Abstract: This article explores some ways that George Lindbeck's cultural-linguistic theory of religion is useful for understanding the thought and practice of sixteenth-century Swiss Anabaptism. The Swiss Brethren theology and practice of the Lord's Supper and their accompanying Christology are best related in cultural-linguistic terms. Specifically, the model helps to narrate the interdependence of doctrine and ethics, the reason for occasional rather than formal theology, and the emphasis on the church rather than the individual as the locus for discipleship. The success of Lindbeck's theory not only suggests new possibilities for Anabaptist theologians and historians but also points to a kind of selective embrace of postmodern strategies. ********** The thought and practice of sixteenth-century Anabaptism seem peculiar to many modems precisely because modernity has no conceptual framework capable of correctly understanding the movement. Recent philosophical trends within postmodernity, however, provide fresh models for reassessing Anabaptism in terms more attuned to Anabaptism's unique character. The forms of postmodernity I will explore are not the deconstructionism or poststructuralism often associated with continental philosophy, which are of very limited usefulness for theology. Rather, I will engage the Anglo-American version of postmodernity that has addressed and advanced post-Enlightenment thought in a remarkably successful manner, especially in regard to theology. Here George Lindbeck is among the most prominent recent scholars who have used postmodern philosophy to help us imagine new ways of thinking about theology, particularly regarding the nature of religion, doctrine and theological method. In this essay I will provide an account of the usefulness of Lindbeck's cultural-linguistic theory of religion (1)--in contrast to other modern options--by examining the doctrines of the Eucharist and Christology in sixteenth-century Anabaptism. I will argue that the Anabaptist tradition offers a valuable example of the form that discipleship must take if it is to be sustainable both practically and theologically in a postmodern era. Lindbeck's theory helps to clarify three features of sixteenth-century Anabaptism, particularly as expressed among the Swiss Brethren: (1) an interdependence of doctrine and ethics; (2) a penchant for occasional rather than formal theology; and (3) an emphasis on the church rather than the individual as the locus for discipleship. To be sure, rarely in sixteenth-century Anabaptist literature is any one of these three points found independently of the other two; treating these three observations separately imposes some artificial distinctions. But just as ethicist James McClendon has described the various components of the Christian moral life by evoking the overlapping and interconnecting fibers of a rope,z so I wish to respect the whole "rope" of Anabaptist thought and practices even while analyzing the various fibers for the purposes of clarity. THE POSTLIBERAL LANDSCAPE The linguistic component of Lindbeck's theory, as detailed in The Nature of Doctrine, is clearly dependent on the thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein, sometimes called the first postmodern philosopher. (3) In his Philosophical Investigations Wittgenstein demonstrated the absurdity of characterizing language as purely referential; that is, of taking language to be the set of ostensibly understood, strict descriptions of objects as they exist in reality. (4) Instead, Wittgenstein argued that language exhibits referential qualities only insofar as those qualities find their meaning within "language games"--which is to say, within the rules that govern the relationships between language and behavior. In other words, one cannot meaningfully refer to an object in reality if a shared understanding of corresponding behaviors does not already exist as a precondition. It is partially on these grounds that Lindbeck asserts that religion is akin to language. …


In order to overcome disadvantage of the current fixed bed biofilm process, a combined treatment process using suspended bed biofilm filtration process as principal part was developed. The concept of pre-aerated biologica1 coarse filtration was put forward, and the operation characteristics of the combined process of pre-aerated biological coarse filtration and multi-stage biofilm for treatment of domestic sewage were investigated. The results show that using pre-aerated biological coarse filtration technology as pretreatment process can considerably remove organic pollutants and SS, which alleviates the load of subsequent biofilm process. When HRT is 0.8 h, the removal rates of COD and SS are 35.2% to 61.3% and 85% to 93%, respectively. When HRT is 3 h and the influent COD is 148 to 647 mg/L, the effluent COD maintains at 18 to 50 mg/L, with average of 31.3 mg/L. The process has better resistance to shock loading. When ammonia nitrogen loading is less than 0.85 kg/(m3·d), the effluent ammonia nitrogen is less than 2 mg/L. Compared to the conventional fixed bed biofilm process, the combined process has characteristics of lower filtration water head loss, effective carbon removal, SS removal and nitrification.


To improve the monitoring accuracy of the crop nitrogen sensor, this paper systematically investigated the optical system parameters affecting the monitoring accuracy of the monitor by analyzing principle of the sensor and the optical system design scheme, and designed a scheme of calibrating optical system parameters which included calibration of single photocell, multi-element combination and integrated optical system. Besides, the parameters calibration of optical system was further conducted by laboratory experiment. The data of rice field experiments were used to validate the effectiveness of the parameter calibration scheme of the optical system. The results indicate that the determination coefficient between normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and nitrogen content of rice leaves increases to 0.734 from originally 0.651. That is, the monitoring performance improves significantly after performing system calibration.


A wavelength selective switch and demultiplexer using arrayed waveguides with linearly varying refractive index distribution is proposed. The thickness of the arrayed waveguides is varied linearly using selective metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth. The dependence on growth conditions and mask pattern of the structural and optical characteristics of the arrayed waveguides are determined. Successful wavelength demultiplexing on four output ports with a wavelength separation of approximately 25 nm is realized using input and output star couplers based on Rowland circle geometry. Finally, wavelength selective switching by dynamic refractive index control of the arrayed waveguides is described.


The oriental fruit moth,Grapholitha molesta( Busck),is an important pest of peach and other fruit crops in north China. Previous research found that this moth did the most serious harm to peach crops in Feicheng,Tai'an. In this paper,the super-cooling ability and biochemical substances in diapausing and non-diapausing larvae of G. molesta were determined. The results show that,at a temperature of 26℃,the super-cooling point( SCP) and freezing point( FP) of diapausing larvae were lower than those of non-diapausing larvae,but that this difference was not significant. The free- water,glycogen and protein content of diapausing larvae were significantly lower than in non-diapausing larvae,however total-fat,glycerin and trehalose in diapausing larvae were significantly higher than in non-diapausing larvae. These results indicate that diapausing larvae may adjust their biochemical processes to enhance resistance to colder temperatures.


Since the government regulates transmission and distribution tariffs with the cost-plus method and that the transmission and distribution costs are one of the major regulatory issues,the NDRC(the National Development and Reform Commission) is now arranging for establishment of the "Provisional Measures for Supervision on Pricing and Costs of Power Transmission and Distribution".It is suggested that a depreciation rate of 5% should be set for grid enterprises considering relevant international experience.Depreciation has great impacts on power grid companies,especially on their capital for power grid construction.Therefore,on the basis of the depreciation theory in economics and considering the development of the international economy and the electric power industry,we thoroughly analyzed in this study the reasons why the depreciation rate of fixed assets should not be simply set out by indiscriminatingly referring to international experiences,and we also put forward some recommendations for policy makers.


Objective: To analyze and summarize the ADR situation of our hospital in recent years in order to provide refer-ence for the rational drug use and correctly evaluate the happening of ADR. Methods: The method was to analyze the report forms of the 276 ADR cases which collected from August 2006 to December 31. 2007. Results: The incidence rate of antibacterials' ADR was the highest,which was 161 cases,accounting for 58.33 percent. The dermal system damage was the most common on clinical sit-uation of ADR,which was 159 cases,accounting for 57.61 percent. All the dermal damage recovered by proper treatments. Conclu-sion: CEPs was in the first place in the antibacterials which suggested the clinical doctors should use the antibiotics rationally,pay more attention to the chemical incompatibility in the drug joint use and be careful to use traditional chinese medicine parenteral in-jection on children. The clinical doctors must ask the patients' history of hypersensitiveness before using drug and observe carefully after administering in order to decrease the happening of the ADR. Monitoring and preventing ADR is the effective means to promote rational drug use and ensure safe drug use.


The formulas used by library and information center planners usually include provisions for study space, stack space, and prescribe their use), these formulas also are used with variations for all types of libraries. For study space, it is assumed that in an academic library some 25 percent of on-campus users will need to be accommodated at any one time. existing usage levels.) It also is assumed that most seating will be at existing usage levels.) It also is assumed that most seating will be at four-place tables, with each person requiring no more than 25 square feet for working space and adJacent circulation space. This means a table surface area of six square feet per person. However, in academic institutions, patrons conducting research are assumed to require more space, normally in carrels (individual tables which have visual barriers on three sides). Carrels and the adjacent circulation space are estimated to take 30 square feet each. The storage formulas generally provide for 10 bound volumes per square foot of floor space. Calculations are based on storing materials on standard library shelving set up in ranges which are 4'4" apart at their centers with aisles 32 inches in width when 12-inch deep shelves are used; 36 inches in width when 8-inch deep shelves are used. This results in shelves which are approximately 75 percent full, slightly more than the optimum 67 percent recommended by many planners, but well below the 86 percent at which shelves reach maximum working capacity. Capacity greater than 86 percent results in the constant shifting of volumes as new materials are added. Most formulas have not yet been revised to reflect new ADA (American Disabilities Act) requirements, one of which is a minimum aisle of 36 inches so that it is possible to turn a wheelchair around in the stacks. If the shelves are a mix of 8- and 10-inch deep shelves, as is common, it becomes necessary to change the spacing of stacks to 4'8", thus reducing the facility's storage capacity by nearly 10 percent. If 12-inch deep shelves are used, the spacing has to be 5' on centers, thus further reducing the amount of shelving that will fit in a given area. The effect of ADA requirements on movable aisle compact shelving is minimal because only a single aisle is required for every 10 ranges of stacks. When calculating storage, materials other than bound volumes usually are converted to volume equivalents as follows: Type of Holding Vol. Equiv. Factor Bound volumes 1.00 Maps (each sheet) 0.30 Government documents (linear feet) 6.00 Archives materials (linear feet) 6.00 Optical and phono disks (linear feet) 6.00 Films, 16 and 8mm (reels) 1.00 Video tapes (cartridges) 1.00 Audio tapes and cassettes 0.25 Film strips 0.25 Microfilms (reels) 0.25 Microfiches and cards (each piece) 0.01 Space for library staff is calculated as a percentage of the total amount of study and stacks space in a library or information center. Commonly, 5 percent of the total space generated for table, carrel, and stack space is allotted for library staff, including both those who serve the public and those who acquire and process materials. However, some formulas specifically provide for a minimum number of square feet per staff member. The most common of these is 150 square feet per staff member. SUMMARY OF FORMULAS USED FOR LIBRARY SPACE PLANNING Thirty states use formulas in calculating space requirements for academic libraries. None are known to apply these formulas to other types of libraries, but interviews with a score of architects have confirmed that the formulas are widely referenced when planning any kind of library facility. …


ABSTRACT Nowadays, amajor problemwith variousindustrial sectors is gasleakage. This problem poses a potential threat to residential buildings and vehicles powered by gases such as Compressed Natural Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas.In order to address this problem, one of the most suitable methods is to depute a gas leakage detection and prevention system at the vulnerable sites. This paper presentsdesign and the development of Electronic hardware that can automatically detect and stop gas leakage in the event of an emergency. Its core element is a robustgas sensor which exhibits higher sensitivity for both propane(C3H8) and butane (C4H10).Thismodule primarily comprises of aGas leakage detection system that incorporates a GSM modulethat detects and alerts the consumer or the concerned authority about the gas leakage. Keywords:MQ6, GSM, Arduino-Nano, Relay,ADC,sensor,relay. Cite this Article: AkshanshLaldhar, JanardanPandey, RishabhChauhan, ManishZadoo. GSM based Gas Leakage Detection and Prevention System. International Journal of Broadband Cellular Communication. 2020; 6(1): 1–9p.


Fatigue crack detection in aircraft engine bladed disk assemblies is slow, costly and imperfect, but developing an automated Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system can help to reduce cost and improve detection probability. However, current methods for modeling nonlinear structural response are also too slow to generate suciently large data libraries for automation. In an eort to develop a faster method, fatigue cracks in beams are modeled by modifying the inputs to the structure rather than the structure model itself to produce a closed-form solution for the total response. With this approach, the time to produce data sets is reduced from days to seconds. Crack identication methods are then demonstrated using the data produced by the closed-form approach to correctly identify fatigue cracks in data generated by a more traditional bilinear model. Although the method investigated is orders of magnitude faster and can successfully identify fatigue cracks over certain regions, limitations are observed that require more investigation to resolve. Overall, the proposed method for modeling and identifying fatigue cracks in beams shows promise but will require more development before being used on more complicated structures such as bladed disks.


Purpose:  This study aimed to evaluate and relate visual function, ocular dimensions and neuropaediatric findings in adoptees from Eastern Europe.


Recent Population Trends and New Methods of Analysis A SUBSTANTIAL increase in the birthrate, often referred to as the " baby boom," has occurred in most western countries during the post-war years. Much public interest has been shown in it, the more so, perhaps, because it was largely unexpected and unforeseen. It is true that the years immediately after the first world war witnessed a similar upsurge of births, but to the demographers and economists of the I930S the possibility of any substantial revival of fertility seemed unlikely. Writing at the time of the great depression, they were unable to appreciate how far the low ebb to which the birth-rate had sunk was in fact due to the temporary postponement of marriages and births which would be made up in later years. The population projections which they made at that time envisaged neither the increase in the birth-rate nor the striking reductions in mortality, especially in infant mortality, which have been such prominent features of the past decade. Thus many dire prophecies of depopulation were made which would seem to have been falsified by subsequent events. This inability of the demographers of the I930S to appreciate the full nature of the fertility trends of those years has since been shown to have been largely due to the fact that the statistical techniques of demographic analysis used at that time were inadequate and often misleading. Before the war the net reproduction rate was regarded by many as the be-all and end-all of such analysis; its calculation the last word the demographers could say. Since then, however, certain defects of this index have gradually been revealed. Not leaSst among these is its over-sensitiveness to cyclical fluctuations in fertility-its failure to take account of possible postponements or advancements of marriages and births which ultimately may not greatly affect completed family size in a community where effective family planning is prevalent. Thus in their report, published in I949, the Royal Commission on Population lay greater stress on average family size as an index of fertility trends, and many demographers have now come to regard the net reproduction rate as having scarcely more value than the crude birth-rate as a measure of fertility and replacement. Thus the need for more refined measures has led demographers in many countries to investigate new methods of analysis, particularly with a view to answering the important question-is the post-war rise in the birth-rate a mere " flash in the pan", due to a temporary increase in the marriage rate, or does it represent a genuine reversal of the long-term downward trend in family size? Important inquiries along these lines have been proceeding in France and in the United States; but it must be said at once that whatever the type of analysis that is used it is still not possible to give a definite answer to the above question. The majority of the women who were married after I943, and who thus contributed towards the rise in the birth-rate, are still well within the child-bearing age-groups. Thus, since we cannot know how many more children they will have, we cannot know either what the completed size of their families will be. Much will depend, therefore, on the trend of fertility during the next two decades, and any conclusions which may be drawn now will clearly hinge largely on the types of projections that are made for this period. In terms of the crude birth-rate, both France and the United States have substantially higher fertilities than this country. After reaching a peak of over twenty in I947, the birth-rate of the United Kingdom now seems to be settling down between fifteen


A phase diagram for the system lithium carbonate/sodium sulfate was developed by DTA measurements in a CO2 atmosphere. The lithium carbonateisodium sulfate eutectic composition from that system improved glassmelting, speeded fining, and reduced the viscosity of a standard fiber glass when used as an additive. Improved melting rates were postulated to result from reaction of lithia with glass-forming components at a relatively low temperature. Lithia is formed by decomposition of Li2CO3 or Li2CO3/Na2SO4 eutectic in air at or near their melting points.


INTRODUCTION
Vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is higher in infants born to pregnant women with higher HBV DNA viral load despite infants completing both active and passive vaccination. Although antiviral treatment is recommended to pregnant women during the antenatal period to reduce the vertical transmission rate, most of them decline.

METHODS
A decision tree was made to evaluate the costs and benefits involved when pregnant women agree to take antiviral treatment during the antenatal period as well as when they decline. The cost-effectiveness price was arrived at by multiplying the reduced vertical transmission rate with expenses of future medical care associated with vertical transmission.

RESULTS
Given the observed medication price and transmission rate in Singapore, from an individual's perspective, it was not cost-effective to receive antenatal antiviral treatment. However, from the health system's perspective, the current price of antiviral treatment was already far below the cost-effectiveness level, even without Ministry of Health subsidies. Additionally, pregnant women's awareness and perception also made an impact on treatment decisions.

CONCLUSION
By analysing the decision-making process, our result explained the current low uptake rates of antenatal antiviral treatment for HBV among pregnant women. We also concluded that from the health system's perspective, it was worth providing subsidy for perinatal antiviral treatment to prevent huge expenses generated in the future by chronic HBV complications.


Abstract Recent advances in odour-sensing technology and pattern recognition algorithms promise to resurrect olfaction as an important diagnostic option. Electronic nose is an array of chemical sensors connected with a suitable pattern recognition system. This is a rapid, sensitive, specific, non-destructive and easy-to-use tool which can be utilized for detection and identification of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli in clinical specimen to improve the clinical diagnosis. In this investigation, 100 samples of different kinds of bacteria which were the major cause for sepsis and urinary tract infection were inoculated in 20ml growth medium and incubated for 2 hours for volatile generation. These samples were analyzed with a metal oxide semiconductor based electronic nose for detecting and differentiating Escherichia coli. The instrument was used to generate a pattern of the volatile compounds present in the pathological samples. The sensor responses were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) and then with hybrid neural network (PCANN optimized by genetic algorithm). Good results were obtained in the classification of bacterial samples and the methodology was simple and rapid. These results suggest that the electronic nose could be used as a tool for the detection of Escherichia coli.


A chief concern regarding the security and privacy of the Internet of Things is its lack of openness about connected devices' security capability. This article discusses standardized compliance programs for consumer product security.


The first generation of digital, and subsequently online, regional atlases did only little to reconceptualize the idea behind this established cartographic category. Using the case study of a regional atlas for Central Asia, the authors propose a fundamental re-thinking as a usercentric and target-group-specific front end for emerging Spatial Data Infrastructures. 'Next generation' regional atlases are anticipated as open frameworks based upon distributed online services; extensible, mashable, and modifiable, flexibly adjusting to situated devices.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) and mean expired pump CO(2) during cardiopulmonary bypass (PeCPBCO(2)) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB during steady state, cooling, and rewarming phases of CPB.

DESIGN
Consenting patients, prospective study.

SETTING
University-affiliated hospital.

PARTICIPANTS
Twenty-nine patients.

INTERVENTIONS
Patients aged 22 to 81 years were enrolled. An alpha-stat acid-base regimen was performed during CPB. The PeCPBCO(2) was measured by an infrared multigas analyzer with the sampling line connected to the scavenging port of the oxygenator. Values for PaCPBCO(2) from the arterial outflow to the patient and PeCPBCO(2) during CPB at various oxygenator arterial temperatures were collected and compared. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance with 1-way repeated measures and post hoc pair-wise Tukey testing when appropriate. The differences between PaCPBCO(2) and PeCPBCO(2) were linearly regressed against temperature. A p value <0.05 was considered significant.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Three to 5 data sets during CPB were collected from each patient. The mean gradient between PaCPBCO(2) and PeCPBCO(2) was positive 12.4 +/- 10.0 mmHg during the cooling phase and negative 9.3 +/- 9.9 mmHg during the rewarming phase, respectively. On regression of the data, the difference between PaCPBCO(2) and PeCPBCO(2) shows a good correlation with the change in temperature (r(2) = 0.79). The arterial CO(2) +/- x mmHg can be predicted by the formula PaCPBCO(2) = (-2.17x + 69.2) + PeCPBCO(2), where x is temperature in degrees C.

CONCLUSIONS
Monitoring the mean expired CO(2) value from the CPB oxygenator exhaust scavenging port with a capnography monitor provides a continuous and noninvasive data source to aid in sweep flow CPB circuit management during CPB.


This article reports the results of the research "Strengthening the development of generic competences in university students from an external evaluation model", developed from a qualitative approach, with design of educational research-action with teachers of the Bachelor's degree program Early Childhood Education of the San Gil University Foundation (Unisangil). As a result, an educational strategy was designed to strengthen generic competencies in students of academic programs of a Colombian higher education institution, especially for the design and application of classroom activities from the updating of documents that support the curriculum and a guide. to guide the process. It was concluded that making use of both the generic competences proposed by the Icfes and the competences assumed by the IES, in the design of syllables and work plans, is useful for the execution and monitoring of classroom activities and learning.


UNLABELLED
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a multisystem, autoimmune disease characterised by generalised desiccation, exocrine hypofunction and serologic abnormalities. Last year we showed that the antibodies which are quasi-specific for diagnosis of SS, anti SS-A/Ro and anti SS-B/La, were present in the saliva of patients with this disease.

OBJECTIVE
To determine their presence in patients who complain of dry mouth and dry eyes.

SETTING
The study was conducted at the School of Dental Medicine, SUNY at Stony Brook.

PATIENTS
There were 49 patients (Mean Age = 54 +/- 13 years).

TESTS
Serum was analysed for the SS and other antibodies with "Western Blot Autoantibody Strips".

RESULTS
The findings showed that there was a strong correlation between the presence of the SS antibodies in the serum and the saliva. The SS antibodies were primarily found in the saliva of the patients whose resting and stimulated, whole saliva, flow rates were abnormally low. Antibodies to other autoimmune disease (lupus, scleroderma and mixed connective tissue disease) were also found in whole saliva.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings in Part 1 of this study, of patients who had complained of dry mouth and dry eyes, suggest that those patients, who demonstrated low resting and stimulated flow rates and had lacrimal hypofunction, suffered from SS. The observation in this paper, that the whole saliva of these patients contains the SS antibodies, confirms this diagnosis. The data suggest that whole saliva can be used to establish the diagnosis of SS and other autoimmune diseases.


The author presents a knowledge-base design for problem representation and modeling support which provides an integrated (unified) environment for the organization, manipulation, and management of data, problems, and models; that represents knowledge at the conceptual-schema level and at the data structure level; and supports multiple levels of abstraction for problem/model representation. He proposes an extended entity-relationship model for the conceptual-schema representation, and an object-oriented model for the data structure representation. The mapping from the E/sup 2/R model to the object-oriented representation is quite natural. Problem representation, model building, and decision support under this approach are based on modeling by deduction which is implemented using three processes: instantiation, inheritance, and specialization.<<ETX>>


CEOs are on edge from a series of shocks: the dotcom meltdown; post-9/11 market drop; Enron; and a declining global economy. To make matters worse, there's increasing resistance as U.S. companies try to expand globally. What's the answer? You must create a business that can adapt quickly and flexibly to change, says the author. And the way to do it is to inject innovation into decision making throughout your company. Here are some strategies that work. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of life in near-poor elderly living alone and experiencing depression. We focused on their lived experiences so that we could understand the essential structure of what kind of life they live. The eligible population included those aged 65 or older, showing 9 points or higher in the Korean form of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS), currently living alone for more than 1 year, having no problems of communication difficulties, and nationally defined as a near-poor group. A purposive sample of 8 seniors enrolled in s mental health welfare center in Incheon Metropolitan City were recruited. The phenomenological approach suggested by Colaizzi was used. Data was collected from May 2018 to October 2019 through in-depth interviews. As a result of the study, 6 categories, including 48 themes and 19 theme clusters, were drawn from the data: 'a shabby life that cannot live without help', 'a life where the body and mind are sick', 'a life that wants to be self-reliant', 'a life of gratitude', 'a life with inner peace', and 'a life that needed institutional support.' Findings of this study can be evidence for developing suitable emotional support programs for the near-poor elderly living alone and to enact various welfare laws and policies at the national level.


Enterprise Systems Education For Africa (ESEFA) partner, University of Ibadan (UI), has rigourously and enthusiastically promoted the knowledge of Enterprise Systems to students by organizing training sessions. The training sessions have been well attended and successes recorded. In order to meet growing demand, the UI-ESEFA team needed to evaluate the performance of the participants in the training and identify factors that reduce excellent academic performance. This work is an evaluation of three of the four training sessions held using class size, scores and gender as parameters. The data used was collected from registration data and the ESEFA website. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics. The results indicate that gender does not affect the success potential of a participant but the class size will.


In this article, emphasis is given to the cultural or symbolic dimension of work organization and industrial relations style in order to find a fuller explanation for the low participation of women in trade unions. To show the significance and operation of this dimension, the article concentrates on the description and analysis of an illuminating situation, the Gear freezing works in 1975.


Five hundred seventy CD-1 mice were divided equally by gender and assigned to three groups of 70 per gender and one group of 75 per gender. The first three groups were dosed via oral intubation at 0, 0.5, and 2.0 mg/kg/day while the larger groups were dosed at 4.5 mg/kg/day. Observations were made twice daily and blood smears taken at 12 and 18 months. All animals were sacrificed at 18 months; organs were weighed and examined grossly and microscopically. Treated animals showed decreased body weight gain and male mice demonstrated increased mortality, particularly at the high-dose level. Gross and microscopic lesions were not obviously dose dependent. In this study, acrolein was not shown to have oncogenic properties.


Diseases of the heart and blood vessels are the number one causes of patient mortality in the United States. Of these conditions, myocardial infarctions, more commonly known as heart attacks, are the most feared of cardiovascular pathologies. The American Heart Association has dedicated billions of dollars over the past four decades to basic science and clinical research to help prevent and treat heart attacks. Detailed assessment of three dimensional stress, strain, and deformation histories is important because it has been noted that reduced transmural strain and left ventricular torsion may be indicative of myocardial infarction resulting from ischemia [1]. Previous studies have been limited to clinical and experimental modalities of study. With the evolution of high speed computers and finite element softwares, detailed and effective biomechanical modeling of complex physiological systems such as the heart have been undertaken. The objective of this study is to utilize finite element analysis to assess local and global deformation and stress patterns in normal vs. imposed conditions of myocardial infarction. Such knowledge obtained a priori could be utilized by cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists to improve the efficacy of treatment and treatment options for patients suffering from heart disease.


Background: Intestinal obstruction, which affects patients of all ages, is described as a stoppage of the forward passage of contents inside the intestinal lumen.
Aim: This paper aims to analysis of the causes of intestinal obstruction in children to see the impact of the results on healthy life.
Patients and methods: This study was detected the causes of intestinal obstruction and how the effect on children as well as to see the impact of the results on healthy life conducted in different hospitals in Iraq from 14th January 2021 to 7th March 2022 with 42 cases for intestinal obstruction of children patients who under 14 years. The methodology outcomes were designed and analysed by the SPSS program.
Results and discussion: Intestinal obstruction is a prevalent issue in the field of paediatric surgery, affecting children of various age groups. In contrast, previous studies have reported the highest incidence of intestinal obstruction to be under the age of one to two years old; however, our findings indicate that it is predominantly observed in children under the age of 14, with peak occurrence in infancy, consistent with similar reports documented in other regions of the country. Interestingly, only two patients, which accounted for a mere 1.54% of the sample, manifested obstructed umbilical hernia. In this study, a greater frequency of postoperative complications related to sepsis was observed. Predominantly, surgical infection was the most prevalent, followed by Septicemia and postoperative pyrexia as the other common occurrences.
Conclusion: The study found that most impacted of intestinal obstructions are more common and that these acquired causes are mostly upper gastrointestinal in origin. In comparing with the last studies, the pattern and clinical presentation of intestinal obstruction are similar across Iraq. The negative outcomes of complications refer that Surgical infection (20%) and Postoperative fever (16%) got the high impact on children that occur with 36 % of patients after the operation was conducted.


We propose an unsupervised method for eigen tree hierarchies and quantisation group association for segmentation of corrosion in marine vessel hull inspection via camera images. Our unsupervised approach produces image segments that are examined to decide on defect recognition. The method generates a binary decision tree, which, by means of bottom-up pruning, is revised, and dominant leaf nodes predict the areas of interest. Our method is compared with other techniques, and the results indicate that it achieves better performance for true- vs. false-positive area against ideal (ground truth) coverage.


Specific steps to restructure the work of the pedagogical educational institutions were made during the initial stages of the implementation of school reform. They involved a gradual transition to a five-year course of instruction in a number of specialties, the introduction of a new logical schema of the psychological-pedagogical disciplines in the curricula, enlargement of the list of sociopolitical subjects, the organization of continuous student teaching, and other innovations designed to perfect the organization and content of education. At the same time, measures were undertaken to train teacher cadres with a higher and secondary specialized education, to enhance the role played by universities in the reproduction of specialists for public education, and to increase appropriations allocated to strengthen the base of the pedagogical institutes and teacher training schools and provide technical support.


Today, information and communication technology (ICT), that covers a wide plethora of various software applications and hardware devices, plays role as an integrated part and routine of the everyday lives, hence rapidly changing the manner of approaching to the useful information. In order to function effectively in the contemporary digital society, individuals need appropriate skills to be digitally literate and these skills need to be updated for information evaluation and knowledge gathering. Beside these digital literacy skills, another skills covering the ability to obtain, read, understand, and use healthcare information for addressing or solving various health problems are needed. In order to increase these both skills between population, especially between people with disabilities and elderly people, easiest way is to provide e-learning courses. Choosing the appropriate learning management system (LMS) in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standard in order to increase the digital and health literacy is a challenging task. In this paper we analyze and compare the key differences of the 8 most commonly used LMSs, according to the WCAG standard predefined criteria.


The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is widely accepted as a diagnostic test used to evaluate the presence of lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) in patients with symptoms of intermittent claudication or rest ischemia.1–3 However, the majority of patients with PAD are asymptomatic; therefore, measurement of the ABI only when prompted by symptoms will result in most cases of PAD going unrecognized.4

Article see p 2053

The measurement of the ABI in patients without symptoms of PAD is controversial. In 2005, the United States Preventative Services Task Force assigned a "D" recommendation to screening for PAD, a grade indicating minimal benefit and possible harm.5 This recommendation was based on evaluation of limb outcomes such as claudication, amputation, and impaired ambulation. However, most patients with PAD do not go on to have major adverse limb outcomes.1 They do, however, have an excessively high burden of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In this issue of Circulation , Diehm and colleagues6 make an important contribution to the mounting evidence that screening for PAD in asymptomatic individuals be considered in terms of cardiovascular and not limb outcomes.7 They report 5-year outcomes in the German Epidemiological Study on Ankle Brachial Index (getABI), an ongoing prospective observational cohort study on the prognosis of elderly (aged ≥65 years) individuals with a low ABI compared with those with a normal ABI. Twenty-one percent of subjects screened had PAD, and the presence of PAD was associated with a >2-fold adjusted risk of death or severe vascular events. In persons with PAD, the risk of death or a severe coronary or cerebral vascular event was 3-fold that of a peripheral vascular event. Their findings reinforce the concept that the measurement of the ABI in selected patients as part of primary care practice would identify a significant …


Advancements in deep learning have enabled the development of effective solutions to different real-world problems. In this paper, we propose a deep learning model for malware detection in computing and network systems. The architecture of our proposed system consists of three modules, namely Image auto-encoder, Text auto-encoder, and GAN. Any incoming application should go through a proxy to create a log file. The log files that contain API call sequences are used to generate image and text representations that capture the dynamic behavior of the malware. Our system integrates the features from image and text auto-encoder into a single feature vector. The feature vector extracted is individually used to classify whether the log file is from a malware application. We have created a new dataset containing different newly generated malware of similar distribution. In the detection phase, the incoming log file is converted into a single feature vector by the same method as in generation. Based on the similarity index between the newly generated malware and incoming file, log files are classified as malware or benign. Thus, the newly generated dataset serves as a comparison base for the classification of log files. We have evaluated our system through a test dataset by comparing it with the newly generated malware.


Family food security is the ability of the household to secure enough food to meet nutrient requirements of all family members. This infers that food in terms of quality, quantity, safety, cultural acceptance, and future expectations are secured. The objective of the study is to study the food and nutrition security at Household level in selected families and to study the factors influencing the Food Security. Participants were selected from two taluks namely Karkala and Moodbidri from Dakshina Kannada. 350 families from each taluk formed the population, men and women heads aged more than 35 years were interviewed. Standard schedules were used to elicit information. Demographic profile including education and occupation, anthropometric measurements, weight, height, waist and hip circumference and MUAC were measured using standard procedures and equipments. 97% of the families with high economic status were secured, where in lower to the extent of 55%. Vegetarians and non vegetarian consuming families (72-76%) were secured. The food security among labourers (men v/s women) was 42 and 62%. And retired were satisfactorily secured. More than 50% of the educated females were secured. It is obvious in our findings that monitoring food security can help to identify and understand the basic aspect of well-being of the population and to identify population subgroups or regions with unusually conditions. The measurement of food security is crucial for projection of the need to introduce and monitor intervention programs by national and agencies.


The article analyzes the causes of water resources shortage and water quality pollution at the present time, puts forward countermeasures and advice from several aspects, such as strengthening management of pollution source, constructing environment establishment in small towns, controlling agricultural pollution, enhancing utilization efficiency, strengthening publicity force of environmental protection, etc.


Electroantennograms (EAG) were recorded from, and behavior observed of female apple maggot flies, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in response to over 60 individual esters. For acetates through decanoates, 2 methylbutyrates, and isobutyrates, we tested homologous series of systematically altered chain lengths. Most of the compounds had been isolated from behaviorally active fractions derived from extracts of volatiles produced by host fruits of R. pomonella. For the acetates through hexanoates, maximum EAG amplitudes were elicited by esters with chain lengths of 9 carbons and for the heptanoates through nonanoates, by 10 carbon esters. Recovery time, or the rate at which the EAG trace returned to the baseline following maximum depolarization, was slowest for straight chain esters that were 9–11 carbons long. Branching of the chain by addition of a methyl group to either side of the ester resulted in a decline in amplitude and a faster recovery time. Compared to EAG results, only 5 esters (butyl and pentyl hexanoate; propyl and butyl heptanoate; propyl octanoate) were highly active in wind tunnel bioassays, demonstrating (1) the hazard of assigning significance to EAG‐active compounds without accompanying behavioral data, but more importantly; (2) a high degree of olfactory specificity. Maximum behavioral response was contingent upon the following rules regarding size and structure of the molecule. The ester must (1) be a straight chain; (2) be 10–11 carbons in length; (3) have an acid portion of 6–8 carbons and an alcohol portion of 3–5 carbons. One of the active esters, butyl hexanoate, appears in significant concentrations in the headspace of host fruit and, because this ester elicits such a pronounced behavioral response, our results suggest that R. pomonella is adapted to perception of a compound that is typical of its hosts.


Ultrastructural studies of celery (Apium graveolens L.) root cells parasitized by Longidorus apulus revealed paramural bodies between the cell wall and the plasmalemma 7 days after inoculation with the nematode. After 15 days irregular thickenings and protrusions of the cell wall were also observed at the edge of the feeding site of the nematode (lysogenous cavity). The cells surrounding this feeding site are hypertrophied with numerous lamellar bodies. The possible function of the cellular ingrowths is discussed.


Purpose – Leadership is as widely used as it is misused and misunderstood. This paper seeks to argue that in an educational context it is important not only to revisit and reframe conceptions of leadership but also to see it as having an essentially subversive purpose. The paper aims to dicuss subversion in an intellectual, moral and political sense, as a sacred mission to confront the "noble lies" of politicians, the superficiality of the designer culture and the line of least resistance opted for by overworked and demoralised teachers.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical base for this paper is a seven‐country three‐years study entitled Leadership for Learning which brought together staff from 24 schools in seven countries to explore the connections between learning and leadership and to arrive at some common understanding which could be tested in practice across national and linguistic boundaries.Findings – While recognising the unique contexts and differing cultural traditions as diverse as thos...


With the constant study and application of firefighting information technology, the pattern of studying fire simulation analysis and firefighting command decision respectively is gradually revealed more drawbacks. In this paper based on analyzing the drawbacks in traditional pattern of both calling the fire police and fire fighting dispatch, the integration pattern is presented. On the basis of visualization of the primary information, GIS technology is applied to build urban fire simulation and emergency command system. A series of critical technologies is established, including heavy regional fire spread dynamic simulation analysis under the complicated conditions, prediction and evaluation of fire loss,and decision model of fire fighting emergency command, etc.


Multilayer 2G high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes undergo various mechanical loading steps as part of a superconducting magnet operation. The mechanical loading steps include cool-down to cryogenic temperatures and Lorentz forces when powering up the magnets. Studying the mechanical behavior of the constituent layers in a HTS tape can reveal the strain or stress level in each layer and help in predicting the probability of mechanical failure or critical current degradation. A detailed finite element method (FEM)-based simulation models enable us to estimate the mechanical behavior in each layer. However, defining the model parameters for material mechanical properties or thickness of each material layer can have considerable uncertainty due to variation in manufacturing processes and missing measurements of material properties within these tapes. The material properties in thin layers may not exactly comply with bulk materials of the same kind. In this paper we present a sensitivity analysis for mechanical behavior dependence on material properties variation in the constituent layers of a HTS tape. The results give important insight about the accuracy and reliability of mechanical simulation results and guide the priorities in future material characterization. In addition, we will investigate the effect of the thickness of Hastelloy layer on effective macroscopic mechanical behavior of the tape. A nonlinear elastoplastic FEM model is used for performing the simulations.


The structural requirements for potent channel blocking activity are much wider than the limited spectrum prescribed by the natural products. We have described, among others, analogues in which the aromatic chromophore may be one of a range of hydroxylated phen Ipropanoic, cinnamic, or benzoic acid derivatives linked only to a polyamine. i rom the accumulated activity data, 7 hese include the nature of the aromatic residue, an apparent B y essential chain between the afore-mentioned structural features. 1y he majority of our atterns within the observed structural variations are beginnin to emerge.


The advent of the prosthetic heart valve has dramatically transformed the outcome of valvular heart disease. Valve replacement is frequently life-saving and following implantation most patients experience a marked improvement in their symptomatic state and quality of life. The most common bioprosthesis currently implanted in Scotland is the Carpentier-Edwards bioprosthetic heart valve. However, dramatic as its influence on the outcome of valvular heart disease has been, there is a major problem associated with this prosthesis: gradual tissue degeneration leads to valvular dysfunction. Generally this is due to tom leaflets or as a result of leaflet calcification leading to valvular regurgitation or stenosis. Ultimately, this deterioration limits the duration of the period of implantation. As a result of the inevitable patient risk associated with the Carpentier-Edwards bioprosthesis, reliable, periodic, post-operative evaluation of the integrity of the implanted valve is essential. The research detailed in this thesis proposes a method whereby diagnostic information concerning the functionality of the valve is extracted from the acoustic output produced by the operation of the prosthesis. This is achieved by analysing the spectral characteristics of the principal heart sound components contained within this acoustic signal. The aim of this investigation is to identify normally functioning and dysfunctioning prostheses by examination of this diagnostic information and ultimately to predict impending valve failure. As a clinical physiological measurement technique for periodically monitoring patients with implanted Carpentier-Edwards bioprostheses, frequency analysis of valve sounds is particularly attractive as it is noninvasive, passive and atraumatic, especially when compared to traditional evaluation procedures. A data-acquisition system was designed and developed which records and digitises the sounds produced by implanted bioprostheses using the Hewlett Packard 21050A phonocardiographic contact microphone. Heart sounds were recorded from sixteen patients with implanted mitral Carpentier-Edwards bioprostheses and from twenty-four patients with implanted aortic Carpentier-Edwards prostheses. The acquired sounds were preprocessed which involved filtering to accentuate the principal components and automatic extraction of the relevant sounds from each recording for subsequent frequency analysis. Various spectral estimation techniques were investigated with a view to assessing the performance and suitability of these methods when analysing the heart sound signal. Algorithms implemented were: classical Fourier transform-based methods and high-resolution parametric techniques based on autoregressive-moving average (ARMA) models, autoregressive (AR)/linear-prediction analysis and a damped sinusoidal Prony model. Results are presented which illustrate the performance of these signal processing techniques over the range of recorded sounds and demonstrate the diagnostic potential of frequency analysis. Examination of the sound spectrum revealed features of diagnostic significance such as the dominant frequency peaks, their relative intensities and metrics associated with the overall spectral profile of the sound spectrum. These features were able to discriminate between physiological and pathological functionality. Results show that normally functioning, leaky and stiffening prostheses each exhibit unique spectral characteristics. Normally functioning aortic prostheses are characterised by four to five dominant frequency peaks, with the major concentration of spectral energy occurring in the region between 25Hz and 125Hz. Normally functioning mitral prostheses are characterised by two to three dominant peaks with the major concentration of spectral energy occurring in the region between d.c. and 100Hz. For leaky regurgitant bioprostheses and prostheses diagnosed as having stiffening calcified cusps, a shift was observed in spectral energy. For leaky mitral and aortic prostheses, the major distribution of spectral energy now occurs in the region between d.c. and 75Hz, whereas for stiffening aortic prostheses, the major concentration of spectral energy now occurs in the region between 50Hz and 200Hz. It was observed that the highest frequency which occurs at a level of -10dB below the maximum spectral response (0dB), may be used to discriminate between normally functioning, leaky and stiffening aortic prostheses, where mean frequencies for these conditions at the -10dB level were observed to be 113.6Hz, 53.7Hz and 238.1Hz respectively. A single discriminating parameter was not observed from the analysis of mitral sounds.


The present invention provides an ion exchange capacity of 1.7meq / g or more, and is selected from the N, N- dimethylformamide, N- methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, N, N- dimethyl acetamide, sulfolane, and γ- butyrolactone solvent is made of at least one 1 mass% solution in 40 ℃ reduced viscosity of at least 160ml / g of the polymer electrolyte. Or to provide an ion exchange capacity of 1.7meq / g or more, and is selected from the N, N- dimethylformamide, N- methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide 1 is made of at least one solvent when mass% solution in 40 ℃ reduced viscosity of at least 160ml / g of the polymer electrolyte.


Provided is a disc centrifuge which can be continuously operated over an extended period of time even to treat such a liquid as residual fuel oil having a high water content, and thereby significantly increase the amount of the liquid to be treated. This separation plate type centrifugal separator includes: a coupling pipe (63) which interconnects a second centripetal pump (59) and an untreated-liquid supply pipe (51), and which returns cleansed oil back into a separation chamber (55); a pressure sensor (64) which is provided on the coupling pipe (63) to sense the pressure of the cleansed oil (L) or separated water (H) in the coupling pipe (63); a first valve (66) for closing the coupling pipe (63) in response to a first trigger value from the pressure sensor (64); a discharge pipe (68) which is branched upstream of the first valve (66) from a coupling pipe (63); and a second valve (69) for opening the discharge pipe (68) in response to a second trigger value from the pressure sensor (64) in order to discharge the separated water (H).


A solid state laser includes a crystal wafer (2) as active medium whose one flat side (4) is totally reflective, as well as a resonator mirror (10) having a partially transmitting end mirror (10a) and at least one folding mirror (10b) that is spatially separated from the crystal wafer (2) are arranged and whose optical axes (12a and 12b) inclined to the center axis (14) of the crystal wafer (2) extend such that the inside of the resonator mirror (10) propagating laser beam (LS) onto the folding mirror (10b) under an oblique angle (β


Organic electronic materials embody the potential of application-driven material science. Their advantages in cost, pro-cessability, and diversity make them attractive for innumer-able applications, such as photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and a host of transistor-based devices. [1] In order to efficiently and profitably incorporate them into commercial devices, however, a number of chemical, morphological, and fabrication issues need to be addressed. In particular, while one of the most attractive aspects of organic electronic materials – so-called "functionality by design" – promises to ultimately produce high-efficiency lighting and energy harvesting, little more than heuristic structure/property relationships have been developed for their design. One of the barriers to the successful relation of microscopic molecular and structural characteristics to their macroscopic properties is the separation of many of the aforementioned fabrication issues, especially in the context of polycrystalline active-layer devices.


Aluminum MMCs are preferred to other conventional materials in the fields of aerospace, automotive and marine applications owing to their improved properties like high strength to weight ratio, good wear resistance etc. In the present work an attempt has been made to synthesize Al6061-Al2O3 particulate metal matrix composites by liquid metallurgy route (stir casting technique). The addition level of reinforcement was 0, 6 and 9wt%. For each wt%, reinforcement particles were dispersed in steps of three into molten Al6061 alloy. Microstructural analysis was carried out for the above prepared composites to reveal distribution of particles. The prepared composites are subjected to the mechanical testing as per the ASTM standards. Microstructural characterization revealed fairly uniform distribution and some amount of grain refinement in the specimens. The Micro-Vickers hardness of the composite was found to increase with increase in filler content in the composite. The tensile strength of the composites was also found to increase confirming the enhancement of the mechanical properties.


In the title compound, C9H8N2OS, the benzothiophene ring is substituted with amino, oxo and carbonitrile groups. The thiophene ring is essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0003 Å), while the cyclohexene ring is in a half-chair conformation. In the crystal, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds generate chains of molecules in a zigzag pattern along the b axis. Pairs of N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds form centrosymmetric head-to-head dimers about inversion centres, corresponding to an R 2 2(12) graph-set motif. In addition, rather weak N—H⋯S interactions are also present in the structure and the supramolecular assembly is further consolidated by π–π stacking interactions between the benzothiophene rings, disposed at a distance of 3.742 (3) Å.


Automatic classification of grain warehousing is a long-standing problem, particularly for soybean. Automatic classification of soybean brought a series of questions such as warehousing, discharging, storage and processing. To solve these problems, we analyzed the status quo of anti-grading technology and device at home and abroad, and proposed an anti-grading device that consisted of warehousing distributor and multi-channel feeding tube. We changed the traditional single-point discharge to a more coordinated discharge, and reduced the work of topping barn and the phenomenon of grain gradation. From the tests and analysis of single-tube and multi-tube inside and outside warehouse repeatedly, we confirmed the reasonable parameters, and acquired practical achievement of the anti-grading of soybean storage. It has some practical application value.


Abstract ''Low-frequency'' megahertz dynamics observed at temperatures 77K≤T≤150 K for the Nb ions in KTN were caused by the reorientation of the quadrupole moments of these ions. An estimate of the activation barrier U≃200K was obtained, and the dilatation components of the elastic moment of the Nb ions in KTN (Ω1 = 1. 6 eV) and Li ions in KTL (Ω1 = 1. 4 eV) were found.


Objective The overall aim of the research was to investigate the approaches taken to tobacco education by primary school teachers. Setting Research was conducted in four diverse areas of Scotland. Methods Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with primary 6 and primary 7 teachers. Questions explored the classroom issues perceived by teachers when delivering tobacco education and focused particularly on teachers' responses to pupils from smoking households. Results Smoking was presented as a matter of personal choice, with teachers claiming impartiality, but this created a paradox as they attempted to deliver a strong anti-smoking message. Commonly, teachers held outdated views of peer pressure as a coercive force, and strove to develop strategies to withstand or avoid such situations. Few understood the active choices that young people make within their social context. A number of problems were identified in delivering tobacco education to children of smoking parents, which often resulted in these children being subject to a diluted health message. A minority of schools took a more proactive approach which is examined here. Conclusion Health educators should work with schools to develop teaching methods and materials which realistically appraise the choices young people face. More 'honest' approaches which acknowledge the pleasure, need and social significance of smoking would better equip pupils to examine the issues, and would have more relevance for pupils whose parents and siblings smoked.


Objective To investigate the effect of HCV infection on cellular immunity function of patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Methods ELISA and RT PCR were used to detect serum anti HCV and HCV RNA, ELISA was used to detect serum sIL 2R,IL 6 and TNF α levels in 62 HD patients. Results 27 patients (43.6%) were anti HCV IgM positive, 29 (46.8%) were anti HCV IgG positive, 34 were HCV RNA positive, the total positivity of HCV was 59.7%(37/62), when comparing with the control group, serum sIL 2R, IL 6 and TNF α levels were significantly higher in the HD group ( P 0.01); while comparing with the HCV negative group, the serum sIL 2R, IL 6 and TNF α levels were also significantly higher ( P 0.01).Conclusion The results suggested that cellular immunodeficiency was present in HD patients and was further deteriorated with in positive HCV infection.


Just in Time (JIT) concepts are believed to overcome the problems, particularly those concerned with inventory. Since there are three main factors that affects inventory i.e. lead time, batch size and volatility of demand, JIT implementation reduce these factors by reducing lead times and batch size as well as stabilizing demand. Shorter lead time results in quicker response to rapid changing demand as well as lower inventory. Smaller batch sizes can cause smoother production flow, resulting in shorter lead time as well as lower inventory. Finally, more stable demand requires less buffer stocks as well as providing smoother production flow. In this work, a tablet drug item (blend) was selected as a trial or a pilot project. This research equally developed a discrete event simulation model to study Just-In-Time Supply Delivery System (JSS). The connections between JSS and manufacturing system under real time operations are studied. The study identifies interesting inventory dynamics and factors that contribute to this behaviour. Results from the work reveal that although the overall defective rate in each item is around 5%, the Drug Process Plant is still expected to improve its quality performance because in the JIT system, reducing variability of the defects is also far more important rather than just reducing the percentage of defects.


Abstract Objective To explore the experiences of women with obesity regarding self-care and the care provided by their families and health team after childbirth. Methods A clinical qualitative study performed at the Postnatal Outpatient Clinic of Hospital da Mulher, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. The sample was selected using the saturation criteria, with 16 women with obesity up to 6 months after childbirth. Results The analysis comprised three categories: 1) postnatal self-care; 2) family support for woman after childbirth; and 3) postnatal health care service for women with obesity. Conclusion Women with obesity need support from the health team and from their families after childbirth, when they are overwhelmed by the exhausting care for the newborn. The present study reveals how important it is for health care professionals to broaden their perception and care provided after childbirth for women with obesity so they may experience an improvement in their quality of health and of life.


This paper presents a framework for assessing climate suitability for crop growing at different geographic locations. For a particular geographic location, climate suitability is defined as its ability to satisfy the climate requirements of particular crops. It is obviously crop-specific and can be expressed as the extent to which the natural climatic conditions satisfy crop growth requirements. Issues that arise when applying the framework to a particular location include selecting major climatic factors that predominantly affect particular crops, weighting importance values of individual factors, setting assessment sets and specifying climatic factor criteria for particular crops, formulating assessment matrixes, and calculating climate suitability for each crop. Based on previously published studies, the assessment of climate suitability for orange (Citrus aurantium) and tea (Camellia sinensis) plants growing at different elevations on the northwards slope of Wuyi Mountain, China illustrates elements of the proposed approach.


The reason of low efficiency in the period of collectivization is that agricultural product price and production plan control system lead to incompatibility of incentive Laziness is farmers' rational refection of resources optimization.Lin Yifu's conclusion that exit right results in low efficiency is wrong.


In this experiment, we created a Multiple-Input Neural Network, consisting of convolutional and multilayer neural networks. With this setup the selected highest-performing neural network was able to distinguish variable stars based on the visual characteristics of their light curves, while taking also into account additional numerical information (e.g., period, reddening-free brightness) to differentiate visually similar light curves. The network was trained and tested on Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment-III (OGLE-III) data using all OGLE-III observation fields, phase-folded light curves, and period data. The neural network yielded accuracies of 89%–99% for most of the main classes (Cepheids, δ Scutis, eclipsing binaries, RR Lyrae stars, Type-II Cepheids), only the first-overtone anomalous Cepheids had an accuracy of 45%. To counteract the large confusion between the first-overtone anomalous Cepheids and the RRab stars we added the reddening-free brightness as a new input and only stars from the LMC field were retained to have a fixed distance. With this change we improved the neural network's result for the first-overtone anomalous Cepheids to almost 80%. Overall, the Multiple-input Neural Network method developed by our team is a promising alternative to existing classification methods.


Motivated by growing doubts about the value of a welfare approach towards the processing of young offenders, law reformers in recent years have advocated a shift towards more traditional "justice" principles. This article examines the rhetoric of the "back to justice" trend in one Australian State, South Australia, where in 1976, a Royal Commission into juvenile justice argued in favour of a system which, at least at the adjudication stage, was based firmly on the notions of adversarial justice and due process. Central to this traditional approach is the trial where accused persons invoke their rights by pleading not guilty and putting the prosecution to the test. Yet, as this article demonstrates, the overwhelming majority of young persons in South Australia forego these rights by admitting the allegations made against them. Thus the rhetoric of adversarial justice and the Due Process Model is incompatible with the reality of the routine admission of guilt.


Laser processing of neat and gold-nanoparticle-functionalized ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles by nanosecond–355 nm or picosecond–532 nm light enabled control of photocurrent generation under simulated sunlight irradiation in neutral aqueous electrolytes. We obtained more than 2-fold enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2 nanoparticles upon irradiation by picosecond–532 nm pulses that healed defects. Laser processing and gold nanoparticle functionalization of ZnO and TiO2 nanomaterials resulted in color changes that did not originate from optical bandgaps or crystal structures. Two-dimensional photoluminescence data allowed us to differentiate and quantify surface and bulk defects that play a critical yet oft-underappreciated role for photoelectrochemical performance as sites for detrimental carrier recombination. We developed a detailed mechanistic model of how surface and bulk defects were generated as a function of laser processing parameters and obtained key insights on how these defects affected...


We studied the 3‐D shear wave velocity (Vs) structure in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) and adjacent onshore areas to 20 km depth by inverting Rayleigh wave dispersion extracted from the vertical components of continuous ambient seismic noise waveforms. The region is divided into three broad zones based on their Vs characteristics. In the northwest, the Grenville Province (i.e., the exposed edge of predominantly Middle‐Proterozoic Laurentian crust) is dominated by high Vs, except for well‐known anorthosite sites, which are characterized by relatively lower Vs. In contrast, the central segment of the GSL region corresponds to a belt with generally low Vs at upper crustal levels. In the southeastern part of the GSL, prominent low Vs in the uppermost crust are found to coincide with locations of subsidiary basins of the Canadian Maritime Basin, while higher Vs characterize the accreted Appalachian terranes where they are exposed on land. The Grenville Province is wedged out at depth by the Red Indian Line, which is the suture between composite Laurentia and peri‐Godwanan Ganderia in the Canadian Appalachians. The geometry and Vs characteristics of the south‐easternmost peri‐Gondwanan terranes of Avalonia and Meguma suggest that they may be fully or partially structurally overlying a basement with distinct seismic characteristics, which could be a vestige of the West African craton that was underthrust beneath composite Laurentia during the terminal Alleghenian continent‐continent collision. In the middle of the GSL, the 3‐D geometry of the Canadian Maritimes sedimentary basins overlying the Appalachian terranes shows that the depth to the top of basement is in excess of 8 km.


David Landreth's The Face of Mammon is a refreshing addition to the steadily growing body of scholarship on money in the literature of the early modern period. His approach to the topic is primarily philosophical rather than economic, which makes it particularly well suited to the sixteenth century, when political economy as a discipline did not yet exist. In response to inflation and the debasement of coin under Elizabeth's predecessors, midcentury writers concerned with the inequalities that troubled the commonwealth, like Thomas Smith and Hugh Latimer, had articulated a set of values that blended concerns about money and its debasement with issues of religious reform, social hierarchy, and ethics. By the end of the century, it had become clear that Elizabeth's attempts to reform coinage had failed and that commonwealth discourse offered no solutions to the crisis of coinage. It is at this cultural moment that a series of authors offered their interpretations of the significance of money, not just to the commonwealth but more generally as a tool with which to understand human relationships, power, and the place of the body in the material world. Refusing to discuss literary representations of money in belated economic terms, Landreth casts a net that is at once wider and narrower than is the case in many instances of new economic criticism. His treatment of ''Mammon,'' loosely defined as personifications of money and material coin itself, is informed by the theories of a variety of thinkers, from Aristotle and Freud to Georg Simmel. At the same time, he concentrates rigorously on a small number of canonical texts, mainly from the late sixteenth century. This means he does not address fascinating later treatments of money, such as Ben Jonson's The Alchemist (1610), with its rich personification of Mammon. But it also means that he is able to situate the literature very spe-


PurposeThe paper aims to explore the problems related to the financial management of municipal corporations in India and to suggest solutions.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on primary data collected from a sample of 577 employees of municipal corporations working in four metro cities of India, namely Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi. Data were put through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis for problem identification and inferences were classified and grouped to map the solutions for these problems.FindingsThe study found that municipal corporations in India face four major problems or issues in their financial management. These problems are mainly related to the four dimensions: Power, Interruptions, Finances, and Resources. The model used to explore these four types of issues is named as "PIFR model" by the author.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that real-world problems can be represented through a conceptual model that helps in identifying practical suggestions which can be implemented by municipal corporations at the ground level for better financial management.


A B S T R A C T Background: Acupuncture has been offered as an adjunct therapy in drug and alcohol withdrawal at the Community Residential Withdrawal Unit (CRWU), Western Hospital, Footscray, since 1996. Anecdotal reports from staff and clients indicate that acupuncture is a useful treatment approach, and, to investigate more thoroughly, a collaborative study was undertaken in 2007. Aims: To identify and explore client and staff perceptions of the benefits/limitations of acupuncture in the CRWU program. Design: Semi-structured interviews were used to capture data that would provide understanding of client and staff experiences of acupuncture. The data were analysed qualitatively to identify major themes. Participant selection criteria: Consenting in-patient clients at CRWU aged 18 years or over who had acupuncture during the period of the study, plus all clinical staff at CRWU who consented to participate in the study. Data analysis: Client and staff interview data were analysed using thematic content analysis to identify major themes and insights that related to the aims of the study. A comparative analysis of client and staff views, based on the two sets of data, was also undertaken to explore convergences and divergences of views. Results: The study found that there was a strong consensus amongst clients and staff interviewed that acupuncture was a beneficial therapy that had a relaxing effect with various 'flow-on' benefits such as decrease in anxiety and reduction of pain. Conclusion: Drug and alcohol treatment guidelines support the view that matching treatment approaches to individuals is critical to the success of returning clients to the community. It is also acknowledged that a combination of treatment regimes is a best-practice approach. This study reveals that staff and clients at CRWU believe that acupuncture is a beneficial non-pharmacotherapeutic approach in the treatment of drug and alcohol dependency. K e y W o R D S acupuncture, drug and alcohol, detox, withdrawal.


The subjectivity and Department Domination are two problems that almost all organization will be forced to deal with if they intend to implement the employee performance management activity~ To eliminate the infaust impact of the subjectivity aspects of Employee Performance Evaluation,the Forced Distribution Method are needed to be adopted.But the Employee Subjective Performance Evaluation under the Department Dominated Forced Distribution Method will cause the conflict between consequences of department performance and employee performance.By using of the reach method of try and error under the assumed restriction,this thesis is intended to enumerate the performance evaluation consequent under all possible performance evaluation institution,and compare them with the theoretical optimal ones,finally find the performance evaluation institution in practice under which the performance evaluation consequent is most close to the theoretical optimal ones. Although our research doesn't find the explicit optimal settlement,we at least make clear the approach to get that.Our conclusion is that,the balance between the evaluation cost and the risk of deviation of performance evaluation consequent from the theoretical optimal ones,and the conflict between consequences of department performance and employee performance can be eased,by properly control the amount of candidate for rewards and punishment object.


From a linguistic point of view, the city can be seen as a text, consisting of different components and structures being related to each other beyond a sentence. Looking at the city from this point of view, what establishes a syntactic relationship and cohesion and coherence of the components of the city as a common language is called the syntax of the city. Linguistic study of the text of the city requires a branch of linguistics called text linguistics including linguistic rules and elements beyond the sentence. Every literary text arises from the joining of a set of sentences; the relation of these sentences is not just as random as the components of the city text, but the set of all elements and components in a regular relationship creates a structured and coherent whole and provides a harmonious continuum based on certain principles and rules. The combination of these sentences in the city follows both syntactic and semantic rules. Using the principles and rules of linguistics, this paper introduces a methodology for physical and content analysis of the city applying this method for the study of Sar-Tapulah neighborhood of Sanandaj, which is one of the most important neighborhoods of the historical core of this city, in order to evaluate and analyze the criteria of its textuality using urban design techniques and tools. Applying a pathological approach towards this area the paper aims to come up with the strengths and weaknesses of Sar-Tapulah neighborhood based on the textuality criteria. Therefore, the textuality test has been done in this neighborhood based on seven textuality criteria (cohesion, coherence, intertextuality, acceptability, informativity, intention, situationality) using selected urban design techniques and tools. The research findings show Sar-Tapulah neighborhood weak in terms of textuality criteria, and this weakness is due to the deterioration of the neighborhood fabric and lack of attention to the structure of the neighborhood and textuality criteria in its related renovations.


AbstractIt is postulated that typical light water reactor (LWR) fuel pellets will crack after a few power cycles and that the majority of the pellet segments will lie against the cladding. When there is a nominal cladding-to-pellet gap at operating conditions, pellet cracking will improve the fuel-to-cladding gap conductance but will reduce the fuel thermal conductivity. A model that accounts for the effects of fuel pellet cracking on both fuel conductivity and gap conductance has been formulated. Fuel centerline temperature measurements were made during the steady-state irradiation in the Halden Heavy Boiling Water Reactor of four typical LWR-type test rods with varying fuel density and pellet-to-cladding gap sizes. Calculations using the cracked pellet model were compared to the in-pile temperature measurements, and good agreement was obtained.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an example of effective multi‐agency working between the statutory health services and the voluntary sector in the field of perinatal mental health.Design/methodology/approach – The Perinatal Support Project (PSP) is an example of an innovative voluntary sector solution to the twin problems of perinatal mental health and social exclusion. The paper explores the structure of the PSP in the context of perinatal mental health research before explaining the significance of the role of volunteer "befrienders" in alleviating maternal depression and reducing social isolation. The paper then presents data from the latest independent evaluation into the PSP before calling for more services of this nature.Findings – The paper highlights the individual success of the PSP model in alleviating maternal depression, improving mother‐baby attachment and reducing social isolation. It attests to the benefits of effective multi‐agency partnerships more generally.Originality/...


According to World Health Organization, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are considered as the epidemic of 21st century. The rising burden of obesity over the last few decades has resulted in ever-increasing prevalence of T2DM. Both obesity and T2DM are linked with insulin resistance which is a fundamental factor in the aetiology of T2DM. In obese individuals, adipose tissue particularly in visceral fat depots releases increased amount of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), hormones and pro-inflammatory cytokines that are strongly linked with the development of insulin resistance. The progressive rise in insulin resistance accompanied with impaired pancreatic betacells functions result in the failure to control glucose levels in obese patients. In addition, gene-environment interaction continues to be the most important factor in the pathogenesis of obesity and T2DM. In this review, we discuss the process linking obesity with T2DM.


The technique of diagramming arguments has been first used in a didactic text by the logician Whatley in 1850, and later employed by modern theorists of argumentation as Wigmore, Toulmin and Beardsley, to build their model of argument analysis. In recent times argument diagramming revealed to be of valuable support in various learning tasks, from collaborative problem-solving to individual analyses of reasoning patterns. Many software applications have been developed to facilitate the visualization of reasoning structures. This paper presents a taxonomy to steer through them teachers and researchers working in different "ill-defined domains", in order to capitalize the opportunities they give.


Abstract : A study was made of the techniques which have been utilized in fabricating cylindrical magnesium/magnesium perchlorate/m-dinitrobenzene dry cells on a laboratory scale in order to determine the principal features which require revision in adapting the procedures and construction to the methods of quantity production. As a result of the findings, a twin-shell liquid-solids blender, which in preliminary tests produced in a single operation a wet mix of satisfactory appearance and consistency, is being considered for use in preparing the depolarizer mixes. Comparison between the fold-over and the disk -and-washer separator systems will be made in a statistically designed experiment utilizing A-size cells. The experiment will include also an exploration of the effect of differences in the carbon black, the wetness level, and the gas-permeability of the carbon rod. (Author)


The paper deals with the analysis of the influencing factors in the procedure of manufacturing poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles for packaging of table oil - injection stretch blow moulding. The influence of individual manufacturing parameters on the quality guidelines important in the making of PET bottles for table oil packaging, final volume, and post-shrinkage have been studied. The influencing factors have been determined which affect the volume and shrinkage of PET bottles by using the central composite design.


In channeling financing to the construction sector at Bank NTB Syariah there are challenges and risks faced in its implementation, including because the project being financed cannot be completed on time, there are delays in payment or the project is not paid, construction activities are delayed due to the transmission rate of the Covid-19 virus . This study aims to determine the strategy of Bank NTB Syariah in channeling financing to the construction sector in dealing with existing challenges and risks. This study uses a qualitative descriptive research method which aims to explain the strategy of Bank NTB Syariah in increasing financing growth in the construction sector with challenges and risks. The sampling technique used in this study was snowball sampling, namely key informants would appoint people who knew the problem to be studied, the data collection technique used by researchers was to conduct in-depth interviews with all informants which were then documented in the form of sound recordings, personal notes, photos, and videos, the results of interviews with informants were then analyzed and explained. The results of the study explain that in implementing the distribution of financing to the construction sector at Bank NTB Syariah it is given to construction business actors/contractors who have project contracts whose funds are sourced from the government/private budget with the aim of infrastructure development projects, financing using musyarakah contracts, Bank NTB strategy Sharia in channeling construction sector financing by conducting in-depth analysis with several stages of the process, as well as mitigating risks in dealing with existing challenges and risks.


A complex interplay of socio-ecological drivers of change exists at the different spatiotemporal scales affecting environmental degradation. This is a key issue worldwide and needs to be understood to develop efficient management solutions. One of the most applied theories in the regional analysis is the U-shaped relationship between environmental degradation and the level of income in a given economic system or Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Specifically, the EKC hypothesis underlines the (potentially positive) role of formal responses to environmental degradation grounded on government policies that are usually more ambitious in wealthier economic systems. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the role of space in EKC, arguing that spatial variability in the environment–income relationship may indicate additional targets for integrated socio–environmental policies. We hypothesize that a spatially differentiated response to environmental degradation could better adapt to differentiated local contexts. Therefore, to achieve this goal, we present a multi-scale investigation of degradation processes at the local level, providing a refined knowledge of the environment–economy linkages considering more traditional, cross-country and cross-region exercises. Our results demonstrated that—together with temporal, sectoral, and institutional aspects—space and, consequently, the related analysis' spatial scales, are significant dimensions in ecological economics, whose investigation requires improvements in data collection and dedicated statistical approaches.


Golomb has covered the main previous results of tiling a rectangle with congruent polyominoes in the revised edition of "Polyominoes" (1994). This article attempts to summarise recent discoveries of many new examples of polyominoes which pack rectangles.


The successful development of expendable instruments in oceanography is certainly one of the most exciting advances in the rapidly evolving technology of oceanography. It appears that microelectronics may be especially well qualified in this field. The economics of ship operations and expediency tend to dictate this new development.


In reality, a low-spatial-resolution (LR) mixed pixel superimposes some high-spatial-resolution (HR) pixels, some of which are mixed and some of which are pure. In current fusion methods, mixed multispectral pixels are seldom discriminated from pure pixels and specifically processed. The resultant fused versions of the mixed pixels usually keep spectrally mixed and visually blurred. In this paper, for each spatially expanded mixed pixel, once the type of its corresponding HR pixel, soil or vegetation pixel, can be determined with reference to the relationship of panchromatic and multispectral images and with respect to the corresponding panchromatic pixel, its fused version may be spectrally un-mixed. In a test, the method proposed in this paper offered synthetic products with overall high spectral accuracy and had better sharpened visualization effects on some mixed boundary pixels than some current fusion methods.


In pulsed power applications like solid-state pulsed lase rs, the energy is first stored in large capacitor banks that are c harged using different types of power supplies. It is necessary to know var ious parameters like charging time and efficiency of such scheme s for the design and selection of components. Although it is possibl e to write analytical equations for these circuits, the solutions are too cumbersome due to the presence of rectifying diodes, which cont rol the direction and flow of current depending on their bias. They can be solved more easily using numerical methods and with th e use of digital computers. In this paper, we have considered chargi ng of capacitor banks by limiting the primary current with resistor , capacitor and inductor, charging by voltage doubler and by constant current technique. In each case, the equation governing the charg ing process is derived, algorithm suitable for computer solution i s given and numerical data is demonstrated for various values of components. This analysis will be extremely useful for getting understanding of charging process involved in various configurations of power supplies during the design of capacitor banks for energy storage.


ABSTACT Drawing on the concept of critical juncture, in this article we argue that the scale and impact of an 'extraordinary' event such as the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be understood in full without acknowledging the pre-existing conditions of a country and its path-dependent trajectory. Against this background, we first assess the institutional legacy of the Covid-19 crisis in Italy, analysing the evolution of political dynamics within the coalition government that led the country in 2020, as well as the governance capacity and legitimacy of the main political actors involved in the management of the pandemic. Second, to shed further light on how Covid-19 has impacted on the institutional dimension, we look at multilevel governance and the relationship between central and regional governments during the pandemic. We argue that the sudden and long-lasting 'shock' prompted by Covid-19 has disrupted the already fragile equilibria of the Italian system, impacting in a most profound way on its politics, institutions and society. And yet, while in the short term, the critical juncture of Covid-19 opened the way to new, unexpected changes, towards the end of the year pre-existing, systemic conditions prevailed.


Resulting from the spread of computer usage, substantial advances in the development of network technologies, and the increasingly common ability to connect to the Internet, today's world is undergoing a significant evolvement in the methods of communication. Aboard motor vessels, the widespread dependence on computer technology by various forms of equipment has created a need to be organically connected via onboard LAN in order to exchange information. This paper, then, proposes a practical Shipboard LAN System configuration based on the practical application of information obtained from usage aboard the Training Ship (TS) FUKAE MARU - the Kobe University training / research ship. Though fitted with a basic Shipboard LAN System that was up to date when the vessel was constructed approximately three decades ago, over time, as network demands have increased, improvements - such as a duplicate system for backup and the installation of Wi-Fi Access Points enabling connection at anywhere inboard ship this vessel - were made. As a result, the efficient utilization of the Shipboard LAN, all data - gathered in a server PC - is able to be delivered via the LAN and thereby realize an advanced navigation system. In addition to a description of the process and its results, a proposal for the practical usage of the Shipboard LAN System applications is presented.


The cell search method, a forward link frame transmission method, a device using the same and the forward link frame structure in an OFDM cellular system is disclosed. The cell search apparatus receives a signal corresponding to the forward link frame comprising a plurality of sync channel symbol interval is different between the synchronization channel symbols which are adjacent from each cell, and using the synchronization channel in the received signal, the synchronization channel symbol the synchronization acquisition unit for acquiring synchronization; And a boundary detector for detecting frame boundaries on the basis of the acquired synchronization, using the distance between the pattern of the synchronization channel symbols. According to the invention, it is possible to reduce a cell search time with low complexity.


I have been honored to serve as president over the past year and as a member of the Council since 2012. The opportunity to work with my fellow Council members, distinguished colleagues across the country, and superb administrative team constitutes one of the great privileges of my professional life.

I would happily conclude my tenure by enjoying our annual meeting's scientific sessions and then quietly returning home. But the burdensome tradition of delivering a presidential address carries on. Many past presidents have shared my consternation, perhaps best expressed by Dr. Holly Smith in his 1970 presidential address when he noted, "This rather strange custom is not embedded in the Bylaws of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Furthermore, casual perusal of the past fails to reveal any firm mandate transmitted from a grateful membership for this form of gratuitous pontification" (1).

I would add to Dr. Smith's trenchant remarks that the only firm mandate from the membership is that this address end in a timely fashion, and I intend to do so.

Having succumbed to the power of tradition, I set out to develop thoughtful remarks. Over the past few weeks, my children, who are both here today, watched me struggle at the keyboard. They observed with amusement but not surprise as I attempted to illuminate previously unappreciated philosophical insights. I say "without surprise" because like most young people they concluded some years ago that their father lacks a deep understanding of frankly anything, a view reaffirmed for them by my continued struggle.

I sought inspiration by reading previous presidential addresses. As I reviewed, it became clear that, while the elocutionary approach varied, recurrent themes dominated the discussion — reflective of the importance of some issues across generations. David Ginsburg, in his 2002 presidential address, provided quantitative data that the most common topics include (a) the future of the physician-scientist, (b) clinical investigation, (c) ASCI state of the union, (d) research funding, and (e) education/mentoring (2).

I found reading these previous addresses, and many, many more, to be simultaneously inspiring and disheartening. For everything I wished to say had been stated by others, more eloquently, and with more depth and insight than I could ever hope to achieve. This appreciation coupled with the recognition of myself as a utilitarian phenotype, unabashedly so, led me to abandon the well-stated, philosophical discourse as an approach. Rather, I chose to focus on three strategies that my colleagues and I have undertaken during my tenure. While each strategy may represent a modest advance, collectively they unite as a considered set of measures consonant with "Advancing the Mission" of the Society.


This article presents a switched MRAC controller for discre te-time piecewise linear systems. In the spirit of the work by Landau [ 1], the proof of asymptotic stability of the corresponding cl osed-loop error is carried out recasting its dynamics as a feedback system and s howing the appropriate passivity features of the feedforward and the feedback paths. The challenge lie s on the fact that both loops can be piecewise linear. Numerical results show excellent performance of th e proposed controller even in the face of sudden variations of the plant parameters. Copyright c © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


8. Steel, R. G. D., and Torrie, J. H., "Principles and Procedures of Statistics," McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1960. 9. U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service, Cotton Division, Cotton Testing Service: Tests Available, Equipment and Techniques, and Basis for Interpreting Results, USDA Handbook 594, 27 pp., 1982. 10. Wanjura, D. F., and Barker, G. L., Cotton Lint Yield Accumulation Rate and Quality Development, Field Crops Res. 10, 205-218 (1985).