We provide empirical evidence that the removal of work disincentives embedded in retirement earnings tests can increase old-age labor supply considerably, but it does so at the cost of more income inequality. To identify causal effects, we exploit a reform of the Norwegian early retirement program, which entailed that adjacent birth cohorts faced completely different work incentives from the age of 62. The reform removed a strict retirement earnings test such that pension wealth was redistributed from early to late retirees. Given pre-existing employment and earnings patterns, this implied a considerable rise in old-age income inequality. In theory, this direct increase in inequality could be either amplified or offset by changes in labor supply. We estimate that the reform triggered a 42% increase in average hours worked during the period covered by early retirement options; however, as labor supply responses were of similar magnitudes across the earnings distribution, they did little to modify the rise in inequality. As measured by the Gini coefficient, inequality in overall oldage income rose by approximately 0.03 (21%).


You may forget where you left your keys when you need them. In ubiquitous computing space your keys will find you and inform you where they are. Ubiquitous computing, the third generation of computing spaces, following mainframes and personal computers, is in its incipient evolution steps. In ubiquitous computing space, sensors and computing nodes are invisibly, inconspicuously, and overwhelmingly embedded in all real-world objects and are all connected to each other through omnipresent wireless networks. The goal is to make real-world objects seem intelligent and autonomous in providing users with electronic and Internet services with users not even noticing how they are provided with these services. The real world, cyberspace, modeling, and mathematics are identified as the main constituents of ubiquitous computing in this study. These four areas are investigated one-by-one and in combination to show how they create a solid foundation for ubiquitous computing. An application of ubiquitous computing in car navigation systems is used to indicate the reliability of the proposed framework.


Recently, energy behaviour is being considered as an important key performance indicator when studying mobile networks. Reducing their operational cost is becoming more essential due to the huge increase of traffic accompanied by the increase in the electric bills. In this paper, we are going a step forward to study the possibility of a new type of energy behaviour of renewable energy-powered base stations in the Smart Grid environment. We use renewable energy and energy storage and we employ the concept of delay tolerant users to provide ancillary services to the Smart Grid. Based on real data from the French power grid, results show that the achieved profit from providing ancillary services exceeds the electric bill and leads to a negative energy operational cost.


Background: Primary intra cerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has high rate of disability and death. Many factors was supposed to be predictors of the outcome. The significance of measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) levels to predict the outcome is uncertain, and data have been controversial. The objective of our clinical study was to determine the relationship of hs-CRP levels with bad outcome. The authors tested if (independent of confounding factors) hs-CRP levels was elevated on admission (< 24 hours after ictus). Fifty patients with acute spontaneous hemorrhagic stroke, within 24 hours of onset confirmed by CT brain were admitted at neurology department, Mansoura University Hospital from June 2017 to September 2018. Age and sex cross-matched 50 healthy persons were studied as control group. Patient and control groups were subjected to full history, general and neurological examination, GCS on admission, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission, ICH score and Canadian scale on admission and after 30 days, Venous Blood samples were taken within 24 hours of onset and tested for routine laboratory investigations Original Research Article Eltoukhy et al.; INDJ, 15(1): 54-61, 2021; Article no.INDJ.65176 55 (liver function, serum creatinine, CBC and blood glucose) and High Sensitive C-Reactive Protein level using Enzyme Immunoassay Test Kit. Computed tomography (CT) brain was repeated 72 hours later. Multivariable regression analyses were used to evaluate associations of hs-CRP concentration and ICH outcome. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used for survival. Results: This study revealed that Hs-CRP is significantly higher in patient group (9.3 mg/l) when compared to control group (0.68 mg/dl) with p value < 0,001. There was statistically significant correlation between NIHSS and hs-CRP levels but there was no statistically significant correlation between hs-CRP levels and stroke outcome. Conclusion: Taking these covariates into multivariable analysis revealed that there is correlation between hs-CRP and hemorrhagic stroke but it cannot be used as a predictor of its outcome.


High-strain-rate superplastic behavior of powder-metallurgy processed 0%, 10%, 20%,and 30% SiC particulate reinforced 6061 Al composites was studied over a range of temperatures from 430 to 610 °C. The strength of the 6061 Al composites was lowerthan that of the 6061 Al matrix alloy in the temperature range where grain boundarysliding is believed to control the plastic flow. The difference in their strength was alsoobserved to be temperature dependent, increasing with increase in temperature.Abnormally high activation energy for superplastic flow was another important featureof the 6061 Al composites. These behaviors in particle weakening and activationenergy have strong resemblance to those noted in the high-strain-rate superplastic 2124Al composites studied previously. The observed particle weakening was attributed toliquid-enhanced superplastic flow and discussed by adopting the concept of effectivediffusivity considering mass flow through liquid phase formed at the solute-segregatedregion near SiC/Al interfaces.


The Louisiana waterthrush has two main song forms, termed the primary and extended songs. Each has distinctive behavioural correlates. A flexible interactive playback procedure was used that is especially suited for investigating how the different songs uttered by birds responding to a simulated territorial intruder inform about the singer's behaviour. Subjects that approached in response to playback of either song form sang mostly extended songs. All uttered their longest extended songs in correlation with approach flights. In contrast, before playback, subjects that were not near other waterthrushes sang predominantly primary songs. Naturalistic observations of the subjects and other individuals support the distinction between the behavioural correlates of the two song forms. These observations also suggest that, when singing primary songs and incomplete variants of primary songs, individuals less actively approach or seek out other birds. To facilitate comparisons between species, such singers can be described as taking less initiative to interact. The results of this study, the first using these interactive playback procedures on an oscine species, are comparable to those previously obtained with three species of suboscine tyrannid flycatchers. This similarity suggests that providing information about the extent to which a singer will take the initiative to interact, by approaching or seeking out other birds, may be a widespread property of songs.


In applications with a high step-down voltage as in aircraft applications, finding a topology able to achieve high power density and high efficiency while begin EMI-friendly is crucial. Gallium Nitride devices enable high frequency switching, allowing the shrinkage of the magnetic components. The drawback however is the lower efficiency due to switching losses and electromagnetic interference constraints. The focus of this research work is the evaluation of a Three-Phase LLC converter, which, due to its inherent step-down nature (wye-delta transformer), integration capability, low input and output current ripple and high efficiency (ZVS on the entire load conditions), may be a promising solution for a high power density and modular DC/DC converter. Specifications in avionics are very challenging and include a wide input voltage range (235–300 V), a large step-down to the fully controlled 28 V in a half-brick form factor (47 cm3) for a nominal output power of 1 kW leading to a power density of 20 kW/L.


By taking the relevant basic theories of the makerspaces as the research foundation and the countermeasures for the construction of the makerspaces in the colleges and universities of Guangdong Province as the research object, this paper analyzes the main difficulties that restrict the development of makerspaces in the colleges and universities of Guangdong Province based on a practical investigation. Combined with the educational concept of productioneducation collaboration, this paper puts forward the innovative and operable countermeasures from such aspects as the mechanism of organization and management, the mechanism of tutors' guidance, the mechanism of financing and investment of capitals, the supporting mechanism of facilities and the resource-sharing mechanism, so as to promote the in-depth development of the makerspaces in the colleges and universities of Guangdong Province.


Background and purpose:Few reports demonstrate the relation between the expression of RIZ1 which has been found to be a tumor suppressor gene recently and leukemia. This study investigated the effect of RIZ1 expression on the apoptosis of human myeloid leukemic cell lines. Methods:The expression of RIZ1 mRNA was observed in human myeloid leukemic cell lines AML193, KG-1, KG-1a, K562 and Ery-1 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. RIZ1 was forced to express in the expression-lacking cell lines by transfecting pRIZ1 RH containing full length of RIZ1 cDNA to the cell lines. As controls, the cell lines were transfected with pcDNA3.1. The apoptotic cells were determined by using the annexin V/propidium iodide stain 24 h after transfection.Results:Among the 5 cell lines, no expression of RIZ1 mRNA had been detected in AML193 and low expression in K562. The forced expression could be found in both cell lines 24 h after transfection of pRIZ1 RH, accompanied by obviously increased apoptotic rates which were (22.7± 0.7)% in AML193 and (28.6±1.2)% in K562 compared to controls (11.7%±1.6% and 9.0%±0.8%, respectively) (P0.01).Conclusions:The expression of RIZ1 can induce apoptosis in human myeloid leukemic cell lines AML193 and K562, suggesting that RIZ1 may be an important molecular target for the gene therapeutics in the patients of myeloid leukemia lacking of RIZ1 expression.


Because the western poor area's countryside library factors and so on funds serious insufficiency,cause the book collection to be few,literature information resource extreme deficient,restricted the library to provide the knowledge aid for the countryside area.Must solve the books deficient difficult problem,author thought that must have the stable funds investment;Implements borrowing books,working on a book,to contribute book coexisting the pattern;Uses the municipal above public hall.


Objective: The aim of this study is to know if adults with lead poisoning (blood lead level ≥10µg/dL) due to their exposure to lead at their work place will have higher concentration of blood lead level compare to those with lead poisoning who are not exposed to lead due to their job. Methods: Data for this study was collected from the Florida Blood lead Epidemiology Surveillance (ABLES) Program from 2008 to 2010. A total of 2246 adults' were analyzed between the ages 15 and 92. The analyses were performed for both qualitative characteristics and quantitative characteristics for this population. Results: The demographic characteristics of the population shows that adult 47years of age have the highest number of cases with blood leads level of 10ug/dL or greater compare to other ages. Also, Male, white and Not Hispanic or Latino has the highest number of population with blood lead level of 10 µg/dL or greater. Considering the distribution of lead poisoned among the population, most cases were exposed to lead in Hillsborough County. Also, most of the cases with lead poisoned reside in Hillsborough with 34.4% county of exposure and 35.8% county of residence. Most of the cases were job related accounting for 54.9% of the cases (21.75 bridge painters and 18.9% battery manufacturing company) representing their job duties and industry. Those with lead poisoning due to their exposure to lead at their work place will have an average concentration of blood lead level that is 2.5 µg/dL more than those who are not exposed to lead due to their job. Conclusion: This study shows that individual exposed to lead due to their job are more likely to have their blood lead level ≥10µg/dL increased compare to those not expose to lead due to their job.


Over the past decades, the performance of ferrite magnets has been significantly improved, which causes an increasing interest in using ferrite magnets for high power density motor applications. This paper compares two different ferrite magnet grades in a spoke-type permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) concerning machine performance, which includes output torque, irreversible demagnetization resistance, and efficiency using the finite element method (FEM). The results of this analysis show that the machine with advanced ferrite magnets provides larger output torque and higher demagnetization resistance at low temperature, which make the usage of the machine with ferrite magnets in the traction application, such as electric vehicle (EV), more attractive.


Introduction Noise figure (NF) and the third-order intercept point (IP3) are used in radio receiver link budget analysis as a means to quantify the effects of device noise and nonlinearity on the sensitivity of the radio. Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are used in radio receivers to convert the signal from the analog domain to the digital domain. NF and IP3 typically are not specified for the device, but equivalent parameters are given whereby they can be calculated. ADCs specify signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and two-tone, third-order intermodulation distortion (IMD3) under certain input signal and clocking conditions. With this information, NF and IP3 can be calculated. In general, a low NF and high IP3 are desired. The actual values required to meet the design goals depend on the architecture of the system.


Study Overview Objective. To determine whether providing full coverage for statins, beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) post–myocardial infarction (MI) decreased recurrent cardiovascular events. Design. Group randomized trial where patients were assigned to receive full prescription coverage (no copayment, coinsurance, no deductible applied) for the study medications or usual prescription coverage (copayment, coinsurance, deductible paid as already arranged at baseline). Randomization was at the level of the insurance sponsor (ie, employer, union, government). At the time of enrollment in the study post-MI, all subjects were contacted and reminded of the importance to take their prescribed medications. Those assigned to the full coverage arm were informed about the change in their benefits: they would receive the study medications without any costs to them. Setting and participants. 1494 plan sponsors and 2845 patients in the full coverage arm and 1486 plan sponsors and 2010 patients in the usual coverage arm. Patients were eligible if they received medical and prescription drug coverage through Aetna insurance company, were hospitalized with a diagnosis code consistent with an MI, and had a length of stay of 3 to 180 days. Exclusions were for patients who had a health savings account (already had full coverage for the study medications) and those who were over 65 years of age because they had primary coverage through Medicare. Subjects were tracked post-MI for at least 3 months (median of 394 days with interquartile range of 201 to 663). Main outcome measures. Primary—first readmission for a major vascular event (fatal or nonfatal acute MI, unstable angina, stroke, or congestive heart failure) or revascularization (coronary bypass, stenting, or angioplasty). Secondary—rates of medication adherence, total major vascular events or revascularization, first major vascular event, and health expenditures. Main results. Of all eligible individuals, 13.5% (913) did not enroll because their plan sponsors declined to


The objective of this research study was to "Determine the relationship between lifestyles with the nutritional status of adults treated at Hospital II-2 Tarapoto, February - June 2018.", non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive research, correlational, cross-sectional. The population and sample consisted of 139 adults, and the survey and interview were used as a technique, as well as the lifestyle scale and the nutritional assessment card for adults.
The results: of 100% of the study population, 50.4% oscillate between the ages of 36 to 59 years, 63.3% are female, 48.2% have secondary education, 67.6% independent occupation and 45.3% live together. Regarding the lifestyles of the adult (a), 79.9% present a healthy lifestyle. Regarding its dimensions, 92.1% have healthy lifestyles in self-realization, 87.1% in the diet and 84.2% in the management of stress and social responsibility in 77%. The nutritional status of the study population was normal at 49.6% followed by overweight with 42.4%. The dimensions with the greatest relationship with nutritional status are stress management with one (p = 0.046) and feeding with one (p = 0.049) with a level of significance of 95%. In conclusion there is no relationship between lifestyles with the nutritional status of the adult (a) when applying the non-parametric chi square test with a level of significance at 95% (p <0.05), (p = 0.222).


We propose a novel QRS detection method for ECG signal captured from fingers (briefly finger-ECG). In this work, we use curvature as an estimation of energy of ECG signal. We need only three computationally simple steps for the detection of QRSs. A single threshold is used to determine QRSs from local minima of energy making the method linear i.e. O(n) in computational time which is O(n2) for slope based methods for a signal of n samples. The method is tested on 224 records of finger-ECG signal, and we have obtained superior performance than the state-of-the-arts slope-based method. Average time error of detection is also significantly lower by this method. This method has a single parameter of adaptive threshold, which required no tuning for our database whereas the slope based method required tuning of parameters. This method is potentially suitable for real time applications of finger-ECG in e-health and biometrics.


Third‐order optical susceptibilities (χ(3)) of poly{(7‐oxo‐7, 10H‐benz[de]imidazo[4',5':5,6]benzimidazo [2,1‐a]isoquinoline‐3,4:10,11‐tetrayl)‐carbonyl}, referred to as BBL, and poly(6,9‐dihydro‐6,9‐dioxobisbenzimidazo[2,1b:1',2'j] benzo[1mn]‐[3,8]phenanthroline‐3,12‐diyl), known as BBB, have been determined using the technique of degenerate four‐wave mixing (DFWM) at 1.064 μm. BBL has a χ(3)xxxx=(1.5±0.4)×10−11 esu, three times as large as that of BBB and 38 times as large as that of CS2. Electrochemical doping led to a small (<30%) increase in the third‐order susceptibility of BBL.


RFC (Recursive Flow Classification) is one of the best packet classification algorithms. However, RFC has moderate to prohibitive high preprocessing time for rule-sets having more than 10K rules. RFC does not provide incremental update. Due to these essential missing features, RFC is used in limited scenarios. This paper attempts to add these essential features in RFC. Our algorithm uses various memory and processing optimizations to speed up RFC preprocessing phase. We provide an algorithm to compute only those CBM (Class Bit Map) intersections for which corresponding value pairs are found in rules. We optimize CBM intersection by using ABV algorithm and min-max rule information. We also propose an optimized algorithm to manage real time incremental updates in RFC. The algorithm modifies only required parts of RFC tables and makes sure that the updated tables have information in correct order. For incremental update, moderate amount of extra memory is required. We tested our algorithm for preprocessing time and incremental update feature. The results indicate that we get moderate improvement in preprocessing time with real time incremental updates in our modified RFC.


The construction of a class of third-order methods for finding multiple zeros of nonlinear equations is presented. This family requires one-fu nction and two-derivative evaluation per iteration. The family contains seve ral known third-order methods, as special cases. Numerical examples are included to d emonstrate exceptional convergence speed of the proposed methods .


The study presents an innovative 'almost difference set (ADS)'-based analytical approach for the design of fully interleaved arrays supporting Q > 2 independent functions on a shared aperture. Such a hierarchical subarraying methodology allows one to interweave, on the same lattice, Q = 2 P non-overlapped arrangements with beam properties a-priori predictable from the descriptive parameters of the chosen ADSs. A general formulation for the pattern analysis of subarray layouts is derived and successively employed to assess features and potentialities of the multi-level 'ADS' interleaved scheme. A set of representative numerical results, concerned with different apertures, balancing factors and number of interleaved functions, is presented to give some indications on the effectiveness, the efficiency and the reliability of the proposed approach.


In this paper, we study the behavioral communication patterns of employees in the last few months before they quit their company. Our study is based on Slack communication metadata from two technology companies. We analyse the communication patterns of terminated employees in the last 15 months before they left the organisation. We use different metrics such as the volume of messages sent, the activity in different channels, the average range of communication, and the number of collaborators over time. We also compare the behavior of the employees who are about to quit versus the company average in the same time period. We discover that there is a clear communication pattern for employees who quit with a pronounced decrease of engagement in the last 5 to 6 months before they left. We then build a machine learning model to predict if an employee is at risk of leaving the company within the next 6 months.


This article seeks to elaborate on the contribution of education in fighting corruption in Indonesia. By using the literature study method, this study found that the problem of corruption can be minimized through education because education is a human need. The concept of anti-corruption education is all efforts to reduce and eradicate corrupt behavior through programs in learning to provide awareness to individuals about the causes and consequences of corrupt behavior and encourage future generations to develop a firm resistance to any form of corruption. Learning programs that contain anti-corruption values are carried out in a meaningful manner so that they will remain strong in the minds of students so that they will firmly reject various forms of corruption.


Effects of nicotine treatment (4.5 mg/kg of nico tine-free base/day administered s.c. by osmotic mini pumps for 14 days) on focal ischemic stroke and expression of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen acti vator inhibitor-I (PAl-I) in cerebral microvessels were studied in rats in vivo using a reversible (I h) middle cere bral artery occlusion model. Plasma levels of nicotine and its major metabolite cotinine after 14 days of treatment were 88 and 364 ng/ml, respectively. Nicotine treatment resulted in 35-40% (p <0.001) decrease in the blood flow in the periphery of the ischemic core during reperfusion, an increase in the neurologic score of 2.6-fold (p <0.01), and 36% (p <0.05) and 121 % (p <0.01) increases in the Cigarette smoking has been accepted as a major factor that increases the risk of coronary disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke (Gill et aI., 1989). Although epidemiological studies of smokers may not directly translate into equivalent effects of nicotine (a major constituent of cigarette smoke), few recent clinical studies have indicated that applica tion of nicotine patches alone could precipitate isch emic stroke in chronic smokers (Jackson, 1993; Pierce, 1994). It has been suggested that smoking products and/or nicotine may predispose to cerebral 136 injury and edema volume in the pallium, respectively. A free pool of brain microvascular t-PA antigen was com pletely depleted by nicotine, while the expression of the PAIl antigen and/or PAI-It -PA complexes remained un changed. The relative abundance of cerebromicrovascular t-PA mRNA transcript versus ,l3-actin mRNA transcript did not change with nicotine. It is concluded that chronic nicotine treatment impairs the restoration of blood flow, worsens the neurologic outcome, and enhances brain injury following an ischemic insult. These nicotine effects are asso ciated with depletion of brain microvascular t-PA antigen. minogen activator-Brain capillaries-Rats. thrombosis, possibly by causing an imbalance be tween brain vascular coagulation and fibrinolytic sys tems (Allen et aI., 1985; Folts, 1988; Hashimoto et aI., 1988). Altered coagulation and abnormal fibrinolysis have been shown to be present in the blood of isch emic stroke patients (Fisher and Francis, 1990), in cluding chronic smokers (Folts. 1988; Hashimoto et aI., 1988; Ozdemir et aI., 1992). In spite of this, evi dence demonstrating a direct link between chronic exposure to nicotine and stroke, on the one hand, and altered brain endothelial thrombotic potential, on the other, is still limited. Tissue plasminogen activator (t-P A) and plasmino gen …


AUTHORS' REPLY: Wehave read with interestthe comments of Gagne and Maio on our article. In this study we conducted a randomized, prospective pharmaceutical carestudyina community-based setting. After a 4-month intervention period, severalparameters (dayswith headache, intensityof untreatedpain, patients' self-efficacy) had improved significantly in boththe intervention andcontrol groups.Systematic differences between the intervention andcontrol groups concerned self-efficacy and mentalhealth,with only the latterreachingstatistical significance. Gagneand Maio's criticismfocuses on our findings for self-efficacy and mental health. Weagreethat the significant improvement of self-efficacyin the intervention groupis counterbalanced to a considerable degreeby a parallel improvement in the controlgroup.Wealsoagree that the limited absolute difference in the improvement between the2 groups and the fact that the statistical test for a systematic difference was nonsignificant leaveamplespaceto debate; in lightof thiscriticism, weconcede that the wording in our abstractcould, or probablyshould, have beenmorecautious. Regardingmentalhealth,we findGagneand Maio's argument difficult to follow.While there is also an improvement in both groups, the difference is considerablymore pronouncedin the interventiongroup than in the controlgroupand reachesstatistical significance only in the former. The systematic difference of 1.78points is statistically significantin a formal U test.This improvement is accompanied by ratherpositive subjective accountsthatwe solicited in the interviews, but we did not attempt to discussclinicalsignificance in quantitative terms in the context of thisproof-of-principle study. Muchof our articleis devotedto a discussion of the manylimitations of thisstudy, whichnevertheless isoneof the fewstudies thathas triedto Letters


Objective:  The aim of this study was to determine how often patients with complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) who spontaneously achieve normal human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) levels subsequently develop persistent or recurrent gestational trophoblast disease.


The problem of systematic design of discrete time fuzzy controller based on the T S fuzzy model is discussed in this paper. The fuzzy control system under consideration can be viewed as a kind of system with structured uncertainty. By using Lyapunov stability theory, a systematic design method for a class of linear state feedback controller is proposed. The linear state feedback controller is established by solving discrete time Lyapunov equation. The sufficient conditions to ensure the asymptotic stability of the closed up system are also proposed.


We compare topologization of certain algebras as topological algebras as well as metrizable semitopological algebras. The main aim of the paper is to prove that the algebra of continuous functions on a non Lindelof paracompact space is not topologizable as a metrizable semitopological algebra. This gives us further examples of locally convex topologizable algebras that are not topologizable as metrizable semitopological algebras. On the other hand we prove that the free algebra generated by א variables has at last max{2א0 ,א} topologies of metrizable semitopological locally convex algebras. We provide also, for all p ∈ (0,1] , an example of locally bounded topological algebra which is not topologizable as a metrizable semitopological locally p -convex algebra. This is an investigation in the direction of some results of J. Esterle, V. Muller, W. Żelazko and the author in previous papers. Mathematics subject classification (2010): 46H05.


The invention belongs to the technical field of pesticides and particularly relates to application of starch as pesticide padding. When the starch is used as padding, the starch can be mixed with pesticide active components to obtain the following solid formulations: wettable powder, soluble powder, soluble granules, water dispersible granules or granules. Particularly, when the starch is prepared into molluscicidal granules, metaldehyde and carbaryl are used as the pesticide active components and the effect of the starch is obviously better than that of other padding. According to the application, the starch is used as the padding in a pesticide formulation; different from regular kaolin or light calcium, the starch has a better environment-friendly effect, does not cause the pollution to environment, is safe to human and livestock and has good environment compatibility; the starch has a certain bonding property so that a bonding agent is not added when the starch is used as the padding of the soluble granules, the water dispersible granules or the granules.


The present article discusses new varieties of English with reference to intelligibility and comprehensibility. It has been observed that new varieties of English display deviant phonological features. Speakers of these varieties insert a sound, delete a sound, substitute a sound, and rearrange sounds when they pronounce certain words. Moreover, they use deviant word stress patterns. These things affect the intelligibility of their speech. The new varieties differ at the level of discourse as well; the content and language used to perform certain speech acts such as coaxing, responding to questions, etc., may result in miscommunication. Thus, unintelligibility is a result of mother tongue interference and incomprehensibility is a result of mother culture interference. The article illustrates unintelligibility and incomprehensibility using examples from non-native varieties of English.


Information on the results of a 9year census on 80 routes according to the project of monitoring of Manchurian deer, wild boar and roe deer in Sikhote Alin was given. It was revealed that census on the routes showed with sufficient reliability the trend to the decrease of the stock that did not agree with the data given by game resource users.


Abstract The nitrogen corrected metabolizable energy (MEn) and nitrogen content of wheat, menhaden fish meal with and without solubles, and ring dried blood meal were determined. The WS-3 hard red spring wheat was grown in North Dakota (I), Oregon (II), and the Imperial Valley in California (III) and WS-1 hard red spring wheat was also grown in Oregon (IV) during the same year. The nitrogen levels of I, II, III, and IV were 3.0, 2.6, 2.3, and 2.6% on a dry matter basis. Differences occurred by location grown but not by variety. The MEn levels were 3.46, 3.47, 3.48, and 3.44 kcal/g dry matter for I, II, III, and IV. These values were 78, 79, 80, and 79% of the gross energy (GE). The nitrogen content of menhaden fish meal (MFM), 11.0%, was less (P


This presentation analyzes the rhetorical features of the electronic food journal as it quantifies the biological process of eating and represents food data on-screen. I will analyze the interfaces (data entry screens, networked databases of foods) and outputs (charts, graphs, and records) in terms of visual rhetoric related to embodiment literature and public health discourse. I will outline how current journaling formats account for a disruption in mind-body-technology feedback loops and provide suggestions for reimagining the visual rhetoric of the electronic journals to better-account for embodied experiences of health and wellness. The information shared within this paper will help listeners to think through issues of posthumanism, digital subjectivity, and how to best convey health data in visual design.


The analysis and prediction of settlement is one of the key issues in the foundation design practice.In many cases the settlement values from the theoretical analysis and the monitoring results are often not even close.Therefore,it is important to monitor the embankment settlement during the construction,and the embankment filling rate should be controlled by the settlement rate so that the safety of the embankment can be assured during the construction.The post construction settlement magnitude can also be predicted and mitigated based on the measured settlement during the construction.However,there are uncertainties in the settlement model parameters,it is more appropriate to describe the settlement pattern with probability and probability distribution methods.The parameters are described as random variables and the model is established based on the Bayesian theory using WinBUGS software in the time domain.The prediction results are compared with the observed values.It is concluded that this method is a reliable method.


This paper gives an overall review on the main contents of tourism image study in China.The authors generalized the development of the tourism image study in China and other countries. The paper also points out some aspects that need further study in the hope of inspiring more studies. Finally, the authors predict the tendency of tourism image research.


It is not easy to reconcile these findings with those obtained in the early days of diphtheria immunization when F.T. was extensively used with definite clinical success. It is possible that the reason for the poor immunizing action of the present-day F.T. is the fact that it is prepared in a highly purified form, whereas the F.T. used in the early days undoubtedly contained many impurities which might well have exerted an adjuvant effect. There is also a discrepancy between our findings and those reported by Bousfield and Holt (1954), who obtained better Schick-conversion rates in children after two spaced doses of 30 Lf of F.T. This discrepancy can, however, be explained on the basis of the difference in immunizing procedures. Whereas Bousfield and Holt always Schick-tested the children before immunizing them this was not done in our trials. Recently Bousfield and Holt (1962) have shown that better Schick-conversion rates can be obtained if children are Schick-tested before being immunized, particularly if the testing is done four weeks rather than one week before the injection of F.T. This effect is presumably due to the additional antigenic stimulus provided by the Schick-test dose. From the results of our study it is concluded that diphtheria plain F.T. as prepared at the present time in a highly purified form is not suitable for primary immunization against diphtheria. In order to obtain adequate primary immunization with such a purified antigen it is essential that it should be combined with an adjuvant such as pertussis vaccine or a mineral carrier. It would thus seem desirable to give young children a combination of pertussis vaccine with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (triple vaccine), and to older persons who have not previously been immunized a combination of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids containing a mineral carrier such as aluminium hydroxide or phosphate. Although it might be argued that such combinations carry a slight risk of provocation to poliomyelitis, now that vaccination against poliomyelitis is practised on a wide scale the risk is much less than in past years and will not become more frequent if the prevalence of poliomyelitis in the population remains low. If the triple vaccine is given after immunization with the poliomyelitis vaccine, as in Schedule Q of the Ministry of Health's Circular (1961), the risk should be almost negligible.


The development of the caudal endoskeleton of the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) is described and compared to the setting-up of the caudal endoskeleton in other flatfishes. In the turbot, caudal bony elements develop very early, before the eye migration. The same pattern occurs in the flatfishes of the bothoid group, while in the Soleidae the supporting caudal fin elements develop once the eye has migrated. This discrepancy is discussed; it points out that more work on the ontogeny of flatfishes is needed.


The magnetic properties of TbFe122xTix single crystals with x50.8‐ 1.4 have been investigated in detail using ac and dc susceptibility and high-field magnetization measurements. A first-order spin reorientation transition from a basal plane easy magnetization direction at low temperatures to an axial easy magnetization direction at high temperatures occurs for all the investigated compounds. The spin reorientation temperatures have been determined by combining ac and dc susceptibility measurements and its dependence on both the Ti content and the applied magnetic field has been studied. A first-order magnetization process is observed below a certain temperature when the magnetic field is applied along the @001# crystallographic direction. The dependence of the transition critical field on the Ti content has been analyzed. The magnetic behavior has been interpreted using a two-sublattices model for the magnetic structure, in the frame of a crystal-electric-field‐ mean-field model. The parameters describing the crystal-field interaction in TbFe 122xTix compounds have been determined. The calculated magnetic behavior shows a good agreement with experimental results in a wide temperature range.


These annotated documents give an insight into the relationship between the Soviet Union and Palestine/Israel from 1941 to 1953. Most of the documents appear here for the first time - declassified and published in accordance with a bilateral agreement between Israel and Russia.


[Objective]The aim was to study the effects of Plumbago zeylaniea L.on tumor cell proliferation.[Methods]After 1 d of pre-culture of tongue cancer cells,Plumbago zeylaniea L.was added into each culture group for 2-5 h,respectively,cell proliferation were evaluated by ELISA Reader.Inhibition ratio of the extractive of Plumbago zeylaniea L.on tongue cancer cell was calculated.At the same time,nucleus variation condition was detected by fluorescent staining with Hoechst33342 staining.[Results]With the increasing of the concentrations of Plumbago zeylaniea L.extractive and extending of action time,the inhibitory action of the extractive of Plumbago zeylaniea L.on tongue cancer cell proliferation would more obvious.When the concentration of Plumbago zeylaniea L.was over 0.8 g/ml,complete nucleus was seldom seen under fluorescence microscope.[Conclusion]Plumbago zeylaniea L.could effectively inhibit the growth of tongue cancer cell and generated cancer cell apoptosis.


A new design of DC motor PWM controller based on FPGA and Verilog HDL was presented to control the speed of DC motor.The PWM create module,the serial communication module and the steering unit have been implemented in an chip.With the characteristics of simple structure,precise control and no exterior DAC.The new control system can be widely used.And the computer station control is introduced.


Silicon photonic structures are incredibly responsive to binding-induced changes in the refractive index environment surrounding the device. We are developing microring resonator arrays as a robust platform for sensitive, label-free, and highly multiplexed biomolecular detection.


Four soil-applied insecticides were evaluated at the Tobacco Experiment Station, Greeneville. Soil insecticides were applied and incorporated prior to transplanting on May 25. Plots were 20 ft x 4 rows with 40 inch spacing between rows; plants were spaced 18 inches apart. Four randomized complete blocks were separated by 5 ft alleys. Flea beetle damage was based on average number of feeding holes/10 leaves; counts were made on the fifth leaf (of width greater than 2 inches) from the top of the plant. Aphid ratings ranged from 0 (no evident damage) to 5 (heavy infestation with necrosis of lower leaf bases). Soil type was Hermitage silt loam of pH 6.3.


Most important academic theoretical developments in finance and investment have been transferred to widespread practical use, especially in the more efficient securities markets. Real estate investment research has followed these developments, with a lag of about 20 years, but to some extent, common practice of asset allocation in a property portfolio still relies a lot on a qualitative and subjective personal judgment. To assess the reality and extent of this situation among the institutional property investors operating in the Portuguese market, a study based on a survey among a reference group of managers of large real estate portfolios was developed. This includes real estate fund management societies, pension funds and significant real property investment companies. The survey covers management decision-making practices, use of specific information, indices and databases, the role of appraisal, and the use of quantitative models regarding performance measurement, benchmarking and optimization of asset allocation. The aim is to establish the real gap between theory and practice. Research design is presented and justified against economic reality, and recent related and similar studies.


Hongshan Reservoir,located in Jimunai County,is an open water supplier,as one of many reservoirs in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.It is an important water resource for fishery.In order to understand the dynamic characteristics of the rotifer community,investigations were carried out in July 2008,October 2008 and May 2009.A total of 24 species belonging to 7 bagridaes and 16 genuses were identified,including 7 dominant species,that is,Keratella ticinensis,Keratella cochlearis,Keratella quadiata,Polyarthra trigla,Filinia longiseta,Anuraeopsis fissa as well as Trichocera pusilla.The Brachionidae is accounted for 21% of the collectivity,and the Lecanidae is accounted for 21%.The rotifer density was the greatest in the wet season(4.87±1.04)×102/L,and was the smallest in the dry season(1.23±0.57)×102/L.The rotifer composition,biomass density,diversity were found to be closely related to the different phytoplankton composition,temperature and the water volume of Hongshan Reservoir.


This article outlines ways in which nonstandard methods can be applied to continuum theory in the plane. 1. Nonstandard Models Nonstandard analysis, first developed by Abraham Robinson in the early 1960's [10], makes use of the fact that there are other models besides the usual ones that satisfy all the same mathematical statements that can be made in First Order Logic. The basic idea is to exploit the additional properties that these models have, and yet often use the fact that they must share many properties with their standard counterparts. The additional properties roughly include "actualized"versions of limits. Whereas the standard reals contain arbitrarily small positive elements the nonstandard reals contain positive elements of "infinitesimal size" i.e. elements that are greater than zero but less than every standard positive real. A simple dense canal in the plane that has longer and longer segments approaching a certain arc will have a portion in the nonstandard plane that stays within an infinitesimal of the entire arc. A set such as a pseudoarc that is constructed using an intersection of nested sets can be characterized as the set of standard points near a single nonstandard object. Many times working with these idealized limits allows for simpler and more intuitive proofs than corresponding standard proofs once some basic nonstandard machinery is available. More importantly, the use of nonstandard models can allow us an entirely new perspective on some complicated standard objects, relating and characterizing sets in ways that allow for new insights. Our focus here will be entirely on the use of these methods as a way to obtain standard results about continuum theory in the plane. While it is possible to develop nonstandard methods purely using ultrafilters without any reference to logic, there is a fundamental benefit to starting with just a little perspective based on the nature of mathematical statements built up in the framework of first order logic. When we are studying a subject such as group theory in which we start with axioms and consider the properties of models (groups in this case) that satisfy various collections of statements we might use a very simple "language"in which we have a symbol "∗"for the group operation and the mathematical statements we are interested in are built up using that symbol along with the standard boolean connectives (∨,∧,→,¬) and the quantifiers (∀,∃). Any finite group is completely characterized by the set of statements that it satisfies, of course, but if we are interested in a particular infinite group G, basic results


– We used six polymorphic microsatellite loci to investigate a potential metapopulation system in bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) from five spawning localities in the Lightning Creek drainage, a tributary to Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho. The number of spawners as estimated by redd counts is low in all populations sampled. Analytic viability models indicate that local isolated populations of these sizes are unlikely to persist. We tested two hypotheses: (1) these are remnant populations that are vulnerable to local extinction, or (2) these populations are interconnected by migration and are being maintained at larger effective sizes than indicated by the redd counts (i. e. metapopulation dynamics). All populations within the Lightning Creek basin are significantly differentiated (P > 0.005), and the allele frequencies appear to be stable among temporally separated subsamples within locations. It is therefore unlikely that extensive dispersal has linked tributaries in a manner consistent with a metapopulation structure. The low number of spawning individuals combined with the degree of isolation indicated by the genetic data suggest that extinction of the tributary populations is probable if temporal variability and small size is prolonged. However, these populations contain amounts of genetic variation similar to populations throughout the range of bull trout. Therefore, if the apparent demographic trends are reversed, these populations may recover without suffering the detrimental effects of a severe bottleneck.


Hydrosalpins (dilatation of Fallpian tube that can be seen by hysterosalpingogeraphy. Laparoscocpy, and in severe cases by sonography) is one of the probable confounding factors of assited – reproduction therapy (ART) outcomes. This cohort study is conducted to determine the effects of hydrosalpins on IVF-ET outcomes. For this, of the total number of patients who had approached the infertility Department Mirza Koochak Khan Hospital in the period between ordibehcesht 1377 to Aban 1378 (April 1998 to November 1999), 392 patients had come for the IVF0 ET cysles and were selected for our study. In these patients the numbers of oocytes retrieved and fertilized, the number of embryos transferred to the uterine cavity and resulting clinical pregnancy rates were measured.51 patients who had hydrosalpins were studied in two separate comparisons. Initially with 50 patients who had tubal involvement other hydrosalpinx, but had other indications of IVF-ET. These groups had similar age distribution. The numbers of oocytes retrieved (in first comparison = 1.6 & 3.92 and in second comparison = 4.6 & 4.65) and the number of embryo comparison = 2.6& 2.47) didn't have significant statistical differences, but despite the fact that the same number of embryos were transferred to the uterine cavity (in the first comparison = 2.53 & 2.14 and in the second comparison= 2.53 & 2.27) , the clinical pregnancy rates in both comparisons were reduced by more than 50% in patients with hydrosaplins as comparison = 7.8% & 20% and in second comparison = 7.8% & 16.1%) . we conclude that hydrosalpins didn't result in impaired ovarian stimulation or decreased oocyte fertilization. It did however interfere with implantation and reduced to some degree the success of IVF in achieving a clinical pregnancy.


Rader's utility representation theorem guarantees the existence of an upper semicontinuous utility function for any upper semicontinuous total preorder on a second countable topological space. In this paper we present a generalization of Rader's theorem to not necessarily total preorders that are weakly upper semicontinuous.


The article is devoted to the famous Russian scientist-criminologist Valerian Nikolaevich Shiryaev. It describes the characteristics of his teaching and scientific activity at the Belarusian state University, emphasized his contribution to the establishment of the school of criminal law in Belarus. Written on the archive material has not yet been put into scientific circulation.


Because of the importance of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) there is a rising number of studies around the world about them and the difficulties they encounter. One of the problems recognized so far are mistakes that the management makes due to overload of different tasks and lack of expert knowledge in the field of business. These managers need help from management accounting experts. Management accounting field overlaps to a great extent with the field of Controlling in the German-speaking countries. The term Controlling in that sense is also used in Croatia. The tasks of Controlling are being fulfilled through the use of different instruments. The empirical research in this paper has enabled an insight into the use of Controlling instruments in SMEs in the Varazdin County in Croatia.


Objective: To evaluate how participation of children with cerebral palsy varied with their environment Design: Home visits to children. Administration of Life-H and European Child Environment Questionnaires. Structural equation modelling of putative associations between specific domains of participation and environment, while allowing for severity of child's impairments and pain. Setting: European regions with population based registers of children with cerebral palsy Participants: 1,174 children aged 8-12 years were randomly selected from eight population-based registers of children with cerebral palsy in six European countries. 743 (63%) agreed to participate; one further region recruited 75 children from multiple sources. Thus there were 818 children in the study. Interventions: Not applicable Main outcome measure: Participation in life situations


The political campaign before Germany's parliamentary elections to be held on 22 September
has in all its glory reflected the trends visible during the last four years of the government
of Chancellor Angela Merkel – the strength of the Christian Democrats, the weakness of the
opposition and the increasing marginalisation of the coalition partner, the FDP. The CDU/CSU
remains the most popular political choice in Germany, largely because Angela Merkel has consistently
remained the most popular German politician. Everything indicates that the CDU/CSU
will win the election, even though it has been running a passive campaign and the Chancellor
herself has been avoiding confrontation, presenting herself as a kind of cross-party representative
of the interests of all social groups. The Christian Democrats' main competitors, the Social
Democrats, have been unable to play to their strengths and present themselves as a serious
alternative to the CDU/CSU. The Christian Democrats, despite their difficult cooperation with
the liberal FDP, have declared their willingness to continue doing so during the next parliamentary
term. If the numbers make that impossible, and the Social Democrats and the Greens have
too few votes to be able to form a government, a grand coalition of the Christian Democrats
and the SPD will be formed in Germany.


Adoptive cell transfer of interferon (IFN)-activated monocytes administered intraperitoneally to patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer demonstrated anti-tumor effects and acceptable tolerability. The exposure of monocytes to IFNα and IFNγ upregulated TRAIL, which triggered caspase 8 and direct cell-to-cell contact-dependent apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells.


A simple synthesis of furo[2,3-c]pyridine and its 2- and 3-methyl derivatives from ethyl 3-hydroxyisonicotinate (2) is described. The hydroxy ester 2 was O-alkylated with ethyl bromoacetate or ethyl 2-bromopropionate to give the diester 3a or 3b. Cyclization of compound 3a afforded ethyl 3-hydroxyfuro [2,3-c]pyridine-2-carboxylate (4) which was hydrolyzed and decarboxylated to give furo[2,3-c]pyridin-3(2H)-one (5a). Cyclization of 3b gave the 2-methyl derivative 5b. Reduction of 5a and 5b with sodium borohydride yielded the corresponding hydroxy derivative 6a and 6b, respectively, which were dehydrated with phosphoric acid to give furo[2,3-c]pyridine (7a) and its 2-methyl derivative 7b. 4-Acetylpyridin-3-ol (8) was O-alkylated with ethyl bromoacetate to give ethyl 2-(4-acetyl-3-pyridyloxy) acetate (9). Saponification of compound 9, and the subsequent intramolecular Perkin reaction gave 3-methylfuro[2,3-c]pyridine (10). Cyclization of 9 with sodium ethoxide gave 3-methylfuro[2,3-c]pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, which in turn was decarboxylated to give compound 10.


This paper considers an unsupervised data selection problem for the training data of an acoustic model and the vocabulary coverage of a keyword search system in low-resource settings. We propose to use Gaussian component index based n-grams as acoustic features in a submodular function for unsupervised data selection. The submodular function provides a near-optimal solution in terms of the objective being optimized. Moreover, to further resolve the high out-of-vocabulary (OOV) rate for morphologically-rich languages like Tamil, word-morph mixed language modeling is also considered. Our experiments are conducted on the Tamil speech provided by the IAPRA Babel program for the 2014 NIST Open Keyword Search Evaluation (OpenKWS14). We show that the selection of data plays an important role to the word error rate of the speech recognition system and the actual term weighted value (ATWV) of the keyword search system. The 10 hours of speech selected from the full language pack (FLP) using the proposed algorithm provides a relative 23.2% and 20.7% ATWV improvement over two other data subsets, the 10-hour data from the limited language pack (LLP) defined by IARPA and the 10 hours of speech randomly selected from the FLP, respectively. The proposed algorithm also increases the vocabulary coverage, implicitly alleviating the OOV problem: The number of OOV search terms drops from 1,686 and 1,171 in the two baseline conditions to 972.


Electroconsolidation{reg_sign} is a proprietary process for rapid, pressure-assisted densification of powder preforms. The parts to be consolidated are placed within a bed of free-flowing powder, and pressure is applied by rams that act on the powder medium. Heat for consolidation is generated internally by electrical resistive heating of the medium while it is in direct contact with the preform(s). A mathematical model has been developed to predict the temperature profiles within the Electroconsolidation die during operation. Numerical simulation is performed by coupling a three-dimensional (3-D) finite-element electromagnetic field program (ELEKTRA) and a 3-D finite-difference materials process simulator (MaPS) to incorporate the effects of pressure and electrical fields on heat transfer and temperature variation within the die during heating and cooling. The methods used in developing the model are presented. Use of the model minimizes the experiments needed to design and evaluate commercial applications of Electroconsolidation.


The work presented in this paper aims at assessing human emotions using peripheral as well as electroencephalographic (EEG) physiological signals. Three specific areas of the valence-arousal emotional space are defined, corresponding to negatively excited, positively excited, and calm-neutral states. An acquisition protocol based on the recall of past emotional events has been designed to acquire data from both peripheral and EEG signals. Pattern classification is used to distinguish between the three areas of the valence-arousal space. The performance of two classifiers has been evaluated on different features sets: peripheral data, EEG data, and EEG data with prior feature selection. Comparison of results obtained using either peripheral or EEG signals confirms the interest of using EEG's to assess valence and arousal in emotion recall conditions.


The chelating agent, 8-dimethylarsinoquinoline has been synthesised, and complexes with palladium(II) and platinum(II) have been isolated and characterised. These complexes fall into three classes: (a) the four coordinated monochelated species M(8-dmaq)X2(M = Pd or Pt; X = Cl–, Br–, I–, or SCN–; and 8-dmaq is 8-dimethylarsinoquinoline); (b) the bis-chelates M(8-dmaq)2X2(X = Cl–, Br–, l–, or SCN–), which seem to exist as six-co-ordinate complexes in solution; and (c) the five-co-ordinate complexes [M(8-dmaq)2X]ClO4 and [M(8-dmaq)2L](ClO4)2(X = Cl–, Br–, or l–; and L can be a donor ligand, e.g. 4-methylpyridine and pyridine). The compounds [MY2(γ-pic)](CIO4)2(Y = 1,10-phenanthroline or o-phenylenebis(dimethylarsine) and γ-pic is 4-methylpyridine) have also been prepared and are discussed. Oxidation of solutions containing M(8-dmaq)2Cl2 gives tetravalent complexes which have been obtained as the perchlorates [M(8-dmaq)2Cl2](ClO4)2.


Abstract A study of surface contact and separation of 36mm diameter metal-on-metal joints was undertaken in 25 per cent bovine serum using a hip simulator. A range of diametral clearances from 130 to 170 μm was tested and each joint was subjected to two different dynamic motion and loading walking cycles. One simulation used physiological motion and loading cycles as described by Paul [I], while the other used simplified motion cycles, as described by Barbour et al. [2], and simplified loading. An electrical resistivity technique was used to detect the extent of surface separation throughout a complete walking cycle. The proportion of surface separation per cycle was generally greater in the simplified than in the physiological walking cycle. The latter cycle thus appears to present a more severe condition than the simplified cycle as far as joint lubrication is concerned. No surface separation was observed, for either cycle, with the largest diametral clearance of 170 μm. All of the remaining joints, with smaller diametral clearances, showed surface separation for at least a portion of each walking cycle. The proportion of surface separation per simulated walking cycle generally increased as the diametral clearance decreased.


Abstract A new fossil species Perca neopleistocenica Kovalchuk, sp. n. from Southern Ukraine is described. It differs from other species of the genus by width and configuration of praeoperculum, and also by quantity of cogs on the posterior edge of os praeoperculare Описан новый ископаемый вид Perea neopleistocenica Kovalchuk, sp. п. из южной Украины. Он отличается от других видов рода шириной и конфигурацией пред- крышки, а также количеством зубцов на заднем крае os praeoperculare.


The present invention relates to a compression grinding process of at least one component of a hydraulic binder, said process comprising the compression of a bed of material (M) formed by this or these component(s) in a grinding zone (30), said process further comprising the addition of oil to the bed of material, via distribution means (66) located upstream of the inlet (32) to the grinding zone.


Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease in which a pathogenetic role of Th2 cells has been supposed. CD30 molecule has been linked to Th2 responses. Elevated serum levels of soluble CD30 (sCD30) are associated with atopic disease, however, little is known about the effect of age, duration of disease, family history (FH) of atopy and scoring atopic dermatitis index (SCDRAD) on the levels of serum sCD30 in AD patients. In the present study, the serum level of sCD30 in 40 patients with AD and 15 non atopic persons, matched for sex and age were studied. Serum sCD30 levels were significantly higher in AD patients (23.1-83.9 IU/ml) than in healthy control (7.5-14.5 IU/ml) (P 0.05) and in AD patients with shorter disease duration than longer duration (P > 0.05). In conclusion the presence of high levels of sCD30 in AD patients support the view that Th0/Th2- type response predominates in AD patients. The correlation observed with the clinical score indicates a role of sCD30 as a marker of disease severity in AD patients.


This article reports the results obtained from a study with a group of tattoo practitioners integrating the sample of subjects interviewed as a part of the project entitled Corporal practices and the construction of self. By means of a Qualitative-interpretative approach, it offers an understanding of the relationship between the corporal practices, the body perception (body concept), the selfcare and the sense of themselves that people build when they link to different forms of corporal practice. The authors approach to an understanding of the way in which persons build their "selves" from their corporal practices, in this case, specifically from tatooing. Key words: Body, self, corporal perception, self care, tattooing. body arts


In this investigation, solid phase extraction (SPME) is applied in order to determine the concentrations of insecticides and rat poisons detected in the samples taken on the industrial finished product. Gas chromatography, coupled with mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) is used as an analytical instrument for this purpose. In order to obtain an optimal extraction, different process parameters are examined and optimized. Relevant results are obtained using 30 minutes non-specific binding property time, with 30 minutes stirring mode with magnetic stirring and a temperature of 30 °C. The efficiency of insecticides, poisons for rats, has been demonstrated and pesticides are likely to be at a high concentration in finished industrial products.


Bed ř ich Smetana's autobiographical String Quartet No. 1 gives musical representation to his experience of the onset of deafness via extreme tinnitus. In that work, his artistic choices relate an initial traumatic event (an explosive chord) to his climactic experience of tinnitus via musical structures that recall and transform that event. As a young violinist, he would often have been exposed to similar loud chords close to his ears. Though his deafness probably resulted from syphilis, Smetana chose to narrate his illness through specific musical evocations of sonic trauma and its tragic recurrence.


The present study tested the impact of religiosity and region on lethal violence in 83 countries by applying an integrated model. The regression results provided support for Durkheim's proposition that religious passion might lead to a high homicide rate in a society. However, religiosity was significantly and negatively connected to the suicide rate, suggesting that religious secularization is related to an increased national suicide rate. Finally, the Latin American region exhibited an elevated homicide rate, while North Africa and the Middle East displayed low homicide and suicide rates.


Due to the serious abrasion caused by the existence of solid phase in slurry, the slurry pumps usually adopt thick impeller blades to prolong its service life. In this paper, the influence of the blade thickness on the transient characteristics, the vibration, and the solid–liquid two-phase flow in a ceramic centrifugal pump with annular volute was investigated by the numerical method. And the experimental test was also conducted for computational fluid dynamics validation. The static pressure, the velocity, the force, and the solid fraction within the impeller passage and the volute casing have been discussed in detail. The results show that the influence of the blade thickness variation on the pressure fluctuation intensity is larger at the impeller inlet than that at the impeller exit and is larger at the pressure sides than that at the suction sides. The pressure fluctuation intensity decreases at the regions close to the volute tongue with the increase in the blade thickness. However, it increases at the regions, which are away from the volute tongue as the blade thickness increases. Moreover, the torque on the impeller, the radial force, and the axial force decreases with the increase in the blade thickness. Meanwhile, increasing the blade thickness will disperse the solid fraction at the impeller back shroud and make the regions with high solid fraction on pressure sides offset towards the impeller exit with a larger blade thickness, thus prolonging the service life of the impeller. However, the best efficiency point offsets to a low flow rate condition. The results are expected to pave the way for further optimization of impeller blade profile.


The article describes the principles and characteristics of independent work of students of the pharmaceutical faculty at the Department of Pharmacognosy and Botany in a credit-module system. The systems approaches, directions and learning methods for independent work of students in the modern system were analyzed to improve effectiveness of absorption of the basic material on the subject. The paper analyzes different types of independent work used in the classroom of Pharmacognosy. Among them is e x tracurricular self-study; tutoring a student with a teacher (independent work under the supervision of a teacher); compulsory independent work of students on approved program themes listed annually reviewed and refined. E x tracurricular self-study includes homework, preparation for lectures, workshops and various types of tasks, which are, performed during the trial, educational, industrial, predegree practices; preparation and defense of course thesis and diploma project. It is noted that for distance learning control tests are recommended. Participation of students in the scientific society of Pharmacognosy (preparation of scientific abstracts, articles, reports, reviewing the works of other students, participation in scientific conferences, competitions, quizzes), and production of visual materials, preparation of teaching aids are identified as a separate category of independent work. Independent work of students in classroom sessions includes solution of typical tasks, filling charts, tables, fulfillment of training tasks, situational problem tasks that require thinking, remembering and simple reproduction of previously acquired knowledge on the subject. This work is dependent on the level of a student's e x tracurricular time. Therefore, this independent work should be understood as specific tasks, which are assigned, by teacher and Вісник проблем біології і медицини 2015 Вип. 2, Том 3 (120) 57 МЕДИЧНА ОСВІТА the procedure for implementation, evaluation criteria is the subject of a detail review for participants of the training process. This article is accentuated particular attention to the impact of Internet sources in preparation of students for practical lessons. Among the informational sources electronic databases which contain the recommended literature, lectures and guidance to students, play important role for improving the quality of self-learning. However, sometimes it provokes students to the technical use of the materials without the necessary analysis and search. One of the types of mandatory independent work of Pharmacognosy is to prepare course thesis. Its aim is to deepening the knowledge that students have received lectures and practical classes. The ultimate aim of the course thesis is the demonstration of skills of independent work with sources of educational, scientific and additional literature, video, print and electronic sources. During course thesis work the student have to learn independently identify the main areas of present-day research on the chosen topic; find selected literature, to analyze the basic scientific literature; to do the practical part, to execute the course thesis by methodological requirements. In order to improve learning skill there are ahead tasks which aim is to help students to learn educational material in full or partial e x tent. This material can be used in lectures and on seminars. Thus, independent work of students in the study of Pharmacognosy greatly depends on the teacher and the student, their joint efforts. Independent work of students is multidimensional and multi-vector and needs constant improvement.


This study experimented to understand the effects of transporting ice slurry through elbow and inclined tube. And at this experiment it used propylene glycol-water solution and a diameter of about 2mm ice particle. The experiments were carried out under various conditions, with velocity of water solution at the entry ranging from 1.0 to 3.5 w/s and elbows and inclined tubes of 4 kinds angle with . The pressure drop between the tube entry and exit were measured. According to angle of bending, the highest pressure drop was measured at elbow and the lowest pressure drop was measured at elbow, and there are only a little differences of pressure drop between elbow and elbow. According to angle of inclined tube, the highest pressure drop was measured at inclined tube and the pressure drop at inclined tubes were lower successively. The lowest pressure drop in elbows and inclined tubes was measured at velocity of m/s and concentration of .


This chapter sets out the key contexts in terms of which Keshab Chandra Sen should be understood. It begins with a discussion of London and Calcutta as global cities and explores scholarship concerning Indians in Britain. It goes on to analyze interconnections between Bengali Hinduism, Nonconformist Christianity, Unitarianism, alternative spiritualities, religious universalism and British policy in India. Keshab's involvement in the Brahmo Samaj is discussed in detail, as is his relationship with the ideas of Ram Mohan Roy. Keshab's family history is considered, as is his relationship with the Brahmo leader Debendranath Tagore.


Abstract This cross-sectional study was to identify the prevalence of depression using PHQ-9 scale and perceived barriers to accessing psychological services among the elderly people in a rural district in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019. More than one-fourth of rural elderly were at high risk of depression (26.1%). Factors related to depression in the elderly were shown statistically significant (p < .05) including personal factors such as gender, education level, participating in social activities, the medical examination in the past 12 months, and family factors such as household economic status, living conditions, and social factors were perceived social support and barriers on accessing mental health services for the elderly. This suggested the importance of routine depression screenings for elderly, and of improving their accessibility to the psychological services.


Abstract A few open problems related to the paper by Sam Efromovich are formulated. They concern sequential designs, estimation of extremes of regression functions, and estimation for regression functions with jumps.


On the southern side of the Ashio Mountains, inthe province of Shimotsuke, there are severallocalities where Paleozoic limestones expose. In "these localities we can often collect plenty of washed-out shells of Fusulina(mostly F. kairimizensis OzAWA),1) sometimes in association with some other fossils. In one of these limestone localities which is popularly known as the limestone quarry of Nabeyama, where limestone is cut out for the use of the Ashio mines, Mr. KIsHI,a geologist of that mine, happened to get a few large specimens of a species of brachiopod. These specimens were kindly given to me for study. I have found that these specimens represent a species ,Schizophoria resupinata (MARTIN) DAVIDSON Which is very common in the Carboniferous faunas of various parts of the world. Having discovered the material very interestingfrom the view point of historical geology, I made anexcursion to the locality, by the aid of the Sait(J Gratitude Foundation, in order to get something more for the investigation. The journey was a hurried one, having taken place late in theautumn of 1925, but fortunately I could find some other speciesthat are quite well preserved. The name Nabeyama was once mentined by Dr. HARADA, in his " Die japanischen Inseln "2) as one of the then known localities of Fusulina. It is described thus: " Im Kohlenkalk von Nabevama (Provinz Shimotsuke) an der Siidseite des Ashiogebirges, welcher lurch semen Reichthum an Krinoiden and Fusulinen ausgezeichnet ist, soil einmal ein Bellerophon,ahnlich dem von Akasaka, gefunden warden sein." This has been our knowledge concerning the fossils of this locality. All what I obtained inthis locality are brachiopods, however.


Sheep breeding in Kazakhstan – is the most ancient and well-developed industry of animal husbandry. In the past and now, this was facilitated by the presence of large areas of natural pastures. In addition, sheep and misrepresented the number of highly productive breeds, bred in the years of Soviet power, are perfectly suited for year-round grazing. All the best, accumulated by the experience of the people, is used nowadays. Currently, more than 20 breeding species of sheep are bred in Kazakhstan. Among of them, there are Edilbaev, Kazakh fat-tailed coarse-wooled and Kazakh fat-tailed semi-coarse-wooled breeds [1].


Higher Vocational Education in China still in the stages of school education,practical teaching ability of teachers is very limited.Change the status of vocational education,to promote the practice of the work process-oriented teaching.Meanwhile,the professional ability of teachers to the comprehensive,professional,directional,technical,operational aspects of transformation,and the formation of vocational teachers in vocational competency-based training new mechanism.


The results of investigation of relation between respiratory illness and frequency of congenital morphogenetic variants (CMV) among 4-7-year-old children living in town whose territory is highly polluted with chemical compounds are present. Children with 5 and more CMV had significantly higher rates of respiratory illness. We conclude that CMV is risk markers of noninfectious ecological disease.


Abstract This work presents a unitary mode to describe orientational structures of extreme free energy for Unidimensional distortions of a chiral nematic layer with weak tilted anchoring at limiting surfaces, using structure parameters. The case of an applied electric field was also considered. A generalised expression for surface energy involving both polar and azimuthal deformations was introduced A classification of possible structures having monotonous or non-monotonous variations of the tilt angle is presented. The solving of the equation system that links the structure parameters in each case is given.


The performance of a multilayer artificial neural network is very much depends on the architecture of the hidden layers. Therefore, modeling of hidden layer architecture has become a research challenge. At present most of the models of hidden layer architecture have been confined to neural networks with one hidden layer. However, this approach may not be the most appropriate solution for the given task. In this research we have come up with an approach to model hidden layer architecture with arbitrary number of layers and neurons. An approach has been presented to trim the hidden layer architecture during the training cycle while meets the pre-defined error rate. The experiments show that new theory can train artificial neural networks with lesser training time through a simpler architecture that maintains the same error rate as the Back propagation.


This letter presents a novel three-stage gallium nitride (GaN)-HEMT low-noise amplifier (LNA) with an integrated switch. It is intended to replace the combination of the antenna switch and the LNA, which is common in GaN monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) transceiver realizations. The LNA employs at the input two common-gate (CG) stages that can be switched from low-noise amplification to high-isolation mode. In the low-noise amplification receiver (RX) mode, the LNA performs as a standard amplifier with a gain of 25.5 dB and a low-noise figure of 2.1 dB at 5 GHz. When switched into the OFF state, i.e., transmission mode, it provides an isolation of around 50 dB at 5 GHz, which is verified up to an input power of 30 dBm. The proposed integrated concept allows to omit the antenna switch, which enables a very compact and low-loss transceiver implementation.


This paper extends a recently developed interpolation-based approach to design gain-scheduled controllers for linear parameter-varying systems with a thorough evaluation, comprising both simulations and experiments, on an overhead crane system. In the first step of the approach, linear time-invariant controllers are designed for local working conditions of the system using a multiobjective H∞ method. With the help of this method, the fundamental tradeoff between reference tracking and disturbance rejection in the overhead crane control problem is analyzed. In the second step, a state-space interpolation method is used to calculate a gain-scheduled controller. Although this approach does not guarantee stability and performance under parameter variations, experiments on the crane setup show that these variations do not compromise the performance of the obtained controller.


Permanent magnet motor drives require absolute position information so that individual phase currents can be modulated in synchronism with the rotor. The eradication of such sensors has been the subject of many publications. This paper describes the principles and implementation of a new algorithm for combined flux-linkage and position estimation in permanent magnet motors. The algorithm uses the machine's flux-linkage versus current versus position characteristic and thus is able to take account of machine nonlinearities. The position estimator utilises the characteristic in a generalised nonintrusive estimation scheme, which is effective over the whole range of operating conditions. The paper shows implementation of the observer as embedded code in a DSP based drive system. All experimental results show for the first time the closed loop, sensorless, performance of the algorithm under steady state and transient conditions.


In this paper, the structure of a 1×2 Optical Wavelength Division De-multiplexer (WDDM) has been designed by using line defect photonic crystal resonator. The Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) rods with refractive index 3.376 are used as hexagonal lattice 2D photonic crystal in the proposed structure, which are suspended in the air. Optical Wavelength Division De-multiplexing is obtained by using line defect resonators for two wavelengths at 1350nm and 1530nm. The de-multiplexed wavelengths 1350nm and 1530nm lies in the optical wavelength band O (Original) and C (Conventional). The C band has been a gift to optical communication, being a region of very low losses that facilitate very efficient optical amplification. The proposed structure provides two wavelengths which are very close to optical window II (1310nm) and window III (1550nm). These de-multiplexed wavelengths can be used as to show the concept of Dispersion Shift. The simulation of photonic band gap and results is obtained by utilizing the Plane Wave Expansion (PWE) and Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) methods respectively. The transmission is achieved more than 90%.


In this work, a system of differential equation on Minkowski space-time E1, a special case of Smarandache geometries ([4]), whose solution gives the components of a space-like curve on Frenet axis is constructed by means of Frenet equations. In view of some special solutions of this system, characterizations of some special space-like curves are presented.


In this paper, the distribution of flux leakage in the slot of concentrated winding permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) under different conditions is analyze. And the circulating current loss of PMSM is investigated, whose armature windings consist of parallel wires. First, for a 12-slot 10-pole motor with concentrated winding, the distribution of flux leakage in the slot is studied. Then, the impact of the loss caused by the circulating currents in the parallel armature wires is estimated by finite element analysis (FEA). Additionally, the circulating current loss is reduced by transposing and reducing the number of parallel conductors. Finally, the temperature rise experiment of a 12-slot/ 10-pole motor proves the effectiveness of the FEA.


A 2-year field and laboratory study on double-layer solarization in a forest nursery was carried out. The efficacy of controlling soil-borne Pythium spp., Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia solani is discussed.


Every individual has different and unique signatures which are used for authentication and identification of important document. Mostly used to certify the originality of cheques, draughts, certificates, approvals, letters, and other legal documents. A signature is employed in such crucial processes that it is important to confirm its legitimacy. In a number of financial, legal, and professional situations, this kind of verification is essential for preventing document fraud and falsification. In the past, signatures were manually checked against replicas of real signatures. This approach might not be adequate as technology develops and new methods for signature forgery and falsification emerge. Hence, a new effective tool is required to address this issue by adopting a convolution neural network technique. The proposed system assists in determining whether the user's new signature matches the original signature in the dataset. For authentication of offline signatures our research presents an application, which uses deep neural network models like Inception v3, Xception and ResNet50. ResNet50 has outperformed the other two models.


Block matching motion estimation is one of the core-technique of video coding.Research on efficient and fast video compression coding technology has already been a hot topic for technician and researchers all over the world.Based on the analysis of UMHexagons algorithm adopted by video compression H.264 the coding standard,the termination search and search template have been optimized respectively,which reduces the search points effectively,and increases the efficiency of motion estimation algorithm.The experiments on four typical video sequences prove that,compared to the original algorithm,the motion estimation time can be saved 11.75% on average by the optimized algorithm,and the real-time performance of the video compression has been enhanced under almost the same circumstance of picture quality.


SINCE the first reports1 of the successful use of nitrofurantoin in the treatment of urinary infection, this drug has been widely accepted as a reliable and effective antimicrobial in the treatment2 and prophylaxis3 , 4 of urinary-tract infections in patients with normal renal function. A major advantage of the drug for prophylaxis is that, because the blood levels are negligible, the intestinal and normal introital flora are not altered.3 Moreover, most bacteria do not become resistant.5 The reported rate of adverse reactions2 , 6 7 8 varies between 3.5 and 40 per cent, and these reports2 , 6 , 7 may represent only a small fraction of the adverse reactions . . .


AbstractThe Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF5) tornado that hit the city of Moore, Oklahoma on May 13, 2013 caused over $2 billion in damages and tragically claimed the lives of 25 individuals. Briarwood ...


1. To assess the role of intracellular Ca2+ in action potential (AP) propagation, whole‐cell recordings of cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells were carried out while Ca2+ was simultaneously measured with a laser‐scanning confocal microscope. 2. Flash photolytic liberation of a Ca2+ buffer during trains of APs which partly failed to invade the DRG cell body immediately lowered intracellular Ca2+ and restored safe AP propagation. Furthermore, the speed of the propagated AP was reduced considerably when intracellular Ca2+ was increased by flash photolysis of caged Ca2+. 3. Both results suggest that intracellular Ca2+ regulates the safety factor for AP propagation and may thus provide a control mechanism for synaptic integration, which acts pre‐ as well as postsynaptically.


Balanced scoring cards have a history of 18 years and have been widely used in the world's top 500 corporations.Yet,they have encountered plight in China.This paper attempts to find out the causes and truth.


Introduction and aims: Soft tissue defects after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are difficult problems to treat. Flap surgery has been successful in salvaging the prostheses. We present results of flap surgery for exposed TKAs over a 10 year period performed by single surgeon. Material and Methods: Between 1996 and 2005, 31 patients (32 knees) underwent flap surgeries for TKAs. Four of these procedures were done prophylactically in patients with previous knee surgeries. Gastrocnemius, medial fasciocutaneous and anterior compartment flaps were used either solely or in combination based on the size of the defect. The data was collected retrospectively from case-notes and correspondence from the treating orthopaedic surgeons. Results: The patients were aged between 50 and 94 years. Indication for primary TKA was osteoarthritis in 25 patients and rheumatoid arthritis in 5. Coagulase negative Staph. aureus was the most commonly isolated organism. In patients using steroids, 4 of 6 (71.4%) knees had good or satisfactory outcome compared to 22 of 24 (91.7%) knees in patients not on steroids. Smoking did not influence the outcome of flap surgery . The average duration between the TKA and flap surgery was 11 weeks (range 1 – 52). Successful soft tissue cover was achieved in 30 of 32 knees (94%). Overall, TKA was salvaged in 20 of 28 knees (71.4%) knees, 3 knees (9.7%) underwent arthrodesis and above knee amputation was performed in 4 (12.4%). The information gathered from case notes and orthopaedic surgeons was insufficient to use a knee score for evaluating the functional outcome of the procedure. Conclusion: Local flap surgery for providing soft tissue cover for exposed TKA is a viable and successful procedure with good results.


The main task of people 's bank at grassroot level is to improve the quality of currency circulation in thelocal area and the circulation environment of currency,for finance is the center of economy and cash is the blood offinance . Besides,to reinforce cash management I particularly important.And the following tasks should also be tak-en into consideration:Improving financial service,publicizing financial regulations,reducing the outflow of fundwithin the local areas,guiding debit and credit operation from people to people.


The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate, with the help of an innovative strategy, the role of the mentor in guiding reflection and promoting the professional development of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs). The mentor's guidance was used to stimulate the reflection of NQTs. We found three significant stages of reflection: the reflective monologue; the reflective dialogue; and the meta‐reflection stage. Teacher perception and representation are key issues in this process as the Expert Pedagogical Mentors (EPMs) can guide and empower reflective dialogues. As the dialogues developed, the EPMs posed new questions and identified particular observations for discussion. The study shows how, as the NQTs developed new perceptions and insights into their practice, the dialogues became more complex and problematic. The EPMs responded to the events in the video with new strategies, guiding the NQTs' professional development by encouraging them to express their reflective thinking 'aloud'. Such reflective dialogues frequently lead to increased self‐awareness and with the 'accurate recall' video‐taped by the teacher, from her angle of vision and with some practice the NQT can become her own 'observer' and 'the observed' at the same time. Emphasis is not placed on the results, rather on the 'pedagogical didactic dialogue' that might develop during the process of reflection.


Education in the United States needs reform. Many schools are underperforming, underfunded, and struggling to prepare their students for college. The South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) is one of several education systems that is failing. The SBCSC is not preparing its overwhelming proportion of low-income students for college. The United States is no longer a manufacturing country, and high school students need to be prepared for college to earn a middle-class job. South Bend is in the "Rust Belt" and needs to help prepare its residents for a new type of economy and when citizens are prepared for the current job market, it creates a stronger economy for the city. The SBCSC has dealt with many issues in the past, and completed a major overhaul that has still not fixed the problem. The reform ideas for the SBCSC have been open enrollment through a choice system, magnet schools, and "focus programs" for the four high schools (Tanner 2004). These reform ideas have helped, but they have not led to an overall improvement in the education system, especially in South Bend's high schools (Indiana Department of Education). Indiana schools do not perform well compared to the national average, and worse than the state average. With many quality private and local colleges in the South Bend area, high school students should have a better opportunity to connect with colleges and individuals that can help prepare them for higher education. The SBCSC has four high schools; some are located close to college campuses, some are not, and some are in areas of poverty. The location of a school can affect community engagement and life opportunities.


Accelerated digitalization coupled with ever-growing new job demands in China's manufacturing industry has led to serious concerns about rising work stress and the loss of the sustainability of careers among production workers. They are trapped within an organization due to the lack of career alternatives in the labor market; under such occupational stress, some proactive workers may engage in expansive job crafting (JC) behaviors to get more resources to meet their career goals and make better career plans. As a result, this paper aims to investigate how Chinese manufacturing workers perform JC behaviors to translate perceived work stress into more control over their careers in today's shrinking job market. Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, this study thus investigates how employee continuance commitment (CC), as a manifestation of work stress, influences career control that can reflect the sustainability of careers in such a turbulent time and how the three dimensions of employees' JC (i.e., increasing structural job resources, increasing social job resources, and increasing challenging job demands) mediate the CC‒career control relationship, respectively. A time-lagged survey was carried out with a sample of 476 Chinese production workers. The results show that crafting jobs is instrumental in translating the degree of CC that embodies the level of work stress to the degree of career sustainability during the digital transformation of Chinese manufacturing. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications. Limitations and their implications for future studies are also reviewed.


We demonstrate a simple method to make highresolution P-selectin patterns based on microcontact printing for controlling cell rolling. SEM characterization revealed well-defined patterns that could direct the trajectories of rolling HL60 cells along the edges. Cell tracking revealed that velocities of rolling cells were higher at the edges as compared to plain P-selectin regions, with a maximum at an edge angle of 20º. The distance traveled by the HL60 cells along the edges decreased with increasing edge angles. These substrates may be used to tune cell adhesion and control the transport of the cells for separation and analysis.


We study the asymptotic behavior of the least upper bounds of the approximations of functions from the classes W r β H ↵ by Weierstrass integrals in the uniform metric.


One important measurement of a sensor network's performance is how well the sensor network can monitor a covered area, namely network coverage. We propose a scheme to improve the network coverage of a sensor network. We assume that each sensor can probabilistically detect a nearby event, and build a probabilistic model of network coverage by considering the data correlation among neighboring sensors. We also define the sensing denomination (SD) of a sensor using the network coverage model. A sensor's SD is regarded as the measurement of its contribution to the network coverage. The more the contribution of a sensor to the network coverage, the higher the sensor's SD is. Based on the location information of neighboring sensors, each sensor can calculate its SD value in a distributed manner. We then propose coverage-aware self-scheduling, in which sensors periodically calculate their SD values and probabilistically schedule their active and hibernating states according to their SD values, so that sensors with higher SD values have more chance to stay active. With the same amount of energy consumed, better network coverage can be achieved by applying the scheme. We then demonstrate through a numerical study that the scheme improves sensor network coverage considerably.


Four strains of Orientia tsutsugamushi (KN‐1, KN‐2, KN‐3 and GJ‐1) isolated from patients in an area of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, in which tsutsugamushi disease is newly endemic, were examined for their virulence in mice. Among these, KN‐1 (identified as Kawasaki type), GJ‐1 (identified as Kuroki type) and KN‐2 strains were found to be non‐lethal for BALB/c mice as well as CH3/HeJ mice, even with high doses (106 × being the 50% mouse infectious dose). On the other hand, the KN‐3 strain was found to be sufficiently virulent to kill BALB/c mice. Among the prototype strains (Gilliam, Karp and Kato), the Karp and Kato strains exhibited high virulence to mice, while the Gilliam strain killed only a susceptible strain of mouse. BALB/c mice infected with KN‐1 and KN‐2 strains showed significant splenomegaly and moderate ascites accumulation in the first week of infection, while these symptoms became prominent during the second week of infection using KN‐3, Karp and Kato strains. After infection with the GJ‐1 strain, these symptoms were not observed. Antibody responses induced by infections with highly virulent strains were lower than that with low or intermediate virulent strains.


Integrated assessment models (IAMs) connect trends in future socioeconomic and technological development with impacts on the environment, such as global climate change. They occupy a critical position at the global science‐policy interface. IAMs and associated scenarios have come under intense scrutiny, with critiques addressing both methodological and substantive issues, such as land use, carbon dioxide removal and technology performance. Criticisms have also addressed the transparency of IAM methods and assumptions as well as the transparency of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment of IAMs. This paper, authored by the co‐chairs of IPCC Working Group III and members of the Technical Support Unit, documents activities aiming to enhance the transparency of IAMs and their assessment. It includes a history of IPCC's approach to scenarios covering the formation of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC) in 2007 and the emergence of the approach by which IPCC facilitates the development of scenarios, but does not produce them itself. An IPCC Expert Meeting at the start of the current assessment cycle made transparency recommendations targeted at both the research community and IPCC. The community has taken steps to "open the black box" by moving toward open‐source and web‐publishing IAM documentation. IPCC has included an Annex to its next report focusing on scenarios and modeling methodologies. An open call for scenario data linked to the current IPCC report includes an expanded set of input and output variables. This paper ends with suggested criteria for measuring the success of these efforts to improve transparency.