In order to determine the most optimal host cell line,inoculation dose and the time of harvest,we studied the growth pattern and cytopathic effect (CPE) of the mutants of Pseudorabies virus (PRV) Ea strain,gG -/LacZ +,in different cell lines.A clone virus of gG -/LacZ +,the titer of which could be up to 10 -8.0 /0.1 ml,after purification four times by plaques,was obtained.The clone virus was inoculated into different cell lines,BHK-21,IBRS-2,MDBK and PK-15,respectively.Infected BHK-21 could be induced CPE at 12 hours p.i..However,The CPE of MDBK appeared after 24 hours p.i..In terms of the growth pattern,the titer of IBRS-2 could reach the peak level at 40 hours p.i. and the peak titer was up to 10 -8.0 /0.1 ml,which was maintained until 64 hours p.i..In contrast,the peak of BHK-21 was only 10 -6.5 /0.1 ml during the 96 hours p.i.. We also studied the titer of IBRS-2 when it was inoculated with different dose virus from 0.001 PFU/cell to 100PFU/cell.It was discovered that the titer could reached over 10 -7.5 /0.1 ml when inoculated with 0.1PFU/cell,0.01PFU/cell after 30,48 hours p.i.,respectively.These data indicate that IBRS-2 is the most optimal cell and that the titer could reach the peak when inoculated with 0.01PFU/cell and harvested at 40-50 hours p.i..


A 6-year-old girl with severe female hypospadias had undergone many operations during infancy elsewhere to correct bilateral high-grade VUR. The girl presented with recurrent febrile UTIs and was unable to fully empty her bladder. A urodynamic investigation showed low bladder compliance and detrusor are ̄exia, suggesting iatrogenic detrusor denervation. The bladder was emptied by straining and the postvoid residual volume was high. The girl was placed on prophylactic antibiotics and CISC was suggested. However, urethral catheterization was extremely dif®cult because of the severe hypospadiac meatus. To use CISC daily, a continent appendicovesicostomy was proposed. During surgery to construct the appendicovesicostomy, no appendix was found, suggesting that an incidental appendectomy had been performed during one of the previous operations. It was then decided to construct a catheterizable channel from ileum. While inspecting the distal ileum a Meckel diverticulum was found. Instead of tapering a segment of ileum or performing a Monti procedure, the Meckel diverticulum and a part of the ileum was used instead. The separate blood vessels to the diverticulum were sacri®ced without disturbing the blood supply to the diverticulum (Fig. 1). Then a 6-cm segment of ileum with the diverticulum at its proximal end was isolated on a mesenteric pedicle. A 14 F silicone tube was introduced into the diverticulum through the lumen of the ileum and the remaining ileum tapered in a triangular fashion with a stapler, so that the Meckel diverticulum would be at the distal end (Fig. 2). The tip of the Meckel diverticulum was excised and then implanted into the bladder in an antire ̄ux fashion. The ileal end was sutured to the skin of the umbilicus. The further postoperative course was uneventful, the stoma is continent and CISC used regularly through the diverticulum, with no problems, over a follow-up of 15 months. A histological evaluation of the tip of the diverticulum showed no heterotopic gastric mucosa. Comment


This paper mainly studies facial expression recognition with the components by face parsing (FP). Considering the disadvantage that different parts of face contain different amount of information for facial expression and the weighted function are not the same for different faces, an idea is proposed to recognize facial expression using components which are active in expression disclosure. The face parsing detectors are trained via deep belief network and tuned by logistic regression. The detectors first detect face, and then detect nose, eyes and mouth hierarchically. A deep architecture pretrained with stacked autoencoder is applied to facial expression recognition with the concentrated features of detected components. The parsing components remove the redundant information in expression recognition, and images don't need to be aligned or any other artificial treatment. Experimental results on the Japanese Female Facial Expression database and extended Cohn-Kanade dataset outperform other methods and show the effectiveness and robustness of this algorithm.


In 1823, while playing a game of soccer at school, William Webb-Ellis broke the rules. He picked up the ball and ran the whole length of the pitch with it. This memorial statue is in the town of Rugby, which gave …


This paper reports a study of the phenomena of rhythmic cycles and aspection of species in a native tallgrass prairie in central Oklahoma. It includes a table of frequency data depicting the importance of 15 characteristic grassland species, a detailed phenological record of these species, and a delineation of the 4 seasonal aspects in the prairie. Phenological data for species other than those listed may be obtained from the author. I am indebted to Professor W. T. Penfound who directed the research. Acknowledgment is also made to Professors E. L. Rice and George J. Goodman for help in specimen identification and aid in the collection of field data, and to Messrs. M. T. and Neil R. Johnson on whose land the investigations were made.


Taocha hydro-junction project is the diversion canal head of Middle Route Project of S-N Water Diversion and also the secondary dam of Danjiangkou Reservoir,and its functions are water retaining,water diversion,power generation by using diversion discharge and water head difference of the sluice.Through comprehensive consideration on the sluice function,sluice building condition,old sluice utilization,operation mode etc.and tech-economical comparison,the scheme of re-building the hydro-junction 70m downstream the original one is adopted.In the scheme,a tubular hydropower station is to be constructed on left bank and water diversion sluice on the right of the main canal.In the light of foundation rock integrity and permeability,the seepage control measures for dam foundation and mountain bodies on the bank are adopted.


By analyzing the properties of Chinese words and sentences, a new syntax analyzer CWDS for Chinese language is proposed. This system puts the emphasis on the central verb. Using the meaning of sentence and the Chinese word formation rule, this system does the analysis and distinguishing word, and automatically transfers the natural sentence into the concept structure representation of the sentence. This method integrates the process of distinguishing word and the process of syntactic analysis.


This paper is intended to examine the efficiency of utilizing the FRP composite material with an externally bonded technique in enhancing the behavior of the damaged B-C joints and controlling their failure mode using the NLFEA approach. At first, the modeled Beam-Column joint was validated as per the previously-attained experimentally-attained results. Later, the model was widened to experiment with the impact of axial-column load and the concrete compressive strength on the reinforced and un-reinforced models with FRP. To run the experiment, there were three cases of applying the axial column load: no load applied (0%), applying 25%, applying 50%, and applying 75%, while the concrete compressive strength degradation level was (0% damage), (25% damage), and (50% damage). All models were evaluated for structural performance, considering: the failure mode, stresses distribution, and the ultimate capacities in pulling and pushing with its corresponding displacements. However, the horizontal load-displacement hysteretic loops and envelopes, stiffness degradation, displacement ductility, and energy dissipation were reported. The experimental results revealed that using FRP to externally-reinforce B-C joints improved overall cyclic performance, as the FRP caused a rise in the ultimate load capacity, horizontal displacement, ductility of displacement, and displacement energy dissipation, while it slowed down the stiffness degradation. In addition, the FRP material converted the failure mode of the region between the joint and column from brittle to ductile due to the formation of a plastic hinge only on the side of the beam when the axial column load exceeded 25%. It must be noticed that when the column's axial load is less than 25%, the ultimate capacity of axial load and resultant deflection is solely improved. However, it has been stated that increasing the column's axial loading by 25% increases the resulting stiffness degradation by 3% for undamaged joints, which further increases by 16% for each increased damage level. In contrast, the absorbed energy is increased by 170% under axial loading, increasing by 25%, which is reduced to only one-fourth under the various damage levels. Generally, the resulting observations help specialized engineers retrofit appropriate B-C joints in already-standing buildings due to their accuracy.


As the number and dimensionality of data increases, development of new efficient processing tools has become a necessity. The present paper introduces a novel dimensionality reduction approach for fast and efficient clustering of high-dimensional data. The new methods extend random sampling and consensus (RANSAC) arguments, originally developed for robust regression tasks in computer vision, to the dimensionality reduction problem. The advocated random sketching and validation K-means (SkeVa K-means) and Divergence SkeVa algorithms can achieve high performance, with the latter being able to afford lower computational footprint than the former. Extensive numerical tests on synthetic and real datasets highlight the potential of the proposed algorithms, and demonstrate their competitive performance relative to state-of-the-art random projection alternatives.


Manufacturability of micro and nano systems has gained importance with the advent of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Whereas the manufacturability of macro systems has been a widely researched subject, the behavior of MEMS devices in large scale manufacturing operations is virtually an unexplored field. Therefore, in order to predict resulting product characteristics, theories developed for macro-scale manufacturing are currently being extended to micro-systems. This research employs computer aided engineering (CAE) tools in the determination of the final dimensional quality of a drilled hole created by a nano-drill. In order to obtain a valid prediction of the drilled-hole dimensions, an adequate knowledge of the processes occurring during nano drilling and the factors affecting these processes are necessary. A complete analysis requires consideration of the kinematic, static and dynamic factors that contribute to the error in the drill tip. In this paper, only the kinematic errors that affect the hole geometric quality are considered. The causes of these kinematic errors and their effect on the variation of the drilled hole are also investigated. The resulting hole size will be considered to be the result of the "stack-up" of the errors in the tool.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


This paper mainly investigates concircularly flat Kehler complete submanifolds in CP5,and poses the pinching constaints and the local Eular characterization.


Introduction and objective: Intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is a major cause of stroke worldwide, and its genetic background remains largely unexplored. The previous studies performed have been...


A growing body of research suggests that democracy promotes trade liberalization in developing countries. We argue that democracy in developing countries generates a "skill bias" in trade policy where democratic incumbents have incentives to increase tariffs on high skilled goods but reduce trade barriers on low skilled goods. Our model analyzes how electoral competition and interest group politics in the Heckscher-Ohlin economy of a democratic developing country affects trade protection on low and high skilled goods. It predicts that electoral competition induces the government to reduce trade barriers for low skilled goods to maximize the utility of the abundant factor, namely the low skilled median voter, who optimally prefers a reduction in tariffs for low skilled goods. At the same time, electoral politics also engenders lobbying pressure and campaign contributions from the scarce factor in the polity – the owners of skill-intensive industries (the interest group) – who prefers more trade protection for high skilled goods. The government rationally responds to contributions and electoral dividends generated by protecting skill-intensive industries from import competition by increasing tariffs on high skilled goods. Empirical tests conducted on a novel disaggregated industry-level dataset of trade protection for 92 developing countries from 1978-2004 provides robust statistical support for our theoretical predictions.


Certainly one of the most fervently debated subjects of political science in recent years has been bureaucracy and its place in the political spectrum. The discussion has ranged from somber, footnoted articles in the scholarly journals to anguished editorials in the right wing press. Almost any day the Congressional Record will carry speeches on the subject; a great many investigations by Congressional, executive, and private bodies have examined the problem; the judiciary, in decision after decision, has tried to answer it in terms of both precedent and modern need. And yet, with all this discussion, there have been few attempts to develop a theory of administration based upon the behavior of persons in formal organizations. It is the purpose of this paper to inquire why this is true. In one sense, public administration is a stepchild to political science. While it is true that the President is given substantial powers in the Constitution, there is almost no mention of the bureaucracy and it is quite certain that no one in the Constitutional Convention could foresee the time when one in every ten persons gainfully employed would be in some branch of government. The bureaucrat was, in the nineteenth century, the clerk who performed such simple tasks that, as Andrew Jackson pointed out, any reasonable, intelligent person could learn them in a short time. It was not until Woodrow Wilson's now famous essay was published in 1887 that public administration was recognized as a special problem, and Wilson set its intellectual framework when he defined it as "the detailed and systematic execution of public law."'1 By relegating administration to means, Wilson held to the traditional dichotomy between willing and doing, that is, between policy and administration, which was further developed by Goodnow. The great advantage of this was that it enabled the growing bureaucracy


Identifying Internet traffic applications is centric to many network security and management tasks. With the steady emergence of Internet applications, encryption and obfuscation techniques, researchers are facing various challenges in accurately identifying different applications. An optimal traffic-classification model has yet to be defined despite of the effort devoted by the research community in the last decade.
This thesis aims to provide an analytical review of existing traffic identification methods, while suggesting novel enhancements and approaches. First, with the remarkably increasing number of papers in the literature covering traffic classification, we survey most recent works and propose a systematic multilevel taxonomy. Expressed in a consistent terminology, our proposed taxonomy can promote and unify the research efforts in designing the best future traffic identification model, which we describe and characterize while underlining main research requirements. Moreover, the different categories (e.g. payload-based, statistical, machine learning, graphical, etc.) are compared, as found in the literature, in terms of performance, accuracy, ability to detect critical applications like peer-to-peer, and other relevant criteria. The current research trend is also analyzed in the light of the surveyed works.
Second, with the lack of reference datasets for evaluating and comparing traffic classification methods, we collected real traffic sets in a significant volume and extracted all the parameters relevant to the classification process using customized tools.
Third, we assess payload based traffic identification methods and propose an optimization that can best achieve the trade-off between the classification accuracy and the user's privacy protection. For this purpose, we assess the performance of Deep Packet Inspection, and present a customized sampling policy for the traffic payloads. According to our testbed, promising results, related to the classification time gain, were obtained at the cost of less inspected payload while maintaining the classification accuracy.
Finally, we assess blind identification models. First, we explore the discriminative power of traffic features at the application layer by proposing a flow-based classifier relying on application message lengths analysis. Our approach analyzes application layer messages without breaching the user privacy. For this model, we propose a novel flow-based classifier using multi-modal distributions. Evaluated on a real captured dataset, the results evidence the goodness of the proposal and the existence of discriminative information regarding traffic classification in the sizes of the exchanged messages.
Then, we discuss an extended model for multi-label host classification, as most of the current host-based classification models do not reflect real usage scenarios, where a host might be using more than one application. For this purpose, we choose a host classification method, based on graphical techniques, that we enhance and extend to handle multi-label classification. Our proposal can regarded as an attempt to radically change the conventional view of monolabel host classification. Our results show an improvement in classification accuracy for most protocols including peer-to-peer.


Objective To evaluate intraocular lens power calculation after laser refractive surgery using an optimized calculation method and self-designed computer software. Methods Intraocular lens power calculation method was optimized in the following aspects: corrective algorithm for corneal power estimation; algorithm for effective lens position estimation and double-K method for intraocular lens power calculation; and standardized formula for intraocular lens power calculation.The calculation method was programmed into self-designed computer software (IOL calculator for post-refractive cases). Forty-nine eyes after eximer-laser corneal refractive surgery were retrospectively studied. Intraocular lens power and calculated postoperative refraction were calculated by the optimized method using the computer software. The difference between calculated postoperative refraction and actual postoperative refraction (prediction error) and absolute prediction error were analyzed by SPSS 11.0 software. Results Mean postoperative refraction was (-0.78±0.83)D (-2.50~0.75 D). Three eyes (6.1%) were emmetropic, 36 eyes (73.5%) were myopic, 10 eyes (20.4%) were hyperopic. Mean prediction error was (-0.02±0.75)D(-1.26~1.96 D). Mean absolute prection error was (0.62±0.42)D(0~1.96 D), 19 eyes (38.8%) were ≤0.5 D, 22 eyes (44.9%) were >0.5 D and ≤1.0 D,7 eyes (14.3%) were >1.0 D and ≤1.5 D, 1 eye (2.0%) was >1.5 D and ≤2.0 D. No eye was higher than 2.0 D. Conclusion The computer software programmed with optimized calculation method is a reliable solution to the intraocular lens power calculation after laser corneal refractive surgery.

Key words:
Lenses,intraocular;  Power calculation;  Lasers,excimer;  Corneal refractive surgery;  Computer software


This paper sets out a configuration for an Automated Highway System (AHS) which is believed to have advantages from a safety viewpoint. The configuration and operating principles are described. The scheme requires that vehicles change lanes directly from platoon to platoon, and that entry and exit be made also without platoons merging or splitting on the automated lanes. The protocols for the maneuvers needed are described in detail.


Objective:To study the pharmacokinetics of rhein rats were given of Radix et Rhizoma Rhei and Dachengqi Decoction.Method:Radix et Rhizoma Rhei group were given a single dose of Radix et Rhizoma Rhei and Dachengqi Decoction group were given Dachengqi Decoction.The plasma concentration of rhein was measured by HPLC.Diomansil C18(4.6 mm ×150 mm,5 μm)was used as analytical column.The mobile phase consisted of methanol-water-acetic acid(77:22:1),and the wavelength of detection was set at 428 nm.Plasma concentration-time data were analysted with the 3P97 pharmacokinetic software.Result:The linear ranges of rhein were from 1.0 to 15 mg·L-1.The concentration-time curves of rhein were fitted to the two compartment models in rats.The main pharmacokinetic parameters of the concentration-time curves and the maximum plasma concentration were significant difference between the Radix et Rhizoma Rhei groups and Dachengqi Decoction group after administrated the same dosage of rhein in rats(P0.05).Conclusion:It was decreased the concentration of rhein in plasma when Radix et Rhizoma Rhei compatibility with other chinese medicine in Dachengqi Decoction.


Different crystal growth and quality information can be obtained through the simultaneous acquisition of transmitted and reflected second-harmonic-generation images, which is combined with multiphoton, multimodal nonlinear microscopy to study the optical property in lateral-epitaxially-overgrown GaN


This thesis describes how people interacted with the natural environment of Prince George up to 1915. In general, the author notes that relationship was based on resource extraction, which resulted in unprecedented changes in the land.


This paper considers an optimal control problem for a class of controlled hybrid dynamical systems (HDSs) with prescribed switchings. By using Ekeland's variational principle and a matrix cost functional, a minimum principle for HDSs is derived, which provides a necessary condition of the aforementioned problem. The results given in this paper include both pure continuous systems and pure discrete-time systems as special cases.

 doi:10.1017/S1446181110000799


A normal‐mode‐based approach to simulation of very low‐frequency underice reverberation in an Arctic environment is presented. Acoustic backscattering from the ice layer and the ocean bottom is simulated using a normal‐mode‐based model, with underice and bottom backscattering represented by coupling of forward‐ and backward‐traveling waves associated with the normal modes. Results of simulations performed to test the feasibility of associated methods for estimating backscattering strengths from reverberation data are also presented.


At line 144 of the second Book of Nonnos' Dionysiaka, the transmitted text alludes to local mythical traditions of Cilicia, and should not be emended.


Open microfluidic channels, which capture and transport liquid on flat substrate surfaces through wettability contrast, offer a promising platform for the analysis, mixing, separation, etc. of small‐volume liquid samples. This study focuses on the development of open microfluidic channels featuring oleophilic/oleophobic micropatterning in a hyperbranched, space‐filling structure, thereby creating high‐density channels. These newly designed channels allow for the swift collection of microdroplets with low surface tension within less than 10 s through hierarchical transport and merging of the microdroplets within the channel. The collection efficiency reaches 66% in the channel with the optimized channel geometry. These results underscore the effectiveness of this method for the collection of low surface tension microdroplets, paving the way for the advancement in the domain of open microfluidics of oil, a field that has yet to be fully explored.


The increase utilization of various intermittent renewable energy sources and the new types of mobile loads necessitates the implementation of a domestic energy management system. This energy management scheme provides an option to maintain the household peaks at a specific range, and at the same time provides various ancillary services. In this paper, we propose a technique to curtail the peaks of the domestic power demand and share the excess energy with the neighbours in need. The method utilizes photovoltaics (PVs), electric vehicle, and battery storage at the domestic point and manages them based on some predefined algorithms. The proposed method is tested in a real Australian power distribution network and has proved to minimize the domestic peak load demand of the owner and their neighbour substantially, hence expected to reduce the energy cost.


The association of antiphospholipid(aPL) antibodieswith thrombosisin patientswith antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is well documented in humans and in animal studies. However, the mechanisms by which aPL antibodies induce thrombosis are the subject of much current study. It has been suggested that aPL may activate endothelial cells (ECs), thus creating a hypercoagulablestate that precedes and contributes to thrombosis in patients with APS. Several studies have shown that aPL upregulateECs' adhesion molecules (CAMs): intercellularcell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascularcell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin (E-sel) or induce tissue factor (TF) in monocytes in vitro. Similarly, the incubationof EC with antibodiesreactingwith ß2 glycoproteinI (ß2 GPI) has been shown to induce EC activation with concomitant upregulation of CAMs, IL-6 production and alteration of prostaglandin metabolism. Our group has shown that aPL-mediated upregulation of adhesion molecules on ECs correlates with an increased adhesion of leukocytes to endothelium in the microcirculationof mouse cremaster muscle, an indicationof EC activation in vivo, and with enhanced thrombosis in vivo. In another series of studies, investigators have shown that upregulation of expression of adhesion molecules by some murine monoclonal anti-β2 glycoprotein I (anti-β2 GPI) antibodiescorrelatedwith fetal resorptionin mice invivo. More recently, one studyshowedthat the anti-hypercholesterolaemicdrug fluvastatininhibitedthe aPL-mediatedenhancedadhesionof monocytesto ECs in vitro. Data from our laboratoriesindicate that fluvastatin also reversesthrombus formation and activation of EC induced by aPL in an in vivo mouse model. As additional support for the hypothesis that aPL antibodies activate ECs and may create an hypercoagulablestate in APS patients, two recent studiesindicatedthatlevelsof solubleICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were significantlyincreasedin theplasma of patients with APS and recurrent thrombosis. Furthermore, studies utilizing knockout mice and specific monoclonal anti-VCAM-1 antibodies have demonstrated that expression of ICAM-1, P-selectin, E-selectin and VCAM-1 are important in in vivo aPL-mediated thrombosis and EC activation in mice. Recent data suggests that aPL antibodies also induce expressionof TF not only in monocytesbutin ECs. Hence, the interferenceof aPL with the TF mechanismmay be anotherimportant mechanism by which these antibodies create a hypercoagulablestate and prone patients to thrombosis. Specifically, how aPL alters EC activation state and the molecular and intracellular mechanisms involvedhavenotyetbeen defined.APL may interactwith specific cell surfacereceptors(proteinsand/or lipids) induce signals that have consequences downstream, and that ultimately will result in upregulationof cellsurfaceproteins(i.e., CAMs and TF) and subsequentlyinduceEC activation.In that regard, our group recently showed that aPL-mediated upregulation of adhesion molecules in ECs is precededby activationof the nuclearfactor kappaB (NFkB). Other intracellularmechanisms triggered by aPL are notcompletelyunderstoodand are the subjectof currentinvestigation.In conclusion, studies suggestthat activationof ECs by aPL is an importantmechanismthat may precedethrombusformation in patients with APS. Hence, the interplay between aPL antibodies and ECs is important in the pathogenesisof thrombosis in APS.


This article develops a visual approach of the meetings for reading poems present in the works that belong to the Roberto Piva library, located at São Paulo downtown. By presenting photographs taken during the encounters, extracts of poems and a description of the environment, the reader is invited to participate of the reading sessions and of the urban landscape to which the poet Roberto Piva belonged.


When families and agencies get caught up in problems, discourses of blame can dominate. Karen Partridge and Nicola McCarty explain how systemic therapy can enable the shift from blame to appreciation and harness participants' resources for the benefit of all.


ABSTRACT Amphotericin B (AMB), micafungin, and caspofungin MICs, minimal fungicidal concentrations, and time-killing curves were determined in the presence and absence of 10% inactivated serum. AMB was the only agent with consistent killing activity (time required to achieve 99.9% of growth reduction was 2.1 to 3.2 h). The presence of serum enhanced caspofungin activity but lowered those of micafungin and AMB.


Care of patients who need emergency surgery must improve and gain a more prominent role in NHS hospitals, a new report from the Royal College of Surgeons of England says. The report claims that pressure on trusts to meet targets on elective surgery has led to the neglect of emergency surgery.

Rates of mortality and complications among patients undergoing emergency surgery, which accounts for about half of NHS surgery, vary widely among hospitals in England and Wales, it says. Problems in this area include:


This paper introduces a tensor framework for image-based rendering. In particular, we develop an algorithm called TensorTextures that learns a parsimonious model of the bidirectional texture function (BTF) from observational data. Given an ensemble of images of a textured surface, our nonlinear, generative model explicitly represents the multifactor interaction implicit in the detailed appearance of the surface under varying photometric angles, including local (per-texel) reflectance, complex mesostructural self-occlusion, interreflection and self-shadowing, and other BTF-relevant phenomena. Mathematically, TensorTextures is based on multilinear algebra, the algebra of higher-order tensors, hence its name. It is computed through a decomposition known as the N-mode SVD, an extension to tensors of the conventional matrix singular value decomposition (SVD). We demonstrate the application of TensorTextures to the image-based rendering of natural and synthetic textured surfaces under continuously varying viewpoint and illumination conditions.


Purpose: The worsening case of global warming and the beleaguered eco-system have necessitated a compelling need for manufacturing organisations to embed sustainable supply chain management practices into their operations and deploy cutting-edge innovative initiatives to salvage the environment and the health of mankind. This paper is purposed to extend and strengthen theorybuilding on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) concept and innovation to foster improved operational performance based on institutional theory. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is designed to test the proposition that pressure from external institutions impels organisations engaged in sustainable supply chain management practices to adopt state-of-the-art innovative practices as a tool to resolving inherent challenges in order to improve operational performance. The study therefore employs a model that makes practical utilisation of organisational innovation, underpinned by institutional theory to accentuate the predictive potential of the Triple Bottom Line on firm performance. Findings: Empirical findings indicate that sustainable supply chain management practices have positive correlation with operational performance. However, contrary findings exist that reveal that the relationship is weak when construed as direct. This justifies the introduction of innovation into the SSCM-performance model aimed at amplifying the predictive potential of the concept on operational performance goals. Originality/Value: The study introduces a robust and comprehensive model that exploits three overarching sustainability concepts that generate far-reaching implications for researchers as well as industry practitioners. These concepts have scarcely been studied as a holistic integrated model. The examination of the mediating effects of organisational innovation in the Sustainable Supply Chain Management-Operational Performance link offers a novel theoretical contribution to the SSCM literature and is expected to serve as a roadmap for successful implementation of future sustainability initiatives by firms. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences Vol. 1 0 , No. 8, August, 2020, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2020 HRMARS 61


End-to-end (E2E) neural modeling has emerged as one predominant school of thought to develop computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) systems, showing competitive performance to conventional pronunciation-scoring based methods. However, current E2E neural methods for CAPT are faced with at least two pivotal challenges. On one hand, most of the E2E methods operate in an autoregressive manner with left-to-right beam search to dictate the pronunciations of an L2 learners. This however leads to very slow inference speed, which inevitably hinders their practical use. On the other hand, E2E neural methods are normally data-hungry and meanwhile an insufficient amount of nonnative training data would often reduce their efficacy on mispronunciation detection and diagnosis (MD&D). In response, we put forward a novel MD&D method that leverages non-autoregressive (NAR) E2E neural modeling to dramatically speed up the inference time while maintaining performance in line with the conventional E2E neural methods. In addition, we design and develop a pronunciation modeling network stacked on top of the NAR E2E models of our method to further boost the effectiveness of MD&D. Empirical experiments conducted on the L2-ARCTIC English dataset seems to validate the feasibility of our method, in comparison to some top-of-the-line E2E models and an iconic pronunciation-scoring based method built on a DNN-HMM acoustic model.


The article deals with the educational basis for the formation of the image of the world in preschoolers with visual impairments. Revealed methodological, informative and evaluative aspects of improving special education preschool children with low vision. Stressed the relevance of holistic development (natural and social competence, harmonious self-concept, school maturity) the person preschooler with reduced vision as the main criteria for the effectiveness of pre-school special education


A large number of queries are posed daily against the distributed databases spread across the globe. Query processing strategies are used to generate efficient query plans for these queries. The number of such query plans increases exponentially with the increase in the number of involved sites and relations accessed by the query. Further, this complexity increases if the data is fragmented and replicated across multiple sites. This problem, referred to as the distributed query plan generation DQPG problem, is a combinatorial optimization problem. An attempt has been made in this paper to solve this DQPG problem using the Firefly Algorithm FA, which is inspired by the flashing behaviour of fireflies in nature. The proposed FA based DQPG algorithm DQPGFA, aims to generate distributed query plans incurring minimum Query Proximity Cost QPC value. The experimental results show that DQPGFA, in comparison to the GA based DQPG algorithm DQPGGA, was able to select Top-K query plans that had a comparatively lesser average QPC value. Such generated query plans would, most likely, lead to an improvement in the query response time and thereby would result in effective and efficient decision making.


Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is a leading cause of encephalitis in Asia, causing an estimated 67 900 JE cases annually. To control JE, WHO recommends that JE vaccine be incorporated into immunization programmes in all areas where JE is a public health problem. For many decades, progress has been made mainly in a small number of high-income Asian countries. Recently, prospects for control have improved with better disease burden awareness as a result of increased JE surveillance, and wider availability of safe, effective vaccines. This report summarizes the status of JE surveillance and immunization programmes in 2012 in Asia and the Western Pacific. Data were obtained from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Reporting Form (JRF), published literature, meeting reports, and websites. In 2012, 18 (75%) of the 24 countries with areas of JE virus transmission risk conducted at least some JE surveillance and 11 (46%) had a JE immunization programme. Further progress towards JE control requires increased awareness of disease burden at the national and regional levels, availability of WHO-prequalified pediatric JE vaccines, and international support for surveillance and vaccine introduction in countries with limited resources.


Vascularity represents an important element of tissue/tumor microenvironment and is implicated in tumor growth, metastatic potential and resistence to therapy. Small blood vessels can be visualized using immunohistochemical stains specific to vascular cells. However, currently used manual methods to assess vascular density are poorly reproducible and are at best semi quantitative. Computer based quantitative and objective methods to measure microvessel density are urgently needed to better understand and clinically utilize microvascular density information. We propose a new method to quantify vascularity from images of bone marrow biopsies stained for CD34 vascular lining cells protein as a model. The method starts by automatically segmenting the blood vessels by methods of maxlink thresholding and minimum graph cuts. The segmentation is followed by morphological post-processing to reduce blast and small spurious objects from the bone marrow images. To classify the images into one of the four grades, we extracted 20 features from the segmented blood vessel images. These features include first four moments of the distribution of the area of blood vessels, first four moments of the distribution of 1) the edge weights in the minimum spanning tree of the blood vessels, 2) the shortest distance between blood vessels, 3) the homogeneity of the shortest distance (absolute difference in distance between consecutive blood vessels along the shortest path) between blood vessels and 5) blood vessel orientation. The method was tested on 26 bone marrow biopsy images stained with CD34 IHC stain, which were evaluated by three pathologists. The pathologists took part in this study by quantifying blood vessel density using gestalt assessment in hematopoietic bone marrow portions of bone marrow core biopsies images. To determine the intra-reader variability, each image was graded twice by each pathologist with two-week interval in between their readings. For each image, the ground truth (grade) was acquired through consensus among the three pathologists at the end of the study. A ranking of the features reveals that the fourth moment of the distribution of the area of blood vessels along with the first moment of the distribution of the shortest distance between blood vessels can correctly grade 68.2% of the bone marrow biopsies, while the intra- and inter-reader variability among the pathologists are 66.9% and 40.0%, respectively.


In a recent publication in the scientific journal "Advanced Materials", a team of physicists and chemists from TU Dresden presents an organic thin-film sensor that describes a completely new way of identifying the wavelength of light and achieves a spectral resolution below one nanometre. As integrated components, the thin-film sensors could eliminate the need for external spectrometers in the future. A patent application has already been filed for the novel technology


We analyze the dynamics of D2-branes on SU(2) within a recently proposed matrix model, which works for finite radius of SU(2). The spectrum of single-brane excitations turns out to be free of tachyonic modes. It is similar to the spectrum found using DBI and CFT calculations, however the triplet of rotational zero modes is missing. This is attributed to a naive treatment of the quantum symmetries of the model. The mass of the lightest states connecting two different branes is also calculated, and found to be proportional to the arc length for small angles.


In his article Vladimir Bobrovnikov gives a general survey of Islamic education as it was practiced and interacted with state institutions at the republican, district and village levels in early Soviet Dagestan in 1918-1927. This paper based on first hand archival sources in Arabic, Caucasian and Russian languages shows that view of eternal struggle between Soviet Russia and Islam is divorced from a reality and is nothing but outdated cliche dating back to the 'cold war' period. Actually, the time of massive repression of Muslim elites and prohibition of Islamic institutions lasted only several years from the end of the 1920s to the beginning of the 1940s. Periods of interaction between state and Muslim elites appeared to be much longer. Dagestani  'ulama ' much contributed in the early Soviet cultural and administrative building.


Aniline-formaldehyde polymer was synthesized by chemical oxidation method.The structure and morphology of the polymer were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectoscopy (FTIR) and scanning electrom microscopy(SEM),respectively.The corrosion inhibition of the polymer on Q235 steel in 1mol/L HCl was studied by mass loss,polarization curves and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy(EIS).The results indicated that the polymer is an anodic inhibitor,which can be adsorbed on the Q235 mild steel surface,leading to the formation of a protective film to decrease the corrosion rate.


Fluids used in industry could be conditionally allotted into viscous and non-viscous. Viscosity by definition given in [2] describes the physical property of the fluid to resist shear-induced flow. The same definition for viscosity could be used for gases as well but they won't be considered here. Actually most of the fluids could be described as non-viscous and the most popular nonviscous fluid is water or some other liquids with the base of water and some other additives that don't change rheological characteristics of water much. Some other chemical fluids (as petroleum, alcohol, acetone, vinegar, etc.) could be ascribed as non-viscous as well. As fluids are flowing through pipes, hydraulic losses in the pipelines depend not only upon the construction of the pipelines and the value of flow rate but also upon viscosity of the fluid. When the fluid with a high value of viscosity is flowing through the pipeline, hydraulic losses will be greater that with the one of the low viscosity. It is not recommended to have big hydraulic losses in pipelines because of needs to have more resistible pipelines and more powerful pumps and engines what leads to bigger expenses for the whole system. In order to avoid that it is necessary to decrease the flow rate in the pipeline and the same the average velocity of the flow in the pipe will decrease as well because one is dependant upon other:


Technological developments affecting the system 'Microcontroller' allows
people to control various activities and processes within the industry automatically.
For this project, system Microcontroller is used to replace human labor in the
regulation of temperature changes and notification of the status of a room as
operating rooms machine etc. Conditions in a room can be identified when there is a
sudden temperature increase or decrease due to operating a machine. Given this
situation, a tool developed to control the status of the particular machine in the room
whether it works properly or not through a temperature change in the room. Fan (fan
eczos) operates automatically according to changes in room temperature. To detect
changes in room temperature, a temperature sensor (type: LM35DZ) was used. This
temperature sensor will send a signal to microcontroller (model: pic16f876a) and the
microcontroller will determine the level of speed eczos fan either fast, medium and
slow, and Strobe light on the signal received from the temperature sensor.


From OH airglow imaging observation carried out over one year in Indonesia, 74 events of gravity waves in the MLT (Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere) region were extracted. Observed period, horizontal wavelength and observed horizontal phase speeds of gravity waves were typically 5–13 min, 13–45 km and 37–75 m/s, respectively. Propagation directions were mostly southward except for the period between December and February, when eastward propagation was preferential. Spatial distributions of tropospheric clouds, estimated with GMS (Geostationary Meteorological Satellite) were consistent with the propagation direction of gravity waves, i.e., these clouds mainly existed in the opposite direction to the propagation direction of waves. This suggests that horizontal propagation characteristics of the short period gravity waves in the low latitude MLT region are mainly affected by the distribution of the wave sources in the troposphere, and the effect of the background mean wind in the middle atmosphere is smaller, as it is weaker (∼20 m/s) in the equatorial region.


This article aims to study María Sánchez's poetry from an ecofeminist point of view. In particular, her work Cuaderno de campo is interpreted – following her last essay Tierra de mujeres – as an attempt to create a new feminine voice through the transgression of fixed discursive patterns. Specifically, we will focus on how poetry can 'sabotage' scientific discourse in order to build a new narrative that is able to overcome an approach to the natural world based on domination and exploitation. In fact, from its closeness to Nature, this voice claims a new identity based on the ethics of care and the understanding of the world as a web where all living things depend on each other.


We have recently proposed a new information-based approach to model selection, the Frequentist Information Criterion (FIC), that reconciles information-based and frequentist inference. The purpose of this current paper is to provide a simple example of the application of this criterion and a demonstration of the natural emergence of model complexities with both AIC-like ($N^0$) and BIC-like ($\log N$) scaling with observation number $N$. The application developed is deliberately simplified to make the analysis analytically tractable.


Undoubtedly, pay attention to emotions in organization is considered as a requirement in today's competitive markets, and this requires identifying the emotional state of its staff and its effective management to control conflicts in the organization. One of the major factors that led to the loss of talented manpower and waste of manager's time in the organization is interpersonal conflicts that are followed by organizational and group conflicts. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the components of emotional intelligence and interpersonal conflicts in the branches of Saman Bank. The population of this research 760 staff that 255 of them were selected as sample of study based on Cochran formula. The methods used in this study included: Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, regression. Descriptive statistics showed that the mean of emotional intelligence in staff is 87/01 and 51% of staff have moderate emotional, while 26/6 % of them have high emotional intelligence and 20/4% of them have low emotional intelligence. The analytical results showed that management component and emotional intelligence control component have the greatest importance in ranking of components of emotional intelligence. Among the interpersonal conflicts, peer conflict had the greatest importance. It was also found that there is significant reverse relationship between components of emotional intelligence and interpersonal conflicts in which one increases as other decreases and vice versa. It was also found that the effect of influence of emotional intelligence on reduction of conflict with boss is 0/144, on reduction of conflict with subordinate is 0/340, and on reduction of conflict with peers is 0/166.


Petroleum reserves are dwindling day by day, making the conversion of natural gas into other chemicals and fuels the major step in maintaining the fuel supplies and furthermore in contributing for the sustainable economic growth. Many a processes can be employed to achieve it but, compared to all the energy-intensive syn-gas formation techniques, the direct route that converts methane into higher hydrocarbons in one step employing oxidative coupling of methane is intensively studied here. This paper entirely focuses on reviewing the OCM technology in membrane reactor using the parametrical analysis procedure. In regards to which, parameters employed in the process such as temperature, feed ratio for different catalyst combinations are taken into consideration, owing to which the yield obtained and corresponding methane conversions are studied. The amount of impact these parameters have on the OCM process in the membrane reactor is analyzed by determining the effect percentages of the parameters individually using statistical analysis technique. The results make way for the formation of a hierarchical order of parameters, which gives a clarified view over the technique for the further developments to take place. Keywords— OCM; Membrane reactor; statistical analysis; conversion; selectivity.


The purpose of Ventilation Management Systems is to ensure the health and safety of underground workers by creating and incorporating structured Plans, Procedures and Processes on the day-to-day operations of the mine ventilation system. Application of Ventilation Management Programs consists of audit, verification and corrective action procedures used to, i) ensure adherence to regulatory standards or to ii) return to compliance and safety standards when an upset condition arises. The paper describes how a Ventilation Management Program can be developed and implemented to ensure regulation compliance, to increase safety, to improve operational efficiency and to reduce the operating costs of an operating mine. A case study is presented in which air quality conditions have been substantially improved with the development and implementation of a Ventilation Management Program for an operating underground hard rock mine.


Two non-rotating pumping components, a jet ejector and injector, were designed and tested. Two jet ejectors were designed and tested to induce a suction draft using a supersonic micronozzle. Three-dimensional axisymmetric nozzles were microfabricated to produce throat diameters of 187 μm and 733 μm with design expansion ratios near 2.5:1. The motive nozzles achieved design mass flow efficiencies above 95% compared to isentropic calculations. Ethanol vapor was used to motivate and entrain ambient air. Experimental data indicate that the ejector can produce a sufficient suction draft to satisfy both microengine mass flow and power off-take requirements to enable its substitution for high speed microscale pumping turbomachinery. An ethanol vapor driven injector component was designed and tested to pressurize feed liquid ethanol. The injector was supplied with 2.70 atmosphere ethanol vapor and pumped liquid ethanol up to a total pressure of 3.02 atmospheres. Dynamic pressure at the exit of the injector was computed by measuring the displacement of a cantilevered beam placed over the outlet stream. The injector employed a three-dimensional axisymmetric nozzle with a throat diameter of 733 μm and a three-dimensional converging axisymmetric nozzle. The experimental data indicate that the injector can pump feed liquid into a pressurized boiler, enabling small scale liquid pumping without any moving parts. Microscale injectors could enable microscale engines and rockets to satisfy pumping and feedheating requirements without high speed microscale turbomachinery.


Purpose: The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of the tumor size on survival of gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection and to evaluate relationships between tumor size and lymph node metastasis Materials and Methods: We retrospectively studied 928 gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection at Korea University Medical Center from 1992 to 2002. The cut-off value of tumor size was decied as the smallest value that showed significantly survival difference by COX proportional hazard model. The clinicopathological factors associated with tumor size were analyzed by using univatiate and multivariate analyses. And ROC curves were applied to measure cut-off value of tumor size that impact on lymph node metastasis. Results: In COX proportional hazard model , the cut-off value of tumor size was 7cm that impact on prognosis. The tumor location, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and cell differenciation were significantly different according to the tumor size. The Age, depth of invasion, tumor size and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors by using multivariate analyses. In Releavance between the tumor size and lymph node metastasis, there were significant difference stage I, III, and whole patients group. And the each cut-off values were 1.5cm, 6cm, and 3.3cm Conclusion: Tumor size was significant prognostic factor and important predictive value for lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer. So tumor size will useful parameter to perform EMR in early gastric cancer or to plan further management of advanced gastric cancer.


This presentation focuses on recent development of key technologies for printed LSIs which can provide future low-cost platforms for RFID tags, AD converters, data processors, and sensing circuitries. Such prospect bears increasing reality because of recent research innovations in the field of material chemistry, charge transport physics, and solution processes of printable organic semiconductors. Achieving band transport in state-of-the-art printable organic semiconductors, carrier mobility is elevated above 15 cm/Vs, so that reasonable speed in moderately integrated logic circuits can be available. With excellent chemical and thermal stability for such compounds, we are developing simple integrated devices based on CMOS using p-type and n-type printed organic FETs. Particularly important are new processing technologies for continuous growth of inch-size organic single-crystalline semiconductor "wafers" from solution1 and for lithographical patterning of semiconductors and metal electrodes. Successful rectification and identification are demonstrated at 13.56 MHz with printed organic CMOS circuits for the first time. Development of functional materials and understanding of the microscopic mechanisms mutually benefit through their close interaction. To accelerate development of organic semiconductor devices for industrial application to flexible and printed electronics, it is essential to understand mechanisms of charge transport in conjunction with molecular-scale charge transfer. Here, we examine the idea that high-mobility charge transport in newly developed solution-crystalized organic transistors is caused by band-like charge transport, using several different molecular systems as the active semiconductor layers. These materials, which potentially realize the highest-speed organic transistors, can be categorized as "high-end" organic semiconductors characterized by coherent electronic states and high values of mobility close to or even exceeding 10 cm/Vs, being essentially different from conventional lower-mobility organic semiconductors with basically incoherent hopping-like transport as studied in the previous century. We employ Hall-effect measurement which differentiates the coherent band transport from site-to-site hopping. Various materials are crystalized to fabricate high-mobility organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and their charge transport is investigated through temperature dependent four-terminal conductivity, Hall-effect and pressure-dependent measurements. The measured materials range from conventional polyacenes such as pentacene and rubrene, recently developed high-mobility heteroacenes. Furthermore, we developed solution processes for inch-size single-crystalline films of high-mobility organic semiconductor to provide a platform for high-speed integrated devices. We present a method of continuously growing large-domain organic semiconductor crystals to fabricate multi-array high-mobility organic transistors. 第63回応用物理学会春季学術講演会 講演予稿集 (2016 東京工業大学 大岡山キャンパス) 19p-W521-3


The construction of such designs on plots having slumping and unevenly compressible soils entails either the construction of an artificial bed or appreciable reinforcement of the structures in order to increase the spatial strength, with a simultaneous partial elimination of the slumping properties of the soil in certain cases. These measures are needed because large-panel constructions, consisting of individual wall panels, are more rigid than brick buildings and, therefore, are quite sensitive to uneven subsidence. As a rule slumping of the foundation soil is uneven. When the foundation soil is capable of slumping only from its own weight (second type of soil conditions in SNiP II-B.2-62), local loss of the contact between the foundation and the foundation soiI is possible. Under these conditions, considerable bending moments and transverse forces somet~es arise in the structure and considerable strengthening is needed to eliminate them. In construction practice, for example, for industrial buildings on slumping soil, structures are generally used that are insensitive to uneven slumping (absolutely rigid) and whose deformation during uneven settling of the foundation soil is accompanied by a general listing of the structure, and non-rigid (flexible) structures whose design position is easily restored, for example, by straightening or jacking. Such structures have fully proven themselves in practice, since slumping of buildings without deliberate inundation occurs rarely and appears only when water or sewage lines break. Therefore, it was expedient to develop a new flexibte design for a large-panel house which could be erected on a natural bed of slumi~ing or unevenly compressible soil. One of the first proposals in this d~ection was the house design worked out at Giprograd * (Kiev). It consisted of spatiaIly rigid and strong staircases into which the floor slabs and outside wail panels are hinged. Should the soil in the bed slump, the rigid members can subside, and th,e structural elements resting on them can be deflected without losing over-all stability. A shortcoming of this design is that the house has flexibility only longitudinalIy. Moreover, restoration of the design position of such structures is quite difficult. The Scientific Research Institute of Foundations and Mosoblproekt has proposed a design of a large-panel house that is flexible in two directions. 1" The bearing structure of the house is a system of towers 3 x 3 m in plan situated at a distance of 6 m from one another about the perimeter of the building. The towers are assembled story-by-story from blocks and are installed on reinforced concrete floor slabs. The blocks can be completely poured or, tess desirably, assembled from individual panels at the plant. The weight of such a block is about 5 t. AII other elements of the house, the wall panels, floor panels, flights of stairs, etc., arehinged into the bearing towers.


The essay argues that the communicative functions of the German sermons of Berthold von Regensburg cannot be limited to the central aspect of spiritual welfare. These sermons also fulfil an important role in establishing legal maxims: behind their theological form, the texts mediate social and legal norms to be followed in everyday life.


This study aims to describe the students' multi representation abilities in solving descriptive questions on straight motion material. This was qualitative research with an analytic descriptive approach. The subjects of this study were three physics teachers and twenty-five students of class X MIA SMA Negeri 1 Maumere. The data used in this study were evaluation questions, physical evaluation scores, student worksheets on evaluation questions and interview results. The data collection techniques used in this study were as follows: Documentation and in-depth interviews. For qualitative research data to be accounted for as scientific research, In this study, using triangulation techniques, checking data to the same source with different techniques, namely the results of observations, students' answers, and in-depth interviews. Data analysis techniques used in this study were grounded theory. The steps of grounded theory were: creating categories for the information obtained (open coding), selecting one of the categories and placing it in a theoretical model (axial coding), and then compiling a story of the relationship between these categories (selective coding). The results showed that students tend to use the same representation, such as verbal 12.5%, mathematical 87.5%, while graphics and pictures were 0%. For each category, students: (a) in the low category received a mathematical representation score of 73.81% and verbal representation was 83.3%, (b) in the moderate category received a verbal representation score of 85% and mathematically 83.06% (c) in the high category obtained a verbal representation score of 83.3% and mathematics 90.47%.


Working Group 515 was reinstated to provide specific recommendations for CID1 (Class 1, Division 1) applications and to update the product testing section in view of new heater technologies. The background and rationale for accomplishing these objectives in the revised RP515 are presented. RP515 provides a basis for manufacturers and approval authorities to qualify electrical resistance heaters for unclassified, Class 1, Division 2 and Class 1, Division 1 applications. The design, installation, and maintenance recommendations give the user the means to achieve a safe and reliable heat tracing system.<<ETX>>


ABSTRACT An attempt is made to improve the existing analytical three-dimensional models to predict land subsidence due to the extraction of fluids from natural reservoirs. The elastic model proposed by McCann and Wilts (1951) and the poro-elastic one introduced by Geertsma (1957, 1966) are presented first. The general equations of recent poro-elastic theory are mentioned. Then follows a new, more generalized, three-dimensional approach from which the previous models can be derived as particular cases. The contribution to the land subsidence of the depressurized oil or water bearing strata is separated from that of the surrounding strata. It is possible in this way to take into account the different physical properties of the reservoir and of the remaining medium. It is finally shown that the elastic model can be considered as a limit poro-elastic one and therefore its application appears more strictly correlated with the real condition of the sub-soil. In particular, the model by McCann and Wilts (1951) p...


Under the background of rural revitalization, the important goal is to help the sustainable development of villages and towns. While implementing the concept of green development, development needs to promote the inheritance and continuous activation of rural culture. In this paper, the ancient architectural wisdom and green design concept contained in the traditional houses in the south of the Yangtze River were studied, and how to extract the low-carbon ideas and combine them with modern green technology to achieve the parallel development of villages and towns and the preservation and promotion of traditional culture was explored. The research results also provide new ideas for village development and cultural heritage in a carbon-neutral context.


This paper introduces a probabilistic relational data base model (PRDB). In this model, the tuple attribute value of relations is uncertain and represented by a probabilistic triple. Every probabilistic triple consists of a set of relational attribute values and two upper and lower bound probability distributions over the set of the attribute values. Semantics of such representation indicating that the attribute has a value in the set with a probability belongs to an interval from the upper and lower bound of the set. On the base and using probabilistic combination strategies in Eiter et al (2001), we define the notions of uncertain values, schemas, probabilistic relations, and selection operation as respective extensions of the notions of values, schemas, relations, and selection operation in the conventional relational database model.


As Haptic devices become more affordable and economical, research in Haptic-based virtual rehabilitation systems is gaining more interest. In addition to the benefits provided by virtual rehabilitation, Haptics offer force and tactile feedback which can be crucial for many upper and lower extremity rehabilitation. In this paper, we present such a system that provides a rich media environment for motor rehabilitation of stroke patients. The system can be used by occupational therapists to measure and monitor the progress of rehab patients.


Ten (10) cowpea varieties exposed to alpha nano spin were evaluated
during the 2019 cropping season to access the role of alpha nano spin in their
growth and dry matter accumulation at the Botanical garden of Federal
University, Lafia. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four
replications was used. The fourth replication was used for the destructive
sampling over time. The seed was exposed to alpha nano spin before planting at 0, 20, 40 and 60 minutes
respectively. Results of the study showed that the varieties differed
significantly with respect to morphological traits studied (P s such as vine length, number of leaves and above
ground stems were significantly influenced by alpha nano spin bombardment. 40 mins alpha nano spin resulted
in maximum accumulation of dry matter, leaf area and leaf area index. The
traits evaluated were stable under alpha nano spin exposure, suggesting that
they could be useful indices in creating genetic variability in each of the
varieties.


This time the different way of the cost calculation is for regulation, hospitals and health insurance . Determination of cost based on activity or better known as Activity Based Costing (ABC) is to describe all kinds of activity involved . The Hospital has a wide variety of services and have a workforce that is so complex that this study aims to determine the unit cost for dental fillings with composites in RSGM Unpad. This research is descriptive and analytical . Calculation of unit cost using Activity Based Costing method by considering the factors that affect the rate of which is cost , competitors , customers . Unit Cost Calculation multiple visits Rp 153065.3442 . The results showed that the Unit Cost Calculation multiple visits without abscess is Rp 114,919.9 , Unit Cost Calculation several visits with abscess is to Rp 117,317.2. The ability to pay Rp 176407.0513 . Willingness to pay Rp 100,000 - Rp 150,000 . Competitor Rp 200,000 - Rp 240,000 Conclusions from this research is the unit cost is lower than the customer's ability to pay and competitors . Suggestions in this study is the calculation of the cost of the Activity Based Costing method so that the proportion of the cost of each cost object can be seen clearly by including all cost components.


Convexity is a key concept in information theory, namely via the many implications of Jensen's inequality, su ch as the non-negativity of the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD). Jensen's inequality also underlies the concept of Jensen-S hannon divergence (JSD), which is a symmetrized and smoothed version of the KLD. This paper introduces new JSD-type divergences, by extending its two building blocks: convexity and Shannon's entropy. In particular, a new concept of q-convexity is introduced and shown to satisfy a Jensen's q-inequality. Based on this Jensen's q-inequality, the Jensen-Tsallis q-difference is built, which is a nonextensive generalization of the JSD, based on Tsallis entropies. Finally, the Jensen-Tsallis q-difference is chara- terized in terms of convexity and extrema.


Italy, particularly the Lombardy region, was among the first countries outside of Asia to report cases of COVID-19. The emergency medical service called Regional Emergency Agency (AREU) coordinates the intra- and inter-regional non-hospital emergency network and the European emergency number service in Lombardy. AREU must deal with daily and seasonal variations of call volume. The number and type of emergency calls changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. A model to predict incoming calls and how many of these turn into events, i.e., dispatch of transport and equipment until the rescue is completed, was developed to address the emergency period. We used the generalized additive model with a negative binomial family to predict the number of events one, two, five, and seven days ahead. The over-dispersion of the data was tackled by using the negative binomial family and the nonlinear relationship between the number of events and covariates (e.g., seasonal effects) by smoothing splines. The model coefficients show the effect of variables, e.g., the day of the week, on the number of events and how these effects change during the pre-COVID-19 period. The proposed model returns reasonable mean absolute errors for most of the 2020-2021 period. We show here the plots of the component smooth functions for Metropolitan , Lakes and Alps SOREUs using the full dataset and data pre-COVID pandemic era.


The effects of such legislation as outlined above on the employment opportunities for the handicapped were, in general, unforeseen. With the passage of time the special problems of the handicapped were recognized and various methods of meeting these problems devised. These methods were, and are, mainly special clauses exempting the handicapped from the benefits of the law or limiting the applicability of the law in the case of the handicapped. The resurgence of minimum wage legislation in the various states of the United States and the minimum wage program being developed under the Fair Labor Standards Act of the Federal Government bring to the forefront the special license program for the handicapped as developed under minimum wage laws. In the light of the future of minimum wage legislation in the United States this special program, granting permits to handicapped workers to work at less than the minimum wage, needs examination.


Summary Native breeds of beef cattle in Britain have been superseded by imported breeds since the 1960s, but a changing market in the 1990s has begun to restore traditional values. The distinctive qualities of native breeds are becoming more relevant, and the White Park is a prime example of their importance. This paper makes a critical evaluation of several studies of White Park cattle that have been carried out, namely productivity in non-intensive systems of management, assessment of type and function by linear measurements, quality of product (meat), and value in crossing programmes. It concludes that breeds such as the White Park derive significant added value as a result of their native adaptability and the high quality of their beef, and that they benefit from a market driven by consumers rather than supermarkets. The use of different linear measurements is proposed, and the effective use of White Park bulls in crossing programmes is demonstrated.


When searching for a new job, unemployed young people face several challenges. They need to know which jobs are suited for them, where to find them and how to apply. Furthermore, especially in times of weak labour markets, they need resilience against repeated rejections. Previous research has shown that receiving information and reflecting on how to search for a job enhance self-efficacy and search motivation, thereby reducing the duration of unemployment spells. Following up on these results, we conducted an experiment in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry for Social Affairs which combines an "information nudge" with what we call "reflection nudge". Our target group comprised about 37,000 young adults who had recently become unemployed. We designed different treatments containing an info-clip and/or a short online questionnaire. Links to the treatments were sent out by email. At the end of a six-month observation period, we used register data to compare unemployment duration within the treatment groups and the control group. Indeed, we do find significant treatment effects for young unemployed people with a low level of formal education. While effect sizes are small, considering the low costs of the intervention, efficiency is very high.


perceptions of the dentofacial complex and the associated psychosocial needs are relevant to the consumers of orthodontic care. Treatment is, therefore, often influenced more by demand than by need. Carnegie wrote a book, How to Win Friends and Influence People in which he wrote: One of the most important ways was to smile, "...a real smile, a heartwarming smile, one that comes from the heart." Recently, the field of orthodontics has experienced a "paradigm shift" to focus more on esthetics, with specific emphasis on the soft tissues around the mouth.1 Angle, the father of modern orthodontics, believed that ideal dental and facial esthetics would naturally result from developing an ideal occlusion.2 Smile perception is one of the primary goals of orthodontics in the attainment of ideal facial and dental esthetics. Today, most orthodontists understand that the attainment of optimal esthetics is not that simple, so obtaining a balance between ideal tooth position and its effect on soft tissues of the face is extremely important.3 The psychological effect of malocclusion is so severe that sometimes it becomes a social handicap. Well-aligned teeth and a pleasing smile carry positive status at all social levels, whereas irregular and protruding teeth have a negative psychological impact. The impact on the physical "self-concept" of an individual with dental malocclusion and orthodontic problems also plays a significant role.4 The effects of malocclusion differ depending on the severity of the condition. Mild problems need little treatment or cosmetic dentistry help. On the contrary, severe malocclusion requires orthodontic treatment. Some patients may suffer from difficulty in eating and speaking, while others are embarrassed due to their crooked or protruding teeth. Although a poor bite does not usually submit to the risks of tooth decay and periodontal diseases, the patient may still develop more teeth problems because it is harder to clean misaligned teeth. Orthodontic treatment for malocclusion eliminates strain on the teeth, jaws, and muscles and thus, reduces the symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders and lessens the risk of breaking a tooth.5 The present study is an attempt to correlate the effect of esthetics with the psychology of professional college students and to know their perception of smile esthetics and irregularly placed teeth. 1-3Senior Lecturer 1Department of Orthodontics, Jodhpur Dental College and General Hospital, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India 2Department of Prosthodontics, Jodhpur Dental College and General Hospital, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India 3Department of Orthodontics, Darshan Dental College & Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India


A cohort of 1624 employees (957 men, 667 women) in a rubber factory in Shanghai have been followed up since 1972 and their 12 year mortality experience is presented. The relative risk of lung cancer for smokers was 8.5 for men and 11.4 for women and for rubber workers exposed to curing agents or talc powder 3.2 for men and 4.6 for women.


Agent-based models exploring aspects of social behavior invariably contain multiple parameters such as population size, heterogeneous makeup and spatial distribution. One common way to validate a model is to ensure robustness, that is, the model must produce consistent results independent of the initial parameter settings. However, when information can be learned about the prior probability of some parameter settings, I believe our robustness requirements on these parameters should be relaxed. We should instead focus on the results produced from using these more likely settings. Brian Skyrms investigates a two-player non-cooperative one-shot bargaining game called "Divide-The-Cake." Placed in an evolutionary setting, where players' claims are genetically hardwired and pairings are made at random, only 67% of initial population distributions result in all players using the " fair" strategy. Skyrms introduces correlation among players and shows this precipitates the evolution of fairness from 100% of initial populations, but critics argue that his exploration of correlation is lacking; other correlation models lead to much worse performance. In this paper, I examine the evolution of these non-random correlations, known as assortative interactions, through two separate agent-based models, a social network and a Schelling segregation model. These experiments show convergence to the " fair" strategy approximately 90% of the time. I believe evolving the assortative interactions between players to find likely correlations, as opposed to guaranteeing model robustness, leads to a much more realistic picture of a model's behavior.


The purpose of this research is to investigate the ground response due to diaphragm wall construction using three-dimensional numerical modelling. In this study, the commercial finite difference method software, FLAC3D, and the finite element upper and lower bound limit analysis methods are employed. In addition, a range of factors are investigated. They include the dimensions of the single panel, overconsolidation ration (OCR), soil stiffness (E/su), and the height of the bentonite slurry. The solutions from the numerical upper bound limit analysis method are used for comparison purposes. The results obtained indicate that the above factors do have influence on ground response in terms of its stability and displacements. The discussion in the paper can be utilised as the reference for practical designs.


The contradiction between the demands of employers and the insufficiently developed methodology for the formation of over-subject competencies of graduates of technical universities has been revealed. On the example of federal universities, the technology of forming "flexible skills" in mechanical engineering, allowing to be successful regardless of the specifics of a person's professional activity, is considered.


Objective To investigate the association of left ventricular geometric model and atrial electromechanical time in patients with essential hypertension by tissue Doppler imaging(TDI).Methods Ninety patients with essential hypertension were enrolled.Among them,23 patients had history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation(AF group),67 patients had no history of atrial fibrillation(NAF group).According to Ganau categories,these patients were divided into four groups: normal left ventricle geometric model(NG group,30 cases),concentric remodeling(CR group,20 cases),concentric hypertrophy(CH group,16 cases) and eccentric hypertrophy(EH group,24 cases),and 20 healthy subjects as control group were included.Left and right atrial electromechanical time(LP-A,RP-A) was acquired by TDI.Results Compared with NAF group,LP-A and RP-A of AF group were longer(P(0.01)).There was also significant difference between NAF group and control group(P(0.05)).Compared with NG groups,LP-A and RP-A of other three groups were all longer.Compared with CR groups,LP-A and RP-A of CH group and EH group were both longer(P(0.05)).There was no significant difference between CH group and EH group(P(0.05)).Conclusions Atrial electromechanical time in patients with essential hypertension is increased following the developing of left ventricular geometric model.It is obviously longer in patients with left ventricle hypertrophy and may be a predictor for the onset of atrial fibrillation.


It has rather been a problem whence the Tasmanian
Aborigines obtained the material for their implements.
The discovery of certain localities where the rock suitable
for implements occurred in situ, and which were
unquestionably worked by the Aborigines, has partly
solved the problem. It is unquestionable that the
Aborigines obtained a certain amount of the raw
material from these so-called quarries, but it is equally
certain that a large portion was obtained from different
sources.
One of the best-known "native quarries" is that
situated on Coal Hill, near Melton-Mowbray.However, it was conclusively proven that, though
the quarry on Coal Hill was conveniently situated and
easily reached from the camping grounds near the
river, only 6.1 per cent, of the implements found were
derived from it.
A number of interesting facts and questions arise
from the study of this specimen. Though not completely
restored to its entire shape, we can state with
absolute certainty that the original was a pebble or
boulder, well worn and smooth all over its surface, of
deep black colour, weighing not less than 10lb. As
there are no gravel deposits or conglomerate anywhere
near the place wdiere it was found, it must have been
picked up at a considerable distance, and been carried
to the camping ground to be used for the manufacture
of implements.


This article is the result of the research carried out by the author in creating new public spaces and shaping con temporary urban-forming trends in the conditions of globalization. In his research (through literature criticism and in situ field research) the author analyzes selected contemporary architectural realizations in Poland over the last decades, comparing them with similar works around the world, assessing their impact on shaping the cities' build environment. The comparison is made through the analysis of such factors as: the construction of the form, elements of architecture and construction af fecting the location, visibility, perception and created relations between the building and the surroundings.


In this work we present a three-dimensional extension of pantographic structures and describe its properties after homogenization of the unit cell. Here we rely on a description involving only the first gradient of displacement, as the semi-auxetic property is effectively described by first-order stiffness terms. For a homogenization technique, discrete asymptotic expansion is used. The material shows two positive ( 0 ≤ ν yx , ν yz ≤ 1 ) and one negative Poisson's ratios ( − 1 ≥ ν xz ≥ 0 ). If, on the other hand, we assume inextensible Bernoulli beams and perfect pivots, we find a vanishing stiffness matrix, suggesting a purely higher gradient material.


Metformin is first‐line therapy for patients with diabetes. However, it may lower vitamin B12 concentrations, which could have hematological or neurological implications. This meta‐analyses reviewed all available studies on associations between metformin use and vitamin B12 levels, anemia, and neuropathy in diabetic patients.


Transmission line is a high-speed channel to ensure long-distance transmission of power and the lifeblood of power system. Currently, the status of transmission lines is obtained mainly through on-line monitoring devices, which transmit the information to the monitoring system through the network after monitoring the information. However, the working time of on-line monitoring devices is limited by the battery, thus improving the utilization rate of power of transmission line monitoring devices can significantly prolong the working time of the devices. Ensure the reliability of monitoring.


Seamus Heaney's 1979 volume of poems, Field Work, contains ten sonnets written while the Northern Irish author lived for four years in a nineteenth-century cottage near Dublin. These sonnets, dealing with art, language, nature, and politics, reflect Heaney's major themes and are typical of his poetic techniques. This study analyzes the content of the ten sonnets as well as their technical aspects.


This paper aimed to report two cases of type III and type II dentinogenesis imperfecta, in children, emphasizing the diagnosis and the rehabilitation treatment importance. Intraoral examination, in both cases, revealed destruction of the deciduous molars, dimension vertical loss and gray coloring of the teeth. Besides, in relation to the child with type III dentinogenesis imperfecta, a histopathologic exam was done to conclude the diagnosis. On the other hand, the all treatment of this child cannot be realized, because his constant faults. In relation to the other case, the rehabilitation treatment aimed to reconstruct the deciduous molars with steel crowns and aesthetic restorations on the deciduous canines and permanent lower incisives, reestablishing the aesthetic and function.


The bordering method allows recursive computation of the solution of a system of linear equations by adding one new row and one new column at each step of the procedure. When some of the intermediate systems are nearly singular, it is possible, by the block bordering method, to add several new rows and columns simultaneously. However, in that case, the solutions of some of the intermediate systems are not computed. The reverse bordering method allows computation of the solutions of these systems afterwards. Such a procedure has many applications in numerical analysis, that include orthogonal polynomials, Pade approximation, and the progressive forms of extrapolation processes.


Rising temperatures and severe heat, as a result of climate change, have led to a significant number of heat-related deaths and injuries among correctional populations in the United States. This article analyzes cases from the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals in which inmates challenged the constitutionality of their conditions of confinement in extremely hot facilities pursuant Title 42 U.S. Code Section 1983. An inductive analysis of caselaw revealed two themes: inmates with heat-sensitive health conditions and reasonable staff responses to inmate's heat exposure. The article concludes by offering policy guidance to prison officials based on the themes revealed in the circuit court decisions and by providing recommendations for future research.


Objectives To study the effects of site-directed mutation R371H and P266T on characters of ATP sensitive potassium channel (KATP) in order to reveal the arrhythmogenic mechanism of the two sites mutation. Methods Wild-type (wt) , R371H or P266T mutant of Kir6. 2 cDNA plus SUR2A were expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. Standard patch-clamp technique was used to study the allosteric modulation of ATP sensitive by intracellular pH. Results Inward rectifier potassium currents were recorded in wt, R371H, P266T successfully. While exposed in different pH, half current inhibition of ATP concentration (IC50) of wt in pH6. 8 was significant higher than that in pH7. 4(70 vs 22μmol/L, P 0. 05) , and the ATP-current curve was shifted to higher ATP concentration. The IC50 of both R371H and P266T in pH 6. 8 and pH 7. 4 had no significant difference. Conclusion The loss of allosteric modulation of ATP sensitive by intracellular pH maybe an important arrhythmogenic mechanism of R371H and P266T mutation.


This article discusses the transformation from an organic to a mineral energy system from a Swedish historical perspective. Main arguments are that there was a dynamic interaction between the two s ...


This study aims to determine the effect of love of money, machiavellianism, and tax rates on tax evasion. The population in this study are taxpayers in Palopo City. The number of questionnaires processed in this study were 334 respondents. To test the hypothesis, the researcher used a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach using AMOS and SPSS software. The results of this study indicate that love of money has an effect on Machiavellianism in doing tax evasion, machiavellianism and tax rates have an effect on tax evasion, while love of money has no effect on tax evasion


Females in many animal taxa incur significant costs from mating in the form of injury or infection, which can drastically reduce survival. Therefore, immune function during reproduction can be important in determining lifetime fitness. Trade‐offs between reproduction and immunity have been extensively studied, yet a growing number of studies demonstrate that mated females have a stronger immune response than virgins. Here, we use the Texas field cricket, Gryllus texensis, to test multiple hypotheses proposed to explain this postmating increase in immune function. Using host‐resistance tests, we found that courtship, copulation, and accessory fluids alone do not affect female immunity; rather, only females that acquire intact ejaculates containing testes‐derived components exhibit significant increases in survival after exposure to bacterial pathogens. Our data suggest that male‐derived components originating from an intact ejaculate and transferred to females during sex are required for the increased immune function characteristic of mated female crickets to occur.


Abnormal fusion of the mullerian ducts or failure of absorption of the septum during embryological life results in a variety of congenital uterine malformations. These congenital abnormalities are associated with abortions, premature labor, premature rupture of the membranes and malpresentation. We are reporting the rare occurrence of spontaneous twin gestation in a woman with subseptate uterus.


This study asserts that second person point of view functions as a distinct category of point of view, which has been discounted by critical theorists. Second person point of view is defined in this study as a particular use of the second person pronoun. The "you" in second person point of view texts generates an alternating pattern of identification and displacement that constructs an intersubjectivity among narrative elements—narrator, actant, and narratee(s). Therefore, common uses of the "you" to refer only to the reader (narratee) of a text or to the actant in a text do not constitute second person point of view texts. The theory of second person point of view developed in this study argues that second person point of view issues challenges to traditional concepts of narrative subjectivity and authority. The rejection of the traditional sign of subjectivity and authority—the stated or implied " I " — combined with the proposition of an alternative—the multiple "you"—expresses the particular challenges of second person point of view. The challenges to narrative subjectivity and authority issued by second person point of view indicate the postmodern impulse of second person point of view. By exposing, undermining, and revising traditional concepts of


XML is originally designed for the use in document processing. Every classical document processing system supports a mechanism which is called macro. In general, a macro is a named collection of actions. These actions are executed whenever the name of the macro appears in a document instance. We describe a very small but powerful macro language for XML. The presented language supports macros with arguments. As a main result we will show that for a macro expansion H and a recognizable set R the set H-1(R) of trees t, whose macro expansion H(t) are in R, is recognizable. This implies that the typechecking problem for macro expansion is decidable. A major drawback of this approach is the time complexity. Therefore we designed a practical typechecking discipline. We equip every macro definition with a type expression describing the input forests. On the basis of this type information the macro processor computes an output type for the macro. Having inferred this output type, we aim at extending the given output DTD to a DTD for admissible input possibly containing unexpanded macros.


This report analyzes the economics of resource and reserve estimation. Part One deals with the economic theory of natural resources and examines how markets deal with exhaustible resources. The succeeding parts examine each resource individually. Part Two and Three deal with oil and gas. Part Two treats the measurement of already discovered deposits. It examines the concept of proven reserves and the behavior of resources over time. Part Three turns to undiscovered deposits and asks how the size of undiscovered but suspected deposits are estimated. It casts a critical eye upon the biases inherent in many of the estimation methodologies. Part Four examines coal resource and reserve estimation. In the United States an attempt has been made to define an economically meaningful classification of coal reserves and resources. This classification is analyzed in detail along with the more general issue of coal supply. The focus is on already discovered deposits since knowledge of where coal lies is great and new discoveries play a small role in coal supply. Part Five treats uranium. For uranium, as for coal, extraction costs are high and reserve estimation must reckon with cost estimation. Part Six synthesizes Parts Two through Five by placing resource andmore » reserve estimates in the context of a cumulative cost curve.« less


Air samples taken in the neighbourhood of a chemical plant manufacturing dicyanamide from calcium carbide, of which process phosphine is a by-product, were collected in polyester bags and brought to the laboratory for analysis. A gas chromatograph equipped with a nitrogen-phosphorus-selective detector was used. The working range was 0.5–5 p.p.b. (parts per 109)V/V and the detection limit was 0.03 p.p.b. V/V. The stability of the samples was investigated, and different calibration gases were compared. The results obtained with this method in the field agreed with results obtained with a continuous flame photometer.


Zaprionus indianus Gupta, 1970 is reported for the first time in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. During a study on synanthropic flies, a total of 13,797 specimens of Zaprionus indianus were collected using traps containing dog feces as bait.


BACKGROUND Intrapartum assessment of fetal occiput position is of major relevance in the management of the second stage of labor. Indeed, fetal head malposition is associated with higher risk of operative delivery and maternal and perinatal morbidity 1 . Although sonographic assessment of fetal occiput position alone may not predict the mode of delivery accurately, it may be of great value in certain clinical situations, such as before instrumental delivery 2 . Incorrect determination of fetal head position may lead to inappropriate vacuum or forceps blade placement, increasing the risk of both fetal injury and failure of the procedure 3 . Failed instrumental delivery followed by Cesarean section is associated with an increased decision-to-delivery interval and with a greatly increased risk of fetal trauma 4 . In addition, some preventative measures can be undertaken in cases of posterior occiput, such as mediolateral episiotomy, which has been found to reduce significantly the risk of anal sphincter damage in these cases 5 . Traditionally, clinicians determine fetal head position by palpating the sutures and fontanels. However, clinical examination is highly subjective and inaccurate, with a rate of error ranging from 30% to 70% 6 . Accuracy is particularly affected in cases of malposition, yet this is when intervention is more likely to be required. Sometimes, clinical evaluation is completely unable to locate fetal head position 7 . Various studies have demonstrated the higher accuracy and reproducibility of ultrasonographic determination of fetal occiput position as compared with traditional digital examination 7 . There are good reasons to support the use of ultrasound as the gold standard in the assessment of fetal position, particularly when the result of the clinical examination is uncertain, and possibly prior to any instrumental delivery 8 .M any


Distribution matching (DM) transforms independent and Bernoulli(1/2) distributed bits into a sequence of output symbols with a desired distribution. A fixed-to-fixed length, invertible DM architecture based on shell mapping (SM) is presented. It is shown that SM for DM (SMDM) is the optimum DM for the informational divergence metric and that finding energy optimal sequences is a special case of divergence minimization. Additionally, it is shown how to find the required SM weight function to approximate arbitrary output distributions. SMDM is combined with probabilistic amplitude shaping to operate close to the Shannon limit. SMDM exhibits excellent performance for short blocklengths as required by ultra-reliable low-latency applications. SMDM outperforms constant composition DM by 0.7 dB when used with 64-QAM at a spectral efficiency of 3 bits/channel use and a 5G low-density parity-check code with a short blocklength of 192 bits.


The spread of the coronavirus in Indonesia is quite fast. The spread of Covid 19 is almost evenly distributed in all provinces in Indonesia. Some areas even have a fairly high mortality rate. Therefore, it is necessary to group regions to find out which areas have the highest to lowest Covid cases so that the appropriate response process can be carried out. In addition, data visualization is also needed that provides information on COVID-19 data for each province. In this study, the data were grouped using the K-Means Clustering method. The dataset used is the Indonesian Covid-19 dataset from Kaggle. The criteria for each province's covid cluster are the number of cases and deaths. The Clustering process uses the Python programming language. From the results of this study, it can be seen that there are 3 groups of covid. The first group consists of 30 provinces with several cases below 200,000 and a number of deaths below 6000. The second group contains two provinces that have the highest number of cases, namely above 600,000, but the number of deaths is less than group 3, which is 15000. In group 3 there are 2 provinces where the number of cases is below 500,000 but the death rate is above 30,000.