In 2011, a task was initiated under the US-French Project Agreement on rotorcraft studies to collaborate on design methodologies for environmentally friendly rotorcraft. This paper summarizes the efforts of that collaboration. The French and US aerospace agencies, ONERA and NASA, have their own software toolsets and approaches to rotorcraft design. The first step of this research effort was to understand how rotorcraft impact the environment, with the initial focus on air pollution. Second, similar baseline helicopters were developed for a passenger transport mission, using NASA and ONERA rotorcraft design software tools. Comparisons were made between the designs generated by the two tools. Finally, rotorcraft designs were generated targeting reduced environmental impact. The results show that a rotorcraft design that targets reduced environmental impact can be significantly different than one that targets traditional cost drivers, such as fuel burn and empty weight.


This study aims to investigate which emotions were most often evoked through art created during the pandemic and what are the new symbols of emotions and themes used in the creative process.
Two research techniques were used in the study: content analysis and Panofsky's method. The research material consists of 100 illustrations obtained from the internet after entering the keywords 'art' and 'coronavirus' in Google.
In the analysed material the most common emotion was fear of COVID-19, loneliness, inability to maintain physical closeness, and the rules of social distancing. The most common reactions were: a desire to isolate from the source of infection, trying to hide from the coronavirus, avoiding an infection by covering the mouth and nose with a mask, gloved hands, staying at home in isolation from other people who can spread the disease. The second most common emotion was anger, most often caused by a risk of infection with COVID-19, isolation, government decisions restricting the organization of artistic events, and relocation. The most common behaviour that expressed anger was screaming and aggression, such as hitting or kicking a coronavirus molecule or its manifestations. Sadness was triggered by a fear of COVID-19, spread of the virus, health deterioration, loss of salary and loss of contact with family, loneliness in hospital, and social distancing. The manifestations of sadness in the analysed images could be observed through facial expressions, eyes, and crying. Sadness can also manifest itself through apathy and self-isolation. The least frequent emotion in the analysed research material was joy, which was the result of an improvement in the general health situation in the country, recovery, effectiveness of health care, a new topic in art, and satisfaction with family life. The symptoms of joy were, above all, a smile on the face, kisses, jumping and dancing. Street artists appealed to a wide variety of themes: religious, mythological, popular culture, and new technologies. The analysis of the research material showed that new symbols representing the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic appeared in the social space and culture: the coronavirus molecule (an emotionally universal symbol) and a white or blue surgical mask and latex gloves symbolizing fear.
The study brings some knowledge about new symbols of emotions, the specific content of art during the COVID-19 pandemic, and new research tools to be used.


Knowing peat characteristics and its microstructure is of grave importance to agriculturists, engineers and developers. This paper aimed to determine the degree of humification of tropical peat in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. The peat under study was extracted from Sarawak and the degree of humification was determined based on its physical properties. Data was collected using seven parameters based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and British Standard (BS) method while peat assessment was done using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The micrograph of peat shows colloidal granular particles with no visible hollow cellular connections. Our findings show that the peat index properties reflect the effect of decomposition and influence of fabric composition on its geotechnical properties. The degree of humification was successfully identified as H7. This implies that the peat sample is highly decomposed in the subsurface. Further research using X-Ray diffraction should be able to correlate the degree of humification with the shear strength of the peat to obtain a better understanding of peat's microstructure.


The present work offers an explanation for the variation of the power-law stress exponent, n, with the stress σ normalized to the shear modulus G in aluminum alloys. The approach is based on the assumption that the dislocation structure generated with deformation has a fractal nature. It fully explains the evolution of n with σ/G even beyond the so-called power law breakdown region. Creep data from commercially pure Al99.8%, Al-3.85%Mg, and ingot AA6061 alloy tested at different temperatures and stresses are used to validate the proposed ideas. Finally, it is also shown that the fractal description of the dislocation structure agrees well with current knowledge.


Several physical parameters related to MSW incineration characteristics were determined by adopting standard analysis method.Basic data and dynamic traits of composition proportion,bulk-density,moisture ratio,inflammable matter content and low-calorific value were acquired.Incineration feasibility was studied and the treatment system of MSW was presented.The results show that,inorganic matter:50.997%,composted organic matter:31.38%,bulk-density:0.3486 kg/L,moisture ration:32.69%,inflammable matter:21.22%,low-calorific value:4260.41 kJ/kg.Above parameters met with conditions of incineration treatment and had striking distinction companied with different function areas and seasons.Incineration plus landfill was suggested.But the majority ash of MSW must be eliminated in pretreatment process.


In this paper, a depth-averaged two-dimensional hydrodynamic model for Taihu Lake was developed, and the some parameters and numerical approach of the model were given based on understanding the characteristics of landform and hydrodynamic of Taihu Lake. By numerical simulating, the basic modalities of the wind-induced current of Taihu Lake were analyzed, and the model was verified by comparing with data of the survey current. Further more, the performances of the wind-induced current and hydrodynamics of Taihu Lake in the prevailing wind were simulated, the results show that the wind-induced current in Taihu Lake is formed by the wind, the lake boundary and the landform of the lake bottom as well. There are obvious different laws of the current and hydrodynamics in different lake regions, and the reason caused the difference is analyzed with the fluid flow mechanism.


was decided to propose to the Director of the British Museum that a geo? graphical surveyor should be attached to the expedition at the expense of the Society. When this proposal was accepted, Mr. Geoffrey Laws, who since taking his degree in geography at Cambridge had been for three years on the staff of the Nigerian Surveys, was selected for the work. Mr. Laws on his return at the end of June worked up his map at the Society and wrote a very interesting report, but has accepted a new position in Nigeria and left for that country in September. Major Cooper Clark, who has devoted much of his time for the last twenty years to the study of Mayan archaeology, was second in command of the British Museum Expedition, and largely responsible for the work of this season. He very kindly undertook to present to the Society Mr. Geoffrey Laws' report on the geography, and to tell something of the great archaeological interest of the site.


In a hybrid optomechanical setup consisting of a two-level atom in a cavity with a pendular end-mirror, the interplay between the light field's radiation pressure on the mirror and the dipole interaction with the atom can lead to a blockade effect, which manifests itself in a suppression of Rabi oscillations in the atomic population. This effect is present when the system is in the single photon strong coupling regime and has an analogy in the photon blockade of optomechanics.


Yam and cassava peels are by-product resulting from processing of yam and cassava for domestic cooking and other purposes which represent unutilized energy sources in many parts of the country because they have limited or no human food value. It's in view of the need for waste management and upsurge in prizes of conventional feeds (maize) with their increasing demand that necessitate, the need for waste peels from either yam or cassava which are largely discarded thereby constituting environmental nuisance to be used as ingredient (unconventional feedstuffs)in replacing maize(conventionalfeedstuff) as energy source for animal feeding.This study was therefore carried out to investigate the effect of replacing maizewith yam-cassava peel composite meal on haematology, carcass characteristics and meat yield of growing rabbits in 84-days feeding trial. Thirty-six weaner rabbits of mixed sex and strain and average initial weight of 500.89g were randomly allotted to six dietary treatmentsSix dietary treatment were formulated such that, Diet 1 (T1) contained maize and the proportion of maize in diet 1 (T1) was replaced with yam-cassava peel composite meal (YCPCM) in a ratio of 6:1 at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% in diet 2(T2), 3(T3), 4(T4), 5(T5) and 6(T6) respectively. Weighed amounts of feed were served every morning while fresh, cool and clean drinking water was provided ad-libitum and data were collected for proximate composition of yam cassava composite peel meal as well as the haematological profile of growing rabbits and carcass and meat yield. Proximate composition of YCPM revealed 89.60% dry matter (DM), 10.22% crude protein (CP), 14.29% crude fibre (CF), 1.27% ether extract (EE), 6.25% total ash (TA), 67.57% nitrogen free extract (NFE) and 2920.24kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME Results on carcass characteristics and meat yield of growing rabbits indicated no significant (P>0.05) difference on all the parameters measured. Significant (P<0.05) difference occurred in some haematological (PCV, RBC, Hb, MCV and MCH) within the normal range of recommendation for healthy rabbits to it external and internal environment. This suggests that, 100%inclusion of YCPCM in diets of growing rabbits has no adverse deleterious effect on haematology, carcass characteristics and meat yield of growing rabbits.


1 Abstract —Phishing is a type of social engineering cybercrimes in which, phishers try to steal users' information. Human unawareness and inattention factors are usually exploited by phishers to bypass anti-phishing systems. This impose on anti-phishing solutions to target the vulnerabilities at both of technical and non-technical layers of phishing problem. This paper reviews users' training approach as a non-technical solution to mitigate security threats in general and phishing problem in particular. Security training methods should be designed to attract users' attention in order to enhance their awareness and make them retain acquired knowledge for longer time. Training activities therefore, must consider knowledge acquisition, knowledge retention, and knowledge transfer aspects. Training in addition, should be embedded into something that users are familiar with and continually practice to make training as ongoing activity. Security training as a non-technical solution must be highly considered to complement the performance of anti-phishing technical tools and thus, improve their results.


Energy constrained (WSNs) have been deployed widely for monitoring and surveillance purposes. so energy efficient protocols must be employed to prolong the network lifetime. Sensor node expends maximum energy in data communication. Minimizing the number of communications (exchanged messages) by eliminating redundant sensed data saves much amount of energy and extends the lifetime of overall sensor networks. The problem manipulated in this paper is that the sink capability is limited and can't receive all messages sent from all sensors. Therefore, nodes can cooperate with each other to minimize the number of dropped message. Defining some nodes to send to the sink node at certain time allows other nodes to go to sleep. Certainly, this operation positively reduce the nodes' consumed energy and increase the life time of the network under consideration. This work compares some of the game theory schemes which is Gur game and its three enhanced versions (AGur, PGur and APGur)with a novel algorithm based on Market Entry Game (MEG). This game is adapted for WSNs to decrease the rejected number of messages accordingly produces energy saving in the overall network energy. KEYWORDS-WSNS; GAME THEORY; GUR; AGUR; APGUR;MEG.


Abstract : Inventory Management is one of the most important elements in military systems, especially if it is an ammunition inventory. To determine the optimum types and levels of ammunition a military needs, the probable needs of each type have to be calculated in peace time. Although the Turkish Air Force has Strategic Plans that show detailed potential war scenarios, there are many different ways to accomplish a war mission depending on the type of ammunition that is used. In this research, the need for air-to-ground missiles is calculated using a Weapon-Target Assignment algorithm with cost minimization, bomb usage minimization, and effect maximization objectives. The model calculates different combinations of bombs for each objective and shows the main tradeoffs between many cheap dumb bombs and a few expensive smart bombs, the total cost of the operation, and the total effects of the operation on targets using the current inventory. The preferences of Decision Makers will shape this inventory based on these tradeoffs. To aid in the modeling, the number of strategies that can be created with the inventory is calculated using multinomial theory.


Thermonuclear reaction rate for 6Li(p,α)3He and 6Li(d,α)4He reactions is given in the range of T9∼0.01−2.5 K deduced from direct measured cross sections.


A systematic study of the effect of different heat-treatment schedules and glass composition on the nature of chromic oxide crystals separated in a glass of the composition SiO2 60.9, B2O3 7.4, Na2O 11.6, K2O .2, CaO 8.2, ZnO 6.1 and Cr2O3 3.6 weight percent was carried out. The size and number of crystals varied with the schedules of heat treatment and a mechanism of the crystal growth have been outlined.


Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a city with two modes of mechanised passenger travel: traditional bus and automobile. Canberra's population of 352,000 is relatively spread out with a low overall average population density. Recently, the local government (the government of the Australian Capital Territory) submitted a bid to the Australian federal government to fund a light-rail system for the city. This paper examines the issues of serving low and medium density communities with light rail, using Canberra as a case study. The paper qualitatively and quantitatively outlines the socioeconomic and demographic profile of Canberra, with a focus on centres of population and economic density; reviews the literature on Light-Rail Transit (LRT) and other 'structural' transit, which includes significant fixed capital investment such as Bus-Rapid Transit (BRT) for low-to-medium density areas; and analyses what an LRT in Canberra would look like if it is to be financially and operationally sustainable.


Fauna remains coming from the Roman site of Arcaya are studied on the present work. Predominance of domestic species is verified, to point out among them «cattle». The faunistic structure of this sample is compared with other Roman sites in the Norh of the Iberian Peninsula. The anatomic representation of bones, age and sex distribution aswell as osteometry of each domestic flock is also analyses to stablish profit use and explanation patterns of differente livestock components. A paleontological study of the small wild species founded in the sample, Mammals and Birds, is also included.


This study analyzes the relationship between field sensitivity and cloze test performance for 286 subjects between the ages of 15 and 19 in six Pacific island cultures. Hawaiian students were found to be significantly more field independent than Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Indian-Fijian, and Tahitian students. In the South Pacific samples, males were significantly more field independent than females, whereas in Hawaii there was no statistically significant relationship between sex and cognitive style. When the sample was taken as a whole, a significant relationship was found between field dependence/independence and cloze scores. Sizable group differences for subgroups within the sample, however, indicate that the relationship may not be significant for all cultures. Within cultures, the subgroups having lower scholastic achievement showed a significant relationship between cognitive style and cloze test score, while the high achievers did not.


The superiority of applying TPN with modeling to battlefield damage assessment repair system of communication and navigation equipment is described.And then,the method and step of modeling for its system based on TPN are given.On this basis,a TPN model of battlefield damage assessment repair system of communication and navigation equipment is built.And a case study is used to indicate that research on modeling for its system based on TPN model is efficient and scientific.


The effect of intense pulsed irradiation on the operation of the liquid xenon spectrometer was studied. The ionization chamber filled with liquid xenon was irradiated by bremsstrahlung pulses of the microtron. The pulse repetition rate was 400 Hz. The absorbed dose ranged from 10-7 to 0.1 Gy per pulse. Stable operation of the liquid xenon spectrometer in the intervals between the pulses of the accelerator was shown for a long time.


The author researches the types of enantiosemy, reveals the major factor of internal antonymy occurrence in the Ukrainian language in terms of pragma-linguistics, in the course of the work applies the general methods of observation, interpretation, distributional analysis method, the techniques of component and contextual analysis, as a result proves that the internal antonymy as speech phenomenon is caused by the ambivalence of linguistic sign figuration and speaker's communicative-pragmatic attitudes, and mentions that internal antonymy is used as the effective means of speaker's intentions explication through the point of view in communicative situation, pragmatic attitude and the expression of attitude contradictoriness.


They come at an opportune time. "They" are the changes to the Uniform Securities Act.' Although some of the changes are perfunctory, the significant changes have a fascinating common thread running through them. That fascinating thread is federalism. Changes in the Act could move regulation away from the hands of the states and make federal registration, more or less, a ticket for sales without state approval. The changes are not without opposition. This article will discuss the changes, the reactions of particular concerned groups and the perceived effects of such changes.


Electronic installation in a kind of motor vehicle of present invention description, wherein, at least one preferably passive sensor (3) for transmitting signal and/or current interface for energy supply by means of being connected to the first electronic control unit (1), characterized in that, providing the connection of the current interface and at least one supply current potential (KL30, KL31, GND) via the second electronic control unit (2).


Periodic arrays of nanorods can present a resonant response at specific geometric conditions. We use a multiple scattering approach to analyze the optical response of subwavelength nanowire gratings made of arbitrary anisotropic materials. When the rods are made of magneto-optical dielectrics we show that there is a complex interplay between the geometric resonances of the grating and the magneto-optical Kerr effects (MOKE) response. As we will show, for a given polarization of the incident light, a resonant magneto-optical response can be obtained by tuning the incidence angle and grating parameters to operate near the resonance condition for the opposite polarization. Our results could be important to understand and optimize MOKE structures and devices based on resonant subwavelength gratings and could open new perspectives in sensing applications.


The geographic isolation of Mount Isa from any significant electrical power supply system, has since the inception of operations before 1930 compelled the Mount Isa Mines Company, to undertake provision of all its' own power requirements for mining and metalliferous plant functions, as well as provide electricity to the town for its employees and dependants. The existing installed maximum effective generating capacity is 158 MW. Total system maximum demand is 115MW, including the City present maximum demand of some 20 MW. Planned expansion of mining and production output, coincident with generation plant obsolescence, some machines have been in service for fifty years, necessitates augmentation of power supply. The recent decision to install an additional generator unit and the changing role of the Area Board Supply Authority (NORQEB) in meeting its regional responsibilities led to a review of the Mine's role as a private enterprise power supplier. Options examined for power supply enhancement included a high voltage transmission line 1000 km long from the East Coast grid, providing power to towns en route and or increased installed local generation.


Abstract The use of membrane contactor in industrial processes is wide, and lately it started to be used in CO2 capture process mainly for gas purification or to reduce the emission. Use of the membrane contactor provides high contact surface area so the size of the absorber unit significantly decreases, which is an important factor for commercialization. The research has been caried out regarding the use of novel materials for the membrane production and absorbent solution improvements. The present review reveals the progress in membrane contactor systems for CO2 capture processes concerning solution for ceramic membrane wetting, comparison study of different polymers used for fabrication and methods of enzyme immobilization for biocomposite membrane. Also information about variety of absorbent solutions is described.


Malignant biliary tract obstruction (MBTO) is caused by a group of neoplasms that compromise bile duct flow, and the clinical presentation includes obstructive jaundice. The optimal treatment depends on both the type of malignancy and the stage of disease. Surgical resection may be the first choice of treatment. However, an operation is often impossible because of locally advanced disease or a high metastatic potential at the time of diagnosis. Considering the unfavorable prognosis of unresectable MBTO, endobili-ary radiofrequency ablation (EB-RFA) has emerged as a palliative therapeutic modality that directly ablates malignant tissue in the bile duct. To date, some reports have suggested that EB-RFA is possibly beneficial, but it remains unclear whether EB-RFA prolongs biliary stent patency or overall survival. Nevertheless, EB-RFA is regarded as a promising loco-regional therapy for MBTO. This review focuses on the clinical application of the technique and its appropriate use, along with the benefits afforded and the complications encountered. (Korean J Med 2017;92:437-442)


This article examines new forms of narrative in the internet age through examining the website ClickHole. Through parodying and satirizing sites like BuzzFeed, ClickHole (an offshoot of the famous parody entity The Onion) thrives on the creation and dissemination of absurd headlines and accompanying stories. These not only commenting widely on cultural obsessions with things like pop culture figures and social causes, but also point to an innovative take on the place and form of narrative in the age of the internet.


Abstract The molecular electric dipole moment of each of the two planar thiol rotamers of monothio-formic acid, in its ground state, has been determined from Stark effect measurements. The results are for cis-HC(:O)SH: μa=1.805(1) D, μb = 2.228(1) D and μ=2.868(1) D; whereas for trans-HC(:O)SH: μa = 1.366(1) D, μb = 0.702(1) D and μ = 1.536(1) D. Additional Stark effect measurements on HC(:O)SD and DC(:O)SH have yielded the direction of the dipole moment in each rotamer. The energy difference between the ground vibrational states of cis-and trans-HC(:O)SH has also been determined by relative intensity measurements. The cis rotamer is found to lie at higher energy than the trans rotamerb y 2767(7) J·mol-1 (231.3(6) cm-1 or 661.3(17) cal·mol-1).


In this paper, we present a decision making MAS based on competitive agents equipped with advanced and mutant interaction methods. We describe the dynamic environment of the MAS, and the interaction between the system and the agent's characteristics changes. The described methods relate to the interaction and desire functions structuring (dedicated to the society and individuals visions) between agents and system. We present also the environment representative structure and it's relational dynamics with the agents. The presented MAS called CONRAD was dedicated in a first step to the decision-making in computer assisted maintenance (intervention strategies options).


It is shown how the traffc simulation SUMO which
traditionally focused on individual road traffc could
be extended to serve the purpose of a general traffic
simulation (including transport of individual persons)
while retaining most of in- and output formats
and the performance of the original system.


Cultural adaptation to ecological environment is the focus of ecological anthropology and a precious cultural resource in the sustainable development today.With their life and production taken as the key elements,there are about four main types of cultural adaptation to the varied ecological environments adopted by Yunnan minority nationalities.The author gives each type a detailed analysis of the interaction and adjustment between nature and culture,which will help implement the scientific concept of development and provides the basis for the classification of the minority areas in the process of sustainable development.


Data are presented for the spectra and waveforms generated by saturation‐limited parametric acoustic sources. The primary source was a 10‐cm‐diam, 710‐kHz projector driven with double side band and sine‐wave amplitude modulation at peak primary source levels up to 246 dB//1μPa m. The data tend to confirm the theory of H. M. Merklinger [Ph. D. thesis, (Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Birmingham, England, 1971) (unpublished)], namely, that the secondary pressure is proportional to ∂2‖E (t−x/c0) ‖/∂t2, where E is the primary envelope waveshape. A modified version of the theory provides a useful primary amplitude taper function for parametric source performance prediction.


The analysis of conflict or potential conflict situations carried out in the article makes it possible to observe determination of the linguistic means arrangement by dissonant relations of discourse relevant components of the category of the social on the one hand and the category of the individual on the other.


In this paper we investigate a special type of power system trajectories called natural modes. We show that the stability of the natural modes can be determined from an equivalent single machine infinite bus system. A series expansion technique is proposed for computing natural modes and is illustrated with a small example.


Brown seaweed (Turbinaria spp) was pre-treated with sulfuric acid, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride and tested for its ability to remove chromium from tannery wastewater. Protonated seaweeds gave better uptake of chromium compared with calcium and magnesium treatments. Chromium uptake was optimal at pH 3.5. Turbinaria weed exhibited maximum uptake of about 31 mg of chromium for one gram of seaweed at an initial concentration of 1000 ppm of chromium. Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models were used to describe the biosorption of chromium(III) by Turbinaria spp. The chromium-loaded seaweed was reused as a reductant in the preparation of the tanning agent basic chromium sulfate (BCS). Leathers made from this tanning agent had properties comparable to conventionally processed chrome-tanned leathers. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry


Setting and scheme of realization of the new method of solving plane problems in terms of elasticity theory, based on diagonalization of equilibrium set of equation is given. Analytical solutions of the three plane problems in stresses for loading bar by complex load.


Nutritional components in the muscle of 10 pond-cultured Phractocephalus hemiliopterus individuals were analyzed in conventional methods.The contents of crude protein,crude fat,moisture and ash of fresh muscle samples were 18.75%,4.14%,75.57% and 1.48%,respectively.The dry samples of muscle contained 18 amino acids,of which 8 were essential for human health.The total content of amino acids was 85.96% and the content of essential amino acids was 35.16%,accounting for 40.90% of the total.It was apparent that the content of the different amino acids was stable and the constitutional rate of the essential amino acids accorded with the FAO/WHO Standard,fundamentally.According to nutrition evaluation in amino acids score(AAS)and chemical score(CS),Try(tryptophan)was found to be the limiting amino acid in Phractocephalus hemiliopterus muscle.In the dry samples,the quality score of four tasty amino acids was 32.98%.


This study continues the analysis of the determining forces responsible for vertical aerosol transport in the middle atmosphere (upper troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere) on global time and spatial scales. One of possible regular mechanisms of vertical transport can be the well-known radiometric photophoresis. The developed theory forecasts, that for some types of soot aerosols the negative "solar" and positive "thermal" photophoresis (motion of particles in the field of outgoing thermal radiation) can result in levitation and vertical lifting of particulates against gravity in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere. The results of theoretical and experimental investigations of so-called "accommodation" forces acting on particles with asymmetry of surface properties in rarefied gas in the directed electromagnetic radiation field (gravito-photophoresis) are presented. The estimations show that action of the investigated force is not capable to provide effective vertical transport of aerosol particles against gravity at altitudes of the lower and middle stratosphere. Among regular and effective mechanisms of aerosol transport it is necessary to note the vertical stratospheric wind. The unique opportunity of this analysis is given with a database of the research satellite UARS (1991-2005) together with the UKMO global circulation model of the middle atmosphere. It is shown that the vertical wind caused by specific long-term circulation of air masses in stratosphere and mesosphere can play a determining role in vertical transport of particles of any thermal-physics and optical properties at high altitudes.


Aims: Habitat richness, i.e. the diversity of ecosystem types, is a
complex, spatially explicit aspect of biodiversity, which is affected by
bioclimatic, geographic and anthropogenic variables. The distribution of
habitat types is a key component for understanding broad-scale
biodiversity and for developing conservation strategies. To test which
factors are related with habitat richness we used EU habitat
distribution data to answer the following questions: i) how do
bioclimatic, geographic, and anthropogenic variables affect habitat
richness? ii) which category is the most important? iii) how do
interactions among these variables influence habitat richness and which
combinations produce the strongest interactions? Study area: European
Union (excluding Greece) plus the United Kingdom. Methods: We used the
distribution maps of 233 terrestrial habitat types defined by the
European Environmental Agency, to calculate habitat richness for the EU
10 km x 10 km grid map. We then investigated how environmental variables
affect habitat richness, using generalized linear models, generalized
additive models and boosted regression trees. Results: The main factors
associated with habitat richness were geographic variables, with
negative relationships observed for both latitude and longitude, and a
positive relationship for terrain ruggedness. Bioclimatic variables
played a secondary role, with habitat richness increasing slightly with
annual mean temperature and overall annual precipitation. An interaction
between anthropogenic variables was important: the combination of
increased landscape fragmentation and increased population density
strongly decreased habitat richness. Main conclusions: This is the first
attempt to disentangle spatial patterns of habitat richness at the
continental scale, as a key tool for protecting biodiversity. The
diversity of European habitats is correlated withgeography more than
climate and human pressure, reflecting a major component of
biogeographical patterns similar to the drivers observed at the species
level. The interaction between anthropogenic variables highlights the
need for coordinated, continental-scale management plans for
biodiversity conservation.


Cognitive interviewing is a technique that helps ensure that a survey questions successfully capture the scientific aims by identifying potential measurement error and question wording problems (overall understanding and interpretation of the question, convenience of the examples given, temporary references, type of scoring at an item level, etc.) This method has proven to increase the quality of the collected data. Hence we conducted several cognitive interviews on two questionnaire models prior to the fieldwork of the Disability Pilot Survey. The aim was to analyse the comprehension and quality of the questions and correctly collect those homes where people with disabilities live, and their limitations. For this purpose voluntary subjects with specific characteristics of interest were recruited and interviewed in a laboratory environment. Some of them were asked to respond to a previously assigned questionnaire model via web (CAWI: Computer166 Rogelio Pujol, Ángeles Lora-Tamayo  Entrevistas cognitivas en la Encuesta... V o l. 60 N ú m . 1 96 / 20 18 assisted web interviewing) while others were telephoned (CATI: Computer-assisted telephone interviewing). All of them were asked afterwards about their responses and feelings while answering the questionnaire. As a result of these interviews, most of the participants preferred the second model questionnaire (the one with multiple response format), several questions changed their wording (the known GALI question was rephrased) and we confirmed the importance of the examples given at the end of each one of the specific disability question.


This study assessed decision‐making and its associations with executive functions and sleep‐related factors in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Thirty patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea and 20 healthy age‐ and education‐matched controls performed the Iowa Gambling Task, a decision‐making task under initial ambiguity, as well as an extensive neuropsychological test battery. Patients, but not controls, also underwent a detailed polysomnographic assessment. Results of group analyses showed that patients performed at the same level of controls on the Iowa Gambling Task. However, the proportion of risky performers was significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group. Decision‐making did not correlate with executive functions and subjective ratings of sleepiness, whereas there was a significant positive correlation between advantageous performance on the Iowa Gambling Task and percentage of N2 sleep, minimal oxygen saturation, average oxygen saturation and time spent below 90% oxygen saturation level. Also, the minimal oxygen saturation accounted for 27% of variance in decision‐making. In conclusion, this study shows that a subgroup of patients with obstructive sleep apnea may be at risk of disadvantageous decision‐making under ambiguity. Among the sleep‐related factors, oxygen saturation is a significant predictor of advantageous decision‐making.


We conduct numerical simulations of the interacting ejecta from an exploding CO white dwarf (WD) with a He WD donor in the double-detonation scenario for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), and study the possibility of exploding the companion WD. We also study the long time imprint of the collision on the supernova remnant. When the donor He WD has a low mass, MWD = 0.2M⊙, it is at a distance of ∼ 0.08R⊙ from the explosion, and helium is not ignited. The low mass He WD casts an 'ejecta shadow' behind it. By evolving the ejecta for longer times, we find that the outer parts of the shadowed side are fainter and its boundary with the ambient gas is somewhat flat. More massive He WD donors, MWD ≃ 0.4M⊙, must be closer to the CO WD to transfer mass. At a distance of a . 0.045R⊙ helium is detonated and the He WD explodes, leading to a triple detonation scenario. In the explosion of the donor WD approximately 0.15M⊙ of unburned helium is ejected. This might be observed as a peculiar type Ib supernova.


This paper provides the numerical results of a simulation of the flow around a propeller working beneath the free surface. A finite volume method is used to solve the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations, where the wave-making problem is solved using a volume-of-fluid (VOF) method. The numerical analysis focuses on the propeller wake structure affected by the free surface, where we consider another free surface boundary condition that treats the free surface as a rigid wall surface. The propeller wake under the effect of these two free surface conditions shows a reduction in the magnitude of the longitudinal and vertical flow velocities, and its vortical structures strongly interact with the free surface. The thrust and torque coefficient under the free surface effect decrease about 3.7% and 3.1%, respectively. Finally, the present numerical results show a reasonable agreement with the available experimental data.


Rats that had recovered spontaneous ingestive behavior after lesions of the lateral hypothalamus were challenged with acute injections of hypertonic NaCl administered at different times during the day/night cycle. Following these injections, drinking was observed only during the nighttime. After morning injections the rats frequently waited until nightfall before drinking, whereas animals injected at night showed much shorter delays in the behavioral response; a similar nocturnal predominance of drinking was seen after food deprivation and in the ad-lib situation. Studies in blinded animals suggested that these effects were due to an endogenous circadian rhythm.


ABSTRACT Vaughans affirms Levine's call for analysts not to wait for patients to raise issues of race but rather to accept the therapeutic responsibility to initiate racial inquiry. Citing the long history of collective, racialized distrust and its deep economic and political roots. Vaughans warns White therapists against perceiving the feelings of a patient of Color as merely an issue of the individual patient and underscores the importance of Levine's efforts to work more deeply and deliberately across the racial divides. Vaughans wonders about the scarcity of reflection on the impact of anti-Semitism on therapy which, he argues, also requires confrontation so that it does not undermine the therapeutic process.


Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (previously Acetobacter diazotrophicus) was originally isolated from sugarcane, but has subsequently been isolated from other plants of agricultural importance. G. diazotrophicus, which is an endophytic microorganism, has the capacity to fix molecular nitrogen and has been shown to contribute substantially to the N-requirement of sugarcane. This review covers present knowledge about the N-sensing mechanisms operating in this diazotroph, that allows it to supply its host with nitrogen for growth. In particular the components of the central N-sensing system, i.e. GlnD, the three PII paralogs and the Ntr system are reviewed.


In the process of large scale extracting research of epigallocatechin gallate,a large amount of the pigment was also extracted as impurities.A systematic research on the methods of the decolorization and the impurityelimination was carried out by adopting three methods respectively,which were extraction with ethanol and sedimentation with water,refluxing with activated carbon,ultrasonic treatment with activated carbon.The results showed that the best method was refluxing with activated carbon.By the orthogonal test,the optimum condition was confirmed that three refluxings with 36% activated carbon,refluxings for 20 minutes each time.


In markets subject to network effects, firms often remove some functions of their original products and sell a functionally-downgraded version at a lower or zero price. This paper aims to provide a pure network effect based explanation of such a practice. Building a functional degradation model with asymmetric network effects, we investigate when and why firms have incentives to introduce a functionally-degraded good and discuss its welfare implication.


Abstract The pholcid spiders from Tibet, China, are reviewed. Seven species belonging to three genera are recorded. A new genus, Tibetia, is established, and four new species, Pholcus medog, P. zham, Belisana gyirong and B. mainling are described. And two new combinations are formed: Tibetia everesti (Hu & Li 1987) is transferred from Pholcus, and Belisana yadongensis (Hu 1985) is transferred from Spermophora.


Creativity and innovation are prerequisites of a successful engineering career. It equips an engineer to contribute to the sustainable technical development of the contemporary world with globalized challenges. Hence, it is imperative to train the students of engineering in engineering creativity and technical innovation. However, the constraints of a conventional curriculum, which lay excessive emphasis on formal instruction, often leave little room for training in engineering creativity. Additionally, the time pressure exerted by the conventional curriculum on students, adversely affects the learning environment and the ecosystem suitable for creativity and innovation. The concept of "Hour of Creativity" developed at Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology is meant to overcome these hurdles. An hour per week is chalked out from the academic schedule of the students, exclusively for creative and critical thinking and to foster discovery and innovation. The events and programs of the "Hour of Creativity" are so designed that they directly contribute to nurturing creative mind and innovative spirit of the students. In order to render additional motivation to the students, the "Hour of Creativity" is coupled with research mentoring of the students to identify, develop and evaluate the concepts of their own Undergraduate Projects, an academic requirement for Bachelor degree in Technology.


Insects have been on the menu of humans for centuries, but only recently we have begun to mass produce them for human food and animal feed. This introduction first paints a synopsis of mass cultured insects and their application. The new insect production industry raises many interesting fundamental and applied questions about insect biology and fitness. The second part of the introduction to this special issue addresses the 13 articles dealing with the improvement of mass‐rearing efforts for a range of insects. The various studies focus on the effects of diet and microorganisms on relevant life‐history traits and economic value of the insects. They reflect the current rapid developments in the insect production industry.


This paper uses new administrative data with detailed borrower information and lengthy repayment histories from the Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) to measure rates of return on undergraduate student loans. We document substantial heterogeneity in returns based on information available at the time loans were disbursed, including province of residence, field of study, and institution of attendance. Field of study is a particularly important determinant of rates of return, explaining 22% of the variation in predicted returns across borrowers. We explore the implications of this variation for CSLP cross-subsidization across borrowers and potential risk-based loan limits. Given the variation in ex ante predicted returns across borrowers, using all available information at the time of loan disbursement, we study the implications of potential cream-skimming of high-return borrowers by private lenders. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.


An ideal gas equation is used for quantitative analysis of gas in industrial production, then by adjusting gas temperature and pressure, it is possible to control mixing ratio of materials. This paper describes application of this method in determining mixing ratio of liquid SiHCl 3 and H 2 during production of polycrystalline silicon.


Human poses and the behaviour estimation for different activities in (virtual reality/augmented reality) VR/AR could have numerous beneficial applications. Human fall monitoring is especially important for elderly people and for non-typical activities with VR/AR applications. There are a lot of different approaches to improving the fidelity of fall monitoring systems through the use of novel sensors and deep learning architectures; however, there is still a lack of detail and diverse datasets for training deep learning fall detectors using monocular images. The issues with synthetic data generation based on digital human simulation were implemented and examined using the Unreal Engine. The proposed pipeline provides automatic "playback" of various scenarios for digital human behaviour simulation, and the result of a proposed modular pipeline for synthetic data generation of digital human interaction with the 3D environments is demonstrated in this paper. We used the generated synthetic data to train the Mask R-CNN-based segmentation of the falling person interaction area. It is shown that, by training the model with simulation data, it is possible to recognize a falling person with an accuracy of 97.6% and classify the type of person's interaction impact. The proposed approach also allows for covering a variety of scenarios that can have a positive effect at a deep learning training stage in other human action estimation tasks in an VR/AR environment.


Background: In 2011 the Pediatrics Infectious Disease Society and the Infectious Disease Society of America (PIDS/IDSA) issued new guidelines regarding management and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) emphasizing the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotic therapy as an empiric treatment for hospitalized children with CAP. Objectives: We assessed the impact of the 2011 PIDS/IDSA guidelines on antibiotic prescription for children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia at Makassed General Hospital (MGH). Methods: This retrospective chart review study included children 3 months to 18 years of age, hospitalized with clinical and radiographic evidence of CAP from December 1, 2005, through November 30, 2017, at Makassed General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon, which is a tertiary care center. The study period was divided into pre-implementation and post-implementation periods, each over 6 years interval. We compared the impact of the 2011 PIDS/IDSA guidelines on antibiotic prescription for children hospitalized with CAP at MGH. Results: Overall, 1449 children were included. In the pre-implementation period, 905 patients were discharged from MGH with a diagnosis of CAP, with a significant decrease to 544 patients in the post-implementation period. During the pre-implementation period, 22.4% of children with CAP received third-generation cephalosporins, whereas this percentage decreased to 13.6% in the post-implementation period (p < 0.0001). However, the percentage of children who received amoxicillin-clavulanic acid in the pre-implementation period was 53.5% and increased to 66.2% in the post-implementation period (p < 0.0001). Macrolide monotherapy was common in both, pre-implementation (30.1%) and post-implementation (39%) guideline periods (P < 0.0001). Concurrent use of macrolide with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid increased significantly to 24.2% (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: After implementation of guidelines, third-generation cephalosporin use declined and penicillin/ampicillin/amoxicillin-clavulanic acid use increased among children hospitalized with CAP.


Triturating of economic-type part dimension measuring system based on PC with open motion controller was introduced,including determination of system program and design and lectotype of motion controller,step-motor,lead screw and linear guideway.Designs of control software and interface circuit between gauge head and MPC07 were described.


Following the increasing number of fold ups as well as mergers and acquisitions in service sector, a number of concerns as regard issues leading to their folding up have been speculated. It is believed by considering risk management in a holistic form through the adoption of enterprise risk management (ERM) to critical areas of business rather than relying on a silo-based risk management perspective, will increase both the organisation's short and long-term value to its stakeholders. Consequently, this study attempts to: investigate the level of ERM awareness in selected service firms by verifying the challenges affecting ERM adoptions; examine effect of enterprise risk management on business decision; investigate whether ERM adoption leads to operational efficiency; and examine the effect of ERM on organisation performance in selected service firms in Nigeria. A total of 74 firms including banks and insurance companies were considered. Data were collected from both the middle and top levels management of the selected firms in Lagos metropolis. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics were used to analsyse the data. The findings revealed that service firms have good level of ERM awareness, even though its adoption poses serious challenges to the selected firms. The study also found that there is improvement in business decisions and operational efficiency of selected service firms following the adoption of ERM. Finally, most service firms are more likely to experience improved internal decisionmaking, and increased business performance due to good implementation of ERM. Based on these findings, the study concluded that there is strong level of ERM awareness and implementation among the selected firms but many of them still battle with implementation challenges such as difficulty in integrating risk management with other business process as well as lack of clarity on who is responsible for managing risk. All of these in turn have practically hindered them from operating at full capacity. In light of this, the study recommends that the selected service firms need to device means to integrate risk managements with other business processes and seek the necessary knowledge and skills within the organisations to effectively implement ERM in their firms.


The skin is one of the first organs that manifest disorders of homeostasis occurring in the body. Chronic diseases that manifest themselves as skin problems are often associated with severe stress and the accompanying anxiety, uncertainty and pain, which consequently reduce the quality of patients' lives. Both stress and dermatoses trigger a cycle of neurohormonal reactions in the body that affects the functioning of the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. The data presented in this article indicate a relationship between stress, the functioning of the immune system and the quality of life of patients with chronic dermatological diseases. The article stresses the necessity of a holistic approach to skin problems in cosmetology, which is a very important element of its care and can decrease stress. Therefore, we believe that care and beauty treatments in combination with aromatherapy and music therapy can complement classical therapy. By reducing stress levels and improving the patient's health, they can increase the quality of life.


One of the current practical, useful but sensitive topic in social networks is polling problem
where the privacy of exchanged information and user reputation are very critical. Indeed, users
want to preserve the confidentiality of their votes and to hide, if any, their misbehaviors. Recently,
Guerraoui et al. proposed polling protocols based on simple secret sharing scheme and without
requiring any central authority or cryptography system. However these protocols can be deployed
safely and efficiently provided that the social graph structure should be transformed into a ring
structure-based overlay and the number of participating users is perfect square. In this thesis,
we address the problem of deploying decentralized polling protocols for general social graphs
and how to transform these graphs in order to increase the privacy and/or accuracy properties.
First, we propose three simple decentralized polling protocols that rely on the current state of
social graphs. The two first protocols use synchronous and asynchronous models and verification
procedures to detect the misbehaving users. The third protocol is an asynchronous one that
does not require any verification procedures and contains a method for efficiently broadcasting
message under a family of social graphs satisfying what we call the m-broadcasting property.
Second, we formalize the "adding friends" problem such that we can reuse the social graphs after
some minimum structural modifications consisting in adding new friendship relations. We also
devise algorithms for solving this problem in centralized and decentralized networks. We validate
our solutions with some performance evaluations which show that our protocols are accurate,
and inside the theoretical bounds.


The risks of catastrophic wars are directly related to the motivations and capabilities of states, including the types of weapons that are available to conduct such wars. Disarmament, however, is rarely the focus of serious scholarly analysis these days. Many academics and journalists are devoting far more attention to "arms control," "nonproliferation," "managed proliferation," and, most recently, "counter-proliferation." These are also the terms that now adorn the doors in the official corridors of the great powers. Though disarmament is a respected topic in policy rhetoric, it is all too often trivialized in policy implementation.


The health stage division problem has been attracting interest for its potential role in Prognostics and Health Management (PHM). In traditional health stage division, multiple health indicators (HIs) are extracted from original data, and then one suitable HI is constructed. According to the trend of the one HI, the whole degradation process is divided into different health stages based on the change points. The change points are the transition points between different health stages. But the one HI is difficult to construct and just suitable for special applications. Therefore how to consider multiple HIs simultaneously for health stage division is a big problem. In this paper, a reinforcement learning-based method by using change points (RLCP) is proposed to divide health state. The health stage division problem based on change points is modelled as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). Then reinforcement learning is introduced to solve the MDP effectively. The performance of the proposed RLCP is evaluated with the PRONOSTIA dataset. Experiment results show that the result of health stage division is optimal when compared with existing methods.


A high power, high duty cycle, negative hydrogen ion source is in development at ISIS. It will operate in pure volume-production mode and is driven by a 52-turn RF-coil mounted external to the plasma chamber. A solid-state amplifier with a maximum output of 100 kW in 50 Hz, 1 ms pulses delivers RF power to the coil via an impedance-matching network. The amplifier has a relatively wide bandwidth, able to deliver full power from 1.8-4.0 MHz. This flexibility allowed straightforward commissioning of the matching network into an inductively-coupled plasma. Striking of the pulsed plasma is facilitated by a compact microwave ignition gun, requiring only 10 W of power at 2.45 GHz to deliver 1 mA seed pulses of electrons. Experiments have shown that it is vital to encapsulate the RF-coil properly to mitigate high voltage sparking. In addition, the location of the coil relative to the ion source's permanent magnets has a critical effect on the ease of plasma ignition. The result of commissioning work is that a full duty-factor (50 Hz, 800 ^s) plasma has been achieved at nominal operating power (30 kW) and detailed optical studies have begun.


Control laws for an adaptive optics system for the Palomar Mountain Hale Telescope are described. These are derived using a linear matrix model of the optics, which gives the Hartman-sensor centroids and the science camera wavefront as functions of deformable mirror (DM) commands and atmospheric phase. The matrices defining this system can be directly measured from the optics, some at finer spatial resolution than the wavefront sensor can resolve. A minimum-wavefront compensator feeds back both the wavefront sensor centroids and previous DM commands, using the atmospheric covariance to smooth the response at the finer spatial scale. The DM command feedback provides direct observability of waffle, piston and other modes unobservable in the wavefront sensor. Compensator gains can be updated using Kalman filtering techniques to track the evolution of the atmospheric covariance matrix.


The present invention relates to a system (1) which ensures that XML (Extensible Markup Language) documents are processed in parallel, the data included inside the XML documents is written to a database such that it is ready for a data analysis to be performed on thereof upon being modelled, thus data analysis can be performed in parallel as well. The inventive system (1) comprises XML receiving unit (2), XML processing unit (3), database (4) and XML writing unit (5).


The traditional industrial configuration software MCGS(Monitor and Control Generated System) built-in data report forms has many defects such as the inability to process complicated data and reporting formats can't work flexibly according to the actual program.In this paper,based on Excel and the software development tool Visual Basic 6.0,three new ways of reports form making under the help of the DDE communication protocol,OLE and Access 7.0 are introduced.Practical operation results show that the new forms are not only enhance the ability on complex data processing,but also convenience for data query and browse as well as presenting a flexible formats and resources-saving advantage.Thus it extends the function of MCGS.


SUMMARY

A bioassay procedure was developed as a means of assessing the fungicidal efficacy of post-harvest citrus dips containing the fungicide guazatine. The method is designed to overcome certain inaccuracies associated with the existing method of chemical analysis. The technique involves assessment of actual fungicidal activity by the inhibition of growth of a Geotrichum candidum culture. Comparisons are made between results of chemical analysis and this method, and the usefulness of the procedure is demonstrated.


Laser directed energy deposition (LDED) was used with a powder blend comprising 75 wt.% Rene 142 and 25 wt.% of Merl 72 (4275M72) for turbine blade tip repair applications. Sound samples could be deposited at ambient temperature on Haynes 230. The microstructural analyses showed the presence of fine gamma prime precipitates in the as-deposited samples, while after aging, the alloy possessed around 40 vol.% with a bimodal precipitate size distribution. Also, the alloy contained Ta-Hf-W carbides in different sizes and shapes. Tensile testing from room temperature up to 1366 K was performed. The 4275M72 deposits possessed higher tensile properties compared to Rene 80 in this temperature range but lower elongations at the elevated temperatures. The creep properties of 4275M72 samples at 1255 K were superior to Rene 80. Also, the oxidation resistance of deposited 4275M72 was similar to Rene 142. The combination of high mechanical properties, creep behavior, and oxidation resistance of LDEDed 4275M72 makes it a suitable alloy for tip repair of turbine blades.


Slowing population growth rates and an aging population make it unlikely that the U.S. or any developed market can ever again reach sustained 3%-plus growth rates.


In this paper a non-smooth optimization problem is studied in an uncertain environment. The objective function of this problem is interval valued function. We introduce the class of \begin{document}$LU-(p,r)-[ρ^L,ρ^U]-(η, θ)$\end{document} -invex interval valued functions about the Clarke generalized gradient. Then, through non trivial examples, we illustrate that the class of functions introduced exists. Based upon the proposed invexity assumptions, the sufficient optimality conditions are established. Further, we derive weak, strong and strict converse duality theorems for Mond-Weir type and Wolfe type dual programs. Some examples are also given in order to illustrate our results.


Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exploits existing inequalities in the social determinants of health (SDOH) that influence disease burden and access to healthcare. The role of health behaviours and socioeconomic status in genitourinary (GU) malignancy has also been highlighted. Our aim was to evaluate predictors of patient-level and neighbourhood-level factors contributing to disparities in COVID-19 outcomes in GU cancer patients. Methods: Demographic information and co-morbidities for patients screened for COVID-19 across the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) up to 10 June 2020 were included. Descriptive analyses and ensemble feature selection were performed to describe the relationships between these predictors and the outcomes of positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test, COVID-19-related hospitalisation, intubation and death. Results: Out of 47,379 tested individuals, 1094 had a history of GU cancer diagnosis; of these, 192 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Ensemble feature selection identified social determinants including zip code, race/ethnicity, age, smoking status and English as the preferred first language—being the majority of significant predictors for each of this study's four COVID-19-related outcomes: a positive test, hospitalisation, intubation and death. Patient and neighbourhood level SDOH including zip code/ NYC borough, age, race/ethnicity, smoking status, and English as preferred language are amongst the most significant predictors of these clinically relevant outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of these SDOH and the need to integrate SDOH in patient electronic medical records (EMR) with the goal to identify at-risk groups. This study's results have implications for COVID-19 research priorities, public health goals, and policy implementations.


PROBLEM:  Recent evidence shows the existence of numerous isoforms of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), with high sequence homology and a core variable region. This raises the issue that previous GnRH distribution studies may have identified a variety of isoforms. This investigation was carried out to confirm the distribution and binding activity of GnRH‐I only.


Levels of nonuniformity less than 1 O/O have been found at the critical surface. The nonuniformity may be reduced even further by lateral thermal transport as heat flows from the critical surface to the ablation surface. Even with the small separation between these surfaces expected for short-wavelength laser irradiation (0.35 pm), adequate thermal smoothing is possible due to the relatively small spatial wavelengths of the nonuniformities.


This paper examines the process of domain nucleation in ferroelectric perovskites at a free surface due to electrical fields applied through a charged tip above the surface. We use a real-space phase-field model to model the ferroelectric, and apply a boundary element-based numerical method that enables us to accurately account for the stray electric fields outside the ferroelectric and the interactions through electric fields between the external tip and ferroelectric. We calculate the induced domain patterns, the stress and internal electric fields, and the induced surface displacement for various relative orientations of the crystal lattice with respect to the free surface. The effect of the external spatially inhomogeneous electric field leads to the formation of complex domain patterns and nominally incompatible microstructures. Two key findings are: first, in c axis films, a new domain forms beneath the tip through 180° switching and this new domain has the opposite piezo-response as the original do...


Fracture-related infection following orthopedic surgery, especially in cases of war-related trauma, represents a grave complication. The injuries sustained in war often entail severe damage to soft tissues, including significant impairment of vessels, nerves, tendons, muscles, and result in substantial bone defects. Complicating matters further, these infections often involve multidrug-resistant pathogens, making effective treatment a significant challenge. Optimal management of patients with combat-related trauma and signs of infection necessitates specialized care in dedicated centers. The approach to treatment should be guided by a well-defined algorithm that incorporates appropriate surgical interventions alongside systemic and localized antibiotic administration. In instances where chronic infection manifests after war-related injuries and specific causative agents are not definitively identified, initiating empiric therapy is advisable. A combination of meropenem, colistin, and vancomycin can be a suitable choice for initial treatment. Subsequently, once the causative microbes are identified, targeted treatment can be prescribed based on the susceptibility patterns. This article delves into the primary pathogens commonly found in war-related wounds and provides effective antibiotic regimens based on the specific microorganisms. One promising approach for managing severe war injuries is suppressive antibiotic therapy, which enhances the prospects of successful treatment. The comprehensive strategy outlinedhere aims to mitigate the serious risks posed by fracture-related infections in the context of war-induced trauma, ultimately improving patient outcomes and prognosis.


Signal bispectral transformation can not only suppress the influence of Gaussian white noise on signal modulation recognition, but also retain the signal amplitude and phase information. It is also used to extract the non-linear characteristics. Compared with other high-order spectra, bispectrum has a simple processing flow. However, the direct use of all bispectrum as signal features will lead to two-dimensional template matching, causing lots of calculations. Converting two-dimensional bispectrum into one-dimensional sequence, for example, extracting slice information of bispectrum, or using integral bispectrum apparently reduce the amount of data to be processed while retaining part of the bispectrum information. We input the extracted bispectral transformation of radar signals into the neural network to realize modulation recognition. The simulations validate our conclusions that our proposed methods still have a high recognition probability while SNR is low.


Rapid genetic changes have been detected within natural and seminatural populations of animals. For example, changes have been detected among seasons and years in populations of Drosophila (e.g., Dobzhansky, 1963; Band, 1972). Similarly, resistance to pesticides has evolved within a few years in populations of many insect species (Georghiou, 1972) and in some mammals (e.g., Greaves, 1972). There are fewer examples of rapid genetic change in natural and seminatural populations of plants. Resistance to herbicides in plants seems to have evolved less generally than resistance to pesticides in insects (Gressel and Segel, 1978), though resistance has been recorded in a number of species (e.g., Holliday and Putwain, 1980). There are, however, numerous examples of genetic change within populations of cultivated species. For example, where cultivars of annual crops have been sown together in mixtures, changes in the proportion of the cultivars have occurred within five years (e.g., Harlan and Martini, 1938; Blijenburg and Sneep, 1975). Similar rapid changes have also been found when cultivars of perennial pasture species have been sown in mixtures (e.g., Charles, 1961, 1964, 1966; Brougham and Harris, 1967). Rapid changes have also been found in the proportions of genotypes in bulk populations of predominantly self-pollinated crops (e.g., Allard and Jain, 1962; Allard and Workman, 1963), and also within genetically heterogeneous cultivars of predominantly outcrossing pasture


Several mechanisms of solar flare production are considered by different authors. Usually the initial conditions are artificially set such a way that it is required for development of the proposed mechanism. The problem of used condition formation during evolution of a real active region is not considered in such approach. In our MHD simulation we does not use any hypotheses about the flare mechanism, but the flare mechanism is found from the numerical MHD simulations in which all the conditions are taken from observations. It is shown that flare energy accumulation occurs in the current sheet magnetic field created by disturbances focusing in the vicinity of an X-type singular line. The electrodynamical model of the solar flare based on current sheet mechanism, which explains main flare manifestations, has been developed. Using this electrodynamical model the positions of sources of thermal X-ray radiation is found for the flare occurred May 27, 2003 at 02:53. To find positions of sources of soft X-ray radiation in the corona the graphical system is developed. The comparison with RHESSI X-ray observations is made.


From the classical cathodoluminescence (CL) model, a new method is developed to carry out an in‐depth analysis of an insulating target luminescent defects. The depth profiling is performed using an electron beam energy variation and consequently a CL excitation range variation. The in‐depth distribution of defects is then obtained using numerical algorithms. Different ways are compared and the best method is evaluated by using the experimental results in the literature. The localization of defects is more realistic by using this algorithm compared to classical models. This new model is applied to the localization of subsurface defects in silica glass samples treated with different polishing processes. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Seasonal peculiarities of haemodynamics adaptive changes in three groups of students differing in cardiohaemodynamics type have been investigated. Complex evaluation of the main indices was carried out four times a year by the integrated rheography method according to the methodology of Tishenko M.I. The tension of the cardiovascular system adaptive responses irrespective of the type of blood circulation in the winter period of time has been revealed. The data obtained show that young people with a hyperkinetic type of haemodynamics have the greatest responsiveness of the cardiovascular system to the environmental changes.


In this paper we study how value co-creation and value co-destruction are present in an IS artifact. We apply the concept of contradiction (structural tension) to study an IS artifact, geocaching. Based on the analysis of interview data and discussion forum postings, we identified the following contradictions: i) introducing secret society to outsiders, ii) geocaching by breaking its rules, iii) experiencing nature while consuming it, iv) building community occurs with competition. These contradictions show that value co-creation and co-destruction interacts in this IS artifact. Based on the results, we propose that IS research should adopt the concepts of value co-creation and co-destruction when studying the concepts of user, user behavior, and the relationship between these and the IS artifact.


This paper presents the development, validation and application of a smoothed-particle hydrodynamics model for three-dimensional (3D) simulation of the evolution of large deformation failure in geomaterials. The Drucker–Prager model with non-associated plastic flow rules is implemented into the smoothed-particle hydrodynamics formulations to describe elasto-plastic soil behaviour. Two typical numerical examples – a two-dimensional (2D) analysis of cohesive slope instability and a 3D simulation for instant collapse of a granular slope – are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for modelling large deformation of slope failure. Good agreement with experimental observations and previous simulated results is obtained in terms of the profile and internal deformation, respectively. The method is then applied to two special 3D slopes with different geometric configurations, including a curving slope surface and a slope that turns corners. The results suggest that 3D effects should be considered for natural landslides. By influencing the stress status, slope geometries have a significant effect on the final profile, slip surface and distance. The results provide a more accurate and detailed reference for landslide evaluation and foundation ditch design.


The recent discussions about the role of grandparents in the lives of separated children have raised a number of issues, some of which have received scant attention in the literature. While there is considerable research and expertise about helping birth grandparents play an active role in the lives of separated children and using them for kinship care placements, other areas seem relatively uncharted. Obviously, the issues differ according to the context, whether kinship care, adoption or long-term fostering, but as the article and correspondence show, all of these situations have aspects in common. In seeking to clarify matters, each contributor has spoken from a different position. David Pitcher focuses on the experiences of the parents of adopters. Tina Shaw echoes this by describing the joy and vindication brought to her by her adopted son's children. The anonymous correspondent shows how a fostering arrangement made 60 years ago still impinges on family members' lives four generations later, including many with no knowledge of the original placement. The increase in family breakdown and reconstitution in Britain means that many children now have more than two sets of 'grandparents' and may have had others who are now off the scene. For children in care, this is even more likely given their background characteristics. But in addition to those associated with their birth family, looked after children acquire at least two additional sets of adults playing a 'grandparenting' role, namely the parents of their new carers. Far from being benign elderly couples dozing in rocking chairs, these individuals are likely to be active, middle-aged citizens, perhaps themselves busy cementing new relationships and making life-changing decisions. The contributions of senior family members to their grandchildren's welfare will inevitably be varied but have been identified in studies of British families as comprising: child care, occasional residence, money, material support, guidance, activities, gifts and support for the child's parents. Moreover, the roles of grandmothers may be very different from those of grandfathers, with the grandmother–daughter bond likely to be the strongest. In reading the three journal contributions, it struck me that a group that has been virtually ignored in the literature are the parents of foster carers and these seem to be highly significant. Why? Mainly because they are potentially part of the social capital available to a child living in a complex network of relationships. This is especially important for long-stay placements because social capital is known to enhance children's life chances and care leavers are noted for missing out on this resource. The parents of carers are potentially a positive influence in that they support their children and give approval to their decision to foster or adopt in a way that endorses their parenting capacity. They also help families see themselves as 'normal' and give the child a sense of heritage and genealogy, even if they are dead. A further potential strength is the ability to see situations objectively in a way that minimises disruption. But equally, grandparents can be disruptive, unable to reconcile conflicting loyalties to their birth grandchildren, step-grandchildren and the fostered


Deformities of the spine can be caused by congenital defects, paralysis on one side of the body, improper posture or because different posture of the legs. Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that can develop in various areas. Spine can be bent to the right (most of the chest), left (usually the lumbar part), or to fold around a vertical axis. Kyphosis is curvature of the spine with convexity saginalnata plane backwards.
The purpose of this paper is to determine the frequency of appearance of scoliosis and kyphosis, the period of their occurrence in children and their gender distribution.


Lean burn characteristics of a new variable intake device was investigated in this paper,and the effect of the device on fuel consumption and emission of an lean burn engine were mainly discussed.It was found that engine load has little effect on CO emission of lean burn engine,and CO emission is always under 0.5%.No matter what the engine load is,HC emission kept similar tendency,but increases with engine load.NO x emission increases with engine load at the A/F between 13~18,out of the A/F domain,engine load has little effect.Tumble valve position (or tumble ratio) has little effect on CO emission;but HC and NO x emissions are a little different:they decrease a little with larger tumble ratio in a lean burn engine.Another more,tumble improves fuel consumption a little more at the condition of lower speed and higher load.


AlMItract: The problem of shearing of a ductile material exhibiting strain-rate sensitivity ß analyzed here. The material considered has a strain softening response, after a certain amount of plastic flow, where it ß expected that the non-uniform staining destabilizes the process. We first establish the nice behavior of the dynamic plastic solution ßç the region of positive slopes of the yield stress. The cases of loading and unloading are analyzed separately. Emphasis ß given ïç the parameters that influence the critical time. We present analytical steady strain solutions to illustrate the shear banding once the threshold of strain, corresponding to the maximum of yield stress, ß exceeded. Moreover, we use a linear perturbation method to show that the time-dependent homogeneous solution ß not stable after this threshold.


With the blooming growth of electric vehicles, the transportation system is in a critical stage of evolution and reformation. Due to their excellent flexibility and controllability, electric vehicles are becoming the solution for connected and automated vehicle technology. However, current transportation infrastructures are primarily designed for combustion engine vehicles and need improvements for electric vehicles. In highway scenarios especially, because the driving range of an electric vehicle is significantly limited by its battery capacity and charging rate, recent electric vehicles are not suitable for long-distance travel. Therefore, it is important to investigate their dynamic charging technology and improve the current roadway infrastructure to support more electric vehicles.


galactic center. The galactic rotation is seen clockwise this position. A length of 170 pc at the galactic center subtends 1 ° at the sun, which is the coordinate origin.


Fifty-one cases of small acute corneal ulcers were examined, and healing time ascertained by instillation of sodium fluorescein under standard arbitrary conditions. Approximately half the patients received 1.5 g. of ascorbic acid daily; the remainder were given control tablets. Deep ulcers healed significantly more slowly than superficial ulcers. The administration of large doses of ascorbic acid had no significant effect upon the healing time of superficial ulcers, but significantly accelerated the healing of deep ulcers. It is suggested that there may be a localized area around the site of regenerating corneal collagen where the ascorbic acid level falls below the opti.num for rapid healing. Raising the general ascorbic acid level with massive doses increases the local rate of replacement. Pyorrhoea occurred significantly more frequently in patients with corneal ulcers than in others with non-infective eye complaints.


THAT the injection of spermatozoa and testicular extracts into an animal may incite the production of spermatotoxins has been the observation of numerous investigators. The earlier studies in this general field were made largely by means of in vitro experiments, and the spermatozoa of one species of animal were used as the antigen in the other. Subsequent studies have brought forth reports of isospermatotoxins and the development of shorter or longer periods of sterility in both male and female animals following the repeated injection of spermatozoa. A number of workers have presented evidence that following normal coitus there may be a penetration of spermatozoa into the tissues of the female genital tract, where they may act as an antigen, thus inducing the formation of antibodies against spermatozoa. The present investigation was undertaken to study further some of the events following injection of spermatozoa into female rabbits.


If you have ever thought that the work of facility planning was just bricks and mortar, if you have ever neglected to acknowledge the work of the physical plant staff, if you have ever passed by a new or renovated build ing on your campus without taking a guided tour, pause and reflect. Look around to evaluate how well college space supports the institution's mission. When architecture succeeds, it has been the work of a hard-hat-wearing team of colleagues from across the campus and beyond. Members of the team have tried, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, to treat one an other's needs with respect. They have attempted to balance the needs of in dividuals and programs with the constraints of resources. Colleagues have worked to define an in-progress identity while honoring long-established habits. Faculty members have measured a history of unfulfilled promises against changing values and future contingencies. That is, the team kept on trying to learn what it means to be collegial. They had no choice. Every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. for the past six months I have joined colleagues for the Media Arts Center Phase 1 job meeting. During the last few meetings, spirits have been high, because hard-won efficiencies in this 3.5 million-dollar adaptive reuse construction project may permit the budget to cover a few more equipment expenses. The old dining commons has finally been cleared of asbestos and thoroughly gutted. Demolition is complete. We meet inside the rough, open, 27,500-square-foot space and walk the rooms lined out with fluorescent orange spray paint on the con crete floor of what will, in late August 2006, open as classrooms, faculty


During the second half of the 17th century, London's goldsmith-bankers formed a system of banking through mutual debt acceptance and interbanker clearing. Widespread acceptance of bank notes, orders, and bills created positive externalities for member bankers and promoted the use of bank supplied media of exchange during the Financial Revolution in England. Mutual acceptance by goldsmith-bankers arose endogenously as a dominant strategy Nash equilibrium. The bilateral clearing of these acceptances produced incentive compatible co-monitoring between goldsmith-bankers. The responsiveness of co-monitoring is supported by statistical analysis of the accounts of the Restoration era goldsmith Edward Backwell. Systemic cohesion was further reinforced by the screening of new members through apprenticeship. r 1997 Academic Press


The article is focused on establishing the range of inheritance law principles, which are characterized by universality, since theyare implemented in all institutions of this sub-branch. It has been noted that the field of inheritance law as a sub-branch of civil law isbased on certain principles, basic ideas (principles) that cover both the relevant legislation and the functioning of the entire system ofinheritance legal succession and express the specifics of the entire inheritance law. Therefore, the definition of such principles and clari -fication of their essence will contribute to the further development of legal doctrine, the unity of the practice of implementing inheritancelegislation, its improvement.The inheritance law principles are not directly reproduced in the norms of inheritance legislation, but follow from their contentand are fundamental in nature, expressing the most important regularities of inheritance law area. Based on the analysis of legal doctrineand civil legislation, the author has revealed and characterized the following inheritance law principles: the principle of universal inheri -tance legal succession, the principle of freedom of last will and testament, the principle of social justice. It has been emphasized thatthe principle of social justice in the field of inheritance law is not identical to justice as a general principle of civil law (the Art. 3 ofthe Civil Code of Ukraine).It has been substantiated that inheritance law principles should be distinguished from the normative provisions regulating a certaintype of legal relations in the field of inheritance law (priority of calling for inheritance of lawful heirs; equality of inheritance shareswithin hereditary succession; recognition of the rights of household items for appropriate lawful heirs within hereditary succession),however, they are not principles in accordance with their essence and functional purpose.


Using data obtained by means of the TWSTFT experience, we try to improve some parameters of the orbit of geostationary satellite (we are now considering the communications satellite Intelsat 706) with better precision what will redound to a better economic profitable use of this satellites, since their life will be increased while the number of maneuvers will decrease. At the same time, it will be possible to increase the number of possible satellites standing at a preassigned area of a few kilometers on the equator.


Introduction: Mucinous carcinoma of the breast (MCB) is a rare histologic subtype of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive invasive carcinoma, and is characterized by tumor cells floating in pools of mucin. Despite their characteristic histology, MCBs are heterogeneous at the genetic level and no driver genetic alterations have been identified. Notably, MCBs lack the common genetic alterations found in ER-positive invasive ductal carcinomas (i.e. 16q losses, 1q gains and PIK3CA mutations). Fusion genes have been reported in breast cancer, including highly recurrent or pathognomonic fusions genes, such as the ETV6-NTRK3 and MYB/MYBL1 rearrangements in secretory carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma, respectively. In this study we sought to define whether MCBs would be underpinned by a pathognomonic fusion gene. Materials and methods: Seven pure mucinous A (hypocellular), seven pure mucinous B (hypercellular), and the mucinous component of a mixed MCB were microdissected, and subjected to RNA extraction followed by RNA-sequencing for fusion gene discovery. Read pairs supporting chimeric transcripts were identified using INTEGRATE, FusionCatcher and STARfusion. The Bayesian driver probability of the candidate fusion genes was annotated using OncoFuse. In-frame fusion gene candidates with a high driver probability were validated using orthogonal methods (RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing). Results: Our analysis identified fusion genes in 47% (7/15) of the MCBs analyzed (29% (2/7) of type A MCBs, 57% (4/7) type B MCBs and in the mucinous component of one mixed MCB). The OAZ1-CSNK1G2 and RFC4-LPP fusion genes were identified in 20% (3/15) and 13% (2/15) of the cases, respectively. The OAZ1-CSNK1G2 chimeric transcript results in the truncation of the kinase domain of CSNK1G2, which represses ER transactivation. The RFC4-LPP chimeric transcript leads to the fusion of exons 1-3 of RFC4 and exons 5-11 of LPP, where the LIM domains of LPP are conserved. LPP is a known partner of fusion genes identified in mesenchymal tumors and reported to mediate TGF-β induced breast oncogenesis via its LIM domain. Additional validated, potentially pathogenic fusion genes identified in MCBs involved kinases, phosphatases or regulators of tyrosine kinase receptor signaling, such as IRAK3-PPM1H (n=1), GIGYF2–GFRA3 (n=1) and PHF20-FAM217B (n=1). Conclusions: MCBs harbor fusion genes in almost half of the cases with two fusions being recurrent, involving primarily genes encoding kinases, phosphatases or receptor tyrosine kinase signaling regulators. Nevertheless, due to the lack of recurrence of a specific fusion gene, this special histologic type of breast cancer is unlikely to be underpinned by a highly recurrent/ pathognomonic pathogenic fusion gene. Citation Format: Pareja F, Gularte-Merida R, Da Cruz Paula A, Brown D, Geyer FC, Piscuoglio S, Marchio C, Vincent-Salomon A, Brogi E, Weigelt B, Reis-Filho JS. Recurrent but not pathognomonic fusion genes in mucinous carcinomas of the breast [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-06-07.


Research has shown that oxytocin (OT) injection to periaqueductal gray (PAG) eases pain. We hypothesized that OT in PAG may eventually suppress the activity of pain perception neurons inside the spinal cord (SC), then block further aversion signals to the brain. Here, we confirmed that PAG receives OT-ergic axons from the paraventricular nucleus in rats. In PAG, optogenetically triggered axonal OT release evoked excitation in some neurons, and inhibition in others. Of these OT-excited neurons, active neurons alternated between one and the other as time passed, but the number of active neurons at each moment was continuously maintained at the same level at least for 300 s after laser beam stimulation. Further, OT release in PAG reduced pain-induced activity of SC neurons, whose effect reached maximum levels at approximately 220 s after the laser beam stimulation. Interestingly, in rats presented with pain but where OT release was not evoked, a similar time course of SC activity reduction was observed, but the magnitude of reduction was minor. Lastly, OT release in PAG raised the threshold of mechanical pain but not heat pain in inflammation model animals.


This paper treats the 3D nonlinear dynamic behavior of a rock-fill dam based on the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. The dam is situated in a steep, narrow, "V-shaped" rigid canyon. The concept of a massless rock foundation is treated, for which a certain part of the rock is included in the model. The dam-rock interface was modeled by contact elements, which allowed certain relative displacements between the two media of different stiffnesses. The generation of the 3D mathematical model was related to the topology of the terrain, and the nonlinear dynamic response was based on the "step-by-step" linear-acceleration direct-integration method, making use of the Wilson-θ method. The convergence process was in accordance with the Newton-Raphson method. First, the initial static effective stresses existing in the conditions of the established stationary filtration through the clayey core were defined. The analysis was based on an original FE program for the static and dynamic analyses of rock-fill dams, as well as a FE program for the solution of the stationary filtration process through the clayey core. The dynamic response of the 3D model of the dam was defined for the effect of harmonic excitations. Dynamic analyses in the linear and nonlinear domains were performed for the purpose of comparing the results. The time histories of the linear and nonlinear responses were defined for selected sections and nodes of the model, the tension cut-off zones, the plastic deformations, and the stress-shear strain relationships. The coefficient against the sliding of the potential sliding surfaces was also defined. It can be concluded that 3D analyses as well as a nonlinear material treatment of the soils built in the dam are imperative for a proper assessment of the stability of rock-fill dams situated in narrow canyons.


The complexity of ICT products and services has brought them to the level of disposable `species'. The combination of the race to optimal performance and disposability has resulted in considerable footprint and impact. Although approaches such as increasing efficiency, reducing the total cost of ownership, life cycle assessment and management, and circular economy have been put forward to manage and reduce the footprint and impact, the complexity of processes involved and especially invisibility of key but unobservable processes has resulted in some lower bounds for minimal achievable footprint. In this work, a modified approach to the Genetic Algorithm is proposed in order to introduce the notion of 'nondisposability' to the ICT products and services in order to implicitly influence and manage unobservable processes, and ultimately reduce the overall footprint and resource consumption. The proposed genetic algorithm is called FairGA, and it is compared with the traditional Genetic Algorithm against standard optimization functions. Also, the impact of the FairGA on the resource extraction has been illustrated with promising results.


In order to improve the educational quality and deepen educational reform,from August to October,2013,Medical School,Suzhou University delegated young backbone teachers to participate the teaching courses in the University of California,Los Angeles( UCLA). UCLA medical education integrates the foundation medicine,clinical medicine,and social medicine. The teaching system includes organ-or system-based curricular blocks. The central learning experience is the PBL sessions,and clinical medicine is purposely infiltrated into the teaching of foundation medicine. Combining the teaching system in UCLA with the actual situation in Soochow University,we put forward the direction of the reform in our medical education. To reform the traditional curriculum and to set basic medicine and clinical medicine integrated, organ system-based courses. To establish students and problem-centered CBL / PBL teaching mode and to carry out the doctoring practice. This reform will cultivate students ' autonomous learning,innovative thinking and clinical skills.


The analysis of the results of morphologic examination of vertebral body bone tissue obtained intraoperatively from 43 patients (20 - 67 years) with thoracic and lumbar spine injuries at different terms after trauma was performed. All patients were operated on via anterior approach to create ventral fusion. In the examined serial samples of vertebral body structures the quality and regeneration potential of bone tissue were assessed. It was shown that cell differentiation during the osteogenesis process was closely associated with angiogenesis. In the zones with active growth of microcirculatory bed vessels the normal cycle of osteoblast and osteocytes took place while hypoxia and acidosis resulted in pathologic osteogenesis. In patients under 50 years, both males and females) the full value consolidation time averaged 5 months. In patients over 50 years, independently of the gender, the decrease of spongy structures volume and bone mineral density was observed. The recommendations on surgical treatment tactics of patients with thoracic and lumbar vertebral body injuries were given.


There is no doubt that findings in ethology explaining the precise way by which varied cues concerning the behavior of others are integrated can be helpful in understanding the mechanisms which make it possible for one country to become a melting pot of different ethnic or racial groups, whereas centuries of close contacts between such groups in other countries will not have the same results. To understand more about these mechanisms and how they are influenced by the environment is certainly important for policy decisions in regard to shaping or structuring the environment. Moreover, if these findings reveal links between neurochemistry, neurophysiology, early childhood experience, socialization, and cultural background, as Masters claims, they should greatly advance the predictability of success or failure in social engineering. If insights in patterns of bonding and isolation, of flight and attack, or of mating lead to greater predictability of such behavior, this could well revolutionize the allocation of resources to solve the dreary tasks of policy makers and legal experts in the fields of criminal law, family law, education, and related areas. Such work could lead to a new evaluation of natural right and modifications in the definition of human life.