The invention provides a lens holder driving device, a video camera module and a portable terminal with a video camera. The lens holder driving device includes a lens holder moving portion, a fixed member, suspension wires, and a damper compound. In the lens holder moving portion, a lens holder moves in an optical axis and in first and second directions which are orthogonal to the optical axis and which are perpendicular to each other. The fixed member is disposed apart from the lens holder moving portion in the direction of the optical axis. The suspension wires have first end portions fixed to the fixed member at outer regions thereof, extending along the optical axis, having second end portions fixed to an elastic member mounted to the lens holder moving portion, and swingably supporting the lens holder moving portion in the first direction and the second direction. The damper compound is disposed so as to enclose at least one suspension wire and suppresses undesired resonance in the lens holder moving portion.


This study investigates the semantic and syntactic processing of case markers in Korean sentence processing, reexamining two leading theories: Modular Theory (Fodor 1983) and Interactive Theory (Bates & MacWhinney 1987). The former proposes that semantic processing is independent from syntactic processing, whereas they are interacting each other simultaneously in the latter. The accuracy and response time of the judgment by native speakers of Korean were measured in a picture-sentence verification task where the participants judged whether a set of pictures and the aurally presented corresponding sentences matched each other. Control sentences were compared with corresponding sentences in a semantically unmatched condition and a syntactically ill-formed (thereby unmatched) condition. Also, in each condition, subject dropped sentences were compared with object dropped sentences. The results from 40 participants revealed (i) that syntactically ill-formed sentences were processed more accurately and rapidly than semantically unmatched sentences as well as control sentences, (ii) that semantically unmatched sentences were processed more slowly than semantically matched sentences in object dropped sentences, but no such differences were found in subject dropped sentences, and (iii) that subject dropped sentences were processed as rapidly as object dropped sentences in matched conditions, but object dropped sentences were processed more rapidly than subject dropped sentences in unmatched conditions. The findings were interpreted to indicate independent processing levels for semantic and syntactic processing, which conforms to the predictions of Modular Theory, not to the Interactive Theory.


Mechatronics is an essential foundation for the expected growth in automation and manufacturing. There is a demand for graduate education in Mechatronics as the landscape of engineering programs has changed in the past decade, shifting from traditional degrees leading directly to closely aligned positions in industry, to preparing individuals with advanced technical competencies capable of engaging in interdisciplinary research and industry applications. The proposed MS degree in Mechatronics and Associated Graduate Certificate at Michigan Tech have a flexible structure. The MS degree consists of five distinct pathways allowing students from technology, traditional engineering, community colleges, other institutions, and industry representatives to pursue an advanced degree in this emerging field. Students enrolled in the program have three graduation options: coursework, research with thesis, and internship with industry and report options. Existing graduate certificates (~15 credits) are designed around advanced controls, digital electronics and mechatronics systems with little or no emphasis on automation or industrial robotics. The graduate certificate in Mechatronics at Michigan Tech is designed to address this by focusing on industrial robotics, automation and controls. Job


The present invention relates to a method for detecting the off-target binding therapeutic candidates. This assay is especially in order to increase the probability of obtaining a suitable agent may be used in the antibody lead generation or optimization.


An intelligent peripheral system is defined by us as any IT-technology component which serves in the neighbourhood of a computing systems (a main frame, a personal computer, a signal processing system, a micro controller etc) in an intelligent manner. The network and the interface for the connection of an intelligent peripheral system to the main station can also be considered as an integrating part of peripheral systems. We want to consider in our presentation specific intelligent peripheral systems consisting of holons in a hierarchical network in the sense of Arthur Koestler. In the first part the concept of a holon and the related holarchical structure of a network is presented. It is pointed out that holons and associated networks can be described by the concept of an intelligent agent following the terminology as introduced by Ferber. Furthermore, dynamical systems of different kind can be used as a concept for modeling holons and can be organized to get a holonic hierarchical structure. As an example we present this in the case of finite state machines. Possible application of our concepts can be found in modern systems of information technology such as mobile communication networks and computer systems where intelligent "add on" devices can be considered as holonic peripheral system components in our sense.


Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a rare bile duct tumor characterized by intraductal papillary or villous neoplasms covered by neoplastic epithelium with fine fibrovascular stalks in the dilated bile ducts (1). Its true etiology remains unknown. Herein, we report two cases of IPNB that underwent surgical resection. The first case was a 66-year-old male who complained of upper abdominal pain for three years. We found obstruction of the common bile duct and dilation of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts after MRCP. Laparoscopic hepatic segmentectomy (S2, S3, S4), resection of the common bile duct, cholecystectomy, and hepaticojejunostomy were performed. The second case was a 67-year-old male with asymptomatic dilation of the intrahepatic duct. The patient underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic hepatic segmentectomy (S5, S6, S7, S8), resection of the common bile duct, hepaticojejunostomy and cholecystectomy.


We examine the extent to which the relationship between mental health and substance use problems and the risk of rearrest varies across race/ethnicity. Data from the Pathways to Desistance, a longitudinal study of serious adolescent offenders, are used to estimate the risk of rearrest over time. Results show that mental health (except for substance use) does little, above and beyond traditional criminogenic risk markers and control variables, to significantly increase or decrease the risk of rearrest, a finding that was largely replicated across race/ethnicity. Some evidence emerged that the mechanisms by which mental health/substance use disorders and criminogenic risk interact to affect risk of rearrest operated differently across race/ethnic groups. Mental health conditions may have some small relationship to rearrest, but this effect is dwarfed by other more powerful risk factors such as antisocial history. Research is needed assessing the conditions under which mental health is implicated in offending.


The article analyzes the readiness of technical university students for sustainable learning in terms of self-oriented learning based on the conducted research data. The authors conducted a respondents' survey, in which they studied the technical university students' perception of the self-oriented learning basic indicators. The obtained data analysis showed how the technical university students understand and develop their readiness for self-oriented learning. The results of the research work confirm that the technical university students are ready for sustainable learning partially. Despite the fact that the technical university students have the necessary digital competencies for effective participation in the learning process, the data obtained indicate the tendency of the technical university students to procrastinate in the learning process. The authors of the research work noted the importance of transformative learning in the sustainable development of the technical university students, analysed possible lack of time management skills problems and tendency to procrastination, which may have been contributed by the high level of stress caused by the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unplanned transition to online learning. In recent decades, higher education has increasingly focused on student self-orientation. Self-oriented learning is effective only if the technical university students are capable of self-oriented learning. Self-oriented students are able not only to manage their own learning, but also to take responsibility, understand and realize the significance of learning and cognitively control their learning. A facilitator is able to help learners become fully self-directed online learners.


Special purpose lexicons are invaluable in biomedical natural language processing. They are especially crucial for a task such as the 13-criteria based cohort identification from clinical notes, process in N2C2 2018 Track 1 Challenge. While manually developed lexicons helped us achieve high performance, the process was ad hoc and nonreproducible. This paper presents a semi-automated lexicon induction method, using Logistic Regression (LR) and word embeddings, which brings rigor to the process. The key idea was to use n-grams in the training corpus as features of LR and identify those features (n-grams) with the most impact on the outcome as the lexicon. The semi-automatically generated lexicons achieved overall F measure of 0.9166 versus 0.9003 with manually generated lexicons. Therefore, this study shows that lexicons generated using a rigorous, semi-automated approach can retain performance while bringing rigor to the process.


mally symptomatic patients, and the addition of long-acting anticholinergics for more symptomatic patients.1 Severe cases warrant the use of systemic glucocorticoids to control COPD exacerbations. The benefits of smoking cessation, vaccinations, antibiotic therapy, and pulmonary rehabilitation are well established.1 Multiple researchers have linked the use of aspirin to the overall improvement in mortality in COPD.2–5 It reduces the need for mechanical ventilation and hospital stay, and it has also been linked to a reduction in the progression of emphysema.2–6 Pavasani et al5 carried out a meta-analysis of 5 observational studies and concluded that there is a decrease in mortality rate associated with the use of aspirin at different phases of COPD, in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. Schwameis et al7 carried out a randomized, double-blinded, single-center study, to evaluate the addition of aspirin to the standard treatment. In the study, 40 patients (sufficient power) were randomized to either aspirin therapy or to placebo, with the primary endpoint of FEV1 and secondary endpoints of changes in mean peak expiratory flow and SGRQ scores, but no statistically significant differences were identified in the 12-week observation period.7 Because the existing medications to treat COPD and its exacerbations only produce modest improvements despite combinations, new therapies are being evaluated.8 Harrison et al4 found that thrombocytosis (>400×109 cells/mm3) was associated with a 137% increase in the risk of inpatient mortality and a 53% increase in 1-year mortality for COPD, and that antiplatelet therapy with aspirin or clopidogrel led to a 3-fold reduction in the 1-year mortality.4 In the current observational cohort study, Fawzy et al2 reported a novel correlation between aspirin use and several morbidities, such as acute exacerbation of COPD, respiratory symptoms, and quality of life. They followed-up patients aged 40 to 80 years, across 12 clinical sites in the United States, for up to 36 months. The primary outcome of interest was the number of moderate and severe acute exacerbations, while secondary outcomes included baseline COPD status using the mMRC scale, SGRQ, and 6-minute walk test. As this was an observational cohort study, a propensity score–matched analysis was required.2 Of the 1843 initial participants, a total of 1698 had consistent follow-up and acute exacerbation data. A total of 764 (45%) reported using aspirin daily at baseline, but, after matching, 503 pairs of participants with balanced baseline characteristics between aspirin users and nonusers were identified.2 The participants were on average 66.5 years old, with postbronchodilator FEV1 of 62% predicted, of male sex, white, and with fewer than 2 cardiovascular comorbidities.2 At baseline, the sample consisted of 30% current smokers and 23% home oxygen users, 43% statin users, 48% inhaled corticosteroid users, and 58% long-acting bronchodilator users during the previous 3 months. In adjusted analysis, aspirin users had about a 22% lower incidence of total acute exacerbations, with an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 0.78, while reduction in moderate acute exacerbations IRR was 0.75. There was no statistically significant difference in severe exacerbations, with an IRR of 0.86. Baseline cross-sectional analysis of 1044 participants showed that aspirin users had 3 points lower SGRQ scores [95% confidence interval (CI), −4.9 to −1.1], with a 34% lower odds of reporting moderate-severe dyspnea on the basis of mMRC score (≥ 2) with adjusted odds ratio of 0.66 and 95% CI of 0.49-0.90, and lower total COPD assessment test (CAT) score (β, −1.1; 95% CI, −1.9 to −0.2). There was no association between aspirin use and 6-minute walk distance.2 In summary, daily aspirin intake was associated with reduced rates of acute exacerbations, a better quality of life, and improvement of dyspnea. A recent study6 showed the attenuation of emphysema progression with aspirin, but there was a lack of follow-up scans. Elevated thromboxane A2 from activated platelets has been detected in COPD, and this pathway is irreversibly inhibited by aspirin.2 Aspirin treatment also decreases proinflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage.2 Despite good design and power, this study had several limitations. Aspirin use was self-reported, and dose and adherence were not ascertained.2 It did not investigate the effects of aspirin on mild exacerbations. Other factors such as physical activity, trigger avoidance, medication, and vaccination adherence were not well accounted for.2 This study used SPIROMICS (Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study), which was not designed to assess aspirin use.2 Therefore, at the end of the day, this is an observational study, and we should take the observations with a grain of salt; a blinded randomized control study is required to confidently claim a definitive correlation and causation.


The paper disscussed that treatment problem of the measure unit "concentration" and unit conversion of "mu",and mistaken of measure unit in use.


Correct estimation of sediment volume carried by a river is very important for many water resources projects. Empirical relations such as sediment rating curves are often applied to determine the average relationship between discharge and suspended sediment load. This type of models generally underestimates or overestimates the amount of sediment. During recent decades, some black box models based on artificial neural networks have been developed to overcome this problem. GP has been applied to a wide range of problems in artificial intelligence, engineering and science applications, industrial, and mechanical models. The main purpose of this paper is literature review of Genetic Programming for suspended sediment estimation.


Culture influences how healthcare is received, what is considered to be a health problem, how symptoms are expressed, who should provide treatment, and what type of treatment should be provided. Culturally-informed health technology can result in higher adoption rates and can mitigate access barriers facing culturally diverse populations. Unfortunately, culture is not often considered in the design of health technology. Three design considerations are suggested as high-level guidelines for the development of culturally-informed health technology. First, designers should conduct formative research, which includes methods such as focus groups, interviews with key informants, surveys, and field notes, in the early phases of design. Second, health technology designers should choose an appropriate type of technology for the intended population. Third, designers should consider culture when deciding how to present the information. For instance, the information should be presented in the correct language, at the correct educational level, and by someone of a similar culture to the end user. A model is presented to illustrate a potential process of designing culturally-informed health Information Technology. Future research should investigate potential relationships, health consumer culture, and design needs.


1 In circular smooth muscle cells of the guinea‐pig stomach (antrum), diltiazem (10−6 − 10−5 M) blocked the overshooting spike potential generated either spontaneously or by electrical stimulation in the presence of 2 mM tetraethylammonium chloride, but did not block the slow wave and the abortive spike potential. 2 The membrane was depolarized by high concentrations of diltiazem (more than 3 × 10−6 M), and this depolarization was associated with an increase in the membrane resistance. 3 The interval between slow waves was shortened to about 0.90 times the control (14.7 s) by 10−5 M diltiazem. 4 Transmural nerve stimulation evoked an inhibitory junction potential (i.j.p.) and enhanced the subsequently generated slow wave. Tetrodotoxin (3 × 10−7 M) blocked both responses but atropine (10−6 M) blocked only the latter. 5 Diltiazem (more than 10−6 M) increased the amplitude of the i.j.p. and depressed the enhancement of the slow wave produced by transmural nerve stimulation, presumably due to depolarization of the membrane. The latency for the i.j.p. remained the same in the presence of diltiazem (10−5 M). 6 It is concluded that in the guinea‐pig stomach, diltiazem blocks Ca‐influx during the generation of the overshooting spike potential, but not the Ca‐influx related to generation of the abortive spike potential or the slow wave. The cholinergic excitatory and the non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic inhibitory transmission may not be much affected by diltiazem.


The study analyzes the effects of social capital on community-based tourism development in Binh Dinh province. A survey of 302 locals living in community tourism destinations was conducted. The study used exploratory factor analysis and multivariate regression model. The results show that four variables, including trust, reciprocity, norms, and cooperation, have a positive effect on community-based tourism development. Networking negatively affects community-based tourism development in Binh Dinh province. Additionally, trust is the factor that has the greatest impact on the growth of community-based tourism.


Cactus pear, a unique and valuable plant has recently gained worldwide attention, mainly for its medicinal and nutritional potential. It is a member of the Cactaceae family, and widely cultivated in Mexico and in all American hemispheres and also found in many other parts of the world, such as Africa, Australia and the Mediterranean basin. The fruits are rich in carbohydrates, protein, organic acids, amino acids and vitamins, also contain dense contents of carotenoids, vitamin E, dietary minerals and bio-active compounds. Some of the health benefits cited for cactus pear fruit products include: anti-inflammation, antimicrobial action, pain relief, the promotion of tissue regeneration, boosting of the immune system, and protection against cancer and cardiovascular disease. There, potentially, is a wide array of products possible from cactus pear fruit for use as food, fresh fruit, nutraceuticals, pet foods, cosmetics, and skin preparations for improving the health and appearance of the skin. There is no doubt that the future holds a great promise for the cactus pear.


Introduction: Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) accounts for approximately 20% of acute leukemia in children and 80% of acute leukemia in adults. Immunophenotyping has become extremely important not only in diagnosis and subclassification of AML but also in the detection of the minimal residual disease. Immunophynotypic pattern of AML in Sudanese patients have not been addressed before. This study was conducted to characterize immunophenotypic patterns of AML in Sudanese patients. Multiparameter flow cytometry and CD45/SSC gating were used to analyze the surface and cytoplasmic antigen expressions in 106 cases of AML during the period mid2010 to mid2011 at Radioisotope Centre Khartoum (RICK). The following antigens: CD45, HLA-DR, CD34, CD117, CD13, CD33, CD19, CD7, cytoplasmic markers (CD3, CD79a, MPO), CD11c, CD14, CD64, CD42a, CD41 and CD61 were used. Results: Almost all AML blasts were expressing CD45 with no significant differences between the subtypes. CD34 have different expressions in AML subtypes. CD13 and CD33 were also studied among the blast population having mean positivity of 51.5% and 49.8% respectively in all AML subtypes collectively. CD33 was found to have higher positivity among AML-M4 and AML-M5 with mean positivity of 75.9% and 76.6% respectively. CD13 and CD33 had no correlation for all AML subtypes except for AML-M5 with very strong negative correlation(r=-0.913). Apparent expression of CD7 and CD19 were expressed in 45.1% and 13.6% of all cases respectively. CD7 was mostly expressed in AML-M2 and AML-M3 (75%) and least in AML-M5, while CD19 was only expressed in cases of AML-M0 and AML-M7. Conclusion: Flowcytometric analysis of acute leukemia by combining the patterns and intensity of antigen expression improved the diagnosis of AML in our centre. Immunophenotyping results and FAB classification of our AML patients were comparable to international published studies.


The theory of radiative transfer has been published very often and is discussed in textbooks (e.g. Janssen, 1993). It does not seem necessary to repeat this theory in great detail. The theory presented here is meant as a link between canonized theory and variables and the results presented in this paper. The presentation will be clarified in the revised paper according to the suggestions of the referees. C911


Nuclear power is a vital energy supply source for both security and economy for such countries as Japan whose sources of energy are dependent on imported materials. This is the very reason why Japan gives her national priority to the improvement of nuclear power safety and reliability. As of the end of 1986, total nuclear power capacity owned and operated by private utility companies in Japan amounted to 24521 MW with 32 units sharing -- 19% of the total generating capacity. Moreover, during 1986 these units scored a remarkably high capacity factor of 76.2% and shared almost 28% of the nationwide electric power production, thereby contributing to a considerable saving of imported sources of energy. This outstanding record has been achieved by the parties concerned who dedicated themselves to furthering nuclear plant safety and reliability improvement. In this connection, this paper summarizes those key factors contributing to the good nuclear power plant performance of the Kansai Electric Power Company.


Thank you for reading gravitation sl 2 c gauge theory and conservation laws. As you may know, people have search hundreds times for their favorite novels like this gravitation sl 2 c gauge theory and conservation laws, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some infectious virus inside their desktop computer.


Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate the perception of job stress for a tour guide and his/her opinion of the job satisfaction. The personal emotion regulation is included into this study and it serves as the intervening variable so as to investigate whether a tour guide will change his/her opinion of job satisfaction due to the adjustment of his/her emotion. A questionnaire survey was carried out with the assistance from the Taiwan Tour Guide Association and a total of 862 copies of valid questionnaire copies were collected. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis indicated that there is a positive correlation between a tour guide's job stress and his/her turnover intention. However, a tour guide's opinion might change easily by the personal emotion regulation due to new assessments. As a result, an enterprise or an organization is advised to pay attention to a tour guide's job stress and loading.


We established 9 half-sibling families of Crassostrea hongkongensis using 6 parents with significant difference in body size,to compare the fertilization rate,hatching rate,survival and early growth among these families.The results show that the fertilization rate,hatching rate and survival are affected by the degree of parents′ maturity.Besides,the growth rates of family CH1,CH4 and CH7 are greater than those of the others.Meanwhile,significant maternal effect is observed on early developmental stages of these families.


M. D. Berechet1, C. Gaidau1, A. Miletic2, B. Pilic2, D. Simion1, M. Râpă3, M. Stanca1, R. Constantinescu1 1Leather and Footwear Research Institute Division, National Research and Development Institute for Textiles and Leather, Bucharest, Romania 2Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia 3Center for Research and Eco-Metallurgical Expertise, Politehnica University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania *Correspondence should be addressed to M. D. Berechet; firstname.lastname@example.com


Inspired scholars or pastors know that their vocational integrity largely depends upon the generative influence of significant thinkers whose work captured their imaginations and helped set the course of their spiritual and intellectual journeys. For the scholars responsible for "Redemptive Transformation in Practical Theology," the formative impact of James Edwin Loder, Jr. is undeniable. His 40 year effort to re-conceive fundamental practical theology as a science of divine-human inter-relations called a whole generation to discern for themselves the dynamic, Christomorphic contours of the Holy Spiritbs movement human-ward as the vital intelligible Reality of their lives and ministries. Sadly, much of conceptual profundity of Loderbs critical and confessional science remains relatively unknown and under-appreciated.


Objective: The aim of present study was to investigate the mRNA and protein expression levels of serine-arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and to determine the relationships of SRPK1 or TGF-β1 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in NSCLC patients. Methods: The expression levels of SRPK1 and TGF-β1 were detected by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot in NSCLC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. In addition, SRPK1 and TGF-β1 expressions were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed samples from 105 NSCLC patients. Results: We found the mRNA and protein expression levels of SRPK1 and TGF-β1 expression was significantly up-regulated in NSCLC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. There was a significantly positive correlation between SRPK1 expression and TGF-β1 expression in NSCLC tissues. In addition, smoking status, histological subtype and N stage were identified as the relative factors of SRPK1 expression, while T stage and N stage were identified as the relative factors of TGF-β1 expression in NSCLC tissues. Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that T stage, N stage, SRPK1 expression and TGF-β1 expression were independent prognostic indicators for NSCLC patients. Conclusions: SRPK1 and TGF-β1 were over-expressed in NSCLC and may be promising indicators of prognosis for NSCLC patients.


Steady accretion of a radiating gas onto a central mass point is described and compared to classic Bondi accretion. Radiation losses are essential for accretion flows to be observed. Unlike Bondi flows, radiating Bondi flows pass through a sonic point at a finite radius and become supersonic near the center. The morphology of all radiating flows is described by a single dimensionless parameter proportional to where Ts is the gas temperature at the sonic point. In radiating Bondi flows the relationship between the mass accretion rate and central mass, with p ∼ 1, differs significantly from the quadratic dependence in classical Bondi flows, . Mass accretion rates onto galaxy or cluster-centered black holes estimated from traditional and radiating Bondi flows are significantly different. In radiating Bondi flows the gas temperature increases at large radii, as in the cores of many galaxy groups and clusters, allowing radiating Bondi flows to merge naturally with gas arriving from their cluster environments. Some radiating flows cool completely before reaching the center of the flow, and this also occurs in cooling site flows, in which there is no central gravitating mass.


A non-volatile semiconductor memory device, an erase method for the same, and a test method for the same are provided to prevent an erase operation from being performed excessively more than required, when a plurality of non-volatile semiconductor memory devices is erased at the same time. A memory cell array(MCA) has a plurality of electrically erasable and programmable non-volatile memory cells. An operation control circuit controls the operation of the memory cell array according to an external command. The operation control circuit includes a flag circuit(FLG) and an erase prohibition circuit. The flag circuit is set according as incompletion of the erase operation of one memory cell is detected by the erase verify operation of the memory cell array. The erase prohibition circuit prohibits the erase operation of the memory cell array regardless of the external command when the flag circuit is reset.


A stochastic frontier model incorporating inefficiency effects has been employed to analyse the efficiency of agricultural production in the Central Region of Thailand. The agricultural land area, the number of people employed in the agricultural sector, and the amount of fertilisers used in each province are used to derive the production frontier for the Region, while a dummy variable representing coastal provinces and soil quality index is used to explain inefficiencies of individual provinces. Land area is found to be the most important to agricultural production, labour is found to have zero marginal productivity at current levels of employment, and fertiliser has only a low marginal productivity. Coastal provinces are found to be more efficient than inland provinces, but soil quality does not have significant effects on the efficiency of agricultural production.


Dish-based nutrient profile analyses are essential for setting goals to achieve a balanced diet. In 2014, the Japanese government proposed the "Healthy Meal" criteria, which requires a salt content of 3 g/650 kcal per meal. To examine the current intake status of a nationally representative sample, we conducted a series of secondary analyses of the 2014–2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey data. Participants (aged 18–74 years) were grouped as "high-salt" consumers if their salt intake was 3 g/650 kcal or higher and "adequate" consumers if they consumed less than 3 g/650 kcal. A total of 13,615 participants were identified as "adequate" consumers and 22,300 as "high-salt" consumers. The median salt intake in the "high-salt" group was 11.3 g/day, while that in the "adequate" group was 7.5 g/day. Almost all dishes consumed by the "adequate" group had significantly high energy and fat content but low salt content, compared with those consumed by the "high-salt" group. For example, the median energy, fat, and salt contents in the main dishes consumed by the "adequate" group were 173 kcal, 10.4 g, and 0.9 g/dish, respectively, while those in the main dishes consumed by the "high-salt" group were 159 kcal, 8.9 g, and 1.1 g/dish, respectively. Examples of balanced dishes that are low in both salt and fat content can be proposed to help improve the Japanese consumers' dietary behavior.


Screw piles (helical piles) can provide a viable, cost-effective and low-noise installation alternative to increasing the size of existing foundation solutions (e.g. monopiles) to meet the demand for the advancement of offshore wind energy into deeper water. Significant upscaling of widely used onshore screw pile geometries will be required to meet the loading conditions of a jacket supported offshore wind turbine. This increase in size will lead to greater installation force and torque. This paper presents preliminary results from centrifuge tests investigating the requirements to install screw piles designed for an offshore wind energy application using specially developed equipment. Results indicate that the equipment is suitable to investigate these screw pile requirements and that significant force is required for such upscaled screw piles, with 19 MN vertical force and 7 MNm torque for the standard design. Optimisation of the screw pile geometry, reduced these forces by 29 and 11% for the vertical and rotational forces respectively.


Teaching strategy is necessary for the teaching and learning process. It is used as a way to present learning content in a way that engages the learners. It is assumed that applying appropriate teaching strategies has a positive impact on students' achievement. This study aimed to analyze students' perceptions of teacher's teaching strategy and its effect on students' achievement in learning English. This study was an Ex-post Facto study. The population of this study was the students who had studied English as a general subject at Universitas Negeri Padang in the academic year of January-June 2019. Cluster random sampling was used with 150 students as the sample of this study. Then, for collecting the data, two questionnaires and documents of students' final scores were used as the instruments. The data was analyzed by using a Likert-type scale and regression linear statistical analysis through IBM SPSS Statistics 22 Software . The results showed that generally, students' perception of the teacher's teaching strategy was High . Then, based on the statistical analysis, it was found that thevalue of F-count was lower than F-table. It meant that the null hypothesis (H 0 ) was accepted, and the alternative hypothesis (H a ) was rejected. Thus, there was no significant effect of student's perception of teaching strategy towards students' achievement in learning English as a general subject.


Effects of commercial probiotic (Protexin®), Enterococcus faecium on growth performance, immune response, some blood parameters and carcass traits of broiler chicks were evaluated. A total of 152 Avian-48®, One-day-old chicks were used in this study. The chicks were randomly allotted into 4 equal groups (38 per each) of mixed sex. Protexin was supplemented to the basal diet at 0.0 (control), 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 g/kg diet (groups 2-4), respectively and the experiment was lasted for 6 weeks, weekly body weight (BW), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured. Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, Phagocytic activity (PA) and Phagocytic index (PI), differential leucocytic count, some blood parameters and carcass traits were determined. All birds were kept under similar environmental, managerial and hygienic conditions. The results of the current study revealed that addition of Protexin as a probiotic to diets has a slight improvement in total BW, Average daily FI, dressing %, thymus gland weight (wt.) % and bursa wt. % of chicks compared to the control, the highest total body gain was recorded in chicks of group 3 followed by that of group 4 compared with other groups, the best total FCR was noticed in chicks of group3 compared with other groups. No significant difference were observed in HI titer at 21st, 28th, 35rd and 42nd days of broiler chickens in all groups but a significant increase in PA and PI in broiler chicks of group 3 compared with other groups, moreover, the neutrophil count non significantly increased with Protexin addition at 0.5 and 0.75g/kg diet respectively and significantly increased (p < 0.05( in broiler chicks fed the basal diet with at Protexin at 1g/kg diet, the cholesterol ,triglycerides levels and visible fat % were significantly deceased in broiler chicks of all supplemented Protexin groups compared with the control one. The greatest economic efficiency was obtained by group 3 while the lowest and highest levels of protexin (0.5 and 1 g/kg) decreased economic efficiency of production.


The air pressure characteristics in a complex tunnel are key factors to the design of the tunnels and need to be studied deeply.In order to enhance the signal intensity and improve the experimental precision,instead of air,water was chosen as the fluid medium and a hydraulic experiment was carried out for complex tunnels with vertical shafts and/or partition wall.Under different velocities,the air pressure processes caused by the train passing through complex tunnels were measured and analyzed.It was demonstrated by the test results that the vertical shafts can obviously decrease the pressure's peak values and the pressure's gradients,and the partition wall will worsen the aerodynamic environment.Therefore,if possible,vertical shafts should be chosen and partition walls should be avoided for long complex tunnels.


This study aimed to find out the strategy of problem-solving conducted at SMA Negeri 5 Kupang. This research uses qualitative methods. The subjects in this study were students at SMA Negeri 5 Kupang. Data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques used data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The results of this research show that the strategy for solving the problem of learning loss among students after the COVID-19 pandemic at SMA Negeri 5 is that teachers can use methods that can be applied without having to gather and have physical contact, such as inquiry methods, case studies, problem-solving, recitation, and so on. By interacting a lot, it is hoped that it can help strengthen students' communication skills and create emotional closeness between fellow students and the teacher.


The marriage legislation of medieval Iceland are to be found in the provincial law collection of Grágás, from the late 12th and early 13th century, the New Christian Law of 1275, the royal lawbook of Jónsbók from 1281, as well as the correction of the royal law in the 14th century, and many Church statutes of the same century. These regulation, as well as the change in the legislation after the Reformation in the 16th century, can give valuable indi-cation of change in gender relation. All these regulation where highly influenced directly or indirectly by the international Church law, called canon law. In this paper I shall not primarily discuss this legal regulations rather give some ideas of how the law was used (and shaped on a textual level) at the local courts. Examples will be taken from several court case narrations.


In this study, teleconnectivity and one point correlations are analyzed for the barotropic component of the atmosphere represented by a simple barotropic model (called barotropic S-model), and the results are compared with a barotropic component calculated from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. It is confirmed that the teleconnection of the PNA pattern is simulated reasonably well by the barotropic S-model. The question is focused on whether the Arctic Oscillation (AO) would appear by the one point correlation in the model atmosphere. According to the result, it is found that the one point correlation centered at the Azores High is not restricted within the Atlantic sector like the NAO, but spreads to entire midlatitudes surrounding the Arctic. The positive correlations in the Pacific sector are statistically significant at the 5% confidence level for both the model and observations. From the result, we may suggest that the dynamical AO mode is embedded in the statistical EOF-1 even for the observed atmosphere. The reason for the enhanced correlation in the barotropic component compared with the observed sea level pressure may be that the former is controlled purely by the barotropic dynamics, while the latter is influenced by the baroclinic component of the atmosphere.


The invention discloses a capture method for multi-constellation navigation weak signal based on a digital matched filter, and is characterized by including the following steps: emersion sequence grouping is completed; one group is picked up for initialization congregation; summation calculation is completed after receiving sequence grouping; correlation calculation of emersion sequence and received sequence is completed; congregation of all groupings, summation calculation after receiving sequence grouping and correlation calculation procedures are completed; all correlation results are output; moreover, signal gain can be increased by means of non-coherent integration under weak signal condition. The invention adopts the method of pre-processing of emersion sequence signal, i.e. processes the emersion sequence through making full use of a processor before correlation calculation, while only plus-minus calculation is carried out during correlated process; therefore, the amount of calculation is reduced to save the processing time of the processor during correlated process.


Maize inbred lines KH5 (Pi efficient) and SD502 (Pi inefficient) were grown in high phosphate (HP, 1 000μmol·L~(-1) KH_2PO_4) nutrient solution for 15 d,then half of seedlings continued to grow in HP condition and the other were cultured in low phosphate (LP,5μmol·L~(-1) KH_2PO_4) nutrient solution for 20 d.Several photosyn- thetic parameters of the two hydroponic maize inbred lines were measured at seedling stage under two different phosphate levels.The results indicated that low-phosphorus stress decreased the content of inorganic phospho- rus in leaves of two maize inbred lines,biomass of maize seedlings and net photosynthetic rate (P_n).The extent of decline of KH5 was less than that of SD502.When leaves of two maize inbred lines were luminated with strong light (1 600μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1)) for 1 h,actual PSII efficiency (Φ_(PSII)),the maximum PSII efficiency (F_v/F_m) and the apparent photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETR) declined while initial of yield (F_o),non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ) and hot dissipation of antenna (HDR) increased.During strong light stress, photoinhibition occurred in leaves of maize seedlings;and it was more significant in SD502 than in KH5.


We study the effect of ethnic diversity on local public spending following fiscal decentralisation in a setting where local institutions condition cooperative behaviour across ethnic groups. The theory we develop highlights the role of the local elite in lobbying for policies which favour them in a decentralised setting. The differences in preferences over public good allocations along with the salience of coordination costs across ethnic groups are relevant in determining the equilibrium lobbying behaviour. This results in ethnic diversity having a detrimental effect on local developmental spending which is aggravated by increased levels of coordination costs. We test these predictions using Indonesian community-level data. Utilising the 1997 and 2007 Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) rounds, we are able to construct various measures of ethnic diversity. Also, we exploit an institutional feature of Indonesian communities - namely, the observance of traditional "Adat" laws to proxy coordination costs across ethnic groups. Overall, we find that ethnic diversity depresses local development spending post-decentralisation at the community level particularly where Adat laws are not followed, which is consistent with our theory.


The molecular geometric and electronic structures of phosphine-stabilized transition-metal cluster [Au@Au8(PR3)8]3+(R = Me,OMe,H,F,Cl,CN) were investigated by means of ab initio HF,MP2 and density functional theory(DFT) methods.The bonding energies of Au+-Au2+8/Au8(PR3)2+8 and [Au@Au8]3+-PR3 were also analyzed on the basis of calculations.The calculation results show that the D4d conformations of [Au@Au8(PR3)8]3+ are more stable than the D2h conformations by 5-10 kJ/mol.The local density functio-nal SVWN methods have good performance in reproducing the experimental geometric features.The MP2 calculations underestimate the bond lengths of clusters,while the non-local exchange-correlation functionals and hybrid functionals tend to overestimate the bond lengths.The studies of the electronic structures show that the metal cluster core [Au@Au8]3+ is formed by the d-d electron interaction of Au atoms.The bonding of [Au@Au8]3+-PR3 complexes can be described as a synergistic combination of σ-donor and π-acceptor interactions between [Au@Au8]3+ and PR3 ligands.Adding the PR3 ligands can increase the bonding interaction of Au+-Au2+8 and the HOMO-LUMO gap,and reduce the differences of bonding properties between the external Au atoms.Therefore,the stability of the cluster is increased.It is found that the effect of the electron donating or withdrawing ability of PR3 groups on the geometries of [Au@Au8(PR3)8]3+ is small,but that on the bonding energies of [Au@Au8]3+-PR3 is large.The energy decomposition analysis results show that the orbital interaction energies of the [Au@Au8]3+-PR3 bonding are very close to each other,so the magnitude of the non-orbital interaction energy plays a crucial role in the stabilization of [Au@Au8(PR3)8]3+ complexes.


Abstract:
In this work, we reformulate and apply iterative kernel method (IKM) for solving two dimension mixed Volterra-Fredholm integral equation of the second kind (MVFIE-2). The suitable algorithm for IKM is suggested and the programming for of the algorithm of the technique is written by Matlab programs. The computer application for the algorithm is tested on a number numerical examples. The results which are obtained by this technique compared with exact solution and some new theorems are proved; for decision the results computing the least square error (LSE) of the IKM and running time (RT) for the program.


Studying small near-Earth asteroids is important in order to understand their dynamical histories and origins as well as to mitigate the damage caused by asteroid impacts on Earth. We report the results of multicolor photometry of the tiny near-Earth asteroid 2015 RN35 using the 3.8 m Seimei telescope in Japan and the TRAPPIST-South telescope in Chile over 17 nights in 2022 December and 2023 January. We observed 2015 RN35 across a wide range of phase angles from 2° to 30° in the g, r, i, and z bands in the Pan-STARRS system. These lightcurves show that 2015 RN35 is in a nonprincipal axis spin state with two characteristic periods of 1149.7 ± 0.3 s and 896.01 ± 0.01 s. We found that the slope of the visible spectrum of 2015 RN35 is as red as asteroid (269) Justitia, one of the very red objects in the main belt, which indicates that 2015 RN35 can be classified as an A- or Z-type asteroid. In conjunction with the shallow slope of the phase curve, we suppose that 2015 RN35 is a high-albedo A-type asteroid. We demonstrated that surface properties of tiny asteroids could be well constrained by intensive observations across a wide range of phase angles. 2015 RN35 is a possible mission-accessible A-type near-Earth asteroid with a small Δv of 11.801 km s−1 in the launch window between 2030 and 2035.


In 1967, the burgeoning discontent of many political scientists culminated in the establishment of the Caucus for a New Political Science. The Caucus included political scientists of many diverse viewpoints, but it was united methodologically by a critique of behavioralism and by the idea that political science should abandon the myth of a value-free science. In recent years, political scientists have authored numerous commentaries on "the tragedy" of political science, "the crisis" in political science, and "the flight from reality in political science," while in 2000 these discontents resurfaced in the "perestroika" rebellion, which again denounced the American Political Science Association as an organization that promotes a "narrow parochialism and methodological bias toward the quantitative, behavioral, rational choice, statistical, and formal modeling approaches." This paper reviews the intellectual origins of New Political Science by examining some of the major works of the late 1960s and early 1970s purporting to establish the foundations of a new political science. It concludes that new political science offers a methodological critique of behaviorialism and a sociological critique of the relationship between political science and political power, but there is no consensus on what constitutes a new political science beyond its critical stance toward the existing discipline.


Currently active in 223 districts across 20 Indian states (30 percent of the country); the Maoists are also linked to leftist groups in neighbouring countries through the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA). They are even reported to be getting support from leftist groups outside of the region (such as the Communist Party of the Philippines). In addition to having claimed 2,100 lives between 2005 and 2009, the Maoists are destroying valuable infrastructure including railways, schools, hospitals, policing and government institutions. Moreover, the Maoists have come to run substitute governance structures in their strongholds; making a mockery of India's core political and judicial institutions, and placing natural resources and economic investments in these areas at serious risk.


Spot welding is one of the metal joining processes that mainly use in the automotive industries. Spot welding process needed parameters that been define by the user such as power or current, time cycle, and pressure. In this study, parameters of the welding will be estimated using Minitab Statistical Software by Design of Experiment (DOE) method. The parameters will be set to high and lower value. By using DOE method, the parameters can be optimize and having the best parameters combination for target quality. The analysis from DOE method can give the significance of the parameters as it give effect to change of the quality and strength of product or does not


Although there is a considerable body of evidence supporting the efficacy of psychotherapy for personality disorders (PD), as yet, effect studies focusing on treatment of PD in older adults are lacking. In a literature search (1980–2011) with Pubmed Medline and PsycINFO with the terms "personality disorders," "psychotherapy," "treatment," "elderly," and "older adults," it appeared that no randomized and controlled effect studies have been conducted on the treatment of PD in later life. Just one study examined the efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in a small randomized clinical trial among older people with comorbid depression and PD (N = 35; Lynch et al., 2007). However, it is surprising that the number of PD in remission (in total 16 out of 35) was almost the same with medication treatment alone (n = 7) compared to combined treatment of medication and DBT (n = 9). Moreover, this study was not exclusively focused on the treatment of PD.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the vitamin status, inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress markers in adult patients up to 3 days after thermal injury. This prospective study was conducted with 11 patients 24 to 72 hours after thermal injury (Burn Group), total surface area ranging from 10 to 41%, 34.3 ± 9.3 years, 82% of males, body mass index of 22.3 ± 2.9 kg/m2. We included 11 healthy adults (Control Group), 36.5 ± 7.6 years, 73% of males, and body mass index of 23.8 ± 2.5 kg/m2. Laboratory data were measured (plasma total protein, albumin, transferrin, lymphocyte counts, zinc, and iron), as well as serum vitamins (folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamins A, C, and E), inflammatory stress markers (C-reactive protein, ferritin, and acid &agr;1-glycoprotein) and oxidative stress markers such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. The inflammatory stress was characterized by lower levels of total protein (median difference 1.2 g/dL, 95% CI: 0.4–2.1) and albumin (median difference 0.9 g/dL, 95% CI: 0.5–1.5), and higher levels of C-reactive protein (median difference −8.12 mg/dL, 95% CI: −11.62 to 4.61) and &agr;-1 glycoprotein acid (median difference −28.56 mg/dL, 95% CI: −51.57 to −5.07) in burn patients. Decreased serum levels of vitamin A (median difference 1.10 &mgr;mol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42–1.66) and vitamin C (median difference 0.82 mg/dL, 95% CI: 0.50–1.04) were also detected. There was no statistical evidence of difference in the serum levels of glutathione peroxidase and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances between burn patients and controls, respectively. Even though there is an inflammatory stress, the obtained data showed that oxidative stress markers are normal 24 to 72 hours after burn injury. The decrease in negative acute phase protein may account for the diminished serum levels of vitamin A, which seems to be related to inflammatory stress. The marked decrease in the serum levels of vitamin C can be justified by augmented cutaneous loss and consumption in the regeneration of vitamin E.


An expression for the Strouhal number of lengthwise cavity oscillations is obtained which includes the effect of length-to-depth ratio. This expression, which agrees well with the experimental data, is also used to predict the Mach number at which cavity acoustic response is maximum. Interaction between lengthwise and depthwise modes is seen to occur at Mach numbers from 0.1 to 0.5. Cavity shape is shown to affect the noise spectra in generating either a broadband or narrowband signal.


This paper studied the principal-agent problem in the case of principal and agent bilateral risk aversion with supervision.The conclusions show that the risk-sharing coefficient is an increasing function of the principal's risk aversion level,but it is a decreasing function of the agent's risk aversion level.The agent's level of effort is a decreasing function of risk aversion level.The existence of the supervision measures improve the incentive intensity to agent.


During the running cycle supination and pronation of the foot occur at certain specific times. Pronation is present only about 25% of the entire cycle whereas supination is present for about 75% of the cycle. After the foot strikes the ground, it undergoes rather rapid pronation and remains pronated for about 70% of the support phase. The foot then begins to undergo supination and remains in supination until just after the footstrike. Basically, the foot can be said to function as a rigid lever for propulsion and a loose adapter for shock absorption and surface adaptation. This is possible by supination and pronation. Any interference in these functions results in abnormal


During the contemporary period, man has undergone transformations in terms of lifestyle, social relations, and economic affairs throughout all human history. These changes, in some cases, have had a reversible effect on human health, due to the lack of coordination with the evolutionary processes that man has acquired over the course of tens of thousands of years of social evolution. One of these dimensions is the mental health of the community; among other things, the mental health of the elderly is of particular importance due to human capital and future generations. In this research, the main goal is to achieve the current state of mental health of the elderly living in the home (in the neighbourhood) and living in the nursing home and compare these two. The concept of mental health in this research is based on various approaches, from the point of view of global Original Research Article Parisa et al.; AIR, 21(4): 36-43, 2020; Article no.AIR.47574 37 health ontologists and role theorists (Conrad Lorenz), self-actualisation and realization (Yong and Allport), humanists (Maslow), the network of sustainable social networks Adler), theories of psychoanalysis (Freud, Ericsson, Kurt Levine, Carl Rogers) and theories with other approaches have been suggested. The concepts and variables used in this research are mental health and ageing and 28-GHQ measurement tools, which are components of depression, anxiety, social functioning and physical condition of the elderly living in the home and the nursing home. The research method is Ali-Comparative and 100 non-Alzheimer's sample of 50 men and women from Tabriz and 50 men and women from Urmia, including 100 people, 50 people living at home and 50 people living in nursing homes. In analysing data, descriptive and inferential statistics and t-test were used. The results of this study revealed that the mental health of men living in nursing homes has a better mental health status than the women living in nursing homes; and, conversely, women living in the home have a higher mental health status than men living at home.


The surface characteristics of differently treated carbon fibers have been studied by wetting, inverse gas chromatographic (IGC), streaming potential, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) measurements. The results of these surface-chemical methods were related to the adhesion properties (measured as debonding shear strength) of these carbon fibers in model epoxy resin composites. Despite their incomplete theoretical background, IGC, contact angle, and electrokinetic measurements provide valuable information about the dispersive and the Lewis or Bronsted acid-base interaction forces proceeding from differently treated carbon fiber surfaces. A direct correlation was found between the electron acceptor parameters of the carbon fiber surfaces, determined by contact angle and IGC, and the debonding shear strength of carbon fiber-epoxy resin model composites. By means of XPS it was shown that the electron acceptor centres at the carbon fiber surfaces are due to C-OH functional groups. These experimental ...


This paper deals with a new 2D barcode based landmark system for self-localization of mobile robots. The most significant feature of the landmark proposed by the author is full self-containedness, in other words, it doesn't require any extra database nor mechanism such as internet connection because its own physical position, posture and size in the world coordinate system are all encoded in itself. In addition, thanks to using ISO/IEC 18004 standard known as "QR code" for the propsed method, code detection is considered to be suitable for robots and robust against noise. The author show some preliminary experiments including kidnapping problem.


Rising drug prices have received a lot of attention in the past several years, but costs and trends within Medicaid programs vary from those in the commercially insured market. This article provides cost and trend information for the North Carolina Medicaid Outpatient Pharmacy Program over State fiscal years (SFYs) 2015-2016. North Carolina Medicaid Outpatient Pharmacy Program The North Carolina Medicaid Outpatient Pharmacy Program offers comprehensive drug coverage to ensure that low-income North Carolinians have medication access. Stakeholder collaboration, effective use of drug rebates, and careful selection of drugs from a Preferred Drug List (PDL) are just three ways the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance provides access to medications at the most advantageous costs. The PDL, which was first implemented for North Carolina Medicaid in 2010, has allowed the state to achieve a higher percentage of savings for covered outpatient drugs through manufacturer rebates. The percentage of outpatient drug costs offset by manufacturer rebates has steadily increased over time [1, 2]. This has blunted the effect of rising drug costs to the state, leading to a situation where overall net drug costs have remained relatively constant over the most recent fiscal years. In total, post-rebate prescription costs across the state in fiscal year 2016 accounted for about 7% of total Medicaid costs in North Carolina [3]. For almost 30 years, federal legislation has mandated that drug manufacturers sign a rebate agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services, guaranteeing a minimum Medicaid rebate in exchange for drug coverage…