In this paper we discuss joint beamforming and power control for downlink multiuser MIMO systems with target signal-to-interference+noise ratios (SINR) constraints. We derive necessary conditions for minimizing total interference at downlink receivers and present an algorithm which adapts the beamforming vectors and powers incrementally to meet specified SINR targets with minimum powers. The proposed algorithm is illustrated with numerical examples obtained from simulations.


A new approach for identifying multiple line outages in electric power systems by using data obtained from synchrophasor measurements is proposed in this paper. A novelty of the proposal is the application of the sensitivity theory to the system's alternating current power flow model to determine the most likely contingency scenario, with not previous knowledge of the number of line outages. Since the proposal considers both voltage and current synchrophasor measurements, a set of observable lines is defined such that their outages are identified directly from those measurements. In this context, the more observed transmission lines there are, the smaller the search space for identifying potential outages in unobserved transmission lines. On the other hand, the detection problem of multiple-line outages is decomposed into the sequential uncovering of different single-line outages by using the concept of total derivative. The reduction of the search space and the decomposition of the multiple-line outages problem significantly reduce the computational burden of the proposed approach. Finally, numerical results demonstrate that the proposal presents a very satisfactory percentage of success for identifying the correct set of line outages, even when a limited number of PMUs is embedded in the system.


Our ability to interact with the world around us relies on being able to infer what actions objects afford -- often referred to as affordances. The neural mechanisms of object-action associations are realized in the visuomotor pathway where information about both visual properties and actions is integrated into common representations. However, explicating these mechanisms is particularly challenging in the case of affordances because there is hardly any one-to-one mapping between visual features and inferred actions. To better understand the nature of affordances, we trained a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to recognize affordances from images and to learn the underlying features or the dimensionality of affordances. Such features form an underlying compositional structure for the general representation of affordances which can then be tested against human neural data. We view this representational analysis as the first step towards a more formal account of how humans perceive and interact with the environment.


This study aims to assess vitamin D levels in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis and healthy women going through menopause. Two groups of menopausal women took part in the study – 41 women with osteoporosis and 22 without osteoporosis. The levels of vitamin D, parathormone, alkaline phosphatase, calcium and phosphorus were examined during the autumn-winter period. Calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase were established within the reference range in both groups. A negative correlation with increase of parathormone levels among the patients with osteoporosis and vitamin D deficiency was found (r = -0.46, p<0.01). 16 women with osteoporosis (39%) were with normal levels of vitamin D, 14 (34,1%) were with insufficiency and 11 (26,9%) with deficiency. Within the control group, 8 women (36,4%) were with normal levels of vitamin D, 12 (54,5%) were with insufficiency and 2 (9,1%) with deficiency.


There is already an evaluation on Yuan shi-kai in the realm of history.However,the general evaluation cannot take the place of specific evaluations.This article discusses the role Yuan Shi-kai played in the abolition of imperial examination at the end of Qing Dynasty an analyses the motivation for him to do so.


This paper proposes the concept of 'research through litigation', where a HCI researcher would bring a claim in the legal system in order to understand judicial attitudes towards technologies. Based on my seven years of experience of bringing legal cases as a computer scientist in Tribunals, I demonstrate the value of this approach by presenting multiple case studies, which illustrate the counter-intuitive approach towards technology taken by Tribunals. This exercise surfaced some serious (and somewhat surreal) concerns with the operation of the justice system, as well as demonstrating how research through litigation changed the law on several occasions. This work therefore makes important methodological and practical contributions to the nascent topic of legal (interaction) design, especially from a methodological standpoint.


There is an ample amount of migratory studies of  Brazil, however, the North region was left aside in most of these studies. We propose a specific study on the migration process that occurs in northern Brazil. It aims to: i) test the validity of positive selectivity of migrants in the region; and, ii) understand the effect of migration time in income differentials between migrants and non-migrants in this region. To perform the proposed analysis will be used microdata from the Demographic Census of 2010 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE, considering the sample individuals who lived in the period of research, in one of the states of the North. The migrant selectivity test will use the estimation method in two stages proposed by Heckman (1979). The results showed that the migrant population of the northern region, seen in its entirety, does not form a group positively selected. However, this was not the case observed for the population of more recent migrants (who migrated less than 5 years) in this group, there was a difference of positive income in relation to other people. However, this yield spread was not sustained for older migrants. Therefore, what was observed is that every year a migrant's stay in the destination location, your income decreases by around 0.5%, becoming increasingly close to the income of a non-migrant.


Abstract : Many types of shift-work schedules have been devised to achieve the around-the-clock coverage that frequently is required in both military and civilian work environments. Ideal shift lengths and types of rotation remain controversial. Worker job satisfaction has been reported to relate to how many sequential days off their work schedule allows. A natural experiment occurred when the watch schedule in a Navy installation was altered from 2 shifts per day, 7 days a week being covered by 4 individuals per watch location, to 3 shifts per day on weekdays and 2 on weekends, divided among 5 watchstanders. The first schedule provided 3-day weekends on alternate weeks. The second schedule provided a 2-week period with only 2 days of work, every 5 weeks. Data from seven subjects were available for the first schedule and data from 8 subjects (different subjects) from the second schedule. Questionnaire and sleep/work log data collected before and after the schedule change showed that the increase in the number of watchstanders and/or the new schedule resulted in fewer subjects feeling that fatigue sometimes impaired their ability to do their job or made them unsafe when driving home after work. However, amounts of sleep and other measures of fatigue remained basically unchanged, and satisfaction with the schedule was only slightly improved. Thus, increasing the amount of time watchstanders have off work, may not lead to increased sleep. Individuals may choose to devote the extra hours to outside work or recreational activities.


fully develop his own doctrine in the problem of heretics. Obviously—and the very simile of the counterfeiter points this up, for it is difficult to imagine a man being a counterfeiter without clear knowledge, intent, and premeditation—St. Thomas would not in practice assume a heretic to be bona fide any more than he would a counterfeiter. And yet there were reports even before St. Thomas' time of the truly pious deaths of heretics at the stake, just as three hundred years later Lutherans putting Anabaptists to death were amazed at the piety of their victims. Nonculpable ignorance of law, and not simply of fact, came to be considered in modern times a valid excuse for conscience. This development, D'Arcy explains, is due to our highly developed social anthropology and psychology, our awareness of the power of mores over the members of society, and our understanding of mental diseases. Leaving more involved moral problems aside, D'Arcy turns to a discussion of the term "right" in Thomism, in order to determine what conscience and its right to freedom mean. Probably not too familiar with Roman law, which was so well known to St. Thomas, he indulges in some unnecessary distinctions concerning the term "right" in other European languages. Yet he rightly points out that "St. Thomas is not unequivocally clear on the relationship of citizen and Community, of individual good and common good." But this was cleared up by Occam and Vittoria, Molina and Suarez, though, like their Protestant counterparts, they still defended the assumption that only religious conformity could be the basis for political loyalty. Only after this link was slowly broken could mere practical toleration develop into the specific right of religious freedom vis-à-vis the state. In the fourth part of the book some difficulties are discussed: the duty of the state to prevent evil, and the interpretation of the phrase "error has no rights" which is now more commonly accepted. The author observes in closing that, compared with the great issues left untouched, his conclusions may seem small. That they are true, however, he is convinced. He will find a widespread agreement with him in this claim, for this conviction and this kind of thinking are far on the way to becoming the opinio communis.


- Medical Data mining is the search for relationships and patterns within the medical data that could provide useful knowledge for effective medical diagnosis. The predictability of disease will become more effective and early detection of disease will aid in increased exposure to required patient care and improved cure rates using computational applications. Review shows that the reasons for feature selection include improvement in performance prediction, reduction in computational requirements, reduction in data storage requirements, reduction in the cost of future measurements and improvement in data or model understanding.


Burkitt Lymphoma (BL) is a high grade Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) that is characterized histopathologically by a mass of diffuse small non-cleaved B cell lymphocytes [1,2]. It is a highly aggressive lymphoma that frequently presents in extranodal sites with a very high proliferation rate. It is the fastest growing tumour, characterized by explosive growth with a doubling time of 24 hours. BL is of greatest importance in sub-Saharan Africa where it is the most common childhood (2-16 years, mean 7 years) cancer, accounting for up to 36% of childhood cancers and 70% of childhood lymphomas [3] but, overall constitutes 5% of lymphomas for both adult and childhood populations.


Human PCID2, is characterized by its PCI interaction domain and its involvement in the mammalian transcription export complex, TREX‐2. One component of the TREX‐2 complex, Centrin‐2, is known to be involved in protein export in addition to mRNA export and was originally identified as a component of the centrosome. We attempted to determine if PCID2 also performs these other functions in the cell. We have demonstrated that PCID2 colocalizes with γ‐tubulin and centrin‐2 at the centrosome of HeLa cells. Furthermore, knockdown of PCID2, while not affecting nuclear protein import, does lead to a delay in nuclear protein export. In contrast we have demonstrated that another TREX‐2 component, Eny2, is not present at the centrosome nor is it involved in nuclear protein transport. Therefore, our results indicate that PCID2 distinctly serves roles outside of the TREX‐2 complex that parallel the function of Centrin‐2.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a retrospection on the importance, origins and development of the research programs in the author's career.

Design/methodology/approach
The study uses an autobiographical approach.

Findings
Most of the articles, research monographs and books that constitute this research and publishing efforts can be categorized into seven distinct, but related, research programs: channels of distribution; marketing theory; marketing's philosophy debates; macromarketing and ethics; relationship marketing; resource-advantage theory; and marketing management and strategy. The value system that has guided these research programs has been shaped by specific events that took place in the author's formative years. This essay chronicles these events and the origins and development of the seven research programs.

Originality/value
Chronicling the importance, origins and development of the seven research programs will hopefully motivate and assist other scholars in developing their own research programs.


The characteristics of trip-purpose chains are examined, and a sequential model of trip chaining, which consists of history-dependent probabilities of activity choice, is developed. Statistical analyses of the study indicate that there is a consistent hierarchical order in sequencing activities in a chain where less-flexible activities tend to be pursued in a chain tends to be homogeneous. Thus activity transitions are more organized and systematic than what a Markovian model would depict. Based on these findings, a sequential model of activity choice is formulated that, in spite of its simplified representation of the history of a chain, satisfactorily represents the observed behavior. Although the focus of the model is on direct linkages between activities, the model is capapble of representing those characteristics associated with the entire set of activities in a chain. The results of the study strongly support the sequential modeling approach and indicate its practical usefulness in the analysis of trip-chaining behavior.


A case of pulmonary metastatic calcification demonstrated by bone scanning is presented. It appears that the sensitivity of bone scanning in the detection of these calcific deposits depends upon the nature of their crystalline structure. The nature of these calcific deposits and their relationship to bone scanning is discussed.


The recent rapid economic development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) has led to atmospheric destruction; therefore, it is imperative to solve the issue of atmospheric environmental pollution to ensure stable long-term development. Based on the NO2 column concentration observed by the TROPOMI (a tropospheric monitoring instrument) on the Sentinel-5P, the spatial–temporal distribution characteristics of the NO2 column concentration in the YRD from 2019 to 2020 were analyzed using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, and the Geographical Detector (Geodetector) model was used to determine the driving factors of the NO2 column concentration. The results show that the correlation between the NO2 column concentration and the ground-monitored NO2 concentrations reached 70%. The annual variation trend of the NO2 column concentration exhibited a 'U'-shaped curve, with the characteristics of 'high in winter and low in summer, with a transition between spring and autumn'. It exhibited obvious agglomeration characteristics in terms of the spatial distribution, with a high-value agglomeration in the central region of the YRD, followed by the northern region, and a low-value agglomeration in the southern region, with higher altitudes. The change in the NO2 column concentration in the YRD was affected by both physical geographical factors and socio-economic factors; it is clear that the influence of socio-economic factors has increased.


Abstract This paper develops a typology of murder ballads to inform and assist legal scholars in engaging with this form of literature. Murder ballads are songs about death and killing, originating in seventeenth-century Europe thereon forming the bedrock of American folk, blues and country music from around the late nineteenth century onwards. This is a sub-genre of music explicitly focused on murder and, as such, presents a form of popular culture of great relevance to legal scholars, especially those with an interest in crime and justice. To date, legal scholarship has not given proper attention to murder ballads despite the vibrancy of the law and literature movement. This paper offers a call to rectify this dearth, following the law in literature approach of gaining insight into the human condition that can thereon be used to improve understanding of how law and society interact. The paper draws out a central theme of these murder ballads that speaks to a strong gender role in the narrative; violence against women. The ramifications of the normalisation of killing women that occurs in these traditional songs should be further developed to help understand the foundational role such cultural messages may have exerted on wider society.


This Standard applies to latticed steel transmission structures. These structures shall be either self-supporting or guyed. They consist of hot-rolled or cold-formed prismatic members connected by bolts. Structure components (members, connections, guys) are selected to resist design-factored loads at stresses approaching failure in yielding, buckling, fracture, or any other specified limiting condition.


This paper contains a description and implementation of a new strategy for estimating the Cagan money demand function under rational expectations.


A study was conducted to assess the current feeding status of peri-urban dairy buffaloes around Peshawar city. A total of 32 buffalo farms at 8 different locations were randomly selected. Data on feed availability and feeding practices were collected during berseem and maize fodder seasons. Blood urea concentrations in the buffaloes were measured and related to the feeding management. Six different concentrate mixtures commonly prepared on the farms were identified. These were analysed and found imbalanced in energy/protein and mineral supply. This together with feeding of the concentrate at a flat rate without considering milk yield resulted in overfeeding of protein to low producers and at the same time caused inadequate nutrition of high producing buffaloes. Buffaloes producing 4 to 6 liters of milk/day received 200 to 1400 g crude protein above requirements, while those yielding 10-12 liters of milk suffered from deficiency of both protein and energy. Plasma urea levels varied due to farms (P<0.05) and fodder seasons (P<0.05) and varied from 36.15 to 39.09 mg/100 ml during berseem and from 21.74 to 28.01 mg/100 ml during maize fodder season. Elevated plasma urea levels were suggestive of causing fertility problems in the buffaloes and wastage of dietary protein. It was concluded that nutritional manipulation to mitigate nutrient losses and improve the efficiency of utilization of diet in peri-urban buffaloes would require technical interventions of the existing conventional feeding systems.


As the use of Internet is growing, the need of strong computer security and network is increasing. Intrusion detection is an evolving as a research area to fulfil the demands of IT business. Though intrusion prevention is the best option from security viewpoint, practically it may not be possible as hackers are forming new techniques for breaking the security. Hence, detecting an intrusion at the earliest becomes the prudent option. The objective of intrusion detection is to examine the network data continuously in order to monitor the network security and detect the malicious activity in the form of an attack or intrusion. It should have a high detection rate and low false positive. Due to the vastness of data to be examined, the data mining techniques have been focused in the research of network intrusion detection where pattern classifiers play an important role. A generalized framework has been proposed by Biggio et. al. (2013) which is useful for evaluation of classifier security at design stage and explains Support vector machine-based intrusion detection. In this paper, we study the classical and empirical evaluation model from NIDS perspective along with taxonomy of attacks. Also we study the methods available for feature selection so that we could enhance the empirical model for betterment in performance of classifiers. Keywords— Network Intrusion Detection, Pattern Classifier, Adversary Applications, Feature Selection


Southern elephant seals marked at Macquarie Island disperse to distant locations where they are sometimes seen during their moult and, for juveniles, a mid-year haul-out period (July–August). Most (87%) of these resighted seals were within 1000 km of Macquarie Island, and most commonly at Campbell Island (700 km to the north-east). The sex and age classes most likely to disperse there were males less than two years old. Male elephant seals of all ages were resighted significantly more often than females, the ratio being 2 : 1 (P > 0.05). Migration duration tended to increase with the seals' age but migration distance was underestimated from resight observations when compared with known telemetry records. Emigration from the Macquarie Island population appears limited. From the resight effort at Campbell Island during 1995 the maximum proportion of the juvenile population from Macquarie Island to haul-out at Campbell Island was in the order of 0.0053.


Cerium ion hydrolysis of ODN which has the sequence of 5′GGAGGCGAACGATACGCA TCGACTGT3′ was studied. Oxygen is required in the reaction of Ce 3+ scission ODN, because Ce 3+ is being oxidated to Ce 4+ at first and the resultant Ce 4+ is responsible for the DNA hydrolysis. The reaction of Ce 4+ with ODN was studied in various conditions. In the experiments, Ce 4+ cleavage the phosphodiester linkage both at acid and alkalinity conditions, while the cleavage reaction is most strongly near neutral (pH 7 3). The hydrolysis will be more and more obvious at higher temperature, higher concentration of Ce 4+ and longer reaction time. ODN can also be scissioned by coordinate compound formed from Ce 4+ and NTA, but this reaction is weaker than the reaction of Ce 4+ with ODN. The denaturing ploy acrylamide gel electrophoresis silver dye method was used to analyze the hydrolysis product.


The Internet of Things is a game-changing innovation that will change the face of computing and communication forever. The Internet of Agricultural Things (IoAT) is now being used in each sector, from smart houses to smart traffic control to smart cities. The Internet of Things has a wide range of potential applications and can be used in any industry. In this paper, we will discuss how the IoAT can be used in farming. The Internet of Things allows for more efficient farm administration, resource management, economically viable farming, increased yields and harvest yields, Field Surveillance, outdoor observation, etc. The suggested model makes use of a number of Internet of Things sensors, including ones that measure climate conditions, soil acidity, wetness in the soil, moisture in the air, volume of water, and so on. In this research, we examined the conventional farming practices of modern farmers and the issues they confront, and we went to poly homes to learn about cutting-edge farming innovations. The proposed concept is a straightforward architecture of Internet of Things sensors that report data over WiFi to a central server, which then processes the data and takes appropriate action.


Kathy Cowbrough Consultant dietitian and nutritionist, Nottinghamshire firstname.lastname@example.com Vitamin D is essential for bone health. It is required to absorb calcium and phosphorus into the body and regulate the movement of these minerals in and out of the skeleton, ensuring strong bones. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities, such as rickets. Although vitamin D is classed as an essential nutrient, it is a hormone and can be produced in the body. In comparison with other essential nutrients, specific requirement levels for vitamin D are complicated because it can be manufactured by the body from the action of sunlight on the skin. In the UK, reference nutrient intake (RNI) levels for vitamin D have been set for those population groups most at risk of deficiency (see Appendix):


In view of the toxicity of H{sub 2}S sour-gas production has to be carefully planned for safe operation. For the determination of safe evacuation distances in the unlikely event of an accident, well-blowout conditions had to be investigated. A methodology for predicting blowout rates from sour-gas wells in the south Oldenburg area in Germany is presented. Flow under sonic conditions, wellbore dynamics, reservoir capacities and their interdependencies control the fluid movement. Generally the blowout rates have been calculated by superimposing reservoir and tubing performance curves (based on steady-state correlations). This approach predicts lower short-term transient rates than actually occurs. A finite-element pipe-rupture model for ultrashort-term transient rate calculations is used. A coupling mechanism between these results and a reservoir simulator with a steady-state vertical-flow-performance correlation is then defined. A time-based switching criterion is determined iteratively for each situation when the flow goes subsonic, and traditional well outflow models can be used.


With the increasing prevalence of video games comes innovations that aim to evolve them. Cloud gaming is poised as the next phase of gaming. It enables users to play video games on any internet-enabled device. Such improvement could, therefore, enhance the processing power of existing devices and solve the need to spend large amounts of money on the latest gaming equipment. However, others argue that it may be far from being practically functional. Since cloud gaming places dependency on networks, new issues emerge. In relation, this paper is a review of the networking perspective of cloud gaming. Specifically, the paper analyzes its issues and challenges along with possible solutions. In order to accomplish the study, a literature review was performed. Results show that there are numerous issues and challenges regarding cloud gaming networks. Generally, cloud gaming has problems with its network quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE). The poor QoS and QoE of cloud gaming can be linked to unsatisfactory latency, bandwidth, delay, packet loss, and graphics quality. Moreover, the cost of providing the service and the complexity of implementing cloud gaming were considered challenges. For these issues and challenges, solutions were found. The solutions include lag or latency compensation, compression with encoding techniques, client computing power, edge computing, machine learning, frame adaption, and GPU-based server selection. However, these have limitations and may not always be applicable. Thus, even if solutions exist, it would be beneficial to analyze the networking side of cloud gaming further.


Abstract The objective of the study is to determine the risks and benefits of treating idiopathic short stature (ISS) with aromatase inhibitors (AIs). We comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure between establishment year and January 31, 2020. Mean difference (MD)/Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of individual studies were pooled using fixed or random effects models. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also performed. Publication bias was estimated using funnel plots and Egger tests. Fourteen studies including 388 participants were included. The meta-analysis results showed that AIs significantly increased final height (MD=2.46, 95% CI: 0.8–4.12) and predicted adult height (MD=0.34, 95% CI: 0.11–0.57). Changes in bone age (MD=–0.1, 95% CI: –0.86–0.66) and bone mineral density (MD=–0.05, 95% CI: –0.19–0.1) were not different between intervention and control group. AI significantly increased testosterone level (SMD=2.01, 95% CI: 0.8–3.23) and reduced estradiol level (SMD=–1.13, 95% CI: –1.87 to –0.40); The intervention and control group had no significant differences in the levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (SMD=–0.31, 95%CI: –0.68–0.06) and IGF-1 (SMD=0.7, 95% CI: –0.66–2.06) levels. Adverse events were more frequent in the intervention group than in the control group (odds ratio=3.12, 95% CI: 1.44–6.73). In conclusion, both AI monotherapy and AI combination therapy can increase predicted adult height and testosterone levels.


According to the large deformation features of the transporting pipe,In real condition,the transporting pipe is moved under the draft of mining vehicle and ship,meanwhile it is under the action of the complex coupling loads that include gravity and buoyancy of the transporting pipe,the resistance caused by ocean current and pipe moving,and the force of the inner fluid exerted on the pipe.Based on gravity wave theory,the experience calculating formula of ocean current,hydrodynamics and Morsion resistance equation,the movement and the coupling loads of the system were analysed.The moving resistance calculating formula of transporting pipe and the formula of force that acted on the pipeline by the fluid in it was gained and simplified,it is the basic theory for the nonlinear mechanics analysis of transporting pipe.3figs.,12refs.


It is widely recognised that support, financial assistance, and ongoing training are important resources provided to foster carers in Australia. While acknowledging the importance of these resources, this article suggests that there is also a need for other forms of recognition in the lives of foster carers. One of these, it is suggested, pertains to issues of identity and the attendant recognition of carers as parents. (Journal abstract)


For determining the potential distribution of the protected structure in a moreaccurate and efficient way,engineers sought a more efficient method than the traditional methodtosolve engineering problem,hence the numerical methods has been used to solve cathodic protection(CP) problems along with the development of computer technology and has greatly advanced the CP technology .By making a general review on the research on the problem,this article described the mumerical methods and the application to CP and then made a prospect for its future.


Two trial sections were constructed to investigate the rutting resistance and low temperature performance of different polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) mixes at sites representative of highways experiencing rutting as a result of heavy traffic loading in cold climatic regions. The two-way average annual daily traffic for both sites was >35,000 (6,000 vehicles per day). Modified asphalts used in the trial sections include engineered bitumen type 306, premium asphalt, reprocessed polyethylene (Novophalt), Neoprene, scrap tire rubber, Vestoplast-S, Kraton 4460, Styrelf, and polyethylene. Representative test samples of aggregates, asphalt cement, modified asphalts, and hot mixes were taken for routine testing during production. In situ quality control tests were done by taking plate samples while laying the mix and by coring after compaction. Additional laboratory tests were done at temperatures ranging from 0°C to −35°C to evaluate the materials' low temperature cracking resistance. Field performance of trial ...


WE PRESENT THE CASE OF A 3-MONTH-OLD dyspnoeic child who was referred with a large umbilical hernia. Clinical examination revealed indeed a large omphalocoele (OP), with a pulsatile diverticulum (D) present at its superior border (Fig. 1). A systolic murmur, of grade 2 from 6, was also heard in the right parasternal area. The chest x-ray showed a moderate enlargement of the cardiac silhouette, which was in the middle of the chest, with signs of pulmonary hypertension (Fig. 2a). Echocardiography demonstrated the presence of a large unrestrictive ventricular septal defect, and a diverticulum (Div) extending from the apex of the left ventricle (LV) (Fig. 2b). The contraction of the diverticulum (Fig. 2c-diastole, d-systole) was synchronous with the rest of the ventricular muscle. Because of the impossibility to close the ventricular septal defect, and the size of the omphalocoele, we did not undertake surgery. Five months later, he is still alive and doing well, albeit with his functional improvement almost certainly being secondary to increased pulmonary resistances. We did not observe any complications from the parietal defect. Diverticulums differ from ventricular aneurysms by having a narrow communication with the ventricular cavity, the presence of all cardiac layers, and a synchronous contraction with the rest of the ventricle. The association of a congenital ventricular diverticulum, always apical, with a midline thoracoabdominal defect was described by Cantrell and colleagues in 1958.1 This uncommon syndrome usually involves projection of an apical portion of the


The frequent administrative disputes at present in higher education is because of the improper administrative actions of administrators in higher education to the ones who are administrated,which cause an unbalanced state between the two parties. To deeply analyze the causes and characteristics of that kind of disputes is the premise of establishing the resolution mechanism for administrative disputes in higher education.


The subject of this article is the presentation of tax expenditures as a type of public spending recognized as the off budget expenditures, as well as indicating their influence on Polish budget. This aim was proved in the way of comparative studies of theoretical concepts of tax expenditures and solutions applied in the countries reporting them. Tax expenditures strictly related to particular economic and social policy goals, are special tax provisions which partly or absolutely reduce tax burden of some groups of taxpayers, and in the result – diminish the tax revenue appropriately. The focus on these privileges arisen on the base of tax code is highly important in the current budgetary conditions while the huge part of countries is struggling with imbalances of public finance, and increasing public debts. The overall value of estimated tax expenditures in Poland amounted to 81.6 billion PLN in 2012. Comparing this value to the general government deficit in 2012 of 62.7 billion PLN, the scope of public spending realized out of budget procedure is clearly evident. In 2009-2012 the share of tax expenditures in total public spending amounted on average by 18.3%, and the adequate loss of government revenues was estimated at 26.1% of total tax revenue. Unfortunately this not always transparent part of public spending is out of public control and effectively limits the ability of proper and responsible fiscal policy.


Most reconfigurable processors are not fully controlled by software; they are reconfigured using hardware description languages. By moving the data paths into the processor, the system architect can discard the external control logic, the finite state machines and micro-sequencers. Examples for such a processor are the members of the Stretch family, Software Configurable Processors which have a reconfigurable fabric embedded inside the actual processor. This allows development in a high level programming language like C. The paper provides an overview of the architecture and a case study problem based on the 2D FFT illustrating the issue of software-hardware partitioning. A software only solution is first described and is used as a benchmark to compare two code partitioning schemes proposed later. The designs of the partitions are described in detail along with their time analyses. The primary criterion chosen is the overall execution time along with the frequency at which the reconfigurable fabric can be clocked. By comparing the results it can be concluded as to which partition performs better and the parameters that contribute to reduction in execution time. This paper also provides an overview of the challenges and benefits of software reconfigurable processors.


We estimate $n$ phases (angles) from noisy pairwise relative phase measurements. The task is modeled as a nonconvex least-squares optimization problem. It was recently shown that this problem can be solved in polynomial time via convex relaxation, under some conditions on the noise. In this paper, under similar but more restrictive conditions, we show that a modified version of the power method converges to the global optimum. This is simpler and (empirically) faster than convex approaches. Empirically, they both succeed in the same regime. Further analysis shows that, in the same noise regime as previously studied, second-order necessary optimality conditions for this quadratically constrained quadratic program are also sufficient, despite nonconvexity.


Abstract Let π: X′ → X be a finite surjective morphism of complex projective manifolds which can be factored by an embedding of X′ into the total space of an ample line bundle 𝓛 over X. A theorem of Lazarsfeld asserts that Betti numbers of X and X′ are equal except, possibly, the middle ones. In the present paper it is proved that the middle numbers are actually non-equal if either 𝓛 is spanned and deg π ≥ dim X, or if X is either a hyperquadric or a projective space and π is not a double cover of an odd-dimensional projective space by a hyperquadric.


This study aimed to identify the perceptions of Saudi Arabian secondary mathematics teachers on the use of the constructivist learning principles in the learning and teaching mathematics and its supportive environment, and to see the extent of their use of these principles in their practice teaching. The study aimed also to find out whether there are differences between the perceptions of math teachers on the use of those principles in mathematics learning and teaching and their practices of those principles. The study also aimed at identifying whether there are any differences in the practice of the constructivist learning principles in mathematics learning and teaching attributed to gender. To achieve those objectives a valid questionnaire related to the subject was distributed to 250 male and female math teachers in five departments of educational districts, where only 170 responses have been collected. In addition, 1000 math male and female teachers were observed for the use of constructivist learning principles in the learning and teaching mathematics. The results showed that teachers, who responded to the questionnaire believe that math teacher should sometimes practice the constructivist learning principles in math learning and teaching, while the average math teacher who practice principles that supports the constructivist learning 2.422, which are at any level of "rare" according to the quintet Likert scale. With regard to the differences between teachers' perceptions and practices using the principles of constructivist learning in the learning and teaching of mathematics, the results showed that the teachers do not practice the principles that support constructivist learning in math class as much as their perception of it. The results have shown that no significant differences between males and females were found with regard to their practice of principles that support the constructivist learning.


We study the carrier distribution in multi quantum well (multi-QW) InGaN light-emitting diodes. Conventional wisdom would assume that a large number of QWs lead to a smaller carrier density per QW, enabling efficient carrier recombination at high currents. We use angle-resolved far-field measurements to determine the location of spontaneous emission in a series of multi-QW samples. They reveal that, no matter how many QWs are grown, only the QW nearest the p layer emits light under electrical pumping, which can limit the performances of high-power devices.


Key Points Question What are the projected size and demographic characteristics of the urology workforce per capita in the US through 2060? Findings In this cross-sectional study, 2 stock and flow models of continued (13.8%) and stagnant (0%) growth of the urology workforce based on the American Urological Association Annual Census data in 2019 and the US Census Bureau's projections showed that within the context of the impending urology workforce shortage, there will be an exaggerated shortage of total urologists per capita for populations aged 65 years and older. Meaning These findings highlight the need for structural changes and advocacy to increase the available urology workforce.


Rebamipide is a potent antioxidative agent; it increases gastric mucosal PGE2 production and thus protects the gastric mucosa. We hypothesized that the mechanisms of ulcer formation could be extended to carcinogenesis and that an increase in gastric mucosal protection may result in a decrease in gastric carcinogenesis. Therefore, we assessed the inhibitory effects of rebamipide on N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG) -induced carcinogenesis in mice. The percentage of tumor-bearing mice in three treatment groups--ENNG + rebamipide 20 mg, ENNG + rebamipide 50 mg, and ENNG alone--was 55%, 42%, and 67%, respectively. The incidence of tumorigenesis tended to decrease with increasing doses of rebamipide. The difference between ENNG + rebamipide 50 mg and ENNG alone was statistically significant (P < 0.05). These results suggest that rebamipide may strengthen the host defense mechanisms related to carcinogenesis in the digestive tract.


Based on modified Blake-Kozeny equation,the lattice Boltzmann method is developed to simulate the flow of non-Newtonian fluids described by the Herschel-Bulkley model in micro-porous media.The flow through porous media was simulated by adding a non-Newtonian force term to the evolution equation.The method was applied to simulate the electroosmotic flow in micro-porous media instead of conventional pressure driven.The influences of porosity and rheology parameters on the non-Newtonian fluid are investigated and the porous velocity is obtained under various conditions.


Persons living with Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias (PLWD) are twice as likely to be hospitalized compared to cognitively intact older adults and while hospitalized are significantly more likely to experience complications and increased length of stays. The purpose of this study is to determine if confidence in caring for PLWD is associated with knowledge of dementia in acute care nursing staff. We hypothesize that knowledge and confidence will be highly correlated. Additionally, we hypothesize that a higher knowledge of dementia will be associated with higher education and less elderspeak (i.e., infantilizing communication) use.


The interior, as one of the most human and sensual forms of architecture, is an intimate connection with the built environment and a powerful tool in provoking and altering the human mind, stimulating its curiosity, desires and solutions by way of visible and ambient matter. I aspire to explore the sense of interiority as betweenness, a space of transition in which both the human and the architecture body transcend from one state to another through empathetic interaction. Empathy, besides the ability to feel and experience someone else's emotions and mental state, also depicts our capacity to feel and experience situations, surroundings and non-living bodies. Interiority encounters three states of empathy in which our capacities of memory, imagination and illusion convey the invisible relationships we have with spaces and inanimate matter. Memory conveys the ability of both humans and space to encapsulate presence, activity and emotion through time. Imagination is our capacity to dream and inject a space with our own vision, shape and create new worlds. Illusion, on the other hand, forms a vigorous relationship with the human being through projecting its character and influence onto our minds. The interiority I seek to illustrate surpasses the rationalities, containment and materiality it is commonly related and rather stimulates curiosity in our being, revealing the qualities of a space as a living organism - growing, living, talking, affecting, absorbing, aging and eventually dying...


Developing drugs to treat gastric acid related illnesses such as ulcers and acid reflux disease is the leading focus of pharmaceutical companies. In fact, expenditure for treating these disorders is highest among all illnesses in the US. Over the last few decades, a class of drugs known as a proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) appeared on the market and are highly effective at abating gastric illnesses by raising stomach pH (reducing gastric acid levels). While much is known about the action of PPIs, there are still open questions regarding their efficacy, dosing and long-term effects. Here we extend a previous gastric acid secretion model developed by our group to incorporate a pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic model to study proton pump inhibitor (PPI) action. Model-relevant parameters for specific drugs such as omeprazole (OPZ), lansoprazole (LPZ) and pantoprazole (PPZ) were used from published data, and we conducted simulations to study various aspects of PPI treatment. Clinical data suggests that duration of acid suppression is dependent on proton pump turnover rates and this is supported by our model. We found the order of efficacy of the different PPIs to be OPZ>PPZ>LPZ for clinically recommended dose values, and OPZ>PPZ=LPZ for equal doses. Our results indicate that a breakfast dose for once-daily dosing regimens and a breakfast-lunch dose for twice-daily dosing regimens is recommended. Simulation of other gastric disorders using our model provides atypical applications for the study of drug treatment on homeostatic systems and identification of potential side-effects.


This invention relates to a protective circuit against overvoltages comprises a voltage limiter component (Z2) arranged between two of its inputs (E1, E2), which further comprises a current limiting component (CLD) connected between one (E1) of the inputs and a connection terminal (T1) to said inlet.


A novel, efficient white balancing technique is presented for images illuminated by multiple light sources. The existing portable two-dimensional grey reference colour chart has been replaced by a portable three-dimensional (3D) grey sphere to deal with multiple illuminant sources in the 3D real world. Experiments indicate that the proposed solution provides significantly better white balance results in the sense of both objective error measure and subjective visual quality.


Detailed analysis of dual wound interior permanent magnet machine under winding fault scenarios has been presented in this research. Instead of using two separate machines, the dual wound machines offer better packaging within one mechanical construction. Under normal operating conditions, each 3-phase machine could carry either half or full load depending on the drive configuration. The research mainly focuses on the performance of the overall motor during various winding faults in one half of the machine. It compares the torque capability and ripple performance for double wound single and double repetition winding. The research shows the overall torque performance could vary significantly depending on the spatial coil locations for each 3-phase machine. Two different topologies for double wound single repetition machine have been presented. The research compares the available torque under winding fault condition to attain safe mode. A finite element based electromagnetic simulation is used for the analysis. The dual wound motors were built and tested that show well correlation with the simulation and verifies the research findings.


Aiming at improving the classification performance,a combination model of multiple classifier systems is presented,which takes the Sum rule and majority voting as its special cases.Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)is used to select parameters for the model.An experimental investigation is performed on the UCI datasets and the encouraging results are obtained.The PSO combination model proposed in this paper is better than the other fusion methods given in the larger datasets with 91.44%,53.19%,5.76% and 2.03% reduction in error rate on 4 datasets,respectively.It is also shown that the rejection of weak classifier in the ensemble can improve classification performance further.


We demonstrate a compact optoelectronic oscillator based on phase modulation and ultra-high Q disk resonators. A 10.7 GHz microwave is generated, with a phase noise of -90 dBrad2/Hz at 10 kHz from the carrier, and -110 dBrad2/Hz at 100 kHz.


This article is based on a paper given at the AFGM's 22nd Asean Glass Conference in The Philippines earlier this year. It describes the technical benefits and presents the results of trials, after a year in operation, of the recently developed type 6 cruciform designed to prevent regenerator plugging.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) mediated by CD4+ T cells. Clinical data has provided evidence that MS patient T cells display an activated or memory phenotype and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms linked to NF-kB complex and MYC genes in MS patients. These data imply a role for TcR (T cell receptor) signaling pathways in MS. PRMT5 is the major type II arginine methyltransferase catalyzing the symmetric dimethylation of histones and other proteins. Our lab has recently reported PRMT5 plays a crucial role in inflammatory T cell expansion and EAE disease. From cancer studies, we are aware of links between NF-kB/MYC signaling and PRMT5 induction. Here, we unravel the impact of NF-kB/MYC pathways in T cell PRMT5 expression and pathogenic T cell responses. We used naïve and memory mouse Th1/Th2 CD4+T cells as models to identify mechanisms controlling PRMT5 protein expression in initial and recall T cell activation. Naïve (initial) mouse T cell activation resulted in NF-kB-dependent transient Prmt5 transcription and NF-kB, mTOR and Myc-dependent PRMT5 protein induction. Recall activation in memory T cells showed rapid induction of PRMT5 protein expression, supported by both transcription and loss of Prmt5-targeting miRNAs. These results highlight the importance of the NF-kB/mTOR/MYC axis in PRMT5-driven pathogenic T cell expansion and may guide targeted therapeutic strategies for MS.


A method for controlling an engine comprising injecting a first fuel and a second fuel in each of a master cylinder group, and a slave cylinder group of the engine. The method also includes injecting a higher proportion of the first fuel into the master cylinder group compared with the first fuel, which is injected into the non-donor cylinder group. Additionally, the method includes injecting a lower proportion of the second fuel into the master cylinder group compared to the second fuel, which is injected into the non-donor cylinder group. In addition, the method includes recirculating an exhaust emission from the donor cylinder group to the non-donor cylinder group, and the master cylinder group and burning a mixture of air, the first fuel, the second fuel and exhaust emissions from the master cylinder group both in the master cylinder group as well as in the non-donor cylinder group.


Though a transition to a fully funded pension system is favoured by many economists, it is not even considered by politicians in Germany. This paper examines the hypothesis that this is in accordance with the preferences of the population. By performing a dynamic CGE analysis referenda on pension policies are simulated. They show that a fully privatizing scheme is not politically feasible in Germany, however long the pre-announcement period, if the alternatives are the current policy or a partially privatizing policy. This explains why a fully privatizing policy is not an issue in the political debate in Germany. In order to examine what are the reasons for this outcome, the German Bismarckian System is compared to a Beveridge-System which is similar to the British pension system. Actually, in the latter case, a transition to a fully funded system is what the majority opts for in a dynamically consistent equilibrium. This is evidence that the future of the pension system depends on its history. Copyright (c) Scottish Economic Society 2003.


Stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm is one of the most promising methods for effective coherent beam combination. However, the algorithm also has some disadvantages, such as slow convergence speed and local extremum. This paper proposes an AdaDelSPGD algorithm, which combines an AdaDelta algorithm with a SPGD algorithm, and improves the traditional AdaDelta algorithm with adaptive gain coefficient. It is worth noting that the adaptive gain coefficient can be adjusted in real time to improve the convergence rate. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by relevant simulation experiments, and the results show that the proposed algorithm can significantly improve the convergence speed. Following the experiments with the fiber laser-phased array multiplex communication system, we can draw the conclusion that the addition of communication modulation reduces the beam quality, and the higher the modulation frequency, the worse the beam quality. However, adding the SPGD algorithm can improve the beam quality. The AdaDelSPGD algorithm proposed in this paper can further improve the beam quality, and the bit error rate of communication is also decreased after testing. This provides a foundation for further research on the fiber laser-phased array multiplex communication system.


Throughout African Americans' struggle for liberation, there have been incidents of their engaging in violent revolt—from slave revolts to the urban riots of the 21st century. Images and depictions of violent revolt have also been a recurring element in African American artistic productions—including literature, music, and film. An analysis of these "fantasies" of violent revolt provides insight into how African Americans understand violent revolt, and under what conditions such actions are justified. The analysis reveals that violent revolt is understood by many as both instrumental (a means to a desired end—usually freedom) and cathartic. Furthermore, there are four recurring themes within these fantasies. These include a justification for violence, the need to fight to gain the "respect" of the oppressor, the rage of the oppressed along with their yearning for retribution, and the humanizing or transformative effect of participating in a violent revolt against an oppressor.


The relativistic Doppler effect, generalized by replacing the square root by an arbitrary positive exponent, gives a condition which is equivalent to each of two compelling invariance properties involving the relativistic addition of velocities. We prove these facts under regularity and other reasonable background conditions. Accordingly, these two invariance properties are inconsistent with the Lorentz-FitzGerald Contraction. A relativistic Doppler effect arises when a source of light and an observer of that source are in relative motion with respect to each other. When the source and the observer are moving toward each other at a speed v, the wavelength perceived by the observer decreases as a function of v according the special relativity formula


In the last few years,some scientific investigation for the Lushan region were found.Some new data of field and achievement of analysis were achieved.Author founded the epigenetic structure of rocks in Wulongtan(Wulong Deep Pool),and those deformatic feature conducted the computation of ourvature and the analysis of microstructure for that collected the glacial drift rocks,they stress-strain lows have proved results of the glacial activity.By the earthic survey maked know basin research,the block mountain of Lushan are sourtherly elongate part of the great faults of Tanlu(Tancheng-Lujiang),the graben-horst structic system controled them movement for under the down-warpde basin of Poyang Lake.In the climatic change of the glacial stage—interglacial stage of Quaternary Period,there are coupling relation with pattern of the elevation and subsidence in the regional structures.


Environmental concerns, fuel efficiency regulation as emission standards make driving with alternative fuel Vehicle harder and harder, and they bring a big competition in the Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (HEVs) market. Currently, 48 V Belt driven Starter Generator (BSG) system attracts the notice of the HEVs market with its improvement of fuel efficiency for cost and minimization of system change.1) To maximize the efficiency of the HEV system, the battery system has great meaning on the efficiency of the HEV system, since it comprises a large proportion of cost and weight of the system. Therefore designing efficient battery system can be directly considered as enhanced system efficiency. This research aims to compose battery systems of the BSG system for each vehicle segment, including capacity, power, energy, volume, price and rough lifetime.


In this double‐blind, Phase 2 study, 220 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to receive placebo (N = 72), tabalumab 100 mg (N = 74), or tabalumab 300 mg (N = 74), each in combination with dexamethasone 20 mg and subcutaneous bortezomib 1·3 mg/m2 on a 21‐day cycle. No significant intergroup differences were observed among primary (median progression‐free survival [mPFS]) or secondary efficacy outcomes. The mPFS was 6·6, 7·5 and 7·6 months for the tabalumab 100, 300 mg and placebo groups, respectively (tabalumab 100 mg vs. placebo Hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1·13 [0·80–1·59], P = 0·480; tabalumab 300 mg vs. placebo HR [95% CI] = 1·03 [0·72–1·45], P = 0·884). The most commonly‐reported treatment‐emergent adverse events were thrombocytopenia (37%), fatigue (37%), diarrhoea (35%) and constipation (32%). Across treatments, patients with low baseline BAFF (also termed TNFSF13B) expression (n = 162) had significantly longer mPFS than those with high BAFF expression (n = 55), using the 75th percentile cut‐off point (mPFS [95% CI] = 8·3 [7·0–9·3] months vs. 5·8 [3·7–6·6] months; HR [95% CI] = 1·59 [1·11–2·29], P = 0·015). Although generally well tolerated, PFS was not improved during treatment with tabalumab compared to placebo. A higher dose of 300 mg tabalumab did not improve efficacy compared to the 100 mg dose. Nonetheless, BAFF appears to have some prognostic value in patients with multiple myeloma.


The results of an analysis of the solution of a one-dimensional heat conduction equation are used to study the specific features of the thermal effects of laser pulses with a leading spike on a target. Simple criteria are obtained for establishing the ability of a pulse to cause a given increase in the target surface temperature during the leading edge of a spike and also during the tail of the laser pulse. A study is made of the influence of the inhomogeneity of the distribution of surface heat sources on the realization of processes characterized by a threshold in respect of the temperature of the irradiated surface. The results obtained are compared with the experimental delay time in the process of initiation of an air breakdown plasma by interaction of CO2 laser pulses with a metal target.


—Fatigue is the progressive and localized structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading. Fatigue analysis may be of 3 types ie., stress life, strain life and fracture mechanics. Strain life is concerned with crack initiation. Stress life is concerned with total life. It does not distinguish between crack initiation and propagation. Fracture mechanics starts with an assumed crack of known size and determines growth of the crack. The paper consists of a study on the effect of different geometries on fatigue life of existing corrugated girders is studied using ANSYS workbench. Trapezoidally corrugated girder was found to have better performance than rectangularly corrugated girder. Keywords—Trapezoidally corrugated girder, rectangularly corrugated girder, strain life, fracture mechanics


A Chinese soldier awakens during the Korean War in a prisoner's camp near the Yalu River. In this excerpt from the beginning of Ai Wei's story "The Captured," the protagonist learns of his guards' befuddling kindness and ignorance and becomes aware of how power is distributed within the prison camp, all the while struggling with the question of whether life is worth living as a captive. Narrated in a sparse yet vivid style, the soldier's inner struggles become an absorbing drama set within the stark, arresting landscapes of war-torn Northeast Asia. Originally published in Contemporary Writers Review, 2005.


This paper deals with the initial value problem of a hyperbolic integro-differential equation.By the method of successive approximations,the existence and uniqueness of the initial value problem are demonstrated.


Recently, athletes have become more interested in low carbohydrates (CHO) diets (LCD, LCHF), whether for performance or health reasons. This short review paper summarises the current dietary recommendations for sports, introduces LCDs, highlights some of the important historical developments, introduces the concept of "fuel for the work required" and presents selected reports, case studies, and studies. It provides a brief overview of some of the key risks and disadvantages of LCDs in athletes without and with diabetes.DOI: https://doi.org/10.24040/sjss.2021.7.1.77-88


The cell-wall skeleton of Nocardia rubra, which was treated with a small quantity of mineral oil (Drakeol 6VR) and suspended in saline containing 0.2% Tween 80, was found to have potent adjuvant and antitumor activities. Present study indicated that (1) Drakeol 6VR can be replaced by metabolizable oils such as squalene and squalane, and that (2) the cell-wall skeleton preparations treated with these oils and suspended in 5.6% mannitol solution containing 0.2% Tween 80 can be stored in a lyophilized form and can be easily resuspended by the addition of sterilized water before use. The resuspended preparation of N. rubra cell-wall skeleton treated with squalene or squalane and suspended in 5.6% mannitol-0.2% Tween 80 and then lyophilized was shown to have almost the same antitumor and adjuvant activities as the cell-wall skeleton of N. rubra treated with Drakeol 6VR and suspended in mannitol-Tween 80 or freshlyprepared N. rubra preparation (Drakeol 6VR-saline-0.2% Tween 80 preparation) in transplantable tumors in syngeneic mice and on the induction of allogeneic cell-mediated cytotoxicity in mice. The advantages of these lyophilized preparations as immunotherapeutic agents for human cancer are discussed.


IN Peace THE of YEAR Charleston, 1782, Elizabeth South Carolina, Gibson Peace, and wife daughter of Isaac of Peace of Charleston, South Carolina, and daughter of Rowland Gibson of Westmoreland Plantation, Barbados, all members of the Society of Friends, sailed from Charleston for England. With her were three of her children, Joseph, Mary, and Rebecca. Her object was to give the children educational opportunities under the care of Friends in England. She took a house at Kendal, Westmoreland. After a few years' residence there, she returned with Rebecca to Charleston, leaving Joseph and Mary at school. John and Isabella Wakefield, Friends who lived at Kendal, were to stand in loco parentis to the children after their mother left England. Mary's love for these Friends influenced her whole life. Last summer there came into Caroline Hazard's hands at Peace Dale, Rhode Island, a little red leather diary. There was no name attached by which to identify the diarist; but internal evidence proves that it was Mary Peace, Caroline Hazard's and my greatgrandmother, who kept the little record during the second half of her last year at Tottenham Friends' School near London. The title page reads: "The Ladies Complete Pocketbook, for the Year of our Lord 1788. Being Bissextile, or Leap-Year, and the 28th of the Reign of his present Majesty George III. . . . Vol. XXXIX. To be continued Annually." The table of contents lists such unQuakerly items as "Twenty-four New Country Dances" and "New Songs, Sung at Vauxhall." In the forefront are handcolored engravings of "Ladies in the Dresses of 1787" and "Ladies of Quality in the most Fashionable Head Dresses." On the first blank page are two entries which antedate the year of the diary. The first is: "Died 22nd 12th mo 1787 my dear Isabella Wakefield." The second will appear later in this paper. In a pocket of the book is a list of the articles supplied for the little schoolgirl's wardrobe: 6 Nt Caps 8 Tuckers 6 Pr Sleeves 17 Pocket Handkerchiefs 2 neck Ditto 4 Tippets 3 Pr Pockets 2 Pinafores 1 Frock 6 Coloured Gowns 2 White Ditto 1 Pr


Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) refers to a class of liver diseases that result from a variety of different genetic defects in the molecular machinery involved in the formation of bile. Fundamental molecular and genetic advances have transformed this group of liver diseases from a heterogeneous mix of somewhat similar conditions to an often bewildering array of individual gene-specific disorders. A report by a team from Kyoto in the current issue of Liver Transplantation highlights the need to be cognizant of the specific PFIC genotype when one considers liver transplantation as a therapeutic intervention. The current report focuses on PFIC1, which is also known as Byler disease and familial intrahepatic cholestasis 1 (FIC1) disease. This is one of the two most common forms of low gamma glutamyl transpeptidase cholestasis, the other being a defect in the canalicular bile salt export pump (BSEP). FIC1 disease is the result of genetic defects in the membrane protein ATPase class I type 8B (ATP8B1). ATP8B1 appears to be involved in the flipping of aminophospholipids from the outer hemileaflet to the inner hemileaflet of the plasma membrane lipid bilayer. Controversy exists concerning the exact mechanism by which a deficiency in this protein's activity leads to liver disease. One critical aspect to understanding FIC1 disease is the recognition that ATP8B1 has a wide tissue distribution that extends well beyond the liver and includes the intestine and pancreas. Therefore, FIC1 disease is potentially systemic and is not completely corrected by liver transplantation. Extrahepatic problems that have been observed in individuals with FIC1 disease include sensorineural hearing loss, recurrent pancreatitis, and chronic respiratory problems. The current report provides new insights into a fascinating issue that arises in some patients after liver transplantation for FIC1 disease: the development of progressive fatty liver disease. In 2003, the first reports of steatosis after liver transplantation for FIC1 disease were published. Some of these patients also had severe posttransplant diarrhea. The clinical significance of the fatty liver disease was not completely clear in these initial reports. The current study reveals progression from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis with progressive fibrosis ultimately resulting in cirrhosis in 2 patients. Many of these patients also had chronic refractory diarrhea, which was somewhat responsive to treatment with a bile acid–adsorptive resin. The pathophysiology of the development of fatty liver disease after liver transplantation for FIC1 disease is unknown and presumably unique. Investigations of this entity are likely to advance our overall understanding of fatty liver disease. One is intrigued by the physiologic consequences of implanting a liver with normal FIC1-related signaling into a homeostatic system that is adapted to intestinal and pancreatic FIC1 dysfunction. There is the potential for a powerful mouse model of fatty liver disease if this phenomenon can be recapitulated by liver transplantation in Byler mice. One proposed mechanism for the liver disease related


The field of holography conipletely depends on the coherence of laser light. The most meaningful attribute of coherence for holographers is the coherent length. Commonly coherent length is regarded as the maxiinurct optical path difference between two bearas such as those in a Michelson interferorneter that results in a discernable interference pattern. Herein we discuss two direct holographic methods of measurements each yielding visually observable results. We begin by examining several theoretical models for laser spectral linewidths and their subsequent derivation of coherent lengths. 2. Spectroscopy and Line Shape Let us first discuss some basic tenants of laser spectroscopy since it leads us directly to the understanding of coherence. When the effects of the apparatus is progressively reduced and infinite resolving power is being used it is found that each spectral line consists of an intrinsic distribution of frequencies about the. line center. The profile of every spectral line has a finite width and characteristic shape which are determined by the conditions existing in the source and it is this profile which we now wish to consider. The line profile is important in determining many of the characteristics of gas lasers especially its coherence length. I. The Natural or Radiative Line Shape - the width of spectral lines errtitted by isolated stationary atoias. They are Lorentzian and honiogeneous. (i) Classical Model: Introducing the radiation reaction force it is easy to show


Background: Challenge in tuberculosis (TB) research is to develop a test to distinguish, among the responders to an IFN-γ release assay (IGRA), those who control M. tuberculosis (Mtb) replication from those that cannot. IFN-γ response to the Heparin-binding-hemagglutinin (HBHA) of Mtb has been associated with latent TB infection (LTBI), but the cumbersome procedures to purify the methylated and immunological active form of the protein from Mtb or M. bovis BCG have prevented the implementation of a diagnostic test. Aim of this study was to evaluate the IFN-γ response to methylated HBHA of Mtb produced in M. smegmatis (rHBHAms) in subjects at different stages of TB who scored positive to QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube (QFT-IT). Methodology/Principal findings: 87 subjects at different stages of TB who scored positive to QFT-IT were selected. IFN-γ response to in vitro whole blood stimulation with rHBHAms was evaluated by short-term and long-term tests and detected by ELISA or flow cytometry. We demonstrated that the IFN-γ response to rHBHAms is mediated by CD4 + T-cells with an effector-memory phenotype. This response, evaluated also by short-term-tests is significantly lower in active TB than in remote LTBI (p=0.0010), past TB (p=0.0152) and recent infection (p=0.05). These results were confirmed by long-term tests and by qualitative analysis using ROC analysis. Conclusions: For the first time to our knowledge, we showed that the T-cell response to a recombinant and methylated HBHA of Mtb produced in M. smegmatis in a whole blood system is immunogenic and potentially useful to discriminate between active and non-active TB disease among those responsive to QFT-IT.


We study an assembly system with a number of parallel multistage processes feeding a multistage final assembly process. Each stage has a stochastic throughput time. We assume that the system is controlled by planned leadtimes at each stage. From these planned leadtimes the start and due times of all stages can be derived. If a job finishes at a particular stage and has to wait before the start of the next job(s), a holding cost proportional to the waiting time is incurred. A penalty cost proportional to the lateness is incurred when the last stage of the final assembly process finishes after its due time. The objective is to determine planned leadtimes for each individual stage, such that the expected cost of a customer order is minimized.We derive the recursive equations for the tardiness and earliness at all stages and an exact expression for the expected cost. We discuss the similarity between these expressions and those for serial inventory systems. Based on this observation and a conjecture related to the generalized Newsvendor equations, we develop an iterative heuristic procedure. Comparison with a numerical optimization method confirms the accuracy of the heuristic. Finally, we discuss an application of the model to a real-life case, showing the added value of a system-wide optimization of planned leadtimes compared to current practice.


1. Synaptic vesicles were isolated and fused into large structures with a diameter of more than 20 microns to characterize their ionic channels. The 'cell'‐attached and inside‐out configurations of the patch clamp technique were used. 2. Two types of ion channels were most frequently observed: a low conductance chloride channel and a high conductance non‐specific channel. 3. The non‐specific channel has a main conducting state and a substate. The main conducting state has a slope conductance of 246 +/‐ 15 pS (+/‐ S.E.M., n = 15), in the presence of different combinations of KCl and potassium glutamate. 4. From the reversal potentials of the current‐voltage (I‐V) relation, it was concluded that this channel conducts both Cl‐ and K+. 5. The non‐specific channel is highly voltage dependent: under steady‐state voltages it has a high open probability near 0 mV and does not inactivate; when the membrane is hyperpolarized (pipette side more positive), the open probability decreases dramatically. 6. Voltage pulses showed that upon hyperpolarization (from holding potentials between ‐20 and + 20 mV), the channels deactivated; when the membrane was stepped back to the holding potential, the channels reactivated rapidly. 7. In a number of experiments, when the pipette side was made more negative than the bath, the open probability also decreased. 8. Frequently, a substate with a conductance of about 44 +/‐ 4% (+/‐ S.E.M., n = 3) of the main state was detected. 9. We speculate that this non‐specific ion channel may have different roles at the various stages of the life cycle of the synaptic vesicle. When the synaptic vesicle is an intracellular structure, it might help its transmitter‐concentrating capacity by dissipating the polarization. After fusion with the surface membrane, it might constitute an additional conductance pathway, taking part in frequency modulation of synaptic transmission.


The lifting scheme is a new biorthogonal wavelet constructing method, which can effectively reduce wavelet run time. The Embedded Zero-tree Wavelet (EZW) coding algorithm makes a full use of data distribution characteristics after wavelet transform, can realize progressive image transmission and is one of the most effective image coding methods. Yet, in the EZW algorithm, lowfrequency and high-frequency data are coded by the same process, which would result in the loss of more important low-frequency data in the case of a high compression ratio. Significant loss of low frequency data would lead to a poor recovery image quality. Furthermore, the EZW algorithm has problems of space complexity as well as temporal complexity. In view of those problems, this paper proposes three improvement methods. First, the low-frequency data are adjusted to the range of [0, 255] and then are saved directly. Second, a marking matrix is set up to track the coding position, instead of the dominant table and subsidiary table in the original process. Meanwhile, the dominant and subsidiary scans are carried out for each important coefficient simultaneously. Last, one more bit of precision to the important coefficients is added in the process of the subsidiary scan. The improved EZW and the integer lifting wavelet transform are combined and applied to a practical remote vision control system of a robot arm. The two results of image compression based separately on wavelet transform and DCT are compared and the proposed method shows better performance on both the recovery image quality and running time.


Austenitic stainless steel UNS S31603 (SS316L) is widely used in the resources industry due to its excellent corrosion resistance, ductility, and weldability. Recently, laser-based powder bed fusion (LPBF) manufacturing has gained popularity for creating SS316L components with complex geometries and superior mechanical properties. However, the rapid melting and solidification of the deposited layers during the thermal cycle of LPBF produce residual stresses. Components manufactured through LPBF are frequently used under applied stress in corrosive environments. Thus, it is crucial to understand their susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and the impact of residual stresses. This study investigated the combined effects of applied stress and temperature on the SCC behavior of LPBF SS316L using custom-made C-ring test specimens. Cold-drawn wrought SS316L was included for comparison. Stress relief heat treatment, microhardness testing, partial immersion testing, and microanalysis techniques, such as light optical microscopy (LOM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), were used to quantify the SCC behavior. The outcomes of this study showed that stressed and unstressed LPBF SS316L specimens were highly susceptible to cracking around their printed holes. The SCC susceptibility was attributed to the residual stresses introduced by the printed supports, as both polished and as-printed holes showed similar cracking behavior. This work provides valuable insights and lays a foundation for further research into the impact of using C-ring samples to investigate SCC susceptibility and sheds light on the SCC susceptibility of as-printed components of complex geometry printed with supports due to the influence of residual stresses.


The water resouces and consumption status in domestic and abroad are presented.On the basis of the administration?law?education and engineering,several measures are proposed,they are water resources protection of sustainable development,the water resources utilization and protection for townlets?wastewater reclamation and resource recovery?water cycle regeneration engineering and so on,which are of some value to the profession.


Abstract Infectious bronchitis virus CA99 serotype was isolated from several broiler flocks in Northern California. The virus caused late-onset respiratory disease and increased airsacculitis condemnation in affected flocks despite the use of an established infectious bronchitis virus vaccination program. An experimental study compared Holland/Arkansas and Massachusetts/Arkansas vaccination protocols to determine the efficacy of commercial infectious bronchitis virus vaccines in reducing respiratory disease and airsacculitis lesions found at processing that were associated with a CA99 field isolate. All vaccination groups were given Massachusetts/Connecticut strains of infectious bronchitis virus vaccines at age 1 day followed by vaccination with either Holland/Arkansas or Massachusetts/Arkansas vaccine strains at 18 days of age. Birds were challenged at age 31 days with a CA99 field isolate. Gross pathology, histopathology, and virus isolation were evaluated. Chickens vaccinated with Holland/Arkansas had marginally better protection against CA99 challenge than chickens vaccinated with Massachusetts/Arkansas, although differences were not statistically significant.


Influences of diphenyl phosphite on grafting ratio and gel content of maleic anhydride(MAH) grafted low density polyethylene(LDPE)(MAH-g-LDPE) were investigated.It was found that diphenyl phosphite had good suppression effect on crosslinking;presence of diphenyl phosphite in the reaction system of LDPE/MAH/peroxide decreased the gel content to zero.Influences of process conditions on MAH-g-LDPE were also studied.With the incorporation of diphenyl phosphite and the control of feeding time,MAH-g-LDPE with high grafting ratio and low gel content was prepared.


Objective The aim of this study is to detecting ventricular wall motion in patients with coronary artery dis-ease(CAD) by doppler tissue imaging(DTI) and anatom M mode echocardiography(AMM).Methods The ventricular wall motion in 29 patients with CADwas detected by DTI and AMM. The results were compared with coronary arteriongraph. Results The coincidence rate of diagnosing ventricular wall motion abnormalities in 29 patients with CAD was 83.33% by DTI. The coincidence rate of diagnosing ventricular wall motion abnormalities in 29 patients with CAD was 76.96% by AMM. The coincidence rate of diagnosing ventricular wall motion abnormalities in 29 patients with CAD was 91.67% by DTI and AMM. Conclusion The coincidence rate of diagnosing ventricular wall motion abnormalities is higher by DTI and AMM than that by DTI or AMM,which is feasible for diagnosing ventricular wall motion abnormalities in patients with CAD.


It Was to be expected that some reply would be forthcoming to the article "Science and Abstract Art" by Joachim Weyl in the January issue of the Journal. Since none has appeared in recent issues I have undertaken the task of a reply to a position which seems to me to demand too much of the modern artist, if I interpret Dr. Weyl's views correctly. In addition, there is a fundamental misconception of the ultimate validity of the role of analogy in modern critical writing among the arts, and science as influencing the arts.


Part I. Prelude: 1. Origins 2. Sketches 3. Rehearsals Part II. The Music: 4. Language 5. Commentary Part III. Aftermath: 6. Anthology 7. Stravinsky's collaborators 8. The Rite restored 9. Conclusion.


The paper studied the soil water status in Pailugou forest and grass complex watershed in Qilian Mountains.The results indicate that soil water was changed with the soil structure,the soil depth,the soil spatial distribution and the season dynamic,and the soil water status influenced runoff.The study conclusions were significant for the runoff affected with soil and the hydrological process in the watershed.


The radiotheraphy simulator is the essential equipment of checking and rectifying radiotheraphy plan in precise radiotheraphy technology. Its performance will directly affect the radiotherapy's final result. It is made up of the remote person-computer interface, the master controller and so on, applies interference resistance technology, uses programmable logical controller and liquid ctystal touch screen terminal to constitute two-grade intelligence control system. It makes central, convenient, stable, reliable, high precise and high intellectualized control come true.


The sessile clonal bryozoan Celleporella hyalina L. is a useful model marine invertebrate for studies of reproductive behaviour in that many copies of an individual colony can be produced and each colony bears separate, readily identifiable male and female zooids. To facilitate our current studies on gene flow and reproductive interactions we have developed microsatellite markers for this species, which we believe to be the first such markers for any species in the phylum. Two partial DNA libraries were produced by digesting genomic DNA from several C. hyalina specimens with AluI, RsaI and HaeIII and ligating the 250–600 bp portion of the resulting fragments into M13mp18. The first library of about 7000 colonies was screened with GT (27 positives, 0.4%), AG (0 positives, < 0.02%) and ATCC (5 positives, 0.1%) repeats and polyvalently for GTT, TCA, TAC (17 positives, 0.2%). These positives (0.7% of those screened) were sequenced. Where there was sufficient flanking sequence to a repeat considered likely to be variable, primers were designed and amplification attempted. Three loci were variable (CHY1–3 in Table 1). The second library of ≈10 000 colonies was screened polyvalently with ATCC, GAGT, TACC, GACA, GCTT, GAAC and ACTG repeats. Approximately 30 positives (0.3% of those screened) were sequenced and, where possible, primers were designed. Three were found to be variable (CHY4–6 in Table 1). Amplifications were carried out in a Techne Progene thermal cycler in 20 μL reactions containing 50 mM KCl, 20 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.4, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 75 μM each of dCTP, dGTP and dTTP, 6 μM unlabelled dATP, 4μCi [α-S]-dATP, 200 nM of each primer, 1 U of Taq DNA Molecular Ecology (1998) 7, 355–356


"Village inside a city" has urban-rural dual structural characteristics and also has regional and economic advantage which other villages do not have.In overall urban and rural development,"villages inside a city" have the priority to realize overall urban-rural development.Chongqing,as a national reform test zone of overall urban-rural development,has some problems which are not beneficial to overall development in reconstruction of "villages inside a city".New reform guidance thought should be set up,reform mode and reform methods and compensation for expropriation of land should be innovated to promote "villages inside a city" to integrate into a city.


The paper probes into the producing, forming and developing process of Deng Xiaopings thoughts of prospering the country through science and education and sets forth its theoretical intention in terms of the theoretical core, strategic basis and basic ensurance.


ObjectiveTo develop a kind o f ch emosterilant for rodents control.MethodsSelecting a cheap che mosterilant with good palatability and having experiment on it.ResultsAfter having the experiment on white rats,levonorgestrel with six conce n tration had little effect on white rats.While YY chemosterilant had good effect on white rats.YY chemosterilant was cheap and should be generalized.Conc lusionRodents chemosterilant could control rodents breeding.It was bet ter than other tradition killing methods.


Background: Many peoples suffer from tight hamstring muscles which predispose them to injury when they engage in vigorous physical activity. Ultrasound therapy have been used to enhance the effectiveness of muscle stretching, but evidence supporting their benefits is confusing.

Aims & Objective: The Objective of the current study is to compare the immediate effect of ultrasound (US) and static stretching exercise on the extensibility of hamstring muscles.

Materials and Methods: Forty normal Participants between the ages of 18 and 21 who demonstrated at least 15 degrees of unilateral hamstring tightness. They were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (1) ultrasound therapy; (2) 30 second static stretching; (3) ultrasound therapy and 30 second static stretching; and (4) control group which don\'t receive any treatment. The Main Outcome Measure was Hamstring extensibility measured by active knee extension test (AKE). Differences were compared within groups and between treatment groups using one way analysis of variance.

Results: There was a significant difference between pre and post-treatment in all treatment groups (p0.05). 30 second Static stretching exercise followed by 1 MHZ ultrasound therapy showed a significant increase in AKE when compared by sole treatment or control group (p


In this edition, which was originally published in 1961, Dr Prawer follows his study of the Buch der Lieder with a full-length study of the later works of Heine. A brief introductory study of the Buch der Lieder is followed by detailed treatment of Neue Gesichte, Atta Troll, Deutdchland, ein Wintermarchen, Romanzero, Gedichte 1853 und 1854, and the poems in the posthumous Letzte Gedichte und Gedanken. Dr Prawer extracts and relates to Heine's life the underlying themes in his poetry; those, and the consistent careful analysis of the poems, makes his book an excellent introduction to the poet's work.


Background/Objectives: It is unknown whether impulsivity is associated with risky sexual behavior in dually diagnosed clients. Methods: Impulsivity in 51 sexually-active, dually diagnosed clients was assessed by the Barrett Impulsivity Scale, Delayed Discounting Questionnaire, and Wisconsin Card-Sorting Task, and a path analysis of relationship to self-reported risk behaviors was conducted. Results: Recent cocaine use was correlated with risky sexual behaviors and a preference for immediate over larger, delayed rewards trended towards a correlation. Conclusion and Scientific Significance: The association between impulsivity and risky sexual behavior among substance users appears to extend to the dually diagnosed. Implications for HIV prevention are discussed.


This paper presents a 1.2V CMOS RSSI based on successive detection structure. An equation estimating the maximum nonlinear error is derived and the simulation results show it is more accurate than the former one proposed by P. C. Huang. The RSSI achieves a wide bandwidth from 1MHz to 500MHz. The linear dynamic range is at least 80dB. The nonlinear error based on single frequency curve fitting is within ±1.5dB, while it is approximately ±3dB based on broad band curve fitting. The power consumption is about 9.5mA under 1.2V supply.


This study aimed to characterize the spatial variability of pH in soils of two farms in the state of Paraná, Brazil, based on two different sampling methods used in precision agriculture, by means of geostatistical analyzes. The first method of sampling the pH grid consisted in the collection of soil samples by the traditional method (1 point / ha). The second method of pH determination was by on-the-go soil sensor (200 points / ha). The spherical model was better suited to most semivariograms, regardless of the sampling method. After adjusting the semivariograms for soil pH determination methods, thematic maps were made using normal kriging. The best spatial distribution of pH was obtained where the attribute was sampled by the on-the-go sensor. The number of pH samples collected and the sampling method influenced the visual representation of pH variability.


We have investigated the atomic structure and electronic states of the $\mathrm{Si}(111)\ensuremath{-}(4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1)\mathrm{In}$ surface using the first-principles total energy calculations. The atomic coordinates optimized for this surface are in excellent agreement with those obtained from the recent x-ray diffraction experiment [Bunk et al., Phys. Rev. B 59, 12 228 (1999)]. The calculated surface electronic structure, which is anisotropic, provides a satisfactory description of angle-resolved photoemission data. These calculations provide strong support for the model proposed by Bunk et al.


Background Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory disease associated with pelvic pain, inflammation and infertility. Drugs that modulate the release of chemokines and angiogenic and inflammatory molecules are under evaluation. The aim of the present randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to investigate the effects of Wobenzym Vital, an enzyme-flavonoids combination supplement with antiinflammatory activity, as supportive treatment in patients affected by minimal-moderate endometriosis selected for surgery. Methods Thirty women suspected for endometriosis stage I-II were randomly assigned to receive Wobenzym Vital or placebo for a period of 40-60 days before surgery and 60 days thereafter. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain at enrollment, time of surgery and 7 and 60 days afterwards were evaluated. Blood samples were taken at the same times for the assay of several inflammatory, angiogenic and growth factors and growth factor regulators. Results Treatment with Wobenzym Vital was associated with lower VAS scores before surgery and perioperatively. Surgery further reduced VAS scores in all patients. Patients receiving placebo underwent increases in plasmatic concentrations of sCD40L, EGF, IGFBP-1, IL-6, IL-8, TGF-α and TNF-α in the perioperative period, while this was not noted in patients with active treatment. A trend for lower concentrations of several of the tested analytes in the peritoneal fluid was found in patients treated with Wobenzym Vital. Conclusions In symptomatic patients affected by minimal-mild endometriosis undergoing surgery, preoperative and postoperative treatment with Wobenzym Vital results in reduced pain and lower concentrations of inflammatory and angiogenic factors in peripheral blood and the peritoneal cavity.


Jinmian 28 is the first naked seed cotton selected in early maturing cotton growing region. The new variety had the characteristics of growing stably and strongly with more and larger bolls, early maturing, high yield and good quality, resistant to drought and diseases, and high oil content etc. It coordinated well the contradiction between early maturing and high yield, andthe resistance to diseases and high quality. its naked seed character could be used to study the hybridity, and to simplify the breeding process.


Purpose: The study focused on the adaptation of the Meta-Cognitive Awareness Inventory in Physics (MAIP) for senior secondary school students in Nigeria, both in public and private schools. Methodology: The study employed an adaptation research design. The sample included 1,382 SSII students who had taken Physics as a subject. To ensure its validity, the MAIP underwent face validation by five experts. Construct validation of the MAIP was conducted using factor analysis. This involved applying the principal component analysis extraction method and the Varimax rotation method with Kaiser Normalization. Items with a factor loading of 0.40 or higher on any of the factors were selected to be included in the instrument. The coefficient of internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's Alpha and was found to be 0.78. Research question 1 was addressed through factor analysis, while research question 2 was answered by calculating the coefficient of internal consistency using Cronbach's Alpha. Research question 3 was answered by calculating means and standard deviations. The null hypothesis was tested using an independent t-test at a significance level of 0.05. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that the MAIP consisted of 52 factorially simple or pure items and 23 factorially complex items based on their factor loadings. Significance: The coefficient of internal consistency for the MAIP was found to be 0.98. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference in the mean meta-cognitive awareness ratings was observed between students in private and public schools, favoring students in private senior secondary schools when using the MAIP.


We study how well KamLAND, the first terrestrial neutrino experiment capable of addressing the solar neutrino problem, will perform in ascertaining whether or not the large mixing angle MSW solution (with 10 < ∆m21 < 10 −3 eV and oscillation amplitude sin2 θ12 > 0.2) is correct. We find that in a year of operation KamLAND will provide unequivocal evidence for or against this solution. Furthermore, its sensitivity to the three-neutrino oscillation parameters in this region is sufficiently acute as to determine ∆m21 to approximately ±10% (for sin 2 θ12 > 0.7) and to fix sin2 θ12 to within ±0.1 (at the 3σ level) with three years of accumulated data, independent of the value of θ13 . Typeset using REVTEX


Contrary to most traditional theories of speech perception, talker‐specific information is not filtered out or ''lost'' during perceptual analysis, but is retained in the processing and representation of spoken language. Effects of talker‐specific information have been found for words and phonemes spoken in isolation [J. W. Mullennix and D. B. Pisoni, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 85, 365–378 (1990); Goldinger et al., J. Exp. Psychol.: Learn., Mem. Cog. 17, 152–162 (1991)]. However, the processing of spoken sentences may be quite different from isolated words due to coarticulation across words, suprasegmental information, and syntactic and semantic constraints. The present experiment investigates whether the effects of talker‐specific information on the processing of sentences are similar to those found for the processing of isolated words and phonemes. Subjects first transcribed lists of sentences in either a single‐talker or multiple‐talker presentation format; they were given a probed recall test to assess memor...


Phase diagrams reflect the possible kinetic routes and guide various applications such as the designed assembly and synthesis of functional materials. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been a focus of ongoing research due to their wide applications; therefore, researchers are highly motivated to discover the general principles that control the assembly of such materials. In this study, we map the 2D phase diagrams of shortand long-range attractive colloids at single-particle resolution by video microscopy. Phase boundaries, including (meta)critical or triple points and corresponding real-space configurations, are precisely specified. Profiles of 2D phase diagrams with attractive interactions resemble their 3D counterparts. For short-range systems, by measuring the deepest achievable supercooled states on the phase diagram, a "crater" structure surrounding the metastable fluid-fluid critical point indicates an enhanced nucleation rate within the crater and further suggests a local minimum of the free-energy barrier for crystallization in this area. During a dense fluid-mediated two-step crystallization process, we observe that multiple crystallites could form within a single dense fluid cluster, partly due to its highly amorphous shape. This highly amorphous shape is found for all observed well-developed dense fluid clusters. It is a supplement to the multistep nucleation process. For long-range systems, equilibrium vapor-liquid coexistence is observed, which paves the way for the exploration of critical behaviors. Rigidity percolation of crystallites, and bulk fluid-solid coexistence which provide clear evidence of a possible first-order transition for 2D melting, are observed for both systems. Our experiments reveal the general features of phase behaviors shared by 2D attractive systems including graphene, protein membranes, and adsorbed nanocrystals.