This study presents an investigation on the decadal variability of maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) air temperature in southern Brazil during the period 1961-2011. Daily data from 26 meteorological stations, obtained from Brazil's National Meteorology Institute (INMET), were used to calculate annual and decadal means and standard deviations. From the annual statistics we computed linear trends in Tmin, Tmax and daily temperature range (DTR). The decadal means were used to compute changes in Tmax and Tmin. Annual anomalies were obtained by removing the climatology for 1961-2011. Results show that most of the region experienced a statistically significant increase in both Tmin and Tmax, i.e. nights as well as days are becoming hotter. The increase in Tmin is however more pronounced than in Tmax, resulting in a decrease in DTR. Of particular notice were the increases in Tmin over the state of Parana and in Tmax along the southern Brazilian coast. Trends in standard deviations show asignificant increase in the amplitude of variability of Tmin for most of the region's stations. Overall, there was a cooling period during the 1960s and 70s. From the early 1980s until early 90s we observed a sharp and unprecedented warming in both Tmin and Tmax time series. After 1993 the Tmax and Tmin anomalies are relatively smaller in magnitude and, in the last eight years of the record, temperatures remained near the climatological average. These results suggest a halt in the overallwarming trend over southern Brazil after mid-2003. Since the 18th century's Industrial Revolution and the increasing use of fossil fuels, we have observed a steady increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases and aerosols in the atmosphere. In 2011, the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide had surpassed pre-industrial levels by 40%, 150%, and 20%, respectively. Changes in land use such as deforestation and urbanization, concomitant with the warming atmosphere, have been affecting the global climate and its natural variability. The changes we observe in the climate are therefore a combination of anthropogenic and natural forcing effects (7). Hundreds of studies report significant changes in climate all over the planet (5-7), acknowledging an ongoing global climate change in which the elements air temperature and precipitation appear to be the most affected ones (14). These changes have very diverse regional manifestations, with varying magnitudes and spatial distributions in precipitation patterns, temperature changes, sea level rise, etc. (13). Changes in air temperature are responsible for


To determine the current motion between the Australian, Antarctic, and African plates, and to test whether this plate circuit obeys closure, all plate motion data available along the Southeast, Southwest, and Central Indian ridges are analyzed and reduced to 67 spreading rates, 38 transform fault azimuths, and 135 earthquake slip vectors. Carlsberg Ridge data were excluded because they record India-Africa, not Australia-Africa motion. New data include 10 new transform azimuths along the Southwest Indian Ridge, many slip vectors, and a dense aeromagnetic survey along the Southeast Indian Ridge. All published and many unpublished magnetic profiles are modeled to determine rates consistently over a 3-m.y. time-averaging interval for three reasons: (1) magnetic profiles from the Southeast and Central Indian ridges suggest recent spreading rate changes, (2) some published rates differ for identical profiles, and (3) prior studies have not used identical criteria and time scales to determine spreading rates. The new rates differ from published rates by as much as 5 mm/yr. Transform fault azimuths are estimated from bathymetry, Seasat altimetric data, epicenter distributions, and offsets of magnetic lineations. Azimuths of plate motion are also estimated from the horizontal projections of slip vectors from the centroid-moment tensor solutions and other focal mechanism studies. Our new Australia-Antarctica and Australia-Africa Euler vectors differ from all prior Euler vectors at the 95% confidence level. Along the Southeast and Central Indian ridges, our model gives rates differing by 4–7 mm/yr from those of prior models. From a systematic analysis of the plate motion data, we find no evidence for a Nubia-Somalia-Antarctica triple junction along the Southwest Indian Ridge. We also find no evidence for a triple junction previously proposed to be at ∼80°E along the Southeast Indian Ridge; any deformation within this seismically active region of the Australian plate adds up to less than a few millimeters per year. Along each boundary, data are fit well by a single Euler vector, except for a ∼5° systematic misfit to azimuthal data along the eastern Southeast Indian Ridge, near a seismically active region of the Australian plate south of Tasmania. Although seismicity and the azimuthal misfit suggest the Australian plate is deforming measurably, possibly by distributed deformation or by the westward motion of a small microplate southeast of Tasmania, the significance of the misfit is marginal and is small enough that systematic errors may cause it. These alternative explanations could be distinguished by surveying these transform faults with modern seafloor mapping techniques. Prior studies found that enforcing plate circuit closure causes systematic misfits to rates along the Southeast Indian Ridge. Here we find that enforcing closure causes no systematic misfits to any data. Moreover, only insignificant nonclosure is found by an F-ratio test, which numerical experiments suggest could detect deformation exceeding ∼2 mm/yr. We conclude that Indian Ocean plate circuit nonclosure and the deformation it suggests are much smaller than thought before. The absence of significant nonclosure argues against the usefulness of a model of deformation distributed throughout an Indo-Australian plate, but favors a model in which the significant deformation occurs in a diffuse plate boundary along the equatorial Indian Ocean between the Central Indian Ridge and the Sumatra Trench.


We report accurate measurements of the caliper dimensions of the molybdenum Fermi surface. From these measurements, we estimate the separation between the electron jack and the hole octahedra along the $〈100〉$ directions to be (7.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1)% of the $\ensuremath{\Gamma}H$ dimension. This large separation implies that spin-orbit coupling is much greater than expected for metallic molybdenum.


Since recognizing the distance of fractal codes of face needs a large mount of time for iterative operation and calculation of the distance of each face in the face database, this paper presents the method for locating the eyes with high frequency subband in horizontal direction and extracting them from the face. Moreover, a fast face recognition algorithm based on the distance of fractal codes for eyes is proposed. Most images with large distance of fractal codes for eyes can be excluded by using this algorithm. The time needed by the proposed algorithm mainly depends on the size of eyes and the number of the final recognized images. The experimental results in ORL and YALE face databases show that, the average recognition rate retains about 90% while the number of the final recognized images is about 20% of the total number of the face images in the face database. Compared with the eigenface method and the method directly using the distance of fractal codes for face, the recognition rate is the same but the spent time is much less.


Indirect atomic absorption spectrometry method was first developed for determination of micironomicin fulfate.It is based on the reaction that in strong alkaline medium micironomicin sulfate reacts with carbon disulfide in the presence of Ni2+ to yield quantively a pre cipitate of nickel dialkydithiocarbamate .After separation from excess reaget,the content of Ni2+ in the precipitate can be determined by AAS.The micironomicin sulfate can be quantitavely determined by using Ni2+ calibration curve.The liner range is 7~440 μg/mL and RSD is 1.4%.The recovery is 98.4%~102.8%.


Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity. David Hurst Thomas. New York: Basic Books, 2000. xiii. 326 pp., endnotes, bibliography, index.


demands, especially for old age assistance and unemployment relief. (2) To place its fiscal affairs on a balanced budget basis, thus eliminating further current deficits and making provisions for amortization of existing deficits. (3) To discontinue borrowing for current expenditures and adopt the 1 pay as we go ' policy. (4) To prevent an excessive tax burden from falling on property. (5) To adjust the existing tax system so as to meet sound principles of an equitable tax system." When in doubt or when facing the necessity of positive action appointment of a study commission is the controlling thought in more than one government.


We discuss approaches to achieving large scale InP-based optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) and photonic integrated circuits (PICs). During the past several years, significant advances have been made in improving materials and device quality of InP-based materials such as InGaAs(P) for use in long wavelength communications systems and networks. Hence, we are currently on the threshold of realizing large scale (greater than 500 device) OEICs from which will emerge a new generation of optoelectronic systems and applications, in analogy to what was achieved in the 1970s with the advent of Si-based electronic LSI. What remains to be demonstrated to bring this vision to practical reality is the demonstration of 'platform' integration technologies where devices and circuits custom-designed for a wide range of applications can be realized using a common (and simple) epitaxial materials structure and fabrication process. For the last several years, we have developed such platform technologies, with our latest success being the demonstration of a 16 by 16 InGaAs/InP imaging array consisting of 272 field effect transistors and 256 p-i-n detectors. Other devices which have been demonstrated using this technology have been very high sensitivity switched photodiode receivers, and coherent optical receivers. The transmitter technology consists of a modified twin waveguide structure which allows for fabrication tolerant fabrication of photonic integrated circuits employing any combination of lasers, optical amplifiers, modulators and waveguides. The extremely high yield and simplicity of processing of such InP-based LSI circuits suggests that the scale of optoelectronic integration in this important materials system has reached a new, and highly useful level of sophistication.


In the Summer 1971 issue of Exceptional Children, Lilly proposed a new model for special education services which he called a training based model for special education (Lilly, 1971). The training based model is an alternative to the specialservices model presently used. It suggests that the role of the special educator should be changed from a child centered role to a teacher educator role; primarily, the special educator should train regular classroom teachers to deal with children's prob1ems in the regular class. For the most part, special educators would no longer provide direct services to exceptional children, but rather all services to children would be provided by regular classroom teachers working under the tutelage of special educators. Lilly coneluded his article by stating that the training based model .. . . . is not specific with regard to program content, teacher skills, or change strategies [po 749]." It is the purpose of this article to provide specificity in two of the four function areas delineated by Lilly: direct services and teacher education. Two decision models are proposed here that can be followed by regular teachers, with the consultation of special educators, in the identification of handicapped children and the provision of direct services to these children in the regular classroom. We agree with Lilly that the special educator should be in a supportive role and that the regular classroom teacher must be brought to the point that he can be self reliant and self sufficient within his own classroom.


A Short Introduction to Anglophone Science-Fiction and Fantastic Poetry The following article is designed as an introduction to Anglophone science-fiction and fantastic poetry, particularly poetry featured over the past few decades in various genre anthologies and periodicals. It is neither a theoretical study nor an in-depth analysis of poetry; its objective is merely to introduce science-fiction and fantastic poetry as a phenomenon that addresses similar issues as science-fiction and fantastic prose. Notwithstanding, the article begins with a brief discussion of the definitions of science fiction and poetry. The second part focuses on poetry in science-fiction and fantastic prose; the third part then turns to science-fiction and fantastic poetry as such. After sketching its history and suggesting some places where to find such poetry, selected topics that science-fiction and fantastic poetry frequently addresses are introduced. Although occasionally older works are mentioned, the majority of the poems and criticism discussed in the article originate in the second half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries.


Gallium nitride thin films have been successfully grown on the Ga-diffused Si (111) substrates through nitriding Ga_(2)O_(3 )thin films deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering and the growth condition was investigated. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) were employed to analyze the structure and surface morphology of the synthesized samples. The results reveal that the as-grown films are hexagonal GaN. Varying the Ga-diffused time and the mitriding time were found to have great effect on the crystal quality of GaN films, and the crystal quality and the thin film quality were improved with the increasing Ga-diffused time. And a small change have taken on the pellet shape of the GaN thin film with the increasing nitriding time.


The periodic stripe domains of magnetic material whose easy axis is perpendicular to the film thickness may have boundary layer behavior not only in the wall but also near the film surfaces. This behavior is especially pronounced when the material characteristic length is much less than the film thickness. By means of direct minimization from a variational principle, the magnetization in the periodic stripe domains is determined numerically using a mesh scheme, in which the boundary layer behaviors in the wall and near the film surfaces are adequately represented. The results confirmed the boundary layer behavior a posteriori. The stripe width is, in general, dependent upon Q = K/2πM2. However, the dependence is quite insensitive when the material characteristic length/film thickness ratio is less than 0.1. The results were compared with those of the theory based on the Landau‐Lifshitz wall energy density concept due to Malek and Kambersky. The comparison shows that the magnetostatic energy density is sub...


In this paper, authors show the ill-posedness of 3D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in the critical Triebel-Lizorkin spaces $ \dot{F}^{-1,q}_{\infty} (\mathbb{R}^3) $ for any $ q>2 $ in the sense that arbitrarily small initial data of $ \dot{F}^{-1,q}_{\infty}(\mathbb{R}^3) $ can lead the corresponding solution to become arbitrarily large after an arbitrarily short time. In view of the well-posedness of 3D-incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in $ BMO^{-1} $ (i.e. the Triebel-Lizorkin space $ \dot{F}^{-1,2}_{\infty}(\mathbb{R}^3) $) by Koch and Tataru, our work completes a dichotomy of well-posedness and ill-posedness in the Triebel-Lizorkin space framework depending on $ q=2 $ or $ q>2 $.


Caterpillars of Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has commonly been found attacking young coffee (Coffea arabica) plants in Brazil (State of Minas Gerais), with lesions being observed in the stems and residues of caterpillar feces found in the bark. A few days after the attack, the tissue damage appears less intense because of a woody suberization and healing process, hampering pest detection. There was a higher mortality of plants (13.9%). This is the first record A. ipsilon damaging young coffee plants in Brazil and new cases could arise in other locations where this plant is grown.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effect of friction vs frictionless mechanics on the rate of anterior segment retraction (ASR) in patients with bimaxillary protrusion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty females (18.3 ± 3.7 years) with bimaxillary protrusion were randomly allocated into the friction group, using elastomeric power chains, and the frictionless group, using T-loop springs for ASR. Eligibility criteria included absence of skeletal discrepancies and any systemic diseases or medications, among others. Randomization in a 1:1 ratio was generated by Microsoft Excel. Opaque sealed envelopes were sequentially numbered for allocation concealment. Only blinding of the outcome assessor was applicable. Activations were done every 4 weeks until completion of ASR. The primary outcome was the rate of ASR measured on digital models. Anchorage loss, molar rotation, and pain experienced were also assessed.

RESULTS
Two patients were lost to follow-up. The rate of ASR was 0.68 ± 0.18 mm/mo in the friction group vs 0.88 ± 0.27 mm/mo in the frictionless group, with no significant difference. A significant difference in anchorage loss of 1.63 mm and molar rotation of 7.06° was observed, being higher in the frictionless group. A comparable pain experience associated with both mechanics was reported.

CONCLUSIONS
No difference in the rate of ASR or pain experience was observed between friction and frictionless mechanics. However, extra anchorage measures should be considered when using frictionless mechanics as greater anchorage loss and molar rotations are anticipated.


We describe a wordspotting algorithm based on a predictive neural model for a telephone speech corpus. Each keyword is modeled as a whole word. For keyword detection scoring we used a minimum accumulated prediction residual. We computed empirically a threshold value for rejecting non-keyword speech in place of building non-keyword models. We tested the algorithm with the TUBTEL telephone speech corpus and compared it with other algorithms like the standard DTW-based wordspotting algorithm and the two-stage wordspotting algorithm based on a DTW and a multilayer perceptron.


A non-canonical circuit-based state set representation is used to perform quantifier elimination efficiently. The novelty of this approach lies in adapting equivalence checking and logic synthesis techniques to the goal of compacting circuit based state set representations resulting from existential quantification. The method can be efficiently combined with other verification approaches such as inductive and SAT-based pre-image verifications.


Flexible structural systems are high dimensional and lightly damped, and invariably contain significant uncertainties in their dynamic behavior. Adaptive controllers, which are capable of overcoming such uncertainties and delivering high performance by providing a time-varying compensation on-line, are therefore desirable for such systems. In this paper, we present a new adaptive controller which can globally stabilize a class of flexible structures. This controller is applicable whether position measurements, rate measurements, or combinations thereof are available, as well as for colocated and non-colocated actuator-sensor pairs. The superior performance generated using such controllers is demonstrated using two practical structural systems.


ate and severe intellectual disabilities from inclusive middle schools to high schools may present a challenge to general education teachers. How can teachers use the principles of universal design to facilitate the inclusion of these students in the instructional life of the general education classroom? In particular, what adaptations should teachers make when preparing software-based presentations? How can schools best organize team members to help general education teachers prepare necessary instructional materials and adaptations?


Abstract Saaty's Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been widely applied in decision-making problems, involving multiple criteria, with systems of many levels. In this paper, we retained AHP's core idea that a thorough analysis of the problem is required along with identification of the important system attributes involved. Here the attributes were selected from the components of the hierarchy model. From the above process, we compared the appropriate total ranking from the number of votes given each supplier, in order to determine their total weight, after determining their weights in each selected rank. These proposals represent a novel weighting procedure to replace AHP's pairwise comparison for selecting suppliers, using a numerical example; it provides a simpler method, called Voting Analytic Hierarchy Process (VAHP), but does not lose the systematic way of deriving the weights for scoring supplier performance.


The simulation of faults during the flight of the launch vehicle is good for system design, while can increase the reliability, and support its fault diagnosis and isolation. Structural framework of the simulation system is designed. The whole process simulation of flight is realized based on MATLAB/Simulink, and the process of simulation is introduced. Finally, taking faults in the dynamic system as an example, a fault simulation is performed. The result proved to be reasonable by compared with that under normal conditions.


The present invention relates to a data processing system based on multi-threaded operating system. The data processing system includes at least one processor for processing data based on multiple threads (PROC), at least one processor (PROC) and at least one controller unit (CU) connected to an external peripheral device It said controlling the communication between (PD) and at least one controller unit (CU). Wherein the at least one controller unit (CU) has at least one buffer memory for buffering data from said at least one connected said peripheral device controller unit (CU) (PD) (BM), wherein at least one buffer memory (BM), by mapping into N banks, each having a dedicated prefetch register (Addr_0-Addr_3) (C0~C3), said at least one buffer memory (BM) and at least one memory management unit (MMU) for managing access to. Wherein at least one of the plurality of threads (T0-T3), wherein one of the N banks (C0 to C3), are mapped and its dedicated pre-fetch register (Addr_0~Addr_3).


BACKGROUND: Numerous methods of eliminating abdominal wall defects developed in the world today do not allow us to talk about solving the problem of hernias. In particular, the causes of chronic postoperative pain associated with the effect of scarring on the spermatic cord have not been fully studied. Testicular flow studies after hernia repair mostly showed different outcomes. AIM: Comparative assessment of blood flow parameters of the testicular, capsular and intratesticular arteries, as well as the diameter of the testicular artery after autoplasty with a displaced aponeurotic flap and Lichtenstein hernioplasty using ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A new method of autoplasty was used in 35 patients (Group I). The comparison group (Group II) amounted to 35 patients with Lichtenstein hernioplasty surgery using partially absorbable mesh endoprosthesis (UltraPro). The dynamics of changes in blood flow in the arteries was assessed using color Doppler before surgery, in the early and late postoperative periods. RESULTS: The Wilcoxon paired test showed a significant difference between preoperative and immediately postoperative measurements in both groups. Statistically significant differences between the groups were found in the end-diastolic velocity and resistance index in the testicular, capsular and intratesticular arteries 6 months and 1 year after surgery. The difference in peak systolic velocity was significant in the testicular artery also in the late stages after hernioplasty. The diameter of the testicular artery tended to increase in dynamics, but there was no any statistically significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The method of autoplasty in the inguinal canal with a displaced aponeurotic flap does not significantly affect testicular perfusion. In Group II, arterial blood flow indicators 6 months and 1 year after surgery were lower than basal values and had statistically significant differences compared to Group I.


In her essay On being Ill ,1 Virginia Woolf wrote that: 'Illness is a part of every human being's experience. It enhances our perceptions and reduces self-consciousness. It is the great confessional; things are said, truths are blurted out which health conceals,'

And later in the same essay: 'Let a sufferer try to describe a pain in his head to a doctor and language at once runs dry. There is nothing ready made for him. He is forced to coin words himself, and, taking his pain in one hand, and a lump of pure sound in the other (as perhaps the people of Babel did in the beginning), so to crush them together that a brand new word in the end drops out. Probably …


e18061 Background: The utility of different non-surgical specimens for the accurate determination of cellular and molecular attributes in NSCLC has yet to be established. The primary objective of t...


Influence of Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds and of Non Condensed Azoles in Particular on 'Prebiotic' Condensation Reactions of α-Amino Acids Induced by Polyphosphates in Aqueous Solution

In previous experiments aqueous solutions of α-aminoacids in the presence of cyclic or linear polyphosphates, pH range 7–11, yielded up to 40% of dipeptide but only 0.3-0.5% of tripeptide [1] [2]. By addition of imidazole the yield of tripeptide could be increased about ten times [2]. Therefore, we have studied for the condensation reaction of glycine the influence of the addition to aqueous solutions 0.1 M in glycine and 0.1 M in trimetaphosphate at room temperature, pH range 6.7–8.9, of several azoles (pyrrole, pyrazole, imidazole, 1,2,4-triazole and tetrazole), of adenine, guanine, uracil, cytosine, and of several nucleosides (adenosine, guanosine, uridine and cytidine). Among the products studied, only 1,2,4-triazole and imidazole improve appreciably, by a factor of about 15, the yield of triglycine (up to 7.8%). While it is very likely that imidazole has played an important role during prebiotic chemical evolution, it is not clear at present whether 1,2,4-triazole has a prebiotic significance.


Three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer developing along a long streamwise bar of a rectangular cross section (60 mm × 20 mm) placed on a flat plate was investigated experimentally. Two different wall configurations are possible by placing the longer sides of a rectangle perpendicular or parallel to the plate surface. This class of turbulent boundary layers is made complicated by secondary currents which inevitably arise near the streamwise corners. Experimental results obtained for both wall shapes are described mainly concerning isovels, lines of constant turbulence intensity, secondary currents measurements by vortex-meter, distributions of wall shear stress and total drags. Considerations are made on the velocity profiles in a plane of flow symmetry where secondary currents flow toward the wall, and a self-preserving distribution in the outer layer is proposed.


Census reports and birth certificates were used in this study of teenage birthrates in 24 Massachusetts cities. The study began with 2 basic assumptions: adolescent fertility varies by geographic region a fact that is obvious from vital statistics data; and this variation is associated with certain socioeconomic factors a conclusion that can be drawn from other area analyses of fertility. The dependent variables used were the age specific birthrates for 24 Massachusetts cities. 1970 data were used. These data offer a high degree of reliability but they do not include information on a number of subjects that would have been of considerable interest. Using the 1970 census data and the 1970 birth certificates rates for the 24 cities and towns in that State that had experienced at least 100 births to teenagers in the study year were constructed. To aggregate large enough numbers for valid rate construction and to have categories relevant to current social policy the teenagers were combined into 3 age groups: 13-14 15-17 and 18-19 years. 5 independent variables were selected for the analysis based on their ready availability in the 1970 US Census material. 2 variables were selected that reflect a communitys economic status: the median income of all families and the percentage of families on welfare. 2 variables were selected that reflect a communitys educational status: the percentage of residents who are high school graduates and the percentage of 14-17 year olds in high school. The variable used to indicate the general level of fertility in the community was the number of women ever born/1000 women aged 35-44 (cumulative fertility). The relationships between birthrates and the independent variables were first examined through simple correlation coefficients. For each birthrate significant correlation coefficients were found for all 5 independent variables. If these coefficients alone are considered the most important predictors of birthrates for the 15-17 year olds were the 2 income variables: the median income of the community explained 56.7% of the variance in birthrates and the percentage of families on welfare explained 55.2%. Regarding birthrates for the 18-19 year olds the communitys median income and the percentage of high school graduates in the population were the most important predictors: median income explained 52.4% of the variance and the percentage of high school graduates 53.0%. For 18 and 19 year olds as for 15-17 year olds the cumulative fertility of the older generation of women had significant partial correlations with birthrates even after the effects of income and education were controlled.


Using a cross-cultural sample of 17,538 managers from 24 countries, this study explores the interrelationships between McClelland's motives and specific aggregate-level cultural dimensions and personality factors. The results reveal significant relationships between the Achievement, Affiliation, and Power Motives, and the cultural dimensions of Performance Orientation, Humane Orientation, and Power Distance, respectively. Support for posited relationships between the managers' motives and aggregate-level personality, as measured by the Big Five factors, was also obtained. Finally, the results demonstrate that the relationships between McClelland's motives and managers' aggregate-level Big Five factors are moderated by the cultural dimensions of Performance Orientation, Humane Orientation, and Power Distance.


Currently,South Korea is quietly launched their own cultural integration and globalization of communi cation.Thus it is forming a unique pop culture.The reason why the Korean rised has two parts of reasons.On the one hand thanks to its own culture integration and innovation of traditional culture.And then through its essence and dis card the dross processing of foreign culture.As this result,Korean contemporary unique culture has formed.On the oth er hand,it is the used of modern means developing the culture to the industry.So that the cultural vitality can be dem onstrated and promoted.The commercial mode of operation to the Korean entertainment agencies,the industrialization of Korean pop culture,popular culture internationalization,localization and other target markets experience to the de velopment of Chinese popular culture provide a reference.


Emilio Garcia Wehbi, exposes two writings that had their origin as performative, theatrical projects and later resumed their literary form highlighting the transformation from one language to another. Communitas is a reflection on the body and also how the mandates of normality and tradition have been imposed.


The utility model discloses a sound-light-vibration integrated touch switch which comprises a housing and a touch piece in the housing, and is characterized by further comprising a control circuit, a voltage stabilizing circuit powering the control circuit, status indication lamps respectively in electric connection with the output terminal of the control circuit, a vibrator and a sound production component, wherein the status indication lamps and the sound production component are arranged on the housing; the vibrator, the control circuit and the voltage stabilizing circuit are arranged in the housing; and due to the adoption of the status indication lamps, the vibrator and the sound production component, the touch switch is very convenient to use by the deaf and blind. Therefore, the integrated touch switch can be applied to activity occasions of variety of people, and has the advantages of long service life, extensive application range, low-voltage power supply, safety and reliability.


In this paper we apply a distributed learning approach to improve the perfomance of wind speed forecast. We use data obtained from 54 different weather stations in the U. S. and without sharing data between sites, we share model information between them, to improve the performance over local models trained with only local data. We show that sharing the information of the distributed models, improves the forecast we could obtain by only using locally trained models.


In recent years, the crop growth modeling community invested immense effort into high resolution global simulations estimating inter alia the impacts of projected climate change. The demand for computing resources in this context is high and expressed in processor core-years per one global simulation, implying several crops, management systems, and a several decades time span for a single climatic scenario. The anticipated need to model a richer set of alternative management options and crop varieties would increase the processing capacity requirements even more, raising the looming issue of computational efficiency. While several publications report on the successful application of the original field-scale crop growth model EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) for running on modern supercomputers, the related performance improvement issues and, especially, associated trade-offs have only received, so far, limited coverage. This paper provides a comprehensive view on the principles of the EPIC setup for parallel computations and, for the first time, on those specific to heterogeneous compute clusters that are comprised of desktop computers utilizing their idle time to carry out massive computations. The suggested modification of the core EPIC model allows for a dramatic performance increase (order of magnitude) on a compute cluster that is powered by the open-source high-throughput computing software framework HTCondor.


This article proposes an optimal 3D space vector modulation algorithm for the three-phase five-levels packed U-cell converter. The algorithm consists of selecting a common-mode voltage that results in discontinuous modulation, as a result, the reference voltage vector is clamped to the external faces of the 3D space vector diagram and there is always a phase that does not switch for a certain period. Hence, the search for nearest vectors is reduced to a 2D plane and there are no redundancies in the abc coordinates. Moreover, the switching sequence is defined online in order to reduce the converter phase voltage transitions while ensuring half-wave symmetry. In addition, a cost function is proposed to optimize the number of commutations and maintain the capacitor voltages balanced. The proposed algorithm presents advantages when compared to other strategies, such as low computational effort, reduced switching losses, and smaller capacitors. Simulation results demonstrate the good performance and effectiveness of the proposed modulation compared to works previously published in the literature. Finally, experimental results from 2-kVA three-phase five-levels packed-U-cell converter are given to support the theoretical developments.


In marine fossil energy production, annular pressure buildup (APB) caused by temperature increase is a widely concerned problem and needs to be solved urgently in subsea wells. To study and predict APB and avoid consequent safety accidents and economic losses, a novel model is proposed to predict APB considering the effect of cement. The model has a wider application range by considering the dynamic change of thermal properties and mass change of the annular fluid. Laboratory experiments were conducted to verify the accuracy of the proposed model. Then a case study and mitigation evaluation were conducted to make the further analysis. Research results show that cement has a significant effect on APB, ignoring the cement may bring potential danger. The height of cement affects APB differently when the top of cement (TOC) is above and below the previous casing shoes. Making the TOC below the previous casing shoe could provide a leakage surface for annular fluid. It is an effective method for APB mitigation but a balance needs to be struck between wellbore integrity and mitigation effect. Gas or foam injection is another effective method to mitigate APB. The necessary gas volume varies with the annular pressure and initial gas pressure and needs to be determined according to the actual condition, especially in deepwater wells.


The NAD-specific glutamic dehydrogenase isozymes of about 50 species of the Oomycetes were examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine their electrophoretic properties. With few exc...


. This paper introduces new techniques for the e(cid:14)cient computation of a Fourier transform on a (cid:12)nite group. We present a divide and conquer approach to the computation. The divide aspect uses factorizations of group elements to reduce the matrix sum of products for the Fourier transform to simpler sums of products. This is the separation of variables algorithm. The conquer aspect is the (cid:12)nal computation of matrix products which we perform e(cid:14)ciently using a special form of the matrices. This form arises from the use of subgroup-adapted representations and their structure when evaluated at elements which lie in the centralizers of subgroups in a subgroup chain. We present a detailed analysis of the matrix multiplications arising in the calculation and obtain easy-to-use upper bounds for the complexity of our algorithm in terms of representation theoretic data for the group of interest. Our algorithm encompasses many of the known examples of fast Fourier transforms. We recover the best known fast transforms for some abelian groups, the symmetric groups and their wreath products, and the classical Weyl groups. Beyond this, we obtain greatly improved upper bounds for the general linear and unitary groups over a (cid:12)nite (cid:12)eld, and for the classical Chevalley groups over a (cid:12)nite (cid:12)eld. We also apply these techniques to obtain analogous results for homogeneous spaces. This I part Part II present a of these techniques savings.


The question of what resolution of the gravity field can be obtained from satellite-to-satellite Doppler tracking was investigated by performing least-squares adjustments of simulated Doppler data, solving for parameters describing the anomalous gravity field in various sized blocks. By examining the correlation between the adjusted parameters describing neighboring blocks, it was possible to judge whether a given set of data was capable of resolving blocks of a given size. Two concepts of satellite-to-satellite tracking are considered: the first involves two satellites near together in very low orbits, while the second uses geostationary satellites to track a single very low satellite. In either case, blocks 500 km on a side can be satisfactorily resolved from an orbital altitude of 700 km. From an altitude of 200 km, blocks 200 km on a side can be resolved. Because of the lower limit on altitude imposed by the presence of the earth's atmosphere, it does not appear that satellite-to-satellite Doppler tracking will be able to resolve features smaller than 200 km on a side.


Since the textbook has a prominent role in Swedish mathematics education it is of importance that textbooks has a focus on everyday life application that matches the requirements of the syllabuses ...


Historical heritage represent a crucial aspect for societies and therefore it should be preserved from natural disasters such as earthquake. Base isolation systems are widely used to mitigate the horizontal effects of strong ground motions on important buildings and bridges, but there are also interesting applications on statues. However, such systems are characterized by properties that are quite different from the ones that belong to traditional civil structures. For this reason, national and international regulations are not exhaustive and actual dynamics of the system should be studied through numerical and experimental methods. Starting from analytical formulations, the paper investigates the sliding and rocking motion in details, being the typical one of statues under seismic loads. The presented numerical model describes the problem and is an alternative to the analytical formulation to perform several analyses automatically. In addition, it allows running parametric analyses to assess the influence of various parameters, such as eccentricity, stiffness, mass, geometric ratios, etc. Future work is geared to validate the numerical model trough performing experimental tests on shaking table. Introduction to Rigid Body's free motion Heritage structures play a significant testimony of the social culture of each country and it deserved to be preserved. The modeling of sliding and rocking behavior of an anchored rigid body under the earthquake was a challenging topic for last decades. The first real attempt at developing a mathematical model of the rigid body motion was made by Housner [1]. Afterwards, several studies have been made to improve the mathematical model considering different motions. The motion of a rigid un-anchored body generally is divided to six conditions including rest, slide, rock, slide-rock, free flight and impact. Several studies have been carried out to evaluate the different aspects of these motions ([2], [3] and [4]). The classical rocking motion equation of a free rigid block under an earthquake is given as [1]: 2 (1 ) cos( ) sgn( ) sin( ) g c mR mx R mRg c θ θ θ θ θ θ + = − − −   (1) where g x  is the horizontal ground acceleration,θ is the rotation angle of the rigid body under 1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Structural & Geotechnical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Italy, 10129 (email: firstname.lastname@example.com) 2PhD Student, Dept. of Civil Structural & Geotechnical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Italy, 10129 3Visiting Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, US, 94720 Domaneschi M., ZamaniNoori A., Marasco S., Cardoni A., Cimellaro G.P.,A numerical solution for addressing the overturning phenomena of heritage assets.Proceedings of the 11th National Conference in Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA. 2018. excitation, m is the mass of the rigid block, R is the distance between center of gravity (CG) and overturning point, c θ is the angle formed by R and the vertical direction. Fig. 1 shows the schematic rocking motion and geometrical parameters of a rigid body under horizontal seismic acceleration. Figure 1. Schematic rocking motion of a 2D rigid block subjected to ground acceleration. Although the later works ([5], [6] and [7]) are much closer to the reality, but still there are many grey areas to predict the exact transition between the different motion phases and the understanding of rigid bodies dynamic remains a research topic open to new contributions. In addition, they mostly do not include the eccentricities and consider the center of gravity equally distant from the two base corners. This paper tackles to develop an exhaustive method that can evaluate the different phases of motion for a 3D rigid body under a tri-directional earthquake (horizontals and vertical components).


The application of NoteExpress in graduate thesis writing was introduced, including how to use NoteExpress to collect references, manage references and write notes during the usual researching period, and how to use NoteExpress to insert references and notes, make references style and realize the automatic formation of references during the thesis writing period.


After giving a brief introduction about the idea of the model of Independent Component Analysis (ICA),an algorithm for ICA without any knowledge of their probability distributions was provided.It was achieved under a maximum likelihood framework by considering Gaussian parametric density mixture model and Pearson system model.As a result,an explicit ICA algorithm with flexible score functions to various marginal densities was obtained.Simulation result shows that the proposed algorithm is able to separate a wild range of source signals,including sub-Gaussian and super-Gaussian sources,symmetric and asymmetric sources.


In this paper, probabilistic load flow technique is employed as a decision tool for the location of renewable energy generators within a micro-grid. The importance of probabilistic load flow within the micro-grid is first illustrated by comparing results from it with those from deterministic load flow. Probabilistic load flow is then employed as a tool in deciding the in-feed point for a proposed wind farm within a 22-bus simplified university network while considering two scenarios (peak load demand during winter examination and low load demand in summer holiday). The optimal wind farm location was decided based on three criteria; the voltage level on each substation, the line flow compliance and the total system losses.


Physical simulation is often proposed as a way to generate motion for interactive characters. A simulated character has the potential to adapt to changing terrain and disturbances in a realistic and robust manner. In this paper, we present a balancing control algorithm based on a simplified dynamic model, an inverted pendulum on a cart. The simplified model lacks the degrees of freedom found in a full human model, so we analyze a captured reference motion in a preprocessing step and use that information about human running patterns to supplement the balance algorithms provided by the inverted pendulum controller. At run-time, the controller plans a desired motion at every frame based on the current estimate of the pendulum state and a predicted pendulum trajectory. By tracking this time-varying trajectory, our controller creates a running character that dynamically balances, changes speed and makes turns. The initial controller can be optimized to further improve the motion quality with an objective function that minimizes the difference between a planned desired motion and a simulated motion. We demonstrate the power of this approach by generating running motions at a variety of speeds (3 m/s to 5m/s), following a curved path, and in the presence of disturbance forces and a skipping motion.


An iron-based electrode is provided, comprising a single conductive substrate, the single layer conductive substrate coated on at least one side with a coating comprising iron active material and a binder. The iron-based Ni-Fe electrode for a battery as the anode. The electrode may also be prepared by coating each side with a mixture comprising active material and a binder of iron continuous coating of the substrate.


Patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐mutated, advanced non–small cell lung cancer have received immunochemotherapy as one of the treatment options after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) failure.


In order to further improve the research content of retired soldiers college students in various aspects of employment, enrich the theoretical system of the employment status of retired soldiers, and achieve the purpose of guiding the employment of retired college students, this paper takes Physical Education College of Luoyang Normal University as the research object. By using the methods of literature review, mathematical statistics and personal interview, this paper studies the job satisfaction and employment area of retired soldiers after graduation in Physical Education College of Luoyang Normal University.


XG-PON requires an effective dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) mechanism for upstream traffic to support quality of service for different classes of traffic. We propose X-GIANT, which extends GPON based GigaPON Access Network (GIANT) DBA, with validated optimisations to the originally proposed key parameters - service timers and assured vs non-assured ratio of medium priority traffic. We implement X-GIANT in a standard-compliant XG-PON module designed for the state-of-the-art ns-3 simulator, tune the above key parameters and show that mean-delay and throughput for different classes of traffic obey the XG-PON requirements and respect priorities at both light and heavy upstream loads. We also show that X-GIANT shows better mean-delay performance than Efficient Bandwidth Utilisation (EBU), a recently proposed, GIANT-derived, priority-based DBA mechanism for XG-PON, for all three classes of traffic simulated.


The utility model is a paint locker, in particular an environmental protective dust free furniture paint locker consisted of one spray booth. Blast channel is set outside spray booth. One end of blast channel is set with blower with wide filtering cotton-fleece set at the inlet. Another end of blast channel is connected to spray booth with fine filtering layer set at the top layer. The side of spray booth is set with straight board type environmental protective water currant processor. Bottom of spray booth is set with grid board, whose bottom is set with dustfall water pool, which is connected to wind channel. The outlet of wind channel is set with spraying type water circulation dustfall device. High pressure water fog nozzle is installed inside wind channel. The utility model has changed previous side pressure structure and can ensure more even entering of air. The spraying type water circulation processor can improve the function of water dustfall absorption. The bottom of grid board has drainage function, which can improve the absorption of paint fog by water and facilitate the discharge of dirt.


We discuss the observed scaling in the normal state properties of high Tc superconductors. We propose that this has origin in a non-degenerate electron component, that arises when the chemical potential μ is tuned near the top of a 2D band submerged just below the Fermi surface. It is shown that the anomalous behavior of spin susceptibility xs(T) and specific heat Cv(T) of the cuprates can be understood within this model. It predicts a scaling in Xs(T) and Cv(T) of the bi-CuO2 layer cuprates that is different in form from that in single-CuO2 layer La2-xSrxCuO4. The doping-dependent scaling parameter is determined by the location of μ relative to the top of the non-degenerate band. We compare our results with experiments and find the predicted type of scaling in the susceptibility data on TlSr2(Lu1-xCax)Cu2Oy


On the basis of AHP theory,a technique of group decision-making for engineering project management is proposed.A geometric average operator for integrating the information of personal judgments is introduced,and the consistency of point estimation of the group decision-making opinion is proved,which can not only overcome the deviations and inconsistencies,even the opposite effects between individual judgment and decision-making result due to the subjective reasons,but also offer a reasonable explanation why there is an inconsistency between the initial individual judgment and the final results of group decision-making.Finally,as a numerical example,the paper gives an analysis of the construction risk of a Lanzhou Yellow River Bridge project,and the method of group decision-making based on AHP is applied to the risk analysis of this project,with the results indicating the effectiveness of this technique.


The paper presents a calculation method of the magnetic field under an overhead power line taking into account conductor sag, which is described by the catenary curve. The calculations take into account the variability of the charge distribution along the conductor and wire sag for the eclectic field, while the calculation of intensity of the magnetic field take into account the impact of induced currents in the wires of lightning. The simulation results were compared with results measurements.


The main results of plasma cislunar investigations, carried out during Luna-19 and Luna-22 spacecraft flights by means of dual frequency dispersion interferrometry, are briefly outlined. It is shown that a thin layer of plasma, with a height of several tens of kilometers and a maximum concentration of the order 1,000 electrons/cu cm exists above the solar illuminated lunar surface. A physical model of the formation and existence of such a plasma in cislunar space is proposed, taking into account the influence of local magnetic areas on the moon.


Haspelmath's paper offers a potentially fruitful synthesis of ideas from functionalist theories of language and optimality theory, a recent but popular formal model for phonology and syntax. As such, Haspelmath's paper is more productive than the all too common out-of-hand dismissal or ignoring of the opposite theoretical camp on both sides of the theoretical divide. The opportunity for the synthesis of formalist and functionalist ideas has been created by optimality theory. Optimality theory uses the general idea of competing principles ("constraints") determining linguistic phenomena. Not all the principles can be satisfied at once for any particular phonological sequence (e. g. word + inflection) or syntactic construction. Hence, every possible output is at most partially motivated by the principles underlying language. Partial motivation of linguistic forms as a result of competing motivations is one of the chief theoretical constructs of most functionalist approaches to language, as Haspelmath notes in his paper. What is most interesting about Haspelmath's paper is his argument that optimality theory and functional competing motivation models share more than the abstract concept of competing motivations. Haspelmath argues that the substantive principles proposed by optimality theorists, at least the ones most widely invoked and assumed to be universal across languages, are in fact identical to the substantive principles proposed by functionalist linguists. I believe that on the whole, Haspelmath is correct in this observation, and I hope that both (formalist) optimality theorists and functionalists will take note of the important similarities between the two approaches. Significant differences remain between optimalty theory and competing motivations models, of course. Rather than focus on these, I would like to discuss what I perceive as a more general problem with Haspelmath's proposals which ultimately bear on the functional principles that he invokes for the universal constraints of optimality theory. Haspelmath argues that the functional/optimality constraints are best interpreted as applying to language change, not to the static linguistic system. Haspelmath invokes a biological evolutionary model of language change, where


Feature extraction is a key issue for 3d model retrieval. A novel architecture to extract the curve-skeleton of 3d model is introduced. The algorithm firstly calculates the 3D vector fields of models represented by discrete unit, and then extracts the hierarchical curve-skeleton based on topological features of the critical curve and critical points of the vector fields. The similarity among 3D curve-skeletons is measured by using an improved Earth Mover's Distance (EMD) algorithm. The curve-skeleton extracted with this novel algorithm can be used to categorize models and implement global matching and partial matching.


The purpose of this article investigate the mediating role of academic stress in relationship of classroom structure and academic achievement. To select sample size, ٤٠٠ student (٢٠٠ males, ٢ ٠٠ females) were chosen with randomly sampling method. And completed the classroom structure scale of Blackburn (١٩٩٨) and academic stress of Gadzella (١٩٩١). Reliability of these questionnaire with Cronbach Alfa method were (.٧٤) for structure classroom and (.٧٨) for academic stress. Then data analyzed with path analysis. The results showed that academic stress had mediating role between structure classroom (Motivating tasks, Autonomy support, and Mastery evaluation) and academic achievement. Structure classroom with mediating role of academic stress could predicate ٣ ٤% of academic achievement


1. Scope and motivation
2. Lightning review of CMSSM
3. LEP 1 bounds and LEP 1.5 results
4. LEP 2 futurology
5. Bottomline


To evaluate the effectiveness of various organic or inorganic fertilizers on the growth and physiology of Chrysanthemum morifolium (an important ornamental plant) the current research was conducted in a completely randomized design. Seedlings were treated with vermicompost (0 and 40% w/w of soil), nano-chelated zinc (nano-Zn) (0 and 0.1% (w/v)) or ZnSO4 (0 and 0.2% (w/v). Sprays of nano-Zn or ZnSO4 were done three times with two week intervals. In comparison to control, the applied fertilizers significantly promoted growth rates and biomass accumulations as indicated by the significantly higher amounts leaf area as well as leaf fresh and dry mass in the treated plants by approximately 41%, 39%, and 28%, respectively. The simultaneous applications of nano Zn and vermicompost was the most effective supplementation to improve plant growth rate. The combined applications of mineral and biological applied fertilizers led to significant increases in the contents of photosynthetic pigments about 53%. Except for individual application of ZnSO4, the other applied treatments, especially the combined ones, resulted in significant increases in the contents of leaf proline (mean 51%), compared to control. Similarly, the simultaneous applications of supplements increased the root proline by 82%. The highest amounts of leaf soluble phenols were found in nano Zn-V group (3.3 fold higher than control). However, in root tissues only the considerable increases caused by the vermicompost treatment (approximately 49%). In conclusions, the simultaneous soil supplementations with the biological fertilizers and foliar applications of nano-fertilizers may be regarded as a suitable eco-friendly way to improve plant metabolism and growth rates.


Thomas Heberer is Professor of East Asian Politics at the Institutes of Political Science and East Asian Studies at the University Duisburg–Essen, Germany. His research is focusing on issues of political, institutional and social changes of China, and on actors of change. He is a member of the editorial committee of the European Journal of East Asian Studies, member of the editorial board of the Journal of China in Comparative Perspective, and a member of the academic advisory board of the journals Internationales Asienforum and the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs. Among his recent book publications are: (with Fan Jie and W. Taubmann), Rural China Economic and Social Change in the Late Twentieth Century (Armonk/London: M.E. Sharpe, 2006); (with A. Senz), China's Significance in International Politics: Domestic and External Developments and Action Potentials (Bonn: German Development Institute, 2007); Doing Business in Rural China: Liangshan's New Ethnic Entrepreneurs (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2007); (with G. Schubert), Political Participation and Regime Legitimacy in the P.R. of China, vol. 1, The Urban Space, and vol. 2, The Rural Space (Wiesbaden: VS–Verlag, in German, 2008 and 2009); and, (with G. Schubert), Regime Legitimacy in Contemporary China: Institutional Change and Stability (London, New York: Routledge, 2008).


Communication in High-Frequency (HF) band allows for good-quality, low-cost, and long-distance data-link transmission over diverse landscapes in aerial communication systems. However, as limited frequency resources are allocated, HF band suffers from poor spectrum efficiency when the channel is congested with many users. To maintain the robustness of the data-link transmission, Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) is the worldwide standard for sustaining HF communication of voice, data, instant messaging, internet messaging, and image communications. Technologies, such as spectrum sensing, Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) are utilised in ALE with the primary step of automatic mode recognition based on cognitive radio. Conventional methods, such as Automatic Modulation Recognition (AMR) targets at the classification of single modulation, while modern communication systems require recognising multiple modes in combination of various number of tones, tone spacing, and tone interval. In this study, an approach that features filling the gap using deep learning is proposed. By characterising the common in-use mode formats in HF range, investigation shows that spectrogram diagram varies significantly, which necessitates the accurate characterisation and classification of multiple communication modes. Specifically, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN or ConvNet) is adopted for classification. The dataset is collected through USRP N210 with GNU Radio simulation. By reconstructing the communication in selected modes, the mode formats are classified. The performance result of recognition accuracy is displayed with confusion matrix. The confident classification of spectral characteristics, as well as accurate estimation, are established for practical communication scenarios.


Today, many sensor nodes are equipped with a microSD slot to provide a cost effective way to store large amounts of data. When using the FAT file system, data collected by a node can be easily read by a PC without the need for any special software or communication protocol. While several FAT implementations for microcontrollers do exist, they are not suited for real-time applications. For a WSN in an industrial scenario where a node needs to run a closed loop control program, logging to a non-real-time capable persistent storage system is not an option. In this paper we present RATFAT, an efficient implementation of a flexible real-time capable FAT file system for Contiki, that can be used for applications requiring real-time guarantees.


Digital phase gratings were formerly investigated by a simple Fourier transformation to optimize their behavior, e.g., distributing the incident radiation in distinct spectral bands to specific diffraction orders or distributing the incident intensity of light into equally bright central orders.


A series of aminophosphines were prepared by controlled condensation reaction between PCl 3 or PhPCl 2 and amines, and they were converted into the corresponding chalcogenides. 31 P-NMR and mass spectral data were collected for characterization of these asymmetrically substituted phosphines, and in addition, 77 Se- NMR data were collected for the phosphine selenides prepared. The spectral data revealed the importance of the dipolar structure for the heavier chalcogen atoms and the π-bond structure for the lighter ones. This study has also brought out the first examples of chiral tris(amino)phosphines and the corresponding selenides. KEY WORDS : Aminophosphines, Dichlorophenylphosphine, Chiral tris(amino)phosphines, Aminophosphine chalcogenides, 77 Se-NMR Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2006 , 20(2), 207-218.


The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) performs research in fault tolerant, long life, and space survivable electronics for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With that focus, JPL has been involved in Evolvable Hardware (EHW) technology research for the past several years. We have advanced the technology not only by simulation and evolution experiments, but also by designing, fabricating, and evolving a variety of transistor-based analog and digital circuits at the chip level. EHW refers to self-configuration of electronic hardware by evolutionary/genetic search mechanisms, thereby maintaining existing functionality in the presence of degradations due to aging, temperature, and radiation. In addition, EHW has the capability to reconfigure itself for new functionality when required for mission changes or encountered opportunities. Evolution experiments are performed using a genetic algorithm running on a DSP as the reconfiguration mechanism and controlling the evolvable hardware mounted on a self-contained circuit board. Rapid reconfiguration allows convergence to circuit solutions in the order of seconds. The paper illustrates hardware evolution results of electronic circuits and their ability to perform under 230°C temperature as well as radiations of up to 250 mad.


Mini-cyclones are used to separate superfines about 1 μm from industrial dust for dust classification.A 2-D mathematical model is thus developed,by which the dust classification efficiency is analyzed and proved just in relation to Stokes number.Experimental investigation was conducted for 3 types of mini-cyclones at different air flowrates through their inlets.The result showed that a linear relationship is found between the classification efficiency and Stokes number in the Rosin-Rammler coordinates.A new theoretical expression is derived here,by which the calculated value of classification efficiency is closer to the measured value in comparison with other theoretical expressions.So,it is comparatively an accurate calculation method of separation efficiency.When the air flowerate is in the range from 15 to 25 m/s at the inlets of 3 types of mini-cyclones in experiment,the sizing size of superfines for classification can come down to 0.6 μm.


To a tunnel under construction, a prompt assessment of the stability of the lining through in situ measured data is of practical importance both for the observational designing of the tunnel and to guarantee the safety of construction. Among all the parameters measured during tunnel construction, displacement measurement is the most convenient and at the same time, the most credible and cost effective method to track the performance of tunnel lining. The aim of this paper is to develop a displacement-based method suitable for conducting reliability evaluation of the shotcrete lining in the progress of construction of a tunnel. First of all, a performance function at the cross section is put forward. Next, formulas are listed to calculate the internal forces in a lining segment. Then, the variability of the basic random variables is explained. Further, a process to compute the reliability index through measured displacements is presented. After that, two case studies are done. Finally, the nature of the proposed method is observed and some remarks are made on further developments. The proposed method can meet the need of reliability evaluation of shotcrete lining during tunnel construction and also is certainly of theoretical significance to a large extent.


Tourism management is in a period of vigorous development.According to the problem with academic development and learning experience for students,the article proposes that tourism management education should be made to create situations,deepen links the theoretical knowledge with practical experience of profession in the basis of situation-experience cognitive theory for students.Furthermore,tourism management curriculum should be broadened the horizons and emphasis on situation-experience interaction between teachers and students in the process of teaching,then establish a flexible feedback mechanism between schools and businesses.Our objective is to improve tourism management education quality.


By using statistical analysis method,and basing their research subject on 764 physical education doctoral dissertations produced by 14 physical education doctorate awarding units in China between 2001 and 2010,the authors did a statistical analysis on the frequencies of being cited in terms of doctoral dissertations producing unit,year and major,and drew the following conclusions: 1)the frequencies of being cited of physical education doctoral dissertations reflected hot topics in physical education researches in China;2)the frequencies of being cited of physical education doctoral dissertations embodied the levels of disciplinary development of doctoral student cultivation units;3)the frequencies of being cited of physical education doctoral dissertations indicated the situation of development of level 2 disciplines in physical education.


An image and Fourier plane analysis is presented of the polarization states of the read-out wavefront transmitted through a photorefractive crystal when a non-holographic register of a binary object is produced. The incident read-out light is linearly polarized and the physical parameters that determine the output ellipticity of the transmitted light are the crystal thickness, the applied field and the rotary power. The contrast of the output image as well as the relative weight of each diffraction order is controlled by properly setting a linear polarizer. The calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results.


The utility model relates to a vertical and horizontal full-automatic paperboard slitter, which comprises a rack, a motor, a feed roller, a panel and operation rollers, wherein the feed roller, the panel, the first operation roller, a vertical paper cutting device, a transfer plate, the second operation roller, a horizontal paper cutting device and the third operation roller are sequentially arranged; a pinch roller group is arranged above the feed roller, upper operation nip rolls are arranged above the operation rollers, and the panel is arranged on a panel bracket; the vertical paper cutting device is formed by arranging a round cutter and a cutter holder on an upper cutter roller and a lower cutter roller; and the horizontal paper cutting device is formed by arranging cutters respectively on an upper cutter holder support and a lower cutter holder support. The slitter disclosed by the utility model has the characteristics of high working efficiency, high precision and the like.


9077 Background: Cancer management is expensive everywhere. In the developing countries poverty is always blamed for as to be the main obstacle for quality cancer care. According to WHO report (globocan) 1.295 to 1.36 million people in Bangladesh suffer from cancer. Our health care service is not extensive to diagnose all these cases. A number of diagnosed cases do not get standard specific treatment of cancer. The objective of the study is to find out the main possible reason behind it. Methods: We made a prospective analysis of pre-diagnosis and post-diagnosis expenses using hospital documents & taken interview with specific questionnaire form of 520 cases regardless of age, indication and management who are treated from January 2002 to December 2005 in NICRH, City General Hospital & Bangladesh Medical College Hospital. We calculated the total expenses incurred to each case before specific diagnosis (EBD). These include all investigations, and non-specific treatment costs from the onset of symptoms up t...


A five year study by Yale University, Connecticut, has found a small, but significant risk of haemorrhagic stroke in women taking non-prescription cough and cold medicines, appetite suppressants, and some prescription decongestants containing phenylpropanolamine (PPA).

After hearing the evidence presented by the researchers—who were headed by Dr Walter Kernan, an associate professor of medicine at Yale—an advisory 14 member panel of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted overwhelmingly to ban …


The massive growth in computing since the 1980s and 1990s has revolutionized data gathering and how people transact with one another. The result is that practically every economic and financial transaction is recorded somewhere by someone and can be linked to the individuals undertaking the


There is still considerable debate as to what should be regarded as the physiologic blood glucose level. The presently accepted range has been developed from an analysis of presumably healthy versus obviously ill individuals. It is fair to assume that a group of patients without symptoms and signs is probably healthier than a group of patients with symptoms and signs.' A series of reports has already been released2-5 that analyze the glucose-tolerance pattern (according to the Mosenthal and Barry method) in 100 routine dental patients with and without oral symptoms that are recognized as common accompaniments of diabetes mellitus.616 Three interesting observations were released in those four reports of the analysis. First, the constellation of xerostomia, stomatopyrosis, and gingival tenderness appears to be more representative of the diabetic patient's complaints than any one or other combination of these three oral symptoms. Second, the evidence suggests that the three oral symptoms are more reflective of carbohydrate imbalance than simply of diabetes mellitus. In other words, the very same oral symptoms appear more frequently with both hyperand hypoglycemia than in the normoglycemic group. Third, and especially pertinent to this discussion, it appears that physiologic blood glucose may encompass a more narrow range than is generally held at the present time. Since the cortisone-glucose tolerance test is reputedly a more subtle barometer of the diabetic potential,' 18 this report concerns an attempt to develop the glucose-tolerance pattern in a group of dental patients with and without oral symptoms commonly encountered in the diabetic patient.


A study was made of changes that occur in the rat thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, their nerve elements, and spinal ganglia under the effect of the in vitro X-irradiated blood transfusions. Parallelism was noted in the activation of the immunocompetent organ morphostructures, the rate of reactive alterations in nerve elements, and the improvement of the immunity indices.


The TAM receptors (Tyro3/Axl/MerTK) family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are important negative regulators of innate immunity. TAM receptor activation in myeloid cells by its ligands Gas6 or Protein S (PROS) promotes phosphatidylserine-dependent efferocytosis of apoptotic cells, inducing a tolerogenic state and mediating resolution of inflammation. TAM-deficient mice exhibit phenotypes consistent with systemic inflammation and autoimmunity. Importantly, individual ablation of TAM receptors can confer tumor immunity, increased pro-inflammatory cytokines and tumor lymphocyte infiltration, leading to the proposal that TAM receptors act as checkpoints of innate immunity. We hypothesize that pharmacological targeting of this family of receptors with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) may lead to a similar pro-inflammatory response and recapitulate the antitumor effects observed in TAM-deficient mice. From a panel of human anti-MerTK, Axl or Tyro3 mAbs derived from phage-display libraries or human IgG expressing mice we identified unique mAbs that markedly enhanced cytokine and chemokine release from primary human immune cells, alone or in the presence of inflammatory stimuli. Interestingly, the qualitative and quantitative pattern of cytokine response from dendritic cells was very similar using antibodies targeting the individual TAM receptors, and also similar to activation of dendritic cells using a CD40 agonist mAb, suggesting that TAM-targeting mAbs can promote immune activation. We identified surrogate mAbs targeting mouse TAM receptors that elicited similar responses in vivo, and demonstrated antitumor activity when dosed alone, or in combination with PD-1/L1 blockade in syngeneic tumor models. In addition, human MerTK transgenic, and TAM knockout mice have been generated and characterized in order to establish in vivo proof-of-concept with human TAM mAbs. Overall, pharmacological modulation of TAM receptors with mAbs enhances cytokine production in human and murine model systems consistent with the published role of TAMs as negative regulators of innate immunity. Mechanistic and proof-of-concept studies support further development of these mAbs as novel approaches to overcome these checkpoints of the innate immune response. Citation Format: Diego Alvarado, Laura Vitale, Mike Murphy, Thomas O9Neill, Andrew Proffitt, Jay Lillquist, Gwenda Ligon, Komal Patel, Anna Wasiuk, Jeff Weidlick, Jenifer Widger, Laura Mills-Chen, Andrea Crocker, Colleen Patterson, Russell A. Hammond, Li-Zhen He, Joel Goldstein, Lawrence J. Thomas, Henry C. Marsh, Tibor Keler, Richard Gedrich. Monoclonal antibodies targeting the TAM family of receptor tyrosine kinases [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1555.


We discuss the relation between the Quantum Hall behaviour of charged carriers and their chaotic motion in phase space. It is shown that the quantum Hall diagram is comparable with the stepped diagram in phase space of a chaotic motion.


AbstractImprovement of soft clay deposits by the installation of stone columns is one of the most popular techniques followed worldwide. The stone columns not only act as reinforcing material increasing the overall strength and stiffness of the compressible soft soil, but they also promote consolidation through effective drainage. The analytical and numerical solutions available for ascertaining the response of column-reinforced soil have been developed on the basis of the equal strain hypothesis. For typical surcharge (embankment) loading, the free strain analysis appears to give more realistic results comparable to field data. The paper presents a novel numerical model (finite-difference method) to analyze the response of stone column–reinforced soft soil under embankment loading, adopting the free strain approach and considering both arching and clogging effects. Apart from predicting the dissipation of excess pore water pressure and the resulting consolidation settlement with time, the load transfer m...


The possibility that life exists elsewhere in the universe, even in our own planetary system, has intrigued scientists, philosophers, and theologians for centuries. The spaceflight programs of NASA have provided much new information about our planetary neighbors and have put to rest some speculations about the existence of life on those planets or their satellites. However, there are still undetermined questions about the possibility of some form of life existing in the far distant past in our planetary system. Beyond our planetary system, the astronomical quest for scientific clues about life continues, largely via the radio telescope. Thus far there is no conclusive evidence. Here, some of the recent findings about our planetary neighbors are reviewed and the question about life elsewhere in the universe is addressed.


the setting of a practising physician – the wide range of interconnected specialties requires a specific approach Chest pain is a common symptom within a practising physician's range of activities. First of all, the doctor must exclude all possible hazards involved in the course of disease before he treats the causes which are often quite simple to pinpoint. This involves careful attention to complaints which may have their origin in a wide range of specialties. Technical diagnostic approaches belonging to his sphere in the low-risk range are quite different from those employed by specialists or clinicians when examining their pre-selected patients both as regards the ranking and the significance of findings. Important diagnostic aspects are the doctor's training and experience as well as a very close attention to the patient's progress which may prompt him to consult a specialist. In today's ageing society the "fa-mily doctor's" practice is a treatment center for multimorbid elders who are often chronically ill or even mentally "off the mark". Patient co-operation is often rendered difficult by such obstacles. The "family doctor" who is familiar with the patient's life style and peculiarities may be able to focus on the patient's specific needs when selecting a suitable closely mes-hed therapeutic approach.


Violence in schizophrenia patients symbolizes mental health problems that effect patients and caregivers. This quasi-experimental research aimed to compare the perceived empowerment of caregivers in managing violent behaviors of schizophrenia patients before and after participatingthe empowerment program. Purposive sampling was used to select 20 caregivers of schizophrenia patients with violent behaviors who were accompanied patients to Schizophrenia Clinic at Suansaranrom Hospital. The research instruments consisted of 1) the caregiver's empowerment program in managing violent behavior of schizophrenia patients that was developed by the researcher based on Gibson's empowerment concept 10 and 2) the perceived empowerment of caregiver questionnaires in managing violent behavior of schizophrenia patients that was developed by Kunnika based on Gibson concepts 13 The reliability was 0.92. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. The results found that the scores of the perceived empowerment of caregivers in managing violent behavior of schizophrenia patients after the experiment was higher than before the experiment significantly at the level 0.01. This study suggests that caregivers should be receiving empowerment continuously. It can help them to manage violence of schizophrenia patients effectively and also help the patients live in society happily.


Fault diagnosis under time-varying operational conditions is always the challenge in industrial systems. The chirplet transform (CT) provides an effective first-order approximation approach, but the slow operation speed and the drawback for high-order signal analysis limit its uses. Focusing on this problem, a fast nonlinear chirplet dictionary-based sparse decomposition (FNC-SD) method for nonlinear signal analysis is proposed. By replacing the time–frequency inclination parameter in the CT with a frequency bending parameter, the proposed method can track the nonstationary signals by arbitrary order polynomial law with time by an additional degree. Considering that too many parameters will slow down the operation speed, a frequency bending operator estimation algorithm is also proposed in this paper based on the calculated rotating frequency. Therefore, a laser vibrometer is needed in the experiment to collect the impulse signals, which can represent rotating speed signals. Then, the FNC-SD method is used to construct a redundant dictionary for signal sparse time–frequency representation. The high similarity between signals and atoms can make the method prefer to choose the right atoms, instead of being influenced by noise. Therefore, the proposed method also shows a strong noise robustness. Two simulation experiments are constructed to verify the performance of the proposed method. Finally, the FNC-SD method is used to diagnose a faulty motor with broken bar. The analyzed results and comparisons with respect to the state-of-the-art methods are illustrated in detail, as well as the convergence accuracy and speed, which highlight the superiority of the proposed method.


This paper introduces the application of S3P9234 in the air-conditioner display panel.The internal configuration of S3P9234 MCU is analyzed.The software and hardware of the system are outlined.


Problems such as lack of innovative mechanism,making different laws in accordance with different status,rigidity of the provision of business scope,and so on,in China's business organization law not only cause China's business organizations to lose the edge in the fierce international competition market,but also hinder China from keeping its international promises.So,this paper,on the premise of maintaining the existing principles of the business organization law,proposes to weaken the strictness of statutory provisions and establish the national treatment principle and efficiency of rules.In accordance with the new principle the plan to restructure the rights and activities framework of China's business organizations is proposed.This paper also suggests that we should abrogate the Joint Venture Investment Act,the State-Owned Enterprises Act,the Township Business Act,and the Provisional Regulations of Private Enterprises and that business organizations regulated by these Acts should be subject to the Corporate Act,the Partnership Act and the Sole Proprietorship Act.Finally it suggests that new forms of partnership,such as limited partnership,limited liability partnership,etc,should be introduced to diversify our partnerships.


Dy x Fe 3-x O 4 Nanoparticles were prepared by chemical coprecipitation and citric acid as complexing agent.The characters of nanoparticles were investigated by VSM,TEM and XRD etc.Results showed that the magnetization of ferrite rised first,then decreased with the increase of citric acid and rare earth.The saturation magnetization of Dy x Fe 3-x O 4 nanoparticles were the maximum when the dosage proportion was 0.5 of citric acid and 0.04 of rare earth.


Quality improvement (QI) activities have become an integral component of surgical care, involving all levels of stakeholders from trainees up to hospital administrators. While programs such as the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program can provide the necessary data and tools for these efforts, there remains a gap between measuring and improving quality. Furthermore, surgeons may experience a struggle between the need to improve care rapidly and the desire to obtain rigorous data to support effective change. The burgeoning disciplines of improvement and implementation science may help to address these challenges. These sciences apply theories, models, and frameworks to plan and understand QI efforts, and use advanced methods such as hybrid effectivenessimplementation study designs to facilitate translation of evidence into routine practice. However, improvement and implementation research differ from traditional research in that: (1) the interventions may be complex, multifaceted, and context-dependent; (2) the details of the implementation (ie, who, what, how) may be more important than the results themselves; and (3) the methods often involve iterative changes based on repeated measurements rather than on prestated hypotheses and planned stopping points. Therefore, conventional methods of reporting study methods and results may not be


To the Editor: Since 1975, federal quarantine regulations (1) have restricted nonhuman primate importation to scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes to limit risks for disease introduction (1,2). Infectious diseases resulting from importation of nonhuman primates need to be prevented to ensure that colonies of these animals are available for research and to protect persons working with them from exposure to established and emerging zoonotic diseases (2,3).

Most imported nonhuman primates are bred for research and undergo standard screening and conditioning before shipment, which substantially reduce importation-associated health risks (4). However, many zoonotic agents can be difficult to exclude from even meticulously controlled breeding facilities (3,5). Nonhuman primates are commonly imported from regions with a high prevalence of potentially zoonotic diseases, such as tuberculosis and meliodosis, in humans and animals. Diagnosing tuberculosis in nonhuman primates can be difficult; inadvertent colony and human exposures can occur through undiagnosed cases (6). Similarly, Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of meliodosis, can be carried asymptomatically for extended periods before illness onset, posing a persistent exposure risk for persons working with imported nonhuman primates from regions to which meliodosis is endemic (7). Finally, nonhuman primates are host to potentially zoonotic viruses, such as simian foamy virus, which has unknown pathogenic potential in infected persons (8), and Macacine herpesvirus 1, which causes severe, often fatal, neurologic disease in humans exposed to macaques with asymptomatic infection (9).

Quarantine and testing of imported nonhuman primates, rigorous hygiene at research facilities, and strict personal protection equipment (PPE) standards are important to protect the health of nonhuman primate colonies and persons working with the animals (4). Importers must register with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and implement disease control measures, including a 31-day quarantine for newly arrived animals (1). Specific PPE is mandated for quarantine facility staff, but individual facilities determine PPE standards after the animals are released from CDC-mandated quarantine (4).

To better understand occupational health and safety practices at facilities housing nonhuman primates, in December 2012, the Association of Primate Veterinarians, with technical support from CDC, surveyed primate veterinarians in North America about animal handling practices and PPE standards at their institutions. The Association of Primate Veterinarians received completed surveys and removed identifying information before providing data to CDC for analysis.

CDC and the University of Guelph (Guelph, ON, Canada) determined that the survey did not qualify as human subjects research. Information collected applied to the institution, not the individual respondent. Respondents were informed that participation was voluntary and anonymous, refusal carried no repercussions, and results would be presented in aggregate.

Of 149 facilities, 7 (5%) indicated they were not currently housing nonhuman primates, and 26 (17%) provided completed surveys. Most responding facilities were university or private/contract research facilities (16 [62%] and 5 [19%] facilities, respectively). Most (18 [69%]) facilities maintained <500 nonhuman primates, primarily rhesus or cynomolgus macaques. Nineteen (73%) facilities acquired imported nonhuman primates during 2010–2012. During this period, 47,876 nonhuman primates were imported, of which 90% were cynomolgus macaques. Fewer nonhuman primates were acquired from domestic sources (1,877 animals; see also [10]).

In a free-text field, we asked about quarantine and testing policies for newly acquired nonhuman primates. Most facilities reported applying standard health requirements to newly acquired animals, regardless of source, and requiring additional quarantine periods before moving new animals into the facility population or assigning them to a study.

The number of staff working near nonhuman primates differed among facilities. Ten (38%) facilities reported that >30 staff members handle or work in close proximity to nonhuman primates for cleaning or observation each day (Table). All facilities required PPE for routine handling of animals, including use of surgical masks or N95 respirators; goggles, safety glasses, or full-face shields; specialized clothing (e.g., laboratory coat, scrubs, or coveralls); gloves; and either shoe covers, reusable boots, or facility-designated shoes (Table).

Table

Health and safety practices reported by 26 research facilities that use nonhuman primates, North America, December 2012*

Twenty-one (81%) facilities reported routinely handling conscious nonhuman primates by using specialized safety equipment (e.g., pole and collar or restraint chair). Four (15%) facilities reported manually capturing conscious animals ("hand-catching"); 2 (8%) facilities performed intrapalpebral tuberculin skin tests on conscious animals (Table).

All facilities reported routinely performing postmortem examinations. Five facilities specified that complete necropsies were performed only on animals found dead or euthanized because of illness or injury; for animals euthanized at study completion, targeted tissue specimens were collected to fulfill research objectives (Table).

These results suggest that responding facilities generally maintained high standards for health and safety and are aware of disease risks. However, this survey has limitations for assessing the effectiveness of risk mitigation policies. Although a variety of facilities responded, response biases cannot be excluded. Additionally, these results summarize occupational health and safety standards on record but cannot address compliance or employee attitudes toward health and safety concerns in working with nonhuman primates. Facilities maintaining nonhuman primates need to strive for strict enforcement of occupational health and safety requirements; consider requiring regular continuing education about human health risks associated with working closely with animals; and consider the degree of risk pertaining to specific activities, particularly those generating infectious aerosols.


Aiming at the problem of the malfunction of knitting machines caused by the unstable operation of the piezoelectric needle selector during the jacquard process, a state detection scheme for the piezoelectric needle selector that integrates the sensor and drive function co-located is proposed. The motion state of bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam and its bi-directional piezoelectric effect in the jacquard process of piezoelectric needle selector are analyzed. Electrical and dynamic models were established for the electrical characteristics inside the bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam and the dynamic characteristics of the cutter head and baffle of the needle selector. The signal detection circuit is designed to realize the real-time detection of the piezoelectric needle selector state by analyzing the time domain and frequency domain characteristics of the electrical signal. The results show that in the normal working state of the piezoelectric needle selector, the internal electric signal of the piezoelectric driver has two characteristic frequencies, which are between 155 and 180 and between 1630 and 1670 Hz, and the time for the piece to swing to the limit position is relatively long under abnormal working conditions.


Three important stages on the research of the heterosis mechanisms with the development of technology were summarized. Conventional genetic explanations (including dominance hypothesis and overdominance hypothesis) and the relationships between heterosis and molecular marker diversity (including genomic divergence and heterozygosity based on QTLs investigations) were reviewed. Recent progress on the relationship between heterosis and gene expression, esp. gene expression models, regulatory gene expression and DNA methylation status, were discussed in details. Finally, considerations on the further researches of heterosis were put forward.


The crowd behaviour understanding and density estimation are some of the fast-growing fields in video surveillance. There are many techniques (detection and regression) that are used as the method of crowd analysis and estimation. In the present approach, SVR (support vector regression) is used as the basic analysis technique and the novel key-point matching with SURF (speedup robust feature) is used as the feature extractor for moving objects in the video. The traditional linear regression methods used mainly key-point as one of the statistical features instead of matching with consecutive frames, but we used the magnitude of the optical flow for foreground object extraction instead of inter-frame difference. The combination of the optical flow of foreground objects and key-point matching generates new features apart from conventional features such as areas and corners. In this new approach, key-point pairing with linear regression is tested with the PETS2009 dataset, and performance is compared with the existing approaches.


The study focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on stock market in Asian region highlighting the impact on stock returns of 15 Asian stock markets while observing the relationship between confirmed COVID-19 cases and stock return. In this regard, daily closing price indices during the period of 1st January 2019 and 30th June 2020 were collected. The impact of COVID-19 on stock returns were analysed using Event Study method by comparing the calculated abnormal return before and after the event day (20th of January, 2020) under two evet windows such as (0,10) and (10, 20). Apart from that, OLS based panel regression analysis was carried out to observe the impact of the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases on stock return in selected stock markets. The empirical analysis reveals that abnormal returns after the event day were negative and therefore it is apparent that the COVID-19 outbreak has drastically affected the stock returns of selected stock markets of the Asian region. Specifically, two event windows indicates that COVID-19 has an immediate negative impact on all selected stock markets while long term negative impact has limited to emerging and frontier markets. Moreover, it is observed that COVID-19 confirmed cases negatively affect the stock return of all selected stock markets in Asian region. Hence, the current study recommends the importance of recovering from the pandemic and sustaining appropriate environment for the development and smooth running of stock markets.