In this presentation, I report on the self-organized photonic crystals (PCs) of organic and polymer materials for laser applications. Here the self-organized PCs correspond to chiral liquid crystals (CLCs) and colloidal crystals (CCs). First, CLC molecules self-organize the supramolecular helical arrangement by the helical twisting power like as 1-D PC structure. When the fluorescent dye-doped CLC is optically excited with a linearly polarized beam, the laser emission appears at the photonic band gap (PBG) edge(s) of CLC hosts. The optically excited laser emission shows circularly polarized characteristic, even though the excitation beam is linearly polarized. Applying voltages to the optically excited CLC cells enables reversible switching of the laser action as a result of changes in the supramolecular helical structure of CLC host. Moreover, we succeed in the phototunable laser emission by using photoreactive CLCs. Second research topic is establishment of new potential utilities of CC structures of polymer micro-particles. Monodispersed micro-particles have an intrinsic capability to self-assemble the face-centered cubic lattice structures like as 3-D PCs on substrates from the suspension solutions. The highly ordered architectures of colloidal particles are called as the CCs. The laser cavity structure consists of an intermediate light-emitting layer of a fluorescent dye sandwiched between a pair of polymeric CC films. Optical excitation of the device gives rise to the laser oscillation within the photonic band-gap of the CC films. Interestingly, the laser action can be generated by optical excitation even though the CC laser device of all-polymer materials becomes bent shape by mechanical stress.


HPLC method was developed for resolution of racemic clopidogrel into its chirally pure enantiomer of interest. Screening experiments were performed using amycoat and cellucoat analytical chiral stationary phases in organic solvent based polar and nonpolar eluents in various combinations. Based on the screening outcomes, the compound loading studies were carried out using amycoat higher μ particle sized chiral stationary column by keeping in mind the scale up studies to avoid high back pressure that can limit the efficiency of separation.


To explore the role of media consumption as it relates to impressions of one's nation, data were collected using a nationally generalizable sample of 979 American citizens over 6 different collection points before, during, and after the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Results showed a relationship between 4 nationalized qualities (patriotism, nationalism, smugness, and internationalism) and amount of World Cup media consumption. However, these reported qualities fluctuated very little over time, indicating that nationalized qualities are very hard-wired for most individuals, likely serving more as predictors of sports media consumption than effects of it. Relationships were also found between nationalized qualities and levels of fan identification toward the U.S. Men's National Team. Conclusions related to applications to social identity theory and several other potential influences are articulated.


The effects of arylamine spider toxins on synaptic transmission in rat hippocampal slices were investigated. Two different responses were monitored: the AMPA receptor‐mediated population spike recorded in control buffer (selectively antagonized by DNQX) and the NMDA receptor‐mediated EPSP recorded in nominally magnesium‐free buffer containing 20 μM DNQX (selectively antagonized by AP5, AP7, and dizocilpine (MK‐801)). The synthetic arylamine spider toxins JSTX‐3, argiotoxin‐636, and argiotoxin‐659 were 26 to 73 times more potent at antagonizing the NMDA receptor‐mediated EPSP (IC50 values ranging from 12 to 24 μM) than the AMPA receptor‐mediated population spike (IC50 values ranging from 612 to 878 μM). These results indicate that arylamine spider toxins are selective antagonists of NMDA receptors in the mammalian CNS.


The object oriented development method is discussed incombination with the actual situations in the financial management system. To begin with, the model establishment is analysed. The objects and their connections and relation structures are analysed via the abstraction of problem spaces on the basis of which the object oriented design is conducted. Also, the application procdures are offered in this paper.


A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a limit in mean square at the boundary is established for a polyharmonic function in a ball. Bibliography: 15 titles.


Purpose Despite modern retail formats, for many cultures, informal markets (street markets, farmers` markets or wet markets in Asia), fleas, and bazaars still remain an important part of life. The aim of this article is to provide further insight into the characteristics of informal retailers, and to explain their growth and longevity in markets. Design/methodology/approach In order to explore what attracts customers to informal retail markets a survey conducted on the sample of Croatian consumers was carried out. Findings The results show that consumers point out fresh, affordable, and healthy products, and relationships with vendors as the main advantages, while weather conditions, unattractive food and crowds are the disadvantages and barriers of purchasing at informal markets. Practical implications The results presented give directions for various subjects how to increase the popularity of informal markets. Originality/value This paper addresses consumers` perception of informal markets in the contex...


This proposal exploits the main aspects of design and analysis of experiments. The goal is to find an early vulnerability estimation, which allows that operators make decisions before a collapse occurs. The method is based on variables that can be measured on-line using PMU technologies, specifically bus voltages. Voltage Collapse Proximity Index (VCPI) is one of the most popular indices. Vulnerability indicator, defined by a relation between bus voltages and admittance values is calculated using historical and simulated data. A multi-variable statistical model is built, which is validated and tested to assess its robustness. The proposed method is tested on the IEEE 14-bus test system. Results show effective performance for power system vulnerability estimation.


We exploit the Fedosov-Weinstein-Xu (FWX) resolution proposed in q-alg/9709043 to establish an isomorphism between the ring of Hochschild cohomology of the quantum algebra of functions on a symplectic manifold M and the ring H(M, C((h))) of De Rham cohomology of M with the coefficient field C((h)) without making use of any version of the formality theorem. We also show that the Gerstenhaber bracket induced on H(M,C((h))) via the isomorphism is vanishing. We discuss equivariant properties of the isomorphism and propose an analogue of this statement in an algebraic geometric setting.


AbstractIn April 1995 a conference is to meet in New York to decide for how long the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is to be prolonged; it came into force in 1970. Here the provisions of the treaty are reviewed critically and in detail, and it is concluded that an indefinite and unconditional extension, as may be supported by the nuclear weapons countries and some industrialised parties, is by no means desirable. Automatic renewal after fixed periods of 5 or 10 years is preferable.


ABSTRACT The census documents from Roman Egypt form the best documentary source of demographic information for the Roman Empire. Earlier collections (Bagnall and Frier 2006; Bagnall, Frier, and Rutherford 1997) have shown that some individuals and households appear more than once within this body of evidence. This article demonstrates how semi-automated record linkage provides an efficient and systematic way of producing linkages between early historical documentary sources that are fragmentary. The process yielded more linkages with generally high probability values than previously employed linkage-by-hand methods. As the added examples show, semi-automated record linkage also proved to be a useful method to fill gaps in papyri by transferring information from one record to the other. As such, it provides new opportunities for papyrologists and epigraphers working with fragmented materials pertaining to the ancient Greco-Roman world.


Two year experiments were carried out in open field, to study the effect of complete replacement of mineral nitrogen fertilization by organic nitrogen source (chicken manure), combined with using garlic extract as seed soaking and/or spraying seedling by ethrel, on the vegetative growth parameters, earliness, sex ratio, number of fruit/plant, total production and fruit quality, of four squash cultivars: 'Eskandrany' and the hybrids 'Services plus', 'Rivera' and 'Mabroka'. The experi-ments occurred during summer growing seasons (June-August) in newly reclaimed sandy soil, aiming to overcome the negative impact of long day, high temperature and low availability of nitrogen in the soil and the productivity of the cultivars under the above environmental conditions, gathering with complete organic fertilization. Sixteen treatments resulted from the combination of seeds soaking in garlic extract and/or spraying seedling by ethrel and non treated (control), on the four squash cultivars. Results strongly showed that, complete replacement of mineral nitrogen fertilization by chicken manure combined with control treatment were associated with early flowering and lower fruit production. Whereas, soaking squash seeds in garlic extract and/or spraying squash seedling with ethrel, stimulate plant growth, increased female flowers ratio, fruit production and quality. In conclusion the best results were obtained when squash seeds were soaked in garlic extract before sowing and then the seedlings sprayed at 1-2 true leaves stage with ethrel.


The purpose of the study was to compare perception and intelligent quotient between with and without hearing impairment school children. To achieve the purpose of the study ten children each with hearing impairment were selected from the Florence Swainson Higher Secondary Deaf School, Palayamkottai and without hearing impairment children were selected from Manthramoorthi Govt. Higher Secondary School, Tirunelveli. The subjects were randomly selected. The age of the subjects ranged from 10-14 years. The following variables were selected for the present study such as perception and intelligent quotient and they were tested with standardized tests. The experimental design for this study was static group comparison design. The data collected from the two groups on selected variables such as perception and intelligent quotient were statistically examined for significant differences, the independent 't' test. In all cases 0.05 levels was fixed as significant level to test the hypothesis. There was significant difference on perception between with and without hearing children and there was no significant difference on intelligent quotient between with and without hearing children.


19 Major deep-convection activity in the northwestern Mediterranean during winter 20 2005 triggered the formation of a complex anomalous deep-water structure that substan- 21 tially modified the properties of the Western Mediterranean deep layers. Since then, evo- 22 lution of this thermohaline structure, the so-called Western Mediterranean Transition 23 (WMT), has been traced through a regularly-sampled hydrographic deep station located 24 on the outer continental slope of Minorca Island. A rapid erosion of the WMT's near- 25 bottom thermohaline signal was observed during 2005-2007. The plausible interpreta- 26 tion of this as local bottom-intensified mixing motivates this study. Here, the evolution 27 of the WMT structure through 2005-2007 is reproduced by means of a 1-D diffusion model 28 including double-diffusive mixing that allows vertical variation of the background mix- 29 ing coefficient and includes a source term to represent the lateral advection of deep-water 30 injections from the convection area. Using an optimization algorithm, a best guess for 31 the depth-dependent background mixing coefficient is obtained for the study period. WMT 32 evolution during its initial stages is satisfactorily reproduced using this simple concep- 33 tual model, indicating that strong depth-intensified mixing ( K ∞ ( z ) ≈ 22 × 10 − 4 m 2 s − 1 ; 34 z (cid:39) 1400 dbar) is a valid explanation for the observations. Extensive hydrographic and 35 current observations gathered over the continental slope of Minorca during winter 2018, 36 the first deep-convective winter intensively sampled in the region, provide evidence of 37 topographically-localized enhanced mixing concurrent with newly-formed dense waters 38 flowing along-slope toward the Algerian sub-basin. This transport-related boundary mix- 39 ing mechanism is suggested to be a plausible source of the water-mass transformations 40 observed during the initial stages of the WMT off Minorca. 41


This paper presents a simple, novel interfacing scheme for linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) that does not require a precise sine wave oscillator (with stable amplitude and frequency) for excitation or any phase matching circuit like traditional methods. The primary and the secondary coils of the LVDT are integral parts of a relaxation oscillator (RO). The RO injects a current waveform with a triangular shape through the primary coil which in turn induces a square-shaped voltage waveform in the secondary coils. The RO utilizes the amplitudes of those waveforms and generates a pulsewidth modulation (PWM) output signal whose duty cycle ratio is proportional to the measurand, core position. This quasi-digital PWM signal is passed through a low-pass filter to obtain an analog output. PWM time period measurement using a counter yields a digital output. This method guarantees good stability since the output is dependent only on a pair of dc reference voltages apart from the transformation constant of the sensor. A detailed analysis of the sources of error, their effect on the performance of the scheme and appropriate design choices for error mitigation are also presented. A prototype of the proposed circuit was built and tested in the laboratory. The nonlinearity error noted from the tests conducted was less than 0.16% for the analog output and 0.18% for the digital output. A resolution of up to 11 bits was achieved for the digital output.


Due to the intense demographic aging, which represents one of main features of the population development of Serbia, the study of the old population is gaining more and more importance in demographic science. This paper aims to assess the basic demographic characteristics and changes in the age structure of the old Serbian population in the last two decades, which indicates the internal aging process of the population older than 65 years. This paper specially analyses the dynamics of the elderly contingent (those aged 80 and over). Also, the spatial dimensions of the aging processes of the old on the level of individual regions in Serbia have been explored. The spatial differences of reached demographic ageing of the old population by the municipalities have been shown as well.


Cloud computing environments may offer different levels of abstraction to its users. Federated identity management, though, does not leverage these abstractions; each user must set up her identity management solution. This situation is further aggravated by the fact that no identity federation solution is able to integrate all abstraction layers (i.e. IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS). On this paper we describe a new architecture offering integral federated identity management, to support multi-domain clients in a multi-provider environment. We also present some implementation details. The proposed architecture offers significant advantages over current offerings: it eases identity management without losing flexibility, offers better user tracking through the whole cloud computing layers, and enables the implementation of multi-provider environments through account data replication.


From an EtOH/H2O solution, 0.3 M each of Ni(2+) and cyclic triamine tacn (2; tacn = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane), after 10 min refluxing and cooling at room temperature, copious and comparable amounts of blue crystals (containing the complex [Ni(tacn)(H2O)3](2+)) and pink crystals (containing in the same cell both [Ni(H2O)6](2+) and [Ni(tacn)2](2+)) precipitated. This unusual behaviour is ascribed to the fact that at the refluxing temperature the three species are present at the equilibrium in similar concentrations, which are frozen on cooling, due to the inertness of the macrocyclic complexes [Ni(tacn)(H2O)3](2+) and [Ni(tacn)2](2+).


Experience gained through operation of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is now sufficiently extensive that this experience can be utilized in designing the next generation of liquid metal fast reactors. Experience with FFTF core and plant components is cited which can result in design improvements to achieve inherently safe, economic reactor plants. Of particular interest is the mixed oxide fuel system which has demonstrated large design margins. Other plant components have also demonstrated high reliability and offer capital cost reduction opportunities through design simplifications. The FFTF continues to be a valuable US resource which affords prototypic development and demonstration, contributing to public acceptability of future plants.


In this chapter we outline, in a historical institutionalist perspective, the main structural features of the Spanish economy, the welfare regime and the industrial relations system as the principal interlinked institutional setting in which to analyse the current strategic dilemmas of the trade unions. The origin of the deep and long economic downturn from 2008 to 2015 lies in the economic growth model established during the latecomer industrialisation in the second period of the Franco dictatorship (1959–1975) within the framework of an authoritarian development regime. The sectoral profile and structural weaknesses of this model still shape the Spanish economy and limit its recovery and growth expectations. Among other factors that we will present, these basic conditions of the Spanish model influence to a large extent the current situation and available strategies of the trade unions.


Medical professionalism is a multifaceted concept that includes maintenance of knowledge, interpersonal skills, teamwork, privacy and honesty. While non‐technical skills are often under‐emphasized in the medical student learning environment these skills are directly associated with providing professional medical care. There is an increasing trend however, for basic science courses such as Anatomy to introduce medical students early onto the concept of professionalism and highlight the importance of non‐technical skill development to patient care. To reinforce these competencies as well as develop an authentic curriculum for non‐technical skill development, anatomists and internists at Mayo Clinic, College of Medicine aligned objectives within medical school and residency programs. Strategies were designed to evaluate (1) teamwork, (2) communication and (3) self‐reflection. The aim of this presentation is to demonstrate how each of these core competencies can be promoted in both residency and medical student curricula and how trainee and student progress may be measured by educational approaches within their learning environments. Strategies include the use of a team charter, self‐reflection/reflective diaries and communication exercises that target patients and the multidisciplinary health care team. Through educational design (1) trainee and student's ability to acknowledge self‐limitation and develop critical thinking skills appeared to evolve and (2) trainee and student appreciation of the importance of communication skills when interacting with different groups as well as ability to translate medical/anatomical terminology to lay language were evident. In addition, the use of reflection and team charters promoted understanding team dynamics and facilitation of effective teamwork. The current multi‐disciplinary health care environment places strong emphasis on team‐work, confidentiality of protected health information and the role of communication in preventing medical errors and improving patient outcome. Anatomy courses designed on team‐based approaches with use of body donors provide a useful simulated learning environment. Medical students may be assessed through a variety of activities targeting team‐work, communication skills and clinical reasoning at different levels. Use of reflective exercises assessing team interaction, evolution of critical thinking skills and course challenges have found an important place in the evolving anatomy curriculum. Early exposure to these critical skills helps prepare for clinical rotations where milestones for these skills will need to be reached. This presentation will demonstrate the translational approach in synergizing non‐technical skill development between anatomy and residency curricula.


The prosperity of a country, commonly measured in terms of its annual per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has different relationships with population levels of body weight and happiness, as well as environmental impacts such as carbon emissions. The aim of this study was to examine these relationships and to try to find a level of GDP, which provides for sustainable economic activity, optimal happiness and healthy levels of mean body mass index (BMI). Spline regression analyses were conducted using national indices from 175 countries: GDP, adult BMI, mean happiness scores, and carbon footprint per capita for the year 2007. Results showed that GDP was positively related to BMI and happiness up to $US3000 and $5000 per capita respectively, with no significant relationships beyond these levels. GDP was also positively related to CO2 emissions with a recognised sustainable carbon footprint of less than 5 tonnes per capita occurring at a GDP of <$US15,000. These findings show that a GDP between $US5 and $15,000 is associated with greater population happiness and environmental stability. A mean BMI of 21–23 kg/m, which minimises the prevalence of underweight and overweight in the population then helps to define an ideal position in relation to growth, which few countries appear to have obtained. Within a group of wealthy countries (GDP > $US30,000), those with lower income inequalities and more regulated (less liberal) market systems had lower mean BMIs. 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 2 99777753. E-mail addresses: email@example.com (G. Egger), email@example.com (B. Swinburn), firstname.lastname@example.com . Amirul Islam). 1 'Drivers' are the key linear forces behind disease causality. They range from proximal (i.e. more immediate to the disease), to distal. Obesity, for example, has proximal drivers of energy over-consumption, medial drivers of obesogenic food environments and distal drivers of economic policies. 'Mediators' are influences on the causal pathway (e.g. agricultural subsidies for fat/sugar, lower cost for manufacturing, lower retail prices, increased consumption of high fat/sugar foods); 'moderators' accentuate or attenuate factors on the causal pathway (e.g. the built environment or cultural impacts on health behaviours), and 'enablers' are conditions allowing causal factors to be exhibited (e.g. sufficient disposable income to permit over-consumption of food).


Antiradiation drugs "500" and "208" were applied in a case of severe acute hemopoietic radiation sickness together with fetal liver cell transplantation, leucocyte transfusions, antibiotics and other symptomatic treatments. The findings in this case were compared with the results of animal therapentic experiments using the same drugs and the previous observations on accidentally irradiated persons in our country. It seems likely that "500" and "208" played an important role in the treatment of present case and thus could be recommended to be applied in the similar cases once occur in the future.


This study is aimed at measuring the effectiveness of the 2013 Curriculum implementation assistance training program for school principals and History teachers conducted by the education office in Pekanbaru City. The study was conducted using the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, and Product) evaluation model introduced by Stufflebeam (2003). The data were collected through interviews, documentation, and observation. The subject of the study was the Pekanbaru city education office. The results show that the evaluation of the 2013 Curriculum implementation assistance training program resulted in a background, goals, objectives, expected results, and legal basis; the Input Evaluation resulted in criteria for training participants, training preparation programs, companion criteria, training organizers, training facilities, mentoring strategies, mentoring patterns, mentoring training mechanisms, training manuals, training implementation schedules, and training funding; The process evaluation resulted in the implementation of mentoring preparation, program structure readiness, teaching material readiness, preparedness of assistant staff, readiness of organizers, and readiness of training facilities which became the foundation of the committee to carry out the training. Furthermore, the assistants carry out the learning process; Product evaluations produce training graduates' competency standards, the level of success of training participants, and the impact of training graduates. From the evaluation results, the context obtained a value of 4.96 in the Very Good category. While the process evaluation obtained an average of 2.6 Poor categories and product evaluations obtained a score of 2.80 Poor category. Overall, the evaluation component of the K13 mentoring training program for history subjects at the Pekanbaru City High School scores 3.7 in the Good category. This means that the implementation of the K13 mentoring training program for history subjects at the Pekanbaru City High School is at a good level.


ABSTRACT In this study, I revisit the linguistic properties of wan 'finish/complete' in Chinese and provide a syntactic account. I demonstrate that wan is undergoing a process of grammaticalization from being a lexical item to a functional one. I also argue that because of this process, wan is found in different places in syntax. As a main predicate, it is projected in the head of the VP; in contrast, while functioning as a telic morpheme, it is in the head of the Inner Aspect Phrase between the vP and VP. This study sheds light on the Chinese aspectual system and suggests that Chinese uses at least two different mechanisms to mark telicity: resultative complements and overt telic morphemes.


This study used data collected during six hydrographic cruises in the western half of the Cap Bon – Mazara del Vallo section during 2003. The analyses of transects reveals the presence of Western Intermediate Water (WIW) in April and Ionian Water (IW) in March-April on the Tunisian side of the channel in a transitional layer between Atlantic Water (AW) and Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW). The conclusions on seasonal and mesoscale variability are confirmed by a high resolution numerical simulation.


CONTENTS Chapter 1. Migration, Transnationalism, Diaspora, and Research on Israelis in the United States Chapter 2. Migration and Settlement in the United States Chapter 3. Socioeconomic Acculturation and Mobility Chapter 4. Jewish Identification and Attachment to Homeland Chapter 5. Discussion: The Multifaceted Israeli Diaspora


The deep ocean, often called the abyss, covers 66% of the planet. Schematically, it is the marine zone where there is not enough light to allow plants to grow. In fact, the lightened part of the ocean is shallow and does not exceed a few hundred meters; the rest of the ocean can reach much greater depths (11 km in the Mariana Trench) and is in complete darkness except for slight glows of bioluminescence. In the absence of local organic production, the organisms living at depth subsist due to organic matter produced in surface waters. This organic matter, in the form of decomposed matter, feces and molts, is clumped together by secretions from gelatinous organisms, sediments at depth and is degraded under the action of heterotrophic microbial communities, or is being recycled by pelagic organisms. Stratification of the water column, depth, surface production and seasonal variations as well as distance from continental shelves directly affect the flow of organic matter that reaches deep sediments.


Introduction Approximately 55% of women in Europe die from cardiovascular events, mostly as a result of coronary diseases and cerebral stroke. There is a 10-year shift in the cardiovascular risk between women and men. The risk in a 55-year-old female patient is similar to that of a 45-year-old man, thus the risk among women increases rapidly around the age of 50, when menopause prevails to occur. The purpose of the study was to assess and compare the SCORE-predicted risk of a fatal cardiovascular incident in pre- and postmenopausal women. Material and methods The cross-sectional study was conducted as part of community nursing practice. It covered 219 women – inhabitants of Krakow, aged from 30 to 65, without clinically validated cardiovascular diseases of arteriosclerotic and/or diabetic origin, who volunteered to take part in the study. The group was divided into three subgroups: K1 – menstruating women (n = 113), K2a – women after natural menopause (n = 88), and K2b – women after surgical menopause (n = 18). The study made use of a lifestyle questionnaire, which concerned the social and economic status, and lifestyle habits including tobacco smoking. Arterial blood pressure was measured, and total cholesterol concentration in blood (mmol/l) was recorded. Results A high (≥ 5%) level of the SCORE risk was discovered in 14.3% of postmenopausal women, as compared to 0.9% in the group of menstruating women. An average risk of a fatal cardiovascular incident during the following 10 years was significantly higher among women from groups K2a (2.61%) and K2b (2.32%) as compared to K1 – menstruating women (0.38%). No difference was, however, discovered between groups of naturally (K2a) and surgically menopausal women (K2b). Conclusions A significantly higher risk of SCORE-predicted death caused by a cardiovascular incident, as compared to the group of women in the premenopausal period, is characteristic of women in the postmenopausal period.


The invention provides an application of an automatic inflation/deflation device in an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) endoscopic scanning imaging system. The automatic inflation/deflation device comprises a control and display module, an air pump, an inflation/deflation solenoid valve, a pressure sensor, an anti-explosion pressure sensor and a mechanical pressure switch. According to the application of the automatic inflation/deflation device in the OCT endoscopic scanning imaging system, the automatic inflation/deflation device is used in the OCT endoscopic scanning imaging system, so operations of doctors of manually inflating/deflating balloons can be replaced, inflating/deflating time of doctors is shortened, safety is improved and the risk of explosion of the balloons caused by over-inflation is avoided.


The campus broadcasting system is the important basic hardware infras- tructure added to supplement audio-visual aided teaching methods and improve teaching management.By using MP3 as core means of playing IC and installing wireless telecontrol systems,timer and wireless microphone,the long-range au- tomation control and real-time broadcasting can be realized.


Failure of retaining walls during earthquakes has occurred many times in the past. Although significant progress has been made in analysing the seismic response of rigid gravity type retaining walls, considerable difficulties still exist in the seismic-resistant design of the flexible cantilever type of retaining walls because of the complex nature of the dynamic soil–structure interaction. In this paper the seismic response of cantilever retaining walls with dry backfill is simulated using centrifuge modelling and numerical modelling. It is found that bending moments on the wall increased significantly during an earthquake. After the end of base shaking, the residual moment on the wall was significantly higher than the moment under static loading. The numerical simulation is able to model quite accurately the main characteristics of acceleration, bending moment, and displacement recorded in the centrifuge test.


This study investigated the microstructure and machining characteristics of a Zr_38.5Ti_16.5Cu_15.25Ni_9.75Be_20 bulk metallic glass (Zr-BMG) alloy machined using electro-discharge machining (EDM). After EDM, the hardening effect near the outer surface of the electro-discharge machined (EDMed) Zr-BMG alloy originated from the surface carbides of the recast layer, ZrC and TiC. The thickness of the recast layer, crater size, and the surface roughness increased with greater pulse energy. Furthermore, the EDM can generate a porous recast layer and convert the Zr-BMG alloy surface into a carbide surface, which is a potential method to fabricate biomaterials. Experimental results also show that the material removal rate of this alloy in the EDM process was significantly related to the pulse current I _P and pulse duration τ_P. Many electro-discharge craters and recast materials were observed on the surface of the EDMed Zr-BMG alloy. The surface roughness of the EDMed Zr-BMG alloy was found to obey the empirical equation of R _a = β( I _P × τ_P)^α.


When California-based oil giant Unocal entered into a joint venture with the French oil company Total and the Burmese military dictatorship in 1992, Unocal's security consulting company, Control Risks, warned that the project would give rise to human rights violations in the pipeline region: Throughout Burma the government habitually makes use of forced labour to construct roads. . . . The local community is already terrorized: it will regard outsiders apparently backed by the army with extreme suspicion. . . . [T]he potential profits will need to be unusually high to justify the high political risks involved in expanding the company's operations. . . ."


Background
 Vaccine hesitancy, defined as the delay in acceptance or refusal of safe vaccines, remains a challenge in the general population. Given that patients with hematologic malignancies frequently encounter healthcare professionals and are at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection, their attitudes towards vaccines may differ from other patient groups. We therefore performed a survey-based study to investigate vaccine hesitancy within an ethnically diverse group of patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies.
 Methods
 We administered a 122-item questionnaire from December 2020 to January 2021 (prior to commercial availability of the COVID-19 vaccines) to 60 patients with hematologic malignancies. Questions were separated into the following categories: demographic and socioeconomic data; personal impact of COVID-19 infection; COVID-19 pandemic experience; COVID-19 infection perceptions; COVID-19 vaccine perceptions; and baseline COVID-19 vaccine knowledge.
 Results
 The majority of patients were Black (n=33, 55%) or Hispanic (n=11, 18.3%) and were undergoing active treatment (n=43, 71.7%) or had received prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (n=9, 15%). Eight (13.3%) patients had prior COVID-19 infection. Sixteen (26.7%) patients reported infection in an immediate family member while 15 (25%) reported infection in a friend. 20 of these cases were moderate in severity requiring healthcare interaction, and 17 of these cases were reported to result in severe infection (n=7, 9.6%) or death (n=10, 13.7%). Only 16 (29.6%) patients perceived themselves to be at high or very high risk of COVID-19 infection. The COVID-19 pandemic was reported to moderately or severely affect employment/income in 10 (22.8%) patients and led to worse mental health in 10 (22.3%) patients. However, the majority of patients reported no negative impact on their cancer treatment (n=37, 88.1%) or prognosis (n=45, 93.8%).
 Of the 60 patients, 22 (40.7%) reported that if a COVID-19 vaccine was made publicly available in the next 30 days, they would not vaccinate themselves, either due to safety concerns (n=4, 20%) or indifference (n=6, 30%). Despite this, 43 (78.2%) patients stated that vaccination was an important tool in ending the pandemic. More patients agreed to accept the vaccine if it was made available in 6 months from the time of survey (n=40, 76.9%). Only 32 (59.3%) patients were extremely or very likely to accept a yearly vaccine. In terms of perception on cancer outcomes, 31 (62%) patients were uncertain if the vaccine would interact negatively with their current chemotherapy treatment, while 27 (52.9%) believed the vaccine would make their cancer worse. The biggest fear patients had about COVID-19 vaccines were side effects or death (n=15, 38.5%) and complications to cancer/cancer therapy (n=5, 12.8%). Only 6 (15.4%) patients stated they had no fears related to COVID-19 vaccination. In fact, only 21 (39.6%) patients agreed or strongly agreed that the side effects of most vaccines outweigh the benefits.
 In a modified (age- and sex-adjusted) Poisson regression model (Table 1) that included baseline demographics and answers to select survey questions, older age was associated with a stronger likelihood of vaccine acceptance (RR 1.73, 95% CI 1.11-2.71; p=0.016), while female gender was associated with less likelihood to accept the vaccine (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37-0.90; p=0.016). Patients reported as "other" race (e.g., Asian) were more inclined to accept the vaccine (RR. 2.21, 95% CI 1.16-4.20; p=0.016) compared to White patients. Finally, when compared to patients who receive information primarily from medical professionals, those patients who received their information from social media or friends were far less likely to accept the vaccine (RR 0.02, 95% CI 0.01-0.04; p<0.001).
 Conclusion
 This is the first study to report that although patients with hematologic malignancies experienced significant medical and social burdens from the COVID-19 pandemic and have frequent interaction with healthcare professionals, a high rate of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy still exists. We provide in depth information on the potential reasons for vaccine refusal in a diverse patient population and highlight potential areas for improvement in patient education. In particular, we show that vaccine disinformation received from friends and social media is a significant reason for vaccine refusal.

 Figure 1

 Disclosures

 Calip:
 Pfizer: Research Funding; Roche: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Flatiron Health: Current Employment. Rondelli:
 Vertex: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Patel:
 Celgene: Consultancy.


In this paper, numerical analysis has been carried out on the problem of magnetic hydro dynamic mixed convection flow of a Casson nanofluid past a nonlinear permeable stretching sheet with viscous dissipation in the presence of double stratification and heat generation or absorption. The governing partial differential equations were transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations using suitable similarity transformations. The resultant ordinary differential equations were then solved using Bvp4c mat lab solver. Effects of the physical parameters on the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles as well as the local skin friction coefficient, the heat and mass transfer rates are depicted in tabular form and discussed. The results indicate that the local Nusselt number decreases with an increase in both Brownian motion parameter (Nb) and the thermophoresis parameter (Nt). However the local Sherwood number (??) increases with an increase in the parameter Nb. But it decreases as the values of Nt increases. Besides it was found that the surface temperature of a sheet increases with an increase in the heat generation (Q>0) or absorption parameter (Q<0). Comparison of present results with previous reported results has been found in excellent agreement.


X-ray phase analysis of microstructure and microhardness of 85 alloys determined the isothermal cross section of the ternary Al-Si- Ce system (0 to 73 wt% Ce) at 400 deg C. It was found that in addition to Si and Al/sub 4/Ce a ternary compound x and solid solution of Al in CeSi/sub 2/ compound are in equilibrium with the aluminum-base solid solutions. Approximate composition of the x compound is 35 at.% Al, 45 at.% Si, and 20 at.% Ce (19wt% Al, 25 wt% Si, and 56 wt% Ce). The x-ray diffraction analysis showed that Ce(Si,Al)/sub 2/ has an alpha - ThSi/sub 2/ type structure. The maximum Al content in solid solution Ce(Si,Al)/sub 2/ is 20 to 22 wt% indicating that Al atoms replace 85 to 90% Si. (R.V.J.)


Since Hinton & Nowlan published their seminal paper (Hinton &; Nowlan 1987), the neglected evolutionary process of the Baldwin effect has been widely acknowledged. Especially in the field of language evolution, the Baldwin effect (Baldwin 1896c?, Simpson 1953) has been expected to salvage the long-lasting deadlocked situation of modern linguistics: i.e., it may shed light on the relationship between environment and innateness in the formation of language. However, as intense research of this evolutionary theory goes on, certain robust difficulties have become apparent. One example is genotype-phenotype correlation. By computer simulations, both Yamauchi (1999, 2001) and Mayley (19966) show that for the Baldwin effect to work legitimately, correlation between genotypes and phenotypes is the most essential underpinning. This is due to the fact that this type of the Baldwin effect adopts as its core mechanism Waddington's (1975) "genetic assimilation". In this mechanism, phenocopies have to be genetically closer to the innately predisposed genotype. Unfortunately this is an overly naiive assumption for the theory of language evolution. As a highly complex cognitive ability, the possibility that this type of genotype-phenotype correlation exists in the domain of linguistic ability is vanishingly small. In this thesis, we develop a new type of mechanism, called "Baldwinian Niche Construction (BNC), that has a rich explanatory power and can potentially over¬ come this bewildering problem of the Baldwin effect. BNC is based on the theory of niche construction that has been developed by Odling-Smee et al. (2003). The incorporation of the theory into the Baldwin effect was first suggested by Deacon (1997) and briefly introduced by Godfrey-Smith (2003). However, its formulation is yet incomplete. In the thesis, first, we review the studies of the Baldwin effect in both biology and the study of language evolution. Then the theory of BNC is more rigorously developed. Linguistic communication has an intrinsic property that is fundamen¬ tally described in the theory of niche construction. This naturally leads us to the theoretical necessity of BNC in language evolution. By creating a new linguistic niche, learning discloses a previously hidden genetic variance on which the Baldwin


This paper investigates no arbitrage relationships between the prices of two one-touch options with the same maturity but with different barrier levels. We find the no-arbitrage range of prices for a no-touch option, given the price of a second no-touch option and the prices of co-maturing vanilla call options. The upper and lower bounds are the cost of a super-replicating portfolio and a sub-replicating portfolio respectively. These consist of call options, put options, digital options and a one-touch option. We assume that the underlying process is a continuous martingale but do not postulate a model.


This research aims to present the reader from a constitutional law and jurisprudence look, alteration called moral damage to the conditions of existence, that in some circumstances the suffering members of the army in compliance with a constitutional mission and / or development of a military operation and as a result of this, it affects their physical integrity and their family and social environment, and the development of their daily lives in their every dimension. The overall objective of this research aims to analyze the level of responsibility of the state to repair the incontrovertible fact regarding this non-pecuniary damage, considering that there are legal loopholes in the legislation that prevents indemnify the nature of this moral damage. To achieve this purpose, investigate and analyze the theoretical foundations, concepts and jurisprudence on materials, immaterial or moral damage and disruption to the conditions of existence, which can determine if the State responsible for compensating the losses from damage called altered the conditions of life for members of the National Army that has gone on this subject, considering that the damages must be comprehensive, that is, according to all human dimensions.


A total of 565 university freshmen were tested on an augmented forward and backward digit span test. Examiner training, directions, rate of presentation (1/sec), seating positions, subjects' age, a...


Advancement of technology allows devices with small sensors to detect the fetal movements to monitor its health. The newly developed devices require testing on pregnant women. A fetal movement simulator will help in testing the machines before the need of testing on an actual fetus. It will also help in quantitatively measure the performance of the device. We present the development of a fetal simulator to simulate the condition of the fetus in the womb. The motor with the limb-like rod has been assembled, programmed and controlled using Arduino to generate the movements. The movement shows a successful force simulation of the real fetus movement and ready to be used for testing by sensors. This simulator not only for research but also for teaching as it shows a transparent example of the mechanical force of the fetal limbs.


Avastin, a VEGF-specific monoclonal antibody originally designed to inhibit angiogenesis (Figure (Figure1),1), has recently made the headlines with both positive and negative clinical progress. At the start of May, it was approved by the FDA for use as a treatment for glioblastoma that has recurred after standard therapies, but in April a clinical trial assessing the ability of Avastin to reduce the risk of tumor recurrence in individuals with early-stage colon cancer failed to reach its endpoint.

Figure 1

Tumor angiogenesis is required for tumor expansion.

Until the start of May, Avastin, which is made by Genentech/Roche, was FDA-approved only for the treatment of the following types of cancer: metastatic colorectal cancer; unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent, and metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer; and metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer (that has not been treated with chemotherapy).

In addition to these clinical contexts, Avastin is used "off-label" by clinicians to treat a range of diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, where it reduces visual impairment. Positive effects following off-label use have led to a number of clinical trials, some of which were behind the FDA approval of Avastin for use in treating glioblastoma.

In light of Avastin's recent mixed fortunes in clinical settings, the JCI talked to one scientist who focuses on tumor angiogenesis, Rakesh K. Jain, Professor of Tumor Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, to gain insight into the future of cancer therapeutics designed to inhibit angiogenesis.

JCI: A clinical trial studying the effects of the antiangiogenic drug Avastin in nonmetastatic colon cancer recently failed to achieve its endpoint. Do you think this will dampen enthusiasm for further development of similar drugs?

Jain: No. Antiangiogenic agents show clear activity and promise in many tumors. While the gains in overall survival are modest, a subset of patients benefit significantly. As we learn how to choose these patients, and optimize the dose and schedule, the enthusiasm will increase again significantly.

JCI: One of the founding fathers of antiangiogenic therapy as a treatment for cancer, Judah Folkman, passed away last year and is being honored at a forthcoming NYAS meeting at which you are speaking about the future of this therapeutic approach. Tell us a little more about where you think the field is heading.

Jain: As we better understand the mechanism(s) of action of these drugs and establish biomarkers of benefit and toxicity, we will be able to select patients and rationally design treatment protocols that yield improved outcome. However, we also need to determine the alternative molecular and cellular pathways responsible for resistance to VEGF blockade. These will be likely agent- and disease-specific. Moreover, some of these may be common to other processes, such as neuronal guidance. Another emerging direction with many applications is to examine the interaction between angiogenesis, vascular normalization, and the immune system.

JCI: What do you think are the most interesting developments in tumor angiogenesis basic science research in the last 12 months?

Jain: We've seen several exciting results regarding the molecular determinants of vascular normalization in tumors. For example, crucial roles in determining various abnormal characteristics of the tumor vasculature have been ascribed to prolyl hydroxylase domain–containing protein 2 (Phd2) in endothelial cells (1), regulator of G-protein signalling 5 (Rgs5) in pericytes (2), and VEGF-A in myeloid cells (3). Other data indicate that PDGF-C might have a role in attenuating the antiangiogenic effects of VEGF- and VEGFR2-specific monoclonal antibodies (4, 5). Finally, Greenberg et al. have identified a role for VEGF, acting via a receptor complex consisting of PDGF-Rβ and VEGFR2, as a negative regulator of pericyte function and vascular normalization (6). All these basic discoveries provide novel ways to normalize abnormal vessels and thereby develop new anticancer therapeutics.

JCI: On a more personal note, you have just been elected to the NAS. How did you feel when you found out, and what do you consider your biggest scientific accomplishment?

Jain: I was pleased and honored to be elected to the NAS, and grateful to my mentors, students, collaborators, coworkers, and colleagues, as well as my family, for their unyielding support. I think that my biggest scientific accomplishments are putting forward the hypothesis that antiangiogenic therapy could "normalize" the abnormal tumor vasculature and microenvironment, and thus improve both the delivery and efficacy of conventional and novel therapies, and providing preclinical and clinical evidence to support the hypothesis (7). Vascular normalization has now been validated by a number of laboratories worldwide and has changed the thinking about how antiangiogenic agents work in patients. For example, we have shown that a vascular normalization index (VNI) correlates with survival in glioblastoma patients receiving a pan-VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor. If validated in a Phase III trial, the VNI has the potential to become a biomarker for selecting patients who are most likely to benefit from anti-VEGF therapies.


Seed germination of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) using concentration and soaking duration of Gibberellin acid (GA3) treatments was studied at the lathhouse of Agriculture Research Centre / Ainkawa / Erbil for the period from 15 May to 14 September 2010. Seed treated with GA3 (150, 200 and 250) mg.L in addition to comparison treatment (zero mg.L) at three different soaking time (12, 24 and 36) hour to production strong seedling within a short period. The study relied on Complete Randomized Design (C.R.D) as a factorial experiment, 20 seeds were used in each treatment, each trial replicated three times that mean 36 trials. Average results were obtained in each trial based on less difference and 5 % approximate ratio was given (least significant differences). According to the results found in this study, the quick and uniform, germination of loquat seeds and growth of seedlings indicate high vigor of seeds. GA3 had a significant effect on germination rate as compared to control. GA3 at 250mg.L gave best response (71.19, 86.80 and 98.75) % at 1, 2 and 3 weeks, but as the concentration increased above 250 mg.L the germination rate decreased rapidly but shoots and root length of seedling and vigor index increased during300 mg.L. Soaking period did not affect significantly on loquat seed germination ratio at 1 and 3 weeks while in 2 Week after germination the ratio increased significantly with increasing soaking period. Different effects of combined GA3 concentration and soaking period on the loquat seed germination rate and seedling growth parameters. More significant effect interactions were obtained in 250 mg.L GA3 with different period times.


A salient feature of the cerebellar Purkinje cells is the highly ordered distribution of their excitatory afferents on the dendritic tree. Climbing fibres synapse exclusively on the proximal dendrites, whereas parallel fibres articulate with the distal branches, the so‐called spiny branchlets. This input organization is lost following the removal of climbing fibres. Such denervation results in the formation of a large number of new spines on the proximal dendrites, and these become contacted by sprouting parallel fibres, which thereby extend their domain of innervation. We have previously shown that the climbing fibres surviving a subtotal lesion of the inferior olive sprout and reinnervate neighbouring Purkinje cells. In the present ultrastructural study, we have investigated the features of Purkinje cells reinnervated by sprouting climbing fibres. The objectives were to examine the fine morphology of the newly formed synapses and to determine whether the modifications of Purkinje cell morphology and afferent organization are reversed by this reinnervation.


GaAs optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC) technology is having an increasing impact in the areas of communications and signal processing, with applications such as high speed broad-band switching, high-speed interconnects for multiprocessor local area networks (LANs) and optically controlled phased-array antennas. A major component of the production of OEICs is the low cost, robust and reliable integration of optoelectronic devices for generating, amplifying and detecting optical signals. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the integration of photodetectors with optical waveguide circuits. Monolithic integration of metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) detectors with semiconductor optical waveguides has been achieved by evanescent coupling from a waveguide layer into an absorbing detector layer grown epitaxially on top of the waveguide1,2. In this paper we examine the potential of polyimide waveguides as integrated light distribution systems in monolithic OEICs. Polymer guides can be formed on top of complex semiconductor circuitry by spin coating and photolithography. Polymer waveguides offer the advantages of ease of processing, low cost, and low optical losses. As well, vertical coupling facilitates alignment of light sources and detectors without additional components such as gratings or 45° facets.


This study, conductei at a major western Canadian university, examined the relation between the academic growth and development of dental students and perceived control, a personalogical variable; and academic and social institutional integration variables. Two questionrwires with an academic focus were administered to 67 students. The theoretical model developed contained three perceived control variables, two measures to evaluate academic goals and career commitment, seven measures of academic integration, three measures of social integration, and one measure of academic outcome. Results indicated that students who assumed personal responsibility for their academic performance reported more academic growth and development, that studemts more actively involved in the learning process and more stimulated academically reported higher levels of academic growth, and that favorable interactions with peers positively affected academic growth. Results support the collective importance of the perceived control variable, which in combination with academic and social integration variables contributed substantially and positively to students' reported academic growth. (Contains 40 references.) (Author/CK) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ************************************************************************


Existence of an Object Existence of an object is given by tendency of its elements to stay in. Measure of this existence is a quantity aiming to maximally objectively describe this tendency. It is named as a satisfaction, a happiness and so on and it goes about a quantity describing a global state of the object. Because it is tightly connected with the existence of the object it goes about a fundamental quantity of its structure of control. A tendency of an element to stay inside a structure of the object is a manifestation of another satisfaction on another level – this time of a satisfaction of an element. Calculations made by a structural model of events show that the best approach to an objective description of an object has two components. First one is an average value from quantities describing to some extent behavior of elements what can be understood as a tendency to stay. In the state it goes e.g. about an interest of a citizen to invest into its own living realities. The second component is a global one and describes variability of successfulness of elements in the system and into some controlling parts. In case of a suitable usage of these quantities of variability it is possible to form from them the well-known economic quantity – the GDP or its approximation. Thus it seems that the optimal evaluation of satisfaction on a level of the object is formed by two parts: by an average satisfaction on a lower level – of elements – and by a level of the global productive activity of the object.


Historians have spent considerable energy describing and analyzing the condition of the Negro in late ninteenth century America. While the quantity of work in this area has been impressive, it has also been limited in focus as attention has centered on the struggle to adjust to new agricultural patterns in the South 1 and the beginnings of black ghettos in the North. 2 This focus is understandable as both topics have broad appeal and are closely related. That is, the inability of the Negro to find an economically viable role in the agriculture of the New South in part explains the exodus which produced the black ghetto.


Epithelial ovarian cancer is a lethal and most common malignancy of the female enital area. Although advanced-stage ovarian cancer is responsive to multiple cytotoxic drugs, less that 25 % of these patients are alive and disease free after five years of diagnosis. This clinical reality justifies the origin and examination of new drug designs. This work presents nitrogen mustard alkylating agents developed froman optimized molecular modeling analysis of chlorambucil. Thirteen analogs of chlorambucil are selected to introduce potential anticancer agents that have pharmaceutical properties advantageous for clinical application. Importantmolecular properties such as Log P, polar surface area, formula weight,molecular volume, and violations of the Rule of 5 were determined. For all agents the polar surface area ranged from23.547A2 to 86.788A2. No agent showed violations of the Rule of 5 or had greater than 11 rotatable bonds. There was a wide variance in Log P values which ranged from -0.908 to 4.958. Many agents showed a numerically low polar surface area suitable for bloodbrain barrierpenetration (i'£ 90 A2), but not accompanied by a supporting value of Log P. The broad range in Log P valuesmay enhance the efficacy of these agents for application because of diverse lipid by-layer permeation. With the alkylating nitrogen mustard group these agents possesses an aromatic ring and either an amide or carboxyl substituent. Molecular properties were analyzed by multivariate methods such as cluster analysis, K-means cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, andANOSIM(analysis of similarity) which revealed underlying subtle and clinically important relationships among these analogs.Multiple regression analysis produced a mathematical expression relating various molecular properties and useful in predicting additional novel drug designs analogous to this series.


A remote control device between Wi-Fi(Wireless Fidelity) terminals and a method thereof are provided to allow each Wi-Fi terminal to use wireless LANs(Local Area Networks) as remotely controlling the other terminals each other by using the same user interface between the Wi-Fi terminals, while the terminals can transceive data with each other. A remote control module(32) processes remote user's authentication if a received message is a remote control mode message. If the remote user's authentication is finished, a profile setup unit(36) sets a profile for remote control to an ad hoc network, and sets so that connection is possible through an access point if the access by the ad hoc network fails. Access processors(38,40) connect an event processor(42) with remote Wi-Fi terminals according to the set profile. When being connected with the remote Wi-Fi terminals by the access processors(38,40), the event processor(42) processes transceiving of a remote control command and transceiving of data of the Wi-Fi terminals according to the remote control command.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laminated plate which is excellent in scratch resistance, optical characteristics, surface hardness and mechanical strength and is excellent in shock resistance, too, to provide a method of manufacturing the laminated plate and to provide a front plate for a display device comprising the laminated plate. SOLUTION: The laminated plate has a high-hardness heat-resistant acrylic resin layer on at least one surface of a polycarbonate resin layer excellent in shock-resistant property and further has a hardcoat layer disposed on the heat-resistant acrylic resin layer, wherein by setting the thickness of laminated body and respective layers in the specified range, the laminated plate which is excellent in transparency and scuffing resistance and has both of a mechanical strength and a shock resistance is provided. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT


The common Lewis acid AlCl3 has efficiently produced 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from carbohydrate and biopolymer substrates in water, DMSO, and water–methylisobutylketone biphasic solvents under microwave irradiation. The yield of HMF in different solvents follows an increasing order from water to water–MIBK biphasic solvent to DMSO. The yield of HMF increased with an increase in catalyst loading whereas it remains unchanged upon increase of the carbohydrate concentration. In most reactions, the maximum yield of HMF is recorded within 2 min of reaction time. The mechanism of the AlCl3 catalyzed glucose dehydration reaction is proposed to proceed through the isomerization of glucopyranose to fructofuranose, followed by a proton assisted transformation of fructofuranose to HMF.


Silicone stents are routinely used for the maintenance of patent mucosal passages in patients with nasolacrimal disorders. A common complication associated with the use of silicone stents is lateral migration or displacement of the tubes, which can be difficult to correct. This report describes a modified Quickert-Dryden approach with fixation of the tubes by an intrasac suture. From 1990 to 1996, 53 patients had silicone stents placed by this method with no complications related to tube displacement. The intrasac fixation suture has distinct advantages over other fixation methods.


Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are important wireless communication paradigms. The mobile and infrastructure less nature of MANETs makes them suitable for collecting emergency data in disastrous areas and performing mission-critical communication in battle fields. A critical issue in MANETs is how to reduce energy consumption and maintain a longer life time for mobile nodes. In this paper we are proposed mainly two concepts for performing mutual authentication of each user in the mobile adhoc network and other concept for performing encryption and decryption of transferring data. Before performing encryption and decryption of data each user will perform the mutual authentication. After that each node will exchange data using data exchange protocol. By considering those concepts we can provide less time complexity for data encryption process and also improve network efficiency. Because by implementing proposed system we can provide light weight encryption process and also reduce number of keys usage in the network. In this paper we can also implement the mutual authentication of each user in the network. By implementing this concept we can reduce time complexity for authentication each node in the mobile adnoc network. So that by implementing those concepts we can reduce number of keys and also improve efficiency of mutual authentication of node.


Operation Database is an ongoing, cooperative effort to evaluate the data-handling capabilities of various geo-petroleum computing systems. Uniform data sets and testing procedures are developed for each product category. Generally, systems are described and compared in a cost-performance context, and the product features and performance are evaluated and rated. Committees made up of petroleum industry professionals evaluate each system in an effort to provide a consensus review, rather than on user's opinion. Testing methods and results are disseminated to the petroleum industry through publication in Geobyte. Follow-up articles allow participating vendors to appraise the project and their reviews. Operation Database is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive public product-evaluation ever undertaken in the petroleum industry. Committee members - from self-employed to major oil company workers - volunteer considerable time and expertise. Several companies have donated the use of facilities, data, and hardware. Equally praiseworthy are the vendors who submit their wares to such thorough, and inevitably comparative, scrutiny. Par 1 - PC products and simple well file data - is complete. Articles in Geobyte (Vol. 3, Nos. 3-4; Vol. 4, Nos. 1-2) previewed the project, described procedures and results of 10 product evaluations, and aired vendors responses tomore » the evaluations. In the dynamic realm of software development, these reviews are offered with the knowledge that the information they contain is outdated quickly as vendors continually enhance their products. The reports may provide a starting point for one's own evaluations.« less


A multi-threshold quantization scheme is proposed in this paper and compared with the traditional two-threshold quantization scheme. When the correlation coefficient is around 0.95 and above, the use of this scheme is better than two-threshold quantization.


Mao Zedong's opinion on poetry and old-style poetry,enriched and developed the theories of my poems,summarized these Shilun our contemporary poetry and old-style poetry landscape is far-reaching implications,find out some desirable experience or regularity of things to the benefit of carry forward the traditional ethnic and prosperous socialist literature and art.This is Mao Zedong poetry researchers face a useful task.


This paper presents a channel simulator that generates signal and interference characteristics of each receiver channel in ICS-OAR (open area repeater with interference cancellation system). A concept of ICS-OAR with an array antenna and multi-channel receiver was studied by Joo-Wan Kim and Paulraj (2000). There are many array signal processing techniques for co-channel interference cancellation, but we have a great difficulty when selecting proper algorithms because most algorithms do not consider variations of signal and interference. Actually, variations of the received signal and interference exist. In the case of ICS-OAR, the desired signal comes into the main-lobe of the receiving array antenna, and unwanted interference comes into the side-lobe region. So, we assume that the signal and interference of each receiver channel are, respectively, random variables with mean and variance values considering the mutual coupling effect between the array elements. This channel simulator makes us to be able to choose suitable signal processing algorithms among lots of algorithms and to develop new signal processing techniques suitable for ICS-OAR.


He made every experiment seem earthshattering and encouraged the kind of 'quick and dirty' experiment that might suggest whether an approach was worth pursuing more deliberately. . . . Somehow, by taking a chance and driving ahead, it was as if you were wrestling with the gods themselves. Instead of thinking of all the reasons why you should hold off, Brodie's dictum was: 'Oh let's take a flier on it.'


Nosema ceranae, a widespread fungal parasite that infects honeybee and many other bee species, can seriously affect bee health and colony productivity. In this article, N. ceranae spores were purified followed by third-generation sequencing using Nanopore PromethION platform. Totally, 6988795 raw reads were yielded from purified spores, with a length distribution among 1 kb~10 kb and a quality (Q) score distribution among Q6~Q12. A total of 6953469 clean reads were obtained, and among them 73.98% were identified as being full-length. The length of redundant reads-removed full-length transcripts was ranged from 1 kb to 5 kb, with the most abundant length of 1 kb. These data will improve transcriptome quality of N. ceranae significantly.


Recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common cause of graft loss for HCV‐infected recipients of liver transplantation (LT). Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with increased rates of fibrosis progression, but whether steatosis affects post‐LT outcomes independently of DM is unclear. Using a retrospective cohort of HCV‐infected LT recipients, we determined the prevalence of hepatic steatosis and evaluated the relationship between steatosis on index biopsy 1 year after LT (±6 months) and the severity of the subsequent fibrosis. One hundred fifty‐two LT recipients with HCV were followed up for a median of 2.09 years (range = 0.13‐6.17 years) after index biopsy; the median number of biopsy procedures per patient after index biopsy was 2 (range = 1‐6). Steatosis (≥5%) was present in 45 individuals (29.6%) according to index biopsy samples taken 1 year after LT; the steatosis was mild (grade 1) in 80% of the patients. In the multivariate analysis, the presence of steatosis 1 year after LT was positively associated with HCV genotype 3 [odds ratio (OR) = 3.60, P = 0.02], older donor age (OR = 1.03, P = 0.04), and pre‐LT hypertension (OR = 3.29, P = 0.009). Two years after index biopsy, the cumulative rate of significant fibrosis (F2‐F4 on the Ludwig‐Batts scale) was 49% in the patients with steatosis at 1 year and 24% in the patients without steatosis (P = 0.003). In the multivariate analysis, steatosis at 1 year was an independent predictor of subsequent F2 to F4 fibrosis (HR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.49‐4.63). Steatosis was a stronger predictor of fibrosis in the setting of sirolimus use (hazard ratio = 9.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.37‐64.16, P = 0.02). In conclusion, steatosis is frequent in the early post‐LT period, and steatosis within the first year after LT is a marker of a higher risk of fibrosis progression in HCV‐infected patients. Liver Transpl, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.


ABSTRACT This research examines perception, motivation, and attitude on public accountant influenced the interest of undergraduate accounting students toward the profession in Indonesia due to Act No. 5 Year 2011 about Public Accountant. Population in this research are undergraduate accounting students who are taking Auditing II subject in Pakuan University (358 students). Total sample student determined by using Slovin Formula with 4% significant error level (228 students). Qualitatif data type that used in this research is primary data which is collected using survey method by distributing the quesioner. Independent variables (perception, motivation, and attitude) also dependent variabel (interest) which are interval scale are measured using Likert scale. The validity test with Product Moment correlation formula and the realibility test with Spearman Brown formula are used for examining data quality. The classic assumption tests which are consist of normality test, multicolinearity test, and heteroscedastisity test are used for testing all hypothesis. Hypothesis also tested by using regression with double regression analysis equation. Results show that perception and motivation on public accountant partially, influenced the interest of undergraduate accounting students in Pakuan University toward public accountant. While attitude on public accountant partially, not influenced the interest of undergraduate accounting students in Pakuan University toward public accountant. Key Words: Perception, Motivation, Attitude, Interest, Public Accountant, Act No. 5 Year 2011 aboutPublic Accountant


The transverse flux machines (TFM), introduced at the beginning of the 80's, are possible solutions for diverse applications requiring special electrical machines [1]. The researches have focused until now mainly on rotary TFMs. A new type of permanent magnet linear transverse flux reluctance machine is proposed here. Such machines can be successfully applied for example in conveyor applications. The factors that influence the behaviour of the machine are also presented. Conclusions on the operating conditions of the machine are drawn at the end of the paper.


We show that the semiquantum approximation to energy levels of simple lattice field theories using site variables gives results in agreement with those obtained with collective modes.


The biggest meeting of the year dedicated solely to the topic of drilling automation revealed that the ultimate barrier facing this emerging development is not the technology. It's how the business of drilling is done.
 This is according to many of the technical professionals that participated in a recent symposium held jointly by SPE's Drilling Systems Automation Technical Section (DSATS) and the IADC's Advanced Rig Technology Committee.
 The annual event held in conjunction with the IADC/SPE International Drilling Conference and Exhibition departed from its usual format of speakers issuing well-rehearsed presentations.
 Instead, it took on the form of a multipronged focus group that saw dozens of participants hailing from operators, drilling contractors, and service companies who huddled into the four corners of a conference ballroom in Galveston, Texas. Their chief objective was to help update the DSATS's "roadmap" that identifies which technological breakthroughs are needed to bring about a true step change in drilling automation by 2025.
 But as that year draws near, the odds of reaching most of the key milestones are dimming, and so, the symposium leaders decided to instead look toward what should be achieved by 2030.
 What DSATS wants to see become possible in the coming years is a rig in which "well plans are uploaded into an interoperable drilling system that automatically delivers a quality wellbore into the best geological location."
 Though we have seen pieces of drilling automation come together in recent years—among others, this includes automated rig floors and automated rotary steerable systems (RSS)—we have not seen a truly automated rig as outlined above.
 And few of those attending the meeting expressed optimism that such a development is within reach.
 "We are not trending toward hitting this vision in 2025," said Esben Thorup, who was speaking from the perspective of an offshore drilling contractor. "We see pilot projects heading in the right direction, but wide adoption of automation is not happening."
 Thorup is the head of digital innovation with Maersk Drilling (and soon to be Noble Corp. upon the impending finalization of a $3.4 billion merger announced in November 2021). He was one of several panelists tapped to lead the four focus groups and offer back to the entire gathering some key points raised during those discussions.
 For Thorup, the biggest thorn in the side of drilling automation is the business case, or lack thereof.
 "We would absolutely love to put automation systems on all of our rigs," he said while noting that some automated components have been deployed on Maersk's rigs. "But we are not necessarily being rewarded often."
 Dan Hoffarth, CEO of onshore contractor Citadel Drilling, led another group and seemed to echo his offshore counterpart in asking the big question of the day: "Does our business model work as individual companies?"


The inflammatory reactions obtained in magnesium-deficient rats, by injecting carrageenin into the paw or around cotton pellets introduced under the skin, were not different from those of normal animals. In contrast, the volume of pleural exudate provoked by intrapleural injection of AgN0 3 was greater in deficient rats. Phenylbutazone reduced the exudate volume similarly in control and deficient rats. Mepyramine, specifically blocking H1 receptors, only slightly reduced the intensity of the inflammatory reaction in deficient rats. On the other hand, promethazine removed any difference between the two groups of animals. That substance not only blocked the histamine receptors, but also the effects of serotonin, and reduced the usual increase in vascular permeability. The physiopathology of inflammatory reactions observed in magnesiumdeficient rats could not be explained only by histamine liberation ; other parameters such as serotonin release, protein change or vascular permeability modifications might be involved.


The proliferation of environmentally friendly electricity-generating technologies has fostered a growing interest in travelling-wave thermoacoustic electric-generator technology and its potential applications. Although reviews exist that focus generally on Stirling engines and thermoacoustic engines, no specific and complete review has addressed the generation of electrical energy through a thermoacoustic Stirling-like cycle engine (TA-SLiCE), which has undergone extensive development in recent years. The present review covers this gap and focuses on the analysis of electric power generation through the TA-SLiCE over different temperature ranges. Therefore, in this review, the general status of travelling-wave thermoacoustic energy generation and the evaluation of the TA-SLiCE types that represent current travelling-wave thermoacoustic generator technologies are presented. In addition, the agents involved in the development of this technology are reviewed, and selected examples of prototypes and promising products currently in a research and testing phase using this technology are presented. In closing the difficulties in this field, the novelties and current research are presented concluding with the main ideas and recommendations.


A new substrate structure has been proposed for obtaining laser‐recrystallized silicon on quartz glass. Single crystal Si stripes as large at 12×500 μm, dielectrically isolated with a width as small at 1.5 μm, have been obtained by use of the new structure, in which polysilicon stripes are placed in SiO2 grooves and a polycrystalline silicon sublayer is inserted between the SiO2 layer and quartz glass to improve the thermal profile in recrystallization. The proposed structure is useful for realizing both enlargement and positional control of Si grains.


A novel Al/MEH-PPV/CuPC/ITO inverted organic light emitting diode(IPLED) structure was proposed,in which MEH-PPV acts as luminescence layer and CuPC acts as the hole transport layer as well as the buffer layer for ITO sputtering.The influences of the thickness of CuPC and the concentration of MEH-PPV on the device characteristics were investigated.It was found the suitable thickness of CuPC is around 3.5 nm and the suitable concentration of MEH-PPV is around 3‰.The luminescence of this IPLED was improved from 40.4 cd·m~2 to more than 207.7 cd/m~2 by doping Rubrene in MEH-PPV compared with the IPLED with undoped MEH-PPV,its peak of the electroluminescence spectrum moves from 624 nm to 592 nm,while its I-V curve does not show a remarkable change.


Light pipes are popularly used for transporting outdoor sunlight into deep spaces of the building, and hence, use of artificial lighting could be substantially reduced. Performance prediction of a light pipe is an essential step before its use in buildings, so that energy saving potential of the light pipe could be quantified. This paper deals with experimental validation of three existing semi-empirical models for light pipes with different aspect ratios, installed on a windowless test room, at IIT Delhi, New Delhi. Two new semi-empirical models based on the existing correlations are developed. The new model found to perform better with mean bias error (MBE) and root-mean-squared error (MSE) of 0.076 and 0.01, respectively. The better performing new model is used for the evaluation of hourly internal illuminance by the light pipe in a typical meteorological year (TMY) in New Delhi. From hourly internal illuminance in a typical meteorological year, the energy saving potential and CO2 mitigation potential of light pipe system for the test room are evaluated. Monthly average energy saving potentials of the light pipe-fluorescent tube light system are found to be 50% for continuous dimming control and 38% for three-step on–off control. Results show that the light pipe-fluorescent tube light system, with different lighting controls, could reduce CO2 emissions to 15–50%.


The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of irrigation and nitrogen levels on growth and yield of Chandrasur (Lepidium sativum Linn.) in two consecutive years Rabi 2018-19 and Rabi 2019-20 at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sawaimadhopur, Rajasthan. Results revealed that higher yield attributes No of branches plant-1, Fresh weight at harvest (g plant-1), 1000 seed weight (g), plant height (cm) were found significantly higher under three irrigation (25, 50 and 75 Days After Sowing) which was at par with two irrigations (25 & 50 Days After Sowing (DAS) and with 80 kg of N ha-1 which was at par with 60 kg N ha-1. Under different level of irrigations application of three irrigation (25, 50 & 75 Days After Sowing (DAS) found higher seed yield (1593.34 kg ha-1) which remained at par with two irrigation (25 & 50 DAS) compared to (one irrigation at 25 Days After Sowing), respectively. In sub plot treatments of different nitrogen levels Application of 80 kg of N ha-1 resulted in highest yield (1586 kg ha-1) which was statistically at par with 60 kg of N ha-1 as compared to 40 & 20 kg N ha-1 respectively.


Aim To discuss the clinical presentation of thyroid rupture following blunt neck trauma and highlight key management principles for the case. Methods A 45-year-old female motorcycle passenger with a pre-existing right thyroid nodule hit her right anterior neck against a bottle during sudden stop and developed painful right neck swelling, odynophagia, and hoarseness. She was seen at the emergency room 5 hours post-injury, awake, cooperative, and ambulatory, without stridor or dyspnea at room air. On examination, she had ecchymoses behind her right tonsillar pillars; her neck was grossly swollen and was tender on palpation without subcutaneous emphysema. Laryngoscopy showed good left vocal cord mobility while the right vocal cord had a visible hemorrhage and limited abduction due to the mass effect of the hematoma seen at the right aryepiglottic area extending toward the right piriform fossa and the right parapharyngeal area. Intact bilateral vocal cord adduction was noted upon phonation. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed hematoma formation in the right thyroid lobe area with extension to the right side of the oropharyngeal region, anterior cervical, parapharyngeal, and retropharyngeal space, confirming the aerodigestive tract narrowing and leftward deviation previously noted. Baseline thyroid function tests were normal. Under general anesthesia, the patient underwent neck exploration where the ruptured right thyroid lobe was resected, and the hematoma was evacuated. Results Postoperatively noted significant improvement in neck swelling, odynophagia, and hoarseness. Transient subclinical hyperthyroidism remained asymptomatic and resolved upon outpatient follow-up. A year after the surgery, the patient had a well-healed cervical scar, complete hematoma resolution, and regained her pre-morbid phonation. Conclusion Thyroid gland rupture should be among the considerations for patients presenting with tender neck swelling, progressive hoarseness, and/or dyspnea following neck trauma. Prompt airway assessment and close monitoring for potential compromise are essential to avoid fatal sequelae of external airway compression. Management varies from close observation to surgical neck exploration and should be personalized depending on the severity of thyroid injury and symptomatology.


During video encoding or decoding process, it predicted prediction block for the CU is generated. CU can have more than one prediction unit (PU). Computer equipment selects the neighboring region size. Computer equipment after selecting the adjacent area size, the sample in the transition zone of the prediction blocks are identified. Flanking region containing the samples associated with the first PU is if it contains also samples associated with the second PU, samples associated with the first PU is in a transition zone. Flanking region containing the samples associated with the second PU is if it contains also samples associated with the first PU, samples associated with the second PU may be in the transition zone. Flanking region having a selected adjacent region size. Then, smoothing operation is performed on the sample in the transition zone.


In order for people to participate fully in preventing and controlling AIDS they must be properly educated about all aspects of the epidemic. An AIDS education which accurately and effectively meets peoples real needs is an important component of the clinical epidemiology of AIDS. This paper describes a structured AIDS education program currently being administered through weekly newspaper feature articles in one of Kenyas dailies read by approximately 3 million people. The program has the following elements: demystifying the AIDS epidemic adolescent development and courtship values and ethics marriage family/population development and the future with AIDS. These topics integrate well with similar topics in the Social Education and Ethics syllabus taught in Kenyas secondary schools. Each program subject has its own objectives program and prospects. The integration of such education with formal and continuing education will hopefully bring about long-term lasting behavior changes. Some readers have written to the feature authors to tell them how reading the articles has resulted in positive behavioral change.


The Izu-Bonin (Ogasawara)-Mariana (IBM) arc is known to the typical oceanic island arc, and it is the most suitable area to understand the growth process of island arc. The existence of two paleo arc which consists of Oligocene and Eocene paleo age is known in IBM forearc region by geological and geophysical studies. The Ogasawara ridge is also known to locate the initial structure of arc evolution from geologic sampling of research submersible. In this region, IODP drilling site: IBM-2 is proposed in order to understand the temporal and spatial change in arc crust composition from 50 to 40Ma magmatism. Site IBM-2 consists of two offset drilling holes (BON-1, BON-2). BON-1 designed to first encounter forearc basalt and will reach the sheeted dykes. BON-2 will start in boninites and finish in fore arc basalts. The purpose of these drilling is sampling the full volcanic stratigraphy from gabbro to boninite. This drilling project is already scheduled in 2014. The survey lines along the proposed sites, however, there are no crossing seismic data around BON-1 and BON-2. Therefore, it is need to conduct the MCS survey until 2013 for the evaluation of proposed site. Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) newly carried out multi-channel seismic reflection (MCS) survey using 7,800 cu.in. air gun, 5 km streamer with 444 ch hydrophones in April, 2013. We obtained two seismic reflection profiles of lines IBr11n and IBr11 across from Shikoku Basin and current volcanic front to the paleo arc. The preliminary results show the distribution of volcanic sediments and basement.We also identified the block type structure associated with the uplift in northern side of Kinyo seamout. We will discuss about the characteristics between backarc and forearc from north to south.


As pork and pork products represent an important part of the diet, the issue of pork safety and quality has become more prominent. Food safety concerns are shaping consumers' attitudes toward safe food. The farm and meat sectors aim at producing healthy animals in a protected environment, which is a key point for food/meat safety. The most common biological hazards in the pork production chain are Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, Trichinella spp. and Toxoplasma gondii. These hazards are not detectable by conventional meat inspection, and measures rely on prevention or reduction of contamination along the production chain.


The project's major development objective would be to significantly increase rural populations' access to all weather roads, and, will contribute to achieving the general objectives of the NPRR-2, i.e., to increase the level of access of the rural population from 54 percent in 2005 to 67 percent by 2010 (with an 80 percent by the end of the Program in 2015). Current roads where the right of way exists will not require expropriation; however, land acquisition from small parcels will occur due to certain rectification on programmed roads, and rural roads. While project design will avoid, or minimize as possible the need for land acquisition, it is envisaged resettlement will occur to a small extent. It is worth noting that an instrument addressing expropriations, often practiced in Morocco, is through voluntary donation of land. This resettlement policy identifies project affected people (PAP), and determines, based on the country's legislation, and the Bank's operational directive on involuntary resettlement, the due compensation for land, and asset losses (both for PAP holding property rights, or squatters) following public consultations. Expropriations will be compensated at market values as of the date of consignment with the authorities. Grievance mechanisms will be in place should conflict occur, and, regular monitoring shall ensure compliance with his policy.


Filtering synthesis methodologies have become increasingly popular among AW filter designers due to their effectiveness, precision, and usefulness. Regardless of dealing with an equivalent Butterworth-Van Dyke electrical or coupling-nodal model, current synthesis tools consist of recursive methods that iteratively extract element by element the information from a global admittance function of the network. These methodologies have proven effective in finding reliable and technology-oriented seeds speedily in early design stages and providing a trustworthy tool for decision-making during the whole engineering design cycle. However, current numerical algorithms introduce roundoff errors, limiting the reachable maximum filter order. This work describes a new and completely different algorithm for the synthesis methodology that provides robustness in front of high-order filters pushing the filter degree limit beyond the 18th-order. This contribution becomes a step forward in consolidating AW-oriented EDA tools.


The invention discloses specific gravity composite material slurry for filling and consolidating annular space of a kilometer-deep freezing pipe. The slurry comprises the following components in parts by weight: 20-50 parts of cementing material, 1-50 parts of specific gravity adjusting material, 0.1-20 parts of composite admixture and 30-50 parts of water. The slurry has the beneficial effects that the specific gravity of the slurry can be accurately adjusted and controlled via the specific gravity adjusting material; by utilizing the physical and chemical actions of the composite admixture, the slurry has the excellent characteristics of low viscosity, good fluidity, high stability, long setting time and adjustability and controllability.


The number of cases reported during the quarter was 106. Of these 85 were multipara, and 21 primiparse. Presentations.?Vertex, 98; breech, 3 ; remainder unreported or doubtful. Sex of Children.?Males, 48 ; females, 58. Mortality.?Only one maternal death was reported?from postpartum haemorrhage. The patient was attended by her next door neighbour, who, alarmed by a great escape of blood after the birth of the child, sent for a student whose address had previously been given them. This gentleman immediately sent to the Maternity for the house surgeon, who on his arrival at the house found the woman dead, the bed being soaked in blood. Examination showed the uterus filled with clots, thin-walled, above umbilicus, and the placenta still adherent. Foetal Mortality, 8 ; infantile, 3 ; all premature, died about half


We present two new classes of solutions for the effective theory of the Einstein - Maxwell dilaton, low-energy string and Kaluza - Klein theories, which contains among other solutions the well known Kaluza - Klein solitonic monopole of Gross - Perry - Sorkin as a special case. We also explicitly show the magnetic dipole solutions contained in the general one.


In this paper are presented some hardware and software solutions for the blind people. Only in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, there are over 6000 blind people, and the number of people with acute vision problems is much higher. There are software applications designed to help these people in their daily lives. With today's advanced technology, there are smartphones, tablets, or personal computer (PC) smartphone applications that help the blind persons for traveling and reading information. The software applications proposed in this article are useful for people with visual impairments in order to learn how to use a PC keyboard. The hardware device proposed can be a solution for learning to use a 3×4 numeric keypad by blind person.


The present paper deals with the parametric resonances of a viscoelastic system having many degrees of freedom and subjected to a harmonic parametric excitation. The first-order perturbation analysis made by Hsu is extended to the second approximation by introducing the concept of multiple time scales. The main- and sub-regions of parametric resonances are given in explicit forms. The Reut-type system with two degrees of freedom and under a non-canonical periodic load is discussed to demonstrate the usefulness of the present analysis.


Telemedicine is regarded as one of the major innovations in health services, not only from the technological but also from the cultural and social perspectives since it benefits accessibility to health care services and improves the quality of medical care and organizational efficiency. Telemedicine has a role in providing solutions to the challenges posed by socioeconomic changes in health care systems in the 21st century (greater demands on health care, aging populations, increased mobility of citizens, the need to manage large amounts of information, global competitiveness, and improved health care provision), all in an environment of limited budgets and restrictions on spending. Nevertheless, there are significant barriers to standardizing telemedicine and for its full consolidation and expansion. This paper aims to provide solutions for the successful implementation of telemedicine services (and eHealth, in general) in the health care setting.


Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) generally provide higher performance gain for single image super-resolution (SISR) as the depth and number of parameters are increasing. However, just increasing the layers of straightforward deep networks has a problem that it requires an impractically large number of parameters for obtaining state-of-the-art performance. Instead, some researchers proposed lightweight networks, which is designed with more sophisticated network structures for achieving better performance than the straightforward networks at the same parameter requirement. In this paper, we propose new lightweight Multi-scale Spatial Attention Networks (MSAN) for SISR, which attempt to bring out a better performance from the relatively small number of parameters. Specifically, we adopt a dense connection with feature fusion layers to broadcast abundant features to every level of layers, and propose a double residual structure that provides an additional skip-connection. We also design a Multi-scale Spatial Attention Block (MSAB) to exploit multi-scale spatial contextual information. Furthermore, we introduce a spatial attention module which adaptively focuses on the most informative feature scale in a given region of the image. In the experiments, we validate that the proposed MSAN achieves significant accuracy compared to recent lightweight models and comparable performance to the state-of-the-art methods.


In this paper, we proposed a novel divide-and-conquer approach to optimize the overall relevance in an unified framework for query clustering and query-based ranking. In our model, latent topics and specialized ranking models are learned iteratively so that an unified objective function, which lower-bounds the conditional probability of observed grades annotated by human editors on training data, is maximized. We conducted experiments comparing the proposed method with several baseline approaches on two data-sets. Experimental results illustrate that our method can significantly improve the ranking relevance over these baselines