Pedestrian and bicycle safety have emerged to be of major concern to federal and selected states in the U.S. With the increased emphasis on the multimodal transportation, pedestrian and bicycle safety has become more common for governmental agencies to address and prioritize for strategic planning and construction. It was crucial to address the pedestrian-vehicular conflict within Florida as it was reported in the "Dangerous by Design" report as having the highest four (4) pedestrian incident locations in the country. This research has two objectives: (1) Developing a safety prioritization tool that would assist governmental agencies in the prioritization of sidewalk gaps and/or bicycle-lane gaps based on a balanced approach between safety needs, socioeconomic evaluation, operational constraints, and fiscal assessment. (2) The development of statewide averages for pedestrian crash rates that would give transportation planners and engineers a barometer indicating how the Districts compare against other areas. A wide array of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) layers associated with the sidewalk/bicycle lane gaps and the safety data was secured by Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The results showed that absence of sidewalk along roadway segments is one of the main factors that have a significant impact on the expected number of pedestrian crashes at a specific location. The pilot studies conducted for the roadways and intersections revealed several critical safety locations within District Five when compared to the developed statewide average rates. These locations require further investigation to identify main causes and assess the mitigations that could potentially lead to improvements.


This paper is based on a new type of CNC (computer numerical control), which is named as INC (integrated numerical control or intelligent numerical control). Some useful image processing technologies have been adopted in INC successfully, which has facilitated manufacturing progress greatly. The paper first has a brief introduction of INC, and then discusses the key image processing technologies used in INC. They mainly include image preprocessing, binary image transforming, thinning and cure tracing, image vectorization technology, etc. Further, as a practical application, a case is given to illustrate how to apply them into INC. Finally, conclusions and predictions are made about INC might be in future years


With the fast development in Internet and Mobile technologies, we are witnessing a proliferation of applications that support online collaborative group work. Such applications offer many advantages as compared to traditional web-based online collaborative learning, the most salient feature being the ability to work not only geographically distributed but also on the move, anytime and anywhere. Such applications in the very recent past used to offer lightweight client applications, leaving the burden of the application logics to the server side applications. However, as mobile devices are each time more powerful in terms of computing and storage capacity, client applications at mobile device are each time more complex and heavy so that members of the group could be able to work both offline and online, which arises when members of the group use smartphones and can eventually run out of Internet connection from time to time, or simply want to develop some activities locally. This comes to the price of wasting the battery in shorter time and thus impeding the collaborative work for longer time intervals. Due to this reason, researchers and developers are interested to develop sophisticated mobile applications under energy-aware requirements. In this work we analyse the energy efficiency of a group calendar that offers 1) information sharing among all of members of the group, 2) synchronisation among local calendars of members and global group calendar, 3) conflict resolution through a voting system, 4) awareness of changes in the entries (tasks, members, events, etc.) of the calendar and 5) sharing of calendars among different groups. In particular, we analyse the energy efficiency due to the synchronisations mechanisms employed by a group calendar as synchronisation is among most compute intensive and time consuming tasks. Our study sheds light on the need of implementing various synchronisation mechanisms from lightweight synchronisation to full synchronisation and their applications according to energy profile of the mobile device.


The extraction of important flow features can facilitate easier cognition of fluid flows, enabling users to improve object/fluid interactions. This paper presents an approach to extract flow features, which can be applied to data of any domain. Our approach uses a normalized "maxima score" for predictable output across datasets. This score is calculated based on a given point's scalar intensity relative to its neighbors. This score can be used to reveal areas of interest within the flow field. We present two techniques for visualization of the maxima score, one based on isosurfaces and one based on edge tracing from image processing. We have successfully applied the maxima score approach to synthetic, computational, and empirical datasets.


SCOPE
Large-Leaf yellow tea (YT) exhibited interesting beneficial metabolic effects in previous studies. Here, we elucidated the actions of YT on thermogenesis, energy metabolism and adipocyte metabolic conversion.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed low-fat diet, high-fat diet (HFD) and HFD supplemented with 0.5% or 2.5% YT. After treatment for 10 or 14 weeks, YT enhanced energy expenditure, VO2 and VCO2 . YT strongly boosted thermogenic program in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), while only weakly in epididymal adipose tissue (EAT). These were accompanied by higher body temperature, increased mitochondrial copy numbers (ATP5A+ ), and upregulation of thermogenic genes (Ucp1, Pgc1α, etc) and proteins. The classic brown adipocyte markers (Eva1, Zic1) were induced only in BAT, while beige adipocyte markers (Tbx1, Tmem26) were boosted only in SAT. Furthermore, subcutaneous-originated preadipocytes were induced by YT in vitro to differentiate to brown-like UCP1+ -adipocytes - a browning effect.

CONCLUSION
Dietary YT induces adaptive thermogenesis through increasing mitochondrial biogenesis in EAT, inducing beigeing in SAT and enhancing browning in the BAT. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Abstract : Structure changes caused by fatigue in silver and aluminum crystals were studied by X-ray and electron microscope techniques at various distances from the crystal boundaries. It was observed that the fatigue life is drastically reduced in the presence of transverse boundaries, while longitudinal boundaries have a much smaller effect. The dislocation arrangements produced by fatigue depend on the distribution of strains. In the highly strained regions near the grain boundary the study revealed formation of lattice domains of small size bounded by very complex dislocation arrangements. In the less strained regions a led to a formation of a coarser and simpler substructure. The observed differences in dislocation structure between the high and low strain regions were ascribed to differences in the rate of generation of disclocations relative to their ability to cross-slip. (Author)


One of the key ecological functions of the hyporheic zone is as a potential refugium for benthic invertebrates during hydrological disturbances. However, during flow recession, conditions within benthic sediments are relatively stable and no study to date has reported use of the hyporheic zone as a refugium during a gradual decline in discharge. This may be due to conditions remaining favourable in the benthic sediments. We investigated hyporheic zone usage by benthic invertebrates during a four-month period of flow recession. As flow declined, the area of submerged habitat contracted and the population density of the dominant benthic species, Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda), increased threefold in the surface sediments; this may have caused an increase in biotic pressures including predation and cannibalism. Concurrently, both the hyporheic abundance of G. pulex and the proportion of the total (benthic + hyporheic) G. pulex population inhabiting the hyporheic zone increased. This indicated that the hyporheic zone may have acted as a refugium following the proposed increase in biotic pressures. The refugial capacity of the hyporheic zone varied at sites with contrasting antecedent flow permanence, which could be related to the dominant direction of hydrologic exchange. A conceptual model is presented illustrating the spatial variability in the refugial capacity of the hyporheic zone during flow recession.


A polarization-insensitive dual-wavelength demultiplexer based on sandwiched multimode interference waveguides is presented. Polarization-insensitive multimode waveguides are achieved first by choosing a suitable refractive index of the SiN middle region. The demultiplxing function is then realized by adjusting the width and length of the multimode region. Simulation results obtained from three-dimensional beam-propagation method show that the demultiplexer can work at 1310- and 1550-nm bands for both polarizations simultaneously with a low insertion loss and a broad bandwidth.


The purposes of this research were 1) to design and develop the furniture products from the weaving design of TaiLue, 2) to study the different pattern which is suitable to make the weaving cloth for household furniture, and 3) to study theappropriate size of the household furniture. There are 8 processes: 1) Study and collecting the data from the study site byobserving and interviewing, 2) interview the participant to collect information on the opinion about developing the products, 3)visit the study site and collect survey questionnaire, 4) Design and develop the furniture products by researcher and the peoplewho make Tai-Lue weaving cloth in Yuan temple, 5) create the products (the initial furniture product), 6) take the measurementtool to the study site to measure the satisfaction of consumer, 7) analyze the primary purpose for design and develop the furniture,and 8) summarize of the research study by analyze the data from participants for the use of this research. The population orparticipants in this study are included 16 people in Yuan temple weaving group, 29 consumers who need the products or will usethese products. Forty-eight people who are interested in this furniture from weaving products to analyze the satisfaction. Theresearcher collecting data by doing interview and give research questionnaire. The statistics that use in this study are averagemean (


The paper revisits the literature on real rigidities in New Keynesian models in the context of an economy at the zero lower bound. It identifies strategic interaction among price- and wage-setting agents in the economy as an important determinant of both optimal policy and economic dynamics in deep recessions. In particular, labor market segmentation is shown to have a significant influence on the length of the forward commitment to keep interest rates at zero, the magnitude of the fiscal policy responses as well as inflation volatility in the economy under optimal policy.


We consider the interpretation of emotions and simil-iar phenomena as support for survival and coping in the world. Grounded in the experience of an emotional agent, certain such emotions, drives or experiences are self-oriented (homeostasis, intake, outtow: hunger, pain, irritation), while others suggest a generalized or speciic recognition of other agents or objects (curiosity , fear; or hatred, envy, yearning, greed). Other, more complex emotions are involved in relations to a second person (sympathy) or social regulation (shame, guilt, feelings of loyalty) or aaective episodic structure (regret). Considering complex emotions in relation to other`persons' yields insight into the roles and possible design of various emotions in behavioral regulation in biological, software, and social contexts. AAective coloring of episodic memories of sequences of actions and experiences may suggest a mechanism for grounding of behavioral adaptation. We outline how such coloring of episodic memories might provide a mechanism for emergent spatial and social navigation.


Gastric acid suppressants, in the form of histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) and subsequently proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), have transformed the management of dyspepsia, peptic ulceration and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. PPIs are now among the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide. In the United Kingdom, PPIs accounted for 34 million prescriptions worth £192 million in the year to June 2009 [1], and $26.5 billion was spent globally on PPIs in 2008 [2]. A large number of patients—as many as 90% in one study [3]—are taking these drugs with no appropriate guideline-based indication. Whilst PPIs and H2RAs are considered by most prescribers to be both effective and safe, their side-effect profile may be less benign in older people than has been hitherto realised. Several of the adverse effects of gastric acid suppressants that have been documented are pertinent to older people. Observational studies show an association between the use of gastric acid suppressants and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Several studies have shown that current PPI use, particularly if started recently, is associated with an increased risk of CAP [4, 5]. The studies did not consistently observe an association with H2RAs, perhaps because of their weaker acid suppressant activity. One study examining cardiothoracic surgery patients taking stress ulcer prophylaxis found pantoprazole, but not ranitidine, was associated with an increased risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia [6]. It has been suggested that losing the non-specific defence of a gastric pH below 4 results in more gut flora residing in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract [4], and the more powerful acid suppressant effects of PPIs would therefore be expected to be more strongly linked with pneumonia, as is observed. There is also a significant body of observational evidence linking gastric acid suppression to enteric infection. A systematic review published in 2007 [7] reported an increased risk of Salmonella and Campylobacter infection in those using gastric acid suppressants (odds ratio, OR 2.55; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 1.53–4.26). The association was greater with PPIs (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.84–6.02) than H2RAs, but remained significant for H2RAs (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.05–3.92). Gastric acid suppression is associated with colonisation of the normally sterile upper GI tract [8]; acid suppression may therefore remove an important physiological barrier, allowing orally ingested enteric pathogens to reach the gut. Perhaps most importantly for older people, acid suppression may also be associated with an increased risk of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD). Although some studies did not find an association between PPIs and CDAD, a number of other studies have demonstrated that PPI use increases the risk of developing CDAD in both hospitalised and community-dwelling patients, with a metaanalysis [7] reporting a significant increase in risk (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.28–3.00). A weaker association appears to exist for H2RA use [9]. Patients treated for CDAD are more likely to have a recurrence if they remain on PPI therapy [8]. There are other potentially adverse effects of gastric acid suppressants that are relevant to the health of older people. A number of case reports have suggested a relationship between PPIs and microscopic colitis, a condition now increasingly recognised as a cause of chronic watery diarrhoea in older people. Severe hypomagnesaemia resistant to magnesium replacement but resolving on withdrawal of PPI has been reported, especially in older people [10]. This can be partially corrected by high-dose oral magnesium supplement, suggesting that PPIs inhibit the active transport mechanism of intestinal magnesium absorption [10]. Low serum magnesium levels have been shown to be associated with adverse prognosis and increased mortality in various settings [11] and have been found to independently correlate with muscle performance in older people [12]. The change in gastric acidity with consequent changes in drug absorption has been blamed for malabsorption of nutrients including iron, vitamin B12 and many of the drug interactions with PPIs. Although this has not been of major clinical concern, the recent controversy surrounding concomitant use of PPIs and clopidogrel serves as a reminder that this class of drugs is not without the risk of interactions [13]. Finally, some recent studies have suggested an association between PPI use and increased risk of osteoporotic fracture [14], although this association does not appear to be consistent across all populations. What should we do about these observations? There is no doubt that gastric acid suppressants are important drugs with a crucial role in the management of a number of GI diseases, and care is needed to ensure that patients taking these agents for good indications do not have their prescriptions stopped. However, there is good evidence that they are frequently being prescribed for non-specific and inappropriate reasons, and that a large number of patients are taking these agents for much longer than necessary [15]. It is unlikely that large randomised controlled trials in older people will be performed to give definitive evidence on the risk– benefit ratio in older people taking these agents, but it


A low-cost home-made all-in-set colorimetric detector with PC-interface embed was designed and fabricated. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are the most energy-efficient means of producing monochromatic light, and provide a concentrated small cool emitter ideal for miniature analytical devices in the FIA system. A small blue LED and a light dependent resistor (LDR) were used as a light source and a sensor. The detector's electronic components, including a signal amplifier and an A/D converter, were integrated on one small board connected to a personal computer for measuring the signals. The proposed device was used as a basis to develop a FIA-spectrophotometric method for the determination of tetracycline antibiotics by forming orange-red complexes with uranyl acetate. These complexes show the maximum absorption at 410, 415, 409 and 410 nm for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), chlotetracycline hydrochloride (CTCH), oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTCH) and doxycycline hydrochloride (DCH), respectively. The detection limits were found to be 2.85, 2.89, 3.60 and 3.88 mg/L for TCH, CTCH, OTCH and DCH, respectively. The linear range of calibration graph for each drug was obtained at 10-150 mg/L. This method was successfully applied to the determination of tetratycline in the bulk drugs and pharmaceutical formulations. Keywords : Tetracycline antibiotics, FIA-Colorimetry, Home-made FIA system


Discusses the adoption of skills‐based pay as a part of Total Quality Management schemes in three US companies, in respect of raising standards, retaining staff and increasing staff versatility. Provides a definition of skills‐based pay and a number of its major forms. Gives a few case studies to illustrate the use of skills‐based pay and a number of main learning points.


Village governance has the broadest scope of autonomy that is as point center in implementing government programs. Consequently, the governance should prepare to improve the performance of their employee and archive management, so that it runs effectively and efficiently in providing the services for society. The hypothesis in this study is whether is an influence of physical work environment, work facilities, employee competence on the archives management and performance employees. Methods and data collection use interviews, documentation, and questionnaires. Data analysis uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) by using LISREL version 8.51. Results of study measurements obtained equation of regression PA = 0.57 + 0, 37LKF + 0, 37FASKER + 0, 25KOMPEG, Errorvar = 0.0036, R2 = 1.00 and KINPEG = 0, 21LKF + 0, 16FASKER + 0, 63KOMPEG, Errorvar = 0.00, R2 = 1.00. The results showed that the physical work environment, work facilities, and employee competence positively influenced the archive management and performance employees.


Medical ultrasound is a diagnostic imaging technique used for visualizing subcutane‐ ous body structures. The frequencies used in conventional diagnostic ultrasound are typically 2–10 MHz. For scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), the frequencies applied to image cells and tissues are >50 MHz. Increasing the frequency increases spatial resolu‐ tion, but reduces the depth that can be imaged. The advantages of using SAM over conventional light and electron microscopes include imaging specimens without requiring any preparations which may kill or alter them; this provides a more accurate representation of them. SAM's main components are similar to those found on typical light microscopes, but the lens is often replaced by a confocal transducer. The ultra‐ sound signal encountering the specimen generally has three results: scatter, transmis‐ sion, or reflection; these signals are then merged to form the image as either a B-Scan or C-Scan. The acoustic parameters determining the image quality are absorption and scattering. SAM can objectively quantify the surface characteristics of the specimen being scanned and can also study the elastic properties of cells and tissues to discern differen‐ ces between healthy and affected conditions. SAM has the potential as a major instru‐ ment of detection and analyses in biomedical research and clinical studies.


Objective:To investigate influence of smoking on prognosis of patients with coronary heart disease(CHD) undergoing stent implantation.Methods:A total of 378 CHD patients undergoing coronary stent implantation in our hospital from Aug 2006 to Aug 2008 were enrolled and followed up for two years after implantation.According to smoking or not after implantation,patients were divided into non-smoking group(n=237) and smoking group(n=141).Influence of smoking on prognosis was compared between two groups.Results:Compared with non-smoking group after two-year follow up,there were significant increase in incidence rates of angina pectoris(13.1% vs.22.0%) and nonfatal myocardial infarction(1.3% vs.4.9%) in smoking group,P0.05;but there were no significant difference in incidence rates of all-cause death(2.9% vs.2.8%)and rehospitalization rate(11.0% vs.8.5%)caused by heart disease between two groups(P0.05).Conclusion:Smoking has certain influence on prognosis of patients with coronary heart disease after stent implantation,reccurrence rates of angina pectoris and nonfatal myocardial infarction significantly increase.


Utilizing a phenomenological perspective and method, this study aimed to reveal the lived career mentoring experiences of Latinas in science and engineering and to understand how selected Latina scientists and engineers achieved high-level positions. Our in-depth interviews revealed that (a) it is important to have multiple mentors for Latinas' success; (b) various types of mentoring can be effective in career development; (c) the support and encouragement of mentors is essential; and (d) mentoring relationships should be a mutual agreement. Findings also suggest that implementing formal and informal mentoring programs can encourage Latinas to pursue careers in science and engineering and have a positive influence on career success. The commonly shared characteristics and experiences that promote career success are trailblazer, mentoring types, networking, professional opportunities, support and encouragement, goal orientation, and passion and belief.


Thirty (30) 8-week old rabbits of average initial weight of 900 g were used to determine the Growth Performance and Carcass yield of growing rabbits fed Concentrate diet supplemented with Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala)or Siratro ( Macroptilium atropurpureum) leaves. The experiment was in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 5 treatment diets replicated thrice. The control group (T1) was fed a formulated rabbit diet, in T2, 10 % of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with Leucaena fresh leaves, in T3, 20 % of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with Leucaena fresh leaves, in T4, 10% of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with Siratro fresh leaves and in T5, 20% of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with Siratro fresh leaves. The study lasted 56 days. Feed and water were supplied ad libitum . Performance data indicated that body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly (P 0.05). The weights of liver, heart and kidney were significantly (P<0.05) higher for rabbits fed 20%leucaena and 20%siratro diets than those fed other diets. From the results, it was concluded that inclusion of 10% leucaena or 10%siratro leaves in rabbits' diet has no adverse effects on the performance and carcass yield of growing rabbits. Keywords: Leucaena, Performance, Siratro, Rabbits, Carcass yield.


Rheumatoid factors (RF) have been shown to have considerable heterogeneity and bind with IgG aswell as with a variety of substances such as nuclear histone, non‐histone nuclear protein, nitrophenylgroups or ssDNA. We describe evidence that polyclonal RF cross‐reactive with ssDNA (CRRF) arewidely distributed in a variety of rheumatic diseases, and that their serum level is significantly higherin rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with extra‐articular disease. Although the mechanism of the cross‐reactivity is not clear, the presence of CRRF could be a serological feature of a clinical subset of RA.The high prevalence rale of CRRF in RA with extra‐articular disease also suggests its pathogeneticrole in the extra‐articular manifestation of this disease.


The study compares the effects of short-term application of melatonin alone with a commonly used progestogen + gonadotropin on the reproductive performance, serum hormone concentrations, and ovarian activity of Improved Wallachian sheep. To induce ovarian cyclicity, 382 ewes were allocated into two treatment groups. Ewes of treatment group 1 (n=26) received dietary melatonin (5mg/head/day) for 18 days. Ewes of treatment group 2 (n=356) received intravaginal sponges (FGA, flugestone acetate 20mg) for 12 days followed by injection of eCG (equine chorionic gonadotropin, 500IU i.m.) at the time of sponge withdrawal. Forty-eight hours after sponge or melatonin withdrawal, sheep were exposed to rams, and recorded reproductive performance. Six ewes from each group were selected for hormone assessment and their ovaries removed for histological analysis. Ewes receiving melatonin had lower fertility, fecundity, smaller follicles (0 – <1mm), and lower follicular atresia compared to group 2. In addition, the concentration of progesterone and IGF-I, ovulation rate, and the number of healthy follicles were increased compared to FGA+eCG-treated ewes. Our results indicate that short-term application of melatonin is effective in inducing ovarian cyclicity in ewes with an increased ovulation rate despite low fertility and fecundity.


Urban mobility is evolving with the arrival of autonomous vehicles which contributes for a unique fundamental change. The environmental and social concerns have brought the quest to redesign urban mobility sustainably.


Artificial bat roosting houses are often used in managed forests of southwestern Oregon. The goal of this study was to find the orientation and exposure of bat houses that max- imizes bat occupancy rates. Occupancy rates were highest in bat boxes with southern and east- ern aspects (11.6% and 9.7%, respectively). Significant differences in occupancy were found be- tween houses facing south and those facing north and also between houses facing east and those facing north. Houses facing into clearcuts may be used more often that those facing into the forest.


The paper addresses the new role played by local self-government units in Poland. Main factors that determine the public authorities' capacity to become architects of coalitions for local development are identified. Coalitions are defined as partnerships linking and mobilizing stakeholders anchored in three sectors: public, economic and non-governmental. The coalition-making role of the public organs is investigated on the basis of Local Action Groups (LAGs), which are pro-developmental cross-sector organizations established in rural areas of the Podkarpackie (Sub-Carpathian) Voivodeship, Poland. Findings are presented that draw on quantitative and qualitative results of the research project that investigated mechanisms involved in the operation of the cross-sector coalitions. The dominant role of the public authorities in those coalitions is demonstrated. The Community-led Local Development model is referred to as the future framework for LAGs.


The reform and opening-up and social transformation in China brought about integrations between traditional culture and modern culture as well as foreign culture and local culture and gave birth to differently and variously cultural patterns,which fall into three main categories: mainstream culture,elite culture and mass culture.A positive interaction among these three cultures is a prerequisite for the harmonious development of society.However,they are suffering from the great tension in the context of globalization.At the same time,the elite culture and mass culture are deeply influenced by consumerism,which resulted in commercialization of elite culture and in distortions of people's values.This problem should be addressed urgently in promoting development and prosperity of socialist culture.


A large number of continual range queries could be issued against numerical data streams, such as stock prices, sensor readings, temperatures, and others. To efficiently process these long-running queries, only the potentially relevant queries should be evaluated against the data. We develop a virtual construct-based query indexing approach to efficiently identifying the range queries that match each data object in the streams. A set of virtual constructs, e.g., intervals in 1D space or rectangular regions in 2D space, are predefined such that it is efficient to find all the virtual constructs containing any given data object. Each virtual construct has a unique ID and an associated query ID list. The query index is built as follows. Each range query is first decomposed into one or more virtual constructs. The query ID is then inserted into the query ID lists associated with those decomposed virtual constructs. Search becomes extremely efficient. For a given data object, we first find all virtual constructs covering it. Then, we report the matched queries from the ID lists associated with the covering virtual constructs.


In order to further explore the income distribution among urban residents in Guangdong Province,this article researches the issue from a new angle by adopting the Theorem of exhausted distribution and combining it with the spread Cobb-Douglas production function.The results show that once social wealth is allocated by marginal product of elements involved in the social production,unequal elements of production owned by urban residents will contribute to income inequality;under the spontaneous distribution of the market,the income gap among urban residents in Guangdong Province will be wider.


The synbiotic potential of Saccharomyces boulardii and inulin was evaluated on mice gut microflora. The number of microorganisms in the feces of mice treated with the synbiotic combination or Saccharomyces boulardii/inulin alone was found to be less compared to the normal control. S. boulardii grown in presence of inulin was found to interact and form aggregation with Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis in vitro though the same interaction pattern was not seen with Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus plantarum. Aggregate was not found between E. coli/E. faecalis and S. boularii when the later was grown in prebiotics like maltodextrin and fructooligosaccharide. All the microorganisms were found to be alive in the aggregate and heat treatment of S. boulardii completely abolished the aggregation property. There was no biofilm formation in the aggregate and inhibition of protein synthesis resulted in no aggregation with E. coli/E. faecalis. Removal of the effect of cycloheximide from S. boulardii restored back the aggregation in presence of inulin. Thus, the decreased number of microorganisms in feces might be a result of aggregate formation between S. boulardii and E. coli/E. faecalis in presence of inulin and subsequent elimination from gut through mucus.


The use of relatively small-scale distributed electric power generation sources is one of the key focus areas in the development of global industry and regional power generation. By integrating distributed generation sources into their on-site energy infrastructure, industrial consumers gain new characteristics and possibilities as entities of the power system that do not only consume power, but in fact can flexibly generate and deliver electricity to local and even centralized grids. This type of entity is called a distributed energy resource system with demand response (Russian: 'active energy complex'). The purpose of this study is to lay the methodological foundation for the use of distributed energy resource systems with demand response in industrial sites under existing gas and power market conditions and for ensuring the synchronization of parameters that is necessary for managing complex energy consumption. This article provides an empirical study of the principles of the natural gas pricing under the demand volatility of regional markets and the Russian Mercantile Exchange. The article outlines the key drivers, as identified by the authors, that impact gas consumption by a distributed energy resource system, including demand characteristics, limitations and capacity of the gas network and the mode of gas consumption by an industrial enterprise and its generator. Accounting for all of these factors is essential for effective management and proper operational adjustment of a distributed energy resource system with demand response. The result of the study is a proprietary model and a tool for the management of distributed energy resource systems in integration with the gas demand management, which analyze the internal and external parameters of the industrial entity's operations and its distributed energy resource system, as well as factors existing in the integrated distributed energy system where the consumer is able to buy natural gas in various market segments. The proprietary tool of distributed energy resource system management is based on the centralized control system, which combines performance analytics, operational scheduling of production and the distributed energy resource system, price planning for the wholesale and retail power markets, regional gas markets and exchange, monitoring all elements of the system, and assessment of different active energy management scenarios under various external and internal conditions impacting production and energy demand. Our proprietary tool has been successfully tested in a typical industrial site and was reported to deliver a significant electricity and gas cost-saving effect, which amounted to an 18 percent reduction in the total energy costs of the company, or more than USD 2.6 million per year. The resulting saving effect can recoup the costs of investing in a distributed energy resource system, including construction and installation of the local grid and automation infrastructure, and can be obtained in any country of the world.


Serum complement is valuable tool in determining the health status of fish. This study was conducted to examine in vitro activity of serum complement as an indicator of innate immunity in four sturgeon species, Acipenser stellatus, A. baeri, A. nudiventris and Huso huso (Chondrostei: Acipenseridae). The Effects of different temperatures, concentrations and volumes of serum on alternative complement pathway activity were evaluated using standard haemolytic assays in four sturgeon species (A. stellatus, A baeri, A. nudiventris and Huso huso). Results indicated significant relation between measured hemolysis and concentration, volume and temperature (p<0.05). Maximal hemolytic activity was exhibited at 100% serum in four sturgeon species. (p<0.05). Correspondence: A Yektaseresht, Department of Pathobiology; School of Veterinary Medicine; Shiraz University; Shiraz; Iran. (e-mail: email@example.com). Exposure of different volumes of serum from sturgeon species to RBCs exhibited volume dependent hemolysis (p<0.05). Maximal hemolytic activity was resulted in 30 μL of serum for all the sturgeon species. The highest hemolytic activity occurred at 4 °C for all the sturgeon species, but the hemolytic activity decreased at 37 °C. The results showed that the alternative complement pathway activity in sturgeon species serum may be affected by temperature, concentration and volume of serum that it caused an increase in non-specific immunity and the resistance to the outbreak of diseases.


PURPOSE: To obtain a simple circuit which can monitor a subscriber's telephone set by remarkably reducing common mode noise caused by longitudinal currents in a line interface device and providing a DC power source terminating resistance and an AC power source terminating impedance which are desirable for a communication line. CONSTITUTION: A line interface device is provided a primary winding and a secondary winding and is constituted in such a way that the longitudinal current flowing through the primary winding is offset so as to remarkably reduce common mode noise. A DC power source terminating resistance is given to the device by the actions of a chip/ring feeding resistance, a control circuit, a DC feedback circuit, and a chip/ring amplifier circuit. In addition, an AC current signal component from a communication line is inductively coupled with the secondary wiring of a transformer from the primary winding of the transformer and an AC power source terminating impedance is given to the device by the actions of the control circuit, an AC feedback circuit, and the chip/ring amplifier circuit. The monitoring of a subscriber's telephone set become possible when a chip/ring voltage divider is directly connected to the control circuit through resistance. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO


A much-heralded shift to Africa? Although banana and plantain are crucial to food security in most countries of tropical Africa, the continent's role in the world banana economy has, at least until now, been relatively minor. With Somalia, Cape Verde and Madagascar dropping out of international trade in the 1990s, this left just Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana as the continent's exporting countries. In 2010 Mozambique entered the fray, initially sending fruit to nearby Middle Eastern markets, and Chiquita announced it had done a deal to secure land for bananas in Ethiopia.


This project is motivated from the "Naive Bees Classifier" challenge by Metis [1] hosted by Drivendata.org. Wild bees are critical to sustain pollination. Currently, identifying the genus of a bee requires expert intervention. Automating this process, such that simply a picture of a bee can be used for classification by a machine learning algorithm, will greatly speed-up the study of the bee populations. As part of this project, we aim to develop classifiers to accurately identify the genus of a bee as either a "Honey Bee" (class 0), or a "Bumble Bee" (class 1) from its photograph. The report is organized as follows. We first discuss the specifics of the problem, the given dataset and the associated challenges in Section 2. Next we look at various ways to counter the challenges posed by the said dataset in Section 3. We described the feature selection methodology in Section 4. In Section 5, we present our results. Finally, we conclude by presenting the key observations and potential next steps in Section 6.


A method of operating a touch screen system having a plurality of screen nodes that includes collecting touch data from the screen nodes indicative of the number of touches received by each node and determining a nonuniform sampling sequence for the touch screen based on the collected touch data.


Greedy Equivalent Search (GES) is an effective algorithm for Bayesian network problem, which searches in the space of graph equivalence classes. However, original GES may easily fall into local optimization trap because of empty initial structure. In this paper, An improved GES method is prosposed. It firstly makes a draft of the real network, based on Maximum Information Coefficient (MIC) and conditional independence tests. After this step, many independent relations can be found. To ensure correctness, then this draft is used to be a seed structure of original GES algorithm. Numerical experiment on four standard networks shows that NEtoGS (the number of graph structure, which is equivalent to the God Standard network) has big improvement. Also, the total of learning time are greatly reduced. Therefore, our improved method can relatively quickly determine the structure graph with highest degree of data matching.


With the advancement of science and technology, computer and network technology (Computer), modern communication technology (Communication), modern control technology (Control) and modern architectural art (Architecture) have been widely used, and while promoting the progress of human society, they have also changed It promotes people's work, study and lifestyle, which promotes people's higher requirements for social informatization, work and life automation, and the comfort and safety of the living environment, making smart houses and the supporting buildings intelligent The chemical system has developed rapidly. On the basis of discussing the relevant characteristics and theories of smart houses, this paper proposes a system integration method for smart houses based on OPC technology for the difficult problem of system integration. OPC technology can not only improve the interoperability of intelligent systems, but also simplify the system integration environment. Using the system integration method based on OPC technology, it is easy to expand the system functions and make the system more open and intelligent, which is a new way to realize the integration of smart residential systems. At the same time, a system integration method of smart house based on embedded Ethernet WEB technology is designed. This technology is connected with Ethernet, RS485 bus and CAN bus, etc., applied to building automation system, supports TCP/IP protocol, and realizes remote communication of automation system.


The inner diameter of the narrow side of the high pressure turbine journal chrome plating method, chromium plating operation on the narrow side surfaces as part of the high-pressure turbine journal (6) of an inner diameter; using a dedicated auxiliary anode (1) and the other part of the combination of the following structures (6) chromium plating operations: a screw (2), a cathode conductive plate (3), an annular insulating plate (4), protecting the cathode (5), the end face insulating plate (7), the tapered insulating plate (8), the lumen of the protective sheath ( 9); the inner diameter of the narrow side of the high-pressure turbine journal chrome sequentially method satisfies the following requirements: first, the above-described configuration shown in Figure 1 assembled, and then start the high-pressure turbine equipment narrow the inner diameter of the journal chromium plating operation. The present invention is a workpiece inner narrow chromium electroplating chamber during power line distribution, uniform coating, the workpiece does not increase ovality chrome plated. By repair can improve the life of the workpiece, reduce the production cost of the engine; a more significant economic and social value of the invention have predictable.


In this article,we investigate the existence of attractor for the semigroup {S(t)}_(t≥0),which is generated by the semilinear parabolic equation.By using the idea for the proof of regularity of the attractor in[1],we obtain a bounded absorbing set and a global attractor for semigroup {S(t)}_(t≥0) in L~(2p)(Ω),respectively.


This study reviews about myth text of Tapakan Barong that contained in the Kahyangan Jagat Luhur Natar Sari, Apuan, Baturiti, Tabanan. This study aimed to describe the structure contained in the text of the mythical Tapakan Barong Bhatara Sakti Nawa Sanga and assess the functioning of the Tapakan Bhatara Sakti Nawa Sanga. The methods and techniques used in this study are at the stage of providing data used method of observation, interviews, and using the technique of recording and record keeping; methods of data analysis used methods of kualitatif with descriptive and analytical techniques; and the stage presentation of the results of analysis using informal methods with deductive techniques. The results of this research is revealing the structure of narrative text mythical of Tapakan Barong Bhatara Sakti Nawa Sanga  in Kahyangan Jagat Luhur Natar Sari covering incidents, plots, characters, themes, background and mandate. Incidents in the mythical tapakan barong consists of four incidents. Flow used in the text of this myth is the flow of advanced (progressive) with eight episodes. The Figure consists of the main characters and secondary characters. The theme text of this myth building is a miracle. Background story appears that is, setting the place and time. The mandate contained in the text of the myth is that God always help people under any circumstances. Myth text function of tapakan barong is a function of the manifestation of God, Tri Hita Karana function, and social function.


In the "E" era, shipping industry, maritime cluster and related fields, Romanian seafarers' profiles and trajectory of their careers have certain features due to cultural, social and economic conditions of life in Romania. This paper presents an analysis regarding designing in Romania a career map for seafarers within the maritime cluster, after the Danish model presented by experts from Southampton Solent University. The analysis shows that Romanian national particularities require an adaptation of the Danish model to the local environment.


The spin-1 XY chain in a transverse field is studied using finite-size scaling. The ground-state phase diagram displays a paramagnetic, an ordered ferromagnetic and an ordered oscillatory phase. The paramagnetic - ferromagnetic transition line belongs to the universality class of the 2D Ising model. Along this line, universality is confirmed for the finite-size scaling functions of several correlation lengths and for the conformal operator content.


Abstract : A theoretical analysis is given for the distribution of electrode potential and current across the surface of coplanar circular galvanic cells in which the polarization parameters of the central anode and disk cathode are unequal. Central features of the model are that the electrostatic potential within the system is given by Laplace's equation and that the polarization curves of both components can be approximated by linear segments over an extended potential range. The potential distribution in a system of unequal anodic and cathodic polarization parameters is not related in a simple manner to the distribution curves for equal parameters. For bulk electrolyte the value of the electrode potential across the surface depends on whether the system is under anodic, cathodic, or mixed control. The current distribution is the more uniform for combinations of more polarizable electrodes. In thin-layer electrolytes there is a geometry effect in which electrode polarization and current flow are concentrated near the anode/cathode juncture. (Author)


We investigate quadrature rules with Laplace end corrections that depend on a parameter β. Specific values of β yield sixth order rules. We apply our results to approximating the sum of slowly converging series s = Σi=1∞f(i + 1/2) where f ∈ C6 with its sixth derivative of constant sign on [m, ∞) and ∫m∞f(x)dx is known for m ∈ ℕ. Several examples show the efficiency of this method. This paper continues the results from [Solak W., Szydełko Z., Quadrature rules with Gregory-Laplace end corrections, J. Comput. Appl. Math., 1991, 36(2), 251–253].


A conducting 8-μm-thick LaNiO3 (LNO) film was deposited on a Ti substrate by aerosol deposition for use as a diffusion barrier between a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and a Ti substrate during postannealing. The deposited 20-μm-thick PZT films were annealed at 800°C. The PZT film deposited without LNO was cracked and partially detached from the substrate after postannealing, presumably due to a severe reaction with the Ti substrate, while no significant reactions were observed when the LNO buffer layer was used. The remnant polarization and relative dielectric constant of the 20-μm-thick annealed PZT films deposited on the LNO-buffered Ti substrate were 43 μC/cm2 and 1010, respectively.


This paper describes the torque ripple characteristics of a magnetic-geared motor with permanent magnets only on the high-speed rotor. The torque characteristics, especially the order of the torque ripple, are theoretically described and verified by coupling an electromagnetic field analysis using finite element method with a control analysis under vector control.


Although there is no unique crop water production function (yield vs. applied water), curves of general functional relationships have utility and are commonly presented in the litterature. Some crop production functions used in research and practice are assumed to be linear. Other functions are assumed to be quadratic, or less frequently some other non-linear form. Though these functions may be adequate for the purpose for chich they are used, they do not always produce a realistic shape. As the need to know and display the correct shape of the function becomes greater, an improved mathematical expression of the function is required (...)


Protein isolates prepared from cod (Gadus morhua) myofibrillar proteins using acid or alkali solubilization are susceptible to oxidative rancidity. Oxidation could be delayed by the exogenous addition of antioxidants. The objective of this research was to compare the efficacy of antioxidants such as δ-tocopherol, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and propyl gallate, to inhibit oxidation in acid- and alkali- solubilized cod protein isolates. Oxidation was catalyzed using cod hemolysate. Oxidation of lipids was monitored by the measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and painty odor. Results showed that protein isolates prepared using the acid process was significantly (P   BHA > δ-tocopherol.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Research has shown that seafood available for human consumption is rapidly getting depleted and that many fish species may become extinct in the next half-century or so. Acid and alkali solubilization methods are recent but well-known techniques used for preparing protein isolates from under-utilized aquatic species and the by-products of seafood industry. Although numerous researchers have studied the use of acid and alkali processes on several sources of seafood, almost no research has been done on the use of antioxidants to protect protein isolates from lipid oxidation. In our research, we have studied the effect of various antioxidants on the oxidative stability of acid- and alkali-solubilized fish myofibrillar proteins. The results from this work will enable the seafood industry to properly identify the process and the type of antioxidants required for making muscle food products with increased oxidative stability.


University attrition rate is increasing around the world and there is a consequence for the student who is dropping out, the university, and society as a whole including costs, psychological issues associated with the perceived feeling of failure, and issues around employability and job satisfaction (Sosu & Pheunpha, 2019). The university attrition rate is increasing in Mongolia too. About 80% of the students who study at the Teachers' School, Mongolian National University of Education (MNUE) are from the country of Mongolia and most of them come to the capital city to do their tertiary education. Due to the differences between rural and urban lifestyles, and expectations of tertiary education, the dropout rate is increasing especially at the beginning of the first semester. There is an urgent need to better understand the need to drop out of the university and find ways to support these students to adjust to university life and life outside the university. This study aims to explore the issues associated with adjusting to university studies and its relationship with attrition. It used the SPSS-20 program to collect data from 80 first-year students. The findings revealed that the students needed support in many aspects of their studies, including support with time management, stress management, and well-being. The study suggests policymakers and university managers to develop a plan to better support students to seamlessly transition into the university and life outside the university during the first half of the first semester.


The invention discloses a scene simulation method. The method comprises: obtaining any one or more pieces of information used for describing a current scene; converting any one or more pieces of information into dot matrix signals; and controlling a vibrator array to perform vibration according to the dot matrix signals, so that a user can perceive the current scene. The invention furthermore discloses a scene simulation apparatus. The information such as images, sounds, videos, light rays, actions, environments, weather, emotions, feels, various processes and the like of an external preset or instant scene is processed into the dot matrix signals, each small vibrator in the vibrator array is controlled to perform vibration, and the user feels a vibration process and a touch process by skin, so that definite information of the current scene is transmitted to people, people can perceive a current environment in real time when the eyes are closed, and people is reminded to avoid danger.


The financial system for rural compulsory education is an important component part of the Chinese financial system,closely related to rural social and economic development and the changes of the rural financial systemEstablishing a set of perfect development evaluation index system,with the functions, such as evaluation,monitoring,forecasting and policy-making,for the financial system for the rural compulsory education is of much significance to the development of compulsory eduation,improvement of the integrate national quality and problem solving of agriculture, rural areas and farmersOn this tasis,the author,starting with the status quo of the rural compulsory education system,makes a qualitative and quantative analysis and description according to the stated evaluation principles such a system should adhere to,and at last puts forward a fundamental idea for establishment of a development evaluation index system for the financial system for the Chinese rural compulsory education


Abstract Objectives: To study the effectiveness of bimodal stimulation coupled to FM system on the speech discrimination in noise, temporal discrimination and temporal resolution in patients with unilateral cochlear implant. Method: A total number of 28 subjects were examined in this study, they were divided into group I (19 subjects) with pre-lingual hearing loss and group II (9 subjects) with post-lingual hearing loss. Both groups had a residual hearing in the non-implanted ear that permits benefit from amplification. Full history taking, Questionnaire, Aided warble tone response, Arabic monosyllabic word test in quiet and in presence of background noise, Pitch discrimination test, Pitch pattern sequence test and Auditory fusion test-subtest 3. Results: There is significant statistical difference in CI patients' performance in most of tests while using bimodal stimulation with FM system coupled to CI than with bimodal stimulation alone or CI alone condition. Conclusions: It is recommended to use hearing aid in non-implanted ear in order to improve speech discrimination in noise, temporal discrimination and temporal resolution abilities.


System (1-x)Co₀.₆Zn₀.₄Fe₂O₄/(x) BaTiO₃ (x = 0 , 0.25 , 0.75 , 1) were prepared by general ceramic method which consists of  ferrite phase and barium titanate phase. Then ,  the X-ray diffraction patterns were  taken for this sample. To determine the XRD- relative intensity, the following parameters should  be  estimated : multiplicity factor P, Lorentz-polarization factor L P ,  absorption factor A(ө)  and temperature   vibration factor TF. After that, the structure factor F hkl was calculated .


Abstract The agricultural practices of the ancestral Latin American peoples hardly lead to optimal productivity integrated with adequate management of resources. This work evaluates the compatibility between the ancestral practices of the Kankuamo community in the vulnerable ecosystem Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, and innovative practices by the [AGROSAVIA] Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation, in biofortified beans of high nutritional value in the face of malnutrition and scarcity of the community's own food. Methodologically, surveys were carried out that identify sustainability tracers and microbiological analysis of soils and the association among the variables evaluated. The results identify the incidence of education, health, self-care, gender and food supply in this vulnerability, verify the exclusion of agrochemicals in production, and show the need for a strategy of technological adoption with a differential approach.


Morals are just, fair and good rules of human relations and human behaviours. Good conscience also comprises certain principles for imparting justice and fairness among the people. God conscience and morality are, thus, close to each other. Universality in good conscience will certainly help in developing universal moral rules. But the problem is: what is immoral today may be moral tomorrow; likewise, what is moral at one place may be immoral at another place. Because of this, universality in morality is not achievable. However, in Islamic morality, universality is a possibility because most of the moral rules are derived from the Qur'an and Sunnah; and man-made moral rules or rules developed as customs have to be in conformity with them. As every society has its religious and cultural identity in terms of rules governing human relations and human behaviours, it is, thus, not possible to impose cultural rules of one society on the members of other societies. However, there are a number of intercultural impacts on the people.


This study investigated the influence of the intervention process on the effectiveness of a program aimed at promoting positive parenting. The study involved a homogeneous intervention sample (N = 120) of mothers and their 1-, 2-, or 3-year-old children screened for high levels of externalizing problems. The alliance between mother and intervener, mothers' active skills implementation, and father involvement were examined in relation to changes in maternal sensitivity and positive discipline strategies. Results revealed that only alliance predicted change in positive parenting. Implications for future process evaluations and intervention programs are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In this paper, a dynamic model is presented to simulate the dynamic behavior of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system. The PEM fuel cell system is used for powering a laptop computer. The power requirement of a laptop computer varies significantly under different operational conditions. The analysis and modeling of the PEM fuel cell system are verified by developing a detailed simulation software using the Matlab, Simulink and SimPowerSystems Blockset for portable applications. The PEM fuel cell model is able to operate at an ambient temperature (20degC) and pressure. The load voltage is adjusted using a PID controller system in order to maintain the load voltage at a desirable level under various operational conditions.


The invention relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a double-screen display device. The device comprises a first display panel, a second display panel, a luminous source and a polarization beam splitter, wherein the emergent luminous beam of the luminous source directly comes onto the polarization beam splitter; the polarization beam splitter is used for dividing the emergent luminous beam of the luminous source into a luminous beam P and a luminous beam S, and enables one of the the luminous beam P and the luminous beam S to come onto a first optical film group and the other luminous beam to come onto a second optical film group; the first optical film group enables the received luminous beam to come onto the first display panel; the second optical film group enables the received luminous beam to come onto the second display panel. By the adoption of the double-screen display device provided by the invention, the display of various pictures on double screens can be realized by a single display device; therefore, the production cost can be effectively lowered; the occupied space can be decreased; the energy conservation and the environment protection can be furthest realized.


Studying of high-temperature plasmas exposed to strong electromagnetic ?eld is Magneto Hydrodynamics. Also, it is used to obtain an electrical power. This paper proposes a simple model of MHD generator. Moreover, efficiency of different configuration of this generator is obtained by this model. Also, this paper compares different configurations of Faraday generator with the Hall generator based on their isotropic efficiency. Moreover, this model considers the effect of Hall Effect (Ion slip) on the efficiency. This analysis proof that Hall Effect decrease the efficiency in Faraday generator but increase the efficiency in the Hall generator.


In "The Art of Kitchen Design, " leading kitchen architect Johnny Grey sounds a rousing note of liberation for the kitchen and shows, fascinatingly, that a kitchen can be efficient and contemporary yet at the same time offer traditional comforts and style as an elegant living space.


Objective To compare the clearance of middle and large molecular substance in patients with highly flux dialysis (HFD) versus Peritoneal Dialysis(PD) .Methods 24 patients receiving end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were chosen. These cases received high flux dialysis (observed group) with three times-weekly session of more than 4 hours following up one year. All patients were dialyzed with Fresenius 4008S. And 23 patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis( control group) were chosen at the same time, and received 6-8 L per day. Blood β2-microglobulin and parathyroid hormone(PTH) were tested before and after one year's dialysis. Results Compared to pretreatment , the decrease of PTH and β2-mi croglobulin of two groups was significant (P 0.05). But the decreases of B2-mi croglobulin of control group were superior to that of observed group( P < 0.01). Conclusion Compared to peritoneal dialysis, highly flux dialysis, which has the nearly clearance of macro-middle molecule toxins, can become as the same important methods in maintenance dialysis.

Key words:
Hemodialysis; Highly flux dialysis; Peritoneal dialysis; Solute; β2-microglobulin; Parathyroid hormone


The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing dispersions of crosslinkable organopoiysiloxane including: at least one kind of reaction of alkoxyl containing silicon keyed jointing or hydroxy organopoiysiloxane (1) and silicon keyed jointing alkoxyl or hydroxy silicone hydride (2) having high reactivity or partial hydrolysis productions thereof and other groups for improving the reactivity Si alkoxyl or Si acid radical in the silicane (2). The initial viscosity of the mixture of (1) and (2) is doubled in the reaction after two hours in the room temperature (21 DEG) in the situation that the catalyzer not containing metal is not used and the organopoiysiloxane in the obtained dispersions is crosslinked, in the existence of disperser (3), preferable water, emulsifier (4) and other optional substances (5)not joining the reaction directly.


There have been many studies on image compression using deep learning methods. The most of these studies have focused mainly on increasing the image compression ratio. However, for effective implementation in a wide range of mobile devices, it is crucial to also develop lightweight network architectures that can cope with the limited computational resources and power constraints of these devices. We have proposed three image compression methods based on the MBConv (Mobile inverted Bottleneck Convolution) architecture, which is proposed for image recognition tasks in mobile devices. The main goal of this research is to improve the performance of image compression while at the same time reducing the computational complexity of the network. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we constructed a network based on previous research and conducted a series of experiments. Then, using Rate-Distortion curves, we compared the performance of the proposed method with that of a comparison method. The results showed that all three proposed methods improve the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), an objective evaluation metric, especially at medium and low bit rates. In addition, the proposed methods were shown to successfully reduce the number of parameters in the network by up to 22%.


In order to enhance the dynamic performance of the cutting device,the 3-D parameterized model of cutting device was established in CAD software and modal analysis was carried out after the model was imported to ANSYS software,the article obtained the low order normal frequency and vibration mode shape,analyzed the bad infection of each vibration mode shape to cutting quality,validated the model basing on the uniformity between model and experimental device,made out dynamic analysis of cutting device of a mini-type sugarcane harvester and improved on the concentrated stress part,drew a 2-D structural graphics which can be used to manufacture the machine.


The Future Internet (FI) era dictates the deployment of high complexity systems having a variety of properties such as adaptivity, self configuration and self optimization. This paper discusses on the design and deployment of an autonomic management framework, targeting real-time optimization of operational properties in a smart building cognitive environment. The architecture of an autonomous smart building system is described, focusing on diverse requirement satisfaction, including response time, energy efficiency and users' satisfaction. The main systems' components are introduced along with a indicative operation scenario that demonstrates multi - criticality issues explored. The scope of the paper is a) to point out challenges in building an autonomic smart building environment to support multi-critical applications and b) to indicate efficient solutions for dealing with them, promoting self-configuration and self-optimisation properties.


Software maps are a commonly used tool for code quality monitoring in software-development projects and decision making processes. While providing an important visualization technique for the hierarchical system structure of a single software revision, they lack capabilities with respect to the visualization of changes over multiple revisions. This paper presents a novel technique for visualizing the evolution of the software system structure based on software metric trends. These trend maps extend software maps by using real-time rendering techniques for natural phenomena yielding additional visual variables that can be effectively used for the communication of changes. Therefore, trend data is automatically computed by hierarchically aggregating software metrics. We demonstrate and discuss the presented technique using two real world data sets of complex software systems.


In this paper, we present a new design of a microwave microstrip power limiter validated by simulation into ADS (Advanced Design Software) software. The power limiter is built on a FR4 microstrip using a Zero Biais Schottky diodes from Avago technologies. The optimization and validation of this devices follows two steps. Firstly, a basic circuit formed of two parallel lines which exhibit an electrical line difference of half wave. The final circuit is formed by cascading two basic circuits. This circuit exhibits ideal power limiter characteristics. The power limiter threshold is registered at 0dBm. The power range is validated from −20dBm to 30dBm.


We have designed a new ultrasonic transmitter to track free-ranging premoIt blue crabs and signal the event of ecdysis. The transmitter (15 g in air, 5 g in water) operates for 6-8 weeks on a small lithium battery, producing 75-kHz tracking pulses at about I-sec intervals. It is attached to the crab's carapace, with a magnetic reed switch placed near the line where the carapace will separate from the abdomen as the molting crab backs out of its old shell. A magnet attached to the abdomen pulls away at ecdysis, signalling the event by allowing the switch to open and doubling the pulse rate of the transmitter. During field tests with II premolt male blue crabs in a small tributary of central Chesapeake Bay, the devices allowed us to assess movement patterns and selection of microhabitats for molting at scales of < I m. Even with this small sample size several trends were evident. Distance traveled per day (average 130 m, range 0-569 m) and movement patterns were highly variable in the days prior to molt. Crabs moved more during the day, and molted by day or night in roughly equal proportions. All crabs selected shallow «0.5 m) marsh-lined banks of a tidal creek for ecdysis. This study, the first in which arthropod molting has been telemetered in the field, provides a technique applicable to intraand interspecific comparisons with other large


339 Background: Uptake in lung cancer screening (LCS) in high-risk patients including minority populations has been low despite efforts to increase awareness in the community. During the COVID pandemic, most LCS programs were temporarily stopped and, in the months to follow experienced a significant reduction in referrals. Platforms including social media and direct mail marketing can provide a valuable tool to enhance patient engagement related to LCS and engagement of Hispanic populations who are active consumers of digital media. The objective of this study was to assess the short-term effectiveness of a targeted LCS digital and direct marketing campaign to increase visits to the institutional online educational content and referrals to a LCS program. Methods: A LCS marketing campaign including social media utilizing Facebook and Instagram platforms with programmatic banners, boosted organic social media posts, plus direct mail-in marketing in Spanish and English was started in the post-COVID period. A CRM (customer-relationship management) software was used to target adults ages 50-80, current or former smokers, who speak English and/or Spanish in the Miami tri-county area over a three-month period by a direct-mail campaign. Other campaign targeting qualifications included family history of lung cancer, and additional lung cancer risk factors including asbestos, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or emphysema. The CRM Direct mail campaign was sent 87,000 leads by postcard and 65,810 leads by email. Primary outcomes measures were visits to the University of Miami institutional LCS Web page, LDCT ambulatory referrals, and scheduled initial LDCT exams. Study period was baseline pre-COVID period (6/1/2019-12/31/2019), COVID-period (3/1/2020-9/31/2020) and digital awareness campaign in the post-COVID period (12/1/2020-5/31/2020). Results: Unique pageviews to the institutional LCS web pages were significantly higher during the digital awareness campaign compared to the pre-COVID period (8,805 vs 230 pageviews) with a high bounce rate during the campaign period of 79% and average time in site of 2:21 minutes. Mean scheduled initial LDCT volumes per month during the pre-COVID period were 12.4 (SD 4.6), versus 4.1 (SD 2.5) during the COVID period. There was a 3-fold increase in initial LDCT scans during the initial campaign period from 4.1 in the COVID period to 11.6 (p <.001). The mean number of LDCT ambulatory referrals doubled from 17.5 in the COVID period to 34.2 in the campaign period (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Implementation of a targeted LCS digital awareness campaign and direct mail marketing was associated with increased visits to institutional education Web pages, ambulatory referrals, and initial LDCT exams. Digital platforms are an important tool to enhance awareness of lung cancer screening in high-risk populations and Hispanics.


Radionuclide migration experiments in quarried blocks of granite under in-situ conditions at the 240-m level in AECL's Underground Research Laboratory (URL) were performed under a five-year cooperative research program between Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI, reorganized to Japan Atomic Energy Agency, JAEA) and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL). Migration experiments with Br, H, Sr, Np, Pu, Tc and synthetic colloids, and post-experimental alpha and gamma scanning of the fracture surfaces were performed using 1m granite blocks, containing a single fracture, excavated from a water-bearing fracture zone. The transport of the radionuclides was affected by macroscopic mechanical dispersion, matrix diffusion and element-specific sorption on fracture surfaces. Colloid transport exhibited a complicated process that may include sedimentation and diffusion into stagnant zones.


The evaluation of housing system in order to make the effective decision for application in housing construction has been a challenge for many developing countries. This study examines the novel approach to evaluate and select the industrialized housing system (IHS) that is appropriate for adoption in the rapid housing development project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The method applied in this study comprises critical literature review, experts' interview and questionnaire survey within the Ethiopian construction industry. Data obtained was analyzed using an analytical hierarchy process research technique and an Expert Choice Comparison software platform. The findings revealed that affordability, quality, and innovation are the most important attributes to be considered for decision-making. In addition, semi-industrialized precast concrete systems are preferable for application cost-effective large-scale housing development. All stakeholders involved in housing development can apply the decision-factors and method used in this study in order to make effective decisions.


In this article the results of seismic activity and geodynamics research data of Samara region has been presented. The most probable epicenters of future large earthquakes are defined. It is established that in the period of investigation researches in «Samara» seismic station magnitude local tremors was 1-3 grade and the number of earthquakes increased by 20% from year to year. The conclusion that is drawn the local magmatic cell is the reason of geodynamics of the region.


The densification behavior of Al2O3-MgO (0.1 wt%) has been studied in O2 and N2 atmospheres. Powder compacts have been sintered at 1600°C for 0.5 to 8 h. For some specimens the sintering atmosphere has been changed after 30 min of sintering. Irrespective of sintering atmosphere, sintered densities are approximately the same up to 99% relative density, implying that the capillary pressure effect dominates the atmosphere effect for most of the densification stage. During extended sintering treatment the density of specimens sintered in O2 becomes higher than that in N2. When the sintering atmosphere is changed from O2 to N2, enhanced densification results, and vice versa. Such an effect of sintering atmosphere is explained by the diffusiveness of gases entrapped in pores, as well as by oxygen potential differences inside and outside of the specimen. Differences in grain growth rate in various atmospheres are discussed on the basis of different densification rates.


Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to examine spontaneously deposited ruthenium adlayers on the well-defined Pt(111) electrode. Stable and STM discernible structures were obtained after a...


Objectives : The paper is intended to discuss the relationship between education policy and economic development in India, to analyse the present scenario and to provide some suggestions for their reciprocal development. Method/Statistical Analysis : Data from credible official sources have been used and analysed through suitable tables and graphs using descriptive statistical tools like percentage, ratio-proportion and mean to examine whether our education system fulfils the present requirement and addresses the demand of day or whether some modification is required in it. A correlation between the education and economic development has been established to show that there is a reciprocal relationship between them. Findings : The Education policy needs to be revived in accordance with the present requirement. The education must be diversified and be linked with the economic development of the country. Apart from fulfilling its basic requirement, the education must be able to develop the human capital as potential source of GDP for the country. Linking education with employment, micro management of real time problems, sustainable increment in public spending on education, learning from other countries are some of the ways which may bring out the desired change in the education system and simultaneously push the country towards economic development. Applications/Improvements : Modified education policy, as discussed here, may result in exponential economic growth, which, in turn, may provide more financial resources for education and may lead India to become a developed country.


The study aims to assess the long‐term phosphorus (P) removal in a land treatment system (LTS) in the UK. Different sections of the site have been irrigated with wastewater effluent for different periods of time for up to 85 years. The amounts of P discharged and accumulated were calculated from historical data, estimations of water consumption, composition and soil measurement. The total P input during the study period was estimated to be 90 010 kg, the average P removal was 4% and there was no significant difference in the total P accumulated between plots irrigated for different periods, indicating that the sorption capacity of the soil might be saturated. Despite the low P retention rates in the LTS, there is no evidence that emissions from this system are affecting P concentrations in either the nearby river or the local chalk aquifer. Gaps remain, however, in performance optimisation and longevity forecasting.


Stereograph showing ruins following the earthquake and fire in San Francisco, 1906, with men and women walking along the center of California Street.


ABSTRACT In this article, I examine how the intersection of legal status and racialization shapes immigrant's sense of security; or of legal and interpersonal safety. I draw on an ethnography of Syrian refugees who hold a permanent legal status, and who entered the United States in 2015, as Donald Trump was launching his campaign, amplifying anti-Muslim and anti-refugee sentiment. Following refugee experiences from their arrival, through the issuance of the first executive order banning travel in January 2017, I show how this group, racialized as Muslim and Arab, was categorized as a threat to national security. I also capture the uneven way they came to recognize their racialization. While a permanent legal status is likely a necessary condition for feeling a sense of security in the United States, I argue that it is an insufficient one. I show that Syrian refugees' racialization attenuated their sense of security despite their legal status.


The objective of this research was to analyze the characteristics of the bells and dynamic particularities of the bell tower of the cathedral of San José de Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, Colombia. The research had a mixed methodological approach, using a simplified numerical model of the structure. The spectrum of structural response is determined, analyzing according to the bells, magnitudes of the function of variable forces, with the time that they introduce on the structure with their own weight, speed of rotation and inertia; the most unfavorable dynamic amplification factor and response for quasi-static analysis for forces is determined. It is concluded that the bell of greater weight introduces greater efforts in the tower, being the location of the bell a direct incident factor.


.The purpose of the present work is to investigate the effect of heat treatment on duplex powder preforms with liquid phase sintering.: For such a study, 4607 alloy steel powder with the separate addition of some cliff—. erent brazing alloy powders were prepared as well as NC 100.24 iron powder. Some cylindrical duplex preform samples were produced by suitable compaction and sintering for different times. NC 100.24 iron powder was invaribly located in the core,whilst the sheath material was one of the alloy steel prepared with and without the additives. The specimens were then properly heat treated to record its effect on hardness values. Crushing tests and micro— hardness tests were performed across the material transition zone. The results were discussed in terms of micro—structures examination.


The purposes of this research were 1) to examine entrepreneurial leadership of administrators, teachers and students at Sakon Nakhon Patanasilpa Vocational College, 2) to develop entrepreneurial leadership of administrators, teachers and students at Sakon Nakhon Patanasilpa Vocational College, and 3) to monitor the effects from the implementation of entrepreneurial leadership development at individual, group, and organizational level. The study employed two rounds of participatory action research. The research participants comprised of 30 students, teachers and administrators of the college. The research instruments included interviews, observation and student characteristics assessment. The findings revealed the followings: 1.The constraints to development of entrepreneurial leadership at Sakon Nakhon Patanasilpa Vocational College were : 1.1) Teachers and administrators were unaware of importance of entrepreneurial leadership and therefore tended to teach the students to develop skills only to serve the labor market; and 1.2) Students tended to quit the study. They believed that the outcome of their study is merely to become an employee. This consequently affected their choice of employment emphasizing physical labor rather than their learning skills. 151 ว ม ารสารศึกษาศาสตร์ หาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น ป ีท ี่ 3 7 ฉ บ ับ ท ี่ 2 เ ม ษ าย น ม ิถ ุน าย น 2 5 5 7 ป ีท ี่ 3 8 ฉ บ ับ ท ี่ 4 ต ุล าค ม ธ ีน ว าค ม 2 5 5 8 2. The approaches of the college to develop entrepreneurial leadership were : 2.1) Organizing workshops among teachers and administrators to enhance their awareness and develop teaching approaches integrating entrepreneurial leadership concept; 2.2) Developing curriculum integrating entrepreneurial leadership concept; and 2.3) Teaching by incorporating the concept of entrepreneurial leadership by Project Based Learning. 3. The results of the implementation showed learning at the individual, group and organization levels. 3.1 For the development at individual level, it was found that there was learning from practices. The teachers and administrators had become aware of the importance and approach to develop entrepreneurial leadership characteristics and were able to develop curriculum integrating the concept. The college's administrators opened up to changes in teaching approaches, supportive roles, and evaluation process. The students in the two programs presented different levels of the ten characteristics of entrepreneurial leadership. The students in the Design Program were found to have better development in their own creative thinking in innovation establishment. This then resulted in development of self-confidence, risk taking, social skill, responsibility, initiative and patience, and developed the positive attitude towards self-employment. The students in the Automotive Technology Program were found to have the development in opportunity searching and self-confidence which resulted in risk-taking and developing the positive attitude toward self-employment. In addition, throughout the development process, the students illustrated changes through decreasing leaves and dropouts. They tended also to apply jobs in the industry of their studies and chose to work in positions that can apply their knowledge and skills, rather than physical labor. 3.2 According to the group level, the teachers learned how to develop participatory action research, problems analysis, and approaches to address problems for each student which could all be applied to their regular works. It was also found that there was increasing of group work. The brainstorming meetings employing Kj Method resulted in satisfactory among teachers as they were able to present their opinions and to apply the project-based learning in teaching 3.3 At the organizational level, after the process of developing entrepreneurial leadership knowledge could be developed to be the identity of the college.


Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of ultrasound in detecting subscapularis tendon pathology with operative correlation. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted on 86 patients who had shoulder ultrasound prior to surgical repair from January 2006 to August 2008. All sonographic examinations and surgical reports were reviewed. Sonographic evaluation of subscapularis tendon, including normal, tendinosis, partial thickness tear, full thickness tear, and complete tear were correlated to operative reports. Results: Of the 86 patients, 19 patients had surgically proven abnormal subscapularis tendons. There was 100% ultrasound concordance in tendinosis (n = 1), 100 % ultrasound concordance in partial thickness tears (n =3), 88 % ultrasound concordance in full thickness tears (n = 8), 57 % ultrasound concordance in complete tears (n = 7). Overall, there was 79% ultrasound concordance


The results of an experimental investigation into the use of a buffered impact damper for controlling the dynamic response of an MDOF (multi‐degree‐of‐freedom) structure are presented in this paper. Free and forced vibration tests of a three‐DOF test structure equipped with a buffered impact damper are performed to evaluate the resulting damping effect and impact characteristics. The effect of damper parameters, such as clearance, and excitation type on the performance of the impact damper is also investigated. The performance of the buffered impact damper is compared with that of an equivalent conventional rigid impact damper. It is found that the buffered impact damper not only significantly reduces the peak contact force and the associated accelerations and noise generated by collisions but can also substantially enhance the damping effect over a wide range of frequencies, encompassing the natural frequencies of the test structure. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Many learning algorithms use hypothesis spaces which are trained from samples, but little theoretical work has been devoted to the study of these algorithms. In this paper, we show that mathematical analysis for the kernel-based coefficient least squares for regression with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$l^{q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-regularizer, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1\leq q\leq 2$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, which is essentially different from that for algorithms with hypothesis spaces independent of the sample or depending only on the sample size. The error analysis was carried out under the assumption that the samples are drawn from a non-identical sequence of probability measures and satisfy the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\beta $ </tex-math></inline-formula>-mixing condition. We use the drift error analysis and the independent-blocks technique to deal with the non-identical and dependent setting, respectively. When the sequence of marginal distributions converges exponentially fast in the dual of a Hölder space and the sampling process satisfies polynomially <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\beta $ </tex-math></inline-formula>-mixing, we obtain the capacity dependent error bounds of the algorithm. As a byproduct, we derive a significantly faster learning rate that can be arbitrarily close to the best rate <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(m^{-1})$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for the independent and identical samples.


The present invention discloses an electric automotive vehicle intelligent terminal device, the processor apparatus by the main control module, USB expansion module, serial converter module, GPS module, CDMA / GPRS / WCDMA / 3G wireless network communication module, an Ethernet communication module, standard Interface module keyboard, USB interface keyboard module, a liquid crystal display module, the serial debug module, the video module and the audio module. Apparatus of the present invention may be implemented vehicle electric vehicle battery status information, the position information of the monitoring of the electric vehicle, to provide basic tools for information interaction between an electric vehicle and an electric vehicle operation monitoring grid.


It is to be given to a method of electrical impedance tomography to allow the presence of a defect electrode (A) an evaluation and reconstruction. The method is characterized by the steps of identifying by means of an impedance measurement electrode as a defect electrode (A), which has no physical contact, perform electricity feed such that at least the defect electrode (A) is skipped, and Voltage potentials in the area of the defect electrode (A) on the defect electrode (A) of time to determine in such a manner that the defect electrode (A) at least once skipped.


In this paper we describe a multilevel model for natural language processing. The distinct computational strata are motivated by invariant linguistic properties which are progressively uncovered from utterances. We examine each level in detail. The processes are morphological analysis, dependency parsing, logico-semantic analysis and query adaptation. Both linguistic and computational aspects are discussed. In addition to theory, we consider certain engineering viewpoints important and discuss them briefly.


The United States (US) must strategically invest in diversifying its biomedical workforce to retain global leadership in biomedical research and to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the US. The under-representation of minority groups in the biomedical sciences is influenced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding process which relies heavily on peer review subject to bias. Despite recent initiatives to combat structural racism within the NIH, the NIH has done little to rectify racial disparities in funding allocation that have been known for over a decade. In this report, I evaluate current NIH proposals to reduce bias in peer review and present stronger policy options for reducing inequity in grant funding. I recommend that the NIH treat the race/ethnicity funding disparity as it did the early career investigator disparity and immediately relax paylines and simultaneously prioritize research topics that align with interests of under-represented investigators, while working to develop a modified lottery for grant funding as a long-term solution to the biases that can influence grant peer review. Policies to address disparities in grant funding will diversify the biomedical workforce and have a profound and long-term positive impact on providing equitable access to science careers, regardless of race.


We are grateful to all the authors for their thoughtful commentaries. The responses highlight, expand, and challenge many important aspects of our proposal for an integrative biopsychosocial approach to addiction neuroethics. We appreciate the opportunity to briefly respond. Fry (2010) examines our proposal for addiction neuroethics from the point of view of integration specifically and, whether or not a biopsychosocial systems model can deliver the intended outcomes of, for example, addressing the complexity of addiction. We agree with Fry in that, indeed, multi-disciplinary and even interdisciplinary approaches to addiction research and treatment have been the "raison d'être," at least formally, since Engel proposed the biopsychosocial model in the late 1970s. Given the rapid advances in addiction neuroscience, and the push towards a neuro-centric perspective in addiction—with both its potential benefits and pitfalls—we believe that drawing upon the history of integration in addiction would provide a deeper and enriching perspective on the complexities of addiction neuroscience. We welcome Fry's call for further study of the questions that our article raises, and encourage other individuals engaging with these issues to build upon the emerging dialogue. In particular, defining the optimal conditions for a successful integrated approach and establishing key outcomes measures are critical starting points for thinking more deeply about integration in addiction neuroscience and the ethical issues that it raises. Satel and Lilienfeld (2010) challenge the idea and validity of addiction as a "brain disease" and emphasize that a neuro-reductive concept of addiction does not adequately characterize a condition that encompasses (neuro) biological, psychological and social qualities. Indeed, a simplistic account of addiction or brain activity may portray an individual as helpless in the face of their addiction. To argue their point, Satel and Lilienfeld appeal to behavioristoriented contingency management systems. Missing from


Purpose: Belize is a middle-income Caribbean country with a fragmented healthcare system. In 2018, the first and only public medical oncology clinic was opened through a capacity building partnership with the Ministry of Health. Little is known about the country's referral infrastructure for cancer. Here we report on the stage at presentation to the clinic, and the time from symptom development to various care milestones (biopsy, oncology clinic visit, chemo, upfront surgery), referred to as time-to-care, to establish a base timeline.
 Methods: We performed a retrospective review of available data at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) oncology clinic from 2018 - 2022, gathering cancer type, stage, and the dates of care milestones (biopsy, initial clinic visit, chemo, upfront surgery). Date of symptom development was consistently documented by the treating physician (RY).
 Results: The most common presenting malignancies (n=465) were breast (28%), cervical (12%), hematologic (8%), and colorectal (7%). For staged patients (n=352), the most common presentations were stage III (28%) and IV (40%). For time-to-care, patients with available data (n=208) were seen for an initial oncology clinic visit a median of 180 days (IQR 87-382) after self-reported symptom development. For time-to-chemo at any site (ex. Belize, Mexico, Guatemala), the median was 189 days (IQR 108-404). For upfront surgery at any site the median was 188 days (IQR 60-352). In contrast to these long lead times, once established at the KHMH clinic, the time from the initial oncology clinic visit to a biopsy (if not done previously) was 22 days (IQR 11-47, n=42), 18 days (IQR 5-60, n=115) to begin chemo, and 40 days (IQR 24-72, n=22) to surgery.
 Conclusion: Patients were seen at the KHMH oncology clinic with predominantly late stage disease around six months after symptoms started. This is a higher fraction of stage III/IV disease than previously reported in Central America. Understanding drivers of these delays will allow for the creation of targeted public health interventions. As a marker that building infrastructure in Belize is possible, the partnership between the Belizean government and hospital administration has netted time-to-care intervals comparable to high-income nations.
 Citation Format: Wayne Wong, James Dickerson, Martha Habet, Margaret Bernard, Lorna Kelly, John Lattin, Philip Garrity, Franklin Huang, Ramon Yacab. Time From Symptom Development to Care Milestones at the Only Public Oncology Clinic in Belize [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 87.


In the present-day education system, evaluating students' performance is very important. The prediction of student performance is helpful to students and instructors in maintaining a student's progress. Presently, institutions are implementing Continuous Evaluation Systems. This system is beneficial for improving the students' performance and helps increase their regularity in their studies. This work proposed a new version of the particle swarm optimization algorithm to classify students into different categories based on their performance with the help of various factors. The proposed model modified the strategy to increase the optimization algorithm's efficiency. This model deals with the bag of features with the modified optimization algorithm to recognize students' performance based on 33 features. These features are used for training, validation, and testing of the student's performance and generate a classification report which includes F-measure, recall, precision, and accuracy. Based on the classification report, the proposed model is compared with the existing methods, and the better performance of the proposed model is ascertained.