Micro-Expression recognition (MER) based on deep learning has broad research prospects. Under the background that the current mainstream micro-expression recognition (MER) algorithms mostly use single-task learning models, to achieve an effective breakthrough in model performance, we apply multi-task learning to micro-expression recognition (MER). This paper proposes an attention model based on multi-task learning, which consists of a single ResNet18 network as the shared network, and an attention module is inserted among the intermediate layers of the network to improve the ability of image feature extraction. Specifically, we take the task of facial action unit detection as an auxiliary task, and jointly train the two tasks of micro-expression recognition (MER) and facial action unit detection. We selected two datasets, CASME II and SAMM, and designed microexpression recognition (MER), facial action unit detection, and ablation experiments for performance verification. According to the experimental results, the performance of the multi-task learning model we designed is significantly improved on the two evaluation indicators of UAR (81.97%) and UF1 (81.98%), and it has both adaptability and robustness.


This article reports the fabrication of thick films of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) on platinum‐buffered silicon substrates by screen printing. Crack‐free films, up to 12 μm on a single pass, show a dielectric permittivity of 200, tangent losses of 0.05, remanent polarization of 2.5 μC/cm2, and coercive field of 40 kV/cm. The field‐induced longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient d33 at 40 kV/cm dc bias and 4 kV/cm alternating field corresponded to 50 pC/N. The magnitude of the piezoelectric voltage coefficient g33, computed from the strain coefficient and dielectric permittivity, under the same conditions, was found to be 36×10−3 V m/N, higher than that of a poled PZT bulk ceramic in comparison. These results are promising for a broad variety of sensor applications.


For one kind of a plurality of selected engine speed, transmission gear and engine torque converter slip torque adjusting method. Using a sensor to determine the vibration transmitted to the drive train of the vehicle through a torque converter. Sensor signal is sent to the controller, the controller, the sensor signal is transformed into the frequency domain. If the amplitude of the frequency signal exceeds the threshold value, the algorithm increase / decrease converter slip, until the driveline vibration equal to a threshold.


P. Osl. Inv. 1460 (= SB VI, 9121) preserves a private letter sent by Heraklous to Pompeius. The expression 'to annoy me' seems to be an indication of the Alexandrian origin of the letter. New readings clarify details of the story.


Water treatment compositions are provided that are effective for mitigating corrosion or fouling of surfaces in contact with aqueous systems. The water treatment compositions can include one or more azole compounds, one or more transition metals, and one or more dispersants, in addition to various other additives. The water treatment compositions can exclude phosphorus and still be effective. Methods for mitigating corrosion or fouling of a surface in an aqueous system are also provided.


The development of subject knowledge by student teachers has been a key part of initial teacher education courses for design and technology. Since 1995 there have been subject specific competences which students have been expected to address. With a changing curriculum in secondary schools it was felt timely to reflect on their relevance. This paper explores the background to the competences, undertakes a brief critical review of their content and reviews employer requirements in relation to fields of knowledge. The paper concludes by highlighting a number of issues to be addressed and possible consequences of dropping the design and technology association competences as a guiding document and the need for future research. Introduction The majority of design and technology teachers entering the profession do so through one-year PGCE courses. As such they tend to be individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds. Whilst this is a positive aspect of recruitment to the subject it means that many students do not have all the skills, knowledge and understanding that the subject requires. Consequently the development of subject knowledge for student teachers of design and technology is a key part of their experience whilst in training. Currently the educational context that student teachers work within is in a process of change with a new Secondary Curriculum (QCA 2007) due to commence in September 2008 along with significant changes to the 14-19 curriculum. These changes are likely to place different demands on students pedagogical and subject knowledge. It was for these reasons, along with anecdotal evidence from students and mentors, that it was decided to review the relevance of the subject specific competences used by those involved in design and technology. In order to explore the relevance of the The Design and Technology Association's Competences a small-scale research study was undertaken that involved analysing terminology, exploring the work involved and attitudes of students, employer requirements and students perceptions of employer requirements. Subject Construct In becoming a teacher of design and technology in secondary schools there are a number of pedagogical and practical elements that must be developed at the same time. A clear explanation is given by Banks and Barlex (1999) who, building on work done by Schulman (1986), identify three interrelated strands: school knowledge, subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. This is best illustrated diagrammatically (Figure 1). Figure 1: The Three Interrelated Strands It is clear from their research that the development of subject knowledge is crucial for the development of competent design and technology teachers. This comes as no surprise and has been the focus of a number of papers by those involved in the subject, notably Price and Reid (1993), Lewis (1996), Rutland 1 Competence in Question: The Relevance of the Design and Technology Association Minimum Competences to Initial Teacher Education Mike Martin, Liverpool John Moores University, England School Knowledge(related to the way subject knowledge is specific to schools) Subject Knowledge Pedagogical Knowledge Personal Subject Construct The Design and Technology Association Education & International Research Conference 2008 (2001) and Zanker (2005). All of these highlight the significance of the development of appropriate subject knowledge along with the recognition that there is limited time available to do so. Clearly without sufficient knowledge of materials and processes it becomes impossible for students to teach the subject. Competences for Design and Technology Prior to the development of competences, the kind of subject knowledge that was developed depended on the individual teacher training institution with no national guidelines on what was expected. The The Design and Technology Association's Minimum Competences were developed at an important time for design and technology with a revised version of the National Curriculum for the subject following five years of considerable debate and development with curriculum documents being developed every year. A significant impetus for design and technology competences was the development of teaching Standards by the TTA (Circular 9/92) which formed the basis of the document and were themselves competence based. The principle aim of the original Design and Technology Association Competences was to 'produce high quality newly qualified teachers who meet the expectations of future employers' (The Design and Technology Association, 1995:7). Initial teacher Education (ITE) institutions tended to use the Standards in auditing students subject knowledge and setting targets for development. Although the original document was a research paper, Ofsted have used the structure of the competences as a way of reporting on the subject knowledge was developed and rapidly the competences became the standard by which institutions would be judged. Reports refer to the extent to which students develop knowledge in different 'fields' at different key stages, very much anticipating that it's developed according to the structure outlined in the document: Trainees enter the PGCE course with a good grounding in the subject knowledge associated with their main field of D&T, having studied aspects such as home economics, fashion and textiles, design, design for industry, and mechanical or electrical engineering. Several have higher degrees in a relevant specialism. During the course, they develop their specialism further and acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding to teach their second field of D&T. Ofsted (2006) Content The original 1995 and 2003 update versions of the design and technology association competences document both divide design and technology into four fields: Food Technology; Resistant Materials (Materials Technology in the update); Systems and Control (ECT in the update) and Textiles Technology (Figure 2). Figure 2: The Fields of The Design and Technology Association Competences Document Whilst there is are no specific combinations made between the 'fields' in the document, providers usually work on the basis of resistant materials together with control and systems and food technology together with textiles technology. This is evident on the course information available on the GTTR website (GTTR 2008). A consequence of the The Design and Technology Association competences following on from those developed for QTS by the TDA was that tightly defined competences were developed. This number was not significantly reduced in the revised version and if assessed comprehensively, students would need to provide evidence for around 100 competences (98 for a student specialising in Materials with Control and Systems as a second field or 118 for a student specialising in Food with Textiles as a second field). In addition to this seemingly fragmented assessment of design and technology capability with all it's associated difficulties (Kimbell 1997:20), the competences use a mixture of


Keywords: Process Control, PID Control, Dead-Time Processes, Process Zeros. Abstract: The use of the Pseudo-Derivative Feedback (PDF) structure in the control of stable or unstable dead-time processes with a negative or a positive zero is investigated. A simple direct synthesis method for tuning the PDF controller is presented. Moreover, a modification of the proposed method, which ensures its applicability in the case of large overshoot response processes with dead time, is also presented. The PDF control structure and the proposed tuning method ensure smooth closed-loop response to set-point changes, fast regulatory control and sufficient robustness against parametric uncertainty. Simulation results show that, in most cases, the proposed method is as efficient as the best of the most recent PID controller tuning methods for dead-time processes with negative/positive zeros, while its simplicity in deriving the controller settings is a plus point over existing PID controller tuning formulae.


In this article, an overview of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is presented from a biopsychosocial perspective, an attempt to circumvent disparate psychological and medical viewpoints and offer a broader, more integrated view of ADHD. Through a review of the current literature on ADHD treatment within the clinical field, as well as intervention strategies for ADHD within the educational field, the author proposes the self-regulated behavior paradigm. This person-centered paradigm uses both pathological and growth-oriented constructs of human nature. As such, it offers the advantage of being able to integrate pathologically oriented approaches with growthoriented approaches within a single comprehensive intervention plan.The impact of this approach in helping people with ADHD is discussed.


Urothelial tumour of the renal pelvis presenting as large hydronephrosis is uncommon. Clinical suspicion of urothelial carcinoma does not arise in the absence of haematuria. This case highlights the pitfalls of standard investigations, which might miss the diagnosis. 67-year-old man presented with mass and dull aching pain over right upper abdomen. Laboratory investigations were within normal limits. Ultrasound showed dilated renal pelvis with a stone. IVU showed non visualisation of right kidney with a stone in the pelvis. CECT showed nonfunctioning right kidney with gross hydronephrosis and a stone of size 2.1x1.8 cm in the renal pelvis. Right PCN was done and initially 1.2 litre of brown coloured urine drained, which progressively decreased to less than 30 mL per day. Right nephrectomy was done. Specimen revealed a stone along with a growth in the renal pelvis. HPE report of the growth was Infiltrating urothelial carcinoma with glandular differentiation. During the postoperative period, cystoscopy was done to exclude urothelial tumour of the bladder. Subsequently remaining right ureter along with a cuff of bladder was removed. Specimen showed growth involving the lower part of ureter. HPE of the ureter showed infiltrating urothelial carcinoma. Patient currently is on followup. In this case a preoperative diagnosis of pelvic urothelial tumour was neither suspected nor confirmed by investigations. This case is presented for its rarity and to emphasise the need for high degree of suspicion to further investigate non-functioning kidneys to detect underlying urothelial carcinoma.


The Hongkong meeting in 1985 dis-cussed and approved 8 standard Englishnomenclature of the basic technical terms ofZhenjiu(See page 5 of pamphlet:StandardAcupuncture Nomenclature—Part 2).These 8 standard technical terms withEnglish translation is far from enough tosuit the increasing needs of international a-cademic exchanges on Zhenjiu.From 1975to 1989,more than 2,000 doctors from over120 countries and regions studied Zhenjiu inthe three International Zhenjiu Training


This essay deals with translation issues arising when translating a political newspaper article from Spanish into Swedish. The identified issues are strongly related to cultural differences between ...


Tin oxide SnO2 thin films are deposited by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition APCVD technique. The electrical properties of the deposited films and the influence of the temperature ranging from room temperature to 500°C are analyzed by Hall measurement technique. The negative value of the hall constant indicates that the obtained tin oxide thin films are an N type semiconductor. The value of the mobility and the carrier concentration are 21 cm²/ V. sec and 1,50. 1020 cm-3 respectively. These films present an optical reflectance less than 20%.The change of the surface morphology due to the heat treatment is characterized by the scanning electronic microscopy SEM and the transmission electronic microscopy TEM. The films have a polycrystalline aspect. A post annealing at 500°C improves their morphology.


To the Editor:— In the Questions and Answers section of the June 15 issue ofThe Journal( 184 :908 ) there is a question regarding management of pleural effusion in Hodgkin's disease. The reply to the query mentions the use of systemic treatment, as well as local (intrapleural) chemotherapeutic and radioactive agents, quite acceptably. However, I consider it a surprising omission that externally delivered radiation therapy is not even mentioned. In my experience as an internist interested in cancer chemotherapy, I have found that my radiation-therapy colleagues have been able to control effusions in Hodgkin's disease by judicious irradiation to the mediastinum and/or pleura in cases where systemic and local agents have failed. I feel that by and large, where technically feasible, radiation therapy in Hodgkin's disease still holds the most prominent place—a simple fact that sometimes seems to be overlooked in this age of enthusiasm for cancer chemotherapy.


This paper reports methodologies for training both linguists and native speakers of Mixtec in recognizing and describing tones. We present a description of the tone inventory of two varieties of Mixtec. We offer a list of pedagogical techniques for tone perception and learning, accompanied by suggestions for their use. (session 2.1.6)


The function of campus radio broadcasting includes shaping political public opinions, promulgating knowledge and culture, communicating ideas and concepts, optimizing environment of educating teachers, and providing services for as many students and teachers as possible. The practical way of reinforcing and improving campus radio broadcasting is to adhere to the reality, life, and students' true thoughts, so the campus radio broadcasting can be brought into full play.


This paper presents subjective experimental results to understand how audio should be changed when a video clip is watched in 3D than 2D. This paper divided auditory perceptual information into two categories; distance and azimuth that a sound source contributes mostly, and spaciousness that scene or environment contribute mostly. According to the experiment for distance and azimuth, i.e. sound localization, we found that distance and azimuth of sound sources were magnified when heard with 3D than 2D video. This lead us to conclude 3D sound for localization should be designed to have more distance and azimuth than 2D sound. Also we found 3D sound are preferred to be played with not only 3D video clip but also 2D video clip. According to the experiment for spaciousness, we found people prefer sound with more reverberation when they watch 3D video clips than 2D video clips. This can be understood that 3D video provides more spacial information than 2D video. Those subjective experimental results can help audio engineer familiar with 2D audio to create 3D audio, and be fundamental information of future research to make 2D to 3D audio conversion system. Furthermore when designing 3D broadcasting system with limited bandwidth and with 2D TV supportive, we propose to consider transmitting stereoscopic video, audio with enhanced localization, and metadata for TV sets to generate reverberation for spaciousness.


The world-wide operation of current, traditional price-modelling systems is examined and the extent to which they incorporate the production process is analysed in terms of the characteristics of realistic price models. Attention is focused on current international research and the authors comment on the competence of these recent developments to exhibit the integration of construction planning into pre-tender price modelling.


The Alba 4-C/4-D seismic survey has met several ambitious objectives, including improved structural/stratigraphic imaging and time lapse monitoring of reservoir fluids.


A method based on wavelet transform according to the characteristics of ultrasonic flaw echoes was put forward for signal denoising in ultrasonic testing. Test results showed that noises were depressed well, signal-to-noise ratio was improved obviously, and flaw location accuracy and longitudinal resolution were improved by using the method.


The study has three major components; an estimate of the costs of improving automobile and light truck fuel economy, an estimate of the cost of producing synthetic fuels for transportation, and subjecting these estimates to the scrutiny and criticism of a steering group composed of experts in the relevant fields. Included in appendices are financing fuel economy, and fuel economy sensitivity analysis scenarios.


Feeding of protozoan and crustacean zooplankton was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM), resulting in direct counts of particles ingested by each individual. Ciliates (Cyclidium sp.) were allowed to feed on Microcystis aeruginosa and analyzed directly on a flow cytometer for cyanobacterial autofluorescence coincident with each ciliate. Numbers of Microcystis cells ingested (e.g. 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 ciliate−1) were estimated from the total fluorescence intensity of each ciliate. Crustaceans (Daphnia magna and Bosmina tubicen) were fed fluorescent beads or Microcystis, sonicated to release their gut contents, and the resulting suspension from each individual was quantitatively analyzed by FCM. These methods allow estimation of several aspects of feeding behavior, including particle selectivity, mechanisms of particle capture, gut volume of small organisms, feeding and clearance rates, and individual variation of the preceding parameters. Flow cytometry is more rapid than direct counts by microscope and more accurate than many indirect methods.


Objective To discuss the influence of L(-)-carnitine on renal failure peritoneal dialysis patients micro inflammation and nutrition state.Methods 30 cases of chronic renal failure peritoneal dialysis patients were selected,all of which received over 6 months of regular continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis,and then given 1 g of L(-)-carnitine 0.9% added in sodium chloride injection 20 mL through intravenous injection,3 times a week,for 12 weeks continuously.Blood urea nitrogen,creatinine,hemoglobin(Hb),albumin(Alb),hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP),interleukin(IL)6 were tested before and after treatment,and improved comprehensive evaluation method of subjective nutrition(SGA)was used for nutrition evaluation.Results Among the 30 cases,Scr,Hb,Alb increased after treatment,whereas hs-CRP,IL-6,BUN decreased after treatment,the differences were statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion L(-)-carnitine can improve the micro inflammation and nutrition status of patients with chronic renal failure receiving peritoneal dialysis.of.


The kinetics of crystallization of a soft magnetic amorphous Fe40Ni38B18Mo4 alloy was studied by TEM, EDX and resistivity methods. The inetic parameters were measured from TEM studies and resistivity measurements. Nanocrystals of the fcc FeNi phase were found to crystallize by a rimary crystallization mechanism followed by slow growth kinetics. The volume fraction measured by TEM matches well with that calculated from esistivity results and a TTT diagram was constructed. Quantitative measurements of the nucleation and growth rates as a function of temperature nd time were performed. The nucleation rate was found to decrease with an increase in heat treatment time due to an increase in boron content n the amorphous matrix as the crystallization took place. The crystal growth was found to slow down considerably due to the presence of Mo. he crystal size was calculated according to the Michels model and compared to our experimental results. Molybdenum was found to dramatically lter the energetics of crystallization, the morphology of the crystals and particularly the kinetics of crystallization. These results offer a method f creating new families of nanostructured magnetic materials by suitable molybdenum addition. 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Objective
To investigate the relationship between discharge C-reactive protein (CRP) level of osteoarthritis (OA) patients and periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after primary unilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods
From January 2013 to December 2015, 480 OA patients receiving primary unilateral THA or TKA were admitted in department of Orthopedics of Zhongda Hospital Southeast University. The inclusion criteria were normal CRP level before operation, and exclusion criteria were preoperative history of infection, diabetes mellitus, malignant tumors, ect. The patients were divided into the high CRP group (273 cases) and the normal CRP group (207 cases) based on serum CRP level at discharging. Both groups were matched for known confounding factors such as sex, age and discharge time. The hemogram, temperature and wounds of all the patients were normal at discharge, and no antibiotic or NSAIDs were used after discharge. Cases and occurrence time of PJI were recorded during the follow-up. The measurement date were tested by t test, and the incidence of PJI was compared by chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability method.

Results
Both groups were matched for known confounding factors such as sex, age and discharge time. A total of 415 cases were followed-up after discharge, ranging from 13 to 26 months (18±3) months on average. Although there were three and two PJI cases in both groups respectively at the last follow-up, the results indicated no significant difference in incidence rate of PJI (χ2=0.023, P>0.05). The occurrence time of PJI in the high CRP group was shorter than that in the normal CRP group obviously, and the higher CRP level at discharge, the shorter occurrence time of PJI.

Conclusion
There may be no relationship between discharge CRP level of OA patients and incidence rate of PJI after primary unilateral THA or TKA, however, the patients with high discharge C-reactive protein level should be closely followed up.

Key words:
C-reactive protein; Arthroplasty, replacement; Hip; Knee; Osteoarthritis; Joint prosthesis; Infection


Introduction : To address major deficits in the delivery of acute services in Ireland, the National Acute Medicine Programme (NAMP) was established to optimize the management of acutely ill patients  in the hospital setting, and ensure their supported discharge to primary and community-based care. NAMP aims to reduce inappropriate hospital admissions, reduce length of hospital stay and ensure timely treatment in the most appropriate setting. To meet these aims, the NAMP has established four patient pathways: 1- Ambulatory care pathway - provides access to care and avoids admission by utilizing Acute Medical Assessment Units (AMAUs) 2- Medical short stay pathway - Short Stay Units (SSUs) for assessment and treatment up to 48 hours 3- Routine specialist in-patient pathways - efficient processing of patients with stays between 3 and 14 nights 4- Pathway for frailer and older patients with complex needs after discharge - appropriate care and discharge of complex patients Methods : Study design: This mixed method study will follow a realist evaluation approach to understand how implementation of NAMP has improved patient flow across care settings. To assess its impact, data on structures (e.g., patient flow through ED and the AMAUs, access to senior medical staff), processes (e.g., patient experience time ,length of stay, readmission rates), clinical outcomes and programme sustainability will be examined. This approach involves successive phases of data collection to first establish the underlying rationale for the NAMP and to specify intervention strategies to improve patient flow, secondly generate hypotheses about how the programme is working, and thirdly test these hypotheses using data from hospital administrative systems and interviews with frontline staff. Data sources: The evaluation will draw on multiple data sources: i- Documentary analysis Documents outlining new models of care and patient pathways, and programme reports will be analyzed to develop initial programme theories, identify interventions, and refine evaluation questions. ii- Qualitative data Focus groups and interviews with NAMP programme staff will be conducted to generate hypotheses about how the programme works in different contexts. ii- Hospital administrative datasets Hospital level datasets will be analyzed to examine  structural and process outcomes. ii- Comparative case studies  - mix of quantitative and qualitative data Six hospital sites will be purposively sampled based on their performance on process indicators.  A value stream map will be created for each site and hospital specific documents  (e.g., protocols, SOPs, hospital audits and surveys, staffing levels) will be reviewed to create a profile of each hospital. Interviews with front-line staff will be conducted to identify what aspects are working, for whom, how, and in what circumstances. Data analysis : Data will be analyzed using an explanatory sequential design. Quantitative data will firstly be analyzed to assess variation across hospitals, and qualitative research conducted to explain these results.  Findings will be synthesised using analytic induction to develop middle range theory on how the programme leads to specific outcomes.  Discussion : Evaluation of this large national programme will enable us to generate practical theory about how specific adaptations in hospital acute care pathways can promote effective patient flow through the continuum of care from presentation at the emergency department through safe discharge home.


In monatomic plasmas excited by high‐intensity relativistic electron beams, the electron secondary distribution function is dominated by elastic electron‐electron collisions at low electron energies and by inelastic electron‐atom collisions at high electron energies (above the excitation threshold). Under these conditions, the total rate of excitation by inelastic collisions is limited by the rate at which electron‐electron collisions relax the distribution function in the neighborhood of the excitation threshold. To describe this effect quantitatively, an approximate analytic solution of the electron Boltzmann equation is obtained, including both electron‐electron and inelastic collisions. The result provides a simple formula for the total rate of excitation.


Evidence-Based Spine-Care Journal The authors have no conflict of interest. Institutional Review Board was sought for this research in association with informed patient consent. The article in no way refers to the identity of the individual involved. ABSTRACT Study design: Case report. We present the case of a 55-year-old woman with cauda equina syndrome, and hypokalaemic paralysis secondary to thiazide diuretic abuse. Case report—Hypokalaemic paralysis secondary to thiazide diuretic abuse (...)


Background: It is known that AV nodal (AVN) ablation wth right ventricular pacing at regular rate (R) produced better hemodynamics compared to irregular pacing (IR) at the same average rate during atrial fibrillation (AF). However these observations were made at fast ventricular rates (VR) similar to those present in AF. We test the role of the paced ventricular irregularity at different average VR. Methods and Results: AF was induced and maintained in 12 dogs. Selective AVN vagal stimulation was delivered to slow VR to 125%, lOO%, 80%, and 67% of the sinus rate (SR). The AVN was then ablated. The IR and R were performed using the 4 sets of saved RR intervals, and the corresponding averages respectively. For each level of VA, R was superior to IR (Table). This difference, however, was significantly attenuated when VR was slowed to 67% SR. Conclusion: lrregularlty of VR remains an independent factor in the deterioration of hemodynamics in AF. Its role is diminished with progressive slowing of VR.


Conflict between economic interests of two or more countries can take place in the inflation prone floating exchange regime and thus affect monetary policies of each other. This paper has examined whether the exchange rates of the currencies of the industrial countries are affecting India's currency and making the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervene in the foreign exchange market.


: Unrestricted DFT (UDFT), time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) and spin-flip TDDFT (SF-TDDFT) were used to investigate the potential energy surfaces of the ground and first two electronic excited states of the naphthalene, pyrene and perylene radical cations. In particular, conical intersections - which play a central role in the photophysics of these cations - were located with these DFT-based methods. The results are consistent with accurate multiconfigurational wavefunction-based ab initio methods. These show that naphthalene and pyrene cations can quickly relax nonradiatively from their excited states back down to the original ground state species through easily accessible conical intersections, but the perylene cation cannot do so, due to the absence of any accessible funnels between the lowest excited state and the ground state, leaving radiative decay as the most probable photophysical pathway. This study paves the way for using computationally efficient density functional theory (DFT)-based methods in future investigations of the photophysics of much larger polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, for which multiconfigurational wavefunction-based methods become prohibitively expensive. was used to locate the D 0 /D 1 crossings to avoid imaginary roots in the random-phase approximation (RPA) near conical intersections. Calculations were performed using different quantum chemistry codes, depending on methods currently implemented therein: Gaussian 09, [27] Molpro, [28] Molcas [29] and QChem. [30] cations - naphthalene, pyrene and perylene - is investigated with density functional theory (DFT)-based approaches: unrestricted DFT, time-dependent DFT and spin-flip DFT. A consistent mechanistic photophysical picture is obtained compared to accurate multiconfigurational wavefunction-based ab initio methods, in particular with regard to the description of critical conical intersections.


Internet journals offer some remarkable opportunities for scholars in disseminating ideas and results to a global community in a timely fashion. As the brief history of the Internet journal First Monday proves, scholars and their editors and publishers have barely tested a few of the possibilities of this medium.


A small gap surface acoustic wave transducer, which has a very small free surface between consecutive electrodes, thus being able to operate a very high frequency (of the order of several gigahertz. The transducer of the invention includes a grating of etched grooves separated by mesas in the substrate. This array is covered with a metallization layer, making up the electrodes, which makes it possible to obtain the transducer in a direct manner.


To perform a subset analysis of faith‐ and community‐based screening events to further identify at‐risk populations for head and neck cancer in hopes of further focusing screening efforts.


This manuscript presents decadal trends in nearshore waves and sea ice along the Beaufort coast. Waves in deep-water are given by the ERA5 reanalysis product, and then the SWAN wave model is used to evolve those waves closer to the coast. The recent implementation of wave-ice interactions in SWAN is applied, with tuning provided by in situ observations. Strong increases in coastal wave exposure are determined.


Presents algorithms for animating deformable objects in real time. We focus on computing the deformation of an object subject to external forces and detecting collisions among deformable and rigid objects. The targeted application domain is surgical training. This application relies more on visual realism than exact, patient-specific deformation, but requires that computations be performed in real time. This is in contrast with pre-operative surgical planning, where computations may be done offline but must provide accurate results. To achieve real-time performance, the proposed algorithms take advantage of the fact that most deformations are local, human-body tissues are well damped, and motions of surgical instruments are relatively slow. They have been integrated into a virtual reality system for simulating the suturing of small blood vessels (microsurgery).


The advantage of carry free addition offered by signed-digit numbers is exploited in designing a fast adder circuit. Signed-digit numbers with radix 2 and digit set (-1,0,1), called redundant binary signed-digit (RBSD) numbers, are used in the design. Ternary logic circuits using an MOS/CMOS combination are employed. The ternary logic and RBSD number system complement each other well because one ternary bit can support one RBSD digit. This provides an advantage over using binary logic where more than one bit would be needed to support one RBSD digit. While the RBSD number system offers faster add times because of carry free addition, ternary logic offers reduced circuit complexity in terms of both transistor count and interconnections. All circuit implementations were simulated and verified for satisfactory performance using SPICE software on a SUN workstation.<<ETX>>


We introduce a solution concept for signaling games, called Rational Hypothesis Testing Equi-librium (RHTE). Beliefs are updated via Ortoleva's (2012) Hypothesis Testing model, allowing for conditioning on information sets off the path. Hypotheses are conjectures by the un-informed player about opponent's strategies that rationalize sending an unexpected message. Each RHTE is a Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium, but not vice versa. RHTE features a number of desirable properties: First, beliefs are structurally consistent in the spirit of Kreps and Wilson (1982). Second, beliefs are consistent with mutual knowledge of rationality. Third, RHTE can be related to the prominent refinement concepts, including the Intuitive Criterion, strategic stability, and undefeated equilibrium. In the Spence game, RHTE restricts the admissible wages, significantly reducing the number of equilibria. Finally, we show that our equilibrium notion offers an alternative explanation for the experimental results in Brandts and Holt (1992, 1993).


Abstract : The total impulse approach to linear viscoelasticity developed by Farris has been extended to the study of kinetics of network formation and development of mechanical properties in nonlinear polymerization reactions. A single experiment permits kinetic data and absolute measurements of viscosity and elastic parameters to be obtained during the elevation of a reacting system from a liquid to a glassy or rubber network. The method was applied to the cure of an epoxi-amine system at different temperature to obtain kinetic information (gel times), viscosities and elastic parameters. Theoretical predictions of pre-gel and post-gel relations are in good agreement with the observed experimental values. (Author)


Spectroscopy applications, e.g., TDLAS for gas sensing, require very stable single-mode laser sources to avoid or reduce in-situ or undesirably frequent wavelength calibration. Such stability of laser characteristics can be achieved, in general, by the quality of epitaxial growth and quality of processing technology but must be complemented by a robust epitaxial and device design. In addition to outstanding electro-optical performance, we present exceptionally stable laser characteristics, like threshold current, slope efficiency, output power, and lasing wavelength over observation periods exceeding 4000 hours at accelerating operation conditions correspondent to 8 years of continuous operation.


China's policy of reform and opening up has brought profound changes to people's moral life and public life.The moral values that has ruled China for several thousand years began to lose some of its significance,and modern people have been caught in a modern moral dilemma.Undoubtedly,one of the reasons is that the traditional Confucian ethics have not been able to offer the value support to modern Chinese's behaviors.Although the honesty that modern society requires is very different from the honesty of the traditional Confucian ethics,the ethical values has its own continuity,and there is a lot of meeting points between the honesty that the traditional Confucian ethics demands and the integrity of modern society.To this end,people must be aware of the modernization of traditional Confucian faith,to make it adapt to the modern market economy,and also to provide power for people to overcome the moral dilemma that appears in the process of social transformation.


The aim of this experimental study was to examine the impact of low to moderate alcohol levels (0.65 (per mille)) on attention performance and physiological activation (heart rate) depending on the subject's drinking history. The study was conducted with the Aufmerksamkeits-Prufgerat (APG). In a placebo controlled double blind design with repeated measurement, 48 subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. Measurements were carried out both when sober and after treatment. Heart rate was continuously monitored (Biopac 2000) while the subjects were performing the tests. The results clearly indicate that subjects under the influence of alcohol tend to concentrate on stimuli in the central attention field and neglect stimuli in the peripheral attention field. A more detailed analysis revealed that merely subjects with a low drinking frequency showed impaired attention performance. On the other hand, during the test, subjects with a high drinking frequency showed an increased cardio-vascular activation while under the influence of alcohol. It can be concluded that the increased activation in this particular group is a concomitant of increased effort during the test. Therefore the results suggest that subjects with a high drinking frequency, in the short term, are able to compensate alcohol induced attention deficits through increased effort.


Temperature dependences of velocity of longitudinal ultrasonic waves are determined by an echo-pulse method in the basic crystallographic directions in an interval of temperatures 130-300 K. The jump-like anomalies accompanied by temperature hysteresises are observed by V ii = f ( T ) dependences at temperatures 255 and 281 K. These anomalies correspond to phase transitions: ferroelastic--ferroelectric, ferroelectric--incommensurate phase. Also, anomalies in the form of slight inclination changes of the V ii ( T ) dependences are revealed close to temperatures 210, 223, 236, 267 K.


The deterioration susceptibility of asbestos in mild acid concentration equivalent to acid rain has been studied. Bile salt was tested on the materials surface as inhibitor. Weight loss measurement reveals that bile salt inhibits the corrosion of asbestos in acidic corrodent with low efficiency. The deterioration effect is more pronounced with increasing temperatures as well as inhibitor concentration. Chemical adsorption mechanism has been proposed for the inhibitor. The low values of deterioration efficiency are probably due to the presence of Ca atoms in the chemical composition of asbestos.


A method of inhibiting corrosion of steel New Inhibitor in saline (abbreviated XM-606), by 35 to 45% sodium molybdate, 5-9% phosphoric acid, triethanolamine, 2 to 4% zinc dihydrogen phosphate and 45 to 55% consisting of hexamethylenetetramine. This inhibitor concentration of 1000 to multiple protective film is formed not only on the steel surface when 2500 ppm of saline, and when the film has the ability to self-repair damaged fashion, thus inhibiting corrosion of the steel it is particularly effective in saline, slow erosion rate as high as 99.24%. And the required dosage, low cost, non-toxic materials.


Electronic structure of metal ${\mathrm{CoSi}}_{2}$/insulator ${\mathrm{CaF}}_{2}$ superlattice is studied by the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method, based on the density-functional theory. From the comparison of calculated total energies for some atomic configurations in the superlattice interface, it is concluded that the Si layer is in contact with a F layer at the interface. Using this atomic configuration, the band structure and the density of states are calculated: the band structure of the ${\mathrm{CoSi}}_{2}/{\mathrm{CaF}}_{2}$ superlattices is quite different from the bulks due to electron confinement effects, i.e., the subband structure and highly nested hole sheets appear. Also, band offsets for some energy levels in the superlattice and a transition probability of an electron between two metallic layers under an electric field are calculated.


The Effect of Utilizing a Humanoid Robot on Social Engagement Behaviors in Children with Autism During Interaction with a Familiar Adult Alyssa Stabenow Department of Communication Disorders, BYU Master of Science This study focused on intervention using a humanoid robot to facilitate social engagement and joint attention in four children with autism. Intervention was conducted over a three month period, with each child receiving pre-testing, intervention, and post-testing. Intervention was based on the SCERTS model (Prizant, Wetherby, Rubin, & Laurent, 2003). Preand post-testing involved interactions with a parent, a familiar adult interaction, a lessfamiliar adult interaction, and a triadic interaction. This study focuses on the baseline and follow-up testing from the interaction with the familiar adult. Following a period of traditional intervention, sessions involving a humanoid robot (named Troy) were conducted. The robot was integrated into the therapy in a low dose model, meaning that during a 50-minute therapy session, approximately 10 minutes were designated to interactions using the robot to facilitate the interaction. Preand post-intervention assessments were recorded, analyzed, and coded for social engagement behaviors. Results comparing baseline to follow-up assessments of the interactions with the familiar adult indicated that the most notable changes were observed in reciprocal action and eye contact. Little change was noted in initiation of social engagement, symbolic play, and language. The implications of these results are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.


Acute myeloid leukemia with minimal differentiation (AML-MO) is a recently described entity, and few large studies are available to characterize its clinical and pathologic features. We reviewed blood and bone marrow morphology, cytochemistry, immunophenotyp ing, and cytogenetics, as well as the clinical findings, of 17 patients with AML-MO. Most patients were male, with a median age of 62 years. Minimal background myelodysplastic features were identi fied in only 5 of 15 patients. Cytochemical stains for myeloperoxi dase and a-naphthyl butyrate esterase were negative in the leukemic blasts of all specimens. Positivity for one or both myeloid-associated antigens, CD13 and CD33, was seen in all patients. Both CD34 and HLA-DR were positive in all tested cases. Lymphoid-associated antigens were identified in seven patients; these antigens were typically dim or weak in intensity. Terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase positivity was seen in 14 of 14 tested patients; monoclonal anti-myeloperoxidase reactivity was seen in the blasts of 2 patients. Abnormal clonal karyotypes were found in 6 of 14 patients. Abnormalities of chromosomes 7 and 13 were the most common findings, most frequently manifested by monosomy 7 and trisomy 13. The median follow-up was 8 months. Eight patients died of their disease, three are alive with disease, and six are in first or second remission (including three patients treated with bone marrow transplantation). When narrowly defined, AML- MO appears to be a homogeneous entity that affects older and pre dominantly male patients. It has no single karyotypic abnormality, but complex karyotypes with monosomy 7 and trisomy 13 are com monly found. Acute myeloid leukemia with minimal differentia tion is relatively resistant to chemotherapy; however, bone marrow transplantation may provide a better outcome for eligible patients.


The results of the HCM clustering algorithm are often local optimal solutions.There often exists insignificant clustering in the result of the HCM clustering algorithm when traditional definitions are adopted in the operations between fuzzy sets.Our research indicates that some local optimal solutions can be avoided by using genetic algorithms in the HCM clustering algorithm.Therefore this article applies genetic algorithms to the HCM clustering algorithm and designs the corresponding algorithms.Considering the efficiency and overhead,this paper modifies this algorithm.Finally,this paper puts forward a new algorithm named CHCM clustering.And then it compares the performance of CHCM with HCM using the test data.Experimental results show that the performance of CHCM is far better than that of HCM.


Objective  To evaluate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HER‐2 gene, body mass index (BMI) and the risk of endometrial cancer.


Introduction. With the advancements in the variable speed direct drive design and control of wind energy systems, the efficiency and energy capture of these systems is also increasing. As such, numerous linear controllers have also been developed, in literature, for MPPT which use the linear characteristics of the wind turbine system. The major limitation in all of those linear controllers is that they use the linearized model and they cannot deal with the nonlinear dynamics of a system. However, real systems exhibit nonlinear dynamics and a nonlinear controller is required to handle such nonlinearities in real-world systems. The novelty of the proposed work consists in the development of a robust nonlinear controller to ensure maximum power point tracking by handling nonlinearities of a system and making it robust against changing environmental conditions. Purpose. In the beginning, sliding mode control has been considered as one of the most powerful control techniques, this is due to the simplicity of its implementation and robustness compared to uncertainties of the system and external disturbances. Unfortunately, this type of controller suffers from a major disadvantage, that is, the phenomenon of chattering. Methods. So in this paper and in order to eliminate this phenomenon, a novel non-linear control algorithm based on a synergetic controller is proposed. The objective of this control is to maximize the power extraction of a variable speed wind energy conversion system compared to sliding mode control by eliminating the phenomenon of chattering and have a good power quality by fixing the power coefficient at its maximum value and the Tip Speed Ratio maintained at its optimum value. Results. The performance of the proposed nonlinear controllers has been validated in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, suppression of the chattering phenomenon and robustness of the proposed controller compared to the sliding mode control law. References 33, table 1, figures 17.


Abstract : After a general discussion of non-harmonic electromagnetic processes from the viewpoint of temporal Fourier (or Laplace) analysis and synthesis, a class of problems is considered for which the transient solution may be recovered in simple form. Included in this category are pulsed point, line and plane wave sources in free space, and in the presence of (a) a dielectric half-space, (b) a perfectly absorbing or perfectly conducting wedge or half plane, and (c) a unidirectionally conducting infinite and semi-infinite screen. Explicit expressions for the transient response, found by a systematic application of the modal procedures discussed in earlier chapters in this sequence, are interpreted in physical terms. Attention is then given to a second class of problems wherein an electric charge moves uniformly along a straight trajectory in various environments. The associated radiation is now of the Cerenkov type, and formulas for the fields as well as the radiated power are given. (Author)


To research the operational efficiency of air defense missile group,queuing theory is applied,and the specialty of combat action of air defense missile group is considered.Mathematics model is established,method to calculate average kill probability of missile group is analysised,and fitness of interception is introduced to revise the queue model.A reference is provided for researching on similar problems.


Denitritification is the key step a denitratification and to shortcut of nitrogen removal.In this paper,the effect of pH,MLSS and nitrite concentration on denitritification with nitrite concentration in the range of 30~110 mg·L-1 is investigated.The results indicate that denitritification will be more active when the value of pH is 7.5 or nitrite concentration is 60 mg·L-1.As the MLSS is increased,nitrite concentration falls rapidly and the efficiency of denitrificans is decreased.


The interrelationships among environmental strategy, environmental performance and financial performance have become a subject of ongoing debate. This study investigates the association between environmental strategies and environmental performance by utilizing the generalized method of moments technique to analyze a dataset of listed firms from 2007 to 2018. From a neo-institutional theory perspective, the findings are four-fold. First, environmental strategies are negatively correlated with financial performance. Second, the environmental performance has inversed relationship with financial performance. Third, there is a significant and positive association between the adoption of environmental management practice and environmental performance. Finally, the environmental expenditure-environmental management practice nexus is positively moderated by environmental audits.


Despite diagnostic criteria are currently available for the distinct subtypes of monocytic‐lineage neoplasias, a number of partially overlapping features still remain evident, which may hamper their differential diagnosis. An accurate identification and characterization of monocytic cells is of major relevance for the diagnosis and classification of these neoplasias. In this regard, as compared to other conventional techniques, flow cytometry has shown the highest sensitivity for detection of early monocytic commitment of (normal and neoplastic) bone marrow CD34+ hematopoietic precursors as well as of monocytic aberrations and maturation blockades, which are frequently associated with clonal myeloid disorders.


Air routes are largely determined by the interaction of geographical, political, economic and social factors. And airlines use their aircraft for a diversity of missions. Because of both factors the actual utilization of transport aircraft is well inside the payload-range envelope, which means that the designs are oversized for most flights. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the savings that could be achieved if transport aircraft were designed for shorter ranges; i.e., closer to the actual utilization pattern. In this design scenario, the maximum take-off weight and the operating empty weight would be remarkably reduced. This would lead to a reduction in aircraft price, trip fuel, maintenance cost, and landing and navigation charges as well as environmental impact. Direct operating cost as will be used as figure of merit of the reduced range approach.


A continuing cooperative program-in which NASSP is one of the cooperating members—is producing a steady flow of materials and exper iences that will be helpful to any school seek ing to enrich its curriculum with learning activities in the area of consumer economics.


This dissertation is devoted to study of complex systems in human physiology particularly heartbeats and brain dynamics. We have studied the dynamics of heartbeats that has been a subject of investigation of two independent groups. The first group emphasized the multifractal nature of the heartbeat dynamics of healthy subjects, whereas the second group had established a close connection between healthy subjects and the occurrence of crucial events. We have analyzed the same set of data and established that in fact the heartbeats are characterized by the occurrence of crucial and Poisson events. An increase in the percentage of crucial events makes the multifractal spectrum broader, thereby bridging the results of the former group with the results of the latter group. The crucial events are characterized by a power index that signals the occurrence of 1/f noise for complex systems in the best physiological condition.
These results led us to focus our analysis on the statistical properties of crucial events. We have adopted the same statistical analysis to study the statistical properties of the heartbeat dynamics of subjects practicing meditation. The heartbeats of people doing meditation are known to produce coherent fluctuations. In addition to this effect, we made the surprising discovery that meditation makes the heartbeat depart from the ideal condition of 1/f noise.
We also discussed how to combine the wave-like nature of the dynamics of the brain with the existence of crucial events that are responsible for the 1/f noise. We showed that the anomalous scaling generated by the crucial events could be established by means of a direct analysis of raw data. The efficiency of the direct analysis procedure is made possible by the fact that periodicity and crucial events is the product of a spontaneous process of self-organization. We argue that the results of this study can be used to shed light into the nature of this process of self-organization.


Objective To find new inhibitors of carbon steel corrosion in gas-field wastewater. Methods The synergistic inhibition effect of mannich( MABS) and thiourea( TU) on N80 carbon steel in corrosion system of gas-field wastewater was investigated by using polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy( EIS). Results The results showed that TU had strong inhibition effect on the anodic and cathodic processes of N80 steel corrosion,while MABS acted as mixed-type inhibitor preferentially restraining the cathodic process of metal. The combination of MABS and TU showed excellent synergistic inhibition effect in gasfield wastewater. When the Mannich and thiourea concentration was 0. 75% and 2. 5 mg / L,respectively,the inhibition effect was the best. Conclusion When using the combination of MABS and TU,a bi-layer inhibitor film with the inner layer of TU molecules and the outer layer of mannich molecules was formed on the N80 steel surface.


In this paper, we present the results from an experiment designed to evaluate the user experience of five different control schemes (buttons, steering wheel, joystick, joystick+button and accelerometer-based tilting) in a 2D top-down racing mobile game designed specifically for children. The experiment was conducted with 24 children from ages 6 to 14, both male and female, and with different levels of experience with mobile devices and mobile gaming. We present the results from our observations from the participants' interaction with the game as well as the results from a questionnaire and interview. Results indicate that the joystick controller provides a better experience than the proposed alternatives to inexperienced players.


Current regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require that PCBs in concentrations greater than 500 ppM be disposed of in EPA-permitted incinerators. Four commercial incineration systems in the United States have EPA operating permits for receiving and disposing of concentrated PCBs, but none can accept PCBs contaminated with nuclear materials. The first section of this report presents an overview of an EPA-sponsored program for studying PCB destruction in the large-scale Los Alamos controlled-air incinerator. A second major FY 1983 program, sponsored by the Naval Weapons Support Center, Crane, Indiana, is designed to determine operating conditions that will destroy marker smoke compounds without also forming polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are known or suspected to be carcinogenic. We discuss the results of preliminary trial burns in which various equipment and feed formulations were tested. We present qualitative analyses for PAHs in the incinerator offgas as a result of these tests.


In allusion to the long term closure and conservative conditions of the west China,the article points out the necessity of adopting the open minded thinking and the opening up policies, explains the targets, contents and ways for the development of the west China.


Similarly to most of Mediterranean EU member states, Portugal regularly experience severe water supply and demand imbalances, particularly in the summer months. Tourism is a very important economic activity in Portugal and is pushing water demand particularly in regions suffering occasional water deficit, like the southern half part of Portugal mainland. Golf courses are an important tourist factor contributing to water demand rising. A number of golf courses are installed in tourist areas and need high amount of water for irrigation. Water reuse is a very important management strategy in situations of water scarcity. Portugal badly needs to include treated wastewater as a dependable resource in the nation water resources management. Sustainable water reuse requires technical guidelines to ensure the public health and environmental protection but the economic sustainability is crucial for the success of water reuse projects as a strategy of water conservation. This paper briefly presents Portuguese guidelines on water reuse focusing mainly on the aspects to be taken into account in the assessment of the economic viability of water reuse projects, such as the model of tariff structure, the costs to internalise, share of costs among users and recovery of investment costs.


Industrial Design's responsibility is to design friendly environments for users that minimize the impact of proposed solutions ensuring that these will be regenerative and that they will give back more resources than the ones they have taken, always keeping in mind the improvement in societies' conditions. In a country of contrasts such as Colombia, social innovation is a challenge for disciplines with high social impact. For this reason the academy has been inclined to educate future professionals with high sense of social responsibility, searching always for sustainability, being understood as a tool that helps to mitigate current economic and social imbalances. This is why the Industrial Design Academic Program is looking forward to promoting solutions that face the future with a special emphasis on social responsibility, trying to intervene directly in particular sectors of the society, as well as specific communities with a high vulnerability level. A research methodology has been implemented during the last five years, concluding with a thesis design project developed by undergraduate senior students. This methodology directly involves the students with the specific environment to be affected, relating them directly with the problem and giving them the possibility to make an ethnographical study that allows the development of a design project centred in real needs. Up to this moment, the methodology has been successfully implemented achieving the development of projects that have been able to respond to real social needs using design as a tool for improving sustainability in the country.


We report a non-isothermal model and FEM results for prediction of geometries of fused silica micro-shell resonators fabricated by blowtorch molding process. The model is successfully applied to investigate the production details of 3-D hemi-ellipsoidal shells of revolutions with eccentricity, such as bird-bath shell resonators. The advantages of the present numerical model are that the shell geometry and thickness can be optimized by changing different fabrication parameters such as surface heat flux, conductivity of mold material and initial temperature of the mold. The model brings out the blowtorch molding capabilities and limitations for fabrication of hollow 3-D shell resonators.


a context typified by the proliferation of emitters and the increasing power of receivers, in which the traditional media seek effectivesolutions to exploit with the maximum profitability and quality the options of multiplatform, multimedia and interactive production. Innovation laboratories (or Media Labs) set up within major media organizations are a good indicator in this regard. This research focuses its interest on various cases of success in business, professional and content innovation in the field of journalism and communication in Spain —Lab RTVE, El Confidencial.Lab, Vocento Media Lab and the El Pais_Lab—, taking into account features such as their internal structure, the introduction of new professional profiles into the newsroom and the kinds of innovative products developed by these laboratories.


Resilient monitoring systems (RMS) are sensor networks that degrade gracefully under cyber-attacks on their sensors. The recently developed RMS, while being effective in the attacked sensors identification and isolation, exhibited a drawback in their operation - an exponentially increasing assessment time as a function of the number of sensors in the network. To combat this curse of dimensionality, a decomposition approach has been proposed, which led to a dramatic reduction of the assessment time, irrespective of the sensor network dimensionality. However, the information losses due to this approach, which involves decentralized inference calculations, have not been investigated. The current paper is intended to carry out such an investigation, and, specifically, derive a condition under which the inference calculations lead to no loss of information. The development is based on matrices, which characterize the coupling of process variables being monitored, and on the Renyi-2 entropy.


For two decades crime rates, particularly for violent crimes, have been declining across the globe. Homicide rates, the best-measured violent crime, are down by 50% or more in many Western European countries and in the US. The crime drop is not limited to wealthy western countries. Over the past 20 years the homicide rate in large numbers of developing countries has declined by two-thirds or more.


Abstract : Using electrodeless high-frequency mercury-arc lamps, along with spectral measurements, rapid determination of integral intensity of ultraviolet radiation may be accomplished by means of special indicators produced on the basis of monocrystilline cadmium sulfide photoresistors of the FSK-M1 type. These indicators can be used in the control of radiation of ultraviolet radiation sources, both in manufacture and application. (Author)


According to several surveys and research works, dermatological disease is one of the most widespread diseases across the globe. Around 20% of the world's population suffers from these diseases, whether it is a simple skin problems like acne and rashes or serious disorders like melanoma skin cancer, psoriasis, and others. Dermatological diseases affect individuals of all races, but it's not distributed equally among different racial and ethnic groups. Racial biases exist in the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of skin diseases, leading to disparities in healthcare outcomes. This study explores the impact of race on dermatological diseases, examining how skin conditions present differently in various racial groups and the underlying biological and sociocultural factors that contribute to these differences. It also discusses the challenges that arise in diagnosing and treating skin diseases in patients from diverse racial backgrounds and the need for a more inclusive and culturally competent approach to dermatology. Understanding the racial biases in dermatology is crucial for achieving health equity and improving outcomes for all patients.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to build on the resource-based view to analyze the influence of location effects on a firm's ability to develop export-related resources and capabilities which then impacts on export performance. Design/methodology/approach – To test the proposed hypotheses, a sample of small-to-medium exporting firms located in Australia is analyzed using partial least squared modeling. Findings – The findings show that access to location specific advantages (i.e. access to sources of supply, government agencies, export-related services and infrastructure, managerial labor skills, and network opportunities) are essential antecedents for the firm's ability to develop export-related resources and capabilities which in turn drives export performance outcomes. Research limitations/implications – Results from this study are from one state in Australia, and caution should be exercised when generalizing findings to other geographic regions. Practical implications – These findings suggest t...


This study aims at measuring empirically the belief in meritocracy and analyzing the impact of education on this belief. The research is structured in three parts: – Measuring the hold and the spread of the idea of an educational meritocracy. – Assessing the perceived legitimacy of educational meritocracy – Analyzing the determinants of the belief in meritocracy, especially the schooling effect. Three different types of empirical materials have been used: (1) data from the International Social Survey Program 1999 (Social Inequality (III)), (2) an original survey conducted among students in different courses of study (first year of higher education) in the academy of Caen, and (3) interviews with students from two prestigious "classes preparatoires" in Paris. Although the merit principle seems to be frequently used by the individuals, educational meritocracy is more criticized – especially in France. The diploma is in fact perceived as not entirely legitimate because it fails at representing the individual will to succeed in life. The educational level has contradictory effects on these representations: whereas more educated people believe more often that society is meritocratic (positional effect of education), they doubt nevertheless that the diploma can reflect what anyone deserves (cognitive effect of education). This research also shows that beyond the objective educational level, the subjective experience in school also influences the representations of meritocracy. In addition to this individual effect of diploma, this study has shown that, at a more macrosocial level, the school system also has an overall effect on such representations. Social inequality at school or in society as a whole is likely to make people believe that social recognition of diploma is important.


As A RESULT of better microbiological techniques, it has become apparent during this decade that most infections around the lower gastrointestinal tract are perpetuated, if not initiated, by non-sporing anaerobic bacteria which abound in the normal large bowel. To a certain extent. the female genital tract shares this microbial flora so that under appropriate circumstances, such as trauma, bleeding and foreign body formation, the uterine cavity becomes the site of an ascending infection composed of aerobic and anaerobic organisms which may spread via the lymphatic system to involve the broad ligament. Fallopian tubes, peritoneal cavity and the lumen of the pelvic veins. Factors which predispose to puerperal endometritis are included in the following list.


This paper presents a wireless relay scheme for indoor healthcare communication system, in which an optical relay link, instead of a traditional Radio Frequency (RF) relay link, is established between the relay station (RS) and the mobile terminal (MT). To simplify the structures of RS and the additional optical parts that shall be installed in the MT, the subcarrier-modulation based intensity-modulated direct-detection (IM/DD) is also adopted for both the up-link and the down-link. The proposed relay scheme not only enhances the transmission power, but also creates safe signal propagation environment, which is much meaningful for wireless and pervasive healthcare communication. Simulation results show that the proposed interference-reduced relay scheme provides a stable and high quality communication link when the average optical receiving power is larger than -25dBm.


The critical hardware platform for voice-controlled devices is an audio system that consists of loudspeakers and microphones. This paper presents MagBackdoor, the first magnetic threat that injects malicious commands via a loudspeaker-based backdoor to audio systems, thereby compromising the linked voice interaction systems. Aiming at stealthy magnetic attacks in real-world scenarios, we self-design a MagBackdoor prototype that can emit magnetic fields modulated by voice commands. It achieves an average 95% injection success rate with high-quality injected acoustic signals across a wide range of smart devices.


Current heavy-ion collision experiments might lead to the discovery of a first-order chiral symmetry breaking phase-transition line, ending in a second-order critical point. Nevertheless, the extraction of information about the equilibrium thermodynamic properties of baryonic matter from the highly dynamic, small, noisy and fluctuating environment formed in such collisions is an extremely challenging task. We address some of the limitations present in the experimental search for the QCD critical point.


Near‐surface seismic structure, particularly the shear wave velocity (Vs), can strongly affect local site response, and should be accurately estimated for ground motion prediction during seismic hazard assessment. The Imperial Valley (California), occupying the southern end of the Salton Trough, is a seismically active basin with thick surficial lacustrine sedimentary deposits. In this study, we utilize ambient noise records and local earthquake events for high‐resolution near‐surface characterization and site effect estimation with an unlit fiber‐optic telecommunication infrastructure (dark fiber) in Imperial Valley by using the distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technique. We apply ambient noise interferometry to retrieve coherent surface waves from DAS records, and evaluate performances of three different surface wave methods on DAS ambient noise dispersion imaging. We develop a quality control workflow to improve the dispersion measurement of noisy portions of the DAS data set by using a data selection strategy. Using the joint inversion of both the fundamental mode and higher overtones of Rayleigh waves, a high resolution two‐dimensional (2D) Vs structure down to 70 m depth is obtained. We successfully achieve an improved Vs30 (the time‐averaged shear‐wave velocity in the top 30 m) model with higher spatial‐resolution and reliability compared to the existing community model for the area. We also explore the potential for utilizing DAS earthquake events for site amplification estimation. The preliminary results reveal a clear anti‐correlation between the approximated site response and the Vs30 profile. Our results indicate the potential utility of DAS deployed on dark fiber for near‐surface characterization in appropriate contexts.


This paper presents a performance evaluation of the parallel-plane magnetic strip transmission line in the framework of the frequency-domain quasi-TEM approach considering the case of wide strips. The transmission properties of the magnetic transmission line (attenuation, phase velocity, group velocity, dispersion, and characteristic wave impedance) are evaluated and compared with those describing the dual configuration of familiar parallel-plane electric strip transmission lines. Results obtained show that, for very high frequencies, the magnetic line can perform better than the corresponding electric line. This suggests that the parallel plane magnetic strip line can be useful for microwave and terahertz applications, provided that new-generation high-permeability high-frequency magnetic materials can be produced


Leadership is a much discussed term with meanings often related to the context in which is considered. Winston and Paterson found over 26,000 article using the term leadership in an academic data base related to education but contend, as others have, that the researchers are like the proverbial blind men describing an elephant. (p. 6). Their multifaceted definition gives credence to the statement that the meaning has much to do with the context in which the word leadership is used. When we consider leadership in workforce education and educational events, we cannot think only of those who provide for the educational event. We must consider both those who arrange for the sessions and those who plan and design the educational event. Leadership is needed in all these areas and that leadership differs in subtle ways. For successful education of an existing workforce, leadership has to come from both those who perceive a need for educational event and those who will facilitate the educational event. This also applies to those who would provide educational event for those seeking to re-enter the workforce or enter the workforce in a new field. What it means to be a workforce education leader for the twenty-first century shows the radical shift in how our society perceives and relates to those in leadership positions. We will address both these characteristics and necessities in the following article.


Methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococci were isolated soon after the introduction of methicillin into clinical use. In recent years, the infections caused by methicillin-resistant strains have increased significantly and nosocomial infections caused by such isolates have become a serious problem. Other than methicillin, these strains are also resistant to all betalactams and some antibiotics belonging to other groups (4, 5, 8). Treatment of infections caused by these bacteria poses a serious problem. Before planning a therapy regimen for any staphylococcal infection, it is necessary to verify whether methicillin resistance is present. Although other mechanisms have also been identified, the production of penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) due to the presence of mecA was found to be the most commonly encountered one (2, 3, 10). This gene is absent in susceptible strains (5, 7, 13). The conventional susceptibility testing methods including disk diffusion or broth and agar dilution tests are not always reliable because of the heterogenic expression of resistance (5, 6, 11). The National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards recommends that oxacillin resistance in staphylococcal strains be confirmed by using an oxacillin-salt-agar screen method (5, 9, 13). Therefore, quick and reliable methods are required. In recent years, PCR has been used successfully for this purpose but researchers have emphasized the need for further studies to evaluate the reliability of these PCR-based methods (1, 7, 12). Our goal was to identify the mechanisms of methicillin resistance in staphylococcal strains isolated in Turkey. This type of evaluation is the first for our country. For Turkish isolates, the extent of resistance is not precisely known. To determine this, we evaluated a total of 1,776 clinical strains isolated in 29 different hospitals located in various regions of Turkey. The overall level of methicillin resistance was found to be 28% (26% in coagulase-positive and 31% in coagulase-negative staphylococci). The rate of resistance varied significantly among the various hospitals, ranging from 7.4 to 53.3%. Among methicillin-resistant isolates, 178 strains were randomly selected for evaluation of the mechanism of methicillin resistance. For the preparation of DNA template, we used the rapid lysis procedure that was previously described by Ünal et al. (11). Among these strains, the presence of mecA was found to be the most frequent (94%) resistance mechanism. Resistance resulting from overproduction of beta-lactamase was found in only 6% of the isolates. Murakami et al. investigated the presence of the mecA gene by PCR with 210 coagulasepositive and -negative staphylococci and reported similar results (8). All isolates were screened for methicillin resistance by the oxacillin-salt-agar screen test (oxacillin concentration, 6 mg/ ml), PCR, and MIC determination by the broth microdilution technique, each method being evaluated with respect to reliability, time consumption, and cost. Also, beta-lactamase activity was determined for all the isolates by the nitrocefin disk method. The methicillin MICs were determined by a standard microdilution method by using cation-supplemented MuellerHinton broth. Strains for which the MIC was higher than 2 mg/ml were considered resistant (1, 9). The overall results of our investigations into the methicillin resistance mechanisms of 178 methicillin-resistant isolates are listed in Table 1. In conclusion, for staphylococcal strains isolated in Turkey, the presence of mecA was found to be the most frequent (94%) type of resistance. The detection of this gene by PCR can be considered to be a rapid and reliable method to determine methicillin resistance in staphylococcal isolates.


Academic thought of Professor Xue Boyu on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is summarized in this treatise.Prof.Xue incorporates clinical practice into generalization about both etiology and pathogenesis and syndnime differvtiation and therapy of NAFLD closely.He considers depletion of liver and kidney as pathogenic basis of NAFLD.Prof.Xue dissertates etiology and pathogenesis of NAFLD and progression of this disease in all aspects,from temporary to permanent treatment,from external to internal factors.And also he proposes the principle of treatment named as invigorating the liver and kidney,soothing liver and strengthening spleen and he contrives complex shouwu hypolipemic drug granules.This Drug granules which link closely to the principle of treatment greatly can improve the clinical efficacy and promote the progress of treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.


To evaluate the influence of the native coronary circulation on the reversibility of asynergy, ventriculograms before and after sublingual nitroglycerin were performed in 51 patients with coronary artery disease and asynergy. The severity of stenotic lesions and caliber of the distal coronary vessels were determined by comparison with external catheter tip diameter corrected for magnification. Of 42 asynergic zones associated with ≧ 90% proximal coronary occlusion, 27 (64%) were akinetic or dyskinetic while only 11 of 38 zones (29%) with < 90% occlusion showed akinesis (P < 0.005). Twenty-six of the 38 asynergic zones (69%) with < 90% occlusion were reversible in contrast to 19 of the 42 zones (45%) with ≧ 90% occlusion (P < 0.05). Coronary collaterals were observed in 23 of 42 (55%) zones with ≧ 90% occlusion in contrast to only 11 of 38 zones (29%) with < 90% occlusion (P < 0.05). Of the zones with both ≧ 90% occlusion and collaterals, 74% were reversible, in contrast to only 11% without collaterals (P < 0.001). Of the asynergic zones without collaterals, 63% with < 90% occlusion were reversible in contrast to only 11% with ≧ 90% occlusion (P < 0.001). Pathologic Q waves were associated with 24 of 42 zones (57%) with ≧ 90% occlusion compared to only nine of the 38 zones (24%) with < 90% occlusion (P < 0.01). The presence of Q waves was associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of reversibility regardless of the degree of coronary occlusion. Excluding the asynergic zones with either collaterals or Q waves, 79% with < 90% occlusion were reversible in contrast to only 37% with ≧ 90% coronary occlusion (P < 0.05). In contrast, the caliber of the distal vessel could not be correlated with either the severity of asynergy or the presence of collaterals and was similar in both reversible and irreversible asynergic zones. In summary, ≧ 90% proximal stenosis is associated with severe asynergy which is less likely to be reversible compared to asynergy associated with < 90% coronary occlusion. In the presence of ≧ 90% occlusion, coronary collaterals are associated with a significantly higher incidence of reversible asynergy and thus appear to serve a protective function. However, the caliber of the distal vessel per se does not effect the severity or reversibility of asynergy.


This commentary provides a critical review of the articles in this special section. The extent to which culture and cultural fit are active ingredients for developing and establishing culturally robust preventive interventions for children and families of color are considered. Implications of research in this area for determining how to effectively capture the nuances of culture in family-based preventive interventions are noted.


It becomes fairly obvious, a short time after one learns to integrate, that there are functions for which it is impossible to find indefinite integrals in terms of known functions. However, there are functions of this kind for which it is possible to find definite integrals through indirect methods. An f°° -X example of this is J e dx, for the evaluation of which we now present a standard indirect method (see [1]). In the following analysis, we use the variables x, y, r, <p which obey the following relationships 2 , 2 x + y . x = r cos 0, y = r sin <p, r i.e. (r, 0) are the polar coordinates for the Cartesian coordinates (x, y). Consider now the integration of the function e-tf + y) -X V 2 e e r f = e " ' ' ' = e e ' e over the domains A\ the quarter circle 0 < r < \/2R, 0 < 0 < A2 the square 0 < x < R, 0 < y < R, A3 the quarter circle 0 < r < R, O < 0 < f .


Coming across such a title, one would very likely expect to read about what is wrong with the family today and what should be done about it. That, however, is not the intention of this paper. Rather, I want to raise the issue of what is meant when the language of problems and solutions is used. The aim is to stimulate our thinking about the value-ladenness of the institution with which we deal as professionals. I organize this discussion under three possibilities: (a) the same set of circumstances or conditions may be a problem but also a solution to another problem simultaneously; (b) the objective solution to one person's problem may cause that person, or someone else, another problem; (c) whether a phenomenon is viewed as a problem or a solution may not be an objective reality at all, but may be determined by the observer's values. We examine each of these below.


It is explained that any scalar field in $f(R,T)$ gravity model could present a new subclass of the k-essence model for inflation. While the case of the quintessence has been studied, there is an empty gap required to be filled by investigating more types of field models. Here, we are aiming to partially fill the gap and concentrate on the tachyon field. In this study, we explore the phenomenon of tachyon inflation in the context of the alternative gravity theory $f(R,T) = R + \eta T$. By applying slow-roll approximations, we examine the model in detail for three different potentials: power-law, generalized T-mode, and inverse hyperbolic cosh. Using observational data and Python coding, we determine a range of values for the model's free parameters that allow it to fit the data perfectly. In essence, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of tachyon inflation in the $R + \eta T$ gravity theory, offering new insights into this alternative framework and its potential to explain tachyon inflation.


Now a day banks can play an important role for the economic development of a country. There are required to achieve growth in this sector. But there are various risk available in this sector like liquidity risk, interest risk, Market risk, operational risk and management risk. Besides this an important risk is available which is loan recovery risk. The financial position and profitability position of a bank is totally depends on NPA of this banks. So, at present NPA is a big concern for banking sector. The NPA is comparatively high in the public sector. To improve the efficiency and profitability of banks the NPA need to be reduced and controlled. Otherwise difficult for banking sector to stay in the market as long as possible. In this paper try to analysis in detail the NPA of schedule commercial bank in India during past year.


Introduction The modern advanced communication technologies have added a new dimension to the production and consumption of news journalism around the world. They have enabled the creation of new publishing spaces where diverse voices can engage in conversations about matters affecting daily lives. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) present citizens with many opportunities to produce as well as consume information. The changes in media usage is becoming a cultural phenomenon characterized by the evolving developments in communication technologies. It has been described as the "interactive phase of modernity" where everyone has the opportunity to communicate with one or many through the modern interactive communication technologies. The modern mediasphere is now largely characterized by interactive technologies. Mainstream media are no longer the only source of news medium available to citizens[1]. The growing uptake of ICTs by ordinary people has enabled them to become both users and producers of information about public affairs and has clearly indicated that developments in technology, audience needs and media uses are intricately entwined. ICTs have enabled the creation of alternative online media sites which have added a new dimension to the production and consumption of news journalism around the world. This enables ordinary individuals to become producers, editors and publishers of news content. Users now have the capacity to create multiple spaces for diverse and interconnected public conversations. These conversations often occur in weblogs or blogs. Blogging is a communicative practice that allows people to connect, converse and share information in a digitally networked environment. The global reach of digital networks such as blogs allow people to discuss with local and global participants the issues and events affecting their lives. In 2003, the Oxford English Dictionary included the terms blogs, weblog, weblogging and weblogger in the dictionary which is now used to describe personal websites that offer "frequently updated observations, news, headlines, commentary, recommended links and/or diary entries, generally organized chronologically"[2]. Late Ms. Catherine Seipp, an American media critic had described the changes in media trends after September 11: "In general, 'blog' used to mean a personal online diary, typically concerned with boyfriend problems or technical news. But after September 11, a slew of new or refocused media junkie/political sites reshaped the entire internet media landscape. Blog now refers to a web journal that comments on the news often by criticizing the media and usually in rudely clever tones, with links to stories that back up the commentary with evidence."[3] In Oman, it was the accession of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and his dynamic world that ended the country's medieval isolation and propelled it towards a globally integrated path of development. Under His leadership, Oman has embraced globalization with open arms. With the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution, the pace of integration has further accelerated[4]. With the increasing importance of citizen-journalism on the Internet, which has burgeoned since blogging started gaining popularity in the early 2000s, the new media is making a beginning in Oman too. Blogging in Oman is taking off, although it is still relatively unknown and not very popular among the general public. However, among the journalists and professionals, globalised class, it is an emergent phenomenon. The Arabic and English blogs in Oman reflect the thoughts and concerns of the citizens, about local, regional or national issues. In this context, this study aims at investigating the nature and characteristics of Omani blogs that are now spreading among the internet users in the world. The study intends to be a springboard to indulge in further study in this area. …


Molecular Imaging in Adult Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) ....... v ABSTRACT (Deutsch) Molekulare Bildgebung in der AufmerksamkeitsdefizitundDeutsch) Molekulare Bildgebung in der Aufmerksamkeitsdefizitund Hyperaktivitässtörung (ADHS) .................................................................................................. vii Publications arising from this thesis .......................................................................................... ix Acknowledgments and project funding ..................................................................................... x Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ xi


Job satisfaction is regarded as one of the critical elements in job success which can cause to higher efficiency as well as individual intrinsic satisfaction. Factors including adaptability, job motivation and job success somehow influence on creating job satisfaction. Satisfaction, health security and creditability and meeting basic requirements are achieved through satisfactory occupation. Job satisfaction is strongly related to psychological factors. The one who is satisfied with his job will be provided by emotional adaptability and satisfactory enjoyment. Job satisfaction may not only be achieved by one factor rather a certain combination of various factors such as income rate, job social status, job environment, mental relaxation, etc (Kingsburg et al, 1951). The present research, regarding the significance of job satisfaction and work life quality, studied the relation between the quality of working life and stress coping styles with job satisfaction in teachers of exceptional schools in district 3 of Shiraz city, in the academic year of 2013-2014.


The aim of the study is to make a proposal for cataloguing selected relationships and attributes of the entity Manifestation concerning the publication area. The cataloguing code RDA: Resource Description and Access lists publication statements representing the publication attributes of the entity Manifestation among core elements. The identification of relationships concerning publication activities (i.e. responsibility for publication) is dealt with by the RDA code too but in the cataloguing practice is mostly ignored. Our study focuses on relationships and attributes of the entity Manifestation concerning publication areas (especially the name of a publisher and occasionally the place of publication). There is the content analysis method of bibliographic records used. Based on the theoretical foundations of the bibliographic universe and results achieved by the content analysis, we propose a new way of cataloguing and identification of attributes and relationships of the Manifestation instances concerning publication area for the cataloguing practice also outside the Czech Republic. The study results from a research of the Institute of Information Studies and Librarianship dealing with trends of bibliographic description in the digital environment. A group of students have participated in the research within a project course Information and Library Services. We would like to express our acknowledgement to Petra and Petr Žabicka who have provided us with an export of bibliographic records of printed books published in the Czech Republic in 2014 and also to Dr. Martin Soucek who has helped us with processing bibliographic data. Barbora Drobikova, Marie Odehnalova, Ema Juranova, Kristýna Kralova, Ladislav Svatos Ustav informacnich studii a knihovnictvi Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Filozoficka fakulta U Křiže 8 158 00 Praha 5-Jinonice


Vehicles are equipped with batteries and many electric parts which require their respective suitable voltages. Therefore, DC-DC converters are used to convert DC voltages 2). Reactors in the DC-DC converters are electromagnetic components used to convert electric energy to magnetic energy and store/release it in the switching circuits. They also provide voltage boosting/dropping and current smoothing. Fig. 1 shows the key power control components in hybrid vehicles (HEVs) and a typical reactor configuration used in the booster circuit. As the DC-DC converters for HEVs supply power to the drive motor, which requires a large output, reactor cores are required to support large current of several tens to hundreds of amperes. In addition, demand for compact reactors is strong since they are mounted onto vehicles. Since higher switching frequency is effective for achieving more compact reactors, it is necessary to address this technology. Nippon Kagaku Yakin Co., Ltd., as one of the NTN group companies, develops core materials mainly using amorphous alloys to address these challenges. These materials provide more compact reactors compared to widely used ferrite materials. It is also possible to reduce iron loss compared to the Fe-Si based alloy materials. Nippon Kagaku Yakin Co.,Ltd., as one of the NTN group companies, develops various types of magnetic material products1). The major product is the Amorphous core which has characteristics of high saturation magnetic flux-density, low core loss and superior frequency characteristics. This article introduces the Amorphous reactor core to meet high current and compact for Hybrid electric vehicle. Takayuki ODA* Shinji MIYAZAKI* Eiichirou SHIMAZU**


Sustainable Management of Soil Resources and Food Security Rattan Lal and B.A. Stewart Global Food Situation and Unresolved and Emerging Issues Shahla Shapouri, Stacey Rosen, and Summer Allen World Soil Resources: Opportunities and Challenges H. Eswaran, P.F. Reich, and E. Padmanabhan Soil Resources and Human Adaptation in Forest and Agricultural Ecosystems in Humid Asia S. Funakawa, T. Watanabe, A. Kadono, A. Nakao, K. Fujii, and T. Kosaki Pedogenetic Acidification in Upland Soils under Different Bioclimatic Conditions in Humid Asia S. Funakawa, T. Watanabe, A. Nakao, K. Fujii, and T. Kosaki Soil Resources Affecting Food Security and Safety in South Asia Tapan J. Purakayastha, Bal Ram Singh, R. P. Narwal, and Promod K. Chhonkar Formation and Management of Cracking Clay Soils (Vertisols) to Enhance Crop Productivity: Indian Experience D. K. Pal, T. Bhattacharyya, and Suhas P. Wani Role of Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques in Sustainable Land Management: Achieving Food Security and Mitigating Impacts of Climate Change Long Nguyen, Felipe Zapata, Rattan Lal, and Gerd Dercon New Paradigm to Unlock the Potential of Rainfed Agriculture in the Semiarid Tropics Suhas P. Wani, Johan Rockstrom, B. Venkateswarlu, and A. K. Singh Land Degradation Freddy O. Nachtergaele, Monica Petri, and Riccardo Biancalani Where Do We Stand 20 Years after the Assessment of Soil Nutrient Balances in Sub-Saharan Africa? E. M. A. Smaling, J. P. Lesschen, C. L. van Beek, A. de Jager, J. J. Stoorvogel, N. H. Batjes, and L. O. Fresco Research Needs for Credible Data on Soil Resources and Degradation Rattan Lal