Bases on the finite element model,this paper presents a comparative study of the applicability of the frequency changes ratio index,the modal curvature difference index and the static strain difference index for damage detection in suspension bridges in the absence of noise.From the two typical simulations of damage cases associated with longitudinal beams and cables,it is found that(1)modal curvature difference index is the best of the three indices because of the complementarity between each other in the beam damages;(2)when the damage occurs in the cable,the frequency is affected so little that it can't be identified by the frequency changes ratio index while the static strain difference index is the most sensitive index.On the basis of those results,a practical damage detection method for the suspension bridge is put forward combined with the frequency changes ratio index,modal curvature difference index,the vertical bending vibration mode and the static strain difference index according the damage cases.


Abstract
 Until the end of the twentieth century, UN peacekeepers were often prohibited from using force outside self-defense. With the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica in the back of their minds, UN officials have recently changed this policy. At present, peacekeepers in the Congo, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Haiti are explicitly authorized to use force to protect civilians. The new policy is essential in preventing new debacles but it raises a number of ethical questions for peacekeepers. Should the peacekeeper concentrate on the protection of the individual if such protection jeopardizes the community or the mission? Should the peacekeeper solely think in terms of rights and duties, or should he or she also consider consequences? How to deal with the issue of moral engagement versus self-control? Peacekeepers need direction to answer these ethical questions. Unfortunately, conventional locations for finding ethical direction do not provide the guidance that peacekeepers seek. Consequently, peacekeepers will often encounter situations of moral confusion which this article defines as 'the fog of UN peacekeeping'. The article explains the fog of UN peacekeeping by showing how traditional guidelines fail to provide ethical direction in current peacekeeping operations. Despite the absence of ethical guidelines, soldiers need to prepare for the 'fog of peacekeeping'. An approach for an adequate preparation in the existing ethical vacuum is offered at the end of the article.


Smear residue from the build-up dielectric material is left at the bottom of the microvia after laser drill process which, if not cleaned, poses risk to the electrical functionality of the device. Thus, microvia cleanliness is the key to a reliable and electrically functional device. Currently, industry employs a wet process to clean the etch residue that results in significant chemical waste. Here, we evaluated an alternative, but effective Photodesmear method that provides a low cost of ownership and almost negligible environmental impact. We have demonstrated in IMAPS 2013 that this process can achieve residue- and silica filler free via bottoms by a two-step process: i) illuminating 172 nm vacuum ultraviolet light (VUV) on the panels, resulting in a photochemical ashing, and ii) a water clean. This process does not reduce the surface energy of the build-up material, thus not impacting the downstream processes. The main technical challenge in developing Photodesmear technology will be panel level unifo...


®While Philip is making a restaurant in the block area he boasts, "It's gonna cost $200 just to get in!" The teacher sitting near him holds up a few small dolls and asks in a quiet voice, "What about my family? They don't have any money." Philip hesitates and looks downcast for a few moments. Then he brightens up and says, "I know. We'll pay for them!" Conversations are a vital part of early childhood antibias and multicultural education because they enable children to connect with others and to begin to see the implications of certain assumptions, as Philip did when he realized that some people could not afford to eat at his expensive restaurant. However, engaging children in these conversations is not always easy. No matter what the question, children frequently resist answering adults, and for some, concerns about race and social class may seem distant or even irrelevant. This article describes a project in which the authors observed kindergarten children's responses to specifi c


Abstract The paper describes a new approach to generate plant models automatically at the end of the plant engineering process using a simulation model catalogue. Such a model can be used to test the functionality of the plant by simulation before it is built and to simulate and optimise the integrated control functions using Computer Aided Control System Design (CACSD) tools. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, the prototype software module Model cat (industrial Model Catalogue) was realised. Model cat is based on the plant CAE system Comos PT and makes use of the simulation tools Matlab/Simulink and gProms.


Utility functions that embody nonpaternalistic altruism, to be called altruistic utility functions, can be regarded as being formed through social interactions among altruistic individuals. As such, they possess socially formed characteristics, on which the present paper focuses. Assuming linear altruism, the paper shows that, as the degrees of altruism increase, different individuals' altruistic utility functions become more similar and converge to a single function in the limit if and only if everybody is altruistically connected to everybody else.


Experimental investigations into the structural behaviours of different thicknesses of plastic cell-filled concrete block pavement (PCCBP) over 100-mm thick water bound macadam sub-base course are presented. In this study, an attempt has been made to use waste stone dust in place of the traditional river sand as fine aggregates in concrete. Layer elastic moduli of different layers of PCCBP have been calculated using linear elastic theory-based backcalculation computer code BACKGA from the surface deflection data obtained through falling weight deflectometer. It has been observed that peak surface deflections decreased linearly with increasing PCCBP thickness; with 200% increase (from 50 to 150 mm) in thickness, a decrease of ∼48% in deflection was observed. Elastic layer modulus of PCCBP has been seen to increase linearly with increasing thickness (∼83% increase in elastic modulus was observed for 200% increase in thickness, with layer modulus value of ∼1995 MPa for 50-mm thick PCCBP). Furthermore, life cycle cost analysis showed that PCCBP is more economical than conventional pavements.


I t is feasible to procure and then successfully transplant organs from cadavers certified dead using either neurologic or cardiac criteria. Kidneys procured from asystolic (nonheartbeating) cadavers have an equivalent 1-yr graft survival as those procured from donors certified dead using neurologic criteria (1). Recent controversy has erupted regarding the use of so-called nonheartbeating cadavers (NHBC). Questions have been raised about whether the patients are in fact dead (2), whether the practice constitutes active euthanasia (3), whether there is prohibitive conflict of interest for professionals and institutions (4, 5), whether there is adequate social support of dying patients and their families (6 – 8), and whether unethical and illegal practice is preventable (9). Nonheartbeating organ donation (NHBOD) was commonplace before neu-rologic criteria for death were introduced in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During the 1960s, success with transplanting organs from cadaver donors led to the general acceptance of the dead donor rule, which states that it is unethical to cause death by procuring organs and unethical for organ procurement to precede death (except in special circumstances like donation of a single kidney or partial liver from one family member to another). Although the use of cadaver organs rose rapidly in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the practice of procuring organs from NHBC declined and all but disappeared largely because transplanting organs from brain-dead donors had better outcomes than transplanting organs from NHBC (10). Because of patient and family requests and need for new donor sources, the practice reemerged in 1993 following introduction of the Pittsburgh Protocol (11). The practice of procuring organs from NHBC is increasing (12). As many as 20% of donors are in this class in certain procurement regions (Brosnick B, Center for Organ Recovery and Education, personal communication , February 2000). This newly resur-gent practice has occurred without national consensus on guidelines. Hospital and organ procurement organization policies are therefore variable, and some centers may even procure without an approved policy (12). There have been a number of recent publications on NHBOD that have attempted to resolve ethical issues and set standards of practice. The most influential of those, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on NHBOD, supported the practice in principle. The IOM was commissioned by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to study the practice and make recommendations. Among their guidelines, they include a recommendation that a 5-min observation period …


This study by Profamilia Association focuses on the social response to COVID19 by reporting and analyzing the answers to two surveys carried out between April 16 and 25, and throughout September 2020. The study aims to identify changes in behaviors and immediate expectations after the quarantine was lifted. In general, results show that people have adopted behavioral changes such as wearing face masks, avoiding people with symptoms, and reducing mobility. However, it also shows that people's concerns have doubled for many reasons, ranging from mental health issues, neglected sexual and reproductive health needs, the burden of care for others, and working from home. Similarly, it was found that some people would accept significant long-term changes such as accepting most children continuing to be homeschooled or employees choosing whether to work or not, targeted quarantines in neighborhoods that show high number of cases; and making the use of face masks mandatory in case a vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 does not become available. This means that during the quarantine and compared to April, many people consider these options to be acceptable in the long term. The survey was filled out online via SurveyMonkey by 1,735 people in Colombia between 1st and 11th September, 2020. Overall, 17% mentioned that they had participated in the previous survey, Estudio Solidaridad I early stage of quarantine (April 2020). The following is a summary of the main findings based on the comparison of the two surveys in hopes to show evidence for changes in behavior, hygiene, levels of measure compliance, unmet needs, and to show people's immediate expectations after six months of strict quarantine. -The most common concerns among the findings were: a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 not arriving Colombia soon enough (79%), a vaccine or treatment not being developed soon enough (79%) and also a concern that once the vaccine arrives in Colombia, it will not be accessible (74%). 50% of people think it is likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes readily available. -62% get information about COVID-19 through social media, 55% through official websites, and 51% through television. -43% say that in their neighborhood, community, social group, or town, measures and campaigns have been carried out to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. -25% say they would like to support local communities respond to the outbreak. -82% agree with most children remaining home-schooled. -85% think parents should be able to choose whether or not to send their children to school. -95% agree that people should be forced to wear face masks outside the home. -90% agree with neighborhoods, districts, or municipalities which experience outbreaks adopting more restrictive measures compared to the country as a whole. -86% think employees should choose whether to work in their office or work from home. -44% think that people will be able to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in a year or a year and a half. -26% think life will return to "normal" in two years or more.


Bisphenol A type 2H-bichromene resins (BCA resins) were successfully prepared by heating bipropargyl ether bisphenol A(BPA) in infrared-ray oven at 185℃ for 3h.The curing behaviors of BCA resins were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).It showed the cured enthalpy was decreased to 620J/g for BCA resin.Thermal stability of the cured BCA resin was also investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).The results of TGA revealed that the cured BCA resin possessed excellent thermal stability.Based on the BCA resins,the glass fiber reinforced composites were prepared via press molding process.In comparison of Epoxy matrix composites,the composites of BCA resins presented higher mechanical properties.The flexural strength,flexural modulus and shear strength reached to 580MPa,24.7GPa and 40MPa respectively.In additional,the result of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) indicated composite had excellent thermal stability.


[Objective] To study the genotype and the molecular characteristic of norovirus in the sporadic diarrheal samples collected from surveillance hospitals from infants in Shanghai area in 2006. [Methods] The viral RNA was extracted from 89 stools,and amplified with RT-PCR by using the human caliciviruses specific primers.The amplified genes were then sequenced,and analyzed by the DNAstar software to complete genotyping and homology analysis. [Results] Homology analysis revealed that the sequences of 12 specimens were homogeneous with genogroup GII.The sequences of 3 specimens was closer to the sequences from Germany in 2006,the sequences of the others specimens were closer to those of sequences from China in 2006,and Netherlands in 2006,and Japan between 2004 and 2005. [Conclusion] There were sporadic diarrhea cases in terms of norovirus genegroup GII.The majority of the sporadic strains in this study belonged to genotype GII.4 in infants in Shanghai area.


Objective: As an alternative to RT-qPCR assays used in the diagnosis SARS-CoV-2, antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) are available for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swab samples. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and reliability of Ag-RDTs as a diagnostic method of detecting SARS-CoV-2 positive cases within a given population.
Methods: In first phase of this investigation, 357 nasopharyngeal swab samples were screened for SARS-CoV-2 using Ag-RDTs. For the purposes of this study RT-qPCR was then applied to the same 357 nasopharyngeal swab samples in order to compare the reliability of the two detection methods. In the second phase of this investigation, Ag-RDTs were applied to an additional 75 nasopharyngeal swab samples that were already known to be RT-qPCR positive.
Results: In the first phase of this investigation, of the 357 samples screened using Ag-RDTs 14 samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2, in contrast, when RT-qPCR analysis was applied to the same 357 samples no SARS-CoV-2 samples were detected. Therefore, the false antigen positivity was determined to be at 3.9%. In the second phase of this investigation 75 RT-qPCR positive samples were re-evaluated with a rapid antigen test. Twenty-four of the 75 RT-qPCR positive sample were undetected.
Conclusion: Solely relying on rapid antigen tests to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections in the community could consequently result in infectious individuals remaining in the population. The impact of false negative rapid test results can be reduced by implementing confirmatory RT-qPCR analysis particularly in symptomatic patients.


In this paper we undertake a synthesis of the sedimentary environments which we have found in the Miocene of the "Baix Camp de Tarragona". At the same time we venture at the possibility of the existence of some pre-miocene arid post-eocene conglomerates which would, nowadays, be disniantled by the erosion.


We investigate the role of affect and deliberation on social preferences. In our laboratory experiment subjects decide on a series of mini Dictator games while they are under varying degrees of cognitive load. The cognitive load is intended to decrease deliberation and therefore enhance the influence of affect on behavior. In each game subjects have two options: they can decide between a fair or an unfair allocation. We find that subjects in a high-load condition are more generous - they more often choose the fair allocation than subjects in a low-load condition. The series of mini Dictator games also allows us to investigate how subjects react to the gamesi?½ varying levels of advantageous inequality. Low-load subjects react considerably more to the degree of advantageous inequality. Our results therefore underscore the importance of affect for basic altruistic behavior and deliberation in adjusting decisions to a given situation.


This article describes a new class of urethane acrylate oligomers for weatherable UV-curable systems. Unlike commercial urethane acrylates that are based on polyether or polyester polyols, this new class of urethane oligomers is based on acrylic polyols. These new acrylic polyols are unique in that they produce low-viscosity, nongelling urethane prepolymers with isophorone diisocyanate. These prepolymers can be further treated with hydroxy-functional acrylates such as hydroxyethylacrylate (HEA) or caprolactone acrylate (CA) to yield low-viscosity acrylated urethane acrylic oligomers. By replacing the polyester and polyether backbone in urethane acrylates with an acrylic backbone, this chemistry opens the door to more weatherable UV-curable coatings, with properties that approach two-component urethane systems. These new urethane acrylates were formulated into sprayable UV-curable coatings with properties that rival two-component urethanes. The influences of diluent monomer type and content hydroxy acrylate, and solvents on coating viscosity, VOC content and properties were evaluated.


This paper is a descriptive study of cockfighting. Data were obtained through field research, using interviews with and observations of people who fight roosters. The research took place in parishes (counties) of southwest Louisiana. Observations took place at 18 cockfights. Twenty-two interviews were done with participants. All of the participants had been involved in cockfighting at least three years. Three interviews were also conducted with people who no longer participate in the sport. The author found little support for the negative stereotypes portrayed in the media. Although the sport is still dominated by individuals and their families both as audience and participants, the author did find that the sport is beginning to change. The intrusion of large amounts of gambling money in the game is transforming cockfighting and has the potential for shattering the familial atmosphere of the fights


This paper proposes a Quality of Experience (QoE) test methodology for adaptive streaming service. We analyze the factors influencing the QoE of adaptive streaming, and evaluate the QoE of the end-to-end service. Our research gives the evidence that adaptive streaming improves end-users' subjective perception greatly compared with fixed-rate streaming in terms of QoE. Two groups of experiments are conducted, one assesses artificially spliced video samples in variable bitrates, and another evaluates Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) [1] [2] video samples under real network traces. The former experiment focuses on the influence from the bitrate distribution without considering the fluency. And the latter pays more attention to the influence of the fluency on QoE performance. Through a large number of subjective assessments, the QoE results are obtained to illustrate various impact factors on adaptive streaming, such as fluency, bitrate distribution, startup bitrate level, bitrate switching frequency, etc. The results of this study can be used to facilitate the research on mathematical modeling of user subjective experience and the algorithm development for adaptive streaming.


Sometoxic compounds, especially polychlorinated aromaticcompounds, areslowly degraded inpolluted aerobic zonesand,therefore, may leach intoanaerobic subsurface environments. Ifnotdegraded there, these compounds will pollute aquifers. Sulfate andnitrate function as electron acceptors intheanaerobic environments; theaddition of these anions thushasthepotential toalter thecarbon flow andtheinteractions among membersofthemicrobial community. Bothanions may bepresentinthesoil or may be introduced concomitantly withtheorganic pollutants. Itis presently believed thatshifting tosulfate-reducing conditions, e.g.,byadding sulfate toa methane-producing freshwatersediment, will preventreductive dehalogenation. The anaerobic biodegradation ofaromatic compounds insulfatereducing environments hasbeenstudied mainly inanaerobic marine sediments andsewage sludge (1-10, 13,15). Gibson andSuflita (7)compared samples froma freshwater aquifer whichcontained methanogenic andsulfate-reducing sites. Theyfoundthatonlytheir methanogenic siteexhibited dechlorination. Although samples fromthesulfate-reducing site exhibited degradation ofphenol andbenzoate, no chlorophenols or chlorobenzoates were transformed within 3 monthsofincubation. We havestudied theanaerobic biodegradation of2,4-dichlorophenol over a widetemperature range undermethanogenic conditions infreshwater lake sediments fromGeorgia (12). Thesesediments alsocontained mesophilic andthermophilic sulfate reducers (unpublished results). We reportherethatinour samples from freshwater sediments whichhadbeenamendedwithsulfate, 2,4-dichlorophenol and4-chlorophenol were reductively dehalogenated whilesulfate reduction occurred. Theanaerobic sediments were mainlyobtained froma pondatSandyCreekNatureCenter nearAthens, Ga.(for a description ofsediment andsampling methods, seereference 12). Thesediment exhibited a redoxpotential oflessthan -300mV before andafter thesamples were obtained and processed. Thesulfate concentrations ofunamendedsamplesvaried between0.5and15ppm (0.005 and0.15mM). Sodiumsulfate (25mM) or sodiumnitrate (25mM) was addedtothesediments fromanaerobic stocksolutions and thenthoroughly mixed.Sulfate concentrations in the amendedsediments were determined byionchromatogra


Effective management of common pool resources through collective action is dependent upon the efforts of the resources users to establish an identity that is held collectively. It is widely accepted that the term common pool resources implies a resource that is common to a 'pool' of people, the resource users. Their interests in the resource connect users and potential users, and we propose that the more strongly they identify with the resources and commit to act collectively, the stronger the collective action. Achieving sustainable use of common pool resources is thus determined by the interplay between collective identity and collective action. But collective identity as defined by the resource and its users is dynamic, making the identity vulnerable in directing the behaviour of users. In this paper, we draw on collective identity and resilience theories to develop a framework for exploring the role of collective identity in understanding collective action in the management of common pool resources. We suggest that two key attributes of collective identity – identification and affective commitment, provide the premise for interpreting, tracking and directing change in collective identity. We interpret how the interactions between the two attributes contribute to resilience of common pool resources as complex social-ecological systems.


Abstract : The quality of science education that is still unsatisfying can be effected by misconceptions and learning conditions that less pay attention to learners' preconceptions. Misconception is frequently happened among students in all levels of education, including elementary school students, secondary schools students, up to university or college students and even someone who have already worked. The most common misconceptions are caused by the initial concept (preconception) in which it was taken to formal education. As a result, many of elementary school students are encountered with misconception. Since childhood, people have already constructed such concepts through daily experiences, and it is possible to say that they have undergone a process of learning early. The cause of misconceptions that happen to learners are vary, including learners from itself, educators, textbooks, contexts, and methods of teaching. All science materials are possible to create misconception among learners, for instance, photosynthesis. The example of misconceptions in this material include the process of photosynthesis in which students assume that it occurs only during the day with the help of sunlight, only plants whose green leaf that capable to have photosynthesis; chlorophyll present in the leaves alone, as well as plants perform photosynthesis during the day while at night plants do breathe. The misconception is a major problem in learning science as it can disrupt the formation of a scientific conception.


Abstract
This paper examines variable selection among various factors related to motor vehicle fatality rates using a rich set of panel data. Four Bayesian methods are used. These include Extreme Bounds Analysis (EBA), Stochastic Search Variable Selection (SSVS), Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA), and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART). The first three of these employ parameter estimation, the last, BART, involves no parameter estimation. Nonetheless, it also has implications for variable selection. The variables examined in the models include traditional motor vehicle and socioeconomic factors along with important policy-related variables. Policy recommendations are suggested with respect to cell phone use, modernization of the fleet, alcohol use, and diminishing suicidal behavior.


The use of conventional instructional strategy has failed to address negative attitude to listening comprehension. This study, therefore, determined the effects of listening strategies' instruction on senior secondary school students' attitude to listening comprehension. This research adopted a pretest, treatment and posttest quasi- experimental factorial design. A total sample of one hundred and twenty participants were randomly selected and assigned to three treatment groups of listening strategies, discourse markers instructions and the control which was not exposed to instruction. The instruments used were: The Listening Attitude Questionnaire, Teachers' Instructional Guide on listening strategies' instructions; Teachers Instructional Guide on Modified Conventional Strategy and Evaluation sheet for Assessing Teachers' Performance on the use of the Strategies (ESAT). Data were analyzed using ANCOVA at 0.05 level of significance. There was a significant difference in the attitude to listening [F(1, 117) = 94.64, p < 0.05]. Those exposed to listening strategies instruction had a better attitude to listening and a better listening comprehension than those exposed to other instructions.  Article visualizations:


The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on ESA's (European Space Agency's) decision to continue its operations aboard the International Space Station:


Recent discoveries indicate that the neural codes in the superficial layers of the primary visual cortex (V1) of macaque monkeys are complex, diverse and super-sparse. This leads us to ponder the computational advantages and functional role of these "grandmother cells." Here, we propose that such cells can serve as prototype memory priors that bias and shape the distributed feature processing during the image generation process in the brain. These memory prototypes are learned by momentum online clustering and are utilized through a memory-based attention operation. Integrating this mechanism, we propose Memory Concept Attention ( MoCA ) to improve few shot image generation quality. We show that having a prototype memory with attention mechanisms can improve image synthesis quality, learn interpretable visual concept clusters, and improve the robustness of the model. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of the idea that these super-sparse complex feature detectors can serve as prototype memory priors for modulating the image synthesis processes in the visual system.


The mechanism and mode of action of the Trichoderma against Rhizoctonia solani is through coiling around pathogen hyphae, penetration, and subsequent dissolution of the host cytoplasm. Characterization of 17 biocontrol strains identified as "Trichoderma" and isolated from R. solani was carried out using RAPDs. A certain degree of polymorphism was detected and the cluster analysis grouped the 17 isolates into three groups: T. harzianum, T. viride, and T. aureoviride. Some of the RAPD markers were also useful for identifying strains of T. aureoviride within the complex collections from Raipur and Bilaspur in India. Key words: Antagonism, mycoparasitism, random amplified polymorphic DNA, Rhizoctonia solani, Trichoderma


Stroke accounts for about 10% of deaths worldwide, making it the second-leading cause of mortality. In some parts of the world, such as China, stroke is the leading cause of death. Stroke risk factors have been well elucidated in high-income countries, but less is known about what causes stroke elsewhere. The INTERSTROKE investigators have now published a study of stroke risk factors …


Background.- Endolymphatic sac tumors are rare intracranial tumors originating from temporal bone of the endolymphatic sac. They are histologically nonaggressive lesions, but often become locally invasive. We report one patient with pathologically proven endolymphatic sac tumor. A 45-year-old woman admitted a 7-year history of progressive right-sided hearing loss and recent onset of localized right ear pain. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a solid, heterogeneous enhancing mass in the petrous portion of the temporal bone resembling glomus jugulare tumor. The patient underwent a combined presigmoid and retrosigmoid approach to the tumor and partially resected. Observations.- She remained neurologically stable and underwent gamma-knife radiosurgery for residual and recurrent tumor after follow-up of 9 months. It is indispensable to differentiate between endolymphatic sac tumors and other pathologies, since requires to a different surgical strategies. Endolymphatic sac tumor invades the petrous bone and surrounds the neurovascular structures extending intracranially. A complete radical resection without neurological deficits is impossible in advanced cases. The role of adjuvant therapy is controversial and open to development. Because of this case, we reviewed the literature on endolymphatic sac tumors in changing concept. * Anahtar Kelimeler : Endolenfatik kese tumoru, gamma-knife, isitme kaybi * Key Words: Endolymphatic sac tumor, gamma-knife, hearing loss


Introduction Empathetic behaviour is regarded as a positive trait amongst healthcare professionals and has been attributed to increased patient compliance, greater patient satisfaction, and greater diagnostic accuracy and reduced rates of clinical errors. Despite this, past studies have shown that healthcare students fail to recognise the importance of empathetic behaviour in patient care and display significant empathy decline throughout their studies. In particular, paramedic students have typically displayed lower rates of empathy when compared to their healthcare counterparts. The objective of this study is to assess both the level of empathy and changes in empathy in undergraduate paramedic students over a 3-year period at a single tertiary institution. Method A cross sectional study employing a convenience sample of first, second and third year undergraduate paramedic students at Monash University from 2008-2010. Student empathy scores where measured with the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Health Profession Student version (JSE-HPS); a validated, self-reporting questionnaire. Results 552 students were enrolled in the study, of which 69% were females and 83% were aged under 25. The mean overall JSE-HPS score for the cohort was 108.60 (SD=12.50). Female students displayed significantly higher empathy scores of 110.27 (SD=11.62) compared to males at 105.36 (SD=13.57). There was also a significant difference (p=0.03) noted between the 2008 JSE-HPS score 106.32 (SD=14.02), when compared to the 2009 cohort, 110.18 (SD=12.91). There was no significant difference found in mean JSE-HPS scores across differing age groups. Conclusion Results from this study suggest that paramedic students display lower empathy than those reported by fellow healthcare students within the literature. Additionally, this study provides further evidence that females are typically more empathetic than their male counterparts in the same profession. The fact that empathy levels did not decline significantly throughout the course as expected defies current literature and is worthy of future investigation.


Taking Danhou Colliery as an example,this paper analyzed hydrological characteristic of Ordovician period and floor water pressure rule of lower coal-seam.Existence condition of key strata against water in top of Ordovician period and its thickness was researched.It calculated depth of floor damage induced by mining and effective aquiclude thickness,predicted water-burst danger and evaluated feasibility of mining with water pressure.Result showed that about 25m thick aquiclude exist in top of lower Ordovician period and it could provide protection for mining lower coal influenced by water pressure.


RONI RIDWAN. Effectivity of Silage and Probiotic on Rumen Ecology of Peranakan Ongole Cattle by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) Analysis. Under direction of SRI BUDIARTI and ACHMAD DINOTO. Silages and Probiotics additives were used for improvement of cattle productivity. Key of effectivity of silage and probiotics was changed observation direct or indirect roles on rumen ecology. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of silage and probiotics on ruminal ecosystems in vivo using molecular approach. Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis was used to detect changes of ecology communities based on 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (16S rDNA). Two rumen canulated PO cattle were fed several diet ie; (R0) basal diet dry matter basis (Pennisetum purpureum 70% and commercial concentrate 30%), (R1) silage (basal diet fermented using Lactobacillus plantarum BTCC570), (R2) silage + probiotics (Leuconostoc sp. BTCC531), (R3) Basal diet + probiotics (Leuconostoc sp. BTCC531). Digesta samples were colected 3 h after feeding for cellulolytic activities (DNS method), pH, parsial volatile fatty acids measurements (Gas Chromatography method), and T-RFLP analysis. T-RFLP analysis was performed using the 16S rDNA amplified from each sample. The lengths of the terminal restriction fragments were analysed after digestion with HhaI, HaeIII and MspI. Result showed that effectivities of silage and probiotics given together of index Smith and Wilson evenness applied to T-RFLP ecology data (Evar) 0.89±0.04 was the highest. It was significantly (p<0.05) increased rumen metabolism product (%mM) such propionic acid (19.44), valeric acid (0.76), isobutyric acid (2.21), isovaleric acid (1.77) compared with basal diet. T-RFLP analysis has a potency to be used for comparisons of complex bacterial communities, especialy to detect changes in community structure in respons to diferent variabels and showed rumen bacteria diversity in the rumen.


Numerical simulations were used to investigate the influence of various hot filaments and other deposition parameters on substrate temperature field which affects significantly the growth and quality of diamond films by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition(HFCVD). It was found that the homogenous substrate temperature region 76 mm × 76 mm with the maximum temperature fluctuation no more than 5% could be obtained by a 80 mm×80 mm filamentary heater and it could be improved to 100 mm × 100 mm under the condition of supplementary hot filaments with appropriate parameters. ll of these theoretical results provided the basis for optimizing the technological parameters to deposit high quality and uniform diamond films over large area.


Poor physical health condition is common among prison inmates due to movement limitation during confinement. The negative effects of custody on health can be reduced to a minimum with the principle that time spent in custody can be used to include participation in organised physical activities to promote physical health of inmates while in confinement. The study is aimed at determining the relationship between sport participation and physical health of inmates in Ilesa Prison in Osun State of Nigeria. The study employed experimental pretest – posttest control research design. This study was carried out over a 10 week period at the Ilesa prison in Osun State, Nigerian. 140 inmates were selected for the study. The respondents were grouped into four sports- athletics (sprints and relays), badminton, table-tennis and volleyball. The physical health domain of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) was adapted and used to determine the inmates' perception of their physical health. The data collected on reported physical health condition of inmates against the different categories of sport participation (athletics, badminton, table-tennis and volley-ball) of the respondents were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple regression analysis, Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficients and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine whether differences observed on the physical health perceptions by inmates and sports participation are significant. The study revealed a moderate correlation between participation in athletics and physical health (r=0.685); participation in Table Tennis and physical health (r=.697) and participation in volleyball and physical health (r=.504). It is therefore, concluded that participation in different sports can definitely influence the perception of physical health among inmates of Ilesa prison in Osun State of Nigeria.


Current literature indicates that much learning and change activity occurs in association with network structures. This paper aims to extend Crossan et al's (1999, 2011) multilevel 4I learning fram...


Background: Oral mucositis (OM) is a frequent side effect following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) consequences of which affect life quality of patients (pts). Objective: to determine frequency, intensity, duration and consequences of OM by testing effectiveness of standard OM monoprophylaxis in comparison with OM combination prophylaxis. Patients and methods: records from 25 consecutive pts enrolled in an ongoing prospective study (Table 1), treated with autologous (auto) HSCT (22) or allogeneic (allo) HSCT (3) from April until October 2010 were analyzed. Conditioning protocols were: HD- melphalan (7), Flu/Bu/ATG (2), Bu-Cy (2), BEAM (10) and BEAC (4). All pts received antibacterial and antifungal prophylaxis and allo HSCT pts, in addition, received antiviral prophylaxis. Pts are divided into 3 groups (sr, src and srg) based on randomly received OM prophylaxis: standard rinse (SR) (aqua redestilata, chlorhexidine, bicarbonate pulver), SR+Caphosol® and SR+Gelclair®, respectively. Data on frequency, duration and intensity of OM, pain in oral cavity and use of opioid analgetics were compared between these 3 groups. The grade of OM was evaluated according to the WHO scale. Results: 84% of pts (sr, src, srg = 100%, 70%, 86%, respectively) developed OM, 20% of them developping OM of WHO grade 3. Median duration of OM was 8 days (mean 9.76, range 1-33, SD 6.94) and median OM grade was 2 (mean 1.76, range 1-3, SD 0.83). Median in-hospital time from start of conditioning was 19 (mean 20.28, range 15-37, SD 4.91). 52% of pts experienced pain in oral cavity (sr, src, srg = 75%, 43%, 33%, respectively) and 28% were receiving opioid analgetics (sr, src, srg = 50%, 20%, 14%, respectively). Table 2 shows data for each group of pts. Conclusion: Prophylaxis of OM plays an important part in nursing practice and demands coordinated measures between physicians, nurses and patients. Our analysis shows that OM is more frequent and appears in more severe form in pts treated with monoprophylaxis than in those treated with combined prophylaxis. Patients treated with combined prophylaxis had less frequent oral cavity pain, and those who had it, experienced it in lower intensity. However, this is just a preliminary report of a study that is still in progress. Further research on a greater number of pts is warranted.


Summary form only given. A miniature inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source has been developed. The ICP source is a 1.5cm diameter 5-turn spiral antenna embedded in low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). LTCC has a permittivity of εr=7.8. The ICP source operates in a range of 700-900MHz and can strike a plasma from 3-50W at pressures ranging from 50mTorr to 1.75 Torr. The ICP source is now being characterized for use as a plasma generator for a miniature ion thruster. These characterization tests are being conducted for operating conditions comparable to an ion thruster in space, i.e. background pressure of <;10E-6 Torr and a propellant mass flow rate of <;10sccm. A single Langmuir probe is inserted into the plasma approximately 2mm from the antenna, and the voltage is swept from -50 to +50V. The IV curve produced from this voltage sweep is used to estimate the density of the plasma. The results of these experiments will help describe the relationship between the plasma density with RF input power to the ICP source and mass flow rate of propellant. The experiment will be conducted with the ICP source by itself, the ICP source integrated with thruster discharge chamber, and the ICP source with the thruster discharge chamber with a magnetic cusp. Each experiment should show an increase in plasma density compared to the prior experiment. These results will be used to determine the optimum operating condition for an ion thruster by maximizing the mass utilization efficiency and electrical efficiency of the ICP source.


There's some good news for pharmacists adrift in a sea of Medicare Part D confusion: They will be able to electronically determine whether a patient has prescription coverage, and they don't have to keep track of how much beneficiaries have spent out of pocket.


Copyright: © 2016 Madrahimov A, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. changes and deleterious mutations outside the epitopes [8]. The ability of this model to forecast which strains are likely to become dominant appears to be less informative for H1N1 than H3N2.


A sludge storage silo is provided to prevent a bridging phenomenon of sludge by installing at least one self-rotating impeller on an upper part of a sliding frame, reduce installation space of the silo and cost for public works of the silo by installing cylinders near the silo or within the silo, and reduce facility cost and perform maintenance and management more easily by controlling a piston pump or a sludge transfer pump by at least one hydraulic system. In a sludge storage silo(100) comprising a sludge hopper opening-and-closing device(140) for controlling a sludge injection port, a sliding frame(110) reciprocated by cylinders of a sludge discharger to discharge sludge, and a sludge transfer pump(150) for transferring the discharged sludge to a specific place, the sludge storage silo further comprises at least one self-rotating impeller(120) which is installed on a top part of the sliding frame in a way that the self-rotating impeller is rotated about a rotary shaft that horizontally extends in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the sliding frame, and which has at least one vane such that the vane is rotated by the interference with sludge during reciprocating of the sliding frame to prevent bridging of sludge by mixing sludge. Further, the sludge hopper opening-and-closing device, the cylinders of a sludge discharger and the sludge transfer pump is operated by one pressure pump.


The article considers the role and functions of geographic information technologies in ensuring the cybersecurity of the organization. It is established that the main purpose of the application of geographic information systems (GIS) in the field of cybersecurity is to achieve a comprehensive common vision of the situation in cyberspace by all management entities, which will ensure effective and timely decision-making on awareness, prevention, protection, response and recovery cybersecurity. The concept of GIS application in the field of cybersecurity of the company-manufacturer of GIS platforms ESRI is analyzed, which proposes to implement a geospatial model of perimeter protection in order to identify and evaluate attempts to compromise ITСS and form cyber support lines to perform critical missions.


A 57-year-old man presented to the ED with peripheral edema. Physical findings were consistent with atrial fibrillation, tricuspid regurgitation, and heart failure on the right side. A radiograph of the chest showed a high cardiothoracic ratio and a very large right atrium.


It is possible to regard imitation within at least three theoretical frameworks. First, imitation may be regarded as a special case of another more general form of learning (Miller and Dollard, 1941; Gewirtz, 1971). Secondly, it is possible to consider imitation as a unique process which may be accounted for in its own right (Bandura, 1969). A third theory of imitation has its origin in the work of Piaget (1951) and suggests that imitation is only one aspect of the total functioning of an individual and lies between accommodation and assimilation. The Piagetian account of imitation implies that as an individual develops, his imitations undergo a series of transformations, so that the level of organization of the individual directly influences his imitations. There is some evidence that, in the case of the severely subnormal child, the Piagetian theory has implications for both the development of learning and the assessment of abilities. In a series of experiments requiring the ESNS children to imitate sounds in words, whole words, strings of words (structured and semi-structured) and sentences of varying complexity (Berry, 1971; 1973), an analysis of errors indicated differential levels and strategies of processing the linguistic input. In addition, the level of performance on imitation tasks correlated significantly with abilities on other tasks of linguistic ability such as receptive vocabulary, the comprehension of sentences of varying syntactic complexity and the ability to vary syntactic complexity and the ability to produce language related to picture stimuli. Evidence from other researchers using the technique for the assessment of language (e.g. Slobin, 1968; Osser, Wang and Zaid, 1970) as well as studies in motor imitation (e.g. Wapner and Cirillo, 1968) suggests that elicited imitation of a model might be a useful technique for the psychological assessment of skills, since errors in imitation tasks seem to be directly related to the individual's competence.


Dr Charles L Christian arrived in New York City in 1953, having grown up in Wichita, Kansas, and graduating from medical school at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. In New York, Dr Christian embarked on training in internal medicine at Columbia's Presbyterian Hospital where he met an individual who would shape the course of his career, Dr Charles Ragan, a founder of the Arthritis Foundation. Dr Christian, or Chuck as he was usually called, went on to shape the developing field of rheumatology, advancing understanding of our most complex diseases as an investigator, master clinician, mentor and academic leader. During an era when the cellular and humoral features of the immune system were just coming into focus, Chuck performed laboratory experiments with precision and creativity to achieve new understanding of three significant diseases: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and vasculitis. Review of his publications from the 1950s and 1960s provides a window into a time when figures were hand drawn and papers often had a single author. While the tools of technology that we rely on today were not available to Chuck, his insights have had a sustained impact on how we understand and treat autoimmune rheumatic diseases (table 1). His talents and his dedication to patients, colleagues, science and medicine supported a lifetime of remarkable contributions.

View this table:

Table 1
Charles L Christian, MD: major scientific contributions

Dr Christian's research addressing immunologic mechanisms in RA was inspired by Dr Ragan, who with Dr Harry M. Rose can be credited with the discovery of rheumatoid factor. Dr Ragan was Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons at the time Chuck joined their faculty as a young physician. In 1957, in a paper published with Dr Ragan, and in a single-author study published in Journal …


When the relationship between influential input variables and out response is very complex,it's hard to find the real response surface by using traditional response surface methodology(RSM) or nonparametric RSM(NPRSM) or artificial neural networks(ANN).Although large sample size is required,these methods bring high generalization risk and can hardly reach the global optimum.To improve this, RSM is recognized as a small sample size machine learning issue of getting samples under constraint conditions.And a new RSM based on support vector machine(SVM) is developed.At first,the data are sampled with wide interval grid and the process is fitted by using SVM.Then the approximate areas including the extremisms are determined by optimizing the regression model.Finally,the exact results could be obtained step by step by shortening the intervals.The simulation research shows that the fitting and generalization performance of the proposed method is superior to that of NRSM or ANN based on RSM.Under the circumstance of small sample,the method can yield a comprehensive numerical model and obtain several process extremisms in optimizing.


A revolution is underway in health education and support for patients with, or at risk for, diabetes. This chapter will present examples of technology-enabled behavior change interventions that have the potential to lead this revolution in healthcare transformation. The seeds of the coming revolution have already been sown, though most of us can only see the emerging sprouts of these changes. The roots of this revolution come from the changing expectations patients have from their healthcare providers and their healthcare system, and the never-before-possible ways individuals and clinicians can interact. No longer are interactions limited to in-person or on-the-phone conversations. Interactions can be in the moment and with many people and multiple technologies at the same time. They can be clinician lead, clinician facilitated, or patient guided, with the clinician only being involved when and how the patient chooses. Increasingly, patients can get more of their questions answered from a simple computer search, but too often the answer isn't accurate, complete, or appropriate for the individual's specific circumstances. Most Internet and cell phone applications are tools that only help a patient with a specific task and are primarily effective for a targeted behavior or when the individual is highly motivated. With this revolution in education and support, clinicians will be better able to support large numbers of patients in the ongoing process of adopting and sustaining healthpromoting habits. Approaches that improve outcomes use new models of service provision in which technology-enabled self-management support provides patients with:


: Flexible working arrangements (FWA) are both important and significant to workplaces in this twenty first century. Organizations are burdened with how to balance their employees work-life balance to enable them reduce all the attendant problems associated with them while ensuring efficient and effective performance. Hence, a lot of organizations offer flexible working arrangements to employees due to the benefits associated with flexibility both for the employees and employers. Greatly improved employee cum organizational performance is one of the most common benefits. It equally facilitates balanced work-life resulting in reduced stress and increased wellbeing for the employees and reduced absenteeism and employee turnover for the organization. This paper aims at highlighting the various forms and general principles of flexible working arrangements and their effect on employee performance . Library research involving analytical discussion of secondary data is adopted as the methodology. It recommends that more research be conducted on the effects of employee-driven and employer-driven flexible work arrangements on organizational performance in order to substantiate the claim that effects of FWAs vary depending on the primary beneficiary.


The idea of early endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) of "small" abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has gained attention over "watchful waiting," mostly due to the concern for losing the anatomic suitability for endovascular repair over time. Generally, small AAAs have longer, smaller, less angulated necks, and less tortuous iliac arteries than larger ones. Though the borderline anatomic characteristics were assumed to be contraindications for older generation endografts, the modifications of modern devices seem promising to overcome those limitations, in order to treat the small AAAs when reaching the 5.5 cm threshold. Moreover, early endovascular intervention has been proven neither cost effective nor beneficial for the patients' quality of life. This article evaluates the technical progress that could overcome the difficulties of those small AAAs that present technically demanding anatomies, thus advocating endovascular intervention when they reach the diameter threshold.


In the paper, we studied two local multi-robot coordination problems, namely, local gathering control and formation tracking. Firstly, a new local control strategy is proposed to address the gathering problem based on routing schemes and using only bearing measurements. The interaction graph might be directed and time varying, but the convergence is still ensured. Second, a zero steady-error formation tracking control is developed by introducing an integral component, which eliminates the steady-state error when the leaders preform uniform rectilinear motions. Last, a novel IR sensor is developed to measure relative bearing angles and distances of neighboring robots and experiments are carried out based on the developed mobile platforms with IR sensors, which demonstrate not only the success of our proposed control strategies, but also the applicability of our developed mobile platforms in the field of local multi-robot coordination.


257Background: Conditional survival (CS) is a relevant prognostic measure for cancer survivors and physicians and may be particularly important for young adult patients with CRC (colorectal cancer)...


The objectives of this study were to assess the safety and efficacy of intralesionally administered diclofenac in the treatment of cutaneous neurofibromas in patients with NF1. This was a proof-of-concept, prospective, safety and efficacy study of the effect of intralesionally administered diclofenac 25 mg/ml given once a week to 3 target cutaneous neurofibromas for 4 consecutive weeks. Overall, there was no significant change in neurofibroma size. During the study, some treated lesions developed signs of necrosis and fell off after a few weeks, but none of the control neurofibromas fell off. There were no significant changes in patient's vital signs. A few adverse events occurred, mostly at the injection sites. During the study, some neurofibromas developed necrosis after the diclofenac injections and eventually detached from the patient. Overall, diclofenac was well tolerated, suggesting minimal systemic exposure, which required confirmation and further studies, including bioavailability analysis.


On the basis of the relative gravitational field conception advanced by Yu. Rylov, the Synge's plane gravitational waves energy relative to the separate base points has been calculated. It is found that the sign and the value of the energy depend on the base point position.


In order to analyze the bridge strain signal under explosive load, the sym N wavelet basis function is selected by wavelet analysis method to conduct multi-layer decomposition and reconstruction of the corresponding strain signal, analyze the main characteristics of each frequency band signal, and discuss the frequency band range of the measured strain signal. The results show that the measured strain signal is mainly concentrated in the low frequency part, and the high frequency part is caused by various interference factors; The highest frequency of effective strain signal is mainly below 5KHz, which can provide theoretical reference for strain gauge selection during bridge strain measurement under explosive load.


148Background: Althoughmultimodality therapy (MMT) is recommended for most patients with resectable gastric cancer, no single approach has been established as standard. As such, little is known about current national practice patterns and MMT treatment sequencing for patients with gastric cancer. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of ≥ T2 and/or node positive gastric cancer patients treated with MMT using the National Cancer Database (2006-2012). Patients were categorized based on type of MMT (chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiation (cXRT), or both chemotherapy and cXRT) and treatment sequence (preoperative, postoperative, or perioperative). Accuracy of pre-treatment clinical nodal staging was ascertained by comparison to pathologic nodal staging in patients treated with upfront surgery. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the association between overall risk of death and MMT type and sequence. Results: Among 4,857 patients, 14.1% were treated perioperatively, 48.0% preoperativel...


This paper argues that the missing link in the effort to resolve the Niger Delta crisis is the neglect of indigenous organizations. Scholars and policy makers have underplayed the role of self-organized institutions in the governance of community affairs in the Niger Delta. The fact that stakeholders in the development process operate on parallel lines has been the bane of good governance and development in the region. These parties do not communicate with each other and thus have not been able to harness their efforts in the development process. Consequently, the problems in the region have become complex, and hydra-headed. This paper therefore considers imperative a multifaceted strategy that can simultaneously address these problems, and recommends polycentric planning and community self-governance embracing the application of eight African development models that cut across several sectors of the economy in the Niger Delta.


Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) and occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are two recently described different forms of HBV and HCV infections. This work compares the clinical, virologic, and histologic characteristics of patients with occult dual infection to those of patients with single occult HBV or HCV infection. Seventy‐six patients with abnormal liver function tests of unknown etiology (serum HBsAg, anti‐HCV, HBV‐DNA, and HCV‐RNA negative) were included in the study. Viral genomes were tested in liver by real‐time PCR and confirmed by in situ hybridization. Of the 76 patients, 17 had occult HBV infection (intrahepatic HBV‐DNA positive, HCV‐RNA negative), 35 had occult HCV infection (intrahepatic HCV‐RNA positive, HBV‐DNA negative) and 24 occult dual infection (intrahepatic HCV‐RNA and HBV‐DNA). No differences among the three groups were found regarding clinical and epidemiologic data. The median load of intrahepatic genomic and antigenomic HCV‐RNA strands was similar between single occult HCV infection and occult HBV and HCV dual infection. The percentage of HCV‐infected hepatocytes did not differ between these groups. In occult single HBV infection, intrahepatic levels of HBV‐DNA and percentage of HBV‐infected hepatocytes were similar to the group of patients with occult dual infection. Finally, no differences were found in histological liver damage among the three groups. In conclusion, liver disease in patients with occult dual infection was not more severe than in patients with single occult HBV or occult HCV infection. Moreover, in occult dual infection there is no a reciprocal inhibition of the viral genomes. J. Med. Virol. 79:236–241, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


ABSTRACT This paper addresses the controller design potentials, challenges, and scope of improvements, which are used to control various VSC-MTDC grids effectively even in presence of renewable energy resources. Advantages of VSC-MTDC systems are high-speed power reversal capability, asynchronous interconnection, no need of reactive power compensation, more economical and flexible, etc. Hence, the different developed control schemes are discussed and summarized in terms of scalability of VSC-MTDC grid topologies. Based on different VSC-MTDC topologies, several controllers such as conventional PI controllers, optimal controllers, robust controllers, and intelligent controllers design potentials with their limitations has been discussed in this study. In order to minimize greenhouse effect, the renewable energy plants, i.e wind farms, solar plants, tidal energy plants, etc. are also integrated to VSC-MTDC grids. Due to uncertainties in renewable energy plants, it is necessary to use robust and intelligent control strategy for the optimal power sharing among terminals and also to maintain the stability of the system. Hence, scope of improvements, design potentials, challenges, integration of renewable energy resources, and limitations based on VSC-MTDC model topologies has been discussed.


Chinese economic growth is drawing huge attention to people in recent years, and we propose a new stochastic production frontier model to do the analysis of technical efficiency. The model is built with varying coefficient specification for the input covariates and a simple two-step estimation procedure is established to estimate the unknown parameters. The real data analysis is on the basis of cross province data in the selected years. A comparison of the new model against the traditional one has been made together with relevant suggestions.


The earliest record of aquaculture occurred in China, where
artificial hatching and rearing of carp (Cyprinus carpio)
dated back to 2000 BC. Since that time, man has extensively
cultured species such as the milkfish (Chanos chanos),
tilapia (Oreochromis mossambica), yellow tail (Seriola
quinquiradiata) rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon (Salmo
salar) and many other salmonid species. Aquaculture was
first carried out in Europe by the Romans with oysters and
now the culture of shellfish such as clams, oysters and
prawns is common. All the culturable species are subjected
to infectious diseases and their impact on the economic
viability of the aquaculture industry has become increasingly
important. According to Meyer <1991), disease problems
constitute the largest single cause of economic losses in
aquaculture'. Now as the natural fisheries provided by the
open seas have declined and the world population has grown,
aquaculture products are in great demand.


This item contains 1 PDF file. Moffit explains to Parsons that the United Press Associations (Richmond Bureau) will not be able to send anyone to the 1956 Mock Convention due to recent staffing changes. However, they are very interested in the convention and encourage Parsons to send along a reasonable amount of copy.


Background: Contact tracing is a critical component in controlling the spread of infectious diseases During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demands for contract tracing far exceeded the resources available to infection prevention and control (IPC) programs Leveraging our Poison Control Center, our organization established a Contact Tracing Center (CTC) with content expertise and oversight by IPC and Occupational Health The CTC identifies exposed patients and employees, provides testing guidance and scheduling, and offers post-exposure recommendations for employees We describe patient outcomes due to employee exposures in a pediatric healthcare system Methods: Exposure data about employee to patient exposures (EPE) were captured real-time by scripted telephone interviews by our CTC Chart review was performed to determine outcomes of exposed patients A concerning exposure from a direct patient care provider to a patient was defined as unprotected contact at less than 6 feet for greater than 5 minutes in the 24 hours prior to developing symptoms Data were analyzed to determine COVID-19 conversion rates for children exposed to pre-symptomatic and symptomatic employees based upon exposure risk stratification, window of exposure, and employees who worked with symptoms Results: From March 2020 - present, we identified 38 EPE that involved 10 employees;26 EPE were pre-symptomatic and 12 EPE symptomatic exposures The average number of EPE per employee was 3 8 (SD 3 01) There were no secondary transmission events to patients from either pre-symptomatic or symptomatic employees After instituting universal masking, the number of concerning exposures to patients were 3 compared to 35 prior to universal masking Conclusion: We describe the experience of a novel Contact Tracing Center, leveraging alternate staffing pools to track EPE resulting in no secondary transmission to patients either before or after universal masking We credit sick policy adherence, high hand hygiene compliance, use of standard precautions, universal masking, robust contact tracing operations and a strong data collection system to identify process gaps


In this study the characteristics of elastic parameters of the lower Paleozoic shale formation is presented. Dynamic elastic properties are calculated based on available seismic data calibrated with elastic properties obtained from well logging. Comparison between dynamic and static elastic properties is conducted and the cause of observed difference is discussed. Finally, methods for conversion of dynamic to static elastic properties is presented. Detailed characterization of the shale formation helps highlight which zones are more susceptible to hydraulic fracturing while conversion of dynamic to static elastic properties is performed for further geomechanical modeling purposes and allow more advanced mechanical analysis of unconventional reservoir object.


Composite superconductors develop resistance continuously rather than suddenly as transport current increases. This means that the distribution of current among the filaments in a composite conductor is determined not only by their inductive coupling but also by the longitudinal resistance they develop as they begin to carry current. The current distribution has been calculated taking into account the continuous nature of the resistive transition for a composite being charged at a uniform rate. The results show that slowly charged conductors are much more stable against self-field instability than is indicated by purely inductive calculations.


The selective oxidation of alkanes is a topic of considerable interest to both industrial and academic chemists. While the initial discovery occurred more than 25 years ago, new developments in alkane oxidation catalyzed by electrophilic late transition metals have provided important mechanistic insights as well as potentially practical methods for alkane transformations.


The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the use of extensible external representations can improve the efficiency of Web search processes for open-ended questions. An experimental Web search environment capable of visually representing Web search processes was developed, and its utility was evaluated. Thirty undergraduate and graduate students were asked to search for meaningful Web-based information about ''Educational Technology.'' All search processes performed by each subject were recorded and analyzed. Findings showed that extensible external representations were able to reduce the cognitive load of organizing and reusing multiple Web search results, improving the overall efficiency of iterative Web search processes. Since the Web was developed in the late 1980s, it has become one of the hottest topics in educational technology research. In addition, students' use of the Web, particularly for educational purposes, has become commonplace since most schools and classrooms have been connected to the Web (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 1999). However, finding good information on the Web has become more and more difficult as the Web has continued to expand. In an effort to alleviate this difficulty, Web search engines such as Google and Yahoo were developed. Web search engines require a person to express his or her information need as a text string, often called a search query. A Web search engine then compares the search query to its collection of Web pages and returns a set of Web pages satisfying a certain minimum threshold of meaningfulness, often called Web search engine hits. Although Web search engines are fairly powerful, many people still have difficulties finding useful information on the Web (Lawrence & Giles, 1999). Address correspondence to: Young-Jin Lee, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Tel.: þ1-217-244-9682. Fax: þ1-217-244-8371. E-mail: email@example.com 10.1080/10494820512331383439$16.00 # Taylor & Francis Ltd. In particular, people often have problems in constructing good search queries (Nordlie, 1999). As a result, Web search engine hits usually contain irrelevant information and require iterative processes to refine the Web search query, evaluate the resulting Web search engine hits, and remove irrelevant information. Moreover, it is more difficult to construct good search queries for open-ended questions because such questions can be approached in many different ways. Conventional Web search environments, however, do not support this iterative process well although people often iteratively refine their initial Web search results to locate useful information on the Web. If Web searchers want to keep track of several Web search sessions that they found meaningful but still need to be extended or refined in some ways, they have to either keep all of their Web search sessions open or use additional software, for example, a word processor. Furthermore, maintaining multiple Web search queries and the corresponding meaningful Web search engine hits demands a high cognitive load (Cockburn & Jones, 1996). Finally, bookmarks used in most of conventional Web search environments often do not capture enough of Web search contexts (Wallace, Kupperman, Krajcik, & Soloway, 2000). Consequently, students are often overwhelmed by the amount of information they need to manage, and their Web search processes become inefficient as they continue to search the Web (Carroll, 1999; Hess, 1999; Nachmias & Gilad, 2002). This paper proposes an alternative way to better search the Web, especially in dealing with open-ended questions. SEARCH-GRAPHS: EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIONS OF WEB SEARCH PROCESSES The information processing theory asserts that human memory consists of three different parts: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. The sensory memory, which is connected to the short-term memory, perceives audio and visual information. The short-term memory, which is connected to both the sensory memory and the long-term memory, fetches audio and/or visual information stored in the sensory memory, makes sense of In this study, conventional Web search environments refer to some combinations of Web search engines, a Web browser, a word processor, paper-and-pencil, and printouts of Web pages. In this study, bookmarks refer to both the ''bookmarks'' in the Netscape Communicator and the ''favorites'' in the Microsoft Internet Explorer. 228 YOUNG-JIN LEE


The article analyses main domestic policy events as well as a social and economic situation in Japan in 2015. The re-election of Prime-minister Shinzō Abe as the President of the Liberal Democratic Party until 2018 indicates that the political situation in the country stays stable. In October, he made a reshuffle of the Cabinet; there were also changes in electoral rights of local population. A campaign for the elections in the House of Councillors started at the end of the year. The passage of the law by the National Diet which extended authority of national forces of self-defense drew a wide response on the domestic scene and abroad and provoked opposition and public protests. The social and economic situation in the country didn't undergo any dramatic changes. Among the most important events of the year in Japan were the restart of two reactors at Sendai Nuclear Power Plant, the Nobel Prize award to two Japanese scientists, a scandal around the emblem of the 2020 Olympics, and the construction of the main Olympic stadium. Among the most significant international events of the year were news about the terrorist attacks related to the extremist group "Islamic Group" (prohibited in Russia), the migration crisis in Europe, resumption of diplomatic links of the US and Cuba, general elections in Myanmar, establishment of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, corruptive investigations in FIFA, etc.


Two new 2'-oxygenated flavones have been synthesized via chalcone precursors and the biocidal activity of these two flavones, along with the corresponding chalcones against microbes (bacteria and fungi) and brine shrimp nauplii were investigated. Both the flavones (compounds 6 and 7) and their corresponding chalcones (compounds 4 and 5) showed good activity against all the tested bacterial and fungal strains. The LC50 values of compounds 4-7 were found to be 2.31, 0.94, 1.39 and 0.58 μgmL -1, respectively. The synthesized compounds were characterized using UV-Vis, IR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectral data, together with elemental analysis. .


Grassi has repeatedly asserted that the geographical distribution of the genus Anopheles in Italy coincides with that of malaria. Even in his most recent publication he lays special stress upon the coincidence, and considers that what he claims will probably hold true all over the world.


The Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as an adjunct to treating patients with severe –COVID-19 infection is critical in recovery outcome of the patients as discussed in the articles reviewed in this paper and it will form a basis to develop treatment protocol for HBOT for COVID-19 patients by hyperbaric medical authorities. The critical standpoints in respect of pathophysiology and pharmacodynamics are emphasized in this paper.


We have measured the thermal melting profile for poly[d(AT)] · poly[d(TA)] as a function of concentration of three trivalent cations: spermidine, me8spermidine, and hexammine cobalt(III). Using McGhee's (1976) theory of DNA melting in the presence of ligands, we have estimated association constants Kh, Kc and binding site sizes nh, nc for binding to double‐helical (h) and single‐stranded (c) polynucleotide. The results are as follows:


Graphene oxide (GO) has gathered widespread interest within the scientific community as a result of its unique properties. In the present work, the interfacial behavior of the GO nanosheet at the crude oil/water interface was explored to investigate its demulsification mechanism for crude oil/water emulsions. The interfacial rheology properties and the interfacial tension were systematically discussed. The results revealed that GO was able to decrease the interfacial tension of the emulsion to a large extent, implying that the GO nanosheet was interfacially active. Unexpectedly, the dilational modulus monotonically increased with increasing the GO dosage. In addition, the coalescence kinetics and the interfacial assembly behaviors of GO were investigated. It was observed that the oil droplet became wrinkled once contacting with the crude oil/water interface, and a thin film was finally left at the interface. Therefore, the GO nanosheet was thought to be able to diffuse to the oil/water interface and self-...


Thrombomodulin (TM) is a natural anticoagulant present on endo thelial cell surface which acts as a cofactor of thrombin-catalyzed activation of protein C (1,2). TM can be cleaved from endothelial cells and released at trace amounts into the circulation (3). Plasma TM has been found increased in different clinical conditions and it is regarded as a molecular marker of endothelial cell injury (4). However, its pathophysiological role is still unclear. Reports concerning TM plasma levels in newborns are not currently available. Using a two-site enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for ' soluble forms of TM (Asserachrom Thrombomodulin. Diagnostica Stago, France), prepared with two monoclonal antihuman TM anti bodies we analyzed plasma TM levels in 20 healthy subjects and in 42 healthy full-term newborns. The infants were adequate for gesta tional age and bom of healthy mothers after uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries. Blood samples were obtained by puncture of the um bilical vein of clamped cord immediately after delivery, being collected on 3.8% sodium citrate (9:1). The significance of the differences be tween newborns and controls was tested by the Mann-Whitney test. TM levels in normal subjects were 21.5 ± 6.9ng/ml (mean ± SD). Indi vidual results of TM in newborns and controls are shown in Fig. 1. A significant increase (p <0.001) was observed in the neonates group (53.6 ± 16.4 ng/ml). The clinical significance of the elevated TM is not well established. Elevated TM levels in cord blood could be the result of the clamping of the umbilical cord or the birth process itself, with important changes in the circulation. High TM values at birth might also reflect an increased synthesis and/or degradation of TM from the endothelial cell membrane, thus representing a marker of endothelial damage, or a degree of liver insufficiency (4,5). It is worth mentioning, however, that TM is structurally and functionally identical to fetomodulin, a marker surface protein of fetal development (6). It is, there fore, tempting to suggest a possible role of the surface protein TM in embryonic development (7). Additional clinical studies in normal and pathological situations will help to elucidate the precise role of increased TM in newborns.


This research examines the conceptual model of logistic service quality in a courier company in Thailand, and the effect on customer satisfaction, The objective is to provide improvement recommendations to the company. Both exploratory research and survey research were conducted. The target population was the company's customers, from the time they place an order until the order is received. Import shipments were studied, and there were 277 respondents to a questionnaire. Multiple and simple linear regressions were used to analyze the data. The researcher found that the proposed conceptual model of logistic service quality has a significant influence on customer satisfaction. This will help the company managers to understand the business performance and level of customer satisfaction, in order to improve the service. This will enhance the company's reputation, help it gain more market share, and help make the company a success.


Attribute Based Encryption (ABE) scheme can achieve information sharing of one-to-many users, without considering the number of users and the users identity. But, the traditional single Attribute Authority (AA) ABE scheme can hardly meet requirements of different agencies in distributed application environment and it is easy to form the system performance bottlenecks. Based on ciphertext-policy ABE scheme, this paper proposes a multi-authority revocable ABE scheme, where the classification manages user attributes, effectively relieving the management burden of single organization. In addition, it can achieve fine grained access control of shared information by adopting tree access strategy and secret sharing scheme, and support system attribute revocation. Finally, we show that the scheme is secure against chosen plaintext attack under the Decisional Bilinear Diffie-Hellman (DBDH) assumption.


Colonial wars. The American revolution. The early republic. The Civil War. The rise of professionalism. World War I. World War II. Korea and the Cold War. The Vietnam War. Contemporary issues. Epilogue: the romance of war.


The level of urbanization has continuously improved,which expands the need of the urban environment infrastructure.The BOT model can change the situation of insufficient investment of environmental infrastructure from the government.The BOT model uncertainty increases the difficulty of the decision-making of investors.Real option model can better reflect the influence of uncertainties to environmental infrastructure value of BOT projects,which is conducive to investors to make a decision.The paper identifies urban environmental infrastructure expansion options and applies Black-Scholse Option Pricing Model to calculate the options value of the BOT project.Through specific cases,the paper analyzes the decision-making process of investors.


We present an analysis of the morphology and profiles of the dust continuum emission in 153 bright sub-millimetre galaxies (SMGs) detected with ALMA at signal-to-noise ratios of >8 in high-resolution 0.18 arcsec (∼1 kpc) 870 $\mu$m maps. We measure sizes, shapes, and light profiles for the rest-frame far-infrared emission from these luminous star-forming systems and derive a median effective radius (Re) of 0.10 ± 0.04 arcsec for our sample with a median flux of S870 = 5.6 ± 0.2 mJy. We find that the apparent axial ratio (b/a) distribution of the SMGs peaks at b/a ∼ 0.63 ± 0.02 and is best described by triaxial morphologies, while their emission profiles are best fitted by a Sérsic model with n ≃ 1.0 ± 0.1, similar to exponential discs. This combination of triaxiality and n ∼ 1 Sérsic index are characteristic of bars and we suggest that the bulk of the 870 $\mu$m dust continuum emission in the central ∼2 kpc of these galaxies arises from bar-like structures. As such we caution against using the orientation of shape of the bright dust continuum emission at $\eqsim$ resolution to assess either the orientation of any disc on the sky or tits inclination. By stacking our 870 $\mu$m maps we recover faint extended dust continuum emission on ∼4 kpc scales which contributes 13 ± 1 per cent of the total 870 $\mu$m emission. The scale of this extended emission is similar to that seen for the molecular gas and rest-frame optical light in these systems, suggesting that it represents an extended dust and gas disc at radii larger than the more active bar component. Including this component in our estimated size of the sources we derive a typical effective radius of ≃0.15 ± 0.05 arcsec or 1.2 ± 0.4 kpc. Our results suggest that kpc-scale bars are ubiquitous features of high star-formation rate systems at $z$ ≫ 1, while these systems also contain fainter and more extended gas and stellar envelopes. We suggest that these features, seen some 10–12 Gyr ago, represent the formation phase of the earliest galactic-scale components: stellar bulges.


From Positivism to Interpretivism and Beyond: Tales of Transformation in Educational and Social Research. Louis Heshusius and Keith Ballard, eds. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996. 197 pp.


The nacreous walls of sieve elements occur in seagrasses in all three genera of the family Zosteraceae and the genus Halodule of the family Cymodoceaceae but are absent from another eight seagrass genera belonging to the families Hydrocharitaceae, Cymodoceaceae, and Posidoniaceae. They occur in leaf blades, leaf sheaths, rhizomes, and erect stems but are not present in root tissues. The nacreous wall is uneven along the inner limits reflecting irregular thickness. The wall consists of hemicellulose or pectin and cellulose, but no protein, lignin, or lipid. Ultrastructurally, the wall contains parallel microfibrils or loose fibrils embedded in an amorphous matrix. Open pores occur in sieve plates and branching plasmodesmata are present in enlarged sieve areas. Mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and plastids are also present in these sieve elements.


This article describes protective role of the combined injection of the «Gordox» (Hungary) 10000 ATU/kg and «Cerebrolysin» (Austria) 0,7 ml/kg in a pathogenetic therapy of nervous system damage during reperfusion syndrome. It is determined that preventive usage of that kind combination before revascularization of the ischemic tissues leads to proteolysis activation prevention in a brain, prevents structural violations and leads to main functions of the nervous system saving.


This paper presents a kind of spinneret automatic inspection technology that can be used to continuous measure 12 spinnerets, designed a high-precision calibration model with a small amount of calculation and comprehensive consideration of the impact of internal and external parameters of camera. When measure the coordinates of the capillaries, processing the image with the binarization method, figure out the coordinates of the capillaries, the test error is less than 0.15mm after the experimentation, so it meets the requirement.


Digital image correlation is an effective non-contact optical tool for full-field displacement and strain measurements. It is used for objects testing, elastic parameters evaluation, flows control, etc. One of the main challenges of practical realization of DIC is the computation time. In this paper a method of computing digital image correlation with fast Fourier transform algorithm is proposed. Unlike the usual FFT cross correlation algorithm, the proposed method allows for reduction the computation time of large displacements DIC measurements with retaining the accuracy of spatial domain correlation.


The invention provides a quantitative test method for components of additives in a PA6 producing process. The quantitative test method comprises the following steps: preparing PA6 additive solution samples with different component contents; collecting spectral data of multiple groups of samples by a Fourier near infrared spectrometer, to obtain a near infrared spectrogram of each sample, and constituting a calibration sample set; correlating the component contents of each group of samples with the spectrogram; establishing a quantitative analysis model for a solution component test; after assessment results meet requirements, testing components of a solution to be tested by the Fourier infrared spectrometer, to obtain component data of the solution to be tested. The quantitative test method has the beneficial effects that: the detection accuracy is up to 0.01%, the blending quality of acid additives can be controlled, the blending error of each batch is controlled within +/-0.2%, the blending accuracy of the additives is increased, and the stabilities of the product quality index, the spinning property and the dyeing uniformity are improved.


Details of a method for preparation of undisturbed samples for extraction with a modified funnel are given, together with techniques for the quantitative assessment of the catch (especially Acarina and Collembola). These techniques include handling, visual examination and storage of the fauna.


Wenchuan earthquake made our country sustain huge losses,which bring great challenge upon the development of our economics.The capital resource is the key to the reconstruction.Though it's very important in such capital resources as financial capital,fund from parallel provinces and fund in and out-abroad etc,future development of the disaster area do not only ever count on this.In this paper,kinds of capital resources was analyzed,many new resource was discussed,which all put forward to the variety and coordination in the reconstruction of the disaster area.


Reproduction plays a key role in the genetic improvement of
horses. Equine semen cryopreservation is a complementary
technique to reproductive biotechnology processes.
However, only 40% of the horses produce semen with a high
variability in fertility that can be cryopreserved. The reliability
of methods of semen evaluation is important to determine
their fertility potential, however the conventional analysis
by microscopic evaluation has not been very effective in
this regard. Computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA)
provides an objective measurement of sperm motility. This
study aimed to compare the evaluation of equine sperm
motility through conventional and SCA®
 (CASA) methods.
Semen of three horses of the Colombian creole breed
(three ejaculates each) was frozen in extender (4% egg
yolk, 5% dimethylformamide). Thawed sperm motility was
conventionally determined by phase contrast microscopy
and by SCA ® software. For statistical analysis a generalized
linear model (GLM) was fitted and the association between
variables, using correlation and regression analysis, was
determined. An average of total motility of 54.3% ± 10.1%
and 61.8% ± 13.9% for conventional and SCA®
 evaluation, respectively, was detected.. No significant difference was
observed between the methods of analysis. It is concluded
that equine semen analysis by conventional method and
SCA®
 system is comparable for analyzing the motility of
criopreserved equine semen.


Hud Hudson puts forward a hypertime theory in order to show the compatibility of contemporary science and biblical literalism. We use the theory to answer the problem of evil in a new way. This paper is a précis of a part of a forthcoming paper. We thank the editors of the Journal of Analytic Theology for inviting us to take part in this symposium on Hud Hudson's The Fall and Hypertime. Much of what follows here is a précis of a part of a very long paper inspired by Hudson and titled 'The Promise of a New Past' (forthcoming). The longer paper expands on what follows, and develops a new theory of atonement as well as a new response to the problem of evil—all in light of Hassidic and Rabbinic traditions. The paper is indebted enough to Hudson's work that we thought a summary of some key ideas would be a fitting contribution to this symposium too. We hope that the longer paper answers some objections that will naturally come to the reader here—and that it gives rise to more objections in turn. To signal as much, we title this paper 'An Advertisement of a Promise'. Literalism regarding the Genesis account of creation is only in conflict with contemporary science given a contentious metaphysics. This is Hud Hudson's most strident claim in The Fall and Hypertime (2014). He appeals to the morphing block theory of time. If the past can change, then multiple (apparently) incompatible histories (scientific and Biblical) can lay claim to some sort of accuracy. In an aside, Hudson also anticipates that the morphing block theory of time can give new significance to the removal of suffering, as promised by the Biblical prophets in the eschaton (Ibid: 193-4). After sketching Hudson's morphing block theory, we hope to show that there are other theories of time that preserve Hudson's central claim, but which don't hold God hostage to hyper-history. Some accounts of the metaphysics of time—the growing block theory, the shrinking block theory and the moving spotlight theory—are dynamic. The growing block theory views time as growing. Space-time is a block of past events, along with The Promise of a New Paper: God and the Hyper-past Tyron Goldschmidt


Abstract: The rational production process, equipment selection and collocation are introduced in this paper A few of influence factors and solving method of briquette production process are explained based on theory.


We examine the antecedents of the development of alliance management capabilities among IPO firms. We suggest that CVCs provide unique and tacit knowledge to their portfolio firms to develop greate...


10.30699/jambs.27.125.57 The prominence of the hand function is underlined fundamentally by its rich vascular system. The superficial palmar arch incredibly provides hand with the blood supply, which is normally formed by the ulnar artery and superficial palmar branch of the radial artery. In the current case, the unilateral absence of superficial palmar arch with the rare presence of the median artery was reported, which was noticed in the right hand of a male cadaver during a routine educational dissection. The awareness of particular variations in hand blood supply during hand operations leads in preventing surgical mistakes.


The canopy layer makes up <10% of the full boundary layer, so are findings of production rates, etc. normalized or corrected for this small contribution to the mean boundary layer concentrations? Presumably the observations used to constrain the model are vertically resolved, but no vertical profiles of the observations are shown to evaluate how representative the two boxes used for modeling actually are. Oxidation products formed below the canopy, or above, would cycle many times between the two regions over the course of a day, scrambling the signatures and likely diluting the effect of chemistry occurring within the canopy itself.


Tests on over 1200 comparable carcasses in two major packing plants showed that a large variation occurred in the muscle pH values recorded 1 hr post slaughter. The percentage of carcasses having I-hr post-slaughter pH values of 6.2 or lower, between 6.3 and 6.6, and 6.7 or higher varied by 2–23%, 38–63% and 15–62%, respectively, between plants and time of measurement. Variation between muscles from a single animal was 0.4 units or less.


The invention discloses a pulse-combustion control method of a steel rolling heating furnace, namely at least four gas nozzles are arranged at the two sides of the heating furnace and located at the upper and lower parts of blanks in the blank along the length direction of the oven, thus whole-side-burning is formed for the heating furnace, the pulse of opening and closing of the whole gas nozzles is finished in T time and T is taken as a cycle period, each gas nozzle is opened at Ts interval successively, the quantity of the gas nozzles is N, thus in a pulse cycle period Ts=T/N, each gas nozzle open pulse order is set as required and opened by rated heating efficiency, each gas nozzle open pulse time is T1, T2...TQ, and the each gas nozzle open pulse time T1, T2... and TQ are calculated by the PID controller of the heating furnace control system according to the set value and the measured value of the furnace temperature. The pulse-combustion control method provided by the invention has the advantages of improving the furnace-shape, balancing the workload of the gas nozzle, improving fuel burn-off rate, strengthening the heat transfer efficiency of the blank, saving the fuel loss and improving control accuracy and flexibility of the furnace temperature, and is convenient in maintain and operation.


1PG Student 2Assistant Professor 3Software Quality-Lead Engineer 1,2Department of Master of Computer Application, NIE, Mysuru, India 3Fair and Isaac Corporation Bangalore, India ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract The FICO Authentication Suite provides the capability that can be easily deployed or integrated with the FICO's credit, risk, fraud, financial crime and customer engagement solutions that ensures the end-end protection across the customer life cycle. The layered and the risk-based controls ensures the consistent user experience and establishes the manual authentication for the customers to ensure that they communicate with the trusted and also the appropriate organization. The risk-based approach is used to provide protection and user experience, providing easy-to-use, integrated security across the customer lifecycle. It provides the. Better enrolment to the registered customers in an easy and efficient way.