Specific IgG antibodies directed against the spin-label nitroxide group present as a lipid hapten in singlecompartment lipid vesicles have been visualized by using freeze-etch electron microscopy. Individual "particles" with diameters of the order of 20 nm are identified as single IgG molecules bound to lipid hapten. No significant aggregation of these IgG molecules was observed over a period of 1 hr in a dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicle at 220. Binding of the human complement component Clq results in the formation of large (-50-100 nm) asymmetric particles having a partially resolved substructure that may arise from individual IgG molecules bound to the membranes as well as to Clq. The binding of Clq appears to result in a clustering of membrane-bound IgG molecules. Samples containing a serum factor (perhaps anti-IgG antibodies) exhibit some IgG clustering distinct from that produced by Clq. Previous work in this laboratory has been directed toward obtaining an understanding of the elementary molecular events at the membrane surface that are involved in complement activation (1-6). Related work has been reviewed by Porter (7). In a recent paper (5) we described a quantitative study of the binding of human complement component Clq to lipid hapten-sensitized phospholipid vesicles in the presence of specific antibody. The lipid hapten used in this earlier work as well as in the present work contains a nitroxide spin-label group in the polar head group region. In our previous work it had been assumed that there is no spontaneous aggregation of hapten-bound IgG molecules in the vesicle membrane. It also had been assumed that Clq binding to vesicle membranes did not require the crosslinking of vesicles. The present study was undertaken to resolve these and related questions by using freeze-etch electron microscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Preparation of Vesicles. Dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles containing 0.2 mol % spin-labeled phospholipid were made by a modification of the method of Deamer and Bangham (8) as described (5). Anti-Nitroxide IgG. Anti-nitroxide IgG was prepared by the following modifications of the procedure described by Bruilet and McConnell (1). In place of NN-dimethyl-N-(2',2',6',6'tetramethyl-4'-piperidinyl-1-oxy)-2-hydroxyethylammonium chloride, methyl glutamate 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl1-oxyamide was used to elute the antibodies from the affinity column. Also, the spin label was separated from the antibody by gel filtration on a Sephadex G-100 column equilibrated with 0.05 M diethylamine instead of dialysis against phosphatebuffered saline for 10 days. A sufficient quantity of 1.0 M phosphate buffer (pH 6) was added to the collecting tubes to restore immediately to neutrality the pH of each fraction from the Sephadex G-100 column. The antibody-containing fractions were combined, concentrated by vacuum dialysis, and passed through a Sepharose 6B column to verify that all of the binding activity was IgG. Unless indicated otherwise, the following step was added to remove anti-IgG (9) or any other serum proteins that might bind activated IgG molecules. After heat inactivation (560, 30 min), the spin-labeled keyhole limpet hemocyanin antisera were titrated with enough nonlabeled keyhole limpet hemocyanin to form a maximum immune precipitate. The precipitate was allowed to form for 1 hr at 370 and an additional 4 hr at 40. The sera were then centrifuged for 10 min at 10,000 rpm in a Lourdes 9RA rotor. All antibody preparations were centrifuged at 20 psi (138 kPa) for 20 min in a Beckman Airfuge immediately prior to use. Preparation of Human Clq. Clq was prepared by the method of Assimeh et al. (10) but with an additional final pass through a Sepharose 6B column, at 40, equilibrated with 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.2). The protein solution thus prepared was concentrated by vacuum dialysis to -1 mg/ml and stored in liquid nitrogen. Just prior to use, the Clq solution was thawed at 40 and passed over a Sepharose 6B column equilibrated with barbital-buffered saline to remove any aggregates and hydrolysis products. Aliquots from the fractions containing the leading edge of the Clq peak were used directly in the binding incubations. The Clq from these preparations revealed a single precipitin band in immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis (11) against goat anti-human whole serum and against rabbit anti-human Clq. We also obtained an identity reaction with immunodiffusion using a reference sample of Clq and anti-Clq provided to us by A. Esser. No such band was formed when the Clq preparation was heated at 560 for 30 min prior to electrophoresis. Sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gave a single band of molecular weight 400,000 (11). Preparation of Samples for Freeze-Etching. Vesicles, antibody, and Clq were mixed to give final concentrations of 1 mM phospholipid, 1 JAM antibody, and 0.1 gM Clq. The concentrations used were chosen from the binding curve given by Parce et al. (5) so as to optimize the likelihood of seeing bound Clq. All solutions were in barbital-buffered saline, and barbital-buffered saline was used as a diluent in control experiments in which antibodies or Clq was absent. The mixture was allowed to stand at room temperature for 10 min unless otherwise indicated. This mixture was then layered on top of a 1:2 solution of 10% (wt/vol) sucrose in barbital-buffered saline and centrifuged at 1000 X g for 10 min in a swinging-bucket centrifuge. The supernate was then drawn off and the pellet was resuspended to a final concentration of 6 mM phospholipid. * To whom reprint requests should be addressed. 3933 The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75 (1978) -A W~~~~~~~~~~~~~. D' s..... e.. tS;~~1⁄4 . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 FIG. 1 (Legend appears at bottom of the following page.) 3934 Immunology: Henry et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75 (1978) 3935 FIG. 1 (on preceding page and above). Freeze-etch electron micrographs of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles incubated for 10 min .under the following conditions. (X160,000.) (A) Vesicles containing 0.2 mol % spin-labeled hapten in a solution containing nonspecific rabbit serum. (B) Vesicles containing 0.2 mol% spin-labeled hapten with specific antibodies to spin label. (C) Same as B but with the addition ofhuman Clq. (D) Same as B but with antibody prepared without precautions to remove serum factors that might bind to IgG molecules. Immunology: Henry et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75 (1978)


The ever growing number of smart devices connected to the Internet of Things is giving users the chance to sense data from surrounding environment and act upon it. However, interpreting raw data coming from heterogeneous sensors and applying control algorithms to actuators is not a simple task for the common end-user who wants to create applications for smart environments. For these reasons, this work deals with the definition of a novel rule-based semantic architecture for the implementation of building automation applications in an IoT context. Sensor data are abstracted at a high semantic level related to the properties they are associated to and interactions with actuators are driven by high-level desired actions. Applications have the form of an Event-Condition-Action (ECA) rule and the layered architecture separates high-level semantic reasoning aspects from low-level execution details. The proposed architecture is also compared with main state-of-the-art solutions and some suitable technologies for its implementation are suggested.


This article develops a formal framework for assessing the likelihood of large equity market drawdowns. The authors estimate a parsimonious logistic regression model for both the United States and a cohort of four additional developed markets and find that market crashes have historically been associated with a set of factors centered around valuation, technical, and macroeconomic indicators. The authors show that their framework is effective for both recessionary and nonrecessionary drawdowns. Finally, they show that, although the United States is a fundamental driver of market fragility globally, country-specific factors are still relevant for predicting the likelihood of large equity market drawdowns.


Newcastle disease,a highly contagious and fatal disease,is caused by the Newcastle disease virus(NDV),which is capable of infecting a variety of birds,especially for chickens,geese and other fowls.NDV is classified as a member of the order Mononegavirales,family Paramyxoviridae,sub-family Paramyxovirinae,genus Rubulavirus.NDV is an enveloped,non-segmented,negative-sense RNA virus.NDV belongs to one serotype and have been classified into two distinct classes,Class I and Class II,on the basis of genomic size.The genome contains six open reading frames(ORF),encoding the nucleocapsid protein(NP),the phosphoprotein(P),the matrix protein(M),the fusion protein(F),the haemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycoprotein(HN) and the large protein(L).Non-structural proteins V and W,are generated by RNA editing during P gene transcription.In view of the wide dissemination and high lethality of the Newcastle disease virus,this paper focused on the evaluation of the virulence,virus invasive mechanisms and virulence,virus replication and virulence,virus immune escape mechanisms and virulence,and virus non-coding region motif and virulence to elaborate the biological indicators and processes of virulence of Newcastle disease virus.


The work is devoted to clarify the etiological aspects of the hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), clinical and epidemiological features that are closely linked to the etiology, as well as to development of methods and products for specific diagnosis and vaccine prevention of hantavirus infection. That regard to hantaviruses a set of virological, immunological and molecular-genetics methods were developed significantly enhance the effectiveness of the specific diagnostics of HFRS. The features of humoral immunity in HFRS were identified and atypical clinical forms of HFRS was istablished; indicators of natural immunity to hantavirus in the population living in different regions of Russia and the former Soviet republics have been identified that allowed us to refine nosological area of HFRS; new, previously unknown natural foci of HFRS, including hantavirus RNA, in the central regions of Russia and in the subtropical zone of Krasnodar region have been identified and studied; 76 strains and 70 isolates of 9 rodent species and one species of birds, as well as from the blood of patients with HFRS and sectional materials from HFRS dead patients have been isolated and identified; new hantavirus species - Khabarovsk, Taimyr-Topografov, Adler, as well as two new genotypes Dobrava/Belgrad virus - Kurkino and Sochi have been identified; species composition of small mammals - the natural reservoir of hantaviruses was the refined; etiological role and epidemiological importance of different hantaviruse types in HFRS incidence structure was established; the existence of new etiologically distinct hantavirus infections with significant epidemiological differences has been proven; manufacturing techniques and methods of control of the culture inactivated vaccine against HFRS has been developed.


While gender differences in language for letters of recommendation have been identified in other fields, no prior studies have evaluated the narrative portion of the emergency medicine (EM) standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE). We aim to examine the differences in language used to describe male and female applicants within the SLOE narrative.


CONTEXT
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to affect approximately 25% of the adult population, making it one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide and a major public health problem. Still, there is no consensus on the most appropriate nutritional intervention for disease treatment.

OBJECTIVE
To systematize and synthesize the results of randomized controlled trials that have evaluated the effect of dietary interventions with different, quantitative, macronutrient compositions on hepatic steatosis attenuation, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lipid profile, glucose metabolism markers, and anthropometric parameters of adults and the elderly (age ≥ 60 years) with NAFLD.

DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE databases via PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, LILACS, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Library were searched. Randomized controlled trials that compared interventions as diets with values ≤ 45% or 20% of the total daily energy intake from carbohydrates or lipids, respectively, compared with dietary reference intakes, were included.

DATA EXTRACTION
Risk of bias was assessed through the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The meta-analysis was only performed to evaluate the effect of carbohydrate-modified diets on the outcome variables. The number of participants and mean values and respective standard deviations of the outcome variables were extracted and used to calculate weighted mean differences and their respective 95%CIs.

RESULTS
The search strategy resulted in 21 146 studies, of which 10 were retained for qualitative analysis and 6 were included in the meta-analysis. From the analysis of 10 studies were identified 8 articles in which low-calorie diets were evaluated and 3 interventions that used an isocaloric diet. Only 3 studies were classified as having low risk of bias.

CONCLUSION
The observed effects on hepatic steatosis, serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, parameters of lipid and glucose metabolism, and anthropometric variables were mostly related to a hypocaloric diet. The use of reduced macronutrient interventions had no efficacy.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO registration no. CRD42018088824.


ABSTRACT Stress has become an important health issue with the rapid development of economy and society. The previous work has highlighted the discriminatory power of Electrocardiogram (ECG) and social media for stress detection. However, limitations exist when using single source data for stress detection. Based on the assumption that abnormal heart rate periods are usually caused by stressor or uplifting events, we present a way to integrate heart beat rates and linguistic posts on microblogs for stress detection. We first identify one's abnormal heart rate periods, and then for each such period, we pair up a temporally synchronous and highly matched abnormal posting (stressful/exciting) period detected from microblogs. Our 4-month user study with 10 volunteer college students shows that the performance of the matching between post-based detection results with ECG-based ones can achieve over 84% accuracy for stressful or exciting periods detection, and around 70% accuracy for stressor or uplifting events detection. The results also demonstrate that SDNN is the most appropriate indicators of ECG signals for daily abnormal heart rate and stress detection.


The World Commission on Environment and Development reminds us that we are failing in the management of our environment. The numbers of starving and illiterate people in the world are increasing as are the numbers without potable water or sewage disposal, adequate housing or sufficient means of keeping warm. The gap between the rich and the poor nations is increasing and there seems little prospect of this trend reversing.


An aerial photograph of the William M. Rice Institute campus. Shown are the Academic Quad, the Administration Building, the Physics Laboratories, and the Commons. Figures can be seen walking on the sidewalks of the primary cross-campus road and along a dirt path leading to and from the Administration Building. The hedges in the Quad and the evenly-spaced trees along each road can be clearly seen. In the distance, roadways and, beyond, fields and residential areas can be seen. Part of the aircraft can be seen in the upper left-hand corner of the photograph. The photograph was taken by E.D. Embres and Thomas B. Eaton, Institute alumni, who had served as airmen in World War I. Original resource is a black and white photograph.


This article focuses on ways to improve market analysis for proposed office projects, taking time and data limitations into account. The discussion moves sequentially through the three primary components of systematic, logical market analysis: the market overview, the market study and the marketability study. Key suggestions cover: (1) discussing megatrends affecting office user preferences and product design; (2) estimating long-term attractiveness of the office location and site; (3) forecasting balance or imbalance between future demand and supply of office space at the metropolitan level; (4) segmenting and differentiating supply and demand at the submarket level for the purpose of assigning market capture rates; and (5) conducting sensitivity analysis of the key variables affecting project net operating income.


The target of the present investigation is that of there realizes the economic technical study for the creation of a plant recycling plant of tires used in the canton Quevedo, for effects of the investigation there was realized a survey that took the small craftsmen as a sample vulcanizadores and the companies that devote themselves to the sale and installation of tires in Quevedo, giving like result that the canton does not exist a process adapted to reject the tires, existing a quantity of 2.490 rims that are rejected to the municipal dump on the part of these craftsmen and companies.

Inside the technical study. The location of the project was established in the route Quevedo-Valencia inside the road Quevedo circle, a capacity of the plant was estimated in 300 kilos of tires for hour, in addition to realizing the functional flow chart, the production process was defined with its respective flow chart, which indicates the consecutive steps of the recycling of tires out of use. Also there was realized the calculation of the 400 m² civil construction inside this area there was estimated wine vaults of completed product and raw material (Nfus) offices and area of production. There was established the distribution of the plant of the machineries and teams, offices etc.

Economic study determined the investment in the project of USD $464.362,25 and she will find products such as: machinery, civil engineering, loan, working capital and 5% contingency, were established annual costs and annual revenue that served as the basis for an effective flow, within financial indicators were determined: take 13.87%, the positive VAN de 111.448,26 , The relation benefit/cost in 1.61, 17,15% TIR, a break-even point in units produced of 28.113 kilos of recycled rubber monthly.

Based on these results it was established that the project is technical and economically profitable and the raised hypothesis is accepted, The project of creation of a plant tires recycling plant influences positively the environment of the canton Quevedo.


A new subjective and objective integrated approach is put forward that may be used to determine attribute weights in fuzzy multiple attribute decision making (FMADM) problems in this paper. This approach of determining weights retains the merits of both subjective and objective approaches. It can determine integrated weights of attribute by solving fuzzy entropy mathematical models automatically, and at the same time this approach take into consideration the decision maker's subjective preferences by using fuzzy AHP method. Finally, an example is used to illustrate the proposed approach.


Over the years, leadership has been studied extensively in various contexts and theoretical foundations. In some cases, leadership has been described as a process, but most theories and research on leadership look at a person to gain Leadership is typically defined by the traits, qualities, and behaviours of a leader. The study of leadership has spanned across cultures, decades, and theoretical beliefs. A summary of what is known and understood about leadership is important to conducting further research on team leadership. History of leadership theory and research. In a comprehensive review of leadership theories (Stogdill, 1974), several different categories were identified that capture the essence of the study of leadership in the twentieth century. The first trend dealt with the attributes of great leaders. Leadership was explained by the internal qualities with which a person is born (Bernard, 1926). The thought was that if the traits that differentiated leaders from followers could be identified, successful leaders could be quickly assessed and put into positions of leadership. Personality, physical, and mental characteristics were examined. This research was based on the idea that leaders were born, not made, and the key to success was simply in identifying those people who were born to be great leaders. Though much research was done to identify the traits, no clear answer was found with regard to what traits consistently were associated with great leadership. One flaw with this line of thought was in ignoring the situational and environmental factors that play a role in a leader's level of effectiveness. A second major thrust looked at leader behaviours in an attempt to determine what successful leaders do, not how they look to others (Halpin and Winer, 1957; Hemphill and Coons, 1957). These studies began to look at leaders in the context of the organization, identifying the behaviours leaders exhibit that increase the effectiveness of the company. The well-known and documented Michigan and Ohio State leadership studies took this approach. Two primary, independent factors were identified by these studies: consideration and initiation of structure. Research was simultaneously being conducted in other universities and similar results were found. The impact of this work was in part the notion that leadership was not necessarily an inborn trait, but instead effective leadership methods could be taught to employees (Saal and Knight, 1988). These researchers were making progress in identifying what behaviours differentiated leaders from followers so that the behaviours could …


For the microfluidic setup (Fig. S1A), stainless steel syringes (KDS, 2.5 ml with 1/16" Swagelok) were placed on a syringe pump (neMESYS starter and double module, 14.1 gearing). Via a 3-way HPLC switching valve (Rheodyne 7030), both stainless steel syringes were filled by 5 ml glass syringes (Fortuna optima with Luer lock) in one position and connected to the microfluidic chip in the other position. Via fused silica tubing (Upchurch Scientific, 360 mm OD / 150 mm ID), the valve and microfluidic chip holder (Micronit LOAC 4515-FS) were connected using NanoPort assemblies (Upchurch Scientific, flat bottom assembly F123-H with N-123-03). The microfluidic H-cell (Micronit B.V., Fig. S1B) was custom made out of borosilicate glass by wet-etching techniques (50 m deep channels, 110 m in/outlet diameter, 220 m diameter x 32 mm length reaction zone with 6° merging angle). At the outlet, the extraction-side was connected via a Nanoport assembly to a Photo-diode Array (PDA) UV-vis detector (Shimadzu SPD-M20A with Semi-micro optical flow cell) and subsequently connected to a mass flow meter (Bronkhorst High-Tech B.V., -FLOW L01 series (L01-RZ*D-99-K80S) with 10/32 UNF female connections) with fingertights (Upchurch Scientific, F120). The residualside was connected via a Nanoport assembly to a mass flow meter with controller (Bronkhorst HighTech B.V., -FLOW L01 series (L01V02-RZ*D-99-K-80S) with 10/32 UNF female connections). After the flow meter/regulator instruments, standard Teflon HPLC tubing (Upchurch Scientific, 1/16" OD / 200 mm ID) was used to fill-up sample vials in a gas-tight configuration.


Advances in surface chemistry and manipulation of CsPbI3 perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have enabled the replacement of native long-chain ligands with short-chain ligands, leading to their photovol...


The lack of empathy contributes to the development of insensitive social attitudes, so the design of interactive systems based on games or playful experiences for the development of empathic skills is of vital importance in the field of education. In this paper we propose a circular and iterative empathy development model and analyze gamification strategies that can be useful for the design of interactive systems that favor the development of empathy through pedagogical strategies in which users are exposed to affective, cognitive, reflective and social experiences that encourage the expression of behaviors of a prosocial nature.


A case of hypoproteinemic edema caused by chronic enteritis is presented. The importance of differential diagnosis of enterites and colites due to different management of these diseases is underlined.


The invention relates to promoters for obtaining a caryopsis-specific expression of coding nucleotide sequences that they control and to expression cassettes, recombinant vectors and host cells containing promoters of this type. The invention also relates to transformed transgenic plant cells and plants and to methods for producing the same.


A continuous-recording apparatus was used for the determination of the dynamic cation-exchange properties of soils. Selected cations mixed with a suitable c radioisotope in aqueous solutions are passed at a constant rate through a soil column and the effluent is monitored with a recording Geiger- Mueller counter Results are given for the exchange of strontium, labeled with Sr/ sup 89/, with six soils typical of the Sydney area. (auth)


Integration of well logs and core data of the McMurray Formation suggest vertically stacked meander-belt deposits, many of which will have major implications for reservoir development. The best preserved, youngest meander-belt is well imaged using seismic data and therefore reservoir models are constructed much easier than older meander-belts that are often overlooked due to lack of lithologic contrast and resolution in seismic data. Core description and stratigraphic dip analysis are vital in differentiating between point bar deposits. Horizontal SAGD well performance is impacted by the the stratigraphic architecture within the reservoir zone. Steam chamber growth is uninhibited where stacked meander-belt deposists have a sand-on-sand contact and production rates are typically higher. Heterogeneities caused by the evolution of a meander-belt already present many challenges for development of reservoirs, and this complexity increases when vertically stacked belts are considered. Startigraphic mapping of underlying deposits is vital for successful well pair placement and production. Predictions of the multiphase fluid flow in the reservoir and the behaviour of rising steam chamber are far more accurate when the detailed geology of the meandering channel belt deposits are considered in dynamic model construction.


The hoop-shaped chest is a well-recognised but unexplained feature of the abnormal anthropometry of SS disease, developing in children by the age of 4-6 years. The hypothesis that cardiomegaly may influence abnormal chest growth has been tested by examining the relationship between cardiac volume and the antero-posterior/lateral chest diameter ratio in children aged 6-8 years. The finding of a significant positive correlation supports this hypothesis (AU)


Solitons in general are configurations of extended fields which move like isolated particles. Vector bright solitons can occur in a two-component self-attractive Bose-Einstein condensate. If the components of the condensate have different chemical potentials, the total spin of the soliton can serve as an internal energy depot that makes the soliton into an active particle, able to move against an external force using energy carried within the particle—if there is a dynamical mechanism for steadily transferring energy from soliton spin into soliton motion. Here we present such a dynamical mechanism, embed it in an experimentally feasible way within the larger system of a spinor condensate mean field, and show how the mechanism works to realize a solitonic active particle. In what can be considered a toy model for the project of going beyond toy models for active particles, we test the robustness of the activity mechanism by exploring a range of deformations to the simplest model for embedding the nonlinear mechanism in the condensate system.


Interactive visualization is complicated by the complexity of the objects being visualized. Sampled or computed scientific data is often dense, in order to capture high frequency components in measured data or to accurately model a physical process. Common visualization techniques such as isosurfacing on such large meshes generate more geometric primitives than can be rendered in an interactive environment. Geometric mesh reduction techniques have been developed in order to reduce the size of a mesh with little compromise in image quality. Similar techniques have been used for functional surfaces (terrain maps) which take advantage of the planar projection. We extend these methods to arbitrary surfaces in 3D and to any number of variables defined over the mesh by developing a algorithm for mapping from a surface mesh to a reduced representation and measuring the introduced error in both the geometry and the multivariate data. Furthermore, through error propagation, our algorithm ensures that the errors in both the geometric representation and multivariate data do not exceed a user-specified upper bound.


Interacting dark energy models have been employed to study the behavior of dark energy and matter in the presence of an interaction between the two. One of the successful aspects of these models is how they explain the cosmic coincidence problem. In this work we consider a specific interaction to study the behavior of dark energy and matter through the history of evolution.


Recently the ``Fluctuation theorem'' has been criticized and incorrect incorrect contents have been atributed to it. Here I reestablish and comment the original statements.


Mixed excitation linear predictive speech coding (MELP) is the new U.S. federal standard for 2400 bits/sec speech compression. Although, MELP's performance is much better that its predecessor, linear predictive coding (LPC) and code excited linear coding (CELP), it is not a perfect source coder. As a result there is redundancy in its output bit stream. In this dissertation, we consider the problem of reliable transmission MELP-encoded speech over noisy communication channels. The goal is to use this redundancy to improve the quality of reconstructed speech.
Our objective is to design joint source-channel codes compatible with MELP bit stream. We begin by modeling some of the MELP parameters as one-step Markov chains. Then using this model, we quantify the residual redundancy of the MELP output bit stream. We find out that more than 20% of the bits in the multistage vector quantizer indices (MSVQ parameter) and pitch index and gain indices are redundant.
We design a convolutional decoder to exploit the residual redundancy in the MELP bit stream using the Markov model parameters. Some simulation results are presented to compare the new source controlled decoder with an ordinary convolutional decoder.
Our next contribution is the design of a source-controlled symbol (non-binary) turbo decoder compatible with the MELP bit stream. We introduce a new modified BCJR algorithm for source-controlled turbo decoding. Results indicates that in presence of source redundancy, the new decoder outperforms the regular turbo decoder.
In the last chapter, we design a new source-controlled Generalized Minimum Distance (GMD) algorithm to exploit the redundancy of the pitch and gain and MSVQ bits. This new decoder can be used with a regular error/erasure decoder for block codes. We choose Reed-Solomon codes for our simulation and the results show that the new source-controlled GMD decoder is more successful in a very noisy channel than a regular GMD decoder.


Heavy-ions single event effects on RHA Units with $\mathbf{LET}_{\mathbf{EFF}}$ of 49 to $75 \mathbf{MeV}\cdot \mathbf{cm}^{2}/\mathbf{mg}$, Total Ionizing Dose including LDR and HDR up to 100 krad(Si) and Neutron Displacement Damage (NDD) up to $1 \mathrm{x}10^{13}\mathbf{n}/\mathbf{cm}^{2}$ are presented and discussed.


Pregnancy is the most wonderful experience of a woman's life. A mother's physical fitness is just as important as her mental health. A non-experimental and correlational study was conducted to examine the relationship between mothers' psychosocial status and pregnancy outcome among 50 antenatal mothers in their third trimester. The aim of the study is to assess the psychosocial status of antenatal care (ANC) mothers, assess the pregnancy outcome, and find out the correlation between psychosocial status and pregnancy outcome. Result: In this study, using the ALPHA scale to assess the psychosocial status of antenatal mothers, the majority of them had a higher psychosocial score, and some had a middle psychosocial score, but none had a low psychosocial score. Conclusion: From this study, we conclude that there was an association between psychosocial status and pregnancy outcome.


In this paper, we face the problem of designing accurate decision-making modules in measurement systems that need to be implemented on resource-constrained platforms. We propose a methodology based on multiobjective optimization and genetic algorithms (GAs) for the analysis of support vector machine (SVM) solutions in the classification error-complexity space. Specific criteria for the choice of optimal SVM classifiers and experimental results on both real and synthetic data will also be discussed.


In this paper, we present an algorithm to optimize a 3D stereoscopic display based on parallax barriers for a driving simulator. The main purpose of the simulator is to enable user studies in reproducible laboratory conditions to test and evaluate driving assistance systems. The main idea of our optimization approach is to determine by numerical analysis the best pattern for an autostereoscopic display with the best image separation for each eye, integrated into a virtual reality environment. Our implementation uses a differential evolution algorithm, which is a parallel, direct search method based on evolution strategies, because it converges fast and is inherently parallel. This allows an execution on a network of computers. The resulting algorithm allows optimizing the display and its corresponding pattern, such that a single user in the simulator environment sees a stereoscopic image without being supported by special eye-wear.


Interactions between four dikaryotic strains of Lentinula edodes and seven strains of Pseudomonas species were investigated in vitro. Two strains of Pseudomonas tolaasii were strongly pathogenic to fruiting bodies of L. edodes, causing browning and lysis of the inoculated tissues. The mode and outcome of interactions on agar varied with the combination between strains of L. edodes and bacteria. Pseudomonas cepacia and two strains of Pseudomonas tolaasii inhibited hyphal growth of L. edodes strains, whereas Pseudomonas fluorescens and one strain of Pseudomonas tolaasii were generally susceptible to bacteriolysis by L. edodes. Strains of L. edodes differed markedly in their ability to attack and lyse bacteria. In general, hyphal tips were the most potent in bacteriolysis. Ultrastructural variations were recognized in the process of bacterial wall degradation by L. edodes hyphae, but walls were eventually disintegrated to minute granules that ranged in diameter from 0.05 μm to smaller than measurable by scan...


Our recent determination of a Salpeter slope for the initial mass function (IMF) in the field of 30 Doradus appears to be in conflict with simple probabilistic counting arguments advanced in the past to support observational claims of a steeper IMF in the LMC field. In this paper we reexamine these arguments and show by explicit construction that, contrary to these claims, the field IMF is expected to be exactly the same as the stellar IMF of the clusters out of which the field was presumably formed. We show that the current data on the mass distribution of clusters themselves is in excellent agreement with our model, and is consistent with a single spectrum by the number of stars of the type nβ, with β between –1.8 and –2.2 down to the smallest clusters, without any preferred mass scale for cluster formation. We also use the random sampling model to estimate the statistics of the maximal mass star in clusters, and confirm the discrepancy with observations found by Weidner & Kroupa. We argue that rather than signaling the violation of the random sampling model, these observations reflect the gravitationally unstable nature of systems with one very large mass star. We stress the importance of the random sampling model as a null hypothesis, whose violation would signal the presence of interesting physics.


There is described a device for reducing aerodynamically induced noise at the side edge (12) of a footprint (11), in particular a high-lift surface of an aircraft, wherein a provided on the side edge (12) of the support surface (11) of the aerodynamically induced noise reducing vortex generator is. According to the invention, the swirl generator comprising spanwise extending surface portions (13) of the support surface (11), with one or more located between the surface portions of air passages, the over-flowing from the to the support surface (11) air flows through. According to another embodiment of the invention, the vortex generator may extend a large number of spanwise comprise elongate elements which form a substantially extending over the entire profile depth of the footprint brush-like arrangement. According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the vortex generator may comprise an opening at the side edge of the footprint channel at least, can be blown through the compressed air in the noise generating vortices.


The fate of neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis is variable, with colonic strictures being one rare phenomenon after the insult. We describe here two infants with colonic strictures, which developed secondary to neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. Infants recovered or in the process of recovery after it should be investigated for possibility of development of colonic strictures. Keywords: Colonic strictures; necrotizing enterocolitis; barium enema; stoma DOI: 10.3126/jnps.v31i2.4181 J Nep Paedtr Soc 2010;31(2):127-129


Using thin layer chromatography and determining pH alteration, the solvents and commonly co administrated drugs with levofloxacin were studied in vitro. The results showed that both 10% glucose injection and 0 9% sodium chloride injection were good solvents for levofloxacin. The stability was acceptable when levofloxacin hydrochloride for injection was used with some common drugs. The numbers and position of thin layer spots and pH value did not change. This experiment could provide evidences for clinical practice.


In this paper, we consider a 802.22 type cognitive radio network. We assume that, the communication in such a network is subjected to the small scale fading, modeled by Rayleigh distribution. Considering the deterministic network geometry we develop the analytical framework to characterize the interference and outage of the primary network.


This paper presents the results of studies of new thermoelectric materials, obtained on the basis of multicomponent semiconductor compounds with a crystal structure of chalcopyrite and delafossite, by methods of nuclear magnetic resonance in a local field (63.65Cu NMR) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (63.65Cu NQR). The values of local magnetic fields at the location of the resonant copper nuclei and the parameters of nuclear quadrupole interactions in chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and copper aluminate (CuAlO2) are determined. The search for new thermoelectric materials is caused by the low operating efficiency of industrial thermoelectric converters based on bismuth and lead tellurides, which have been used for half a century.


Summary form only given. Several measurement methods of nonlinear optical Kerr coefficient n/sub 2/ in optical fibers have recently been proposed, bringing into evidence the different contributions of the electronic and electrostrictive parts, respectively n/sub 2k/ and n/sub 2e/, where electrostriction plays an important role at optical modulation frequency lower than 1.5 GHz, and is intrinsically isotropic. We present a novel polarimetric technique based on cross-phase modulation (XPM), the high sensitivity of which permits the characterization of even short fiber samples and the consequent direct extraction of the n/sub 2K/ coefficient.


Introduction In recent years, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) has been a serious problem because of the proliferation of electronic devices and instruments. EMI can cause the operational malfunction of electric devices leading to loss of valuable time, energy, and resources. It can also cause the human diseases such as leukemia, miscarriages, and breast cancer. So the investigation on the attenuation of EMI has been carried out more deeply by many researchers [1-6]. The metal-based materials have been widely used to reduce EMI. But they have been suffered by the disadvantages of heavy weight and easy corrosion which restrict the wide use of these materials [7]. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been a focus of considerable research since their first observation by Iijima. Their remarkable properties include their interesting mechanical, electrical, thermal, and conductive behavior, and they offer tremendous opportunities for the development of fundamentally new material systems for application in nano scale devices and materials particularly. Similarly, composites based on polymers and CNTs have the potential to make an impact on various applications ranging from general low-cost circuits and displays to power devices, microelectromechanical systems, super capacitors, solar cell sensors, and displays. Despite their appealing properties, the low solubility of CNTs in most organic solvents and their poor compatibility within a polymer matrix make the uniform dispersion of CNTs in the polymer matrix very difficult, limiting their applications. Recent study shows that modifications with the conducting polymers can enhance the sensing properties and dispersion of CNTs. Polyaniline (PANi) has great potential for use in commercial applications because it is cheap to produce, environmentally stable, exhibits enhanced conductivity, and changes its color depending on the redox states. In this study, highly conducting PANi and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization for electromagnetic interference shielding. To improve the ferromagnetic properties of the nanocomposite, ferromagnetic materials like γ-Fe2O3 magnetic particles were used together.


Objective To explore the effect of nursing intervention on treatment of common complications after transurethral resection of prostate.Methods 52 patients were randomly divided into control group(n=24) and experimental group(n=28).The control group was conducted with conventional nursing,while the experimental group was conducted with nursing intervention.Results The incidence rate of complications in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group(P0.05),and the satisfactory degree toward nursing was higher than that in the control group(P0.05).Conclusion Early implementation of nursing intervention for patients with transurethral resection of the prostate can significantly reduce incidence rate of postoperative complications and improve satisfactory degree toward nursing service.


Automatic segmentation of a text stream into topically coherent segments is an important component in natural language processing tasks such as information retrieval and document summarization. Machine learning techniques can play a vital role in building an efficient system for text segmentation. This paper describes a method for identifying segment boundaries of an unstructured text document with the aid of multiple linguistic features. Linguistic features include word repetition, lexical chains, presence of pronouns, conversation, named entities, paragraph and so on. The task of segmentation is modeled as a binary classification problem, where the classes correspond to the presence or the absence of a segment boundary. An experiment in text segmentation using an efficient classifier function is presented to show the effectiveness of the new approach.


The development of long linear structures such as roads, rail roads, tunnels, canals and pipelines often has unique engineering geology challenges. These include geological modeling, the identification of material strength and support factors, stability and risk issues, material excavation characteristics and the proposal of techniques for overcoming geotechnical problems, which are normally assessed as part of the conventional engineering geological investigation. An additional factor that is becoming increasingly important but is seldom included in investigations is the sustainability of the geotechnical inputs, in contrast to the sustainability of the project which is generally included. Sustainability issues revolve around the non-renewable nature of most construction resources and there is no doubt that the injudicious use of these construction materials and construction water is not sustainable in the long term: it is thus essential that the engineering geo-logical investigation should take cognizance of such issues and be adapted to provide the design engineer with the information that will maximize the sustainability options. This will also require a closer on-going relation-ship between the engineering geologist and the design engineer. This paper highlights significant sustainability issues (note that these differ from conventional environmental issues) and suggests some mitigating solutions. The sustainability issues discussed include primarily material and water usage, with some reference to energy conservation (mostly through alternative material usage and processing techniques and transportation).


The item response theory (IRT) gives us the valuable information about the difficulties of problems as well as the abilities of students, whereas the classical test method provides only the abilities of students with pre-determined scores to each problem. To enhance the use of the IRT, we have developed a concise IRT evaluation Web system via the drag-and-drop Excel file in which 0/1 scores of the test result are stored. In addition, we have introduced an online adaptive IRT system to assess the students' abilities more accurately with fewer problems. In such a system, the item bank is pre-stored and the problem difficulties are determined in advance. However, as the number of online adaptive examinees becomes large, the calibration for parameters to problems, incorporating the new examinees' results for problem difficulties, may be needed. For the calibration, parameter estimation methods of problem difficulties and students' abilities for incomplete response matrices are required. In this paper, we propose a new method to estimate the problem difficulties and students' abilities for incomplete item response matrices via the LIRT, which is based on the item response theory and the EM-type algorithm. Then, we show a calibration procedure expressing the problem difficulties and students' abilities to some online adaptive system. We have found the estimates for discrimination parameters vary to some extent from the beginning to the end. However, the estimates for the difficulty parameters do not vary much, which corresponds to that the estimates for the ability parameters do not vary much.


The small and large intestines of Xenodon merremii have a similar structure. They are separated by a sphincter of thickened circular muscle. The mucosa of the proximal part of the small intestine is raised into a honeycomb pattern, but distally there are only longitudinal folds. The lining epithelium throughout is of a simple columnar type, with absorptive, goblet, argentaffin and argyrophil cells, but no Paneth cells, villi or crypts of Lieberkühn are present.


To study the association between Angiotensinogen (AGT) gene A 20C polymorphism and blood pressure change at salt loading and salt depleting status in Chinese essential hypertensive patients. A total of 84 hypertensive patients were recruited from Anhui, China. They had 3~5 days of high salt diet followed by 5~7 days of low salt diet. Subjects whose mean artery pressure (MAP) increased more than 667.6 Pa after salt loading or the MAP decreased more than 1333.3Pa after salt depleting were diagnosed as salt sensitive. RFLP method was used for genotyping. We found that the blood pressure change under salt depleting was greater than that under salt loading ( P 0.0001). There were 46.4% salt sensitive subjects in our study population. No significant association between AGT gene A 20C polymorphism and salt sensitivity was found.


This paper examines: students' assessment and rating of restorative space on campus including the individual components of such environments; students' willingness to pay for restorative environments and a comparison between responses in the UK and Hong Kong. In this exploratory phase pilot surveys were undertaken on two campuses: Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Loughborough University. Students were asked to rate the importance of and their satisfaction with a number of components of restorative space. A stated choice experiment was conducted within the survey using paired comparisons of visual stimuli which varied in terms of the presence of green plants; the presence of water; view of nature or a built environment and willingness to pay. The findings of this phase are of interest in indicating that respondents do value the presence of natural greenery and views in interior space. The sound environment, seating and lighting were seen as the most important features of restorative space in both Universities; whilst area of disagreement included greenery, more important in the Hong Kong sample and the temperature, more important in Loughborough. There was a high level of consensus on the sounds that contribute most to a restorative environment namely, trees or leaves, wind, water and music. The results will also feed into the second phase of the work will be lab based to enable the presentation of audio and visual stimuli together.


Latent heat storage systems,using phase change materials(PCMs),is one of effective ways to store thermal energy,which is widely applied in the areas of solar industrial process heat supply,heat recovery in industrial batch processes and energy-saving in buildings.Previous research advances on the available phase change heat storage materials are reviewed,and the classification,choice,properties and applications on thermal storage techniques and materials are also presented.Especially,the problem of the classification,preparation route and application of medium-temperature PCMs in 100-450℃temperature range is emphatically considered.An insight of the coming efforts to develop new classes of medium-temperature PCMs is provided,and its corresponding prospective applications and developments are anticipated.A favorable proposal on developing the well properties micro/nano-structured composite PCMs in future work is presented.


Given a quasi-reductive group G over a local field k, using Berkovich geometry, we exhibit a family of G(k)-equivariant compactifications of the Bruhat-Tits building B(G, k), constructed and investigated by Solleveld and Lourenço. The compactification procedure consists in mapping the building in the analytification Gan of G, then composing this map with the projections from Gan to its (in general non-compact) pseudo-flag varieties (G/P )an, for P ranging among the pseudo-parabolic subgroups of G. This generalises previous constructions of Berkovich, then Rémy, Thuillier and Werner. To define the embedding, we are led to giving a partial extension to the quasi-reductive context of results due to Rousseau on the functoriality of Bruhat-Tits buildings with respect to field extensions, which are of independent interest. Finally, we conclude by investigating the geometry at infinity of these compactifications. The boundaries are shown to be stratified, each stratum being equivariantly homeomorphic to the Bruhat-Tits building of the maximal quasi-reductive quotient of a pseudo-parabolic subgroup. *Mathematisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen Arndtstraße 2, 35392 Gießen E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


F l u c t u a t i o n of water l e v e l s i n w e l l s due to f l u c t u a t i o n s of the nearby surface water (by t i d e s , s h i p s , dams) i n t e r f e r e w i t h w e l l a n a l y s i s by standard f i e l d techniques. Therefore an attempt has been made to approximate these v a r i a t i o n s a n a l y t i c a l l y . These c a l c u l a t e d values could then be used to approach a s t a t i c water l e v e l . The ba s i c ground water theory was considered f o r conf i n e d and unconfined a q u i f e r s . The same l i n e a r approximation f o r the equation of the v a r i a t i o n s of the water l e v e l was obtained. This was a d i f f u s i o n equation. The s i n u s o i d a l s o l u t i o n was considered i n conjunction w i t h the t i d e s , considered as a sum of sine waves. However t h i s approach was l i m i t e d to the t i d e s and was q u i t e lengthy. A b e t t e r method was developed which approximates the earth as a d i g i t a l f i l t e r , f u l l y described by the d i f f u s i o n equation and i t s g e o l o g i c a l and geometrical parameters. An a p p l i c a t i o n of t h i s technique showed good time c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h the a c t u a l data and good s e n s i t i v i t y to the r a t i o of the appropriate parameters. A c c o r d i n g l y , i t i s proposed that a method i n c o r p o r a t i n g t h i s f i l t e r could be used as a t o o l i n the assessment of p r e l i m i n a r y w e l l s .


The main objective of radiological protection dosimetry is to evaluate the absorbed dose in sensitive organs and tissues of the human body by internal or external sources of radiation (ICRP 103, 2007). Simulators are physical or computational models used to simulate the transport of ionizing radiation, and its interactions in the tissues of the human body and to evaluate energy deposition in regions of interest. The Monte Carlo method is applied to reproduce a statistical process similar to the interaction of nuclear particles with human tissues. The objective of this work is, through literary research, to compare computational Simulators with physical Simulators, and to show the importance and evolution of the use of computational Simulators in the dosimetry of radiological protection. Physical Simulators, especially anthropomorphic ones, are very expensive and limited, besides being difficult to position (AP/PA/PERFIL). Computer simulators do not have radiation emissions, which protects researchers and ensures that there is no variation of the simulated radiation beam. To reduce uncertainty in dose calculations caused by anatomical variations, the scientific community has developed several computational Simulators with modified ICRP standard reference values about body mass, height, positioning, size and position of organs and structures, etc.


Open source software production is a successful new production model in which a public good is voluntarily provided. We argue that by studying this new production model we gain valuable insight for organization theory beyond software production. Under specific conditions this model can be generalized, contingent on the interplay of motivational, situational, and institutional factors. It is argued that a production model building on the shoulders of predecessors and peers depends on a well balanced portfolio of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, low costs for contributors and governance mechanisms that do not crowd out intrinsic motivation. (95 words)


A wavelength-tunable and dual-wavelength mode-locking operation is achieved in an Er-doped fiber laser using a hybrid no-core fiber graded index multimode fiber as the saturable absorber. In the tuning operation, continuously wavelength-tunable pulses with a tuning range of 46.7 nm, stable 3-dB bandwidth of around 5 nm, and pulse duration of ∼850  fs are obtained by increasing the intracavity loss of a variable optical attenuator. In the dual-wavelength operation, the two solitons at different wavelengths demonstrate the characteristics of mutual coherence. By increasing the intracavity loss, the spectral spacing can be tuned from 11 to 33.01 nm while maintaining the coherence of the solitons. Such coherent solitons have high potential for applications in dual-comb frequency and multicolor pulses in nonlinear microscopy.


Process ontologies are developed by the knowledge of the domain experts and organization's guidelines, regulations and laws. This process requires significant time and effort. In this study, Process Ontology Population (PrOnPo) methodology, which aims to develop process ontology from organizational documents and the supporting semi-automatic tool is presented. This methodology is practiced with case studies for both Turkish and English documents and the results are compared and discussed. It is seen that natural language processing platform has an important effect on the success of the tool.


ETWEEN January 1965 and January 1972, 45,929 American servicemen lost their lives in the Republic of Vietnam through action by hostile forces.2 In the same period, U.S. military forces suffered 303,598 injuries from enemy action. A little over half of these men (153,291) required hospital care. Army personnel, mainly infantrymen, accounted for the majority of the killed and wounded. This paper examines the political attitudes of Army veterans hospitalized from wounds incurred while serving in Vietnam.


This study was carried out to appraise the socio-economic characteristics, market structure and profitability of fresh fish marketers as well as determinants of income generated from fresh fish marketing in Lagos State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 80 fresh fish marketers in the study area and structured questionnaire administered on them. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Gini-coefficient analysis, gross margin analysis and regression analysis. The study revealed that fresh fish market was dominated by female which accounted for 85% of the sellers and 91% belong to the economically age group. The gross margin analysis revealed that a fresh fish marketer incurred an average total variable cost of ₦39,208.62 per month but earned average revenue of ₦63,439.45 and a gross margin of ₦24,230.83. The rate of return on investment value of ₦0.60 is an indication that fresh fish marketing is a profitable venture in the study area. A Gini- coefficient value of 0.4058 obtained in the study indicates a high level of unequal distribution of income in the fresh fish market. The result of the multiple regression analysis revealed that income from fresh fish marketing in the study area was determined by proportion of household members involved in marketing, experience of marketers, unit price of fresh fish, capital, number of sales outlets owned by marketers and cost of transportation. The study concluded that fresh fish marketing in the area was profitable. It was recommended that government should provide more storage facilities to reduce wastage of leftovers in the study area.


This paper introduces a Dimension Space describing the entities making up richly interactive systems. The Dimension Space is intended to help designers understand both the physical and virtual entities from which their systems are built, and the tradeoffs involved in both the design of the entities themselves and of the combination of these entities in a physical space. Entities are described from the point of view of a person carrying out a task at a particular time, in terms of their attention received, role, manifestation, input and output capacity and informational density. The Dimension Space is applied to two new systems developed at Grenoble, exposing design tradeoffs and design rules for richly interactive systems. INTRODUCTION Recent years have seen technological advances allowing the exploration of exciting new interaction paradigms that involve, for example, augmented reality and cooperative work. These advances have included the development of inexpensive and novel I/O devices such as cameras, digital sensors, data projectors and immersive displays, the creation of portable devices such as personal digital assistants and portable telephones, and the proliferation of high-speed networks. Examples of richly interactive applications based on these novel technologies include augmented reality flight strips supporting the work of air traffic controllers [17], Ishii's tangible bits [16], embodied interfaces [11], the INFOTABLE and INFOWALL "spatially continuous" workspaces [23] and the CASPER computer aided surgery system [10,7]. The Magic Board augmented reality whiteboard falls into the same bracket, as a 'richly interactive' system, by virtue of its design principles having included the corporeal interaction of user and device, in relation to alternative and physical media for production and reflection [9,2,25]. All these applications owe their richness, to a greater or lesser extent, to the fact that they blur the line between the computer and the physical world and pay heed to the embodiedness of the human operator [1]. The design of such systems cannot be limited to the design of a user interface, but extends to the design of how physical and virtual entities are to be combined into a complete system. For example, the design of Mackay's flight strips was informed by ethnographic studies of air traffic controllers, including extensive considerations of how these controllers cooperate amongst themselves, and of the physical design of their workstations. Up to now, little methodical support has been provided for the design of systems involving multiple actors interacting with both physical and virtual entities in order to carry out some task. Based on the experience at Grenoble in the design and implementation of the CASPER and Magic Board systems, we propose a Dimension Space to aid in the design of complete interactive systems. We consider interactive systems to be made up of entities, both physical and virtual, which may be objects of some task, instruments used in carrying out the task, collaborating actors, or adapters between the physical and virtual worlds [10]. The Dimension Space sets out to identify the properties of these entities, illustrating and contrasting the points of view of actors using the system to carry out a task. Its primary role is to serve as a descriptive and exploratory tool for designers and to communicate and record their reasoning about potential interactive systems. The Dimension Space presupposes an existing and detailed analysis of the content and context of the work domain from which evaluation criteria may be drawn [4,22]. It is capable of describing the interactive properties of combinations of entities, properties that may be of value or disruptive depending on the system of work concerned. The Dimension Space thus belongs to a family of approaches that have been described as Design Space Analysis [19], by elaborating possible designs against a determined set of requirements. Figure 1: A Dimension Space for describing entities in the context of th In this space, an entity is described as a plot, from the perspective o out a particular task at some time The Dimension Space characterizes entities in terms of their attention received, role, manifestation, I/O capacities and informational density. Using the axes of the Dimension Space, we can ask questions such as, what is the purpose of the entity (from the point of view of a user carrying out some task); how does the entity combine physical and virtual attributes, and how does the entity constrain the use of other entities? As is shown in the final section of the paper, the Dimension Space allows us to propose examples of general design rules for richly interactive systems, and helps in evaluating such rules. The Magic Board provides a realistic example of a modern interactive system involving group cooperation and rich interaction between the physical and virtual worlds. For the Dimension Space, its salient characteristics are: • users may create and manipulate text and graphics that are either physical (using standard dry-ink pens) or virtual (projected via a data projector) • the contents of the Magic Board are digitized via a camera. Input Capacity Manifestati on Informati onal Density Role Atten ti on Received Object of task Actor Instrument Adapter


Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) was discovered in 1982. Over 50% of the world population is infected bythis bacterium. H. Pylori is the main cause of gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer in human. Foodswith animal origins play a substantial role in the transmission of H. Pylori. The present investigation wascarried out to study the molecular detection of H.pylori in stomach gastric tissue of the sheep.Collectingof the samples occur randomly from various area of Al-Muthana province slaughter house(AL-Muthana,AL-Khudur, AL-Rumethah)from October 2019 to February 2020 . One hundred and fifty (n 75 male, n 75female) abomasums samples were collected and dissection in aseptic manner then stored in deep freeze(Liquid nitrogen -196) until processing and analyzed for the presence of 16s RNA and VACA genotypes.This study showed that the Prevalence of H. Pylori in the gastric samples of sheep at slaughterhouses(Al-Muthana, Al-Khdur, Al-Rumethah) were (9 positives) 18 % and (7) 14%, (15) 30% respectively. Themost commonly detected genotypes in the gastric samples of slaughterhouses were 16s RNA (20.67%)in ewes(25.33%) . AL-Rumetha was the most commonly detected H. Pylori (30%). Results showed thatgastric tissue of sheep can act as a reservoir to H. Pylori and disseminate the pathogen in feces and milk thentransmitted to human during uses of unpasteurized milk ,or meat .samples could be the potential sources ofvirulent strains of H. Pylori. Application of sanitary measures in the storage, transportation and sale of meatis essential for reducing the levels of H. Pylori cross contamination.


An account is given of the evolution and characteristics of the settlement of Magallanes during the 20 th century, a phenomenon that has been subject to the geographic, social and economic circumstances, and that has resulted both in a notorious concentration of population in a few urban centers and in an under-populated rural sector. Information is also given of an unsuccessful attempt to reverse this traditional tendency by a policy of promoting the settlement of people. Questions are asked about the advantages of maintaining the current settlement system given a future of integral regional development.


A method of the directional solidification for AZ91 magnesium alloys was developed.The samples of microstructures of AZ91 magnesium alloys under controlled conditions were prepared by above method.These liquid alloys,containing both magnesium and aluminum,and the materials of ceramic or metallic container aris poignant chemical reaction.When an integrated measures were used,selected steel tube material of the coating protection and limitation of the melt temperature,the sufficiently high thermal gradients can preserve directional solidification.


Interfaces between two immiscible electrolytic solutions ITIESs provide significant contact-angle variation at substantially lower operating voltages than conventional electrowetting systems require. This voltage reduction has been justified elsewhere by a theory that rationalizes ITIES electrowetting in terms of the interfacial capacitances involved. Here, the previous theory is extended to allow more detailed descriptions of the various double-layer capacitances. Past work relied, in part, on the Gouy– Chapman theory, which incompletely describes the liquid/electrode interfaces commonly used for electrowetting. In order to assess the impact of this incompleteness, it is shown how experimental measurements of the liquid/electrode specific capacitances can be incorporated when predicting the interfacial contact-angle variation with respect to applied voltage. The extended theory refines estimates of the potential ranges over which contact angles vary, predicts more realistic response curves, and can aid the design of variable-focus lenses or display elements that exploit the low-voltage electrowetting of ITIESs. © 2008 The Electrochemical Society. DOI: 10.1149/1.2971190 All rights reserved.


Every organization adopts a different approach to making steps towards total quality. Describes a number of variables which are consistent with successful progress down the road towards total quality. Presents observation and analysis of 28 organizations whose quality managers are participating in a qualification programme. Five levels of organizational progress towards total quality have been distinguished, ranging from level one (operational sub‐process improvement) to level five (total process reconception).


The metalaxyl-resistance of the pathogen of cotton boll blight,Phytophthora boehmeriae Sawada, isolated from cotton boll in Anhui Province was studied in vitro. The results showed that the mycelium growth of all isolates were almost inhibited on LBA medium with metalaxyl of 1μg/mL. All strains from 7 localities of Anhui Province were highly sensitive to metalaxyl with the EC50 values much less than 0.1μg/mL. The EC50 values of metalaxyl to all tested strains ranged from 0.0428-1.9373μg/ml with the average of 0.026 08μg/mL. It suggested that all strains from 7 parts of Anhui Province were very sensitive to metalaxyl,and that the sensitivity of all isolates to metalaxyl were very different among the localities. In this paper, the metalaxyl-resistant strains were easily obtained through mutagenisis of metalaxyl. And the resistant level of metalaxyl-resistant strains were also tested. The results indicated that the level is 13 000 times higher than that of their sensitive parents,suggesting that there might be resistance risk to metalaxyl in the isolates of the pathogen of cotton boll blight in Anhui.


Cities have been treated as systems for fifty year but only in the last two decades has the focus changed from aggregate equilibrium systems to more evolving systems whose structure merges from the bottom up. We first outline the rudiments of the traditional approach focusing on equilibrium and then discuss how the paradigm has changed to one which treats cities as emergent phenomena generated through a combination of hierarchical levels of decision, driven in decentralized fashion. This is consistent with the complexity sciences which dominate the simulation of urban form and function. We begin however with a review of equilibrium models, particularly those based on spatial interaction, and we then explore how simple dynamic frameworks can be fashioned to generate more realistic models. In exploring dynamics, nonlinear systems which admit chaos and bifurcation have relevance but recently more pragmatic schemes of structuring urban models based on cellular automata and agent-based modeling principles have come to the fore. Most urban models deal with the city in terms of the location of its economic and demographic activities but there is also a move to link such models to urban morphologies which are clearly fractal in structure. Throughout this chapter, we show how key concepts in complexity such as scaling, self-similarity and far-from-equilibrium structures dominate our current treatment of cities, how we might simulate their functioning and how we might predict their futures. We conclude with the key problems that dominate the field and suggest how these might be tackled in future research.


Cafe Apung Rowo Klampok is a floating-themed cafe located in the village of Senggreng, Sumberpucung District, Malang Regency.  The establishment of cafes, coffee shops, and similar ventures has become one of the developments in the creative economy by capitalizing on existing opportunities.  Meanwhile, the shift in lifestyle within society has transformed cafes into places of entertainment and an integral part of daily life, attracting entrepreneurs to explore cafe businesses. Consequently, numerous cafes have emerged in various regions, including in Senggreng. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Cafe Apung Rowo Klampok did not possess a marketing communication strategy to compete with its competitors. Marketing communication strategy is a crucial aspect for the successful operation of any business. This study aims to design a marketing communication strategy suitable for Cafe Apung Rowo Klampok in the New Normal Era using the SWOT analysis. This descriptive qualitative study adopted a constructivist paradigm and the SWOT analysis.  The café's factors were rated using the IFAS and EFAS matrices. The weighted scores were then used to ascertain the cafe's position, which, in this case, places the café in Quadrant I, implying the need to apply an aggressive growth policy. The café is recommended to focus on utilizing its strengths and capitalizing on available opportunities as marketing strategies.  The alternative strategies applicable to this cafe in the New Normal Era involve developing and enhancing both offline and online promotional efforts across various social media platforms, and leveraging technological advancements for marketing purposes, such as providing online delivery services.


History. —A boy, aged 7 years, was brought to the hospital by ambulance, after being struck and rendered unconscious by an automobile while playing in a snow pile, in the evening of Dec. 23, 1917; he was admitted to the service of Prof. William Sharpe. From the meager history of the accident that could be obtained, the child was unconscious when picked up, frothing at the mouth, and bleeding from the right ear and the nostrils. Examination. —At the hospital, within an hour after the accident, he was drowsy; although his eyes were open and he would answer rationally when spoken to, he was lying quietly and unconcerned, occasionally moving the extremities. There was a small amount of dry clotted blood in both nares and also in the right external auditory meatus. A hematoma, the size of a half dollar, with a slight superficial laceration in the center, was present


The thesis devotes to the investigations of morphofunctional peculiarities of lymphoid diverticulum in geese of big grey breed at ontogeny. After gosling hatching vitelline duct of geese fetus transforms into lymphoid diverticulum which is situated on the antimesenterial surface of the loop of the jejunum. The increase of lymphoid diverticulum occurs till three months old age of geese, about what indicate the maximum meanings of length indices (17,50±3,50 mm), the area of transversal section (13,84±0,90 mm2) and the wall (12,63±0,82 mm2). These indices reduce with geese age increasing. The wall of lymphoid diverticulum is formed by mucous, muscular and serous membranes. The most developed membrane is the mucous one (51,43-92,08 % from the wall area). The epithelium of one-day-old goslings is monostratal cubic bordening, and the epithelium of three-days-old goslings is monostratal prismatic bordening. The crypta area reaches the maximum meaning in two-months-old geese (39,66 %). In the six-months-old geese at the crypta place are generated the oseoid formation. Morphofunctional maturity of lymphoid diverticulum comes at the 21 days old age. The content of diffuse lymphoid tissue with antenodes and lymphoid nodes changes after approach of morphofunctional maturity. The maximum area of lymphoid tissue is in the wall of lymphoid diverticulum in threemonths-old geese (83,77 %).


This paper reports what a Language Clinic project is and how it worked for three academic years (1998 - 2000) at Mahidol University. This project aimed to help first-year students at Mahidol University, Salaya Centre practice their English skills by using the principles of self–access learning. It was also helpful as a small-scale self-access centre and the feedback on the project has been important in the proposed setting up of the Language Learning Centre in the year 2002 when the university becomes autonomous.


This work proposes a novel methodology for the evaluation of indoor positioning systems, by adopting a binomial distribution approach during the evaluation process. The positioning accuracy achieved by any Real Time Localisation System (RTLS) is affected by various critical factors, such as the network infrastructure, the implemented positioning algorithms, the environment complexity, the dynamic changes that occur, the device diversity etc. The aim of the suggested methodology is to allow the evaluation of the expected accuracy of a deployed positioning system, under its actual operating conditions. The data collected by the binomial experiment is statistically processed, in order for the evaluator to calculate the strength of his evidence, and finally decide whether the declared accuracy can actually be met or not. The proposed approach, due to its robustness, can be of significant value in device diversity scenarios, organic and dynamic environments.


The study was descriptive survey research for establishment of patient safety culture in small and medium-sized hospitals as providing baseline data of educational program regarding safe medication and prevention of near miss on medication, checking influencing factors of nurses near miss experience on medication in small and medium-sized hospital. The collected data was analyzed by SPSS/WIN 20.0 program to obtain mean, frequency, x2-test, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, logistic regression. The influencing factors of near miss experience on medication was working department and patient safety culture among general characteristic. The nurses who were working in general ward had lesser chance to experience near miss rather than nurses working in special department (Odds ratio:2.23, 95%, Confidence Interval: 1.07∼4.67, p=.032). The 1 point higher in patient safety culture, the lesser chance to experience in near miss (Odds ratio: 2.24, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.02∼4.95, p=.045). To sum up the result of this study, nurses working in special department had higher chance to experience near miss rather than nurses working in general wards. The higher patient safety culture awareness was the lower near miss was experienced. Thus, miss surveillance system for improvement of nurses' patient safety culture awareness should be developed. Moreover, educational program for medication considering nurses' career and department' character should be requested with simulation training considering and theory education. ■ keyword :∣Medication∣Near Miss∣Nurse∣Small and Medium Sized Hospital∣Patient Safety∣ 접수일자 : 2020년 07월 24일 수정일자 : 2020년 09월 01일 심사완료일 : 2020년 09월 02일 교신저자 : 정경희, e-mail : email@example.com 중소병원 간호사의 투약 근접오류경험 영향요인 425


Unique properties of Amaranthus hypochondriacus have been extensively utilized in the recent time worldwide both in food technologies and husbandry. An intensive growth of Amaranthus hypochondriacus plants has been made in Ukraine there and, respectively, production of foods based on amaranth is growing, however no research on its use for feeding rabbits is available. Therefore, the study aimed to review the impact of Amaranthus hypochondriacus on slaughter features of rabbits, meat quality including those under storage conditions. The California race rabbits of 60 days age were divided into two groups, 28 animals in each. The rabbits in the study group were fed (by adding to the basal diet) with 20% of amaranth oilcake. The rabbits were slaughtered at age of 120 days. The following key features of meat output and quality performance were determined: pH, moisture content, water-holding capacity, cooking losses, protein and cholesterol content as well as change in pH, microorganisms count, and moisture loss percentage during 9-day storage in chilled state. Amaranthus hypochondriacus effect on the rabbit live weight, hot carcass weight, dressing out percentage, percentage ratio of heart, kidney, liver, lung weight to carcass weight, рН, moisture content, water-holding capacity, and meat morphological structure was determined. Reduction in cholesterol level by 15.07% (р < 0.05) in the meat of rabbits that were fed with Amaranthus hypochondriacus was detected. pH and drip loss percentage were not significantly different among the groups in the shelf-life period. However, it was found out that growth of microorganisms in the meat of rabbits that were fed with Amaranthus hypochondriacus was slowed down: microorganisms count was 1.65 and 1.71 (р < 0.05) times lower than in the control group on the 6th and 9th days of storage, accordingly. The low-cholesterol and bacteriostatic effects of amaranth oilcake in the rabbit nutrition may significantly increase dietary properties of rabbit meat. Use of amaranth oilcake for rabbit fattening has great potential and further studies including the mechanism of antibacterial effect of A. hypochondriacus on the rabbit meat are required


Atlas is the first cervical vertebra. It does not have a body like other cervical vertebrae. It forms ellipsoidal synovial joints with the condyles of the occipital bone. Rarely, it gets occipitalized, where the condyles of the occipital bone fuse with the lateral masses of the atlas vertebra. In this article, a total fusion of the atlas vertebra has been reported and the knowledge of such a fusion may be of importance for radiologists, anesthesiologists, orthopedic and neurosurgeons because skeletal abnormalities at the craniocervical junction may result in sudden unexpected death. It can result in dysphagia, disarthria or torticollis because of compression of cranial nerves . Neuroanatomy; 2005; 4: 39–40.


This paper explains how cyclical patterns of employment vary between genders and across industries and how these two factors are related by gender differences in the industry distribution of workers. Evidence shows that men's employment is more procyclical than women's and that men's overrepresentation in highly volatile industries more than accounts for the gender gap in employment cyclicality. Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press.


Plant polysaccharides have gradually been one of important fields in new drugs development. This paper reviews some research progresses in pharmaceutical effects of plant polysaccharides from six aspects and makes up foundation for future research.


Sir, We have read with interest the letter by Coomes and Haghbayan, which presents favipiravir as a potential treatment for COVID-19. The authors, based on the results of in vitro studies and benefit shown in a clinical trial of this drug, state that there is an urgent need for more clinical studies of favipiravir. However, the authors only praise the results of the clinical trial of favipiravir, but they do not give information about the methodological flaws of the study. In our opinion, it is important to present the strengths and limitations of the body of evidence to readers. That is why in this letter we present some methodological aspects of this clinical trial that should be considered when interpreting the results. First, a study must always choose endpoints that can show a real benefit for the patient; these are known as critical endpoints. The US FDA considers critical clinical endpoints as those that measure how a patient 'feels, functions, or survives'; some examples of these endpoints are mortality or a symptom score. Nevertheless, this study made the debatable decision to include only non-critical endpoints (decrease in the average time to viral clearance and improvement in the chest tomography of COVID-19-infected patients). Even though they show a statistical difference, it is hard to argue that there is a clinically significant difference between both groups. Second, as a non-randomized trial, it is not possible to isolate the effect of the intervention. This limitation can be exemplified by the difference between patients in their number of lymphocytes in the two arms of the trial, with a P value for the difference near 0.05. These lower levels of lymphocytes have been considered a predictive factor for severity in COVID-19 infection, so we could hypothesize that the groups were not in reality that comparable. Similarly, in the article there is no information about the comorbidities of the participants, which may have been different between the intervention arms and hence influenced the outcomes. Nevertheless, it is mentioned that the authors adjusted the multivariate model with a variable named 'underlying disease'. It is unacceptable not to include such important information, which could change the interpretation of the results. Third, the only statistically significant difference was at Day 14 in both outcomes. Nevertheless, most mildly affected patients will clear the virus at Day 10 and only those with severe disease have persistence of the virus, and we cannot discard the possibility that a selection bias influenced the results of the study. Finally, the authors of this trial state that it was unethical to conduct a randomized clinical trial: 'it was ethically unacceptable to allocate patients to receive different experimental drugs, and a randomization process was infeasible'. We disagree with this statement. In the current situation, what the world needs is the generation of the best evidence as soon as possible to avoid the unnecessary exposure of patients to futile experimental interventions. Randomized trials have already been done with success in this pandemic setting, proving that it is possible to overcome barriers and conduct high-quality research in this context. In combination, these limitations do not allow the conclusion that there was a real benefit in the intervention arm or that this drug is as promising as the authors of the letter have stated. It is our responsibility as medical researchers to conduct research of the highest quality possible, and always be mindful of methodological flaws and inform readers of them. In summary, the authors provided an incomplete summary of the only available trial of favipiravir. It is important to always state the methodological flaws of the existing studies to inform readers that the results are not entirely reliable. The scientific community must always maintain their supervisory role and be very careful to avoid coming to incorrect conclusions.


Abstract : Memristive properties of thin film copper oxides with different grain sizes were characterized using tunneling atomic force microscopy (TUNA) and optical reflection measurements. The thin films containing copper ions of different chemical states were prepared by thermal oxidation of metallic copper thin films, deposited via magnetron sputtering onto silicon wafer substrates at an elevated temperature for various lengths of time. The TUNA measurements showed a memristive hysteresis in the I-V curves under an applied bias profile with an initial bias of -3.5V, a ramp up to 3.5V, and subsequent return to -3.5V. Histogram analysis of the barrier height distribution for the forward and backward bias indicated that the barrier height fluctuates in a narrow range of bias voltages that are related to electrochemical potentials for oxidation/reduction of copper ions. Changes in chemical state of copper atoms were identified by optical reflectance measurements in UV-VIS-NIR wavelength regions. The growth of the thin films, including grain size, were characterized by topographic AFM imaging and changes in optical absorption bands due to the quantum size confinement effects. The fluctuations in the I-V measurements are theorized to be results of electrochemical changes as mobile ions migrate along grain boundaries due to heterogeneities in grain orientation/structure. A subtle periodic behavior and the variability of the I-V data suggest a correlation with grain size distribution. The asymmetric distribution in the barrier height may indicate that a different probability for injecting an electron in and withdrawing an electron from the films.


Abstract Let $b(t)$ be an ${{L}^{\infty }}$ function on $\mathbf{R}$ , $\Omega ({y}')$ be an ${{H}^{1}}$ function on the unit sphere satisfying the mean zero property (1) and ${{Q}_{m}}(t)$ be a real polynomial on $\mathbf{R}$ of degree $m$ satisfying ${{Q}_{m}}(0)\,=\,0$ . We prove that the singular integral operator $${{T}_{Qm,}}b\left( f \right)\left( x \right)=p.v.\int\limits_{\mathbf{R}}^{n}{b\left( \left| y \right| \right)}\Omega \left( y \right){{\left| y \right|}^{-n}}f\left( x-{{Q}_{m}}\left( \left| y \right| \right){y}' \right)\,\,dy$$ is bounded in ${{L}^{p}}({{\mathbf{R}}^{n}})$ for $1<p<\infty $ , and the bound is independent of the coefficients of ${{Q}_{m}}(t)$ .


A search for superallowed α decay of N=Z nuclei Te104 and Xe108 was carried out using a novel recoil-decay scintillator detector at the tandem accelerator facility at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Inorganic crystal scintillation material YAP:Ce (yttrium aluminum perovskite) coupled to a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) was implemented for the first time in a radioactive decay experiment. Residues from the fusion-evaporation reaction Ni58+Fe54→Xe∗112 were separated by the JAEA Recoil Mass Separator (RMS) and implanted into the YAP:Ce crystal. α decays of neutron-deficient tellurium isotopes were identified and proton emission of I109 was observed. The α-decay chain Xe109→Te105→Sn101 was recorded with a time interval of 960 ns between two α pulses. Position localization in the crystal for decays and ions in the energy range from hundreds of keV to 60 MeV was achieved with an accuracy of 0.67 mm, proving that this detector is capable of making temporal and spatial correlations for fast decay events. No conclusive evidence was found for the decay chain Xe108→Te104→Sn100 within 3 days of experiment. However, two events were observed with properties consistent with the reported observation at the Fragment Mass Analyzer (FMA), but with a separation between signals of less than 4 ns. The cross section limit of 130 pb was obtained for production of two events of Xe108, about an order of magnitude below the expectation based on earlier cross section measurements and the hivap fusion-evaporation code.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on answering the following research question: "How efficient are deep-sea ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre (HLH) range compared with each other?" Design/methodology/approach – Input-oriented (and output-oriented) Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) results demonstrate that the deep-sea port of Vlissingen is perfectly efficient and also that the port of Amsterdam is quite efficient. These DEA results are underligned by the single-point benchmarking results. Findings – The Dutch deep-sea ports are the most efficient ports in the HLH range. Finally, relatively smaller deep-sea ports (with a market share of about 5 percent, such as Amsterdam, Vlissingen, and Zeebrugge) are relatively more efficient than larger deep-sea container ports (such as Antwerp, Hamburg, and Rotterdam). It can be observed that especially in these larger ports, the container sector is (very) important as compared with the smaller ports. Furthermore, Dutch ports are relatively more efficient and r...


Long‐term clinicopathological studies of BK‐associated nephropathy (PyVAN) are not available. We studied 206 biopsies (71 patients), followed 3.09 ± 1.46 years after immunosuppression reduction. The biopsy features (% immunostain for PyV large T ag + staining and inflammation ± acute rejection) were correlated with viral load dynamics and serum creatinine to define the clinicopathological status (PyVCPS). Incidence of acute rejection was 28% in the second biopsy and 50% subsequently (25% mixed T cell–mediated allograft rejection (TCMR) + antibody‐mediated allograft rejection (AMR); rejection overall affected 38% of patients (>50% AMR). Graft loss was 15.4% (0.8–5.3 years after PyVAN); 76% had complete viral clearance (mean 28 weeks). The only predictors of graft loss were acute rejection (TCMR p = 0.008, any type p = 0.07), and increased "t" and "ci" in the second biopsy (p = 0.006 and 0.048). Higher peak viremia correlated with poorer viral clearance (p = 0.002). Presumptive and proven PyVAN had similar presentation, evolution, and outcome. Late PyVAN (>2 years, 9.8%) justifies BK viremia evaluation at any point with graft dysfunction and/or biopsy evaluation. This study describes the histological evolution of PyVAN and corresponding clinicopathological correlations. Although the pathological features overall reflect the viral and immunological interactions, the PyVAN course remains difficult to predict based on any single feature. Appropriate clinical management requires repeat biopsies and determination of the PyVCPS at relevant time points, for corresponding personalized immunosuppression adjustment.


Electronic waste or e-waste is one of the fast growing problems of the world. E-waste consists of variety of components, containing toxic substances which lead to environment and health hazards if not handled properly. It is important to find out what is the main source of this e-waste with the help of GIS and how we can minimize the e-wastage through green technology. This paper provides a concise overview of Mumbai's current e-waste scenario, namely to locate the source of e-wastage, environmental and health hazards, green technology methods to reduce the e-wastage.


• Financial—focuses on "the readily measurable economic consequences of actions already taken". • Customer—covers measures that "identify the customer and market segments in which the business unit will compete and the measures of the business unit's performance in these targeted segments". • Internal Business Process—assesses the "critical internal processes in which the organization must excel". • Learning & Growth—assesses the "infrastructure that the organization must build to create long-term growth and improvement".


Feature allocation models generalize species sampling models by allowing every observation to belong to more than one species, now called features. Under the popular Bernoulli product model for feature allocation, given $n$ samples, we study the problem of estimating the missing mass $M_{n}$, namely the expected number hitherto unseen features that would be observed if one additional individual was sampled. This is motivated by numerous applied problems where the sampling procedure is expensive, in terms of time and/or financial resources allocated, and further samples can be only motivated by the possibility of recording new unobserved features. We introduce a simple, robust and theoretically sound nonparametric estimator $\hat{M}_{n}$ of $M_{n}$. $\hat{M}_{n}$ turns out to have the same analytic form of the popular Good-Turing estimator of the missing mass in species sampling models, with the difference that the two estimators have different ranges. We show that $\hat{M}_{n}$ admits a natural interpretation both as a jackknife estimator and as a nonparametric empirical Bayes estimator, we give provable guarantees for the performance of $\hat{M}_{n}$ in terms of minimax rate optimality, and we provide with an interesting connection between $\hat{M}_{n}$ and the Good-Turing estimator for species sampling. Finally, we derive non-asymptotic confidence intervals for $\hat{M}_{n}$, which are easily computable and do not rely on any asymptotic approximation. Our approach is illustrated with synthetic data and SNP data from the ENCODE sequencing genome project.


This paper presents the Table to Tablet (T2T) project therapy software development approach, which aims to provide a reliable and valid solution for speech and language therapists to work with children with speech sound disorders (SSD). The currently available intervention materials for this kind of paediatric disorder have not been tested or validated and digital materials are scarce. For the T2T project, new tabletop materials and web based intervention software have been developed and results from testing them in a group of seven children with SSD are currently being analysed. Future work will compare the effectiveness of a tabletop approach versus a digital one.


In recent years, the object detection technology based on deep learning has made great breakthroughs, greatly improving the detection accuracy. However, most of the existing deep learning detection models are designed for multi-class object detection in natural scenes, which may lead to over-fitting when applied in structured specific railway scenes. Secondly, in order to meet the real-time detection requirements of high-speed comprehensive detection train with a speed of 350 km/h, the detection speed is put forward with extremely high requirements, and the existing deep learning model is difficult to meet the timeliness of high-speed detection. In this paper, we propose an optimized structured regions fully convolutional Networks (SR-FCN), which change the multiple small objects detection problem into single structured region location problem. The structured prior information of rail track is fused into the various processes of deep learning network including that sample construction, proposal region generation, network building and loss function constraint. By optimizing the regional proposal network as well as the anchor's traversal number, the locating speed of the railway objects is greatly improved, and the locating error caused by local missing or background interference is avoided, which improves the robustness of detection. The experimental results show that the proposed SR-FCN network can not only achieve a high detection accuracy up to 99.99%, but also maintain a fast detection speed, which can meet the real-time detection at the high speed of 350 km/h.