A novel technique for the fast calculation of the scalar and dyadic Green's functions of a rectangular cavity resonator is presented. The integral equations satisfied by the quasi-static Green's functions are efficiently solved by combining classical image theory and a decomposition strategy: the proposed technique expresses the electric and magnetic potential produced by the periodic set of images in terms of two rapidly convergent series. The key feature of the presented method lies in the introduction of an auxiliar distribution of Gaussian sources which makes the convergence of the periodic potential to be exponential, thus dramatically reducing the computation effort of the implemented tool. Consequently, the proposed approach becomes an essential algorithm to be readily used in computer-aided-design tools for the efficient electromagnetic characterization of passive microwave devices.


Cochrane meta-analyses are considered the gold standard to assess public health interventions' benefits and risks. Cochrane reviews shall apply evidence-based medicine (EBM) methodology on the best available evidence; they shall adhere to strict ethical guidelines as authors of Cochrane reviews are supposed to not have bias, nor conflicts of interest. Our 6 years' documented case on the Cochrane human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines review demonstrates that Cochrane guidelines can fail. According to EBM standards, such relevant methodological and ethical flaws void Cochrane positive conclusions on HPV vaccines efficacy.

Cochrane published a review of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines on 9 May 2018.1 On 4 June, we submitted a detailed analysis of this review as a comment2 via the Cochrane website. Our comment highlights serious methodological flaws in the review: (A) studies' quality not properly assessed; (B) post hoc subgroup analyses presented as randomised controlled trial results; (C) reporting bias not acknowledged; (D) selective reporting not taken into consideration; (E) biased trial designs; (F) unpublished data not included; (G) conflict of interests (COI) in the authors' group; (H) n=7 studies on Gardasil included, n=18 for Cervarix—the latter not being marketed in the USA anymore.

On 27 July (almost 2 months after submission), while we were still waiting for our …


AbstractThis paper features the development of a probabilistic model linking freeze–thaw (F-T) performance of concrete mixtures to their composition. A sensitivity analysis was performed on several...


The mouse mutant ducky, a model for absence epilepsy, is characterized by spike-wave seizures and ataxia. The ducky gene was mapped previously to distal mouse chromosome 9. High-resolution genetic and physical mapping has resulted in the identification of theCacna2d2 gene encoding the α2δ2 voltage-dependent calcium channel subunit. Mutations in Cacna2d2 were found to underlie the ducky phenotype in the original ducky (du) strain and in a newly identified strain (du2J). Both mutations are predicted to result in loss of the full-length α2δ2 protein. Functional analysis shows that the α2δ2 subunit increases the maximum conductance of the α1A/β4 channel combination when coexpressedin vitro in Xenopus oocytes. The Ca2+ channel current in acutely dissociateddu/du cerebellar Purkinje cells was reduced, with no change in single-channel conductance. In contrast, no effect on Ca2+ channel current was seen in cerebellar granule cells, results consistent with the high level of expression of theCacna2d2 gene in Purkinje, but not granule, neurons. Our observations document the first mammalian α2δ mutation and complete the association of each of the major classes of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel subunits with a phenotype of ataxia and epilepsy in the mouse.


Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. ISSN: 0148-7043/21/8604–0487 DOI: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000002498 Annals of Plastic Surgery • Volume 86, Number 4, April 2021 Letters and Commentary


(S-Aminolevulinic acid (S-ALA) synthases from Protaminobacter ruber and Rhodopseudomonas spheroides were highly purified and characterized. The molecular weights of the <5-ALAsynthases from P. ruber and R. spheroides were estimated to be 97,000 and 87,000, respectively. The optimum pHwas about 8.0 for both enzymes. The P. ruber-enzymQ showed Kmsof 1.05mMfor glycine and 0.77 piM for pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP), while the R. spheroides-cnzyme showed Kmsof 8.33 mM for glycine and 15fiu for PLP. The P. ruber-enzyme was less stable during storage at 4°C or 37°C than the R. spheroides-enzyme. As to the effects of end-products, the P. ruber-enzyme wasnot inhibited by hemin, while the R.spheroides-enzymQ was considerably inhibited by hemin. A higher concentration of vitamin B12stimulated the reaction of the <5-ALAsynthases, especially the P. ruber-enzyme.


Look here for research help on topics covered in this course. Navigate through these online interactive activities, available through The Philosophy Magazine online, and discover how our philosophy determines our choices.


We consider cooperative multi-agent resource sharing problems over an undirected network of agents, where only those agents connected by an edge can directly communicate. The objective is to minimize the sum of agent-specific composite convex functions subject to a conic constraint that couples agents' decisions. A distributed primal-dual algorithm is proposed to solve the saddle point formulation, which requires to compute a consensus dual price for the coupling constraint. We provide convergence rates in sub-optimality, infeasibility and consensus violation for agents' dual price assessments; examine the effect of underlying network topology on the convergence rates of the proposed decentralized algorithm; and compare our method with Prox-JADMM algorithm on the basis pursuit problem.


In this paper, we investigate the problem of safety protection control for aero-engines. Without loss of generality, we consider one safety boundary which is the over-temperature. The outlet temperature of the high-pressure turbine, T35, is considered as the protected variable. Firstly, based on the switched equilibrium manifold expansion (SEME) model, the output, namely the protected temperature is modeled as a switched function. The switching law is on the basis of a proposed performance index which measures the accuracy of the expression for the temperature. Furthermore, based on the proposed output model, we construct an ideal temperature dynamic to design the temperature protection controller for any subsystem of the SEME model. The switching temperature protection controller can avoid the over-temperature for aero-engines effectively. Then we give a condition in order to guarantee the stability and safety simultaneously when the temperature protection controller takes over the aero-engine from the speed regulation controller. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a simulation of a two-spool turbofan engine model to verify the effectiveness.


A 51 year old woman presented to the emergency department after being found on the floor beside her bed—she had fallen and was unable to get up. She had no angina, palpitations, dyspnoea, nausea, diaphoresis, or loss of consciousness before, during, or after the fall. She reported difficulty passing urine for 4-6 weeks. Her history included hypercholestrolaemia, generalised anxiety disorder, and gastroesophageal reflux.

She had facial bruising and was unable to walk. Cardiopulmonary examinations were normal. Table 1 shows her strength examination results. Reflexes were 3+at the biceps, triceps, brachioradialis, patella, and Achilles tendons. Ankle plantar responses were upgoing bilaterally (Babinski sign) with spasticity in the legs and sustained clonus at the ankle. Hoffman sign was negative. Digital rectal examination revealed normal tone. Proprioception testing at the big toe was normal. Sensory examination was normal to light touch. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed (fig 1).

Fig 1
T2 weighted MRI of the spine

View this table:

Table 1
Strength examination results according to …


Abstract Anuran amphibians feature at least two olfactory systems, the main olfactory organ and the vomeronasal organ (VNO). Although the main olfactory organ is known to detect air-borne olfactory stimuli, the capacities of the anuran VNO are still under discussion. One unresolved question is how chemical stimuli reach the vomeronasal sensory epithelium. The present study investigates, for the first time, the anatomical relationship between the anuran lateral nasal glands (LNG) and the VNOs of adult and developing animals. Based on the histological results, it seems very likely that the LNG is involved in the functioning of the vomeronasal system. First, the orifice of the LNG in adult animals of three investigated anuran species is always located nearby the external naris but, at the same time directly above the entrance to the lower nasal cavities and, thus, the VNO. Secretions discharged by the gland are observed to move toward this entrance. Furthermore in the development of the gland during metamorphosis, the spatial affiliation between the glandular opening and the VNO becomes prominent. The secretions of the LNG may carry chemical stimuli from the entrance of the nasal cavity to the vomeronasal sensory epithelium, a scenario already described for so-called odorant-binding proteins (OBP), found in secretions of the mammalian LNG. The question of whether the stimuli trapped by the gland secretions may be volatile is discussed in the light of the present and previous results.


AIM
To improve the antibacterial and mammalian cell compatibility properties of titania nanotubes (TNTs) anodized into titanium (Ti).

MATERIALS & METHODS
3-8-nm TiO2 nanoparticles were decorated on the surface and inside TNT (TNT-TiO2) through a hydrothermal method. After UV light treatment, two types of oral bacteria and stem cells were cultured on the samples to determine antibacterial and compatibility properties.

RESULTS
TiO2 nanoparticles increased the surface area and photocatalysis of TNTs. Based on the photocatalysis effect and prolonged photo-induced wettability, the numbers of Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were lower on the surface of TNT-TiO2 than pure Ti and TNTs after the first 7 days. Specifically, for S. mutans, the glycosytransferase (gtf) genes were downregulated 0.1-0.2-fold on TNT-TiO2. Due to the different topography and high surface energy of TNT-TiO2, stem cells also showed improved osteogenic functions on TNT-TiO2.

CONCLUSION
In this study, we demonstrated for the first time improved antibacterial properties and, at the same time, greater stem cell osteogenic capacity when decorating TNTs with nanosized TiO2 particles, which may significantly improve orthopedic and dental implant efficacy.


We deal with the system of functional equations connected with additive and quadratic mappings. We correct some mistakes made in the paper [W. Fechner, On the Hyers-Ulam stability of functional equations connected with additive and quadratic mappings, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 322 (2006), 774–786] and provide accurate statements of those results. Moreover, we get the improvement of the Hyers-Ulam stability result of the considered system of functional equations.


Significance
 This will be the first such visit since 2011. In June, President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi appointed a new ambassador to Doha, part of a process of mending relations that were broken when Egypt joined three Gulf Arab states in boycotting Qatar in 2017. The boycott was lifted in January. Egypt is actively seeking to improve relations with several regional states.

 Impacts
 Egypt, which is seeking closer ties with both Turkey and Greece, could potentially become a mediator in disputes between them.
 Strong relations with both Turkey and Saudi Arabia might create a strong Sunni Muslim alliance to counter the influence of Shia Iran.
 A well-recognised international profile will increase Cairo's confidence in ignoring criticism of its record on human rights.


A research project identified five clusters of behayiorally-grounded competencies that distinguished effective teachers and mentors from average ones: Effective faculty members: El) were stUdent-centered; (2) beliebed that learning is a highly valuable activity; (3) were sensitive to the needs of their adult -students and established situations that were conducive to adult learning; 14) took a highly directive role in their students'. learning; and (5) made use of their students' interests, attitudes, and experiences. In short, effective teachers balanced student-centeredness with firm directiveness. (DC1 *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


The success of ground-based, high contrast imaging for the detection of exoplanets in part depends on the ability to differentiate between quasi-static speckles caused by aberrations not corrected by adaptive optics (AO) systems, known as non-common path aberrations (NCPAs), and the planet intensity signal. Frazin (ApJ, 2013) introduced a post-processing algorithm demonstrating that simultaneous millisecond exposures in the science camera and wavefront sensor (WFS) can be used with a statistical inference procedure to determine both the series expanded NCPA coefficients and the planetary signal. We demonstrate, via simulation, that using this algorithm in a closed-loop AO system, real-time estimation and correction of the quasi-static NCPA is possible without separate deformable mirror (DM) probes. Thus the use of this technique allows for the removal of the quasi-static speckles that can be mistaken for planetary signals without the need for new optical hardware, improving the efficiency of ground-based exoplanet detection. In our simulations, we explore the behavior of the Frazin Algorithm (FA) and the dependence of its convergence to an accurate estimate on factors such as Strehl ratio, NCPA strength, and number of algorithm search basis functions. We then apply this knowledge to simulate running the algorithm in real-time in a nearly ideal setting. We then discuss adaptations that can be made to the algorithm to improve its real-time performance, and show their efficacy in simulation. A final simulation tests the technique's resilience against imperfect knowledge of the AO residual phase, motivating an analysis of the feasibility of using this technique in a real closed-loop Extreme AO system such as SCExAO or MagAO-X, in terms of computational complexity and the accuracy of the estimated quasi-static NCPA correction.


Evaluation is a systematic investigation of the value of a program. More specifically an evaluation is a process of delineating, obtaining, reporting, and applying descriptive and judgmental information about some object's merit, worth, probity, and significance. A sound evaluation model provides a link to evaluation theory, a structure for planning evaluations, a framework for collaboration, a common evaluation language, a procedural guide, and standards for judging evaluation. This model tends to observe the obtained result than pretending to get the result as per the preset goal or the expected outcome of a curriculum. One evaluation model that is used widely to evaluate a curriculum or programme is the Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) model. This article attempts to describe the CIPP model and explains the application of the model in a research project.


and a trip coil responsive to a static control circuit for tripping the circuit breaker when instantaneous power in one of the phases of a three phase alternating cur rent circuit exceeds adjustable predetermined levels for adjustable predetermined times as well as ground faults. A separate non-saturated iron core current transformer detects the current in each of the phases independently and powers independent cascaded cur rent transformers having outputs of the same polarity connected to form OR circuits and provide a voltage signal correlated with the instantaneous current in a single one of the protected lines with the highest signal back biasing the others. This signal is amplified and delivered to a plurality of independent solid state ad justable time delay circuits for instantaneous time de lay, short time delay and long time delay actuation of the trip coil dependent upon the extent to which the current levels in the protected line providing the signal exceeds a predetermined level of line current. Ground fault protection is also provided. Also disclosed is a light weight power supply whose power requirements are determined by the electronic power requirements of the control circuit but nonetheless provides the power level energy needed to actuate the trip coil. The static control circuit further includes fail-safe features so that a poor circuit connection or malfunction will not render the circuit breaker inoperative. -


The lava composition and flow behaviour put some constraints on its rheology and mechanical properties. The lava erupted is a nearly aphyric basalt containing approximately 2-3% plagioclase with traces of olivine and pyroxene in a quenched groundmass composed of glass and 20-25% microlites. The transition from fire fountaining to lava flow leads to lava with variable vesicularities; pyroclasts expelled during fire fountaining reach up to 80% vesicles whilst the lava contain up to 45% vesicles. Textures in the lava vary from a'a to slabby pahoehoe, and flow thicknesses from several meters to few centimetres. Tension gashes, crease structures and shear zones in the upper lava carapace reveal the importance of both compressive and tensional stresses. In addition, occasional frictional marks at the base of the lava flow as well as bulldozing of sediments along the flow hint at the importance of frictional properties of the rocks during lava flow.


Agricultural development is key to any economic development. Immersive technology plays a catalytic role and offers smart and sustainable choices to farmers who want to improve on agricultural productivity, and to agricultural training institutes that seek to use modern technology to advance pedagogy and reduce fatalities and operating costs in the learning space, among others. Currently, there are limited descriptive literature reviews in the area of immersive technology in agriculture, hereafter referred to as AVR-Agric. This paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR), which offers a structured, methodical, and rigorous approach to the understanding of the trend of research in AVR-Agric, and the least and most researched issues. This study explores and examines the current trends in the immersive technology-based agriculture areas, and provides a credible intellectual guide for future research direction. The SLR was limited to existing applications and peer-reviewed conference and journal articles published from 2006 to 2020. The results showed that virtual reality was implemented in 41% of the papers reviewed, augmented reality was found in 53%, while only 6% considered mixed-reality applications. The study also showed that developments that incorporate IoT, blockchain, and machine-learning technologies are still at their stage of exploration and advancement.


There currently is debate regarding whether U.S. institutions and clinicians may or should restrict patient access to COVID-19 drugs and vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The authors provide their views on the legal, ethical, and clinical ramifications of such restriction.


Preface 1. Energy metabolism and phylogenetic diversity of sulphate-reducing bacteria Rudolf K. Thauer, Erko Stackebrandt and W. Allan Hamilton 2. Molecular strategies for studies of natural populations of sulphate-reducing micro-organisms David A. Stahl, Alexander Loy and Michael Wagner 3. Functional genomics of sulphate-reducing prokaryotes Ralf Rabus and Axel Strittmatter 4. Evaluation of stress response in sulphate-reducing bacteria through genome analysis J. D. Wall, H. C. Bill Yen, and E. C. Drury 5. Response of sulphate-reducing bacteria to oxygen Henrik Sass and Heribert Cypionka 6. Biochemical, proteomic and genetic characterisation of oxygen survival mechanisms in sulphate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfovibrio Alain Dolla, Donald M. Kurtz, Jr., Miguel Teixeira and Gerrit Voordouw 7. Biochemical, genetic and genomic characterisation of anaerobic electron transport pathways in sulphate-reducing delta-proteobacteria Ines A. C. Pereira, Shelley A. Haveman and Gerrit Voordouw 8. Dissimilatory nitrate and nitrite ammonification by sulphate-reducing eubacteria Jose J. G. Moura, Pablo Gonzalez, Isabel Moura and Guy Fauque 9. Anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons with sulphate as electron acceptor Friedrich Widdel, Florin Musat, Katrin Knittel and Alexander Galushko 10. Sulphate-reducing bacteria from oil field environments and deep-sea hydrothermal vents Bernard Ollivier, Jean-Luc Cayol and Guy Fauque 11. The sub-seafloor biosphere and sulphate-reducing prokaryotes: their presence and significance R. John Parkes and Henrik Sass 12. Eco-physiology of sulphate-reducing bacteria in environmental biofilms Satoshi Okabe 13. Bioprocess engineering of sulphate reduction for environmental technology Piet N. L. Lens, Marcus Vallero and Giovanni Esposito 14. Bioremediation of metals and metalloids by precipitation and cellular binding Simon L. Hockin and Geoffrey M. Gadd 15. Enzymatic and genomic studies on the reduction of mercury and selected metallic oxy-anions by sulphate-reducing bacteria Mireille Bruschi, Larry L. Barton, Florence Goulhen, and Richard M. Plunkett 16. Sulphate-reducing bacteria and their role in corrosion of ferrous materials Iwona B. Beech and Jan A. Sunner 17. Anaerobic metabolism of nitroaromatic compounds and bioremediation of explosive by sulphate-reducing bacteria Raj Boopathy 18. Sulphate-reducing bacteria and the human large intestine George T. Macfarlane, John H. Cummings and Sandra Macfarlan.


Abstract Application of green manure to flooded rice soils resulted in enhanced degradation of all four isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) including the most persistent beta isomer. This suggests the possibility of using this agricultural practice for lowering the residue levels of HCH in soil.


Polyethylene glycol-6000 supported copper-molybdenum nanoparticles (CuO-MoO3@PEG) have been synthesized as a highly efficient, novel and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst by simple impregnation method. The catalyst was characterized well by FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDX, elemental mapping, TEM, TGA, EPR, ICP-AES and UV-visible DRS analyses. The catalyst was successfully applied for synthesizing new pyrimidine diones derivatives and β-enaminones which have important biological activity. The catalyst was found to be efficient up to five cycles with minor loss in catalytic activity. The recovered catalyst (5th run) retained its structure integrity was confirmed by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, ICP-AES analyses. The products (pyrimidine diones derivatives) were obtained in excellent yield (92%) and shorter reaction time period (30-35 min).


The use KIA book is primarily a family community empowerment strategies to maintain their health and get the mother and child health care quality. As the goal of the program guide KIA, the mother should also understand the finer points of the contents of the book so that the utilization KIA KIA book can be done optimally. This study aims to describe the knowledge and attitude of pregnant women about the content of books Maternal and Child Health (MCH). This study is a descriptive analysis. The study population is pregnant women who had routine checks in BPM Rima Village Gubug Cepogo District of Boyolali and a sample of 35 pregnant women with total sampling technique. Collecting data using questionnaires knowledge and attitudes, while data analysis using quantitative descriptive. The conclusion of the study (1) the level of knowledge of pregnant women about the contents of the book KIA in RM Rima Village Gubug District of Cepogo Boyolali majority is less (40%) and (2) the attitude of pregnant women about the contents of the book KIA in RM Rima Village Gubug District of Cepogo Boyolali most of it is enough (66%).


Future applications in integrated quantum photonics will require large numbers of efficient, fast, and low-noise single-photon counters. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors made from amorphous material systems are best suited to meet these demands, but the integration with nanophotonic circuits has remained a challenge. Here, we show how amorphous molybdenum silicide (MoSi) nanowires are integrated with nanophotonic silicon nitride waveguides in traveling wave geometry. We found a saturated on-chip detection efficiency of (73 ± 10) % for telecom wavelength photons and the sub-10 Hz dark count rate at a temperature of 2.1 K, which allows for operation in robust, compact, and economic cryogenic systems. Applications requiring fast counting will benefit from the sub-5 ns recovery times of our devices that we combine with 135 ps timing accuracy. Achieving this performance with waveguide-integrated amorphous superconductors is an important step toward enabling high yield fabrication of competitive single-photon detectors on a large variety of nanophotonic material systems.


Bovine trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen were successfully refolded as the mixed disulfide of glutathione using cysteine as the disulfide interchange catalyst. The native structures were regenerated with yields of 40%–50% at pH 8.6 and 4 °C, and the half‐time for the refolding was approximately 60–75 min. We then refolded threonine‐neochymotrypsinogen, which is a two‐chain structure held together by disulfide bonds and produced on cleavage of Tyr 146‐Thr 147 in native chymotrypsinogen [Duda CT, Light A, J Biol Chem 257 9866–9871, 1982]. Neochymotrypsinogen was denatured and fully reduced, and the thiols were converted to the mixed disulfide of glutathione. The two polypeptide fragments, representing the amino‐ and carboxyl‐terminal domains, were separated on Sephadex G‐75. Mixtures of the polypeptide fragments varying in the ratio of their concentration from 1 : 5 to 5 : 1 were refolded with yields of 21–28%. The lack of dependence on the concentration of either fragmènt and the relatively high yields suggest independent folding of the amino‐ and carboxyl‐terminal domains. When the globular structures of the domains formed, they then interacted with one another and produced the native intermolecular disulfide bridge and the proper geometry of the active site.


In this paper, we propose an effective multiplexing method of transport stream for the digital broadcasting. Especially for mobile service, it is one of the problems to minimize delay and jitter in the narrow bandwidth in case of transmitting various kinds of the broadcasting data. To solve the problem, we develop a new multiplexing method, that is, it controls the timing of the transport stream transmission. Also we build a test system and verify the effect of proposed method. Test results show the effectiveness of our approach.


Workflow automation is taking over software development systems, helping businesses increase efficiency, accelerate production, and adapt quickly to market changes. Combined with agile principles, it has given birth to the DevOps paradigm. However, practitioners often face an important issue known as vendor lock-in caused by the cost of tool replacement or migration to different platforms. This issue could be addressed by standardising service interfaces to facilitate their integration. Linked Data is an attractive choice for implementing such a standard without sacrificing versatility. Following this approach, the Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) proposal aims to build an environment where services can interoperate using standard models. Therefore, this article proposes an extension of the existing OSLC specification, based on the Event-Condition-Action (ECA) model, for event-based interoperable automation. This extension enables a new path in the field of semantic automation for OSLC services, which allows the self-interaction of services among them and with human users. The article presents the key concepts of the proposed model and exemplifies its application in an automation scenario with two real-life services. The validation of the proposal has been carried out using established ontology evaluation methods, such as coverage and similarity metrics and competency questions.


For the first time, Cu(AlTi)-alloy active-electrode coupled with RuTa inert-electrode is proposed to improve the reliability of nonvolatile Cu atom switch. The remarkably high rupture temperature (Tr >400oC) of the nanometer-scale Cu bridge with the high thermal resistance (Rth) is realized by the Cu-alloy without increasing programming current. The anti-Cu diffusive, RuTa-alloy improves the retention of the ON-state at 150oC and endurance to >104 cycles. The metallurgical prescription is a key to improve the reliability and switching performance of the conducting bridge.


Tests for heteroscedasticity in single-equation regression models seem to be neglected in applied econometrics generally, and in agricultural economics in particular. One important reason for this might be that most tests for heteroscedasticity are computationally burdensome. The main purpose of this paper is to propose a simple test for heteroscedasticity based on the use of ordinary least squares residuals. A table of critical values for the five percent significance level is given, and it is shown how further values may de derived. The power of the test is examined under a variety of sample circum stances, and its ease of application is illustrated by an example from agricultural economics.


ABSTRACT This research is motivated by the students during the learning activity and the lack of understanding of mathematical concepts students are still low . The study aims to determine the understanding of mathematical concepts by implementing cooperative learning model Two Stay Two Stray with LKS better than an understanding of mathematical concepts with conventional learning class VIII SMP 21  Batanghari Jambi and see the activities of the students during the learning of mathematics with application of cooperative learning model Two Stay Two Stray with LKS to the understanding of the concept matematis. This research is experimental , with random design on the subject . The instrument used was an essay test and observation sheets . Hypothesis testing using the U Mann-Whitney test with the MINITAB program obtained p- value = 0.000 is less than α, then reject H 0 . It can be concluded that the understanding of mathematical concepts with cooperative learning model Two Stay Two tray with LKS better than an understanding of mathematical concepts with conventional learning students with a confidence level of 95%.


The gastro-intestinal tract along with the liver is almost unique in its ability to reproduce itself. It never wears out (1). It functions throughout senescence with such a vast reserve that it never becomes decompensated and it retains a functional reserve so great that any impairment of function is relatively insignificant (2). There are, therefore, no specific diseases of the digestive tissues which can be ascribed to a wearing-out process. The digestive diseases of the aged are the same as those seen in earlier periods of life, with minor modifivations (l), and differences in symptoms are mostly the result of changes in other systems of the body. Primarily, they are the result of changes in the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system, each of which does wear out, and neither of which has the ability to regenerate. The central nervous system repairs itself with gliosis ; and the cardiovascular system repairs itself with fibrosis. Both processes are degenerative and irreversible. In contrast, the gastro-intestinal tract may recover from seemingly irreversible disease. The following is an example :


Lack of cold hardiness may limit widespread use of newly released zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.) cultivars in the transition zone. Our objectives were to quantify differences in the winter injury of 35 zoysiagrass genotypes in field plots in West Lafayette, IN, and the freeze tolerance of 13 genotypes in a cold stress simulator as well as determine the relationship between leaf width, establishment rate, and autumn growth with winter injury. Winter injury varied between years and among genotypes in the field study. Zoysia japonica Steud. genotypes had less winter injury each year than Z. matrella (L.) Merr. genotypes. Genotypes of Z. japonica available as seed had less winter injury (2% in both years) than genotypes of Z. japonica (41%, 2005; 54%, 2006) and Z. matrella (51%, 2005; 73%, 2006) available only as vegetative propagules. 'Meyer', 'Chinese Common', and 'Zenith' were the commercially available cultivars exhibiting the least winter injury ( 88%) both years. There was a relationship (r2 = 0.48, P = 0.0088) between freeze tolerance (LT 50 ) in the cold stress simulator and winter injury in the field. Freeze tolerance ranged from -8.4°C (Diamond) to -11.5°C (Meyer and Zenith). Meyer has been the industry standard for zoysiagrass, but our research has identified other commercially available cultivars and genotypes with winter injury similar to Meyer.


The inner product of Mapping Functions and additive noise equals the parameter error in the Least Squares Output Error parameter estimation method. The Mapping Functions produce Optimum Parameter Driving Functions (OPDFs) which are minimum energy disturbances producing unit parameter errors. Spectral sensitivity functions for parameter errors and covariance formulas for colored noise can then be determined. Geometric Dilution of Precisions (GDOPS), and Orthogonality of sensitivity functions are introduced as correlation analysis tools, and are related to the confidence ellipsoid.


Abstract : This award provided funding to purchase a new metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system for growth of GaN-based materials and devices. By combining the money provided by the DURIP award with donations from industry and matching funds from the University of Florida, an epitaxial facility worth $1 M has been constructed. This facility will be used to provide device structures for fabrication of high power GaN-based HEMTs and MOSFETs. This facility will benefit multiple DOD programs including two currently funded by the electronics programs at the U.S. Office of Naval Research (Development Of GaN MOSFETS And MISFETS, US Navy NOOOl4-98-l-0204, Dr. Harry Dietrich) and the U. S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Development Of Passivation Technology For Improved GaN/AlGaN HEMT Performance And Reliability, U. S. Air Force F4962O-O2-l-0366, Dr. Gerald Witt). These contracts are aimed at developing improved dielectrics for high power GaN devices and to date have produced significant advances in the quality and effectiveness of dielectric/GaN interfaces. Because of this award, we can now capitalize on the successful oxide development generated by these programs. This equipment will provide a controlled in-house supply of GaN/AlGaN device material in order to identify much more precisely the role of a variety of material parameters as well as device layer structure in the performance of devices containing oxide/nitride interfaces. Acquisition of this system will also enable new avenues of investigation including resistance to thermal, electrical and radiation degradation for both all-nitride and nitride/oxide devices. Finally, acquisition of this MOCVD system will now allow development of a well controlled in-house device technology of the type needed to fabricate more advanced structures and prototypes including ultra-broadband high power and high dynamic range direct- conversion RF transmitters and high temperature III-nitride based gas sensors.


Formulation research and advancement in processing technologies continue to be at the forefront of pharmaceutical innovation. There has been a consistent stream of publications related to specialized research, to address the countless number of problems associated with formulation processing concerns (particularly associated with scale up design). With this in mind, a deep understanding of scientific and engineering principals as well as an evaluation of the critical variables effecting product quality has led to the development of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) for designing, analyzing, and controlling manufacturing processes. Additionally, formulation strategies to overcome various biologi cal/drug delivery problems (e.g. alternative administration routes, and excipients to enhance solubilization) have been developed. Furthermore, sophisticated delivery approaches such as chronotherapy to improve therapeutic response, more uniform dose delivery systems for tackling problems of inconsistent product performance, and the introduction of better qualitative assessments, all potentially contribute to improved patient outcomes. The necessity of correlating material properties with product performance cannot be emphasized enough. So the importance of raw material characterization during the preformulation step is a critical imperative. It is well known that controllable formulation factors such as particle size, polymorphism, pH, and solubility have a profound effect on the potential of the drug delivery system to influence processability, and more importantly bioavailability. Patient compli ance is also a critical factor for efficacy and a variety of ingredients and formulation strategies have been used to address palatability. Compatibility of ingredients with one another as well as with the active is another central component of preformulation studies. In the continual evolution in understanding fundamental scientific principles and their application to resolve the practical problems of drug delivery, there have been frequent improvements. In this special edition of Drug Develop ment and Industrial Pharmacy entitled "Formulation and Processing Strategies" the science behind preformulation and formulation studies is showcased. Hotmelt extrusion, liquid crystals, and nanotechnology are amongst some of the varied formulation approaches presented in this special edition. In addition several processing technologies are inves tigated and described. The papers in this special edition were selected due to their diversity and current applicability in the field, and the authors should be commended for their scientific integrity. Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 2013; 39(2): 163 © 2013 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. ISSN 0363-9045 print/ISSN 1520-5762 online DOI: 10.3109/03639045.2013.759703


Whl;1at happens to a seminarian in the course of his training? In considering his development as a minister is there more than the expected acquisition of cognitive knowledge and professional skill? Are there changes in the domain of the affective area as well? In their comprehensive review of freshman-to-senior studies in American colleges and universities, Feldman and Newcomb (1970: 326) have recorded such personal changes as greater independence, self-confidence, and readiness to express impulses. But do such differences occur at the seminary level, and, if so, are they measurable? Bloom (1964: 229-230) has noted that it becomes increasingly difficult to produce this kind of change as the characteristic becomes stabilized with age. This study details the personality changes that have occurred among students at a conservative Lutheran seminary. Ideally, the objectives of a seminary for its students would show how they are actually to be changed in personality as well as developed in their knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes, dispositions and beliefs. In many seminaries, however, little appears to have been accomplished by way of an accurate evaluation of the attainment of their objectives. Although a causal relationship between the personal changes and this seminary's institutional objectives cannot be firmly established with the data of this study, linkages of certain groups of personality traits with specific educational aims are suggested. SUBJECTS, INSTRUMENTS AND PROCEDURES Included in this study were students in three successive class groups who began and completed the seminary program within a seven-year period. Two inventories, 377


PURPOSE: A flat panel display is provided to minimize damages of the display caused due to ultraviolet ray, by arranging an ultraviolet shield film on upper or lower insulation substrate. CONSTITUTION: A flat panel display comprises a lower insulation substrate(100); a thin film transistor and a light emitting display element formed on the lower insulation substrate; an upper insulation substrate(170) for encapsulating the light emitting display element; and an ultraviolet shield film(180) formed on a surface of the upper insulation substrate or the lower insulation substrate.


Objective To survey the influ en cing factors of hypertension patients' medication adherence in Xingui community. Methods The survey was conducted from Sep. 2001 to Apr. 2005,th e status of medication compliance and the relevant influencing factors were inve stigated and analyzed in 882 patients who were diagnosed hypertension and whose medical files had been set up in Xingui community.Results The h ypertension patients' medication compliance rate was 21.43%.The relevant influen cing factors included patients' sex,age,education background,family finances,fam ily medical history,knowledge about hypertension,blood pressure increasing level ,medication side-effect,and high medical charges.Conclusion Th ere are various factors influencing hypertension patients' medication adherence, therefore the key of increasing the medication rate is to adopt individualizatio n measures for different hypertension patient during the treatment.


When a concrete beam is subjected to rotation controlled static loading a linear cohesive crack is assumed to develop in the tensile side of the midsection of the beam. As a first approximation the two parts of the beam beyond the cohesive crack zone are assumed tJ I to perform rigid-body displacements. An elastic layer is introduced f~ between the crack and the rigid parts of the beam. The stress () - ...J distribution in the layer is assumed to be local and to be a function ~ )(' of the absolute displacement between the two rigid bodies. improved model accounts for the elastic deformation of the beam via a Timoshenko beam. Different, geometrically similar, beams with constant constitutive parameters have been tested and it is shown . .., i-!..1 that the moment rotation curves from the analytical model only differ slightly from the ones determined through a finite element analysis.


In an effort to improve maternity care in Indonesia where the great majority of mothers deliver their babies at home we felt that a method should be devised which would be simple and easy and which could assist nonphysician personnel such as midwives nurses and community health fieldworkers to differentiate high-risk from low-risk pregnancies. A prospective study was carried out at Dr. Soetomo Hospital over a 6-month period from May-October 1977 covering 248 cases of high-risk pregnancy and 556 cases of low-risk pregnancy. We found that in our system a total of 150 points provided a means by which 1 could distinguish high-risk from low-risk pregnancy. Our analysis further proved that categorization of high-risk pregnancies by our new scoring system did not differ from our earlier categorization of high-risk pregnancies using the conventional method without scoring procedures. (authors modified) (summary in ENG)


Understanding the reaction pathways for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the key to design electrodes for solid acid fuel cells (SAFCs). In general, electrochemical reactions of a fuel cell are considered to occur at the triple-phase boundary where an electrocatalyst, electrolyte and gas phase are in contact. In this concept, diffusion processes of reaction intermediates from the catalyst to the electrolyte remain unconsidered. Here, we unravel the reaction pathways for open-structured Pt electrodes with various electrode thicknesses from 15 to 240 nm. These electrodes are characterized by a triple-phase boundary length and a thickness-depending double-phase boundary area. We reveal that the double-phase boundary is the active catalytic interface for the HOR. For Pt layers ≤ 60 nm, the HOR rate is rate-limited by the processes at the gas/catalyst and/or the catalyst/electrolyte interface while the hydrogen surface diffusion step is fast. For thicker layers (>60 nm), the diffusion of reaction intermediates on the surface of Pt becomes the limiting process. For the ORR, the predominant reaction pathway is via the triple-phase boundary. The double-phase boundary contributes additionally with a diffusion length of a few nanometers. Based on our results, we propose that the molecular reaction mechanism at the electrode interfaces based upon the triple-phase boundary concept may need to be extended to an effective area near the triple-phase boundary length to include all catalytically relevant diffusion processes of the reaction intermediates.


The c(2×2) and p(2×2) vibrational frequencies for a rigid Ni lattice are computed for O, S, F, and Cl on Ni(100). It is found that only O/Ni(100) shows a large difference in ωre. A large shift in ωre is also found for O/Ni(111) between 0.25 and 0.5 monolayer coverages. Also associated with the change in coverage, is a change in the height above the surface R⊥. This varies from a 0.11 A reduction for O/Ni(100), to an expansion of 0.06 A for F/Ni(100).


A method for estimating the movement of suspended sediment through a channel cross-section is outlined. The method is applied to the estuarine reach of the Waihou River, where the results indicate the existence of a delicate natural balance which must be conserved by any project works.


Dairy biogas can be combusted to generate electricity and/or heat. This report, however, focuses on alternate uses of biogas including the upgrading of biogas to biomethane, a product equivalent to natural gas or other higher-grade fuels. Biomethane, which typically contains more than 95% CH (with the remainder as CO 4 2), has no technical barrier to being used interchangeably with natural gas, whether for electrical generation, heating, cooling, pumping, or as a vehicle fuel. The process can be controlled to produce biomethane that meets a pre-determined standard of quality. Biomethane can also be put into the natural gas supply pipeline, though there are major institutional barriers to this alternative.


Lysosomal components were obtained as a Triton-lysate of the lung and spleen granular fractions of mice infected with virulent tubercle bacilli or BCG. Incubation of tubercle bacilli with the components resulted in that the bacilli gained the lysosomal acid phosphatase activity, whereas the phosphatase activity specific for the bacilli decreased with simultaneous reduction of viability. Lysosomal components were subjected to gel-filtration on Sephadex G-100 and G-200 column with the hope of separation of antimycobacterial and phosphatase activities. A fraction was obtained which had a mycobactericidal property and a property of inhibiting bacillary acid phosphatase activity. On the other hand, a separate fraction showed the affinity to the bacilli giving them the additional phosphatase activity at the lower pH range, but exerting no bactericidal action. These results reveal one aspect of the lysosome-bacillus interaction in tuberculous infection. The results also support the idea that the pH pattern of phosphatase activity shown by •gin vivo grown tubercle bacilli•h is the combined results of inhibition of the bacillus-specific enzymatic activity and coating of such bacilli with lysosomal acid phosphatase.


In the coming decade, implementation of smart specialisation strategy concept will be topical for all EU member states given a special focus made on the areas of technology and innovation. Members of academic community conduct research in these areas to identify the challenges and offer optimal solutions to the complicated problems. It is of particular importance for the countries with a relatively modest capacity for innovation. Some of the aims of the Latvian smart specialisation strategy are to establish a platform for cooperation between research community and the private sector and to develop nanostructured materials industry. The paper analyses research results in the field of nanotechnology in Latvia using the data on the publications and projects, as well as publication citation indices. Publicly available information on performance results of the selected enterprises in the field of nanotechnology is analysed and benchmarked using public data on performance indicators of the manufacturing industry with regard to technological intensity.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the molecular mechanism of a case where RhD genotyping did not match serological results.

METHODS
The serological results of 8 members from two generations of this family were analyzed. And according to Mendelian law of inheritance, RhD genotyping, zygotic type determination and gene sequencing were performed for the family members.

RESULTS
The proband and one of her cousins have the same RhD alleles, both of them have a 336-1G>A intron variant RhD allele and a complete RhD deletion allele. The variant alleles are inherited from two of their parents with blood relationship, while the complete-deleted alleles come from the other. 336-1G>A means that the last base G of the second intron of the RhD gene is mutated to A, which leads to a negative RhD serology and a positive genotype in the proband.

CONCLUSION
There was a rare 336-1G> A intron variant gene (RhD * 01N.25) in this family, which was a recessive gene relative to the RhD gene and resulted in RhD phenotype negative.


In order to maintain competitiveness and growth, companies need to achieve continuous modernisation of business processes, increased productivity, and cost reduction. As many organisations are looking for new ways of doing business and changing business processes, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) has become one of the most popular topics in organisational management. In recent years, numerous studies about BPR projects have been conducted. The main goal of this research is to analyse BPR projects in two countries involved in transition processes: Croatia and Slovenia. Different characteristics of BPR projects in large companies are examined, and the methods and tools used in BPR projects are evaluated. The results of the research in Croatia and Slovenia are compared; the similarities and differences between the two countries are pointed out. The objective of the research is to identify whether the managers of the countries in transition have recognised the importance of business processes reengineering and improvement for their companies.


Compared with electro-hydraulic servo system,electric servo system has more advantages in volume,cost and control performance. The realization of electrical servo load simulator is explored in this paper. Combining with the current status of DSP chip development,an electric servo load simulator based on DC servo-system is designed in it. By optimizing the structure of hardware and software,the simulator is operated easily,has second development capability,and can meet the requirements of a broad category of high-speed and high-precision emulation of electric load.


When there are many people who don't need to expect something more than the benefits to take, we will suggest you to have willing to reach all benefits. Be sure and surely do to take this homeopathy in america the rise and fall of a medical heresy that gives the best reasons to read. When you really need to get the reason why, this homeopathy in america the rise and fall of a medical heresy book will probably make you feel curious.


The multijet impingement atomization strategy is proposed as a competitive one in designing atomizers with relatively simple geometries, producing sprays from the impact of multiple jets at low-flow rate conditions (<1.5 l/min). Most theoretical studies have been made for the spray produced by the impact of two jets. However, there are two important geometric issues related with the atomizer design, scarcely approached in the literature, which are the pre-impingement length of jets before impact and jet misalignment. This work analyses the influence of these parameters on the structure of the liquid sheet as well as on drop size. First, the liquid sheet structure has two hydrodynamic regimes: closed-rim and open-rim. The results evidence that higher pre-jet-impingement distances influence only the open-rim regime, namely, producing shorter liquid sheet breakup lengths, smaller drop sizes, and more droplets. The jet misalignment elongates the liquid sheet in the closed-rim regime, and anticipates breakup i...


Along with unceasing development of socialist construction,accountant work infiltrated into all aspects of social development,become the indispensable job,matter to national economy healthy and stable development,meanwhile,the problem also is highlighted subsequently.The accounting personnel should strengthen their moral quality construction facing the new problems and the bad temptation,continuously,which is more important than the work ability.


BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is among the most serious infections in the elderly. The evaluation of prognosis and predicting the outcome is essential in managing the treatment of patients with pneumonia. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate factors that might affect the mortality of elderly patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in two age groups. DESIGN: Medical record review. SETTINGS: Tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included CAP patients who were hospitalized during the period from January 2017 and December 2019. The CURB-65 scale was chosen to assess the severity of pneumonia on admission. Multivariate analyses were conducted separately for patients younger than 75 years and 75 years or older. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 30-day mortality, factors associated with mortality. SAMPLE SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS: 1603 patients with a median age of 74, including 918 women (57%). RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate was 6.5%. Patients with carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria had lower survival rates (P<.0001). In the multivariate analysis, age, lung cancer, CURB-65, carbapenem resistance, and duration of hospital stay were associated with mortality in patients aged 75 years or older. Lung cancer, malignant disease, carbapenem resistance, duration of hospital stay and procalcitonin level were associated with mortality under the age of 75. Of 640 sputum cultures tested, P aeruginosa (42%) was the most common pathogen. CONCLUSION: The risk factors that affected mortality differed among patients aged 75 years or older versus younger patients. Our findings are important in determining factors associated with mortality in managing the treatment and follow up of hospitalized CAP patients younger or 75 years of age or older. LIMITATIONS: Single-center, retrospective. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.


A responsible government is related to republicanism,democracy,constitutionalism,and ruling of rule in value.It should be active rather than inactive in its performance.However,an active government may not be a responsible one.To construct a responsible government,the key is to clarify the concepts of performance and non-performance,reveal the inherent mechanism of governmental performance and non-performance,define the power boundary of governmental performance and establish the mechanism to prevent governmental non-performance.


This study addresses the control problem of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the transition period when the flying mode changes from hovering to translational motion in the horizontal plane. First, we introduce a compensation algorithm that improves height stabilization and reduces altitude drop. The main principle is to incorporate pitch and roll measurements into the feedforward term of the altitude controller to provide a larger thrust force. To further improve altitude control, we propose the fuzzy logic controller that improves system behavior. Simulation results presented in the paper highlight the effectiveness of the proposed controllers.


Socrates' use of performative contradiction against sophistic theories is a recurrent motif in Plato's dialogues. In the case of Plato's Theaetetus and Gorgias, Socrates attempts to show that Protagoras' homo mensura doctrine and Gorgias' doctrine of the power of logos are each performatively contradicted by the underlying activity of philosophical dialogue. In the case of the Theaetetus, Socrates' strategy of performative contradiction hinges on Protagoras' failure to perform in the way that he theorized the sophist performing—namely, being able to change appearances through logoi (Theaetetus 166d–167d). In parallel fashion, Gorgias' account of the power of rhetoric is performatively contradicted by the orator's inability to prevail over Socrates, instead resorting to insincere responses to Socrates' questions in order to save face—a dialogical "performance" that ties directly to Socrates' portrait of Gorgianic rhetoric as a matter of pandering to the audience (Gorgias 460a–465a). Plato's aim in dramatizing these performative contradictions, I argue, is to illuminate both the proximity between Socrates and the great sophists, particularly with respect to Socrates' practice of elenchos, but also the distance between Socrates and the sophists in how they conceive of our situatedness within the world of human concerns.


Abstract In this paper we present a new method which allows us to extract signal from low (of the order of 1) signal to noise ratio data. The noise is almost comnpletely removed, and the significance of the resulting signal is quantified against pure chance fluctuations. The technique is based on a wavelet transform and uses a crude pattern-recognition algorithm in the space-scale plane to extract the interesting information. This method has been applied to simulated signals with signal to noise ratio ranging from 0.4 to 2. and the reconstructed signals are shown. From the wavelet transform coefficients, it is possible to gain some quantitative information on the size of the detected structures. As a first real case application, we present the analysis of the Encke gap ringlet in the Saturn's rings. We show that its detailed shape contain at least two peaks and that its total width is about 8 km, while the width of the left peak is about 1.5 km.


Climate change is the challenge of the century, and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement will require worldwide cooperation and mutual effort. Over 120 countries have made their net-zero commitments, and quantifying the social cost of carbon (SCC), i.e. the climate damage caused by an additional ton of CO2 emissions, under a carbon-neutral pathway would provide a carbon price benchmark for policymakers. Here, we set in detail the emission trajectories of different jurisdictions under a carbon-neutral pathway based on the submitted nationally determined contributions. We then assess global and regional warming, climate change damages, and the SCC with the Policy Analysis of Greenhouse Effect integrated assessment model. We find a peak warming of about 2.1 °C relatives to pre-industrial levels in this century under our carbon-neutral emission pathway. And even if all countries meet their carbon-neutral commitments, this would not be sufficient to limit global warming to 1.5 °C relative to pre-industrial levels. We compare the SCC using fixed discount rates, dynamic discounting, and an equity weighting approach. Notably, the introduction of equity weights would increase the estimated SCC from 79 (11–186) to 291 (83–592) US$ per tCO2. Climate change damages will be borne primarily by warmer and poorer countries, and this profound inequality would likely undermine efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Statistics on current carbon taxes and carbon trading prices show that they are notably lower than global or even regional SCCs, suggesting that the current system does not adequately reflect the global externalities of CO2 emissions. More studies are needed to assess the equity aspects of climate change impacts, to help refine mechanisms to align domestic interests with global interests, and to facilitate the implementation of national carbon-neutral commitments in place.


The aim of this article is to review this evolution. Initially, tunnels were dependent on the isometry technique. Now, trying to reproduce the anatomy is preferred. Surgical technique has evolved from open surgery with large anterior approach es to arthroscopic transtibial technique with two incision back to one incisions using the anteromedial portal, and finally, no incisions with the "inside-inside technique". Studies have shown that using the natural footprint as the site for tunnels restores the native anterior cruciate ligament is not only beneficial to anteroposterior translation, but also to rotational motion. Therefore, it becomes necessary to choose individualized ACL anatomic reconstruction.


The literature encompassed within the area of civil-military relations (CMR) is extremely broad. The focus in this bibliography is primarily on CMR as a subfield of comparative politics in that it deals with the power relations between the military and civilians. This bibliography is concerned with the classic question, raised in the 1st century ce by Juvenal: Who will guard the guardians? From this perspective, CMR is generally about power and politics of an organization with a monopoly in arms to exercise political power. While foreign states and international organizations may influence CMR, particularly during democratic transitions, it is essentially a national phenomenon. International law does, however, pertain in most of the roles and missions the military are tasked with. Not included in this bibliography are the following topics: military history, strategy and doctrine, sociology of the armed forces including recruitment, gender, race, and health. Thus, important authors such as Morris Janowitz and Charles Moskos will not be included. This bibliography will break new ground in four ways: First, in giving attention to military effectiveness as well as the traditional focus on civilian control; second, in giving attention to roles and missions currently executed by the military; third, in including non-democracies, democracies, and those in transition; and fourth, in including the roles of private contractors in the mix of civil-military relations. The six primary sections in this bibliography are the following: Democratic Civilian Control is mainly about the United States and its emphasis is on the military taking political power, even though the American military has never sought to take power. CMR in Contemporary Non-Democratic Regimes focuses on China, Russia, and Egypt as they are all globally important non-democratic regimes, with varied relationships between the military and civilians. CMR in Democratic Transitions is included as the military is a key actor in virtually every transition from the beginning of Third Wave of democratization, starting in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 25, 1974. CMR in the Context of Roles and Missions is included as it details that the military mainly implements roles and missions not involving conflict with other militaries, and includes the role of international law. The section on CMR Including Democratic Civilian Control and Military Effectiveness is included as attention must be paid to effectiveness in the different roles and missions for military organizations. And, finally military roles and missions assumed by Non-Military For-Profit Private Enterprises are included as involvement of private enterprise raises questions regarding the state's putative monopoly of power and roles of the military.


Departing from Nelson's equation (1983), it was estimated the Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) of 13 different products for 26 Brazilian states, using data of the Climatic Norms (series 1961-1990). It was obtained the EMC monthly averages for each material and for each location. Thus, an estimate of medium EMC for each material in Brazil was obtained. The analysis of variance of the data showed a significant difference between EMC of the studied products. The values varied from the minimum of 6,12% to the maximum of 16,73%. A significant difference of EMC was observed among states, demonstrating that the behavior of these products differs in function of the place. So, the panel industries must be aware to this fact, if problems with these products and services are to be avoided.


The article analyzes the mechanism of "giving impetus" to economy that was used in the 1930s (the period of the Great Depression). The mechanism was worked out on the level of the theory of economy at the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s and in a sense was an alternative and a complement for J. M. Keynes' theory. Representatives of the Austrian School played a significant part in working out this conception. In "giving impetus" to economy a great significance was attached not only to public spending financed by the budget deficit, but also to properly carried out monetary policy. In Poland elements of this conception were used in 1936-1939, when "giving impetus" was closely connected with E. Kwiatkowski, the then Minister of State Treasury, and Deputy Prime Minister responsible for economy, and with the major economic project carried out in that time, that is the Central Industrial Region.


This PHD is a part of a French project named AEROSTRIP, (a partnership between Pascal Institute,Sigma, SAPPI, and Air-France industries), it is funded by the French Government through the FUIProgram (20th call). The AEROSTRIP project aims at developing the first automated system thatecologically cleans the airplanes surfaces using a process of soft projection of ecological media onthe surface (corn). My PHD aims at optimizing the trajectory of the whole robotic systems in orderto optimally strip the airplane. Since a large surface can not be totally covered by a single robot base placement, repositioning of the robots is necessary to ensure a complete stripping of the surface. The goal in this work is to find the optimal number of robots with their optimal positions required to totally strip the air-plane. Once found, we search for the trajectories of the robots of the multi-robot system between those poses. Hence, we define a general framework to solve this problem having four main steps: the pre-processing step, the optimization algorithm step, the generation of the end-effector trajectories step and the robot scheduling, assignment and control step.In my thesis, I present two contributions in two different steps of the general framework: the pre-processing step, the optimization algorithm step. The computation of the robot workspace is required in the pre-processing step: we proposed Interval Analysis to find this workspace since it guarantees finding solutions in a reasonable computation time. Though, our first contribution is a new inclusion function that reduces the pessimism, the overestimation of the solution, which is the main disadvantage of Interval Analysis. The proposed inclusion function is assessed on some Constraints Satisfaction Problems and Constraints Optimization problems. Furthermore, we propose an hybrid optimization algorithm in order to find the optimal number of robots with their optimal poses: it is our second contribution in the optimization algorithm step. To assess our hybrid optimization algorithm, we test the algorithm on regular surfaces, such as a cylinder and a hemisphere, and on a complex surface: a car.


Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems are very important for the communities from which they come from. Such knowledge dictates how people behave generally, how they relate with the land and other resources that they have, and how they make sense of the world around them. IK's importance is seemingly being overshadowed by western knowledge which has the advantage that it is codified and is largely viewed as better, and more scientifically proved knowledge. Given the encroachment of urban lives into many African countries, indigenous knowledge is slowly being eroded. The traditions where the elders used to sit and work with the youth and pass on that knowledge are very fast being eroded. Globalisation has resulted in an inundation of western values and culture beamed through satellite television and the Internet, quickly captivating the youths' minds such that they deem their own cultures, rituals and traditions as inferior, old fashioned, and barbaric. More important, whilst we are eschewing indigenous knowledge, interest in IK and its potential has taken hold in the West. A direct result of this is that IK is being appropriated and the owners, that is, the communities have nothing to show for it. The intellectual property of the IK is being claimed by individuals outside the communities that own the knowledge, simply because they have codified it. All of this brings the point home that there is a need to document IK in order to preserve it for posterity; and to ensure that once it is codified, it cannot be used to obtain patents by people other than those who own it. In that regard, this article considers the prospects and challenges of documenting indigenous knowledge by considering the following: definition of IK and its importance to communities, its characteristics and problems associated with that, the need to document IK, arguments for and against documenting IK and challenges in documenting IK. Keywords : documenting indigenous knowledge, Africa ESARBICA Journal Vol. 24 2005: 63-73


The overall composition of the polyaniline – Pd-nanoparticles, polyaniline – Pd-nanoparticles – Ru-nanoparticles were synthesized. The electrochemical activity of these composes modified with the platinum and palladium black and polyaniline film, and also pure Pt and Pd-electrodes in the acid media with the methods of the cyclic voltammetry were investigate. The electrodes electrochemical activity in the oxidation reactions of the methanol was increase. The composites might be used as the anode electrode in the direct methanol fuel cells for methanol oxidation. Key words: polyaniline, Pd-nanoparticles, Ru-nanoparticles, methanol, electrochemical activity, direct methanol fuel cell, cyclic voltammetry.


In this paper, the consensus-based approach for the economic dispatch problem in microgrid via distributed event-triggered control is considered. Its basic principle is to utilise the consensus of the multi-agent systems consisting of generators and loads, which will work cooperatively such that the optimal incremental cost and optimal power output could be obtained to solve the economic dispatch problem. The consensus analysis of the proposed systems focused on the following two physical scenarios: (i) containing the power balance constraint but without generation limit; (ii) the power balance constraint and with generation limit. The corresponding effective distributed event-triggered controller is designed respectively to avoid the continuous communication between the agents, the state updating of each agent depending on its own state and its neighbouring agents at their last triggering time. Compared with the centralised event-triggered mechanism, the proposed distributed scheme could reduce the frequency of information exchange between the agent and its neighbours and save the bandwidth and energy. Simulation indicates the effectiveness of the theoretical results.


The angular distributions of secondary electrons and muons in extensive air showers (EAS) initiated by 10, 100, 1000 and 10000 TeV gamma rays and protons are obtained with the aid of a new, hybrid Monte Carlo simulation method. In this method, a three-dimensional program is constructed out of two existing software codes: SHOWERSIM and EGS4. This procedure allows for fast, yet precise, calculations down to low secondary particle energies. The dependence of the angular distributions for different threshold energies is presented for 1000 TeV primary gamma ray and proton energy.


Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a kind of pathogen that causes huge economic losses to silkworm production. Although Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) and BmNPV are both baculoviruses, the host domains of these two viruses have almost no intersection in nature. Recently, it has been found that some silkworms could be infected by recombinant AcMNPV through a puncture, which provided valuable material for studying the infection mechanism of baculovirus to silkworm. In this study, comparative transcriptomics was used to analyse the hemolymph of two differentially resistant strains following AcMNPV inoculation. There were 678 DEGs in p50 and 515 DEGs in C108 following viral infection. Among them, the upregulation and downregulation of DEGs were similar in p50; however, the upregulated DEGs were nearly twice as numerous as the downregulated DEGs in C108. The DEGs in different resistant strains differed by GO enrichment. Based on KEGG enrichment, DEGs were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways in p50 and the apoptosis pathway in C108. Moreover, 13 genes involved in metabolic pathways and 11 genes involved in the apoptosis pathway were analysed. Among the DEGs involved in apoptosis, the function of BmTex261 in viral infection was analysed. The BmTex261 showed the highest expression in hemolymph and a significant response to viral infection in the hemolymph of C108, indicating that it is involved in anti-AcMNPV infection. This was further validated by the significantly decreased expression of viral gene lef3 after overexpression of BmTex261 in BmN cells. The results provide a theoretical reference for the molecular mechanism of resistance to BmNPV in silkworms.


Problem of optimal control of an object, described by a system of nonlinear difference equations of fractional order, is considered. Applying one version of the method of increments, a discrete an-alogue of the linearized maximum principle is established


The utility model relates to a rearview mirror with an acoustic device, which comprises a mirror base, a mirror pole and mirror glass, wherein the mirror glass is installed at the rear side of the mirror base, the acoustic device is arranged in the mirror base, the acoustic device comprises a loudspeaker and a control plate which is provided with a remote-control receiving device, a slot for inserting mobile storage equipment is fixed on the control plate, a jack and a seal cover are arranged at the positions of the mirror base corresponding to the slot, the loudspeaker is forwards arranged, and a plurality of sound conducting holes are arranged at the positions of a front shell of the mirror base corresponding to the loudspeaker. The design has compact structure and convenient operation, and the installation of the loudspeaker does not occupy the area of the mirror glass so as to ensure that the mirror glass has larger rearview; on the other hand, because the loudspeaker is forwards arranged, when a vehicle advances, the played music can be better transmitted into the ears of a driver or a passenger, so the transmission effect is better.


This article analyzes Heller, the Supreme Court's recent case considering whether to view the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms as a collective right premised on maintaining militias, or as an individual right. Heller held that the Second Amendment codified an individual right unconnected with service in the militia. This article does not analyze the Second Amendment or the precedent interpreting it. Instead, this work examines the potential that Heller, in expanding the right to keep and bear arms, might inadvertently corner the Court into limiting Fourth Amendment rights due to concerns for police safety. Specifically, this article considers Heller's potential erosion of Fourth Amendment freedoms in the contexts of street encounters, searches incident to arrest, and officer intrusions into the home.


If net migration is negligible, the structure of the population of the country is regulated by the births and deaths rate. Using this common demographic concept, in our study, we adopted the departure rate method to estimate the female mortality from population data. For this study, we used the data from US census bureau which are freely available from the website of the US Census Bureau to estimate age-specific mortality rates for female populations in 54 of the world's most populous countries. The method involves first estimating mortality rates for those countries with negligible net age-specific emigration then applying these rates to countries with matching mortality at older ages where it is reasonable to assume that migration is negligible. The result showed that most of the developing countries had a higher female infant mortality as well as the older age of the female, but in the developed countries, the female mortality rate was estimated relatively higher in the middle age of female but lower in infant. All the three models of the deviations were found for the estimation of female mortality based on the accurate population data, which lead to the estimation of female mortality and derived the model. Finally method used in this study is proven to be easy, efficient and


PURPOSE: A method for forming an antenna for non-contact data transmission/reception material use and the non-contact data transmission/reception are provided by using a hardening method of conductivity paste, and by using the conductivity paste. CONSTITUTION: An optical hardening-type electro conductive paste, having surface resistance which is less than 200mohm/sq. by hardening according to optical irradiation, comprises a conductivity powder and a resin composition in the weight ratio of 50/50 to 95/5. The conductivity powder includes a resin state conductivity powder and a squamose conductivity powder which have more than 80 percent in the total conductivity powder. The resin conductivity powder has an average particle diameter 0.05 to 1.0micron and an anti-surface area 0.5-5.0m2/g. The weight ratio of the resin state conductivity powder and a squamose conductivity powder is 60/40 to 95/5.


meability of these channel proteins for water (Preston et al., 1992). Recent findings concerning the sensitivity of aqua- For a long time, plant physiologists, on the other hand, porins to heavy metal ions and their possible con- have not accepted the requirement of these molecules for sequences to plant physiology are discussed. the simple reason that the majority of plants do not Furthermore, results obtained from heterologous possess organs or sites where comparable tremendous expression of plant aquaporin cRNAs in Xenopus amounts of water are transported through living cells. It oocytes are related to the situation in the plant. An was assumed that the water permeability of a biomemassessment of the significance of water flux regulation brane itself is suYcient for the requirements of plant by modification of the aquaporin protein or change cellular water movement (Fettiplace and Haydon, 1980; of gene activity is given and new data concerning Cullis et al., 1996). Since the counterparts of AQP1 were the selectivity of plasma membrane aquaporins are identified in the plant plasma membrane and tonoplast, presented. this opinion is questioned. To date the existence of aquaporins in virtually all living organisms, including


In the modern world, in the epoch of growth of information technologies, an advertisement is one of the most popular varieties of mass communication that rapidly develops. The growth of advertisement substantially influences on lexical composition of language, creates in a language new concepts and expressions, in particular slang and jargon. Native speakers begin to use such vocabulary in everyday life. Especially modern English has such phenomenon, because it is used all over the world. Nowadays, an advertisement performs the function of public ideas formation. Influencing on people, an advertisement creates consumer philosophy and ideology. One of the most sensible to the advertisement categories of people is youth, because they are in the process of active socialization. Exactly an advertisement is mostly aimed at young consumers, that is why it becomes more widely spread and such products need specific language means of influence. Advertisement makers try to overcome psychological distance between an advertisement and audience, so they use of extralinguistic language units, elements of slang or to create new words. Topicality of this work is defined by the fact that a slang is an integral part of English, and the latest research of slang is of great importance. A slang is one of the most actual and ambiguous problems of modern lexicology. In the world where new slang units appear every day, updating of theoretical and practical knowledge of slang and its functions is very important for modern lexicology. In addition, the deeper analysis of advertisement reports with a slang must be done. A scientific novelty of work is that theoretical knowledge in relation to a slang and advertisement in the conditions of modern development of information technologies are incorporated and generalized; opinions of scientists are analyzed in relation to functioning of slang in an advertisement. The aim of the article is to study features of slang functioning in modern English-language advertisements and analysis of basic methods of translating of such advertisement texts. The achievement of these aims needs solution of the following tasks: 1) to interpret a concept "slang" and "jargon" and define, what a slang differs from jargon in the context of the newest researches; 2) to present the basic methods of forming of slang in modern English; 3) to describe the general views of slang and identify their specifics; 4) to interpret a concept "advertisement" and describe the stylistic features of advertisement text; 5) to describe the features of slang use in advertisement texts; 6) to explain functioning of slang in an advertisement on the example of advertisement slogans and texts; 7) to define the specific features of English-Ukrainian translation of advertisements. The subject of research is an analysis of slang features in modern English and Ukrainian languages in advertisement texts.


Thermoradiative (TR) cells are energy conversion devices that convert low-temperature waste heat to electricity. TR cells work on the same principles as photovoltaics, but they produce a reverse bias voltage due to higher cell temperature than the environment temperature. Depending on the energy gap of the material, temperature difference would generate electrical energy by electron-hole pair recombination. In this work, we propose a two-dimensional (2D) InSe for applications in the TR cells. The electronic properties of 2D InSe are obtained by using first-principles calculations. Then, the calculated energy gap is used to estimate output power density and efficiency according to the Shockley-Queisser framework through a detailed balance model adapted with the TR cells. Using a heat source at  = 1000 K and the ambient temperature = 300 K, an ideal TR cell of 2D InSe at the maximum power point can achieve output power density and efficiency up to 0.061 W/m2 and 4.41%, respectively, with an energy gap of 1.43 eV. However, sub-bandgap and non-radiative losses will degenerate the cell's performance significantly.


Objective: To examine whether risk factor profile, baseline features, and outcome of cervical artery dissection (CEAD) differ according to the dissection site. Methods: We analyzed 982 consecutive patients with CEAD included in the Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Patients observational study (n = 619 with internal carotid artery dissection [ICAD], n = 327 with vertebral artery dissection [VAD], n = 36 with ICAD and VAD). Results: Patients with ICAD were older (p < 0.0001), more often men (p = 0.006), more frequently had a recent infection (odds ratio [OR] = 1.59 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–2.31]), and tended to report less often a minor neck trauma in the previous month (OR = 0.75 [0.56–1.007]) compared to patients with VAD. Clinically, patients with ICAD more often presented with headache at admission (OR = 1.36 [1.01–1.84]) but less frequently complained of cervical pain (OR = 0.36 [0.27–0.48]) or had cerebral ischemia (OR = 0.32 [0.21–0.49]) than patients with VAD. Among patients with CEAD who sustained an ischemic stroke, the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission was higher in patients with ICAD than patients with VAD (OR = 1.17 [1.12–1.22]). Aneurysmal dilatation was more common (OR = 1.80 [1.13–2.87]) and bilateral dissection less frequent (OR = 0.63 [0.42–0.95]) in patients with ICAD. Multiple concomitant dissections tended to cluster on the same artery type rather than involving both a vertebral and carotid artery. Patients with ICAD had a less favorable 3-month functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score >2, OR = 3.99 [2.32–6.88]), but this was no longer significant after adjusting for baseline NIHSS score. Conclusion: In the largest published series of patients with CEAD, we observed significant differences between VAD and ICAD in terms of risk factors, baseline features, and functional outcome.


Abstract The Middle English ABC of Aristotle is an alliterative abecedary poem that survives in fifteen manuscript copies dating between the mid-fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The most eccentric copy, bearing the greatest number of unique textual variants, is in London, British Library, Additional 60577, a commonplace book and miscellany of verse and prose known today as the 'Winchester Anthology'. The Winchester copy of the ABC of Aristotle is distinguished from all others by changes to vocabulary, idiom, and prosody. The result is a unique redaction, illustrating the kind of literary composition that could be expected to grow out of late medieval English grammar schools. The Winchester redaction also expresses a shift in prosodic allegiance. The traditional alliterative line is subtly reshaped into an accentual-syllabic form.


The present study was carried out to compare the conventional diagnostics for the diagnosis of rabies with advanced diagnostic technique. Ante-mortem diagnosis in food animals is of utmost importance for herd and/or flock management and to ensure proper postexposure treatment of infected animals. Conventional methods used for the diagnosis of rabies include bite history, clinical symptoms and different tests like direct immunofluorescence (FAT), cell culture (TCIT), animal inoculation tests (MIT) etc. However, all the above conventional diagnostics are laborious and time-consuming although they are assumed to be the gold standard for the diagnosis of rabies. In the present study antemortem diagnosis of rabies is described using newer molecular technique and conventional methods for the detection of rabies virus RNA from saliva samples. Saliva samples from animals at different time intervals were collected and tested for rabies virus using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and mouse inoculation test (MIT). Results obtained by RT-PCR (1-2 days required) were satisfactory and can be applied in replacement of routine laboratory test i.e. MIT (21 days required) for ante-mortem diagnosis of rabies virus from saliva.


The successful use of patterns in a software development organization depends on a number of issues. One such issue is the classification of patterns in a manner supportive of the organization's model of software development. In modern reuse–based organizations adaptability of software products is a capital issue. Given this context, this paper discusses the issues and rationale for pattern classification based upon software adaptability, presents two such classification schemes and discusses their effectiveness when applied to two popular pattern catalogues.


As the second part to a paper presented at the 2004 SMTA Pan Pacific Symposium, this paper further summarizes the results from technical qualification of the Ni/Pd/Au process. Whereas the previous paper examined the wire bonding capabilities of this surface finish, this second paper focuses specific attention to BGA applications. In these investigations, the solder joint integrity is measured using ball shear testing of BGAs as test vehicles. Ball shear performance of BGA solder joints is examined using both eutectic solder and a tin-silver-copper (SAC) alloy. Testing of eutectic Sn-Pb solder joints demonstrates the impact of thermo-cycling (500 cycles of -55°C to +125°C) on the Ni/Pd/Au surface in comparison to other selective finish methodologies (i.e. electroless nickel/gold and organic solderability preservatives). Similarly, ball shear testing of the SAC-alloy solder joints shows the impact of thermal aging (+150°C for 1000 hours) on the Ni/Pd/Au surface, compared to the performance of the more conventional electrolytic nickel/electrolytic gold process under the same test conditions. The overall reliability of solder ball attachment is characterized by both mechanical ball shear test results and visual inspection.


Hazardous energy control programs that include lockout and tagout procedures as well as worker training can prevent serious injury and death during machine maintenance.


A multichannel quantum defect analysis (MCQDA) for non‐Coulomb potentials is applied to two‐channel coupling in diatomic molecules. Given the exact 2×2 scattering matrix S(E) obtained at a single energy above the dissociation threshold E>0, we can extract an analytic, energy‐insensitive 2×2 matrix Y(E) which can be extrapolated across thresholds and yield a complete description of predissociating molecules. The predicted widths, shifts, and line shapes obtained from MCQDA are in quantitative agreement with the exact numerical results and confirm the remarkable simplicity that can be achieved in describing diatomic systems near dissociation limits. The analysis is equally applicable to either adiabatic avoided crossings or diabatic curve crossings. The validity of MCQDA is independent of coupling strength and can quantitatively describe strongly overlapped predissociating resonance states. The application of MCQDA to the bound state spectrum, when both channels are closed, is discussed.


Meeting the information needs of patrons researching East European roots can be challenging for Slavic and genealogy subject specialists alike, neither of whom is normally trained to handle both the nuances of genealogical research and the challenges inherent in East European reference problems. An introduction to genealogical methods and a general awareness of available resources for East European family history can enable Slavic librarians to better facilitate genealogists. This article aims to provide this introduction and awareness, as well as to show how Slavic librarians can leverage their existing collections and expertise to help solve genealogy research problems.


The invention discloses a tower mill cylindrical shell access door hydraulic unlatching method and auxiliary apparatus. The method comprises the following specific steps: 1, measuring the dimension of an access door, performing stress simulation analysis on measured data, and determining unlatching points of the access door; 2, after the unlatching point is determined, arranging circular through holes in the same quantity as the unlatching points in an installation frame; 3, arranging hydraulic auxiliary devices at the circular through hole of the installation frame; 4, when the access door needs to be open after closure, loosening peripheral locking bolts firstly, and brushing a soaking liquid at the periphery of the access door; and 5, the hydraulic auxiliary devices working to eject the access door slowly. According to the method provided by the invention, the access door of a mine equipment tower mill can be conveniently and rapidly open, the time is shortened to about two hours from conventional three to four hours, the manual maintenance time is greatly reduced, the working efficiency is improved, at the same time, possible manual operation risks are avoided, personnel safety is guaranteed, and the tower mill is protected from damage.


In the paper, vector spaces over residue field modulo 2 are considered. These vector spaces are of considerable interest because they are widely used in ordinary graphs theory, theory of coding and others areas, especially in modular systems investigation. Vector spaces over GF(2) have some features, for example, examination of linear dependence and independence for the set of vectors is simplified. The concept of 1-dependence for the set of vectors is embedded. This concept is used to study vector subspaces and their orthogonal complements and to solve systems of linear equations. The connection between fundamental system of solutions of some simultaneous linear equations and decomposition of corresponding vector system into minimal 1-dependent subsystems is considered. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of nontrivial intersection of the vector subspace and its orthogonal complement are proven.


The invention discloses a united encoding and decoding method based on strategy selection. The united encoding and decoding method based on strategy selection is characterized in that the system throughput existing when a user and a base station select a singular value decomposition method or an interference alignment encoding and decoding method is estimated according to a theoretical analysis method, then the singular value decomposition method or the interference alignment encoding and decoding method are reasonably selected for the user and the base station based on the system approximate throughput maximizing criterion or the system average approximate throughput maximizing criterion, and finally the encoding and decoding vector is obtained through iteration. By the adoption of the united encoding and decoding method based on strategy selection, the system throughput existing when the user and the base station select the singular value decomposition method or the interference alignment encoding and decoding method can be predicted even though instant channel state information is not provided, the system throughput is improved, the system complexity is reduced, the need for the instant channel state information is reduced, and the united encoding and decoding method based on strategy selection is suitable for an actual cellular system.


Three strains of motile nocardioform actinomycetes were isolated from sedge blades. The characteristics of these isolates led us to assign them to the genus Actinosynnema. Accordingly, we propose the following new taxa of Actinosynnema: Actinosynnema pretiosum subsp. pretiosum sp. nov., subsp. nov., containing type strain C-15003(N-1) (= IFO 13726 = FERM-P 3992 = ATCC 31281) and strain C-14919(N-2001) (= IFO 13723 = FERM-P 3991 = ATCC 31280); and Actinosynnema pretiosum subsp. auranticum subsp. nov., with type strain C-14482(N-1001) (= IFO 13725 = FERM-P 4130 = ATCC 31309).


This paper aims to validate scales for the early development of writing proficiency based on a framework used to linguistically describe multiple dimensions of writing development in 6–9 year-old Danish-speaking students and to lay the statistical foundation for empirically describing proficiency levels in emergent writers. The analysis is based on the Rasch model and was conducted on texts (n = 803) written by Year 0–2 students using the computer app WriteReader. The paper introduces both the model and the theory behind it, including the rationale for using this model, and it presents the main analytical steps taken and decisions made in the study, which is part of the large-scale Danish research project entitled Teaching Platform for Developing and Automatically Tracking Early Stage Literacy Skills (ATEL, 2018–2023). The results show that it is possible to identify detailed levels of early writing development in four dimensions: 1) text construction, 2) sentence construction, 3) verbals, and 4) modifiers.


Geosynthetic products can help construction to be faster and more cost-effective, while increasing the service life of structures. Geosynthetics can separate good materials from bad and help facilitate drainage, both of which will improve pavement performance. Different types of geosynthetics have different functions, but all are manufactured polymeric materials used with rock, soil, or other geotechnical material in construction and engineering projects. A recent project in a remote part of Arizona showed the benefit of geosynthetics when the Arizona Department of Transportation had to open an alternate route when a road had to be closed due to a landslide. Use of a geogrid helped save money and time in paving a detour road.


Strain is an important parameter for assessing the potential impacts resulting from mine subsidence movements. However, strain resulting from mine subsidence is also one of the most difficult parameters to predict accurately. A number of methods can be used to predict strain, from simple empirical relationships, to more complex statistical approaches. This paper looks at some of these prediction methods and discusses the current research on improving the method of strain prediction.