x(t-τ_2(t)),…,x(t-τ_n(t)))=0(*),where a,p,τ_j∈C(R~+,R~+),(lim)t→+∞(t-τ_j(t))=+∞,j=1,2,…,n,f,g∈C(R,R),xf(x)0(x≠0),∫~1_01[]f(x)dx=+∞,∫~0_(-1)1[]f(x)dx=-∞,g(x)0,and h∈C(R~n,R),x_1h(x_1,x_2,…,x_n)0(x_1x_j0,j=1,2,…,n). Sufficient conditions are obtained for Eq.(*) to have positive solutions.


The validity of gradient-diffusion closures for modeling turbulent transport in multi-mode Rayleigh-Taylor and reshocked Richtmyer-Meshkov instability-induced mixing is investigated using data from three-dimensional spectral/tenth-order compact difference and ninth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory simulations, respectively. Details on the numerical methods, initial and boundary conditions, and validation of the results are discussed elsewhere [2, 3]. First, mean and fluctuating fields are constructed using spatial averaging in the two periodic flow directions. Then, quantities entering eddy viscosity-type gradient-diffusion closures, such as the turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate (or turbulent frequency), and the turbulent viscosity are constructed. The magnitudes of the terms in the turbulent kinetic energy transport equation are examined to identify the dominant processes. It is shown that the buoyancy (or shock) production term is the dominant term in the transport equation, and that the shear production term is relatively small for both the Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov cases. Finally, a priori tests of gradient-diffusion closures of the unclosed terms in the turbulent kinetic energy transport equation are performed by comparing the terms constructed directly using the data to the modeled term. A simple method for estimating the turbulent Schmidt numbers appearing in the closures is proposed. Using these turbulent Schmidt numbers,more » it is shown that both the shape and magnitude of the profiles of the dominant terms in the turbulent kinetic energy transport equation across the mixing layer are generally well captured.« less


The present invention relates to a method for producing a vaccine based on influenza virus using permanent human amniotic cells, and to the use of permanent human amniotic cells for producing a vaccine based on influenza virus. [Selection] Figure 2


Heteroaromatic conductive polymers are new functional materials with unique structures,excellent physical and chemical properties.After doping,the conductivity can reach semiconductors and even conductors levels. Heteroaromatic conductive polymers have become an important aspect of polymers.The conductive mechanism,their synthesis and their application on cell electrode and protective metal corrosion of the heteroaromatic polymers are reviewed. The recent research process of heteroaromatic conductive polymers,such as polypyrrole and polythiophene,are introduced.Finally,the problems and the future of the heteroaromatic conductive polymers are discussed.


This article presents the results of comparative studies of the therapeutic efficacy of drugs in the treatment of finger dermatitis in cows on the farm, hematological blood parameters before and after treatment are studied, the main changes in the body of cows after the complex treatment and the clinical picture are considered. Complex treatment in the experimental group showed the greatest therapeutic effect. The beneficial effect of the complex treatment was to stimulate blood counts and the animal's recovery. The optimal method of treatment on the farm is the scheme proposed for the treatment of cows in the experimental group, since this scheme is more effective in therapeutic terms and recovery occurs faster than when using the scheme used at the enterprise.


Abstract : This report summarizes our research results in Integrated, High-Frequency Communication Circuits. A monolithic integrated circuit process giving 1.7 GHz transistors has been realized. This allowed realization of an optimum, wideband, low-distortion, monolithic amplifier with 20 dB gain and 370 MHz bandwidth. The circuit incorporates low-noise Zener diodes and has a worst case noise figure of 9 dB. Research on monolithic VCOs yielded an optimum topology for a temperature-stable high-frequency VCO. A monolithic triangle sine wave converter yielding 0.3% total harmonic distortion over a 70 deg C temperature range has been realized for use with such VCOs. A computer-aided design program SINC-S has been written for the analysis of oscillator circuits. This typically gives a factor of three improvement in computation time compared with conventional techniques. (Author)


-The World Wide Web maintaining its development at an incredible pace. The information available in the WWW is a gateway and an intermediate for carrying out business. Web mining is the extraction of exciting and constructive facts and inherent information from artifacts or actions related to the WWW. Web usage mining (WUM) puts an effort to determine valuable information from the secondary data obtained from the communications of the users with the Web. WUM has turned out to be an extremely significant for successful Web site organization, generating adaptive Web sites, business and maintenance services, personalization, network traffic flow examination and so on. WUM comprises of three steps, namely preprocessing, pattern discovery, and pattern analysis. WUM has become an active area of research in field of data mining due to its vital importance. This paper provides a comprehensive discussion of the all the phases in WUM and related works in this field. Keywords--Web Usage Mining (WUM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Preprocessing, Pattern Discovery, Pattern Analysis


Objective To evaluate the effect of finasteride on perioperative and postoperative bleeding following transurethral resection of prostate(TURP). Methods Totally 176 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) were scheduled for TURP,60 of them were received 5mg of finasteride daily for seven days before surgery and thirty days after surgery,60 of them were received 10mg of finasteride,the other 56 patients were not received finasteride.A comparative study of clinical data was made among the three groups. Results The operation was successfully completed in 176 cases.As compared to the group without taking finasteride,intraoperative irrigating fluid volume, intraoperative blood loss,blood loss of 1 gram prostate tissue for resection,postoperative irrigating time,postoperative irrigating fluid volume,postoperative blood loss in the two groups with taking finasteride were significantly less,the difference had statistical significance(P0.05).But there was no statistically significant difference between the 5mg finasteride group and the 10mg finasteride group.The duration of hematuria associated with TURP was significantly less in 10mg finasteride group(P0.05). Conclusions The use of finasteride before TURP can reduce perioperative and postoperative bleeding.The use of 10mg finasteride after TURP can shorten the duration of hematuria associated with TURP.


Desktop grids utilize idle computational resources within a research organization. Task scheduling is a very important issue for a desktop grid due to its significant impact on computational performance. In the paper we propose a game-theoretical model of task scheduling in a desktop grid. The model allows to consider the trade-off between the server load and the total time of computations. The numerical results based on a virtual drug screening project are presented, and the Nash equilibrium is found.


The middle class is considered by the author as «a living organism of society», that implies revealing social environment in which it functions, social values and ideas by which it is enriched and, hence, possibilities for its qualitative and quantitative filling by other social strata. It is proved, that the middle class is not a stabilizing factor of the Belarusian society. The base layer, which includes more than half of total population and unites different social strata on grounds of preserving the non-market values in economy and social sphere, acts as such stabilizing factor. It is resumed that in order to realize social role and functions associated with middle class, Belarusian middle class, which currently accounts for 1/5 of total population, has to increase in numbers, to acquire economic independence and to become a competent subject of innovative reforms.


OF THE DISCLOSURE Method and apparatus for measuring combustible gas content, employing an electrical bridge circuit having a catalytic filament (resistor) for measuring heat or com bustion and a thermal conductivity compensating fila Inent (resistor) in two legs of one branch of the circuit, and having a thermal conductivity measuring filament (resistor) in the second branch of the circuit, preferably With a resistor used to compensate for resistance changes due to heating up of the apparatus during use. CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part application of our copending application Ser. No. 321,739, filed Nov. 6, 1963, and now abandoned and entitled A Method of and Apparatus for Measuring Combustible Constituents of Gas Samples. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a method of measuring com bustible constituents in gas samples, particularly in sam ples of mine gases, and to apparatus for performing the same. The invention particularly relates to a method and apparatus for reliably indicating unsafe high percentages of combustible constituents in gas samples in all ranges of the combustible constituents. Firedamp testing apparatuses hitherto used in mines for measuring the methane content of the air in a mine are based upon the principle of measuring the heat of reaction, that is to say the quantity of heat released when the methane is burned. The sample of gas is burned in a measuring chamber and the change in resistance of a heated filament which also initiates catalytically the com bustion is measured in a Wheatstone bridge. The change in resistance is taken as a measure of the methane con tent of the tested gas sample. In order to eliminate un wanted effects upon the heating effect due for instance to fluctuations in thermal conductivity of the gas sample, the adjacent arm of the bridge contains a compensating filament which is likewise heated. However, this filament is not exposed to the heat of combustion. This prior art device is explained in more detail hereinafter with ref


The purpose of this research is to obtain development length and bond slip relationship of the untensioned wire strand, applied to the precast concrete beam-column joint system developed recently. For this the pull-out tests were performed, in which the main test parameters are diameter of strands (9.3㎜, 12.7㎜, bundle), embedment length and distance from the precast concrete surface to the strand. A estimation equation of the development length was proposed based on test result. Herein 5% fractil value with 90% reliability was considered. The development length estimated by the proposed equation is comparable with that of the untensioned wire strand suggested in CEP-FIP Model Code 1990. Half-Precast concrete and topping concrete interface was proposed as an additional new bond condition for the strand location coefficient ŋ₂ in the equation of MC-90. Additionally a bond stress-slip model was established by means of a numerical algorithm applying the strand strain obtained from the pullout tests mentioned above. The development length obtained by numerical analysis using this bond-slip model agrees with the test result. This shows the validity of the bond-slip model developed in this research.


This paper presents a detailed analysis of the effect of the height of the 3D Phoenix Cell on the performance of Metal-Only Reflectarray Antennas. An improved design approach is proposed and a 18% bandwidth (for gain variations less than 1 dB) is obtained after the optimization.


A flight test evaluation of the digital elctronic engine control (DEEC) system was conducted. An overview of the flight program is presented. The roles of the participating parties, the system, and the flight program objectives are described. The test program approach is discussed, and the engine performance benefits are summarized. A description of the follow-on programs is included.


The paper adopts the testing technology of magnetic memory,and tests the Q235 B round hole specimen the leakage magic field around the round hole during the stretching process,to achieve the leakage magic field parametric distribution around the round hole in different loading stages. As the test specimens reached the specimen tensile strength,three kinds of pore size specimens take on the phenomenon that normal component value has greatly increased and the normal component of the gradient has suddenly changed in the local peak stress. This phenomenon proves that the magnetic memory method can forecast the stress concentration area. Meanwhile,according to the quantitative relationship between stress and magnetic in the peak position,and get the magnetoelastic effect irreversible component λHof Q235 B material under the experimental conditions,to provide the reference for the study of quantitative relation between local stress and magnetic memory characteristic value.


This paper discusses a number of emerging technologies that are being applied to provide traffic management center decision support, and surveillance and communication functions in the California Advanced Transportation Management Systems Testbed in the USA. The technologies include artificial intelligence techniques such as artificial neural networks and knowledge-based expert systems; video image processing; and vehicle-roadside, spread-spectrum radio, and long-range satellite communication. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 869506.


Executive Overview Japanese executives routinely travel to the United States for business for periods extending up to several years. Their visits typically begin as a jarring experience for them and their families due to the substantial cultural differences they encounter. Despite the success of Japanese business worldwide and the growing presence of Japanese communities in many U.S. cities, Japanese individuals routinely face disorienting experiences in their dealings with Americans, encounters that impede their effectiveness and hamper the business they come here to manage. Such confrontations mirror in microcosm the tensions of contemporary U.S.-Japan relations. They reveal the presence of built-in cultural barriers to Japanese firms in the U.S. that constitute structural impediments every bit as real as the more widely criticized constraints on foreign business in Japan. They also highlight patterns of behavior that Americans must learn to bridle if they are to serve as key players in global instituti...


Two therapists have recently suggested that marital therapy is either a shadow of individual therapy (Robert Harper) or eclipsed by family therapy (Jay Haley). We offer an apologia for marital therapy. We suggest that empirical evidence shows that it works. Further, clients often request it and resist a redefinition of marital concerns as individual or family problems. Finally, people value a focus on the marriage because (a) it blends individual rights and communal responsibilities and (b) it is the only voluntary relationship between dyads with the family. We conclude that marital therapy, when requested and appropriate, is legitimate and effective.


Background Misdiagnosis, either over- or underdiagnosis, exposes older patients to increased risk of inappropriate or omitted investigations and treatments, psychological distress, and financial burden. Objective To evaluate the frequency and nature of diagnostic errors in 16 conditions prevalent in older patients by undertaking a systematic literature review. Data sources and study selection Cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, or systematic reviews of such studies published in Medline between September 1993 and May 2014 were searched using key search terms of "diagnostic error", "misdiagnosis", "accuracy", "validity", or "diagnosis" and terms relating to each disease. Data synthesis A total of 938 articles were retrieved. Diagnostic error rates of >10% for both over- and underdiagnosis were seen in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, Parkinson's disease, heart failure, stroke/transient ischemic attack, and acute myocardial infarction. Diabetes was overdiagnosed in <5% of cases. Conclusion Over- and underdiagnosis are common in older patients. Explanations for over-diagnosis include subjective diagnostic criteria and the use of criteria not validated in older patients. Underdiagnosis was associated with long preclinical phases of disease or lack of sensitive diagnostic criteria. Factors that predispose to misdiagnosis in older patients must be emphasized in education and clinical guidelines.


Closed loop transmission diversity will be an important part of the enhancements of todays wireless technologies, e.g. in double-stream transmit antenna array (D-TxAA). Despite the promise of performance gains, closed loop beamforming will introduce an interference scenario in the downlink that cannot easily be handled by the conventional MMSE equalization approach. In this paper, we derive an interference aware MMSE equalizer that uses the information about the beamforming vectors. The proposed equalizer can be calculated by utilizing a virtual channel description incorporating the beamforming weights. To assess the performance, we performed fading simulations with a system level description of the transmission. The derived equalizer shows only a small increase in complexity compared to the conventional approach, but perfectly restores the orthogonality.


Preserving energy of sensor node in wireless sensor network is an effort to prolong the lifetime of network. Energy of sensor node is very crucial because battery powered and irreplaceable. Energy conservation of sensor node is an effort to reduce energy consumption in order to preserve resource for network lifetime. It can be achieved through efficient energy usage by reducing consumption of energy or decrease energy usage while achieving a similar outcome. In this paper, the authors propose power layer energy efficient routing protocol in wireless sensor network, named PLRP, which use power control and multi-hop routing protocol to control overhead of sensor node and create clustering to distribute energy dissipation and increase energy efficiency of all sensor node. The main idea of PLRP is the use of power control, which divide sensor node into group by base station uses layer of energy and maximize the computation energy in base station to reduce computational energy in sensor node for conservation of network lifetime. The performance of PLRP compared to BCDCP and BIDRP based of hierarchical routing protocol. The simulation results show that PLRP achieve 25% and 30% of improvement on network lifetime. DOI: 10.4018/jmcmc.2013010105 58 International Journal of Mobile Computing and Multimedia Communications, 5(1), 57-68, January-March 2013 Copyright © 2013, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. and piezoelectric detectors. Once deployed, sensor nodes collect the information of interest from their on-board sensors, perform local processing of these data including quantization and compression, and forward the data to a base station (BS) directly or through a neighbouring relay node. The ability to have direct interaction with physical phenomena resulted in the development of a vast number of applications for wireless sensor networks such as, military, commercial, intrusion detection and industrial, healthcare and disaster and rescue operations. Most deployments of wireless sensor network require unattended operation; therefore, sensor nodes have to rely on batteries for communication and information gathering. Sensor nodes are significantly constrained in available resources including storage, computational capacity, however energy accounts for the most restrictive of all factors, because it affects the operational lifetime of wireless sensor network. It is a well-established fact that wireless communication is the major source of energy drainage in wireless sensor network. Therefore, energy efficient communication protocols and topology architectures are highly desirable. In recent years, clustering has emerged as a popular approach for organizing the network into a connected hierarchy. By using clustering, nodes are organized into small disjoint groups called clusters. Each cluster has a coordinator referred to as cluster head (CH) and a number of member nodes. Clustering results in a hierarchical network in which cluster head form the upper level and member nodes form the lower level. In contrast to flat architectures, clustering provides distinct advantages with respect to energy conservative by facilitating localized control and reducing the volume of inter-node communication. Moreover, the coordination provided by the cluster head allows sensor nodes to sleep for extended period, thus, allowing significant energy savings. Despite many advantages of clustering in wireless sensor network, such as network scalability, localized route set up, bandwidth management, the fundamental objective centers around energy conservation. Cluster formation is a process whereby sensor nodes decide with which cluster head they should associate among multiple choices. After the cluster head are elected, the non-cluster head nodes are faced with the task of selecting a cluster head from a number of possible candidates based on the criteria of optimal energy use. For a sensor node, selecting the cluster head based on a single objective can lead to poor energy use because the nearest cluster head may be located at a greater distance from base station than the other cluster head. Thus, for that particular node this may not be the best choice. In addition, factors like residual energy and transmission energy may also be of importance when making a decision. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: section 2 discusses the related work on a clustering method, section 3 discusses the proposed algorithm power layer energy efficient routing protocol, section 4 discusses the simulation, and section 5 describes the conclusion of the work.


The Deutsche Zentralbibliothek fur Medizin (German National Library of Medicine) is the National Library and Service Institution for medical libraries and the scientific medical community in Germany. The library was founded in 1970 (with predecessors back to 1910); its holdings amount to more than 1.200.000 volumes including 9.000 current journals. The collections include all subject areas in medicine, dentistry, nursing, human psychology, hospital affairs, human genetics, molecular biology, biotechnology and other fringe areas. Since 2001, literature in the field of nutrition and environment is collected in a branch library in Bonn.


The cadre-related work of the Party is an important part of the Party construction,and also an important organizational guarantee for the Party's smooth revolution,construction and reform.The Eighth Central Committee,the first Central Committee of the Party after the founding of new China,made important exploration of the cadre-related work for thirteen years,including in-service cadre training,new cadre training,grass-roots cadre training,cadre-exchange programs and others.The successes and failures of such exploration could shed new light on the current cadre-related work of the Party.


This contribution describes a method to prepare adsorbent materials for recovery of carbon dioxide from mixed gases. The sorbents comprise a base support material and a covalently attached nanolayer coating of polymerized ionic liquid (pIL), poly([2-(methylacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) (poly[(META)+Cl−]). Initial measurements were made to determine the thickness evolution of the pIL nanolayers, using a model substrate designed to mimic the structure of the support material. Thereafter, the pIL was grafted from the surface of the support material using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. Subsequent ion exchange was done to replace Cl− anions with other anions to study the impact of pIL anion on CO2 adsorption; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed that the ion-exchange reactions were quantitative. Anions that were tested were BF4−, CH3SO3−, and CF3SO3−. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen adsorption isotherms were measured from 0 to 2.5 bar at temperatures from 20 t...


Soil erosion on slope of the black soil region in Northeast China,one of the most important bases of cash rice,is proved to be more serious than we recognized before,and it not only affects the sustainable development of the local social economy,but also threats the security of the national provision,and is getting more and more social concerns,and a kind of investigations have been started recently.So we should have a comprehensive view of the preceeding studies to provide some references for the sub- sequent researches.Three aspects were concluded as harm of the soilerosion,effective factors of soil erosion,and the mechanism studies of soil erosion in northeast China,and the last item-mechanism studies of soil erosion in the black soil region was dropped behind,so it should be emphased in the future.


third-world majority with a much different agenda. Resolutions and activities of the commission were politicized by the East-West and the North-South conflicts, and the focus moved to anticolonialism and antiracism, largely in South Africa and Israel. In 13 years of debate, Tolley writes, only three regimes—South Africa, Israel, and Chile—were actually singled out for special concern. Tolley describes well the double standard used by the commission in the 1960s and 1970s, as third-world countries refused to denounce the human rights violations of their own governments, and the so-called Western values of freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly were given low priority. But the author concludes on a more optimistic note, suggesting that a better balance now exists in the commission and that a "tenuous balance . . . has created a fragile vitality which survived the deadening rhetoric" (p. 219). Tolley adds, "Equally important, the Commission has cracked the citadel of national sovereignty first by drafting standards and then by eliciting government responses to complaints about their misconduct" (p. 220). Clearly, the UN Commission on Human Rights serves in many ways as a microcosm of the United Nations itself. Like the latter, the commission was formed to correct the perceived causes of World War II, controlled in its early years by a pro-Western majority, dominated in more recent years by a third-world majority intent on a much-different agenda, politicized by conflicts that had little to do with the main purposes of the institution, and plagued by institutional and procedural problems which have tended to reduce its value to informed publics. Tolley's book is a valuable addition to the literature on the United Nations and its subsidiary organs and stands alone as a current history of the Commission on Human Rights. If the book's style is not exciting, the story it tells is, and the conclusions are balanced and carefully drawn. The documentation, bibliography, and index are excellent. This monograph will be important reading in the next few years for scholars who are working in the field of international organization or human rights.


Master's Dissertation Graduate Program in Law and Social Justice of the Federal University of Rio Grande The recognition that goes beyond the recognition: The (re) signification of the concept of recognition of the right to the sexualities in the decisions of the Court of Justice of the State of Rio Grande do Sul Author: Amanda Netto Brum Advisor: Prof. Dr. Renato Duro Dias The core theme of this research is the sexualities in a deconstructed way. Accordingly, one should understand that the field of Law produces and conveys, from the speech, statements regarded as true about the sexualities that, because of its performing strength, guide and standardize on the behalf of a linear behavior. This dissertation aims to discuss the concept of the social (re)construction of the recognition of the right to the sexualities. That said, this research seeks to investigate the (re)signification of the concept of recognition of the right to the sexualities by means of the qualitative methodology of the Foucault's discourse analysis, based on the decisions of TJ/RS judged and published between the years 2000 and 2014. Thus, firstly, the proposal of this dissertation is presented in its entirety, and then the connections among the types of knowledge involved in this study are highlighted. Not long after that, a reflection from the historical, cultural, social, legal and discursive analysis of genders is performed, as well as from the gender and sexual identities and the sexualities, about the (re)construction of these categorizations. Subsequently, it demonstrates the need to (re)think new paradigms of knowledge, particularly of the traditional legal science, and emphasizes the importance of pluralizing the approaches about the conception of the fundamental rights, as well as new recognitions, particularly of the right of the sexualities, in the sphere of the Brazilian constitutional law. Finally, it exposes the search for the construction and materialization of the effective right of the sexualities. That way, from the decisions of the TJ/RS, it analyzes the mechanisms of discursive order, which (re)signified and (re)signify the concept of recognition of the right to the sexualities in the legal discourse. In the end, it intends to demonstrate, when entering the order of discourse, that the effective recognition of the right to the sexualities should, above all, question the conception of promotion of social justice, i.e., concepts that are seen as steady and finished in the traditional episteme are (re)imagined and (re)thought in the challenge of overcoming and withstanding the naturalized and standardized dichotomies established by power structures that regulate the knowledge about the sexualities in our discursive order.


The invention relates to a static non-leakage high pressure common-rail injector which is used for preventing high pressure fuel from being leaked in a static state and is easy to process. A main body of the static non-leakage high pressure common-rail injector is a high pressure common-rail injector. A hemisphere seat is arranged between a control valve seat and a control sleeve of the high pressure common-rail injector. The upper surface of the control sleeve is processed to form a conical surface and the conical surface is in sealed contact with the spherical surface of the hemisphere seat. The plane at the upper end of the hemisphere seat is in sealed contact with the lower end face of the control valve seat. The hemisphere seat is provided with a hemisphere seat oil inlet and saving hole running through a middle shaft of the hemisphere seat. An upper opening of the hemisphere seat oil inlet and saving hole is communicated with a through oil passage of the control valve seat. A lower opening of the hemisphere seat oil inlet and saving hole is communicated with a high precision taper hole of the control sleeve. A sealed space formed among a control plunger, the control sleeve and the hemisphere seat is used as a control chamber. In the invention, a processing error is compensated by the spherical surface, the high pressure sealing is not influenced, the processing and manufacturing quality is easy to ensure, the process inheritance sense is good, not only can the high pressure fuel be avoided being leaked out, but also the work of the injector is not influenced.


The Regional cooperation agreement on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia 2004 is an important regional agreement for alleviating incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships and all the
member states are sincerely enforcing its treaty norms through appropriate national legislations. However, the agreement has failed to achieve considerable success because the two major players, Malaysia and Indonesia,
of the navigation industry have yet to accept its membership, and also because the definition of maritime crimes in the agreement is not wide enough to encompass all kinds of maritime crimes pertaining to piracy
and armed robbery. Because of these and some other deficiencies, it becomes necessary to critically examine the agreement and to offer necessary viable suggestions. The paper undertakes this task and suggests that the two states should be persuaded to be members of the agreement. It further designs a workable definition to the term 'maritime crimes' so that the objectives of the agreement are achieved.


The effects of unbalanced traffic on the performance of the multihop network are discussed. The basic question addressed is how performance might degrade as network size increases. Because unbalanced loads can occur in a multitude of ways, two separate approaches were taken to characterize the effects of imbalance. Present results show that the allowable throughput per user for realistic load patterns is reduced by a factor between about 0.3-0.5 from that predicted for uniform load. Contrary to original fears, this deloading factor is not very sensitive to network size. Although emphasis is on the performance of the multichannel multihop network, the methods presented are applicable to other communication networks which incorporate some type of hopping. >


In this paper, innovative indoor navigation methods have been proposed to meet the challenges in robotic navigation systems. The general positioning methods for robotic navigation include vision-based approaches, WIFI beacons, infrared beacons, ultrasonic beacons, etc. However, the common problem with these methods is their inaccuracy. Especially, improving the precision of robotic positioning mechanisms is the key to indoor navigation systems. This paper proposes an approach that combines the external rotating beacon with an internal rotation of position sensitive devices (PSD) which are installed on the robot. While two infrared beams from an external beacon source are equally projected to both sides of the PSD, the robot"s position can be calculated precisely. The high performance and accurate results can be achieved by optimizing the rotation aligning time, dividing the working area, and compensating errors with information fusion. In comparison with other generic approaches, this proposed innovative approach requires less computing resources and is easier to implement due to its much lower complexity for the computing algorithms.


A Bacillus siamensis YC‐9 strain was isolated from termite nest. The strain was used to produce several important industrial enzymes by utilizing different agricultural by‐products with solid‐state fermentation (SSF). It was observed that most of the substrates that were studied were strongly positively affected by alkaline treatment for the production of enzymes. The highest yields for protease, α‐amylase, and cellulase were 82.87, 42.81, and 1.54 IU g−1, achieved on alkaline‐treated corn pericarp, rice bran, and wheat bran respectively. However, untreated soybean meal was the best choice for the secretion of pectinases (66.65 IU g−1). In general, ultrasonic pretreatment was more effective than microwave treatment and it promoted the production of proteases on soybean meal, sunflower meal, and wheat bran. The findings of the present study will provide some theoretical basis for enzyme production in the future. © 2021 Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.


The adoption of foreign children by persons in developed countries became an increasingly important phenomenon after World War II. Although worldwide data is limited, U.S. and Swedish information show similar geographic patterns. In the 1940s most foreign children who were adopted came from Europe. During the next two decades a shift to adopting from Asia occurred, and in the 1970s Latin America became a major source area. Examination of the foreign adoption process sheds light on the influences of social and political factors in controlling international migrations.


Interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution applied to Controlled-Source Electromagnetic data replaces the medium above the receivers by a homogeneous halfspace, suppresses the direct field and redatums the source positions to the receiver locations. In that sense, the airwave and any other interactions of the signal with the air-water interface and the water layer are suppressed and the source uncertainty is reduced. Interferometry requires grid data and cannot be applied to line data unless the source is infinitely long in the crossline direction. To create such a source, a set of source lines is required. We use an iterative algorithm to determine the optimal locations of these source lines and show that more source lines are required if the source is towed closer to the sea bottom and closer to the receivers.


A novel buck-mode three-level AC/AC converter is proposed. Effectively to solve the problem such as switch voltage stress and harmonic interference of the two-level AC-AC converter existed in the field of large capacity transform, The inverter has the advantages such as simple topology, bidirectional power flow, two-stage power conversions, high frequency electrical isolation, three-level voltage across the output filter, strong load adaptability and so on. The converter could convert the alternating current with instability distortion to the steady sine alternating current with same frequency, this paper has studied the topology, high frequency switching process, and the feedback control strategy of instantaneous voltage value of this converter, also the diagram formed by the driving signal is given. At last, the correctness and advancement of this Buck-Mode Three-level converter are verified through simulation tests. 


This article deals with a problem of soil modeling. That is a necessary part of foundation modeling.The soil modeling can directly influent the resulting deformation of the foundations and therefore deformationof the whole building. The accurate procedure that can simulate the foundation-soil interaction is still unknown.A greater understanding of the issue through experiments and numerical modeling is important for a goodapplication and proper use in practice. To improve this understanding an experimental test of a concrete slabwas performed on special testing equipment. The experiment is complemented by numerical modeling.Numerical models are created in the Ansys software. The article features three cube models and a half-spheremodel. Deformations on all featured models are discussed and compared to the experimental values andsimplified hand calculation. The subsoil model is based on the Boussinesq half-space theory. The soil section isassumed homogeneous and layered. The size of models is assumed as a changing parameter from 10 m to 30 m.A recommended model size was evaluated from the parametric study as a match of deformation from modelsand the experiment. This computed model size is compared with an affected depth described by the standardČSN 731001. Computation was performed using supercomputer Anselm in the National SupercomputingCenter IT4Innovations in the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava.


Welcome to the 1st International Workshop on Context Discovery and Data Mining (ContextDD 2012). The workshop was held in Beijing, China, on August 2012, in conjunction with the 18th ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD 2012).

ContextDD 2012 is a forum to discuss the research issues and challenges within rich context mobile computing from both an academic and industrial research perspective. Some of these research issues and challenges include: context data collection, rich context data definition, context sensing, context recognition, context aggregation, context segmentation, context management and inference, context fusion, context awareness methods, context frameworks, context datasets and algorithms for mining user behavior and other intelligence. Applications of this includes context recommendation, context-aware personalized smart applications and services, location based services, etc. The workshop aims to attract and bring together researchers working in data mining and retrieval, mobile computing and pervasive computing to attend, as well as students, professors, and industry researchers from leading universities and research labs internationally that are doing work in the context, sensing, mobile, social and pervasive computing areas.


The crisis in the global and national economies negatively affects the predictability of companies. In such conditions, it becomes impossible to correctly forecast and plan based on the traditional methods and models. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop an approach to forecasting and planning in conditions of high uncertainty in the functioning of companies. The methodological basis of the study is evolutionary-institutional management, which allows to consider the development of the company as a complex evolutionary process. A scenario approach is used as the basis for forecasting, which allows to study the dynamics of any company in an unstable environment. The study includes three blocks: developing scenarios, scenario forecasting, financial planning. The study is conducted based on data on the functioning of Ukrainian Railways, JSC, which is the operator of the rail infrastructure and the national carrier of goods and passengers in Ukraine. Scenarios are developed considering the specifics of the products of rail companies and based on factors (key uncertainties) that determine the effectiveness of their functioning. Scenario forecasting is based on considering the peculiarities of the company's production process, its cash cycle, and the formation of financial resources. As a result, forecast estimates are obtained for three scenarios (optimistic, pessimistic, and negative). The financial planning model is developed as a system of interrelated models of cash flow planning (operational, investment and financial). This approach allows to plan the sources of funds of the company and their use, taking into account possible changes in the external and internal environment of the company and, as a result, ensure its stable functioning in the implementation of any scenario.


The sudden shift from the traditional face-to-face learning modality to alternative learning modalities (ALMs) aided by information and communication technology (ICT) became one of the most emphasized changes in the educational landscape during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The huge and immediate adjustments needed to use different ALMs resulted in different issues such as teachers dealing with technology-related stress or what is known as "technostress". Hence, this study aimed to identify the level of technostress of college teachers along learning-teaching process factor, profession factor, technical issue factor, personal factor, and social factor. Quantitative descriptive research design is used to collect descriptive information regarding technostress. A 28-item questionnaire was adapted to collect the main data and semi-structured interviews were conducted to further analyze and verify the results of the study. Generally, the result of the study shows that the college teachers have low levels of technostress. With this, other higher education institutions (HEIs) are encouraged to have personnel who are mainly focused on aiding the teachers in the use and exploration of ICT tools in the online classroom.


The invention discloses a double-station corrugated pipe hydraulic forming machine. The double-station corrugated pipe hydraulic forming machine comprises a machine frame. A left die frame, a right die frame, a lower die head dragging plate, two die heads, an oil feeding pipe, a left die piece, a left spiral insertion piece, a right die piece, and a right spiral insertion piece are arranged on the machine frame. The left spiral insertion piece and the right spiral insertion piece are arranged oppositely. A die disassembly and assembly hydraulic cylinder and a die separation piece hydraulic cylinder are arranged behind the machine frame from top to bottom. The die disassembly and assembly hydraulic cylinder is connected with the left die frame and the right die frame through connecting rods. The die separation piece hydraulic cylinder is connected with the left spiral insertion piece and the right spiral insertion piece. A pressing hydraulic cylinder is arranged above the left die piece and the right die piece. A pressing column is arranged below the pressing hydraulic cylinder. A pressing block is arranged at the bottom of the pressing column. A latch hook device is arranged on the left die frame, and the latch hook device is connected with the right die piece. The invention further discloses a realizing method of the double-station corrugated pipe hydraulic forming machine. The double-station corrugated pipe hydraulic forming machine and the realizing method of the double-station corrugated pipe hydraulic forming machine have the characteristics that the structure is simple, the manufacturing cost is low, the labor intensity is low, the production efficiency is high, the product quality is good, and the qualified rate is high.


Notes on Present Status and Future Prospects.- Bayesian Methods and Entropy in Economics and Econometrics.- The Role of Priors in Active Bayesian Learning in the Sequential Statistical Decision Framework.- The Principle of Maximum Entropy and the Difference Between Risk and Uncertainty.- Analysis of Lunar Occultation Data.- The Photometric Accuracy of Astronomical Images Restored with the MEMSYS3 Code.- Computational Problems and Signal Processing in SETI.- Maximum Entropy in Condensed Matter Theory.- Entropy Maximization in Nuclear Physics.- Applications of Maxent to Quantum Monte Carlo.- Maximum Entropy Applications in Radar.- The Application of Maximum Entropy Signal Processing to Ultrasonic Surface Parameterisation.- Steel Characterization using Bayesian Analysis of Barkhausen Noise.- Bayesian Spectral Analysis of Reflectivity Data.- On the Assignment of Prior Expectation Values and a Geometric Means of Maximizing - Tr?ln#x03C1 Constrained by Measured Expectation Values.- The Evaluation and Predictive Properties of the "MemSys3" Algorithm.- The Evolution of Our Probability Image for the Spin Orientation of a Spin-1/2 - Ensemble As Measurements Are Made on Several Members of the Ensemble - Connections with Information Theory and Bayesian Statistics.- Stochasticity in Nature, and Its Consequences.- Reasoning with Maximum Entropy in Expert Systems.- Some Applications of the Bayesian, Maximum-Entropy Concept in Geostatistics.- Maximum Entropy Image Reconstruction of DNA Sequencing Data.- Maximum Entropy Connections: Neural Networks.- Quantifying Drug Absorption.- Energy Flow-Networks and the Maximum Entropy Formalism.- On Parameter Estimation and Quantified Maxent.- A Subpixel Deconvolution Method for Astronomical Images.- Maximum Entropy Prior Laws of Images and Estimation of their Parameters.- Two New Methods for Retrieving an Image from Noisy, Incomplete Data, and Comparison with the Cambridge Maxent Package.- Rayleigh Task Performance as A Method To Evaluate Image Reconstruction Algorithms.- Maximum Entropy Image Construction of the Galaxy M51.- The Image Reconstruction Contest.- Moment Estimation using Bayesian Probability Theory.- Maximum Entropy with Poisson Statistics.- From Euclid to Entropy.- Bayesian Interpolation.- Ockham's Razor.- Probabilistic Displays.


Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty engaging in conversations with same-age peers. Deficits in conversation skills can hinder one's ability to sustain friendships and may lead to social isolation. Research has shown that technology-based interventions can improve conversation skills and reduce the social stigmatization of individualized interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of telecoaching and online instructional modules on conversation skills for four high school and college students with ASD. A component analysis was conducted to determine the critical components of the intervention package. Results showed that telecoaching was associated with the most significant improvements in conversation behavior for all participants. Future directions and recommendations for clinicians are discussed.


The present invention relates to a method for producing a surface-crystallized spherical granules by the air-cooled heat between mold surface pelleting the cutting chamber (2). Therefore, crystalline plastics material is dissolved initially. Then crystalline plastic material is extruded through a perforated plate (3). Perforated plates between the air-cooled heat between mold surface pelletized with at least one cutting blade movable with respect to (3) (5), perforated plate (3) is adjusted temperature, perforated plate (3) the viscosity of the melt of the plastic material of the nozzle opening (4) in is maintained. Surface cooling of the dried cut granules is performed until nucleation temperature of the surface using a centripetal inlet process gas, the nucleation temperature is above the glass transition temperature of the crystalline plastics material, optimum crystal it is the growth temperature below. Then, the average granule temperature, by adjusting the process gas amount adiabatically controlled temperature, kept in the optimum range of crystal growth temperature at the level above the nucleation temperature at a melting temperature below the plastics material It is. When the granules are flowing in the cutting chamber (2) without touching the wall, the process gas stream, until it has a crystal layer granules grows from the surface, it is guided. .FIELD 1


This study aims to determine the relationship between prosocial behavior and work engagement among female volunteers. The sampling technique in this study was to use purposive sampling where the sampling was adjusted to the research objectives and predetermined characteristics. The number of respondents was 115 female volunteers aged 24 to 65 years who were cadres of Posyandu toddlers, elderly Posyandu, Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK) and/or Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), coming from 11 districts in Indonesia. In addition, researchers used a convenience sampling technique in which research samples were taken according to the availability of respondents who met the criteria. The data analysis method used is simple regression analysis preceded by normality and linearity tests. The scale used is the prosocial behavior scale for adults and the work engagement scale (UWES version 1.1). The results showed that the R value in calculating the coefficient of determination was 0.561 (positive) which means that there is a positive and significant relationship between prosocial behavior and the engagement of women volunteers in 11 districts. The higher the prosocial behavior, the higher the engagement of female volunteers. The effective contribution of prosocial behavior to volunteer work engagement (R Square value) is 31.5% and 68.5% is influenced by other factors not examined in this study, so it can be concluded that there is a relationship between prosocial behavior and work engagement to female volunteers in 11 districts in Indonesia.


This paper demonstrates how the multilevel pulsewidth modulation (PWM) (MPWM) driving method can be implemented on a full-color large-area light-emitting diode (LED) display panel system through a low-cost modification of the existing hardware configuration. The method employs multiple LED driver modules connected in parallel which are combined to deliver MPWM current to individual LED pixels. For a three-level driving scheme, the criterion for selecting the midlevel current in order to maximize the luminous efficacy gain is derived mathematically. The algorithm for video signal conversion required for deriving the subvideo signals from the original high-definition multimedia interface or digital visual interface video signal for activating multiple LED driver modules is also discussed.


This study is devoted to the under researched issue of development of physical education and sports at the grassroots level. The task was to identify the mechanism of recruiting participants to sports teams and societies; to consider the process of introduction to sports at the micro-level of the enterprise; to study the role of physical culture in labor processes. The cornerstone of the Soviet mass society were collectives formed at factories, and therefore one of the largest factories in Petrograd/Leningrad — "Krasnyi Putilovets", which had not only rich labor and revolutionary history, but also sports history, was chosen as an example. The research source base included archival materials; reviews and results of the survey of the physical education club at the plant; reviews of the activity of the sports club; discussions of the development of physical culture and sports, etc. As far as research methods are concerned, the authors turned to everyday history and its components — the history of sports and the history of leisure, as well as to microhistory. The results of the study demonstrate that it was the factory sport circles that led to professional sports and that during the period under review, effective mechanisms were developed to attract workers of different genders and ages to active physical education and sports. At the same time, the actors involved in the organization and implementation of this work pursued different goals — the unity of the labor collective, the distraction of young people from deviant leisure practices, the proletarization of sports, its use for educational and propaganda work, etc.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Small family-owned corporations are often viewed as safe, stable work environs. Fewer employees equal a less stressful workplace, the possibility of becoming the next Enron or WorldCom seems slight, and close friendships flourish. However, these very reasons can cause small businesses to have a higher risk of susceptibility to fraud. Rather than being easier to review and control financial data, having a small staff can provide greater opportunities for collusion, and segregation of duties issues result in one or two staff members having the ability to manipulate financial accounts. It can also surprise one just how little you really know your coworkers. Conversely, others may feel more comfortable in a large corporation, believing that so many employees give someone little chance of committing fraud and getting away with it. This article discusses two cases that highlight how the perceptions related to size of a company and the risk of fraud can be quite deceiving. Case 1: Freeport Capital Carp Phil was a quiet man employed for the past 12 years by Freeport Capital Corp (Freeport). He was friendly with his coworkers and, due to his longevity with the firm, was treated like family by the owners. Viewed by many as a dedicated, tireless staff member, he seldom took vacation, and often worked long hours into the night or on weekends to ensure that the job was done. He was not a qualified accountant but had been in the field for over 20 years. Freeport was one company in the group of 14 family financial investment companies. As the Chief Financial Officer, Phil was a bank signatory for at least three of the companies with a signing authority limit of $20,000. Anything in excess of that amount was co-signed by the CEO. The individual companies were either audited or reviewed on an annual basis, and the external auditors viewed Phil as a competent, helpful individual who ensured all schedules were prepared for their arrival. With rising interest rates, each company was performing well financially and everyone was happy. Turnover was low, and staff had built a great rapport over the years, often socializing after hours. The owners spent 3 months every year vacationing in the tropics, comforted that the business was safe under Phil's watch. The office was small, and consisted of six persons--the receptionist, office manager, and accounts assistant (who all reported to Phil), plus the investment manager, and the CEO/owner. Phil and the accounts assistant were responsible for the day-to-day transactions and accounting records of each company, with Phil working on the biggest two in the group: Freeport and Simple Inc. Phil dealt with everything from setting up the bank account, preparing tax returns, and paying invoices to performing the bank reconciliations and financial statements on a monthly basis. In a small group it was easier for him and his assistant to split the companies in the group, with each of them performing all accounting duties for the companies in his portfolio. There was no segregation of duties or backup checks performed on the books by management apart from the annual audit. Internal controls were not closely monitored, as it was felt that the small size of the company was a positive factor in reducing any potential for control breakdowns. The annual audit for the past 3 years had always resulted in a clean opinion, and anything Phil's assistant didn't know, Phil could do. As fate would have it, one day Phil caught a chill and was forced to call in sick. The receptionist took the message and bade him a speedy recovery as she opened the daily mail. The first stack held correspondence from the bank, which was usually placed on Phil's desk for his action, but in his absence the receptionist decided to expedite the process. In going through the returned checks that accompanied the bank statement, she noticed one was made out to Phil in the amount of $10,000. …


Karst hydrological models are widely used for simulating groundwater dynamics at the aquifer scale. However, modeling streamflow of a topographic catchment that is partially covered by karst is rarely reported. This absence is due to difficulties of properly considering the strong differences of karstic and nonkarstic hydrodynamics and the widespread occurrence of unclosed water balances in karstic regions due to intercatchment groundwater flow (IGF). In this study, we present a new approach that uses hydrological signatures to identify important natural processes and appropriate model structures for the simulation of karst‐influenced catchments. We account for karstic IGF and apply our approach to six karst‐influenced catchments in Europe and the Middle East. We estimate the contributions of karstic and nonkarstic parts to the total streamflow sensitivity. With different model structures identified at different sites, our approach reduces water balance errors by 18% and reduces the root mean squared error by 20% for catchments where the IGF is deemed important. We find that IGF modifies the contribution of karstic areas to the total streamflow sensitivity. The total streamflow sensitivity increases under gaining conditions and decreases under losing conditions for catchments with larger karstic discharge elasticity, while it shows the converse change for catchments with smaller karstic discharge elasticity. Modeling streamflow at karst‐influenced catchments requires the consideration of differences between karstic and nonkarstic areas, and the IGF matters for catchments with unclosed water balances.


Introduction: The oil and petrochemical industries had been amongst the first industries which developed the HSE-MS. This system aims to maintain and protect human resources along with reducing the environmental impact of the industry. Although it has been mulling over this system in a plethora of studies, unfortunately, most of the assessments have been carried out in a qualitative manner. In recent years, the evaluation of the performance of HSE-MS has been limited due to the lack of appropriate quantitative evaluations. Material and Methods: In the present study, the development of criteria and sub-criteria of health, safety and environment management system was investigated using a different approach. Using the opinion of experts and according to the performed categories, a questionnaire was developed to determine the pairwise comparisons. Decision making trial and evaluation (DEMATEL) technique was used to determine the relationships between the criteria and network analysis method was used to determine their importance weight. the developed methodology was then evaluated and compared between two factories in a case study. Results: The performance evaluation showed that the leadership and commitment criterion with a final score of 1.8; Risk assessment and management with a final score of 0.8; Planning criterion with a final score of .0.40; Policy criterion with final score of 0.33, Organization, resources, and documentation with a final score of 0.31, implementation and follow-up with a final score of 0.22, and Evaluation and Review criterion with a final score of 0.12 were ranked from the first to the seventh, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the study demonstrated that the most important criterion for health, safety and the environment is leadership. The significant difference between the final score of the leadership criterion and the other criteria reflects its crucial importance in HSE-MS performance evaluation. Participation of employees, allocation of appropriate funding and support of innovativeness are factors to be implemented in order to improve HSE-MS program as a better and successful management.


SYNOPSIS Objective. The development of psychopathic traits in children has been largely understudied compared with the etiology of these traits in adults; therefore, this study aims to elucidate factors that may be involved in the development of psychopathic traits in childhood. Design. The potential impact of maternal personality traits on parenting practices and child personality were examined. Specifically, statistical relations were examined among maternal psychopathic traits, maternal antisocial personality traits, and child psychopathic traits, and the role of parenting as a potential mediator and/or moderator of these relations within an all-male sample (N = 75) between the ages of 7 and 11 years. Results. Parenting mediated the relation between maternal antisocial personality traits and child psychopathic traits, but not the relation between maternal and child psychopathic traits. In addition, positive parenting interacted statistically with maternal psychopathic traits, such that maternal and child psychopathic traits were related only when positive parenting practices were lacking. Conclusion. These findings support the consideration of parenting as a point of intervention in the prevention of childhood psychopathic traits.


In the context of a first Working Paper the authors argued that electricity has a number of characteristics that set it apart from other commodities. It was demonstrated that some of these characteristics might complicate the deregulation process. This paper analyses the ongoing deregulation process in the European electricity sector and attempts to establish whether these difficulties can more readily be solved at European level. It would appear that some problems, e.g. economies of scale in electricity generation, have less of an impact at European level than within smaller national markets. However, a number of difficulties have to be overcome before a unified European electricity market can become a reality. These include the limited interconnection capacities between Member States. The European Commission has taken steps to improve the situation, for example by offering financial support for investments and promoting the development of regional markets as an interim measure ultimately leading to a fully integrated market. Apart from the difficulties related to electricity generation and transmission there are also exogenous factors that influence the ongoing deregulation process, e.g. the implementation of the Kyoto protocol and the dramatic increases in primary fuel prices. This paper argues that a consistent, stable and uniform European regulatory framework must be put in place if the impact of these difficulties is to be minimised.


OBJECTIVES
Identify costs and operative times for tympanoplasty, and evaluate factors influencing cost and time variation.

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING
Multihospital network.

PATIENTS
Patients undergoing tympanoplasty from 2008 to 2016. Subjects with additional procedures were excluded.

INTERVENTIONS
A multihospital network's standardized activity-based accounting system was used to determine costs and operative times of tympanoplasty.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Correlation between variable factors and cost was calculated by Spearman correlation coefficients. Statistical comparisons of cost and time were made between surgeons and hospitals using an ANOVA test (Kruskal-Wallis) followed by Dunn's test to correct for multiple comparisons. All providers or hospitals with single cases were excluded for statistical comparison.

RESULTS
The study cohort included 487 tympanoplasties performed by 44 surgeons at 13 hospitals. Mean patient age was 18.2 ± 17.4 years. Mean cut-to-close time was 85.8 ± 56.7 minutes. Mean total encounter cost was $3491 ± $1,627. Substantial factors associated with total encounter cost were anesthesia cost (r = 0.8782; 95% CI 0.852-0.900, p < 0.001) and cut-to-close time (r = 0.7543; 95% CI 0.707-0.7949, p < 0.001). The total itemized supply cost was less correlated with total encounter cost (r = 0.3176; 95% CI 0.2128-0.4151, p < 0.001). Laser utilization (mean cost $541 ± $343) and artificial graft material (mean cost $199 ± $94) were the major supply costs.

CONCLUSION
Significant variation in tympanoplasty costs exists among different surgeons and hospitals within a multihospital network. Reducing variation in costs while maintaining outcomes may improve healthcare value and eliminate waste.


In arriving at its decision, the New South Wales Court of Appeal applied reasoning in the High Court decision of Modbury Triangle Shopping Centre Pty Ltd v Anzil (2000) 205 CLR254 which held that the unpredictability of criminal behaviour is one of the reasons why, as a general rule, and in the absence of some special relationship, the law does not impose a duty to prevent harm to another from the criminal conduct of a third party, even if the risk of such harm is foreseeable. In the case at hand, it was determined that there was no special relationship between the local council and the motorcyclist so as to take the case outside the principles referred to in Modbury Triangle.


We carried out a simulation of heavy ion collision using a time-dependent density functional theory. We call it the canonical-basis time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory (Cb-TDHFB) which can describe nuclear dynamics in three-dimensional coordinate space, treating nuclear pairing correlation. We simulate 20O+20O collision using the Cb-TDHFB with a contact-type pairing functional, and show the behavior of gap energy which is decreasing and vibrating while colliding.


Hybridity has been one of the most recurrent themes of the African fiction during and after the colonial period. It is one of the complex issues of postcolonial Africa as it was difficult for many Négritude writers, such as Léopold Sédar Senghor, Aimé Césaire, and Frantz Fanon, to find a common ground on what colonization bequeathed to Africa. Hence, Senghor (1977) came up with the oxymoron of "colonization as a necessary evil". However, to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of colonization to Africans, in terms of impact, one should go further than expected to approve or dismantle Senghor's position. The issues of cultural hybridity and identity crisis are still topical in African literature. Also, in the context of globalization, it is relevant to study the post-independence situation of African societies as represented by their early prominent and visionary writers such as Chinua Achebe from Nigeria and Cheikh Hamidou Kane from Senegal. Therefore, hybridity becomes a concern, through which writers address the dilemma of the African. They portray the intellectual who is entrapped in two different cultures and becomes alienated. The corpus of this article showcases this phenomenon through the characters of Obi Okonkwo in No Longer at Ease (1960) and Samba Diallo in Ambiguous Adventure (1962). Through a critical analysis and a post-colonial perspective, the article focuses on identity crisis, alongside the contentious debate over cultural diversity versus cultural difference, which is highly reflected in the novels investigated in the paper.


Mediation practice is expanding into many fields of the law, but in complex disputes, mediation remains relatively uncommon. It seems that people prefer more traditional methods of resolving disputes in complex cases where multiple parties are involved and economic, political and financial interests are at stake. This mindset is somewhat contradictory to what theory says, and practice confirms, about the benefits of mediation. This essay argues that a lack of awareness of successful approaches, along with a limiting view on the tasks and responsibilities of mediators, may be important reasons why complex cases often fail to go to mediation. Mediation in complex cases requires specific techniques, systematic approaches and, very importantly, highly skilled mediators. This piece presents an example of an approach that has led to effective solutions in complicated mediations around the world. Mediation practice could increase significantly if such successful approaches were more widely available and understood.This paper begins with a discussion of the benefits, as well as the challenges, of mediating complex cases, including illustrations of some of the kinds of cases where mediation has been successful. Next, in order to get a better sense of why complex cases go to litigation, it outlines the decision-making process for selecting either mediation or litigation. This is followed by a discussion of the consensus building approach and how following this step-by-step approach can lead to successful outcomes through mediation. Finally, it looks at how broadening the scope of traditional mediator tasks can lead to a more constructive mediation process, a higher success rate, and more sustainable solutions.


This paper describes an overview of recent advances in propagation modeling with some focus on contributions in characterizing challenging communications environments in urban and costal communications scenarios. MIMO capacity is estimated for typical communication scenarios, and impact of mutual coupling and wall type effects on the estimated MIMO capacities are quantified for various numbers of antenna array elements.


Cursory histories of United States money and banking usually link the origins of the Federal Reserve System to the panic of 1907, to the Aldrich-Vreeland Act of 1908, and to the monumental work of the National Monetary Commission established by that act. It is probably more revealing to interpret the original Federal Reserve System as a key stage in a process of monetary and banking experimentation that dates back to the beginnings of the nation.


Background is given on the development and characteristics of electric vehicles (EV's) 100,000 of which are predicted to be produced annually by 1980. The Kemper Group is one EV insurer; since 1975, the company has issued EV policies which provide all essential coverages except for electrical breakdown. Certain hazards unique to EV's which pose insurance risks are listed: lack of power steering/brakes which might contribute to accident frequency; quiet running which may contribute to more pedestrian accidents; battery theft; electric shock; hydrogen gas buildup during rapid battery charging (an explosion hazard); accumulation of dangerous levels of gas if charging in a small, enclosed space; run-away vehicles when power cannot be cut off; susceptibility of motor to water damage; and more costly repair work. The biggest question in EV insurability is the absence of a reliable high-volume manufacturer producing vehicles in statistically significant quantity. Kemper's experience with EV claims is described. Special underwriting requirements used by Kemper in insuring an electric car are outlined: vehicle emergency cutoff switch; charger and regenerative braking system equipped with automatic tapering and cutoff control; venting of battery pack encasement; and battery discharge indicator.


This paper discusses challenges and opportunities in engineering education, in particular in the area of control and automation, that have been made possible through advanced IT systems and Internet. The paper reviews different types of didactic plants that evolved hands-on and simulated labs, both local as remotely accessed, to mixed reality and virtual world labs, where student avatars are used to increase the sense of reality and promote collaboration. As experience shows that alone the use of such didactic plants is not enough to ensure success in the learning process and that their integration into e-learning environments is important, the main characteristics of Computer Supported Collaborative Environments (CSCE) are discussed and some relevant initiatives in this area are reviewed. The paper also describes an e-learning system developed by the authors, which has been successfully applied to several automation engineering courses in Brazil.


This paper describes the implementation of an artificial intelligence (AI) technique known as Genetic Algorithm (GA), used to solve randomly generated mazes that are of varying sizes and complexity. To evaluate the effectiveness of the GA, several non-AI techniques are implemented such as Depth-First Search (DFS), Breadth-First Search (BFS), A-Star Algorithm (A*), Dijkstra Algorithm (DA), and Greedy Best-First Search (GBFS). Genetic algorithm is a method for solving both constrained and unconstrained problems based on a natural selection process that mimics biological evolution. The non-AI algorithms make use of graph concepts together with underlying data structures to solve randomly generated mazes. This paper also shows the results obtained from five different experiments after implementing the complete system and executing each of the non-AI algorithms as well as the GA. The strongest results after executing each algorithm, that is, the number of steps and the time taken to solve the maze were recorded and graphs were plotted to compare the performance of the GA compared to the non-AI algorithms. The GA always found the shortest path but becomes slower than the non-AI algorithms for dimensions greater than 10x 10.


: Nanoporous gold films (NPGFs) chemically thermally specific area and salient surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. to these NPGFs are quite applicable for high-sensitivity SPR sensors. In this study, the SPR effect of NPGFs was theoretically analyzed and the dispersion relation was obtained for propagating surface plasmons at the NPGF/air interface. The optimal thickness of NPGF required for optimizing its SPR sensing performance was determined to be ~60 nm. Large-area, uniform and ultrathin NPGFs were prepared by a two-step approach involving sputtering deposition and chemical dealloying. The SPR resonance band in the visible-near-infrared region and the sensing properties of NPGFs were measured with the Kretschmann prism-coupling configuration. Porosity of the NPGF was determined to be ~0.38 by fitting the resonance wavelengths based on a combination of the Fresnel formula and the Bruggeman dielectric constant approximation theory. Since the non-modified NPGFs are hydrophilic and enable effective enrichment of bisphenol A (BPA) in water, the NPGF-SPR sensor can easily detect BPA at concentrations as low as 5 nmol ∙ L -1 . After hydrophobilization of NPGFs, the sensor enables detection of trace amounts of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in water, with the detection limit being 1 nmol ∙ L -1 .


Fact" is the source of news, and "narrative" is the main method of reporting news and transmitting messages. At present, the study of news narratology doesn't exist in the field of subjects. This paper aims to establish the framework of it from the aspects of study objects, subject basis, method exploration, and the range of study (the principles and approaches of narrative, the narrator), etc.


The author of the article analyzes "linguocultural type" phenomenon which represents a basic concept for the linguocultural type theory. It gives a new perspective in studying a linguistic personality.


17 Many broadly-dispersing corals acquire their algal symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) from their 18 environment upon recruitment. This horizontal transmission strategy has the potential to promote 19 coral fitness across diverse environments provided that corals can associate with diverse algae 20 across their range and that these symbionts exhibit reduced dispersal potential. Here we quantified 21 genetic structure of algal symbionts in symbiosis with two hosts (Acropora hyacinthus, Acropora 22 digitifera) across two spatial scales (across islands, within islands) in Micronesia using 23 microsatellites. We contrast these symbiont genetic structures to previously published coral host 24 structures across the same spatial gradient. We find that both hosts associated with two genetically 25 distinct Cladocopium lineages (C3, C40), confirming that Acropora coral hosts associate with 26 diverse algae across this range. In addition, each Cladocopium lineage exhibited signatures of 27 moderate host specialization. Across locations, algal populations were significantly more 28 genetically structured compared to their hosts: they demonstrated higher FST among islands and 29 often exhibited significant divergence among reefs on the same island, which was never observed 30 in coral hosts. While Cladocopium C3, like their hosts, broadly followed an isolation-by-distance 31 pattern across islands, there was one notable case of no genetic structure across more than 2,000 32 km (between Yap and Pohnpei), demonstrating that Cladocopium genetic structure can be more 33 complex than their hosts. Overall, our results support the view that horizontal transmission – 34 establishing novel symbioses with local symbionts has the potential to facilitate local fitness for 35 broadly dispersing coral species, and highlight the complexity of factors affecting the population 36 biology of Cladocopium. 37 38


The HiRes(High Resolution Fly's Eye) experiment is introduced briefly.A new method to reconstruct the arrival direction of cosmic rays observed in HiRes has been developed.The idea of this method is that we firstly determine the plane of HiRes2,then,utilize the timing information of HiRes2 and the center vector of HiRes1 to determine the shower detector plane of HiRes1.Employing the new method,the angular resolution of cosmic rays shower can reach 0.43 degree.For events above 1018.4eV,the angular resolution is better than 0.4 degree.


To ensure the requested high reliability and safety of springs, a large number of static and fatigue tests on components besides a detailed material characterisation was carried out. In the paper, results of fatigue tests of the full-scale components are described, analysed and compared with the results obtained on small labora-tory specimens with particular emphasis on the material microstructure and presence of defects. Fatigue properties of glass reinforced polymer (GRP) composite materials and advanced components manufactured using GRP are dis-cussed with an emphasis on scale and microstructure effects. Results of an experimental investigation of fatigue damage mechanisms under bending and shear cyclic loading and effects of microstructural defects resulting from an insufficient resin wet out are presented and analysed. It was shown that if microstructural defects are present in the component, initiation of fatigue damage is localised into these areas, resulting in sudden, premature failure. Fatigue life can be then reduced by more than three orders in comparison with the perfect material. The presence of defects is affected particularly by properties of the constituents and moulding parameters. Suitable changes of the process parameters resulted in a significant improvement of fatigue resistance.


William W. Kaufmann died on December 14, 2008, in his sleep, at the age of 90. During the cold war, he was a key figure among the "defense intellectuals"—less famous but more influential than most—who moved freely from think tanks to the Pentagon to academia and back again, crafting the theories of nuclear deterrence and translating them to policy. Yet by the '80s, in the final, rococo phase of the standoff, he'd come to reject much of his old thinking and emerged, quite publicly, as one of the defense establishment's most accredited critics.