This paper describes a trajectory optimization algorithm that generates a quadric control update, which satisfies the constraints and necessary conditions to the second order. The algorithm is designed to solve multistage optimization problems. The algorithm is tested against a commercially available Sequential Quadratic Programming algorithm on problems with linear dynamics and linear and nonlinear constraints. This algorithm is a departure from previous methods because it explicitly satisfies the constraints to the second order. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This report is a summary overview of recent research trends and new developments based on papers presented at the Thin Film and Surface Physics Division Conference held at Niigata University in the fall of 2002 under the sponsorship of the Japan Society of Applied Physics. Covering a broad range of areas relating to thin films and surface physics, the conference is divided into six sub-areas of research, and a total of 474 papers were presented at this year's conference, an increase of 12% over last year. This increase was seen across the board for all areas. Some 77 of the presentations were recipients of Best Paper Awards (more than ever before) and the conference provides an ideal forum for the graduate students and young scientists who will be responsible for future advances to play an active role in delivering lively presentations and engaging in spirited question-and-answer sessions. This report will highlight a few of the papers in each research category that exemplify the current trends and unique developments in each of the areas covered by the conference.


Ponatinib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor with significant activity in heavily pretreated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, is a CYP3A4 substrate. This open‐label, nonrandomized, fixed‐order crossover study evaluated the effect of multiple oral doses of rifampin, a strong CYP3A4 inducer, on the pharmacokinetics of ponatinib (45 mg, single dose). Twenty healthy adults received ponatinib on day 1, rifampin 600 mg alone on days 8–13, 15, and 16, and rifampin 600 mg with ponatinib on day 14. Rifampin decreased maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration‐time curve (AUC) from time zero to time of last measurable concentration (AUC0‐t) and from time zero to infinity (AUC0‐∞) of ponatinib by 42%, 59%, and 63%, respectively, with no effect on time to Cmax. The limits of the 90% confidence intervals of the estimated geometric mean ratios of ponatinib Cmax, AUC0‐t, and AUC0‐∞ did not fall within the 80–125% margins for equivalence, suggesting a statistically significant interaction. Coadministration of ponatinib with strong CYP3A4 inducers should be avoided unless the benefit outweighs the possible risk of ponatinib underexposure, because the safety of ponatinib dose increases has not been studied in this context.


The regulation of collagen gene expression was studied in culture-activated rat hepatic stellate cells, the fibrogenic effector cell involved in hepatic fibrogenesis. Treatment of cells with a 5-lipoxygenase-specific inhibitor caused a reduction in αI(I) collagen mRNA transcript abundance, which suggested that leukotriene production was involved in maintaining the activated cell's high level of collagen mRNA production. The underlying mechanism involved a decrease in collagen gene transcription. Suppression of gene transcription was localized to an nuclear factor-1 (NF-1) binding domain in the proximal promoter and an AP-2 binding domain adjacent to it. Gel retardation assays demonstrated that an increase in AP-2 binding adjacent to the NF-1 site was likely to be the transmodulator responsible for the suppression of the NF-1-dependent gene expression. The data suggest that post-translational alterations in AP-2 activity are responsible for this unappreciated mechanism of regulating the collagen gene.


A guide for Health Impact Assessment, published by the California Department of Public Health, 2010. In California and the United States, the use of HIA is rapidly increasing, though without specific institutional mandates or extensive resources or guidance for practitioners. This Guide aims to fill a need in this emerging field by outlining key steps, activities, and issues in the HIA process. The Guide complements Practice Standards for Health Impact Assessment published on April 7, 2009 by the North American HIA Practice Standards Working Group (www.hiacollaborative.org). The intent of the Guide is to support current and prospective practitioners of impact assessment in California and the United States, to foster thoughtful and high-quality use of HIA, and to promote consideration of health in all policies. The Guide provides a brief background on HIA, an outline of essential and common tasks in the HIA process, discussion of common issues and challenges encountered in the HIA process, examples of and links to resources for practice. It also provides suggestions for integrating health analysis within the regulatory environmental impact assessment process, obtaining inclusion from diverse stakeholders, and evaluating the HIA process. The Guide may be useful for public health or regulatory agencies responsible for implementing HIAs.


All through the 19th century and one third of the 20th th, the Valencian region became one of the most important areas in the country where we could find a great presence of satirical press. A great deal of that press was written in a colloquial Catalonian full of sentence structures which used Valencian idioms or distorted grammatical structures which came from the Spanish language. In the Second Republic times, a humorous Valencian magazine, called La Traca, was on top of the sales of the all humorous press all over Spain, and even thought it had a Valencian version, La Chala, which also had a very good acceptance
among the local readers. Although this humorous tradition, which diminished significantly in the media because of General Franco�s Dictatorship, seems to have disappeared currently in the mass media,
people still talk about the existence of a typical Valencian humour both in the popular surroundings as well as in the academic field.


As the election approaches, many observers inside and outside Iran have begun speculating on the impact of its outcome on the country's nuclear program and on Tehran's negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the six countries collectively known as the P5+1—China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. No major event is likely to occur in the nuclear negotiations until the end of the election process and possibly the next president's inauguration.[1] Yet, this election cycle has a more intimate connection with the nuclear issue, not only by virtue of its impact on domestic politics and the country's economy, but also because former nuclear negotiators and decision-makers are running for office.[2]


The results of thermal modeling of the interaction of a gas production well with permafrost applied to Bovanenkovo gas-condensate field showed that for 30 years (well lifetime) the thawing halo of permafrost soils can reach 7-10 meters. However, for the interval equipped with vacuum thermal insulation of the lift pipe, there were no permafrost during the entire life cycle of the well, which confirms its high efficiency. Calculations showed that during 30 years of well operation on the Bovanenkovo up to 700 thousand m3 of methane could potentially be released, which is equivalent to a daily emission of up to 70 m3, as a result of gas hydrate bearing permafrost thawing. As a result of the assessment of the mechanical interaction of the gas production well with frozen soils, including permafrost containing relict methane hydrates, it was shown that the settlement of the thawed soils will be up to 3 meters, which will lead to the formation of collapsed crater and cavities with a depth of 4.5-6.5 meters, the volume of which will increase annually to 19 m3. The formed cavities should be considered as a accumulators of methane gas, formed in the process of dissociation of hydrate-containing soils.


MACROMOLECULAR substances are equally interesting and important from the scientific and from the practical angle. Their behavior in solution and bulk can in most cases be explained by the existence of a network of entangled long flexible chain molecules, which attract each other by intermolecular forces and exhibit a certain tendency to form areas of higher geometrical order. The ultimate mechanical thermal, and electrical properties of such polymeric materials depend in a gather complicated manner on the various qualities of the individual macromolecules and it will be the purpose of this lecture to describe briefly our present knowledge of the connections between molecular structure and macroscopic properties of high polymers. The materials under consideration cover a wide range of mechanical behavior, some of them are soft and rubbery, others are soft and plastic, others again are very hard and rigid, and others finally are rough and flexible. From the practical point of view ...


Introduction: There is increasing awareness about daytime sleepiness, snoring, and the associated obstructive apnea among diabetic patients. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of daytime sleepiness, sleep duration, and habitual snoring in type2 diabetes mellitus and study their relation to diabetes control. Material &Methods: This case-control study included 102 diabetics patients and 121 healthy controls recruited from a diabetic outpatient clinic in Omdurman –Sudan. Information collected include age, sex, body mass index (BMI), duration of sleep, habitual snoring, and the eight components of (ESS). Observation &Results: High statistical significant differences between diabetic patients and controls were found for daytime sleepiness, duration of sleep and age (P<0.001). A significant statistical difference was observed between diabetic patients with good and poor control regarding daytime sleepiness, snoring and body mass index (P<0.05). Conclusion: Daytime sleepiness and short sleeping hours were prevalent among patients with type2 diabetes and may impair diabetes control.


This paper looks into the economies of scope in revenue associated with financial conglomeration. In the first part, we presented a theoretical model of revenue enhancement brought about by the establishment of brand image and one-stop shopping. In the second part, we first studied the revenue enhancement effects due to the synergies between divisions that are engaged in different types of businesses, using the financial data of subsidiaries of three major financial conglomerates in Europe (ING Group, Allianz Group, and Credit Suisse Group) from 1998 to 2003. We then verified the existence of synergies between banking and insurance divisions of financial conglomerates, using the financial data of the respective banking and insurance divisions of fourteen European financial conglomerates. From among them, we collected the data of the respective banking divisions of twelve financial conglomerates, separately for personal banking and corporate banking, and determined the existence of synergies among the personal banking division, corporate banking division and insurance division of the financial conglomerates. As a result, we confirmed the existence of revenue synergies between banking operations and insurance operations, while no cost synergies have been observed in preceding studies.


Clinical pathologic conferences have been a popular form of teaching for many decades. This popularity in such presentations has found support not only because of the enlightening solutions derived to answer unexplained clinical puzzles, and stimulation acquired for continued research into both basic and clinical investigation, but moreover this form of exercise attempts to satisfy in part a basic need emotionally for physicians who are confronted with many challenging problems. The Cook County hospital staff has long used this medium for teaching house staff and attending physicians and in this volume Popper and Kushner have compiled examples of cardiovascular-renal problems.


Contaminated sites remediation is one of the hot points in environmental protection fields. Therefore, an important research project is how to expediently determine the bound and level of pollution of contaminated sites. This may help to decide on a timely and accurate rescue plan so as to minimize the costs and to improve the effect of restoration. This is also the basis of contaminated sites remediation acceptance. There are many influencing factors to confirm the remediation areas on contaminated sites. Studies show that three-dimensional interpolation method is effective tool to delimit the pollution scope. Different three-dimensional interpolation methods have different results in contaminate distribution prediction and directly affect the boundary of contamination. This paper selects one specific case with heavy metal lead contamination to study three-dimensional interpolation methods. The three-dimensional stratigraphic model is established for uncertainty analysis and error analysis in the grid through KrigingIDW(Shepard) and nearest neighbor interpolation method. Results show that 40m*40m grids have the highest accuracy of stratigraphic simulation. Nearest neighbor interpolation method is most suitable for stratigraphic model building. Kriging interpolation method is more suitable for constructing three-dimensional pollutant prediction model. On the basis of above, this text established one distribution prediction model of soil lead contamination, and calculated the contaminated earthwork quantity under different remediation goals. Finally, the paper achieved three-dimensional visualization of the site soil contamination. This study can be directly applied to the actual site remediation decision process, and is helpful for the contaminated sites evaluation and restoration in the future.


The stock market plays an important role in the economic development of countries. Network analysis is one of the latest methods in analyzing the stock market. It is a new concept for a macro view of the whole market in quantitative science literature. Therefore, this research analyzes the available Shareholder network in the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2013 to 2017. This research is based on a type of data collected and analyzed is quantitative research. And, its' type is network analysis. The research results indicate that many of shareholders are connected to each other, although a class structure governs their relations. Some of the shareholders, in comparison with others, have a better position. Having a better position caused them to encounter fewer mediators in gaining access to other shareholders, and also easier access to available resources. The shareholders' ability in gaining access to information through the cluster of network members enhances too. Therefore, it is claimed that these shareholders can play the role of key actors in the governing structure. Also, the results of the Pareto distribution indicate that the distribution of power among the Shareholders is approximately 25/75, that is, 75 per cent of the strength in the hands of 25 per cent of the Shareholders.


Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with cardiac amyloidosis.Methods The clinical data of 14 patients with cardiac amyloidosis were retrospectively analysed.Results The patients with cardiac amyloidosis had characteristics of large atriums and hypertrophic ventricular walls in echocardiography.And they also had low limb lead voltage in ECG.The ratio of(SV5+RV1)and left ventricle crossing area of all patients were obviously lower than 1.5.Biopsy behaved staining of congo red.And most patients had renal,dermatic and gastrointestinal involvements.Conclusion The patients of cardiac dysfunction with the characteristics of restrictive cardiomyopathy in echocardiogram and feature of low limb lead voltage in ECG,have the possibility of cardiac amyloidosis and need to prove it through biopsy.(SV5+RV1)/CSA may be a promising method for screening cardiac amyloid.


The modern education technology training is a special teaching task that it must choose the advanced teaching technique according to the real teaching practice. The teachers should not only know the new model of the education of information times well but grasping the advanced operation skills. So choosing the teaching contents must be related to the special teaching target during the teaching procedure to set the teaching and techniques.


We propose a digital information hiding technique in which we use a combination of a random sequence and the Hadamard matrix to hide multiple information in a digital image. Earlier work used only one random sequence multiplied by an information signal to spread the spectrum of the information signal, making it difficult for a third party to detect the information signal or jam it. But in the case of hiding multiple information in the same digital image, the use of only different random sequences that are generally not orthogonal to each other has some problems because of the cross-correlation between the sequences. Thus we present a new information hiding scheme that can be used to hide multiple information using both a random sequence that spreads the energy level of the data to be hidden and a Hadamard matrix, which results in the random sequence being uncorrelated.


The "social fact" of heroin use and abuse in the United States today is a particularly tragic and troubling one. In February 2000, The National Drug Intelligence Center reported the "hardcore addict" population to be between 750,000 and 1,000,000. Additionally, there are a large number of "occasional" or "casual" users of heroin. On the streets of Boston today, a bag of heroin costs around $10 ... less than one Oxycontin (which sells for at least $10 per milligram) or two mixed drinks in a "classy" establishment, and as much as a case of cheap beer. The World Socialist Web Site, in July 2000, printed an interesting statement which may serve as a launching pad for this discussion. Quoting a Public Health officer in Seattle, it reads: "Dr. Oxman thinks he is commenting on the relative cheapness of the drug when he says, 'In today's economy you can work a minimum-wage job and scrape up enough for housing and food and be a heroin addict,' but, in fact, he is pointing unwittingly to a harsh reality of American life. The main point is not so much that young people who work in a convenience store or fastfood restaurant--and see no better prospect in the offing--can afford to do drugs, but that so many feel they need to." Why do they feel they need to? If evaluated rationally, a risk/benefit analysis of heroin use should lead to its total and near immediate extinction. According to a 1997 National Institutes of Health "Research Report" entitled "Heroin Abuse and Addiction," short term medical complications of heroin use include constipation, inability to urinate, nausea/vomiting, lowered blood pressure (which can lead to fainting after using) and slowed respirations. Long term medical complications include "scarred and /or collapsed veins, bacterial infections of the blood vessels and heart valves, abscesses and other soft-tissue infections, liver or kidney disease, lung complications (TB, pneumonia)," and the risks of contracting Hepatitis B and/or C and HIV- not to mention the very real risks of overdose, coma and death. Heroin withdrawal symptoms, though rarely fatal in themselves, are extremely uncomfortable. Symptoms include: sleepiness, tearing of the eyes, muscle aches and spasms, stomach cramps, hyperventilation, hypothermia, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, "goose bumps," anxiety and hostility. S.H., a dear friend who has used IV heroin for almost 30 years (and has withdrawn many times) describes another symptom--the feeling that his "skin is crawling--as if there are bugs and worms inside my skin and they are all moving at once. I can't get away from it and I can't stop it. It makes me want to rip all my skin off my own body." He can tolerate the nausea and vomiting, but one can truly feel his panic as he anticipates the moment when his skin will begin to crawl. The "benefits" of heroin use are, to an extent, related to dose, route, and the purity of the drug used. The peak effects of intravenous heroin are felt within eight to thirty seconds. Effects of intramuscular injection are felt in five to eight minutes, while smoking or snorting produce peak effects in ten to fifteen minutes. The initial effect is a "rush" of warmth, well-being and euphoria, and the relief of physical pain, stress and anxiety. Respirations and heart rate slow, and after the initial "rush," a period of sedation ("the nod") follows, often lasting several hours. In his book Heroin, Humberto Fernandez writes, "...all of these effects occur almost immediately, giving the user instant gratification. To the addict, (physical) ill effects ... are a small price to pay for the analgesia, or elimination of physical and emotional pain that a dose of heroin provides.... It is no wonder that this euphoria is found to be so compelling psychologically and physically; after all, pain and pleasure are our most primal motivators. Thus, the compulsion to use despite adverse consequences is fueled by very basic brain functions, perhaps the most important elements to consider when trying to understand why someone would use such a dangerous, addictive substance" (Fernandez 57). …


Many aspects of cave animal biology cannot be understood through field observations alone. Access to some subterranean habitats is often technically challenging, rendering long-term monitoring of cave-dwelling species or investigating some aspects of their biology difficult. Also, contemporary research questions and methods require sampling individuals at certain life stages, and most cave adapted species have lengthy life spans or are not accessible in their natural habitats year-round. Therefore, we have established an animal facility in our laboratory where we keep cave-dwelling and related surface-dwelling crustacean species under controlled conditions. This allows us to study physiological and behavioral adaptations and the role of phenotypic plasticity in the evolution of these traits in cave dwellers. We are culturing freshwater, marine, and terrestrial isopods from three different families (Asellidae, Sphaeromatidae, and Trichoniscidae), among others. To date, we have established breeding colonies of several different cave and surface species pairs of aquatic asellids, and our most successful colonies have lived for two years and three generations. We have also established colonies of cave (freshwater) and surface (marine) sphaeromatids with varying degrees of success. Among terrestrial trichoniscids, colonies of cave species have persisted for more than two years, but without successful reproduction. Our repeated attempts to maintain surface species of Trichoniscus have been unsuccessful. Here we present our experiences to provide guidance for other researchers making similar attempts. We discuss general care practices such as decontamination of equipment and tools, quarantine, good and bad practices for small aquarium and terrarium design, housing, water treatment and conditioning, various food sources, and breeding approaches. We also review some of the problems we have encountered with our colonies and describe our attempts to solve them with varying degrees of success.


The design and operation of a simple but sensitive mobility analyzer for small, charged particles is described. The unit employs a system whereby the aerosol is introduced into the parallel plate collector system surrounded by an air sheath. The latter uses clean, dry air to prevent any leakage problems with the supporting insulators. The use of this aerosol filament allows for high resolution as shown by initial tests with a fine, platinum aerosol.


Abstract We describe a nephrogenic adenoma of the bladder in a 14‐year‐old girl with Turner's syndrome. The patient also had a past history of urological surgery for vesicoureteral reflux. In this case, the multifocal lesions were successfully treated by transurethral resection.


Epistemic frame theory has guided research using epistemic games, which are computer games focused on rich professional enculturation. Among other things, this theory characterizes communities of practice in terms of their epistemologies, which encompass the standards communities use to justify claims or actions. By drawing on contemporary perspectives in the subfield of research focused on epistemic cognition, this piece argues in favor of disambiguating enacted and professed epistemic cognition in epistemic frame theory, as well as attending to more nuances of the contexts of players' actions. These factors affect how we model communities of practice in games, how we assess players' capabilities, and what types of data we might include in our analyses of players' activity. By integrating with the epistemic cognition scholarship, games researchers could enrich their own work, while also leveraging some unique advantages of game-based learning to support broader goals in the scholarly community.


The crystalline and electrical properties of $\mathrm{Ge}_{1-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Sn}_{\mathrm{x}}/\mathrm{Ge}_{1-\mathrm{x}-\mathrm{y}}\mathrm{Si}_{\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Sn}_{\mathrm{y}}$ quantum well (QW) structures have been investigated. We fabricated QW samples with QW structure of 15-nm-thick Ge0.91Sn0.09 well without any spacer layers (sample A) and 2-nm-thick Ge0.91Sn0.09 well with GeSn (Sn: 1-2%) spacer layers (sample B). From current density-voltage (J-V) characterizations at 10 K, both QW diode samples exhibited non-Ohmic characteristics. Moreover, a peak obviously exists at ~0.5 V in the forward bias region for sample B. This result infers the potential to further develop $\mathrm{Ge}_{1-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Sn}_{\mathrm{x}}$ -based resonant tunneling diodes by using the $\mathrm{Ge}_{1-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Sn}_{\mathrm{x}}/\mathrm{Ge}_{1-\mathrm{x}-\mathrm{y}}\mathrm{Si}_{\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Sn}_{\mathrm{y}}$ QW structure.


Kaempferia galanga L. is an aromatic and medicinal herb of the family Zingeberaceae.The plant is propagated through rhizomes for which various pathogens are transmittedthrough it. Conventional breeding methods are ineffective for producing disease free cropbut in vitro regeneration can serve the purpose. Direct in vitro regeneration using shoot budsin Murashige and Skoog media supplemented with various concentrations and combinationsof cytokinin were used for regeneration. The sprouts responded within 3-4 weeks. Maximumnumber of plantlets were observed in the media supplemented with 4 mg/L BAP (4.33shoots/explant) when different cytokinins were used alone. Combinations of BAP andkinetin produced better results. Maximum regeneration was observed in mediasupplemented with 3 mg/l BAP + 4 mg/l kinetin (6.52). Decline in the rate of regenerationwere observed after 1st or 2nd subcultures depending upon the plant growth regulator/s.Rooting followed shooting in all the hormone combinations. High survival percentage wasobserved on hardening. The regenerated plantlets were detected to be pathogen free.


1 Wind erosion is a major environmental problem affecting land resources and socio-economic settings in Iran. This paper outlines a study undertaken to provide a new tool to manage wind erosion from physical and economic perspectives. The southern part of the Varamin Plain in south of Tehran is used as a case study. The focus of this study is on exploring the economic and physical impacts of vegetation-based scenarios for wind erosion management as well as conducting a trade-off analysis using the multi-criteria-decision-making (MCDM) technique. This involves developing a modeling system to assist decision makers in formulating scenarios, analysing the impact of these scenarios on wind erosion, and interpreting and suggesting appropriate scenarios for implementation in the area. The Iran Research Institute of Forests and Ranges (IRIFR 1) model has been selected to create the wind erosion hazard maps. This was carried out for the present condition and also for the corresponding conditions of the scenarios. The IRIFR 1 considers having the ability to represent the model complex interactions between system variables in arid and semi-arid areas of Iran. Among 16 scenarios for wind erosion management, the most appropriate ones have been chosen considering the trade-offs associated with the outcomes.


This paper reports the result of a preliminary study on the pre-conceptual understanding on measurement and uncertainty of physics students (n = 102) enrolled in an algebra – based physics at the University of the Philippines Los Banos. All the students included in this study have never taken any college level physics prior to the conduct of the study. Using the Physics Measurement Questionnaires (PMQ1), this study evaluates the pre- conceptual understanding of the students, based on point and interval paradigm, on the following areas of measurement: single analogue and digital measurement, reason for repeating measurement, and data set processing and on the nature of measurement. This study finds that students, who are entering their first physics course, have different view on the ideas of measurement with majority subscribing to the belief that measurement is a deterministic process rather than probabilistic. The result of the study can be helpful in developing curriculum intended for physics laboratory instruction.


Purpose - The purpose of this research is to investigate market entry modes selection of Swedish SMEs concerning their entry in Chinese market. The information we extracted from various Swedish SME ...


Genomic medicine requires to collect and use a huge amount of patient and citizen data. Therefore, the Belgian Minister of Public Health decided to organize a citizen forum on the ethical, legal and societal issues (ELSI) surrounding the use of genomic information in healthcare. This initiative follows the trend of public involvement in Europe regarding ELSI in genomics.
 During three weekends, a panel of 32 citizens, informed by experts of different backgrounds, produced political recommendations. We will focus on their conception of solidarity, which is crucial to take into account when considering policies on data sharing in genomics.
 Citizens of the panel consider their genome simultaneously as the individual's property and as something to be shared for the common good. As a consequence, the panel agrees to support solidarity provided individual interests, such as privacy protection, are respected. By solidarity, the panel means supporting genomic data sharing for the common good, which they define as scientific research that improves knowledge (on both prevention and diagnostics) to build a fair society where everyone has an equal opportunity to live healthy.
 According to the panel, the government should actively encourage citizens to share their genomic data, but no one can be forced to do it. For instance, the government could motivate citizens to share their genomic data by partially reimbursing genomic tests undertaken without medical prescription. However, because everyone has an equal right to live healthy, the panel esteems that genomic tests for medical needs should be accessible for all, thanks to a well-thought-out and sustainable refund system.

 Citizens support solidarity in genomic medicine, but demand proportional individual protection. As citizens become increasingly important stakeholders in genomic medicine, all public authorities should actively engage citizens in relevant healthcare policies.


grown by 24 percent. DLLs, defined as children ages 8 and under with at least one parent who speaks a language other than English at home, now make up nearly one-third of all young children in the United States and more than 20 percent of the young child population in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Across the United States, DLLs are less likely than their peers to enroll in high-quality early childhood programs, even though they stand to benefit disproportionately from such services. Ensuring these young learners have an equal opportunity to get their academic careers off to a good start requires strategic policies that support access to high-quality programs for DLLs and their families.


Lung cancer incidence is more than any other type of cancer. The death rate due to lung cancer can be avoided if it is detected earlier with the help of Computed Tomography (CT) images and classifying them either as benign or malignant by an effective Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) System. Deep Learning is gaining traction nowadays in almost all fields of human endeavors. It is beginning to play an inimitable role in detecting lung nodules giving accurate results and thereby reducing the need for human intervention. In this paper, two-layered Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) named as ConvLung was developed to classify lung nodules into benign and malignant types and its performance was compared with the state-of-the-art pretrained CNN architectures. It was observed that deep transfer learning based CNNs such as the Xception network and Inception-ResNet50v2 network can differentiate benign and malignant nodules in a better manner when compared to the ConvLung model.


Many machine learning and pattern recognition algorithms rely heavily on good distance metrics to achieve competitive performance. While distance metrics can be learned, the computational expense of doing so is currently infeasible on large datasets. In this paper, we propose two efficient-and-effective approaches for selecting the training dataset using Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH) with discriminative information, and with K-Means clustering inside LSH buckets, for accelerating metric learning. Our methods yield a speedup factor of (N/C)2, where N is training set size and C ≪ N is the user-selected compressed set size, achieving quadratic speedup to metric learning often realized as a 1-2 or more orders of magnitude improvement with little degradation to accuracy. For example, our generic filter approach enables the current overall fastest Large Margin Nearest Neighbor (LMNN) to learn metrics on one million samples in 6.8 minutes down from 5.4hrs-a 48x speedup. LMNN and similar state-of-the-art methods use tree data structures to speed up nearest-neighbor queries-an advantage that degrades at higher dimensions. Our approach does not share this limitation.


The European and American literatures on interest groups developed largely separately in previous decades. Europeans were more commonly rooted in studies of policy systems and Americans more concerned with precise tactics of lobbying or the membership calculus following from the work of Mancur Olson. Recent developments suggest that the literatures have begun to be much more closely aligned. We focus on three major points of convergence. First is the impact of governmental structures on the development of national interest group systems. Using examples from the US and the EU, we discuss the co-evolution of groups and the state. Looking both over time and across issue domains, groups are more active when and where the state is more active. Second, we look at the impact of government structures on the locus of advocacy. Originally explored in the US context, multi-level governance structures in European settings have led to consideration of the concept of venue-shopping. Finally, we discuss how groups in both systems adjust their lobbying strategies to their political context. Our review suggests that the study of groups, long divided by different perspectives may begin to benefit from substantially more convergence of research interests.


In this paper, the design of a novel photodetector, working at 1.55μm and completely silicon compatible, is reported. The device is a resonant cavity enhanced (RCE) structure incorporating a silicon photodetector based on the internal photoemission effect. In order to quantify the performance of photodetector, quantum efficiency including the image force effect as a function of bias voltage are analytically calculated. Moreover we propose a comparison among three different Schottky barrier Silicon photodetectors, having as metal layers gold, silver or copper, respectively.


Well crystallized zinc ferrite powder has been synthesized from a mixed-metal solution of ZnCl2 and FeCl2 near room temperature. A single phase of zinc ferrite was formed through the so-called green-rust structure containing Fe2+, Fe3+, Zn2+, OH– and Cl– at a temperature range of 30–60 °C, after aging for more than 2 h. Below 25 °C, the greenrust phase transformed to an amorphous phase by aging, which can be crystallized to spinel by heating above 400 °C.


Abstract : The primary objective of this research is to make nanocomposites with the incorporation of thermally stable silicate nanolayers in the polymer matrix. Several functionalized imidazolium clays, functionalized anionic clays, and silylated apophylites were synthesized and characterized by XRD and TGA. Thermal studies of functionalized clay have shown that the onset decomposition temperature of imidazolium functionalized clay (>325 deg C), alpha amino napthononate exchanged layered double hydroxide (NLDH) (approx. 300 deg C), and covalently silylated apophyllite (approx. 420 deg C) can exceed the onset temperature of conventional organoclays (approx. 260 deg C). Chemorheological measurements of 2 wt% organoclay filled epoxy have shown that the processing window is pretty wide after the addition of the organic layered-silicate to epoxy resin. The thermal stability of epoxy seems to be influenced by the addition of clay and diluent used in the epoxy system. In many cases, higher char yield for nanocomposites was observed suggesting clay is serving as catalyst and acting as barrier in the decomposition of the epoxy matrix. We also studied the thermal stability of tetra functional epoxy nanocomposite and a consistent small improvement in the onset temperature of the nanocomposite was noticed.


Background: Ensartinib (X-396) is a novel ALK inhibitor with high activity against a broad range of crizotinib-resistant ALK mutations (such as G1269A, F1174, C1156Y, and T1151) and CNS metastases. This Phase I study (NCT02959619) determined the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended Phase II dose (RP2D), investigated the safety and PK, and explored the clinical efficiency for the compound as monotherapy in Chinese ALK+ NSCLC patients. Methods: Patients with advanced ALK+ NSCLC were treated with oral ensartinib (150, 200, 225, or 250 mg once daily) using a conventional 3+3 dose escalation design. The dose-escalation evaluated patients in 28-day cycles. In the dose-expansion phase, ensartinib was given at the recommended dose to further explore PK and clinical efficacy. Treatment was continued until disease progression, or unacceptable toxicity. Results: Between March, 2017 and August, 2018, 48 patients were enrolled. 43 patients were locally detected ALK positive by FISH or IHC (VANTANA), 5 patients harbored with ROS1 fusion. In 43 ALK positive patients, 32 patients were ALK TKI-naive while 11 patients progressed on prior molecular targeted therapy (including 10 crizotinib-treatment and 2 ceritinib- or alectinib-treatment). Two DLTs were observed in the 250 mg dose cohort (grade 3 rash). All patients experienced at least one treatment-related adverse event, in which 19 (39.6%) had grade 3 or higher events with skin rash (16.7%) as the most common one. Ensartinib was moderately absorbed (median time to max concentration: 3.00-4.00 h) and slowly eliminated (mean half-life: 21.0-30.2 h). In multiple dose administration, a steady-state concentration of ensartinib was reached after 8-15 days. The geometric mean AUC0-tau and Cmax of ensartinib at 225 mg were 6950 h*ng/mL and 435 ng/mL, respectively. The ratio of drug concentration in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to that in plasma was 1.31-2.05% in 6 patients treated with ensartinib. Objective tumor responses were observed across all dose cohorts. In 46 evaluable patients, the objective response rates (ORR) and disease control rates (DCR) were 71.7% (1 CR and 32 PR) and 84.8% (6 SD), respectively. In ALK positive patients, the ORR and DCR were 80.5% (33/41) and 87.8% (36/41). The ORRs and DCRs at ≥225mg were 68.6% (24/35) and 85.7% (30/35), respectively. The confirmed ORR was 90.0% (27/30) in ALK TKI-naive patients compared to 54.5% (6/11) in ALK TKI-resistant patients. The ORR and DCR in 16 patients with baseline brain metastases were 75% and 75%, respectively. At data cut-off (07-Nov-2019), the median PFS for all 46 evaluable patients was 17.1 months (95% CI 6.3-27.9), and was 20.4 months (95% CI 13.2-27.6) for ALK positive patients, 8.6 months (95% CI 0-24.8) for ROS1 fusion patients. The median PFS was 24.5 months (95% CI 17.4-31.6) and 4.2 months (95% CI 0-8.9) for ALK TKI-naive and ALK TKI-resistant patients, respectively. Conclusions: Ensartinib was well tolerated in Chinese ALK-positive NSCLC patients with high antitumor activity. RP2D was established at 225 mg QD. Ensartinib could penetrate the blood-brain barrier with a CSF/plasma concentration ratio of 1.65%, supporting its remarkable intracranial efficacy. A global randomized phase 3 trial of ensartinib versus crizotinib in NSCLC patients who have not previously been treated with ALK TKIs is underway (NCT02767804). Citation Format: Hongyun Zhao, Yuxiang Ma, Yang Zhang, Shaodong Hong, Wenfeng Fang, Yunpeng Yang, Jianjin Huang, Jing Zhao, Yan Huang, Lieming Ding, Li Mao, Giovanni Selvaggi, Li Zhang. Ensartinib (X-396), a novel ALK TKI, in Chinese ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer: A phase I, dose-escalation and expansion study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 579.


Having a fine uneven shape on the surface of one uneven surface layer and at least a surface of the uneven shape and a water-repellent layer formed of a substantially constant thickness on the surface of the one side of the layer, the concave-convex shape surface of the one side of the floor side adding a bridging member for holding the heating microscopic concavo-convex shape after stretching, wherein the water-repellent layer is provided with a hydrophobic oxide are formed from the olefin-based copolymer resin containing water-repellent fine particles comprising the thermoplastic resin sheet is provided. Molded articles, such as molded containers formed by heat molding such a thermoplastic resin sheet is also provided.


Objective: To explore effective reconstruction of the defects of tongue following total glossectomy with extended vertical lower trapezius island myocutaneous flap. Methods: Eleven patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue were treated with glossectomy and repaired with extended vertical lower trapezius island myocutaneous flap based with the transverse cervical artery for the defect of tongue. The size of the skin paddle varied from 8 cm * 6 cm to 9 cm * 7 cm. Results: No major flap failure and no shoulder dysfunction occurred. All of the patients had uneventful postoperative courses and began to intake food perorally 8 to 15 days postoperatively. The patients were followed for 8 to 26 months (average 20.6 months). The function of the tongue for speech and swallowing were satisfactory. Conclusion: The extended vertical lower trapezius island myocutaneous flap was suitable for


AbstractIn 1856 Chebyshev stated that if a conformal map projection of a region is bounded by a line of constant scale, the projection has the minimum possible scale error for the region. It is possible to develop such lines which closely approximate ovals, regular polygons or rectangles, using the well-established complex-algebra transformation of the Stereographic projection. Since a map is usually bounded by a rectangle, the use of appropriate transformation coefficients to achieve lines approaching this shape permits the design of conformal sheet maps with less distortion than that found on other projections.


Subterranean rodents are specialized species adapt to process by environment in long-term underground,their auditory system appears a series of adaptive evolution,summarizes the rise,their auditory sensitive frequency approach to low frequency,and tends to sound in the propagation of the underground consistent hole ability.Hearing mechanisms is a core problem of research on the mechanism of cochlear activities.This article is based on the cochlea anatomy basic research,ion channels research,seismic communication,and hearing range of Myospalax cansu.Hearing mechanism provides further research for subterranean rodents.


A novel design of FIR filter for adaptive equalization in PRML read channels is presented. Two aspects of a design are considered: architecture level and implementation. The realization of this FIR structure introduces new architectural solutions. Those solutions are exploiting beneficial properties of both conventional FIR architectures, which allows for low computation latency at high operating frequencies, and ease of trading between parallel and pipelined structure. The implementation of this FIR structure uses the channel noise property knowledge to determine acceptable level of truncation/rounding and applies optimal automated special-purpose multiplication method to further minimize overall latency of the filter.


Market economy has deeply effected on the undergraduates' obtaining employment, and yet there are many potencial problems with the changes, which have influence on the employment of the undergraduate and social development. The article discusses it from four aspects, that is how to treat morality versus benefit; spirit; subjectivity and values.


This paper proposes ENTROMIN and ENTROMAX criteria based on entropy for orthogonal factor rotation and their computational algorithms. One of the main advantages of themethods is that they can be used for assessing and comparing the parsimony of factor structuresby the measure of relative entropy. Illustrative analyses are presented to examine the availability of the proposed methods. Results of applications of the methods are compared with resultsobtained using principal factor solution followed by VARIMAX rotation.


We report non‐invasive 3D imaging of capillary blood flow within human finger cuticle by the use of Doppler optical microangiography (DOMAG) and ultra‐high sensitive optical microangiography (UHS‐OMAG) techniques. Wide velocity range DOMAG method is applied to provide red blood cell (RBC) axial velocity mapping in capillary loops with ranges of ±0.9 mm/s and ±0.3 mm/s. Additionally, UHS‐OMAG technique is engineered to acquire high resolution image of capillary morphology. The presented results are promising to facilitate clinical trials of treatment and diagnosis of various diseases such as diabetes, Raynaud's phenomenon, and connective tissue diseases by quantifying cutaneous blood flow changes within human finger cuticle. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Background and Purpose— Thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a recently identified fibrinolysis inhibitor in plasma. The purpose of this work was to study TAFI levels in the acute phase of ischemic stroke and their relationship with stroke evolution. Methods— In 30 consecutive ischemic stroke patients, TAFI plasma levels were measured by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (percentage of the pooled reference kit expressed as mean±SD) and compared with the values obtained in 30 healthy control subjects. All samples were drawn within the first 24 hours after symptom onset (mean, 4.6 hours) and before any treatment was started. Results— TAFI plasma concentration was significantly higher (P <0.001) in stroke patients (158.4±53.2%) than in healthy control subjects (105.6±30.2%). The highest TAFI levels were found in cases of neurological deterioration (worsening, 198.1±63.0%; stability, 130.5±39.3%; improvement, 173.9±52.0%;P =0.057). Conclusions— High levels of TAFI are found in the acute phase of ischemic stroke.


Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the common and widely distributed metabolic diseases all over the world. This disease is characterized by hyperglycemia that results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. Previous studies reported negative complications of diabetes on the male genital system with associated gonadal dysfunction. Different medicinal plant species were used as a traditional treatment for diabetes mellitus long times ago. Aim of the work: As diabetes had been reported to affect the male genital system, this work was aimed to investigate the antidiabetic effects of the aqueous extract of the following herbs: Ambrosia maritima, L. (Damsissa), Chrozophoratinctoria, L. (Sammo), Artemisia annua, L. (Kaysom) and Artemisia judaica, L. (Sheeh) on the testis' histology in the alloxan-induced diabetic male albino rats. Material and Methods: This study was performed on sixty male albino rats with an average 100-110 g body weight. The animals were divided into six groups (10/cage); Group1 (Control untreated-group), Group 2 (Alloxan-induced diabetic group), Group 3 (diabetic group treated orally with "28.5 mg/kg body wt. twice/day" of the Damsissa extract), Group 4 (diabetic group treated orally with "28.5 mg/kg body wt. twice/day" of the Sammo extract), Group 5(diabetic group treated orally with "28.5 mg/kg body wt. twice/day" of the Kaysom extract)and Group 6 (diabetic group treated orally with "28.5 mg/kg body wt. twice/day" of the Sheeh extract). Results: Considerable improvements in the testicular tissue morphological changes that were observed in diabetic groups had been detected after treatment with Damsissa and Sammo in comparison to the control group. These improvements were less obvious after Kaysom and Sheeh treatment. Conclusion: It could be concluded that Damsissa and Sammo can guard against the negative effects of diabetes on the testis.


Tensors are commonly used to describe physical and mechanical phenomena. The concept of tensors was introduced in physics and later refined in mathematics, especially in the field of tensor algebra. Tensors are used in different scientific areas, for example medicine, geology, physics and mechanics. However, due to the inherent complexity of tensor data, analysis and interpretation is often difficult; this has led to the development of tensor data visualization methods. Tensor field visualization is a sub-branch of scientific visualization. Scientific visualization focuses on scalar-based and vector-based methods. For tensor field visualization these methods are extended, as tensors are multivariate by nature and encode more information. The meaning of individual components of a tensor is not obvious without context; a tensor forms one entity that must be analyzed as a whole. The tensor invariants, e.g. eigenvalues and eigenvectors, provide a useful means of analysis. The focus in this thesis is on stress and strain tensors. This work is concerned with two different visualization approaches for 2D segmented tensor fields. Based on a pre-computed segmentation of the original tensor field, a geometry-based discrete visualization and a piecewise continuous texture-based visualization are presented. The segmentation of the tensor field allows extraction of regions with similar properties. These regions are given as explicit cells and serve as the basis for the visualization. The task of the geometry-based visualization approach is to place a geometric icon in each extracted cell. The icon represents chosen tensor characteristics for the extracted cell. In order to visualize these characteristics, the eigenvalues are transformed to a restricted positive interval. This approach is a modification of glyph placement, which is a well-known in tensor field visualization method. In contrast to discrete visual representation of the tensor field by glyphs, texture-based visualization provides a piecewise continuous representation. The characteristic features of the tensor field regions and directions of compressive and expansive forces are represented by textures. An input texture pattern is aligned according to the eigenvector field, scaled by the transformed eigenvalues and mapped onto each cell. As proof of concept, the methods developed in this thesis are applied to synthetic datasets and the visualization approaches are compared.


From Introduction: "The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the coal from beds mined in the Schwager and Lota mines will produce metallurgical coke suitable for use in the blast furnaces at the proposed steel plant at Conception, and whether the quality of the lower-rank coals from other areas in Chile, especially those in Magallanes, where the large coal reserves of Chile appear to exist; can be improved by processing."


Fluorescence titration methods and equilibrium dialysis were used to study the thermodynamics of the interaction of doxorubicin, the β anomer of doxorubicin, daunorubicin, and hydroxyrubicin with DNA. All of these except hydroxyrubicin carry a net charge of +1 at neutral pH, arising from the protonation of the daunosamine moiety. Hydroxyrubicin is a synthetic anthracycline antibiotic in which the amine moiety has been replaced by a hydroxyl group, which is uncharged but polar at neutral pH. The comparative binding studies we describe offer a unique opportunity to evaluate the electrostatic contributions to the DNA binding free energy of these anthracycline antibiotics and to test specific predictions arising from current polyelectrolyte theory as applied to ligand-DNA interactions


Abstract: The passage of substances across the blood‐brain barrier is regulated by cerebral capillaries which possess certain distinctly different morphological and enzymatic properties compared to capillaries of other organs. Investigations of the functional characteristics of brain capillaries have been facilitated by the use of cultured brain endothelial cells, but in most studies a number of characteristics of the in vivo system are lost. To provide an in vitro system for studies of brain capillary functions, we developed a method of isolating and producing a large number of bovine brain capillary endothelial cells. These cells, absolutely free of pericyte contamination, are subcultured, at the split ratio of 1:20 (20‐fold increase of the cultured surface), with no apparent changes in cell morphology up to the fiftieth generation (10 passages). Retention of endothelial‐specific characteristics (factor V11I‐related antigen, angiotensin‐converting enzyme, and nonthrombogenic surface) is shown for brain capillary‐derived endothelial cells up to passage 10, even after frozen storage at passage 3. Furthermore, we showed that bovine brain capillary endothelial cells retain, up to the fiftieth generation, some of the characteristics of the blood‐brain barrier: occurrence of tight junctions, paucity of pinocytotic vesicles, and monoamine oxidase activity


Ubiquitous Computing describes a concept where computing appears around us at any time and any location. Respective systems rely on context-sensitivity and adaptability. This means that they constantly collect data of the user and his context to adapt its functionalities to certain situations. Hence, the development of Ubiquitous Computing systems is not only a technical issue and must be considered from a privacy, legal and usability perspective, too. This indicates a need for several experts from different disciplines to participate in the development process, mentioning requirements and evaluating design alternatives. In order to capture the knowledge of these interdisciplinary teams to make it reusable for similar problems, a pattern logic can be applied. In the early phase of a development project, requirement patterns are used to describe recurring requirements for similar problems, whereas in a more advanced development phase, design patterns are deployed to find a suitable design for recurring requirements. However, existing literature does not give sufficient insights on how both concepts are related and how the process of deriving design patterns from requirements (patterns) appears in practice. In our work, we give insights on how trust-related requirements for Ubiquitous Computing applications evolve to interdisciplinary design patterns. We elaborate on a six-step process using an example requirement pattern. With this contribution, we shed light on the relation of interdisciplinary requirement and design patterns and provide experienced practitioners and scholars regarding UC application development a way for systematic and effective pattern utilization.


A real gas calculation model is developed using the P-R equation of state to investigate the injection and mixing characteristics of supercritical RP-3 aviation kerosene in the combustion chamber. In this investigation, n-decane is used as an alternative fuel, and the physical parameters of n-decane at the supercritical state are calculated. The jet and mixing characteristics of supercritical kerosene in different combustion chamber models are investigated by this calculation model. The combustion chamber head configuration suitable for supercritical kerosene is obtained by analyzing the spatial inhomogeneity, the deviation of equivalent ratio fluctuation, and the mixing degree.


A dynamic joint call admission control algorithm is designed aiming at the admission control problem in heterogeneous cellular systems. This algorithm adopts TOPSIS method to select the optimal access network and adjusts network cost dynamically according to the system's load distribution, thus balances the load between networks by influencing the user's access selection decision-making. Also, a multi-level access threshold and dynamic bandwidth allocation strategy is adopted for different call pri- orities to further improve system performance and user experience in the stage of access control. Simulation results show that the algorithm pays attention to the user preferences while achieving load balancing, reducing the call blocking probability and dropping rate.


In infinitary orthogonal first-order term rewriting the properties confluence (CR), Uniqueness of Normal forms (UN), Parallel Moves Lemma (PML) have been generalized to their infinitary versions CR∞, UN∞, PML∞, and so on. Several relations between these properties have been established in the literature. Generalization of the termination properties, Strong Normalization (SN) and Weak Normalization (WN) to SN∞ and WN∞ is less straightforward. We present and explain the definitions of these infinitary normalization notions, and establish that as a global property of orthogonal TRSs they coincide, so at that level there is just one notion of infinitary normalization. Locally, at the level of individual terms, the notions are still different. In the setting of orthogonal term rewriting we also provide an elementary proof of UN∞, the infinitary Unique Normal form property.


Study on the impact of energy on economic development becomes the new interest in economy since the industrial revolution where greater amount of energy have been used in industrial production with high scale. Numeral studies have been done at the micro and macro levels to discover the role of energy and its impact on economic growth. Howver, little have been done to explore the essential of energy in a particular sector especially the energy based sector like manufacturing sector. This paper investigates the relationship between electricity consumption, export and production in Malaysia's manufacturing sector in a multivariate framework.


A tool (10) for manipulating a transducer assembly. The tool (10) had a shaft (12) to space the transducer assembly (20, 22) from a handle end (16). The tool (10) rotatably mounts the transducer assembly (20, 22) so that the transducer assembly (20, 22) can transmissively coupled to and follow an arcuate scanning path. The tool (10) includes a guide member (24) for following an edge of a component to be tested.


Microtomography systems usually are laboratory devices designed for defectoscopy and three- dimensional nondestructive testing. Initial data acquisition for X-ray and optical microtomography takes a relatively long time because of the low radiation intensity of fine- focus sources. It is therefore impracticable to employ expensive specialized processors for data input and image reconstruction. A more practical approach involves the use of image processing systems based on personal computers. It is shown that such equipment can handle the tasks of data acquisition and 3-D image reconstruction and visualization very effectively. The efficiency of a microtomograph system depends on the capabilities of software and of the system of data input into the computer. To speed up image reconstruction, use is sometimes made of a specialized coprocessor to carry out convolution with back projection. The software package usually contains programs to perform the operations of image reconstruction and 3-D visualization.


A series of titanium and zirconium complexes with ligands based on di-isopropyl phosphorus-phenylamine and their derivatives were synthesized and characterized. These catalysts were utilized to catalyze the copolymerization of ethylene with N-acetyl-O-(dec-9-enyl)-L-tyrosine ethyl ester with high catalytic activity of 6.63 × 104 g P (mol Ti)−1 h−1 after activation by methylaluminoxane (MAO). The effects of ligand structure, metal atoms (Ti, Zr) and polymerization conditions were investigated in detail. The obtained polymers were characterized by 13C-NMR, DSC, FT-IR, and GPC. The results showed that the obtained copolymer had a high comonomer incorporation rate of 2.56 mol % within the copolymer chain. The melting temperature of the copolymer was up to 138.9 °C, higher than that of the obtained homopolyethylene.


This project examines exergame enjoyment in order to find clusters of exergames that produce similar enjoyment. First, the team developed a classification system to group exergames together. Classifications include Control-Sports, ControlAction, Control-Adventure, Directed-Static, and Directed-Mobile. Following that, data was gathered through experimentation, where participants played exergames and had values of their enjoyment recorded for each exergame played. The strongest relationship between classifications, according to a resulting relationship network, was between Control-Adventure and Control-Action, and so both classifications produced similar measured enjoyment. Finally, the gathered data was put to use in a functioning recommender system that recommended users exergames that they have not played. This developed recommender system returned accurate recommendations 83% of the time.


Minghe aqueduct is the important construction of South-to-North Water Transfer Project in Hebei,Whose most characteristics are large discharge and great size. Study to larger aqueduct in the past is rare,Therefore,it is important to study Tritrough-trispan rectangular continuous aqueduct. The structure dynamical characteristics was analyzed by using ANSYS in this paper,providing the theory and advice for engineering practice.


The study of isomer diffusion provides useful information regarding solvent effects for mixture analysis. Isomers, particularly those with similar hydrodynamic radii, provide a mechanism for probing solute–solvent interactions. Here nuclear magnetic resonance was used to measure the self-diffusion of phenylenediamine isomers in various water–monohydric-alcohol (i.e. methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and tert-butanol) solvents. These systems allowed the effect of solvent modulation on isomer diffusion to be examined. It was found that the resonances of phenylenediamine isomers in a mixture were separable via diffusion, with the separation becoming greater at higher concentration of monohydric-alcohols. Unlike previously shown for dihydroxybenzene isomers, all three phenylenediamine isomers were differentiable via diffusion.


According to data of 31 provinces( cities,autonomous regions) in China during 2010- 2012,China's provincial level of integration of informatization and industrialization was analyzed by spatial statistics and spatial econometrics. The exploratory spatial data analysis indicates that provincial level of integration has a significant positive spatial correlation. The regional difference is very obvious. High level aggregation areas are mainly located in the eastern China and low levels are mainly located in the middle and western China. Some provinces transit between high and low level over time. In the "four modernizations synchronization"background,the paper analyzes the promotion of agricultural modernization and urbanization to the integration of informatization and industrialization by spatial econometric models. The regression result shows that provincial level of integration has a significant positive spatial lag effect and agricultural modernization and urbanization has a significant promotion effect. The comparison analysis of eastern,middle and western China indicates that integration level of eastern China has a significant positive spatial lag effect,but that of middle and western China doesn't have. In eastern and western China,urbanization has a significant promotion effect and agricultural modernization doesn't have. In middle China,the situation is opposite.


The Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) is a recent comprehensive memory battery offered to neuropsychologists and standardized on a national sample of children ages 5 years through 19 years. The TOMAL Manual reports very high coefficient alpha internal consistency reliability coefficients for the standardization sample of "normal" children. In the current study, 99 adolescents (ages 12 to 18 years) diagnosed with various learning disabilities in the public schools were administered the TOMAL, and Cronbach's alpha was calculated based on the responses of these 99 adolescents. A matched sample was drawn from the standardization sample and alpha computed for this group. Alpha values in the two groups were highly similar across all 14 subtests. Although adolescents with learning disabilities often have memory deficits, their performance on the TOMAL tends to be as reliable as that of adolescents without learning disabilities.


This paper considers a down-link wide-band code division multiple access (WCDMA) with a nonlinear transmitter and frequency selective (or non-flat) fading plus AWGN channels, using each of decorrelating and MMSE detector receivers. The transmitter nonlinearity should be overcome by considering some back-off in the transmitter output power. This paper studies effects of the nonlinear transmitter on the symbol error rate (SER) and the received SNR, through computer simulations. Simulation results show that a larger value for back-off in the transmitter output power improves both the SER and the received SNR, and the transmitter amplifier behaves more like a linear amplifier. As well, the MMSE detector outperforms the decorrelating detector for larger values of SNRs


Semiempirical model atmospheres are presented for the darkest parts of large sunspot umbrae, regions have called umbral cores. The approach is based on general-purpose computational procedures that are applicable to different types of stellar atmospheres. It is shown that recent umbral intensity measurements of the spectral energy distribution may be accounted for by an umbral core atmospheric model that varies with time during the solar cycle; the observed center-limb variation can be accounted for by the properties of the model. Three umbral core models are presented, corresponding to the early, middle, and late phases of the solar cycle. These three models also may be regarded as having the properties of dark, average, and bright umbral cores respectively. The effects of atomic, opacity, and abundance data uncertainties on the model calculations are briefly discussed. For comparison, a new reference model for the average quiet solar photosphere is given. 94 references.


Photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium form symbiotic relationships with many marine hosts, including cnidarian corals and sea anemones. This partnership is extremely successful in tropical waters leading to a great diversity of coral species and Symbiodinium types. Environmental condition in the tropics are stable, changes to which can lead to destabilization of the symbiotic interactions between the host and symbiont, which in turn can lead to total breakdown of the partnership and expulsion of the symbiont. Temperate symbiotic cnidarian species, especially sea anemones, are less common but locally abundant. Environmental conditions are highly variable with extreme differences in light and temperature. Adaptation to these conditions has led to the success of resilient partnerships, but also to less diversity of Symbiodinium types. This study looked at the relationship between the endemic New Zealand anemone, Anthopleura aureoradiata, and its symbiotic relationship with the Symbiodinium cells it harbours. The aim was to determine why and how this symbiotic relationship is so resilient to the temperate conditions by 1) determining the molecular identity of the Symbiodinium spp. within the anemone, throughout its latitudinal range and through the seasons, and whether any seasonal changes differed between two habitats, the rocky shore and mudflats; 2) comparing the identity of the Symbiodinium spp. in New Zealand with those from four species of anemones from Europe (Cereus pedunculatus, Anthopleura ballii and Anemonia viridis from the south-west of England and Aiptasia mutabilis from Brittany (France)) to establish any differences or similarities between the northern and southern hemispheres; 3) determining whether resilience to environmental conditions is attributed to the Symbiodinium photoprotective mechanisms. A. aureoradiata were collected in early autumn in five sites from the top (Parengarenga Harbour) to the bottom (Stewart Island) of New Zealand for the latitudinal study. Seasonal anemones were collected from a rocky shore in Wellington Harbour (Point Halswell, Kau Bay) and a mudflat at Pauatahanui Inlet. Symbiodinium types were identified to subcladal level using ITS2 sequencing. A low diversity of types was found, with all anemones harbouring algal cells identified as being similar, or identical to, Symbiodinium sp. Mediterranean clade A (Med clade A) and Symbiodinium sp. Amed (Amed). 96.55% of the anemones from the latitudinal study, all the winter anemones, 87.50% of the summer anemones and almost 78% of the autumn anemones harboured Symbiodinium cells most similar or identical to Med clade A. All Symbiodinium sequences from the European anemones also were identified as being similar or identical to Med clade A or Amed, suggesting that the Symbiodinium in A. aureoradiata are likely not endemic. It is not known whether anemones harbour both types simultaneously and whether a change in dominant symbiont type occurs with seasons within anemones by "shuffling".  The photophysiology of the Symbiodinium cells isolated from the anemones was studied using an Imaging-PAM fluorometer whilst being maintained in six light and temperature treatments. The photosynthetic rate of PSII, energy quenching by NPQ, and photosystem recovery were measured to determine whether the Symbiodinium cells had a strong capacity for photoprotection and were able to down-regulate quickly to reduce photodamage to the chloroplast. The main outcome of this study is that the Symbiodinium cells within A. aureoradiata are very effective in protecting themselves against photo-damage by activating an efficient NPQ system. Down-regulation of the quantum efficiency of PSII under high light conditions appeared to cease altogether. Whether this was a true measurement of down-regulation to stop photodamage, or whether these clade A types use an alternative electron transport that bypasses PSII, and can therefore not be measured with the I-PAM fluorometer technique used, needs to be addressed in future studies.


GPS and low-cost INS integrated system are expected to become more widespread as a result of the availability of low cost inertial Micro-Electro-Mechanical Sensors (MEMS). Currently most of the integration systems are based on the differential GPS (DGPS) to ensure the navigation performance. However with the requirements of the base station, the system cost and complexity are significantly increased. With the advent of Precise Point Positioning (PPP), which is able to provide decimetre to centimetre accurate positioning accuracy without the need for a base receiver station, it opens the opportunity to develop a high performance GPS/INS navigation system based on only one GPS receiver. The motivation of this research is to investigate the integration of PPP GPS and low-cost INS such as MEMS for precise positioning and attitude determination. This paper will describe the PPP GPS technology and both loosely coupled and tightly coupled integration of PPP GPS and low-cost IMU. The navigation performance of integrated system of PPP GPS and low-cost IMU will be analyzed using road test dataset. The difference between loosely coupled system and tightly coupled system will also be analyzed based on the numerical results. * Corresponding author.


A diabetes screening camp was conducted for four days on the campus of Krupanidhi College of Pharmacy, Carmelaram, Varthur Hobli, Bangalore. All the participants 20 years and more included in study. Forms were created to record appropriate information of each participant. Random blood sugar levels were measured using a commercially available glucometer and its relation with all parameter mentioned above analysed and expressed as percentages or as a possible trend. Random blood sugar and other informations from 237 participants recorded, We observed high mean RBS in men (177.5526 +3.965) and in older participants who had more than 60 years old (200.5857+2.94). Mean RBS and number of participants with abnormal RBS rose in smokers (192.1231+2.94) and alcoholic participants (196.12+2.93). Low educational background group and low monthly family income group had higher RBS value as compare to other groups. Last but not least, number of meals and its source caused change in RBS value, participants who were taking more than 2 meals and prefer non veg as their dietary source had higher mean RBS.


The processing of spatial joins can be greatly improved by the use of filters that reduce the need for examining the exact geometry of polygons in order to find the intersecting ones. Approximations of candidate pairs of polygons are examined using such filters. As a result, three possible sets of answers are identified: the positive one, composed of intersecting polygon pairs; the negative one, composed of nonintersecting polygon pairs; and the inconclusive one, composed of the remaining pairs of candidates. To identify all the intersecting pairs of polygons with inconclusive answers, it is necessary to have access to the representation of polygons so that an exact geometry test can take place. This article presents a polygon approximation for spatial join processing which we call four-colors raster signature (4CRS). The performance of a filter using this approximation was evaluated with real world data sets. The results showed that our approach, when compared to other approaches presented in the related literature, reduced the inconclusive answers by a factor of more than two. As a result, the need for retrieving the representation of polygons and carrying out exact geometry tests is reduced by a factor of more than two, as well. A Raster Approximation for the Processing of Spatial Joins


OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To investigate nursing homes (NHs) acquired by private equity (PE) firms and estimate the effect of PE NH acquisitions on NH care quality for NH residents and whether PE NH acquisitions exacerbate racial inequities in quality of care. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: My research estimates the causal effect of NH PE acquisitions on NH access and quality of care for NH residents and whether acquisitions exacerbate racial disparities in NH care for about 115 PE-owned NHs in the US, measuring the quality of care at the facility survey year level, and using an array of NH-level data sources. I identified 115 PE-owned NHs (treatment group) and 665 non-PE-owned NHs between 2003 and 2010, using the Online Survey Certification and Reporting database to obtain facility characteristics. I compare facility characteristics (e.g., payer mix, staffing levels, and quality measures such as pressure ulcers, unexpected weight loss, acuity, and health deficiencies). I will then test whether effects differ by race, with hypotheses informed by Public Health Critical Race Praxis approach. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Preliminary results show that staffing levels differ between PE and non-PE-owned NHs in a way that aligns with a shift in focus toward the Medicare population i.e. short stays. We also find that deficiencies increased in PE-owned NHs compared to non-PE-owned NHs. We expect that PE acquisitions may lead to slightly widening racial disparities in NH care quality. Results may show that PE-owned NHs have a higher share of low-rated, high-BIPOC facilities. In weak markets, PE-owned NHs may have a higher share of BIPOC residents compared to highly competitive markets. This is because PE managers may prioritize cost over quality by cutting services. However, since quality measures are self-reported, except for measures related to deficiencies, this predicted lower quality of care may not be evident in observed data. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Understanding how PE ownership impacts nursing home care quality for long-stay residents, especially those funded by Medicaid, can help develop intervention strategies to effectively mitigate racial inequities in NH care, as Medicaid funded NH residents are more likely to be Black, Indigenous, and people of color.


This work proposes a new approach using a committee
machine of artificial neural networks to classify masses found in
mammograms as benign or malignant. Three shape factors, three
edge-sharpness measures, and 14 texture measures are used for
the classification of 20 regions of interest (ROIs) related to malignant
tumors and 37 ROIs related to benign masses. A group of
multilayer perceptrons (MLPs) is employed as a committee machine
of neural network classifiers. The classification results are reached
by combining the responses of the individual classifiers. Experiments
involving changes in the learning algorithm of the committee
machine are conducted. The classification accuracy is evaluated
using the area Az under the receiver operating characteristics
(ROC) curve. The Az result for the committee machine is compared
with the Az results obtained using MLPs and single-layer perceptrons
(SLPs), as well as a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier.
Tests are carried out using the student's t-distribution. The committee
machine classifier outperforms the MLP, SLP, and LDA
classifiers in the following cases: with the shape measure of spiculation
index, the Az values of the four methods are, in order, 0.93,
0.84, 0.75, and 0.76; and with the edge-sharpness measure of acutance,
the values are 0.79, 0.70, 0.69, and 0.74. Although the features
with which improvement is obtained with the committee machines
are not the same as those that provided the maximal value of
Az (Az=0.99 with some shape features, with or without the committee
machine), they correspond to features that are not critically dependent
on the accuracy of the boundaries of the masses, which is
an important result.


This chapter will present personal levers, which are family and spirituality, and the professional levers, which include mentoring in relation to the academic funnel of gender and ethnic bias, as well why it is important comprehend the cultural impact unto the journey to leadership. Participants addressed each one of the levers in their journey in higher education. Only a few Latinas reach leadership positions in organizations in the United States, despite their increasing interest in obtaining advanced college degrees. This issue is especially glaring in higher education, as the United States becomes increasingly diverse through the infusion of new immigrants. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report from 2013 noted that 51.6% of women between the ages 25 and 29 were in a management, business, or financial operation occupation; and 8.7% of those women were Latinas. In the same way, only small numbers of Hispanic women reach senior leadership positions.


The use of concrete modified with fibres requires understanding of its mechanical properties and behaviour, in particular in long terms. Research on the degradation of the mechanical properties under long-term aggressive environment is limited. An experimental program is carried out to study key factors, such as dosage, fibre type, and water to cement ratio that affect the mechanical properties of concrete modified with fibres. Compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength and flexural toughness are determined for concrete modified with fibres. Tests, including direct uniaxial tension, three point bending, toughness and compressive strength, are carried out to produce results on important properties of concrete modified by steel and synthetic fibres. Test results presented in the paper are from short term tests which are part of a comprehensive long-term experimental program on steel fibre reinforced concrete exposed to marine environment. Empirical relationships between strengths and test variables are identified from short-term tests. Based on the test results models are developed for mechanical properties of concrete modified with fibres, which are expressed as a function of basic design variables. The developed models are verified with existing data. Modification and potential application of the developed models to prediction of deterioration of fibre concrete strength in long-term marine environment exposure is explored.


The World Health Organization (WHO) overseeing of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) containment issues in the last decade has varied in intensity. From 1999 onwards, concerted focus from the WHO led to the development of a multi-disciplinary framework for AMR containment at a country level. However, implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for the Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (the Global Strategy) was overtaken first by events in the USA in 2001 and later by related and other bio-security issues. By 2003, loss of funding and a restructured WHO saw AMR initiatives curtailed. Interest in AMR at the WHO has been recently rekindled and it is hoped that renewed attention will again be focused on this issue by the WHO and its member states.


In Mexieo the interest for a scientific and technological
national policy began to emerge in the sixties and it
assume a more concrete [orm with the creation al the
National Council on Science and Technology, However,
the absence of a salid govemtnental and private structure
that may strengthen retations between researcn areas and
the productive sectors has limit ed the creation of a
national technology, This paper describes the efforts of
the Health Ministry oriented towards the definition of
policies and programs that lnay impulse research and
technological development in the health area. Among
the most important adopted measures we may mention:
the integration of the Research Directorate and the
Technological Development Directorate of the Health
Ministry; the creation in 1984 of the Center for Technological
Development and Applications; the creation of the Centers [or Technological Applications in Health;
and the participation of the Ministry in the activities of
the lnterinstitutional Group [or Technological Development
in Health and the Planning Commission on Technological
and Scientific Development,


Mining high utility sequential patterns is observed to be a significant research in data mining. Several methods mine the sequential patterns while taking utility values into consideration. The patterns of this type can determine the order in which items were purchased, but not the time interval between them. The time interval among items is important for predicting the most useful real-world circumstances, including retail market basket data analysis, stock market fluctuations, DNA sequence analysis, and so on. There are a very few algorithms for mining sequential patterns those consider both the utility and time interval. However, they assume the same threshold for each item, maintaining the same unit profit. Moreover, with the rapid growth in data, the traditional algorithms cannot handle the big data and are not scalable. To handle this problem, we propose a distributed three phase MapReduce framework that considers multiple utilities and suitable for handling big data. The time constraints are pushed into the algorithm instead of pre-defined intervals. Also, the proposed upper bound minimizes the number of candidate patterns during the mining process. The approach has been tested and the experimental results show its efficiency in terms of run time, memory utilization, and scalability.


To the Editor: Glucokinase plays an important role in glucose homeostasis. In the pancreatic b-cell, it functions as the glucose sensor, whereas in the liver it facilitates glucose uptake during hyperglycaemia. A 258 G-to-A substitution in the liver promoter of the glucokinase gene was associated with diabetes and insulin resistance in African Americans and Asian Indians (1–3), but not in Danish Caucasians (4). In vitro transfection experiments showed that the G-to-A variant decreased the promoter activity to 42% of the wild-type promoter activity (2). We therefore investigated whether this promoter variation was associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in a Southern Chinese population. We studied 325 subjects with IGT and 351 subjects of similar age with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), as determined by using World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria (5), identified in the population-based Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study (6). All subjects underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test with measurement of fasting and 2-h plasma glucose and insulin levels. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index [(fasting glucose fasting insulin) 22.5] was calculated to estimate insulin resistance. The 258 G-to-A polymorphism was determined by AccI restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and its effect on glucokinase promoter activity by transfection experiments. Different lengths (0.5 kb, 1.2 kb and 1.7 kb) of wild-type (G/G) and mutated (A/A) glucokinase promoter subcloned into luciferase reporter plasmid vector pGL2enhance (Promega Corp., Madison, WI) were transfected into HepG2 cells. After 72 h of incubation, the cells were harvested for protein, luciferase and b-galactosidase assay. Each experiment was repeated at least three times. All data were presented as mean SD. The differences in genotype frequency were tested using the -test and comparisons between different genotypes by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with confounding variables (including age, gender and body mass index) as covariates. The allele frequency of the A variant was 25.5% in IGT subjects and 23.5% in NGT subjects, and there were no differences in the distribution of genotypes between the two groups (p1⁄4 0.5). There were no significant differences in the fasting or 2-h glucose and insulin levels between the different genotypes, regardless of the glucose tolerance status, and even after adjusting for potential confounding variables (Table 1). In transient transfection experiments, the mutant promoter (A/A) activity was only 73% of the wild-type promoter (p1⁄4 0.008) when the length of the cloned glucokinase promoter was 0.5 kb from the transcription start site (Fig. 1). However, when the cloned glucokinase promoter length was increased to 1.2 kb or to 1.7 kb, the wildtype and variant glucokinase promoters exhibited similar activities. In agreement with findings reported in Caucasian subjects (4), we did not find any differences in the allelic frequency of the variant between Chinese subjects with IGT andNGT, nor in the insulin levels and HOMA index amongst subjects with different genotypes. Hence, this polymorphism is unlikely to contribute significantly to glucose intolerance in Chinese people. We have also shown that the size of the glucokinase gene promoter used in transfection experiments affects the promoter activity. The mutant promoter (A/A) activity is reduced when the Clin Genet 2003: 63: 232–234 Copyright # Blackwell Munksgaard 2003 Printed in Denmark. All rights reserved CLINICAL GENETICS


A period of pulse power source is used on electroplating for metal parts.The electroplate impedance is imported a period of pulse electric current,and the electroplated thickness has a well- bound energy. a small metal crystals and a well-distributed.


Globalization continues to be a growing trend from the economy, security, and even the individual as ideas are rapidly exchanged between different cultures. State-actors, although still a critical component, are competing for influence with the private sector, transnational movements, international media, and even small NGOs. In this globalized world nations must adopt the concept of 'smart' foreign policy. The basic idea of 'smart' foreign policy is outlined in nine major points: focusing on the long term rather than short term opportunistic gains; separating domestic from foreign policy agendas; credibility; global intellectual leadership; enhancing the bureaucratic decision-making process to include all actors in the new globalized world; working more closely with the academic community; harmonizing public and private instruments of foreign policymaking; better educating societies on the concept and benefits of globalization; and finally, enhancing communication among all nations. These nine components of 'smart' foreign policy will help facilitate a better world where new opportunities can be discovered and greater progress can be made without the alienation of one group or nation.


Lofting on the curve is commonly meted in construction lofting. The computation is more complex when the route locates on easement curve. In this paper the computation method for the points on the easement curve is derived by integration formula and realized on the CASIO fx4500 and CASIO fx4800 calculators by programming. This method is fast, accurate and easy for the lofting on the easement curve verified by the practice.


High surface area Nafion/SiO2 nanocomposites with nano-sized Nafion resin particles entrapped and dispersed within the highly porous silica matrix exhibited significantly enhanced activity,high sclectivity and long-term stability for the alkylation of benzene with lincar C9-C13 alkenes owing to the increased accessibility of Nafion resin-based acid sites to reactants.


The objective of this thesis was to explore the possibilities of using microalgal biofilms for the treatment of municipal wastewater, with a focus on the post-treatment of municipal wastewater effluent. The potential of microalgal biofilms for wastewater treatment was first investigated using a scenario analysis. Then biofilms were grown on wastewater treatment plant effluent in horizontal flow cells under different nutrient loads to determine the maximum uptake capacity of the biofilms for NO3 and PO4. Subsequently, microalgal biofilms were grown in a vertical laboratory-scale biofilm reactor. The effect of harvesting and biofilm thickness on the biomass production and nutrient removal was investigated. The biofilm reactor was taken outdoors and a vertical pilot-scale biofilm reactor was evaluated as post-treatment of municipal wastewater in a pilot-study. Finally, symbiotic microalgal-bacterial biofilms were investigated for full treatment of (pre-settled) wastewater.


The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction provides no fixed definition of its central term of habitual residence of a child. Recently, in Monasky v. Taglieri the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed the determination of an abducted child's habitual residence, resolved a split among the circuits regarding the focus of habitual residence inquiry as to whether habitual residence should be determined using objective evidence of the child's perspective, subjective evidence of parental intent and established the new "totality-of-the-circumstances" standard of review. As this is quite a different position as compared to the position of the Polish Supreme Court who decided that the intentions of caregiving parents are not relevant considerations in determining a child's habitual residence, this article analyses recent US developments argue that the Polish Supreme Court position should be changed.


The effects of various types of uncertainty in the design of hydraulic structures in an open-channel system for irrigation water delivery are investigated. Uncertainty due to ambiguity in the values of system physical and management characteristics is addressed by modeling selected parameters (temporally varying water-supply level; spatially varying canal geometry, bed slope and hydraulic resistance; and spatially and temporally varying irrigation demand and irrigation patterns) as stochastic processes. Vagueness in the specification of system performance objectives (adequacy, efficiency, dependability, and equity) is modeled using postulated fuzzy set membership functions. An optimal design criterion is formulated that incorporates quantitative measures of water delivery system performance. Two design objectives, high technical performance and low cost, are considered in a simple illustrative example. A model of spatially varied flow in an open channel delivering water to farm turnouts is used to analyze design scenarios under two different operating schemes. Monte Carlo simulation allows analysis of system behavior in a stochastic setting. Response surface methodology is used to derive optimal design solutions for sizing of diversion and regulating stuctures. Implications for design and analysis of large-scale delivery networks in an uncertain environment are discussed.


The pandemic period encourage the application of digitalization in the marketing field, the application of marketing culture is currently supported by e-commerce. On the other hand, students who should be in the potential group have been able to take advantage of this moment to develop creativity that results in innovation, at least as a first step as an effort to participate in and develop an interest in entrepreneurship. The purpose of this study is to analyze what factors are the pioneers of interest in entrepreneurship in marketing research students at the Faculty of Business, Buddhi Dharma University. As part of the "small research" activity, the researcher used a survey method and was included in the descriptive statistics group. The population taken was all students who took marketing courses in the odd year 2022/2023 which opened 40, thus the researchers took the entire population as a sample in this study. The analysis technique uses factor analysis. The results of this study indicate that personality and self-motivation factors are the dominant factors in the interest in entrepreneurship among students


As a result of the integrity of the scale,long testing time,the limitations of assessment theory and other factors,the traditional way of psychological testing is lack of accuracy and efficiency. To develop accurate and efficient assessment tools has become the top priority. The research found that use dimension to form the questionnaire,use IRT theory to screen high quality assessment subject,and use the CAT technology to update the assessment tools are effective ways to improve the efficiency of the measurement.


There has been a great demand of using the recycled aggregate and fly ash in the concrete structure. It is known that the compressive strength will increase in the early age when the mineral fine powder, such as fly ash, is mixed into the concrete with a part of the fine aggregate, under the condition of constant unit cement content. However, its mechanism has not been clearly understood until now. In this paper, we made experiments to explain the mechanism of the early strength development by using recycled aggregate mortar. In addition, we examined the influence of the mineral fine powder, which is mixed into the mortar, which extended the strength development of the recycled aggregate mortar from 3 days to 180 days. From the results obtained, we found that in response to the influence of calcium hydroxide in the adhesion cement paste of recycled aggregate, the fly ash had brought forward the early pozzolanic reaction for 28 days. However unlike the pozzolanic reaction of the usual fly ash, the early pozzolanic reaction did not contribute to strength development. By mixing the mineral fine powder, the early strength development had strongly influenced the filler effect of physical action. The mixture of the recycled aggregate mortar using the mineral fine powder as a part of the fine aggregate had brought much larger strength increment ratio than the normal aggregate mortar. The results indicate that the combination of fly ash and recycled aggregate would have a good affinity.


Sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy brain and body, and plays a fundamental role in improving the quality of life (QOL). In this study, the quality of sleep (duration and subjective satisfaction) and its relationship with the QOL were examined, involving 256 elderly community residents. As a result, no significant differences in perceived health, daily life satisfaction, feelings of fulfillment, satisfaction with interpersonal relationships, and activity levels were observed between 2 duration-based groups (long: 142, 7 to 8 hours; and short: 114, less than 7 to 8 hours). On the other hand, on comparison of the QOL between 2 satisfaction-based groups (high-: 161; and low-level: 95), significant differences were observed in all items, except for activity levels; the high-level satisfaction group showed more favorable values. These results suggest that subjective sleep satisfaction as a qualitative factor may be associated with the QOL more closely than sleep duration as a quantitative factor.