A mend method of wood in an old building is provided to maximize bonding force between the wood and a semisolid material and to prevent the filled semisolid material from being separated from the wood by filling the semisolid material in the damage areas of the wood, and forming fist-like knots in the wood removed areas. Damaged cracked layers resulting from bugs or deterioration are removed from the wood. Multiple fist-like knots are formed in the cracked layer removed areas. A semisolid material is filled in the fist-like knot cracked layers and dried to mend the damaged areas of the wood. After filing the semisolid material, the mended areas are surface-processed to display original colors and grains of the wood. The interval between the fist-like knots is 30 to 50mm. The cracked layers are antiseptics-processed.


This paper tackles the H ∞ filtering problem for 2-D discrete systems. The approach is based on the Roesser model. The objective is to propose a new design with suf-ficient condition via LMI formulations. Less conservative results are obtained by introducing additional free parameters by using the Finsler's Lemma. This method provides extra degree of freedom in optimization of the H ∞ performance. The efficiency of the proposed approach is shown by several examples.


The main focus of this paper is to show some principles that can be used to pick well-working periods for the evaluation of various indicators. This paper is focused on a momentum strategy based on a diversified ETFs, but the approaches are applicable in almost every strategy where the practitioners have to pick the period for the indicator. Firstly, there is an option to pick a larger set of periods to evade the risk of overfitting and the underperformance out-of-sample. Secondly, there is a possibility to make a decision based on the performance of each strategy that corresponds to the different evaluating periods. Each approach is examined concerning the momentum strategies based on 3- to 15-month momentum and results are compared also with a benchmark portfolio. Lastly, this study shows that periods that are almost fixed in the world of quantitative strategies, do not necessarily have to be the best.


Teachers' ability to reflect on their performances or reflective teaching has been commonly used and accepted in the educational contexts. However, it has not become a content item or a course in educational curricula so far. For this reason, reflective abilities of teachers or preservice teachers cannot be measured, and there is limited feedback on their reflective performances in the teaching and learning process. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence of reflection and reflective skills of preservice teachers of English (PTE) along with experienced teachers of English (ETE) by measuring the use of reflection in different settings such as classroom settings, colleagues and management settings. Reflection-oriented reactions of ETE and PTE to possible complexities or problematic situations were scored by using Teacher Reflection Scale to reveal if they are reflective practitioners or not. The data were collected from 298 volunteer PTE and 293 ETE. Statistical analyses give evidence that ETE participants reflect more than PTE participants. Among PTE, participants mostly reflect in classroom and colleagues' settings, but not in management settings. Besides, ETE participants also reflect in classroom settings, but not in collegial setting. They prefer to reflect within management setting. Compared to PTE, there is evidence that more ETE in teaching and learning environments reflect on their practices.

 Key words: Reflection, teaching, teacher development, assessment.


Volunteered geographic information (VGI) refers to the geographic data compiled and created by individuals which are rendered on the Internet through specific web-based tools for diverse areas of interest. One of the most well-known VGI projects is the OpenStreetMap (OSM) that provides worldwide free geospatial data representing a variety of features. A critical issue for all VGI initiatives is the quality of the information offered. Thus, this report looks into the uncertainty of the OSM dataset for the main road network in Cyprus. The evaluation is based on three basic quality standards, namely positional accuracy, completeness and attribute accuracy. The work has been carried out by employing the Model Builder of ArcGIS which facilitated the comparison between the OSM data and the authoritative data provided by the Public Works Department (PWD). Findings showed that the positional accuracy increases with the hierarchical level of a road, it varies per administrative District and around 70% of the roads have a positional accuracy within 6m compared to the reference dataset. Completeness in terms of road length difference is around 25% for three out of four road categories examined and road name completeness is 100% and around 40% for higher and lower level roads, respectively. Attribute accuracy focusing on road name is very high for all levels of roads. These outputs indicate that OSM data are good enough if they fit for the purpose of use. Furthermore, the study revealed some weaknesses of the methods used for calculating the positional accuracy, suggesting the need for methodological improvements.


Ongoing geopolitical tensions and armed conflicts are causing most governing bodies in the free world to become concerned with the availability of materials essential for the national security and economic well-being of populations within their jurisdictions. Overlapping with these concerns are commitments to combat climate change. Consequently, current critical material lists for these jurisdictions highlight materials that are at risk of supply disruption (or future shortage) and are essential for one or more of the following domains: national defense, economic health, and the fight against climate change. Battery, Magnet, and Photovoltaic (BM&P) materials are essential for all three of these domains. Therefore, projects involving these materials benefit from unprecedented interest from mineral producing and manufacturing industries, investors, the public, and governments. Technically and economically sound BM&P projects represent exceptional development opportunities.


The goal of this study is to identify the most important factors affecting the financial stability of Nepalese commercial banks. The financial data of selected Nepalese commercial banks was analyzed by using a panel data regression model (Fixed Effect Model). The findings of the study suggest that bank efficiency, profitability, and capital base are important internal variables, whereas banking sector development, GDP growth, inflation, and exchange rate are important external determinants in determining the financial stability of Nepalese commercial banks. Furthermore, the size of the bank, loan loss provision, and bank concentration are found to be minor determinants influencing the financial stability of Nepalese commercial banks. Key words: Bank Stability, Stability Factors, Panel data model, Nepalese Banking, Commercial Banks GEL Code: C330, E440, G210


We appreciate Dr. Lancaster's comments on our article.1 Indeed, the co-occurrence of MOG- or aquaporin-4-(AQP4) antibodies with anti-NMDAR encephalitis was associated with symptoms of this encephalitis, accompanied by a history or MRI features of a demyelinating disease. However, the co-occurrence of anti-NMDAR encephalitis with other neuronal antibodies was associated with symptoms of this encephalitis and clinical or MRI features of the associated antibody—e.g., medial temporal lobe MRI changes with AMPAR-antibodies or cortical-subcortical FLAIR MRI abnormalities with GABAaR-antibodies. Patients with an additional neuronal surface antibody had a worse prognosis than those with isolated anti-NMDAR encephalitis or with a concurrent glial antibody. Our experience with GFAP-antibodies suggests that the syndrome-specificity of these antibodies is less clear. In our study, GFAP-antibodies did not confer any additional clinical or radiologic features to anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Moreover, the meningoencephalomyelitis with linear perivascular enhancement that has been considered characteristic of GFAP-antibodies can also occur without these antibodies.2 If a patient with encephalitis and CSF NMDAR-antibodies develops a syndrome atypical for anti-NMDAR encephalitis, one should be concerned for (1) a potential laboratory error (e.g., the NMDAR-antibody test was falsely positive) or (2) that the syndrome represents a manifestation of 2 disorders with concurrent autoantibodies.


The temperature cracks are a common failing in brick and concrete composite structures. We discuss temperature cracks on the wall,analyze the cause of temperature cracks. The preventive measures are also presented.


With the increasing popularity of multimedia technology and the prevalence of various smart electronic devices, severe security problems have recently arisen in information and communication systems. The image maintenance can be treated as a typical example of cloud storage outsourcing as images require much more storage space than text documents. An image encryption method with high efficiency is crucial to preserve the privacy of sensitive and critical images in cloud‐edge communications. Compressive sensing (CS) is capable of reconstructing compressible or sparse signals using fewer measurements than traditional methods when the support of the signals is unobtainable in advance. Encryption methods based on CS decrease resources demands during signal acquisition and protect the image data to avoid theft of confidential information by malicious users. Moreover, the CS‐based encryption method can achieve the encryption and the compression of an image simultaneously. Recently, a considerable amount of work using CS theory has been reported. However, most of the existing methods result in recovered images with unsatisfactory quality and employ a massive measurement matrix as the encryption key. This paper proposes an encryption scheme for images on cloud based on a single‐round dictionary and chaotic sequences. Both the experimental and analytical results verify the proposed scheme's effectiveness, high level of security, and substantial image quality improvement after decryption.


The development of routing protocols for human pervasive networks can not disregard contextual information. Social network models can help researches giving information about human behaviors, e.g. estimating contact opportunities between nodes. In a previous work we defined a model for ego networks while in this work we present a method to integrate ego networks and obtain synthetic social networks ready-to-use for the development of routing protocols.


And growing a silicon single crystal by the CZ method in an inert atmosphere including a gaseous substance containing hydrogen atoms. A wafer obtained from the grown silicon single crystal, the high temperature heat treatment is performed in a non-(非) above 1000 ℃ of an oxidizing atmosphere below 1300 ℃. At that time, before the high temperature heat treatment step is carried out a low temperature heat treatment at a temperature lower than that. Single crystal silicon, the heat treatment and low-temperature


We study delamination in a sandwich hull due to transient finite plane strain elastic deformations caused by local water slamming loads and compare results obtained by using the commercial software, LSDYNA, and the in-house developed software based on the coupled finite element and boundary element methods (FE-BEMs). The cohesive zone model (CZM) is used to study delamination initiation and propagation. In analyzing water's deformations by the BEM, the water is assumed to be incompressible and inviscid, and its deformations irrotational. However, in LSDYNA, the fluid is taken to be compressible. Das and Batra have shown that the effect of water compressibility on the hydroelastic pressure induced by water slamming is negligible. Both approaches consider all geometric nonlinearities and take hull's material to be St. Venant–Kirchhoff. Results have been computed for deformable sandwich hulls with face sheets made of fiber reinforced composites and the core of soft materials. Strain energies of deformation in the core and the face sheets have been computed to determine which modes of deformation are dominant in the core and the face sheets. It is shown that the consideration of geometric nonlinearities significantly increases the peak hydrodynamic pressure and the delamination length. The delamination occurs in mode-II and it reduces the hydroelastic pressure acting on the hull surface and hence alters its deformations.


The Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) is a watershed-based,semi-distributed hydrologic model that has become one of the most powerful tools for simulating hydrological processes at different spatial scales.The SWAT model utilizes geographic information systems and digital elevation model(DEM) to delineate watersheds and extract the stream network.The simulation accuracy depends on how well the model inputs describe the watershed.High resolution DEM generates more accurate topographic estimations,but such information is costly to obtain,especially in the hilly and gully region of China′s Loess Plateau.In addition,the size of the extracted subwatersheds strongly depends on the pre-selected threshold value of the watershed subdivision.The size and number of subwatersheds can also affect the watershed modeling process and subsequent results;however,there are no accepted guidelines for selecting the threshold value,making the extraction of subwatersheds a subjective process.Therefore,the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of DEM resolution and watershed subdivision on the simulation of hydrological processes at the outlet of the Xingzihe watershed in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau.In our study,the digital filter method was used to separate base flow from the measured streamflow data at the Zhao′an hydrological station from 1958 to 1974.The applicability of the SWAT model in the Xingzihe watershed was assessed on an annual basis.The impacts of DEM resolution and watershed subdivision on the simulation of annual streamflow,surface runoff,base flow,and sediment yield were evaluated by running the model with ten DEMs(20,30,60,90,150,300,500,1000,1500 and 2000 m) and seven threshold values(10,12,15,30,50,100 and 200 km2) for the watershed subdivision.The results showed that the SWAT model accurately simulated annual streamflow,surface runoff,base flow,and sediment yield in the Xingzihe watershed.DEMs with fine resolution(i.e.,20 to 150 m) were required to simultaneously simulate annual streamflow,surface runoff,base flow and sediment yield with a high degree of accuracy(R20.93,NSE0.51,RSR0.43).For DEM resolutions greater than 150 m,the accuracy of the simulation varied among the hydrologic elements.The threshold values of the watershed subdivision had little effect on streamflow,surface runoff and base flow.However,the threshold values had a large effect on sediment yield.Watershed subdivision threshold values of 12 to 100 km2 were required to adequately predict sediment yield.Threshold values less than 12 km2 or greater than 100 km2 led to the underestimation of sediment yield.These findings indicated that choices regarding the DEM resolution and threshold value of the watershed subdivision should be based on the hydrological element of interest.The SWAT model was limited in its ability to simultaneously simulate all of the hydrologic elements in the Xingzihe watershed at short time scales(i.e.,daily and monthly);therefore,this paper did not discuss the effects of DEM resolution and watershed subdivision threshold values under different time scales.Additional research is needed to ascertain if the results will change when running the model at different time scales.


This paper compares the personal background characteristics and voting behavior of Wisconsin state legislators in two legislative sessions separated by 40 years ( 965966 and 2005-2006). The study uses cluster analysis to graphically display the differences in the voting patterns of the two sessions, an indicator that can be used in this and other legislative settings to signal the need for investigation and reform. Findings of the analysis indicate little change in the personal characteristics of the legislators but major differences in voting behavior. This suggests a dramatic and arguably harmful shift in the operation of the state's political system, which could impact policymaking in higher education and other areas. Speculation on how the political shift occurred and possible directions for the future are included. Jacob Stampen is professor emeritus of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a former policy analyst for the National Center for Higher Education in Washington D.C. The author wishes to acknowledge James K. Conant, former Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Tom Loftus, and Jeff Mayers, president WisPolitics.com, for insight into the evolution of Wisconsin politics; Dan Bolt for methodological assistance; W. Lee Hansen and Fred Fosdal for reading and criticism; Mike Buelow of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and the staff of the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau for assistance in developing the data; and Nik Hawkins for editorial input. Responsibility for errors and omissions remain with the author. W IS CA PE – 2 Hard Times in America's Laboratory for Democracy: Wisconsin Legislative Politics 1966 and 2006 "We shape our dwellings and afterwards our dwellings


On the basis of wave data observed in different times and places in Jiaozhou Bay, this paper analyzed wave characteristics and wave conditions under the influences of disastrous weather in the Bay


6596 Background: Aplastic anemia (AA), paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are acquired bone marrow failure diseases. About 15% AA eventually transform to classical PNH; however, MDS almost never evolve to classical PNH. PNH originates from a multipotent HSC that acquires a PIG-A mutation. PIG-A mutations lead to absence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor proteins (GPI-AP). About 50% AA and 10~30% MDS harbor PNH granulocytes.

METHODS
A prospective study of 16 AA patients and 20 MDS patients was conducted. The median age for AA patients was 49. The median age for MDS patients was 66. The PNH cells were measured by flow cytometry. Bone marrow CD34+ cells were isolated via Ficoll-Paque separation and magnetic selection. Aerolysin-containing methylcellulose culture was used to select PNH colony-forming cells (CFC). Novel T cell enrichment culture under aerolysin selection was performed to enrich PNH T cells. Genomic DNAs were extracted from individual aerolysin resistant CFC and T cell colonies and were PCR amplified and sequenced for PIG-A mutation analysis.

RESULTS
Of 12 AA patients bearing a PNH granulocyte population, the median PIG-A mutation frequency in CFC assay was 1.07%, and median CD34+ cell was 0.05%. All AA patients had normal karyotypes. PIG-A mutation analysis on 3 of them showed that all of them harboring matched PIG-A mutation in both myeloid lineage and lymphoid lineage, which suggested that PIG-A mutations occurred at multipotent HSC level. Of 20 MDS patients, 18 had hypercellular bone marrow, and 11 had abnormal karyotypes. Three (15%) had detectable PNH granulocytes, which disappeared later during 4 months of observation. The median PIG-A mutation frequency in CFC assay was 0.035%. PIG-A mutation studies identified point mutation in those PNH CFCs. However, no PNH T cells were detected in any of those MDS patients. These data suggested that PIG-A mutation in MDS arose at progenitor level and was transient.

CONCLUSIONS
PIG-A mutations in AA are clonal and arise from multipotent HSC. However, PIG-A mutations in MDS arise from progenitor cells, which explains why PNH cells in MDS are transient and seldom evolve into classical PNH. Proaerolysin-selected T cell enrichment assay is a powerful measure to distinguish them.


Solubility measurements of tritium (T) in Pd/sub 1-Y/Ag/sub Y/ alloys (Y = 0.00, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30) are reported in the temperature range of 250 to 733/degree/K, the pressure range below 3 bar, and the concentration range of 0.001 to 0.64 hydrogen to metal atom ratio. To study isotopic effects, the pressure-concentration-temperature relationships of the hydrogen isotopes protium (H) and deuterium (D) have been measured using the same samples and experimental setup and to temperatures as high as 1500/degree/K using a different set up and samples. The experimental data are compared with values for H and D determined by other groups. In the case of T, most of the data presented have not been determined before. From these data the Sieverts' constants were calculated which show a strong temperature and isotope dependence. Analytical expressions, based on models that assume various degrees to which the hydrogen can perceive the alloy composition of individual sites in an alloy, are given for the Sieverts' constants that allow the calculation of the standard Gibbs free energies, enthalpies and entropies of H, D, and T in these alloys. 14 figs.


The synthesis of 2alpha- and 2beta 6beta-dimethyl-3 beta-(p-hydroxy phenyl)-trans-bicyclo-(4.3.0)nonan-7-ones and some related compounds is presented. 2beta 6beta-dimethyl-3beta-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-trans-bicyclo-(4.3.0) and 2.6 beta-dimethyl-3(p-methoxyphenyl) bicyclo-(4.3.0)non-1-en-7-one were prepared by the catalytic reduction followed by oxidation of 26beta-dimethyl-3-(p-methoxyphenyl)bicyclo-(4.3.0)nona-2 9-diene-7beta-ol. The latter was prepared by the condensation of p-methoxyphenyl-lithium and 26beta-dimethyl-7beta-hydroxybicyclo(4.3.0 )non-1-en-3-one.


One of the ways to improve the quality of steel production by rolling is the creation of additional streams of the metal flow, i.e. intensification of shear deformation not only in longitudinal but also in transverse direction. From the review of scientific-technical and patent literature it is known that to improve the quality of products when rolling usually use a system of alternating projections and depressions, which is created on the surface of the wide faces of slab or on work rolls. In this case, along with deformation in altitudinal and longitudinal directions, the conditions for deformation of the metal in the transverse direction, which has a positive effect on reducing the anisotropy of properties. Knowing the advantages of rolling with additional shear deformations, we have developed energy-saving technology of plate billets rolling of non-ferrous metals and alloys, allowing to obtain a uniform fine-grained structure throughout the volume of the workpiece, and designed two new constructions of the pair of work rolls with embossed surface as an annular groove, forming a trapezoidal protrusions and depressions alternating each other along the entire length of the barrel (the first pair to unequal treatment of the ledge to the depression and the second pair with equal respect to the ledge to the depression) to implement this technology in practice. In this paper were described results of investigations of microstructure evolution of copper alloys by rolling on the proposed technology in the relief rolls and according to the current technology in smooth rolls.


This paper studied different treatments on rubber wood cut produced from Hainan Province,China by using different adhesives and bonding processes,and glueline shearing strength and wood failure were measured to objectively assess the gluing properties of the wood.The optimal gluing technique was obtained: glue: API;pressure: 2.0 MPa;time of pressing: 20 min;amount of the glue applied: 200 g·m-2.Better shearing strength and good bonding capacity was achieved under this condition.


The concept of prosthetic-driven implantology has dominated the practice of implant placement in dentistry. The surgical guide/template has served as the communication tool for transfer of the treatment planning which is highly sophisticated at times. The literature is packed with articles of different designs and types of such guides without a clear, universally accepted classification. The treatment planning in implant dentistry involves a large team of different professionals who collaboratively execute the work. The lack of a classification of surgical guides makes the communication between this team rather difficult and cumbersome. A good classification of the surgical guides is therefore required. An extensive literature review via "Medline Ovid" from 1950 to 2019 about surgical guides in dental implants was performed. A new classification for the surgical guides incorporating all observations seen in published articles was devised. An instruction request card for a surgical guide from the requesting practitioner to the dental laboratory has, also, been designed. The use of this classification with the designed laboratory instruction guide has the potential to markedly enhance the communication and satisfaction between the various professionals dealing with dental implants.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of workplace incivility on job satisfaction and employees' turnover intentions in Indian work settings.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected randomly from 283 employees at various restaurants in the Northern and Western parts of India via the survey method and, thereafter, hierarchical regression analysis was performed to analyze the data.Findings – The study established that moderate to high levels of workplace-incivility-related issues are present in India's restaurant industry. Regression analysis further revealed that workplace incivility is negatively related to job satisfaction and positively related to employee turnover in the Indian context as well.Practical implications – Relevant recommendations are presented to restaurant owners as well as HR practitioners that could curb unethical practices in Indian restaurants and promote civil behavior in the workplace.Originality/value – Relevant extant studies have recognized that there is a need to study workplace incivility in different cultures to establish the global relevance of the subject. This research studied the impact of workplace incivility on job satisfaction and turnover intentions with respect to Indian employees.


The Ambulatory Assessment Unit (AAU) at the John Radcliffe Hospital aims to provide excellent care for complex patients with varying range of medical presentations. It sees over 50% of the acute take in operational hours, with over 40% of AAU patients over the age of 70. Staff feedback consistently identified a suboptimal service provided to the frail group within this patient cohort. A dedicated physiotherapist specialising in older people living with frailty joined the team in October 2018 to address this.

 Early identification of patients with frailty attending the unit Improve staff understanding of frailty to enhance patient care Assess patients to either enable a patient to return home safely or support ambulatory pathway Refer to community services that can support the patient and enable them to live well after hospital attendance Review the impact of the specialist physiotherapist's role

 Introduction of frailty identification as per frailty team guidance Frailty questionnaire to ascertain baseline understanding and learning needs to develop staff training Assess patients using a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Raise staff and patient awareness of community support services available within the community Data collection to review interventions taken, bed days saved and re-attendance rates

 129 new patients were seen in a 4-month period. 85% returned home the same day; 64% had their ambulatory pathway supported with therapy intervention and 21% had an acute admission avoided directly due to therapy. 15% were admitted to an acute bed for safety 60% of patients were referred to community services and 50% were signposted to a range of community and support services The re-admission rates for therapy related reasons within 7 days and 30 days were 0% and 4% respectively. 38 bed days were saved with a calculated cost saving of £15,162

 There is ongoing work to obtain patient experience data for those who had their admission avoided directly due to therapy intervention. A training programme on frailty for all members of the MDT is to be developed. A dedicated therapy service in an ambulatory setting has a role in ensuring that patients' needs are met in the most appropriate place and enhances their quality of life after hospital attendance.


1 This paper will discuss the development of hyperdisciplinary courseware: World-Wide Web (WWW)-based, tightly coupled, interdisciplinary courseware. It will also discuss the tools required to create hyperdisciplinary courseware, a ongoing effort at the United States Military Academy and other institutions to create hyperdisciplinary courseware, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the courseware. WWW-based hypermedia has the potential of interconnecting related courseware from different courses or different institutions in ways that were previously impossible. This provides for the explicit development of threads of learning, independent of departmental boundaries, within an institutional and potentially for seamless integration of course material across institutional boundaries. This is a fundamental and powerful change in how students learn. Previously, students completed a series of often loosely coupled courses that comprised the student's undergraduate education. Synthesis of these different courses and course material was left as an exercise for the student. Hyperdisciplinary course-ware solves this problem by tightly coupling courses in an orthogonal network-based framework. WWW-based hypermedia, with the development of the proper tools, could facilitate the development, coordination, and presentation of information across departmental boundaries. This will fundamentally change how students prepare and review course material outside of the classroom.


We propose a method to augment live video based on the tracking of natural features, and the online estimation of the trinocular geometry. Previous without-marker approaches require the computation of camera pose to render virtual objects. The strength of our proposed method is that it doesn 7 require tracking of camera pose, and exploits the usual advantages of marker-based approaches for a fast implementation. A 3-view AR system is used to demonstrate our approach. It consists of an uncalibrated camera that moves freely inside the scene of interest, and of three reference frames taken at the time of system initialization. As the camera is moving, image features taken from an initial triplet set are tracked throughout the video sequence. And the trifocal tensor associated with each frame is estimated online. With this tensor, the square pattern that was visible in the reference frames is transferred to the video. This invisible pattern is then used by the ARToolkit to embed virtual objects.


Community-built telecommunication networks such as Guifi.net demonstrate how end users can actively collaborate in the self-provision of network services, for instance by operating a self-organized distributed monitoring system. Network monitoring is performed by many small servers at the users' premises but data are only accessible via a centralized interface. Besides, due to network partitions and churn of the monitoring servers, failures in the monitoring system are frequent, leaving parts of the network unmonitored. Distributed databases are a promising solution for data replication under network partition condition, but they suffer from a trade-off between data consistency and availability. Furthermore, these databases are used in data centers with abundant computing resources, not in light edge networks. In this work we present DIMON, a reliable edge-based, eventually-consistent monitoring system that leverages CRDT-based data structures implemented in AntidoteDB. Conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) are able to converge to a consistent state in environments with network partitions as those found in edge networks. Our results give insights on the load of AntidoteDB on edge devices under different scenarios of read and write operations. The experiments carried out in a production network with a real system implemented contribute to the research community's knowledge about the available technologies for a consistent replicated data storage layer to support edge computing clouds.


The present invention relates to various embodiments of the respiratory interface device, such as a mask, having a structured fabric body so as to accommodate one or both of the regions of the nose and mouth of the user's face. Fabric body structured to receive a coupling device for the supply of gas to the respiratory interface device comprises a fabric connection member extending from the fabric body. In another embodiment, the fabric body has a non-fabric support element.


In recent years, we have seen increasing use of partial laryngectomies for larger lesions that were previously treated by total laryngectomy. The resultant closer margins have made postoperative radiation therapy an important adjuvant treatment to conservation laryngeal surgery. We review the University of California, Los Angeles, experience with combination partial laryngectomy and postoperative radiation therapy between 1973 and 1987 for treatment of carcinoma of the larynx. Twenty‐four such patients who underwent partial laryngectomies and postoperative radiation therapy are examined. Techniques of treatment, complications, and the functional ability of the remaining larynx are discussed.


ABSTRACT Thyroid hormone receptors are encoded by the TRα(NR1A1) and TRβ (NR1A2) loci. These genes are transcribed into multiple variants whose functions are unclear. Analysis by gene inactivation in mice has provided new insights into the functional complexity of these products. Different strategies designed to modify the TRα locus have led to strikingly different phenotypes. In order to analyze the molecular basis for these alterations, we generated mice devoid of all known isoforms produced from the TRα locus (TRα0/0). These mice are viable and exhibit reduced linear growth, bone maturation delay, moderate hypothermia, and reduced thickness of the intestinal mucosa. Compounding TRα0 and TRβ− mutations produces viable TRα0/0β−/− mice, which display a more severe linear growth reduction and a more profound hypothermia as well as impaired hearing. A striking phenotypic difference is observed between TRα0/0 and the previously described TRα−/− mice, which retain truncated TRΔα isoforms arising from a newly described promoter in intron 7. The lethality and severe impairment of the intestinal maturation in TRα−/− mice are rescued in TRα0/0animals. We demonstrate that the TRΔα protein isoforms, which are natural products of the TRα locus, are the key determinants of these phenotypical differences. These data reveal the functional importance of the non-T3-binding variants encoded by theTRα locus in vertebrate postnatal development and homeostasis.


Epithelioid hemangioma (EH) of the bone is a benign vascular neoplasm that can involve bones in a wide anatomic distribution, with a predilection for long tubular bones and the distal lower extremities (1). Because of the typical histology of classical EH - a vasoformative lesion containing large "tomb-stone" like cuboidal endothelial cells - the diagnosis is often straightforward. Keel and Rosenberg, however, introduced an important spindle-cell variant that deviates from this morphology and shows considerable clinical, morphological, and immunohistochemical overlap with pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (PHE), which has not yet been properly emphasized (2). Recently, recurrent FosB Proto-Oncogene, AP-1 Transcription Factor Subunit (FOSB)-rearrangements were described in a subset of EH with "atypical" features (3).


We can offer independent advice on whether you are entitled to state benfits - whether you are in work or not - and we can help if you have debt problems.


The notions of justice and social order are essential topics of modern political ideals of the West. Justice and social order are needed to construct a free and safe society according to the principle of the rule of law. Justice needs liberty to secure the right of property, expression of thought, right to travel, etc. However, we are witnessing European Union's negative attitude towards refugees around the world. Within the actual situation, the EU does not contribute to the resolution of the problem of immigrants and refugees stemmed from the civil war in the Middle East. As a matter of fact, human beings who are living in their hometowns in Syria, Iraq and in some other countries in the Middle East, do not feel secure and to survive their lives and gain good opportunities, they are going to move to the secure and welfare states of the west and to the countries like Turkey of the middle east. The conditions of the civil war are the result of not only political, religious, social and economic conflicts of the current situation, it also resulted from the intervention of powerful states of the EU, USA and Russia. Therefore, a possible resolution will only be possible in cooperation with the mentioned actors. Key Words: Justice, social order, liberty, migration, EU.


There are legislative and engineering interventions coupled with increased community participation to mitigate urban flooding. However, there is an observed increase in flood events and their impact in these environments globally; and participation by individual home and property owners in community-driven initiatives to mitigate flooding in urban and peri-urban areas is reportedly low. The major objective of this study was to provide an understanding of urban flooding in Kenya from a psycho-social perspective. The specific objectives were: to establish a basis for a study associating the onset of flooding with environmental attitude and behaviour; to set ground for an investigation relating the effect of flooding on households to environmental attitude and behaviour; provide a background for analysis to correlate the level of humanitarian support during flooding with environmental attitude and behaviour; provide a basis for evaluation of possible attitude and behavioural change approaches to enhance urban flood disaster interventions; and to develop a conceptual framework the study of urban flooding in Kenya from an environmental attitude and behavioural perspective. This was a desk-top survey that involved a review of the literature covering urban flooding onset triggers, effects, and interventions; human attitudes and behaviour; environmental abuse, degradation, and conservation; as well as urban populations' livelihood practices. The study concludes that there exist gaps that provide an opportunity for investigation of urban flooding in Kenya from a psycho-social perspective.


Scleral buckling (SB) has served as an important modality for addressing rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) for over 60 years. Historically, RRDs were deemed irreparable; however, in the early 20th century, ophthalmologists like Gonin, Schepens and Lincoff introduced techniques to seal retinal breaks. Custodis first described the SB technique. Modern SB refined by Schepens resolves RRDs by using an encircling band to reduce vitreoretinal traction and promote chorioretinal adhesions via an indentation effect. With the advent of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), there has been a preference shift in the repair of RRDs. Studies have demonstrated a trend among surgeons choosing PPV for RRDs with less emphasis on SB.4–6 Although vitrectomy offers several advantages, including a wider intraoperative field of view, easier identification and management of complex retinal breaks, the ability to address vitreous haemorrhage, and effectively drain subretinal fluid, SB remains important, particularly in young, phakic patients. The SB versus Primary Vitrectomy in RRD study was a prospective, randomised, multicenter trial that aimed to assess the outcomes of primary SB compared to primary PPV in cases of medium complexity RRDs. The study of 681 patients (416 phakic) demonstrated greater visual outcomes with SB compared with PPV. Additionally, in their pseudophakic group, no difference was identified in the visual outcomes between SB and PPV, although the anatomic success rate was significantly better with PPV. The results of this study indicated that SB was beneficial for phakic eyes due to the superior visual acuity outcomes. Vitrectomy was recommended for pseudophakic eyes due to the superior anatomic outcomes. However, another recent large multicenter retrospective outcomes project (Primary Retinal Detachment Outcomes Studies) revealed that for phakic patients, the single surgery anatomic success (SSAS) rate and visual acuity outcomes were better with SB compared to PPV alone. Additionally, the SSAS rate in pseudophakic patients was better in patients treated with combined SBPPV compared to with PPV alone. In the era of microincisional vitrectomy, the focus of vitreoretinal fellowship programmes has shifted towards developing competency in PPV, with a decreased emphasis on SB. This is evident in the guidelines set by the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology's (AUPO) Fellowship compliance committee, which reduced the minimum number of required SB cases from 75 in 2007 to 20 in 2015. However, at least one study highlighted that completion of at least 30 primary SB cases was required to achieve stable clinical results with low re-detachment rates. With the success rate of SB dependent on the surgeon's experience, the current trend for decreasing operative minimums for training in SB procedures is discordant with preparing fellows for successful independent practice. The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the practice of ophthalmology. In light of the pandemic, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) issued a recommendation to suspend non-urgent care. However, surgeries for RRDs were classified as emergent both by the AAO and the American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS). This recognition highlights the critical nature of RRDs and underscores the necessity of addressing these cases promptly even during the challenging circumstances posed by the pandemic. The study by Wu et al in this issue highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the surgical repair trends of RRDs among young ophthalmologists in the Asia-Pacific region. The study employed an observational survey-based method to evaluate the experiences of ophthalmologists regarding retinal detachment repairs, including their confidence levels in performing SB, pneumatic retinopexy (PR), and PPV. Twenty-four vitreoretinal fellows and 93 vitreoretinal attendings/consultants from 11 different countries participated in the study. The median duration of fellowship affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was 5 months for fellows, and 0 months for attendings/consultants. The volume of surgeries completed during fellowship was highest for PPV with lower volumes of PR and SB procedures performed. Among those who were in fellowship during the pandemic, 36.7% reported a decrease in surgical volume of up to 25%, 16.3% reported a decrease of 25%–50%. Only 22.4% reported no change in volume. Received: 11 June 2023 Accepted: 24 June 2023


Crowded radio communication bands have necessitated the opening up of new bands. A major expansion of the use of the 1.5 GHz band is now under way. New antennas have been designed to optimise the potential capacity of this band for the future


High-throughput sequencing technologies are allowing the description of genome-wide variation patterns of an ever growing number of organisms. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding about the relative amount of different types of variation, their phenotypic effects, and the detection and quantification of distinct selection regimes acting on genomes. The recent compilation of over 1100 worldwide wild-derived Drosophila melanogaster genome sequences reassembled using a standardized pipeline (Drosophila Genome Nexus, DGN –Lack et al . 2015, 2016) provides a unique resource to test molecular population genetics hypotheses and ultimately understand the evolutionary dynamics of genetic variation in populations (Casillas and Barbadilla, 2017). Here, we present a complete characterization of the nucleotide variation landscape in the genome of D. melanogaster by analyzing the DGN data. We have also developed a novel approach which incorporates information on the site frequency distribution to the framework of the McDonald and Kreitman test (McDonald and Kreitman, 1991) to map five different regimes of selection acting on new mutations along the genome (strongly deleterious sites, weakly deleterious sites, neutral sites, sites that have become neutral recently, and adaptive fixations), and we have inferred the major genomic determinants of the observed rates of nucleotide diversity and adaptation. All population genomic estimates have been implemented in PopFly (Hervas et al . 2017; http://popfly.uab.cat), a population genomics-oriented genome browser, based on JBrowse software (Buels et al . 2016), which allows an easy visualization, exploration, and retrieval of such information.


This study aims to investigate whether the Work from Home work culture due to the Covid-19 pandemic can be continued and become a new way of working by investigating several potential factors between the phenomena that occur, specifically Work Stress and Work-Life Balance that experienced by employees during Work from Home and Job Satisfaction to make Work from Home work culture becomes permanent, using quantitative research using survey method of 96 legal employee respondents who using Work from Home work methods and works in Jabodetabek office's location. The findings show that Work from Home has a significant positive effect on Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, and Permanent Telework, and a significant negative effect on Work Stress. Work-Life Balance insignificant effect on Job Satisfaction, Work Stress has a significant negative effect on Job Satisfaction and Job Satisfaction insignificant effect on Permanent Telework, some of the findings are not significantly influenced by the level of employee satisfaction which does not influence enough and also work control issues that need to be solved in management so that workload becomes more measurable also regular meetings are needed to convey problems and evaluate work and also adopt a tasklist application system.


Research problem: Overfitting and collinearity problems commonly exist in current construction cost estimation applications and obstruct researchers and practitioners in achieving better modelling results.

Research objective and method: A hybrid approach of Akaike information criterion (AIC) stepwise regression and principal component regression (PCR) is proposed to help solve overfitting and collinearity problems. Utilization of this approach in linear regression is validated by comparing it with other commonly used approaches. The mean square error obtained by leave-one-out cross validation (MSELOOCV) is used in model selection in deciding predictive variables.


Basic concepts and properties. Equations and inequalities. Polynomials. Rational expressions. Exponents and radicals. Quadratic equations and inequalities. Coordinate geometry and graphing techniques. Functions. Polynomial and rational functions. Exponential and logarithmic functions. Systems of equations and inequalities. Using matrices and determinants to solve linear systems. Sequences and series. Basic concepts of trigonometry. Graphing trigonometric functions. Trigonometric identities and equations. Table A: Values of the trigonometric functions. Answers to odd-numbered exercises. Index.


Nature has a great diversity of organisms whose bioactive compounds may potentially be studied. When it comes to aquatic life we find that algae are organisms that are well suited for screening and identification of bioactive compounds due to their widespread distribution in both salt and freshwater. Our hypothesis is that a crude organic extract of the brown algae Stypopodium zonale can decrease anxiety-related behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster. Stypopodium zonale was collected in the south coast of Puerto Rico and the potential anxiolytic-like effects of the extract were studied in an anxiogenic-like behavioral paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster. This behavior is called centrophobia and is measured using an Open Field Arena (OFA). Validation of the paradigm gave the expected results as reported in the literature, in which Drosophila exhibits a phobia (avoidance) of remaining in the center of the OFA, which corresponds to a behavior with anxiety components. The organic extract was dissolved with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Toxicity tests were performed both for DMSO and the crude organic extract, and neither showed positive results. To perform the behavioral trials, 1 mL of the crude extract and 4 mL of water were mixed with 1.8 g of Drosophila food. The final concentration of the crude extract in the food was 5.4 mg/mL. The adult flies were grown in a tube with the extract until a considerable quantity of larvae was observed, and then the adults were removed. These new larvae, once turned into adult flies, were used for the behavioral trials. The behavior of control flies (food without extract) and experimental flies (extractcontaining food) was recorded with a video camera and the results of the centrophobic behavior were analyzed and compared using quantitative criteria. Both the control and experimental trials were performed in triplicate. The results show that flies grown in food containing the crude extract present a significant reduction in centrophobia compared with control flies. In conclusion, our results suggest that the organic crude extract from Stypopodium zonale has anxiolytic-like effects in a Drosophila melanogaster model with anxiety components. We are currently performing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies on the crude extracts to identify the most abundant secondary metabolites. Future experiments should include the administration of the crude extracts (or fractions of the most abundant secondary metabolites) to a vertebrate model in to test the effect in a behavior with anxiety components. We are also in the process of developing a preliminary model of possible mechanisms of action of the crude organic extract in the reduction of centrophobia.


. A classification of plant communities and land systems is presented for the Eden region to assist with the resolution of land use and management conflicts. Vegetation and environmental parameters were sampled at 369 sites and analysed with numerical techniques incorporating elements of the Braun-Blanquet approach.

Land surfaces in the study area were described by means of a land systems analysis. A total of 41 plant communities, 3 with 2 subcommunities, were defined and described on the basis of floristic composition, structure and environmental variables. Descriptions of communities include information on habitat, structure, floristic composition of various strata, distribution and representation in reserves. The distributions of plant communities are interpreted in relation to characteristics of their land systems.

Plant communities were grouped into 5 major floristic series: Rainforest, Moist Eucalypt Forest, Dry Grassy Eucalypt Woodland and Forest, Dry Shrubby Eucalypt Woodland and Forest and Heath and Swamp. These groupings are distinguished by their structure, physiognomic attributes, composition of their canopy and understorey strata and habitat. Plant communities are differentiated along gradients of moisture availability, soil properties and temperature. A hypothesis is proposed to explain floristic and structural variation in relation to interactions between moisture and soil fertility gradients. Where moisture is high, tall shrubby eucalypt forest, mesic eucalypt forest and rainforest are thought to be segregated along a gradient of increasing soil fertility. On drier sites, dry eucalypt communities with grassy understorey s are thought to inhabit more fertile soils than those with shrubby understoreys.

The biogeographic relations and broad conservation values of the major floristic groupings are discussed. Vegetation patterns in the region are related to a latitudinal sequence which prevails in eastern Australia. A preliminary assessment of plant community distributions shows that the reserve system is not representative of the range of vegetation and landscape types in the region.


The discovery of e Indi Ba, Bb, a binary brown dwarf system very close to the Sun, makes possible a concerted campaign to characterise the physical parameters of two T dwarfs. Recent observations suggest substellar atmospheric and evolutionary models may be inconsistent with observations, but there have been few conclusive tests to date. We therefore aim to characterise these benchmark brown dwarfs to place constraints on such models. We have obtained high angular resolution optical, near-infrared, and thermal-infrared imaging and medium-resolution (up to R ∼ 5000) spectroscopy of e Indi Ba, Bb with the ESO VLT and present


The Long Grass Tropical sleeveless shirt is one of the few shirts you will find that breathes well to keep you cool and comfortable.


Decision analysis problems typically involve probabilistic modeling of discrete and continuous uncertainties. In order to facilitate assessment or represent continuous uncertainties in a discrete decision tree, it is common for decision analysts to represent pdfs with properly designed pmfs, a process known as discretization. We describe several discretization methods, describing the strengths and weaknesses of each. We also provide example applications of several of these methods.

Keywords:

probability discretization;
decision analysis


In this issue, we present recent clinical research on Diabetes mellitus Type 2 (DM) with a particular focus on chromium supplementation. This integrative approach is particularly pertinent when patients present with a recent DM diagnosis. A wide range of integrative modalities exists to improve a recently diagnosed DM patient. We have elected to present current data on chromium supplementation as one of many possible adjuvant therapies. Although there is no Recommended Daily Allowance for chromium, recent research suggests that it is an essential nutrient that potentiates insulin action and therefore influences carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism.2


Two studies examined differences in children's social immediacy tendencies expressed through interpersonal distance and touching. It was predicted that Mexican-Americans would space closer and touch more frequently than whites. Study 1 showed among 40 second graders that 20 Mexican-Americans did space significantly closer than 20 whites. Among 40 eighth graders the ethnic difference disappeared. Study 2 indicated among second graders that the greatest tactual behavior occurred for Mexican-American females (16 boys, 16 girls). Extensive measures were taken in Study 1 to avoid a number of confounds that characterized previous research. Results were discussed in terms of social learning and ethnic socialization.


In this paper,the author presents a new method for time series extrapolation of Newton polynomial-fitting.With functional characterization of Newton polynomial-fitting on time series,the algorithm maps the values of time series onto the eigenvector space of Newton polynomial coefficients, based on which the similarity of the time series using Euclidean-alike distance,is measured extrapolating time series.The result proves that the method is more precise and more stable than traditional models,thus proving its effectiveness.


Chaohu Lake is one of the five biggest fresh lakes in China.The water transfer project from the Yangtze River to Chaohu Lake is an important project measure for comprehensively treating the pollution of Chaohu Lake.The flow rate of water transfer from the Yangtze River is 300 m3/s and transfers more than 1.0 billion cubic meters water per year.The interchange of water will improve the water quality of its western part and prevent the uncontrollable growth of blue-green algae.


Getting the books general systems engineering systems biocybernetics and neural systems now is not type of inspiring means. You could not deserted going in the manner of book accrual or library or borrowing from your links to edit them. This is an unquestionably easy means to specifically get lead by on-line. This online declaration general systems engineering systems biocybernetics and neural systems can be one of the options to accompany you like having additional time.


'THHE Greek writer who is the subject of this lecture, Herennius A Philo of Byblos, is quite distinct from the more famous Philo, the Jewish philosopher, of Alexandria, and from another dozen or more Philos known to us from antiquity. He lived in the latter part of the first century A.D. and the earlier part of the second. Apart from some fragments on other subjects, the main work of his that is known to us is a Phoenician historia : in our terminology, this is less a history than an account of the myths and legends of the Phoenicians. This *' history ", as we may continue to call it, has not survived complete ; the fragments of it are preserved mainly in the works of the church historian and theologian Eusebius (about A.D. 260-340), but also in part in other sources. They add up to about twenty pages of Greek in all.2 Even if Philo had been professing simply to describe the religion of Phoenicia as it was in his own time, he would no doubt have been an important and intriguing source, just as was Plutarch at about the same time with his descriptions of Egyptian religion. But Philo made himself more important still, or more


The purpose of this article is categorical. I propose as a key to interpretation of the Gospel of Mark the category of "domestic asceticism". The theme of discipleship is taken as its Leitmotif. Discipleship in Mark is demanding and antifamilial or a project of the socially marginal. At the same time, it is not a call to homelessness but, rather, to inhabit 'an other home", whereby one enters into the kingdom of God.


Abstract:  Secretion of the potentially antileukaemic cytokines IFN‐γ and TNF‐α was investigated for CD4 + and CD8 + TCRαβ+ T‐cell clones derived from 4 leukaemia patients 3–6 weeks after allogeneic BMT. We investigated cytokine secretion in response to the activation signal accessory cells + phytohaemagglutinin + Interleukin 2. All clones derived after BMT were capable of IFN‐γ and TNF‐α secretion, and both for CD4+ (n = 96) and CD8+ (n = 8) T cells quantities of IFN‐γ and TNF‐α were significantly correlated with one another. When comparing the overall results for posttransplant and normal T‐cell clones derived from 2 bone marrow donors (n = 65), both CD4+ and CD8+ TCRαβ+ T‐cell clones showed increased IFN‐γ production, and CD4+ but not CD8+ clones showed a decreased TNF‐α secretion. The results suggest that noncytotoxic T cells derived after allogeneic BMT can produce IFN‐γ and TNF‐α and may thus be capable of mediating antileukaemic effects.


Infrastructure building, maintenance, and financing are familiar issues to planners, but only recently has the relationship between economic development and the quality and quantity of infrastructure received much attention. Largely absentfrom this emerging economic development/infrastructure literature, however, is discussion of the importance of telecommunications infrastructure. As the U.S. economy moves away from traditional manufacturing and toward a reliance on knowledge-intense, high-tech servicefirms, access to this infrastructure will be an increasingly criticalfactor in the location of both commercial and residential development. To attract and retain the communications-dependent firms and industries that are driving the information economy, state and local planners must actively provide access to the telecommunications services that these businesses and their skilled laborforces will demand. Clearly, communities must begin to planfor and provide telecommunications infrastructure to promote economic development if they are to avoid being left behind as the United States competes in the internationally based information economy.


IL‐6 is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in the physiology of virtually every organ system. Recent studies have demonstrated that IL‐6 has a very important role in regulating the balance between IL‐17‐producing Th17 cells and regulatory T cells (Treg). The two T‐cell subsets play prominent roles in immune functions: Th17 cell is a key player in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and protection against bacterial infections, while Treg functions to restrain excessive effector T‐cell responses. IL‐6 induces the development of Th17 cells from naïve T cells together with TGF‐β; in contrast, IL‐6 inhibits TGF‐β‐induced Treg differentiation. Dysregulation or overproduction of IL‐6 leads to autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in which Th17 cells are considered to be the primary cause of pathology. Given the critical role of IL‐6 in altering the balance between Treg and Th17 cells, controlling IL‐6 activities is potentially an effective approach in the treatment of various autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Here, we review the role of IL‐6 in regulating Th17/Treg balance and describe the critical functions of IL‐6 and Th17 in immunity and immune‐pathology.


There are over 350 different species of sedum, most of which can tolerate harsh conditions, including very cold to hot temperatures and dry conditions, and they tend to grow in poor and stony soil. Sedums are used in rock gardens and flower borders, and for greening the top floor of buildings, cottages, and thatched roofs. In this study, Sedum sediforme (Rupestria group) was tested as surface cover on acid soil taken from mountain cuts in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. Simulated soil erosion under sedum cover in 50 cm x 30 cm x 5 cm soil plots was carried out at Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Japan to determine the effectiveness of this sedum as surface cover to control erosion.


THE bispectral index (BIS, Aspect Medical Systems, Framingham, MA) is a complex electroencephalographic (EEG) parameter that integrates several disparate descriptors of the EEG into a single variable and correlates behavioral assessments of sedation and hypnosis. We report two cases in which the bispectral index failed to measure depth of anesthesia but instead was a measure of electromyographic (EMG) activity. In the first case bispectral index paradoxically increased after increasing propofol concentration, correlating with increasing EMG activity. In the second case the administration of a nondepolarizing muscle relaxant decreased the bispectral index value at constant anesthetic drug concentrations.


Lie symmetries and conserved quantities of holonomic non-conservative dynamical systems in generalized classical me-chanics were studied.First,the determining equations of Lie symmetries are established by using Lie's invariance method of in-finitesimal transformations of differential equations.Second,the structure equations and the conserved quantities were obtained.Third,the inverse Lie symmetries system problems were discussed.Finally,an example to illustrate the application of the results was given.


Bound States in Low-Dimensional Systems.- Transmission and Conductance in Tubes.- Waveguide Measurements of the Properties of Curved Tubes.- Binding and Transmission in Wires and Waveguides.- Two-Dimensional Systems with Finite Periodic Structure.- Localized Modes in Photonic Crystals.- Epilogue.- Comparison of Various Approximate Quantum Wells.- Conducting Sphere on a Grounded Surface.


A radiation-recording system for a classical infrared spectrometer for the region of 0.7-50 ..mu..m with a resolution of 0.02 cm/sup -1/ is described. The radiation detector is a germanium bolometer cooled to 5 K with an equivalent noise power of 1.2 x 10/sup -12/ W x Hz/sup -1/2/ installed in one helium cryostat with a preamplifier. The mean-square noise of the detector-preamplifier system is 4.9 x 10/sup -8/ V x Hz/sup -1/2/ radiation modulator permits fine tuning of the modulation frequency in the range of 10-600 Hz.


Of all the upsets which can happen to the infant or child, it would be safe to say that none is as alarming to the parents as a convulsion. A good knowledge of the causes of convulsions is therefore essential, if one is to handle the situation well, and relieve the parental anxiety with authority. The diagnosis may sometimes be difficult, for even 'windy pains ' with screaming may simulate a convulsion in the parental mind. More often than not, we must base our diagnosis on the description given to us by the parents, as the attack is over before we see the child. Petit mal may be so fleeting that it can, for some time, be mistaken for a mannerism by the parents. When called to a child with a convulsion nothing can replace a very careful physical examination. The throat and ears should be viewed to exclude infection; the heart, lungs, and abdomen should also be examined, and, when possible, a specimen of urine should be analysed for sugar, acetone, albumen, blood, or pus. The eye grounds should be scrutinized for papilloedema and it should be ascertained whether there is a squint; the remainder of the central nervous system should be run over, and this examination should include testing for Kernig's sign. An examination of the nervous system of an infant or child is less informative than that of an adult, as the presence or absence of, for example, the knee jerks, is not so significant. I propose describing what is usually called epilepsy ' last of all. Since convulsions are a symptom and not a disease, it would be well to begin by enumerating the various conditions which will give rise to this symptom.


In this paper, a two-step method is developed for efficient preparation of Cu/Pt-Pd core-shell structured catalyst on Nafion-bonded carbon paper electrodes for a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Copper nanoparticles with diameter distribution of 80-160 nm are obtained by potential-modulation electrodeposition. In copper electrodeposition the charge-transfer step is fast and the rate of growth is controlled by the rate of mass transfer of copper ions to the growing centers. After the copper electrodeposition the replacement of Cu by PtPd occurs spontaneously by an irreversible redox process. The nature and composition of PtPd/Cu on pretreated carbon paper are characterized by field emission–scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, respectively. The as prepared Cu/PtPd electrode is found in the form of core-shell structure with uniform dispersion on the surface with average nanoparticles of 41.5 nm diameter. Electrochemical activity of PtPd/Cu and conventional Pt/C on pretreated carbon paper electrodes towards oxygen reduction is studied by linear sweep voltammetry experiments. Low values of Tafel slope and free activation energy reveal that Cu/PtPd with core-shell structure shows greater electrochemical activity than conventional Pt/C catalyst. Electrochemical surface area (ECSA) results also show that Cu/PtPd with core-shell structure has greater stability than the Pt/C electrode.


The past 20 years has seen Indigenous or traditional knowledge take centre stage in discourses on the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable socio-economic development and poverty alleviation in developing countries. The utility of knowledge in the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, held by traditional custodians of land, is specifically addressed in the Convention on Biological Diversity 1992 (CBD). This article considers the role of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in addressing the expected cooperation between intellectual property law and the objectives of the CBD. The history of the Intergovernmental Committee at WIPO and their work on the subject matter of traditional cultural expressions will be reviewed with the 22nd session on traditional cultural expressions in July 2012 being used as an example to highlight issues that unfolded at this constructive session. Finally, this article reviews the provisions regarding the protection of traditional knowledge, its implications for patent law and plant breeder's rights, and considers the expectation that a competent authority at national or regional level be established by member nations to administer the rights of traditional knowledge holders according to their customary protocols, understandings, laws and practices.


Abstract Matthew's didactic teaching blocks often present the terms of salvation as an uncompromising dichotomy, envisioning either complete loyalty or faithlessness (e.g. 10.37–9; 16.25; 24.13). However, the characters in his narrative sections, especially Peter, nuance this harsh binary to allow for a significant degree of failure. After a brief survey recent works on Matthean soteriology and the use of Peter, it is argued that two features of Peter, when combined, widen the scope of salvation. First, Matthew portrays him as occupying a 'middle ground' between complete obedience and absolute failure, with all indications pointing to Peter remaining in that space, as emphasised by the last references to him (27.25; 28.16). Second, this failing Peter will not only be allowed in the kingdom, but will have a position of greatness there, as demonstrated by both Matthew's overall theology of status variation within the kingdom (e.g. 19.28; 20.26–7; 5.19) and his unique Petrine accounts (14.22–33; 16.17–19; 17.24–7). Though the way to salvation is narrow (i.e. 7.14), the character of Peter widens it to allow for more failure than some texts in the didactic sections might initially suggest.


Chiasmia cinerearia (Bremer et Grey) belonging to the subfamily Ennominae(Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is a new forestry pest attacking to Sophora japonica in Gyeonggi province. Chiasmia cinerearia oviposited about 250~300 eggs per female on leaves. Larva had five instar stages. Adults emerged twice a year in early May and late July. The period of one generation was about 48 days. Body length of larvae was 25~30 mm and body color was light green with dark yellow lateral lines in abdomen. The wingspan of adults was 30 to 35 mm in length. The color of forewings was greyish brown with quadrilateral patterns on outer lines.


This paper presented an interpolation scheme based on Bayesian trained quadratic rational functions for approximating frequency based electromagnetic return loss responses. Initial results indicate that this scheme is an efficient tool in catching nulls and characterizing resonance behavior. With the implementation of the adjoint variable method for effective gradient evaluations, this may be an alternative tool to predict the nulls and corresponding BW values for practical heuristic design optimization studies. Future work includes elaborating on coef and adaptive selection of sample points and finally applying it to a global design optimization example.


To evaluate the effects of air anti-submarine network centric warfare system on combat outcomes,firstly information quality transformation is analyzed in information domain and three measures of information quality,such as completeness,correctness and currency,are given and then the measure and the metric of completeness,correctness and currency are explored in sensor sub-domain,fusion-domain and network sub-domain of information domain,and finally the models of evaluating the effectiveness are presented in information domain.


A Regular Indirect Boundary Element formulation is developed following a weighted residual approach. In this formulation, the fictitious source density, which appears in the integral equations of the method, is distributed on a surface which is exteriorly separated from the physical field boundary of the problem. This approach does not require the evaluation of singular integrals and produces undeteriorated solutions at geometric discontinuities. The formulation is presented here as applied to two dimensional and axisymmetric thermal problems. It includes a different subregioning scheme which treats each subregion, of a multidomain problem, separately, thereby eliminating the need for a sophisticated reduction scheme.


In 1946, McCarty became the public face of the Avery lab. He read this paper detailing the team's work at the Annual Meeting
 of the American Chemical Society Symposium on Biochemical and Biophysical Studies on Viruses, Atlantic City, NJ.


The collapse of soft-storey structures during seismic events has been observed from many post-earthquake reconnaissance missions. Soft-storey buildings are often inadvertently created to meet architectural demands, such as dwelling units located above a parking area at the ground level. During a seismic event, damage is concentrated to the weaker more flexible ground-floor columns, leading to collapse of the building. The gapped-inclined braces (GIB), a soft-storey retrofit proposed by Agha Beigi et. al (2014), was developed to address the above issues. These braces are installed only at the ground floor. The unique gap element and close-to-the-column installation allow the soft-storey to form while preventing collapse of the building; this system takes advantage of the softstorey, creating an isolation layer at the ground-floor, protecting the upper floors of the building from seismic forces. A three-phase, full-scale experimental programme was recently completed at the University of Toronto. Phase I focused on the response of a single GIB. The second and third phases compared the response of a single bay, single storey reinforced concrete (RC) frame representative of the ground floor in a soft-storey building: a conventional frame and a GIB-retrofitted frame. The results showed a significant improvement in the displacement capacity of the retrofitted frame. The RC frames were modelled using VecTor2, a nonlinear finite element analysis program for RC elements under extreme loading conditions. This paper compares some of the experimental and numerical results.


To determine whether genes that cause developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are more commonly implicated in intellectual disability with epilepsy as a comorbid feature than in intellectual disability only.


UPM-Kymmene's Wisaforest pulp mill has test-run a new type of control system for process stabilization and optimization. The system makes use of adaptive and intelligent technology. Improved process control has raised the lime kilns output and significantly reduced emissions (article on pages 261, 263). Olli Ahava, the mill's automation manager, says the tests showed that the control system allows the lime kiln process to be run at maximum capacity. We've been able to raise capacity utilization by five per cent. We also found it easier to manage production disturbances during the tests. This in turn cut the high emission peaks for reduced sulphur compounds by as much as 90 per cent. In fact, the average emission fell by around 30 per cent.


The issue of justice is drawing wider and wider attention in modern society. If we consider the issue on the context of "generation", then justice may be divided into two kinds, that is, generational justice and intergenerational justice. The so-called generational justice is nothing but the concept of justice in common usage, while intergenerational justice has two forms——namely justice between contemporary generations and that between contemporary generations and future generations. To classify the two kinds of intergenerational justice is of special significance.


3,728, 148 '4/1973 Pietsch et al. ...................... 526/264 4,164,614 8/1979 Ames ................................... 526/264 Primary Examiner-Harry Wong, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Frederick R. Cantor 57) ABSTRACT The present invention comprises a water vapor permea ble, pressure-sensitive adhesive composition useful for surgical and medical bandage applications, and incorpo rating modified copolymers of butyl acrylate containing N-vinyl 2-pyrrolidone and acrylic acid. The present pressure-sensitive adhesive composition results in en hanced water vapor transmission rates, which may lead to a concomittant reduction in skin lesions that were previously attendant upon the accumulation of water under conventional inadequately permeable pressure sensitive adhesive-coated surgical and medical dress lings.


Abstract The pattern of iron ore sources for the United Kingdom iron and steel industry has evolved in response to both national and worldwide technical developments and discoveries. In the earliest times ores came from numerous locations and supported small, local industries. Production grew rapidly from the mid-eighteenth century, especially after coke replaced charcoal as a reductant. Output became focused increasingly on the large resources of bedded phosphoric ironstones of central and eastern England; this was accelerated by the improved transport offered by the canal and railway networks. The low-phosphorus replacement hematite ores of Cumbria and South Wales were also exploited, especially to meet the requirements of the acid Bessemer process. Imports began in the mid-nineteenth century, initially from Europe and North Africa, and both domestic and imported ores were used on a substantial scale for many years. Dependence on imports became complete with the adoption of the Linz-Donawitz steelmaking process in the 1960s and 1970s. At about the same time mining and ocean freight developments enabled the use of ores from worldwide sources. In recent years ore supplies have come mainly from Australia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa. Most of the supply is sintering fines, with considerable quantities of lump ore and some pellets. Major technological changes in the short to medium term are not expected. There may be less lump ore available, but changes in blast-furnace practice, such as coal injection, may make it less desirable. In the longer term ores may have to be accepted with slightly higher phosphorus levels. Eventually, alternative processes to the blast-furnace may come to have a greater impact.


To illuminate the vertical wall, if we set two long linear lightsource in front of the top and bottom lines of the wall parallel to them, the distance for the most efficient illumination will be given by the half height of the wall.


Finding and discovering any class of graphs which are determined by their spectra is always an important and interesting problem in the spectral graph theory. The main aim of this study is to characterize two classes of multicone graphs which are determined by both their adjacency and Laplacian spectra. A multicone graph is defined to be the join of a clique and a regular graph. Let Kw denote a complete graph on w vertices, and let m be a positive integer number. In A.Z.Abdian (2016) it has been shown that multicone graphs Kw ▽ P17 and Kw ▽ S are determined by both their adjacency and Laplacian spectra, where P17 and S denote the Paley graph of order 17 and the Schläfli graph, respectively. In this paper, we generalize these results and we prove that multicone graphs Kw ▽mP17 and Kw▽mS are determined by their adjacency spectra as well as their Laplacian spectra.


Concern for industrial heritage in Spain is a relatively recent phenomenon. Traditionally, said assets, especially those set in urban environments (isolated buildings, industrial units or full industrial landscapes) faced three main threats. First of all, a fragile social memory associated the factory with often negative vital experiences, such as manual labour, pollution, industrial accidents and death; in other words, the possibility of a resource being recognised for its cultural value depends not only on its objective qualities but also on its social acceptance; urban industrial landscape and architecture have always been viewed as an obstacle to be removed rather than a heritage to be kept (Ortega, 1998). Secondly, the basically utilitarian criterion that characterises this type of architecture hampers the conservation and reuse of industrial architectural heritage because, in contrast to other richer heritages more closely associated with the dominant culture in Western tradition, the factory building has always occupied a marginal place. Finally, industrial architectural heritage faces a major contradiction: although the factory building has hardly any value in itself and its conversion for other uses is particularly costly, the land it stands on is particularly valuable and inversely proportional to the degree of abandonment and the protective commitments it involves.


It is well known that microeconomic position of the country is determined by its competitive power. The problem of competitive recovery on all levels becomes of a top priority for Russia that significantly falls behind world leaders.


In this work, we propose an Iterated Local Search (ILS) approach to detect cervical cell nuclei from digitized Pap smear slides. The problem consists in finding the best values for the parameters to identify where the cell nuclei are located in the image. This is an important step in building a computational tool to help pathologists to identify cell alterations from Pap tests. Our approach is evaluated by using the ISBI Overlapping Cervical Cytology Image Segmentation Challenge (2014) database, which has 945 synthetic images and their respective ground truth. The precision achieved by the proposed heuristic approach is among the best ones in the literature; however, the recall still needs improvement.


The oxidation kinetics of low valence titanium and iron in Ti-bearing blast furnace slag were investigated, the activation energies were calculated, which are 461.1 and 437.3 kJ/mol, respectively. The results illustrate that the oxidation process of Ti3+ in the slag is controlled by chemical reactions. However, the chemical reaction between oxygen and iron, between slag and gas, is the determining step of the iron oxidation process. The effects of the isothermal oxidation on the content of Fe2O3, FeM, FeO, and FeT in the slag are discussed. The Fe2+ and Ti3+ in the molten slag were oxidized at high temperatures. Oxygen affinity of the slag can be described using oxygen capacity. The oxygen capacity of Ti-bearing blast furnace slag was investigated during the dynamic oxidation process, the results indicates that the oxygen capacity of the slag decreased with increasing oxidation time during the dynamic oxidation process.


Dynamic positron emission tomography (dPET) is a nuclear medical imaging technology that shows the changes in radioactivity over time. In this article, we propose a structure and tracer kinetics-constrained reconstruction framework for dPET imaging. Given the Poisson nature of PET imaging, we integrate the sparse penalty on a dual dictionary into a Poisson-likelihood estimator. Explicit anatomical constraints with a structural dictionary constructed from magnetic resonance or computed tomography images are employed to take advantage of the anatomical imaging modalities. In the kinetic dictionary, we treat tracer kinetics as random variables in a physiologically plausible range based on a compartmental model. We demonstrate the performance of our proposed framework with a direct simulated data set and real patient data.


The science of Fiqh is one of the best sciences regarded as permissible and forbidden (Halal and Haram) and what is true of acts and what is not true. This science would not have reached what it is without men who spent valuable time collecting and spreading it and clarifying it, so they were the good example and the path to Allah's rule. This research therefore was studied as one of the Imams of jurisprudence and as a possibility for the study of the methods of possibilities and their causes, as well as the research contained an introduction and three sections (the possibility of Imam Al-Bayhqi in a Kafir imamate, boy and imamate women in women). The first section is in the kid's imamate, the second in the Kafir imamate and the third in the female imamate, and then research was completed and the most important findings mentioned.


In this work, we have fabricated peculiar, highly cogent iron-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Fe@g-C3N4) nanocatalysts with varying ratios of g-C3N4 nanosheets to Fe-dopant in 1:1, 1:3 and 1:5, respectively. Numerous...


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how the "ideal" tibial nail insertion point varies with tibial rotation and to determine what radiographic landmarks can be used to identify the most suitable rotational view for insertion of a tibial intramedullary nail. Methods: Twelve cadaveric lower limb specimens with intact soft tissues around the knee and ankle joints were used. A 2.0mm Kirschner wire was placed in the center of the anatomic safe zone and centered on the tibial shaft. The leg was rotated and imaged using a fluoroscopic C-arm until the K-wire was positioned just medial to the lateral tibial spine (defined as the neutral anteroposterior radiograph). The leg was then fixed and radiographs were taken in 5 degree increments by rotating the fluoroscope internally and externally (in total, a 50 degree arc). Following this a second K-wire was placed in 5 mm increments both medially and laterally and the fluoroscope rotated until this second K-wire was positioned just medial to the lateral tibial spine. Radiographs were digitized for measurements. Results: Given the presence of a 30 degree rotational arc through which the radiograph appeared anteroposterior, it was possible to improperly translate the start point up to 15 mm. Relative external rotation of the image used for nail placement led to a medial insertion site when using the lateral tibial spine as the landmark. A line drawn at the lateral edge of the tibial plateau to bisect the fibula head correlated with an entry point that was central or up to 5 mm lateral to the ideal entry point. The use of a fibula head bisector line avoided a medial insertion point. Conclusions: Rotation of the tibia may result in up to 15 mm of translation of the start point that may be unrecognized. Relative external rotation of the film used for nail placement leads to medial insertion sites when using the lateral tibial spine as a landmark. The fibula head bisector line can be used to avoid choosing external rotation views and thus avoid medial insertion points.


Purpose. To conceptualize social participation in line with the experiences of older adults with a chronic physical illness. Method. Qualitative study consisting of ten individual interviews and two focus group interviews with older adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. Results. Four domains of social participation were identified on the basis of the individual interviews: (i) social contacts and social activities, (ii) work and informal support, (iii) cultural activities and public events, and (iv) politics and media. Three characteristics of social participation could be distilled from discussions in the focus groups: social contact, contributing resources to society and receiving resources from society. In addition, only positive experiences were considered to be social participation. Conclusions. In our study, older adults with a chronic physical illness perceived social participation as a positive experience having one or more of the following three characteristics: social contact, contributing resources to society or receiving resources from society. This is fairly consistent with the literature about social participation, although previous researchers did not mention a positive experience condition and disagreed whether receiving resources could be considered as 'genuine' social participation.


In case the uncertainty existing in a system is assumed to satisfy the matching condition and to be come-bounded. Y. H. Chen proposed an adaptive robust control algorithm which introduced adaptive sheme for a design parameter into robust deterministic controls. In this paper, the adaptive robust control algorithm is applied to the position tracking control of direct drive robots, and simulation and experimental studies are conducted to evaluate control performance.


Electron microscopic morphometric techniques were used to measure accurately the cytoplasm and frustule volumes of 12 naturally occurring planktonic diatoms in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In addition, cytoplasm volumes were measured in 6 other algal species. Estimates of carbon content were then made by converting measured cytoplasm volumes to carbon biomass. From these measurements and conversions, the average percent carbon by dry weight was found to be 19% (range lo-30%) for diatoms and 35% (range 29-43%) for the nondiatom species. These values are lower than those previously reported. This is probably due to two facts: our estimates do not include extracellular carbon that may be associated with the cells, and vacuole relative volume (% of total cell volume) ranged from 22 to 70% in diatoms and 2 to 29% for nondiatoms. The carbon content of cells with lower vacuole volumes more closely approximate those previously reported. Our estimations of percent silica by dry weight of diatoms averaged 60% (range 40-78%). Our values for silica content are closer to those reported for naturally occurring populations than to those for cultured populations. Estimation of biomass in individual phytoplankton populations in a mixed assemblage remains a complex problem. Traditionally, biovolume estimates have been used to assess the importance of certain species through conversion to organic carbon content, ash-free dry weight, or chlorophyll (Paasche 1960; Mullin et al. 1966; Strathmann 1967). The return to biovolume estimates is an attempt to escape the limitations of secondary measurement techniques such as Chl


The macroscopic regimes under dam which collected by sensor could reflect anti-seepage effect and its time-variance of dam foundation curtain,but in the procedure of multi-sensor data fusion,some evaluation indexes are inconsistent.In order to eliminate this phenomenon,distributed multi-sensor data fusion theory is utilized,the feasibility is also analyzed,the data fusion of multi-sensor is obtained.Analysis of groundwater macroscopic regime under a dam section is carried out,by using a decisionmaking fusion method.As a result,the macroscopic regimes under dam section 13 have the tendency of increasing from 2003 to 2008.The anti-seepage performance of the dam foundation curtain is to be weakened locally.


Although today it is the appearance of Jakarta Kota (formerly known as Batavia) that is most appealing to the general public, the problems and issues concerning this quarter of Greater Jakarta centre on the loss of socio-economic functionality, rather than the dilapidation of the building stock. Jakarta Kota is eroding from a lively colonial trading town (with the full range of economic and administrative functions) into what is now a quarter where the historic scenery is gradually fading. Based as it is, on sophisticated, classical European town planning and architecture, it has today hardly any reference to contemporary Indonesian society. One should keep this in mind when preparing a conservation scheme for Jakarta Kota. Without a feasible social and economic vision for the future functioning of Kota within a (much) greater Jakarta, every action in the field of (integrated) conservation is bound to fail and will certainly not encourage private investors to participate. An association of Indonesian business people, coming together in a body called 'Jakarta old town, KotaKu' intends to put a halt to the decay by revitalising this part of the town and conserving its specific urban and architectural features. Through ICOMOS, experts from the Netherlands were requested to provide technical support for this project. This paper outlines the nature of the project and of this international support.


In the discharge of his duties and functions, an employee is expected to act with complete honesty and integrity no matter what position the employee may hold in an organisation. He should not betray the trust and
confidence reposed on him and this would include theft, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, fraud, forgery and cheating, among others.1 Once an employee exhibits dishonesty or a lack of integrity, the trust and confidence reposed in him by the employer can no
longer subsist. Furthermore, an employee must avoid situations in which his personal interests could conflict or might be seen to be in conflict with the interests of the company. This includes receiving or accepting for his own benefit any gratuity, emolument, or payment of any kind from any person having or intending to have any business with the employer. Accepting or receiving bribery or corruption from individuals such as the personnel of companies with which the company does business is a
serious criminal offence and can cause significant reputational damage of the company. In light of the above, this paper discusses the issue of unauthorised receipt or acceptance of gratification and conflict of interest
in the workplace.


The political participation of the rural women in China has great significance and,meanwhile,provides a new area for the study of Chinese women' role.The rural women's participation in Zhoushan's political life includes voting and public serving,and their participation is mainly determined by their economic participation.


When creating ribbed plate components in two-dimensional engineering drawing with longitudinal split cuts along the plate,the split cuts will have section symbols.However,the national standard requires split cuts not have such symbols.Using Inventor assembly design,save the drawing as.dwg files,edit using AutoCAD,and it will generate two-dimensional engineering drawing ribbed plate components that meet the national standards.This study provides a general guidance to creating two-dimensional engineering drawings that fit the national standards.


Phenyl radicals (C6H5) react with oxygen molecules (O2) to form phenylperoxy radicals (C6H5OO). These intermediates have been calculated to decompose either through O−O bond fission forming C6H5O +...


BACKGROUND
To develop, implement and evaluate a community-level HIV prevention program (the Mpowerment Project) for young gay men in two US communities.

DESIGN
Using a multiple baseline design, a cohort of young gay men was recruited independently of the intervention in each community and surveyed twice (1 year apart) regarding sexual risk behavior and psychosexual variables. The intervention was then implemented sequentially in each community. The cohorts were resurveyed immediately post- and 1-year post-intervention. Since there were few differences between the two communities, data were pooled to increase statistical power.

INTERVENTION
The program had four components: peer outreach, whereby young gay men encouraged other men to engage in safer sex; peer-led small groups; a publicity campaign; and a young men's center.

RESULTS
Baseline rates of unprotected anal intercourse were stable. Following intervention, the proportion of men who engaged in unprotected anal intercourse decreased from 38.3 to 30.9% (-19.3% relative reduction), with a reduction from 19.2 to 13.6% (-29.2% relative reduction) with non-primary partners, and a reduction from 57.7 to 41.8% (-27.6% relative reduction) with boyfriends. Reductions were sustained 1 year later with non-primary partners, but mixed results were found regarding sex with boyfriends.

CONCLUSIONS
Mobilizing young gay men to support each other about safer sex is an effective approach to HIV prevention, but programs must be sustained. To reach young gay men, HIV prevention activities must be embedded into the satisfaction of needs for social and community belonging.


The first cases of AIDS in black Africans without any previously known risk factors were reported in March 1983. By April 1984 24 such patients were reported in France: the authors studied 14 of them seen in Paris between 1982 and December 1983. They all met the usual criteria for AIDS. 13 were adults (mean age : 31.5 years) 1 was the 2 months-old child of 1 of the female patients. 8 were males and 6 were females (sex ratio : 1.3). 9 of them were native from Zaire 4 from the Congo and 1 from Mali. All were previously healthy. Opportunistic infections among these patients were: cytomegalovirus infection (6 cases) candidiasis (5 cases) and cryptococcosis (5 cases) Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) (4 cases) neurotoxoplasmosis (3 cases) atypical mycobacteriosis (2 cases) cryptosporidiosis (2 cases). The frequency of PCP was surprisingly low and that of cryptococcosis unusually high. Only 1 patient had Kaposis sarcoma. 8 patients died (53%) with a mean delay between onset of symptoms and death of 7 months. The mean follow-up in survivors is 10 months. Retrovirus serological studies were performed in the patients: HTLV-I-P24 antibodies could not be detected by radioimmunoassay. IgG antibodies to lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) were present in 10 of 13 adult patients. (authors)


The review and analysis of the film 'The Princess and the Frog' by Walt Disney is discussed. Then film shows the sentimentalized and romanticized depiction of New Orleans and its surroundings, and seems to suggest that dreams come true in New Orleans.


In this article, a method is proposed that allows the prediction of characteristic parameters of integrated microwave oscillators, i.e., operating frequency and distribution of the output power due to harmonic frequencies. This method combines rigorous field theoretical analysis of the linear environment with the "harmonic balance" approach. Relations between these areas are shown and discussed by means of numerical and experimental results. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.