Coarctation of the abdominal aorta (AoA) is a rare case, approximately 0.5-2% of all stenosis aorta. We present an 11-years old boy, diagnosed with coarctation of the abdominal aorta.

 An 11-years old boy complained about dizziness since 1.5 years ago with hypertension. He underwent hypertension treatment for 1.5 years with a pediatrician but there is no improvement in his blood pressure. His current blood pressure was 150/95 mmHg in upper extremities and 120/80 mmHg in lower extremities with three antihypertensives drugs. We found bruit in the abdomen and decreases pulse in lower extremities. An echocardiogram shows no congenital defect. The first was on suspicion of renal stenosis and underwent ultrasonography of the abdomen but not conclusive. Computed Tomography Angiographic (CTA) showed severe stenosis in the abdominal aorta on level thoracal 11-12. Aortogram shows significant stenosis in the abdominal aorta with a pressure gradient was 47 mmHg. He underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with BMS self-stent implantation. At two month of follow up his blood pressure target was achieved with a minimal dose of oral antihypertensive drugs

 How to diagnosed coarctation of the abdominal aorta is still challenging and often underdiagnosed. Patients with young age and persistent hypertension should be more careful in diagnosis. A bruit in the abdomen with a weak pulse in the lower extremity raises suspicion of Coarctation of the Abdominal Aorta. The causal treatment is either percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with or without stent implantation or surgery.


In our previous work, we proposed a resource-oriented workflow nets (ROWN) approach for acyclic workflow resource requirement analysis. Resource requirements analysis for general workflows can be done through reachability analysis. For a class of well-structured workflows, an efficient resource analysis algorithm was also developed. In this paper, we discuss how to analyze the resource requirements of workflows with loops. The main idea is to convert a cyclic workflow into an equivalent acyclic workflow in terms of maximum resource requirements and net resource consumption. An application to emergency healthcare workflow resource requirement analysis is presented to illustrate how the approach works step-by-step.


A highly reliable interface of an ultrathin CuSiN self-aligned barrier between Cu film and nanoporous SiC:H film has been developed in the present work for the 65nm node and below. It is shown that the multilayer of CuSiN (4nm)∕SiC:H (15nm)∕SiCN:H (10–15nm) as a capping barrier have the enough ability to prevent copper diffusion at elevated temperatures even up to 500°C, good barrier hermeticity, and appropriate mechanical characteristics. With this kind of barrier stack, higher interfacial adhesion between the Cu film and dielectric barrier is achieved. The mechanisms involved have been analyzed based on detailed characterization studies.


ABSTRACT In men, but not in women, the distribution of CBC values (cortisol-binding capacity of plasma transcortin) has a bimodal aspect, both subgroups being of about equal size. This bimodal distribution is also present within pairs of brothers. A statistical excess of low CBC values is seen in the plasma of relatives of subjects with a CBC below 20 μg/100 ml. Fathers of sons, but not of daughters, with a CBC below 20 μg/100 ml have a normal mean CBC. These facts suggest that an x-linked gene determines, at least partly, the cortisol-binding capacity of plasma transcortin. The high incidence of low CBC values in patients with hemophilia or other conditions in which sex-linked inheritance may be of major importance is compatible with this hypothesis.


Public visual spaces, populated by a blend of community murals, unauthorised street art, and historic painted mercantile signs, are often the mark of an urban environment that is both progressive and eclectic. Changes in the aesthetic and cultural value of these urban mural forms have led to an increase in the appreciation and, in some instances, promotion of their artistic merit and cultural significance as examples of public art. However, examining the significance of these works, with a view to implementing a conservation approach is problematic. This is due to a number of practical and theoretical considerations that are primarily a result of the ephemeral existence of urban murals outside conventional exhibition spaces, and issues associated with their often fragmented ownership and uncertain authorship. Consequently, larger thinking on the interpretation, conservation assessment, and advocacy for the conservation of urban murals are required. Key to defining and implementing such strategies is contextualising the public visual spaces that these murals occupy and, as part of this, the local and wider communities' perception of these murals as culturally significant objects as well as fostering awareness and understanding of appropriate measures aimed at their conservation. This paper examines the role of citizen science, or crowd-sourcing, of local community members in establishing a conservation dialogue and generating conservation- relevant data on urban murals. It looks specifically at a project involving a collection of in situ historic painted mercantile signs — also known as ghost signs — in the City of Port Phillip, Melbourne, Australia. The project fostered the establishment of an informed and open dialogue between conservation specialists and participants from the local community on the significance of local ghost signs whilst transferring knowledge on conservation processes and assessment methods. Working directly with community members, a programme was designed in which conservation and community knowledge of these urban art forms, could be collected and exchanged across digital platforms. This enabled researchers to examine how citizen science can be utilised as a research tool as well as a means to advocate for the conservation of collections of urban murals. It created the opportunity to consider the role of non-specialists and shared authorities in the collection and collation of conservation- relevant data and how information generated from what we call citizen conservation projects, can inform the way in which conservators evaluate and prioritize the conservation of urban cultural heritage. The data gathered and interpreted proved to be the most effective means of 'conserving' these often ephemeral forms of cultural material.


The inclusion ideal graph of a commutative ring R is a graph with vertex set Ψ where Ψ = {I : 0 6= I ⊂ R, where I is an ideal of R and two distinct ideals I ,J ∈ Ψ are adjacent if and only if I ⊂ J or J ⊂ I and it is expressed as In(R). In this paper, we list out all finite commutative rings whose In(R) is a path, a cycle or a tree. In addition, we classify all finite commutative rings for which the inclusion ideal graph is outer planar or planar.


Dr. Riclaardson delivered the first address, 11 On the future of Sanitary Science in 1877.&dquo; F'rank Buckland, in 1878, addressed you '' On the Pollution of Rivers and its effects upon the Fisheries, and water supply of Towns and Villages.&dquo; G. J. Symons, in 1879, &dquo; On Water Economy.&dquo; Captain Galton, in 1880, on &dquo;The preventible causes of impurity in London Air.&dquo; l~rofessor de Cltaumont, in 1881, on &dquo;Modern Sanitary Science.&dquo;


We regularly organise events and CPD-accredited training courses concerning legislative changes, industry news or more informal networking and social events. - Webinar: Insurance Act 2015 – What does it mean for you as an insured?: On 19 July 2016 we will be holding a webinar where Ian Masser and Nathan Modell, Associates for Beale & Company, will discuss the key changes brought about by the Insurance Act 2015 ("the Act") and what they may mean for you as an insured.


Objective To research the effect of microsatellite instability(MSI) and loss of heterozygosity(LOH) of locus D17S396 on the expression of gene nm23H 1 in gastric cancer and to provide experimental basis for clinicaltreatment and prognosis.Methods Techniques such as DNA extraction from paraffin-embedded tissues,polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism(PCR-SSCP),ordinary silver stain,Envision immunohistochemistry and Leica-Qwin computer imaging techniques were used to investigate the genetic instability of gene nm23H 1.Results In the experiments,the frequency of MSI,LOH and nm23H 1 protein expression of 40 cases of gastric cancer were 20.00%,17.50% and 55.00% respectively.Based on the TNM staging,the frequency of MSI was higher in stage Ⅰ+Ⅱ disease(31.82%) than in stage Ⅲ+Ⅳ disease(5.56%),while LOH was on the contrary.The frequency of MSI was significantly lower in cases with lymph nodes metastases(5.00%) than in cases without (35.00%),while LOH was on the contrary.The expression of nm23H 1 protein was significantly lower in cases with lymph nodes metastases than in cases without.Conclusion MSI and LOH can controll the carcinogenesis and metastasis of sporadic gastric cancer through different approaches.MSI is an molecule marker in the early period of sporadic gastric cancer.On the contrary,LOH appears mostly in the late period of sporadic gastric cancer,indicating a high metastsis rate and poor prognosis.


Procedural Content Generation (PCG) is the programmatic generation of game content using a random or pseudo-random process that produces an unpredictable stretch of gaming spaces. Many games use this technique to increase the length of gaming, and some of them rely greatly on the procedural content generation. This paper aims to detail a fast and direct PCG approach capable of generating a diverse array of dungeon-like maps, developed to be used in an experimental game created by undergraduate students, that has shown very good results. The approach in question is capable of generating numerous unique maps while maintaining control over the generated levels through seeds. It also has the ability of designating different difficulties to the generated content, and uses this very feature to increase the variety of the procedural generation by taking advantage of the way seeds work.


To date, General Relativity provides the best description of the gravitational interaction. It can accurately describe the motion of the planets within the solar system. However, on large scales general relativity is unable to explain the accelerating expansion of the Universe. Furthermore, so far, no complete self-consistent quantum theory of gravity based on General Relativity has been constructed. This has motivated physicists to explore alternative theories of gravity. In this thesis, I explore three different problems confronting gravitational physics. First, I explore a gauge theory of gravity. In these models one has to choose a gauge group and localize its global symmetries. In this thesis I consider a Yang-Mills gauge gravity of the conformal group SO(4,2). This work was done in collaboration with J. Gegenberg and S. Seahra. In the thesis, I show the derivation of the equations of motion and investigate the cosmological solutions in the case that the matter content of the Universe is a mixture of dust and radiation. Our model predicts a big bounce in the early Universe followed by a period of nearly exponential slow roll inflation


Mining is a heavy user of electric power in the daily activities associated with underground operations. These activities include excavation, ground stabilization, haulage, and ore processing. It is well known in the mining industry that as mines go deeper (>1000 m), the mining environment becomes hotter. The higher temperatures and humidities encountered at these depths require air conditioning systems in addition to the normal mine ventilation system. Refrigeration equipment further increases the demand for power. These refrigeration systems can be located on the surface or on the underground working levels of the mine. Regardless of location, relatively large quantities of water are required to be brought into the mine either as direct chilled water or as chiller service water. The large head associated with this water represents a significant amount of of available potential energy. Current United States mining practices have not generally placed a significant value on this available energy. In many instances, the incoming water is allowed to flow inside steel pipelines to the desired depth, and at that point, the available potential energy is dissipated by friction and momentum transfer. The water is then stored for redistribution around the mine.


In this paper, an antenna array operating at 60 GHz and realized on 0.675 mm thick silicon substrate is presented. The array is constructed using four micromachined half-wavelength dipoles fed by a corporate feeding network. Isolation between the antenna array and its feeding network is achieved via a ground plane. This arrangement leads to maximizing the broadside radiation with relatively high front-to-back ratio. Simulations have been carried out using both HFSS and CST, which showed very good agreement. Results reveal that the proposed antenna array has good radiation characteristics, where the directivity, gain, and radiation efficiency are around 10.5 dBi, 9.5 dBi, and 79%, respectively.


Purification methods sunflower low ester pectin, comprising the steps of: (1) dissolving a saturated calcium chloride aqueous solution was added the equivalent of 3-5% of the total weight of the extract or pectin, pectin precipitation was collected by filtration calcium; (2) ground into a paste, calcium pectin, decalcified with hydrochloric acid treatment, so that it becomes pectin grains. Optionally further comprising: (3) 2 to 10 times of water was added to precipitate the pectin grains, pH was adjusted to 2.5-3.5 with a base and stirred until the pectin is completely dissolved; (4) spray dried to form loose pectin granular product. This method does not require the use of alcohol that can be obtained with high purity pectin product, simple production process, and low cost.


Motor complications are a common cause of treatment failure in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although the underlying mechanisms remain obscure, research with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated primates may facilitate their investigation. Repeated administration of l-dopa to MPTP-treated primates results in a loss of drug efficacy ("wearing off") and periods of immobility ("on-off"). Immediately after each dose of l-dopa, animals show an initial worsening of motor performance ("beginning-of-dose deterioration") and, at the end of action of each dose, they exhibit a decline to levels of disability below those seen at baseline ("rebound worsening"). Dyskinesia (chorea, dystonia, athetosis) appears rapidly in MPTP-treated primates given l-dopa. The greater the degree of nigral denervation, the less exposure to l-dopa that is required to induce dyskinesia. The onset and intensity of dyskinesia are related to the dose and frequency of l-dopa administration. Increasing brain exposure to l-dopa increases the severity and intensity of involuntary movements. In contrast, long-acting dopamine agonists (DAs) induce a far lower incidence of dyskinesia, and continuous dopaminergic stimulation may provide a means of avoiding its onset. Recent data from MPTP-treated primates suggest that switching from l-dopa to a long-acting DA may reverse the priming process associated with induction of dyskinesia. Responses of MPTP-treated primates have proved to be highly predictive of antiparkinsonian activities of drugs in humans and their ability to induce dyskinesia, but they may also have utility in evaluating the mechanisms that underlie a range of long-term motor complications affecting patients with PD.


Abstract Background: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are internationally endorsed as an important tool to enhance post-treatment survivorship care. To support broad implementation of SCPs, we investigated survivors' preferences regarding SCPs. Material and methods: The study was conducted at a comprehensive cancer center. Eligible patients from 10 clinical services, generally up to 12 months following end of treatment (EOT) were approached in clinics or via telephone. A purpose-designed survey assessed survivors' intended use of a SCP and preferences regarding format and content. Intended minimum sample size of 200. Results: Two hundred and thirty surveys were returned (response rate 68%). Of the 230 participants, over 55% had completed treatment within six months, 35% between six and 12 months, and 10% were receiving ongoing treatments. Most (82%) had not received a SCP and more than one third (42%) reported receiving no information resources at EOT. Almost all (98%) desired further information. Most common information elements desired in a SCP: 'list of symptoms to watch out for and report' (76%), 'summary of treatment received' (70%) and 'things I can do to look after myself' (67%). Most common suggested uses were as: 'a record of cancer treatment' (63%), 'a reminder of things to do to look after myself ' (57%) and 'to help me understand my cancer experience' (56%). Over half (52%) would share the information with their general practitioner. Most indicated preference for paper-based SCPs (91%). There was support for both brief (36%) and detailed versions (42%). Over half requested the information be delivered in a face-to-face discussion with a health professional. Regular telephone support from the treating health care team was most commonly suggested as an additional service to support survivors after EOT. Conclusions: Although similar to international findings, results suggest alternate ways of providing the information that survivors desire. Most desired SCP elements have been defined. A flexible approach to SCP interventions is justified.


We report on antibacterial activities of Zinc oxide (ZnO) with different structures. Fast furrier transform infrared spectroscopy ZnO nanostructures showed peaks in the range between 450–600 cm-1 indicating the successful growth through the presence of Zn-O stretching. On the other hand, impurities such as zinc complexes might be present due to the appearance of peaks at 1110 cm-1, 1390 cm-1 and 1506 cm-1. Furthermore, SEM images revealed that nanorods and sea-urchin like nanostructures are present in the produced ZnO nanostructures. Nanorods exhibit a better antibacterial response than the sea-urchin like structure. The change in structural morphology along with its purity has greatly influenced the area of bacterial inhibition zone during antibacterial testing.


Due to the special nature of the talent training objectives of higher vocational colleges, it is decided that students must pay attention to the practical skills operation training of students, and the training of practical skills needs training fields that are suitable for the practical teaching objectives. The construction of the training room of vocational colleges is particularly important. In the process of teaching, higher vocational colleges regard practical teaching as an important part of the whole teaching process. At the same time, under the influence of the "Internet +" situation, the construction and development direction of the training room of higher vocational colleges has appeared. Great changes, one of the most important aspects is to vigorously promote the informationization construction of the training room of higher vocational colleges. However, in the process of promoting the informationization of the training room in higher vocational colleges, some problems and shortcomings are also exposed. It is necessary to study and explore these problems in the practice process, and seek improved method and mechanism so that the actual improvement can be improved. The information construction level and service ability of the training room will further improve the teaching quality and level of higher vocational colleges.


A MAJOR health planning goal is arranging the right placement for the right person at the right time. It is often the case that some persons not in nursing homes should be, and that some persons who are in nursing homes should not be. An estimate of the number of people who needed nursing home placement was a basic planning requirement for the western New York State area. This geographic region includes six contiguous counties with a total population of about 1,660,000. The city of Buffalo is its major urban center. Data necessary to make such an estimate were collected between 1967 and 1969.* In addition to an enumeration of cases needing nursing home care, demographic and physi. cal data were obtained in an attempt to determine differences between those cases appropriately placed and those who needed transfer to other types of care.


I costi esterni del trasporto e le linee politiche che ne derivano (di Marco Ponti) - ABSTRACT: Road transport generates high and growing environmental externalities, specially in terms of CO 2 emissions. The main present strategy of European countries, and of Italy in particular, concentrates on investing large public resources, trying to reverse the modal split, both for freight and for passenger transport, from roads to collective means (railways and buses). While this strategy is reasonable in high density urban areas, and on some corridors, where collective modes can operate with acceptable efficiency, is ineffective where the demand structure is dispersed. A surplus aggregate analysis is provided, showing that the opportunity cost of reducing CO 2 emissions through innovative road vehicles technology is in general far lower than the cost of modal change. Furthermore, there are expected positive windfalls from accelerating these innovations. Finally, the continuing land use dispersion trend confirms the unlikely hood of giving back a dominant role in the future to the collective modes.


In cellular systems using frequency division duplex, growing Internet services cause unbalance of uplink and downlink traffic, resulting in poor uplink spectrum utilization. Addressing this issue, this paper considers overlaying an ad hoc network onto a cellular uplink network for improving spectrum utilization and spatial reuse efficiency. Transmission capacities of the overlaid networks are analyzed, which are defined as the maximum densities of the ad hoc nodes and mobile users under an outage constraint. Using tools from stochastic geometry, the capacity tradeoff curves for the overlaid networks are shown to be linear. Deploying overlaid networks based on frequency separation is proved to achieve higher network capacities than that based on spatial separation. Furthermore, spatial diversity is shown to enhance network capacities.


Objective  To investigate the expression of ROBO4/ARF6 and its correlation to glomerular endothelial cells (MGECs) permeability at each pathological stage of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods  Thirty patients with DKD were enrolled (patient group), and their renal tissues obtained by biopsy were divided into incipient, manifest and advanced stages (10 each) with Tervaert pathological staging, and confirmed normal renal tissues adjacent to the renal angiomyolipoma were assigned as control group. Immunohistochemistry method of MaxVision was used to detect the expression of ROBO4/ARF6 in the specimens, and then the correlation of the expression with the clinicopathological parameters (patients' HbA1c, albuminuria, serum creatinine, eGFR) were determined using statistical software SPSS 21.0. Results  ROBO4 was abundantly but ARF6 rarely expressed in normal MGECs. In DKD patients, ROBO4 was mainly expressed in MGECs, while ARF6 was expressed in both MGECs and renal tubular epithelial cells. Compared with the control group, the positive intensity of ROBO4 in patient group decreased significantly (P 0.05), but was positively correlated with 24h-urinary albumin (r=0.603, P<0.01) and HbA1c (r=0.582, P<0.01). Conclusion  The low expression of ROBO4 and high expression of ARF6 in MGECs of DKD patients suggest that ROBO4/ARF6 signaling pathway may participate in the DKD glomerular endothelial and vascular pathological injury and urinary protein increase.

 DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2016.04.02


The aim of this study was to assess the quality and characterise a selection of honey varieties with the use of physicochemical, FTIR, and chemometric analysis. The research material consisted of monofloral nectar honeys of 5 distinct varieties: black locust, raspberry, oilseed rape, linden, and buckwheat. The contents of water, soluble solids, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, free acidity, pH, electrical conductivity, and water activity were measured. Infrared spectra were measured within the spectra range from 3700 to 780 cm−1. The obtained results from the FTIR measurements for selected honeys showed the greatest changes in the area of the band maxima: 3333, 1641, 1453, 1248, 1184, 1033, and 985 cm−1. The identification of the origin and chemometric analyses were provided for the spectral regions with the maxima at approximately 3333 and 1641 cm−1 (vibrations from water fractions), 2935 and 2885 cm−1 (symmetrical and asymmetrical vibrations of the -CH2 and -CH3 groups), as well as the fingerprint region where varying intensities of the characteristic bands were observed. Chemometric analysis of the FTIR spectra confirmed the high quality of the analysed honey varieties as well as the differences also in their sugar fractions. The results obtained after employing PCA in the spectroscopic analysis of infrared spectra evidence high applicability of the methods of multi-dimensional statistical analysis in the determination of discrepancies, similarities, and structural characteristics of any given type of honey. A catalogue of FTIR spectra can be created to allow fast and cost-effective identification of honeys, compared to traditional methods.


Case presentation: A 57-year-old woman with ischemic and valvular heart disease presents with progressive heart failure while awaiting cardiac transplantation. Several years ago, after a large anterior myocardial infarction, she underwent 4-vessel CABG. Her subsequent course was complicated by atrial fibrillation and then recurrent heart failure. She also developed progressive aortic stenosis and mitral and tricuspid regurgitation and underwent aortic valve replacement with a 17-mm St. Jude valve, as well as mitral and tricuspid valvuloplasty. Two years later, she developed worsening symptoms of heart failure. She continued to fail despite escalating medical therapy and was listed for cardiac transplantation 6 months before this hospitalization. She is now admitted with severe heart failure and has been stabilized on intravenous positive inotropic therapy. She is 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 104 pounds, and has a body surface area of 1.4 m2. What are the best options to manage her as she awaits transplantation: Continued parenteral inotropic support, a ventricular assist device (VAD), or both as a bridge to transplantation?

Heart failure is the final pathway of a progressive disease that can originate from a variety of cardiovascular processes. Improved acute medical care and prevention of sudden cardiac death have led to an increased prevalence of advanced heart failure. The prognosis of heart failure is dismal, with 50% of patients dead within 4 years, a percentage that matches that of many common malignancies.1 Of those hospitalized with an acute exacerbation, the mortality rate within 1 year has been reported to be between 30% and 50%.2,3 Numerous factors in clinical studies consistently have been identified to be associated with poor prognosis: Advanced age, decreased blood pressure, reduced ejection fraction, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, anemia, hyponatremia, and persistently high levels of natriuretic peptides. Yet, no single clinical variable or …


The stability of a granular material is a collective phenomenon controlled by individual particles through their interactions. Forecasting when granular materials will undergo an abrupt failure is an ongoing challenge due to the intricate interactions between particles. Here, we report experiments on photoelastic disks undergoing intermittent stick-slip dynamics in a quasi-2D annular shear apparatus, with the evolving network of contact forces made visible via polarized light. We characterize the system by interpreting the interparticle forces as a multilayer network, and apply GenLouvin community detection to identify strongly correlated groups of particles. We observe that the community structure becomes increasingly volatile as the material approaches failure, and that this volatility provides a forecast that precedes what is detectable by considering the forces alone. We additionally observe that both weak and strong forces contribute to the strength of this forecast. These findings provide a new approach to detect patterns of causality and forecast impending failures.


[%metadata%] Pope's immunity could be challenged in Britain News and views of Molested and Abused Catholics on the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse


Penetrating artery infarcts that are predominantly caused by occlusion at the vessel orifices of larger caliber penetrating arteries by atheromatous plaque can represent a distinctive stroke entity as intracranial branch atheromatous disease (BAD) 1. BAD often shows progressive motor deficits leading to severe disability 2. Thrombolytic therapy by tissue plasminogen activator has not been demonstrated to be effective for BAD 3. We designed a combined use of antiplatelet agents for BAD. During 12 years, 313 consecutive patients with BAD located within the territories of lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) and anterior pontine arteries (APAs) were prospectively collected. Treatment protocols are as follows: phase 1 (2001–2005, n = 105), the medical treatment that was considered best; phase 2 (2005–2009, n = 104), a combined treatment of argatroban, cilostazol, and edaravone; and phase 3 (2009–20012, n = 104), additional clopidogrel on top of the phase 2 protocol. Functional outcome was assessed by the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at one-month after stroke onset. As a result, in the total population, the phase 2 and the phase 3 showed better outcome than the phase 1 (P = 0·0004 and P < 0·0001). In the LSA infarct group, the phase 2 and the phase 3 showed better outcome than the phase 1 (P = 0·046 and P = 0·0001). The phase 3 showed better outcome than the phase 2 (P = 0·018). In the APA infarct group, the phase 2 and the phase 3 showed better outcome than the phase 1 (P = 0·0004 and P = 0·0006) (see Fig. 1). Cilostazol appeared to be more effective for the infarcts of the APA that branch off from the basilar artery with a diameter of 200–300 micrometers, whereas clopidogrel is more effective for the infarcts of the LSA of 700–800 micrometers that turns sharply and forms a curve or a real loop. The actions of vasodilatation and endothelial protection in cilostazol and inhibition of shear-induced platelet activation in clopidogrel might work effectively 4,5.


Exploration of groundwater resources requires recognition of regions and their potential sources. Because of high importance in the karstic regions and their significant role in providing needed water, efforts to explore new sources of Karst, is inevitable. Checking discontinuities is always an important issue in karst studies. Because of high discontinuities in rock masses, permeable areas will be created , they cause appropriate groundwater paths to flow . Recognition of these regions is possible through geophysical methods based on physical characteristics of these areas such as density or resistivity. Using geophysical methods in water and geotechnical methods has less history to oil field investigations and mining exploration, but has been accelerated in recent years . In this research we have tried to investigate the usage of various geophysical methods, such as how to detect and identify underground water using these methods . We can noted of geophysical applied methods for groundwater potentiometric such as geoelectric methods, ground penetrating radar, electromagnetic, gravitometry, magnetic and seismic surveys. Original Article:


An optimization of a zone controlled induction heating device using the evolutionary strategies is presented. The design variables are the frequency, the amplitude and initial phase of the currents in the induction coils. Optimization is carried out based on a newly defined objective function as well as, for comparison, on an objective function presented in literature.


Heterogeneous supported metal catalysts are critical for a wide range of chemical conversion technologies. While the fundamental properties of extended metal surfaces are well understood and active sites on such systems can be designed for targeted applications, much less is known about the properties of active sites formed at the interface of nanometer-scale metal structures and their underlying oxide support. The goal of this Perspective is to highlight recent progress in understanding and controlling metal–oxide support interfacial sites on high-surface-area catalysts. Focus is given to how metal particle size, support migration onto metal particles, and intentional deposition of oxides on metal particles can be used to create high concentrations of interfacial sites. The impact of interface formation on properties of nearby metal and oxide sites is discussed in the context of understanding if the uniqueness of interfacial sites stems from bifunctionality, or if the distinct electronic properties of at...


Taking Lishi loess as the media and domestic sewage as the carbon source for treating agent of acid mine drainage, this paper discussed the feasibility of acid mine drainage dynamic processing by loess-microbial system in the soil column. The results achieved are as follows:(1) the domestic sewage whose value of COD is less than 120mg/L, can activate sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB), but it is difficult to maintain its continuous reproductive; (2) After High organic sewage with an extra 4.5mg/L molasses infiltrated into the upper layer of the soil column, Eh values are all negative at each depth of soil column in the 6th test day and reduce to below −400mv in the 10th day, where become a beneficial reductive environment to the growth of SRB; (3)After a 5-day experiment, a smell of H2S appears at the bottom of the soil column. At 20cm depth, the maximum removal rate of SO42− can reach 95.5% after 82 days, however, the maximum removal rates at the depth of 40cm, 60cm, 80cm, and 100cm (the bottom outlet) in the 94th day are 91.6%, 89.1%, 84.9%, 77.8%, respectively; (4) The maximum removal rate of SO42− decreases along with the increase of depth in the same period.


The use of plastic potable water pipes to replace corroded metallic plumbing and construct new potable water plumbing systems is rapidly increasing due to the low cost, noncorrosive characteristics, and easy installation of plastic water pipes.


Mystudents always want to compete for first chair; and when they challenge and fail, they give up and quit trying. And my students only want to go to contest to get the rating and the prestige. I can't seem to get them to see contest as a learning experience. All I've heard today is how the orchestra wants to beat Edgewood at the orchestra competition this weekend. I wonder what we can do to get our students to realize the need to work hard for themselves, to set a goal and challenge themselves to reach it for their own musical growth, not to look better than everyone else. I don't want to destroy the idea of teamwork they have developed, but it seems that being number one is more important than personal achievement.


Based on the deep analysis of word segmentation,an improved analyzer which is suitable for both Chinese and English is proposed,and an intelligent answer-question system is realized.Finally,a method to sort the searched questions and answers is designed,which can improve the utilities' value and performance.


【Carbon-nanotube-embedded bismuth telluride (CNT/ $Bi_2Te_3$ ) matrix composites were fabricated by a powder metallurgy process. Composite powders, whereby 5 vol.% of functionalized CNTs were homogeneously mixed with $Bi_2Te_3$ alloying powders, were successfully synthesized by using high-energy ball milling process. The powders were consolidated into bulk CNT/ $Bi_2Te_3$ composites by spark plasma sintering process at $350^{\circ}C$ for 10 min. The fabricated composites showed the uniform mixing and homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in the $Bi_2Te_3$ matrix. Seebeck coefficient of CNT/ $Bi_2Te_3$ composites reveals that the composite has n-type semiconducting characteristics with values ranging $-55\;{\mu}V/K$ to $-95\;{\mu}V/K$ with increasing temperature. Furthermore, the significant reduction in thermal conductivity has been clearly observed in the composites. The results showed that CNT addition to thermoelectric materials could be useful method to obtain high thermoelectric performance.】


We introduce Prove-It, a Python-based general-purpose interactive theorem-proving assistant designed with the goal of making formal theorem proving as easy and natural as informal theorem proving (with moderate training). Prove-It uses a highly-flexible Jupyter notebook-based user interface that documents interactions and proof steps using LaTeX. We review Prove-It's highly expressive representation of expressions, judgments, theorems, and proofs; demonstrate the system by constructing a traditional proof-by-contradiction that $\sqrt{2}\notin\mathbb{Q}$; and discuss how the system avoids inconsistencies such as Russell's and Curry's paradoxes. Extensive documentation is provided in the appendices about core elements of the system. Current development and future work includes promising applications to quantum circuit manipulation and quantum algorithm verification.


This article asks how variations of state territorial control have influenced police missions in the recent past, and illustrate how recent police reforms were based on the structure of a 'western' type state with clearly identifiable formal state institutions enjoying autonomy, that strive for a form of territorial monopoly over violence. The article argues for moving beyond such assumptions by adopting scenarios based on how territory is controlled, developing four scenarios that can enable foreign-backed police missions to adapt to local circumstances. The article draws upon the typology of territorial control developed by Hansen in 2017/2019, amending this model to be adapted for policing. It argues that each of these scenarios require different strategies and compromises in order to create functioning police forces.


The objective of this study was to investigate the implementation of playing game on students' mastery on vocabulary of ESP viewed from self-esteem in producing words. The investigation were: (1) to know whether Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT) was more effective than Grammar Translation Method (GTM) to teach vocabulary of ESP; (2) to know whether the students whose self-esteem was high had better vocabulary of ESP mastery than those who had low self-esteem; and (3) to prove whether there was an interaction between teaching methods and self-esteem to teach vocabulary of ESP.
The research design used for the research was a simple factorial design 2 x 2. Simple Random sampling was used to select 48 students of two classes. Meanwhile, in determining the sample into the experimental and control class, the researcher chose the class randomly. The data were analyzed by using multifactor analysis of ANOVA 2x2 and Tuckey test.
The findings of this research revealed: (1) TGT was more effective than GTM in teaching vocabulary of ESP. (2) The students who were taught by TGT had higher vocabulary mastery than those who were taught by GTM. (3) The students having high self-esteem had better ESP vocabulary than those of students with low self-esteem. It is concluded that: 1) Teams-Games-Tournament is more effective than GTM in teaching vocabulary of ESP; 2) The students having high self-esteem have better vocabulary of ESP mastery than those having low self-esteem; 3) There was interaction between teaching methods and students' self-esteem


Several agents that downregulate 5‐HT2 receptors produce anxiolytic effects in humans, but the role of 5‐HT2 receptor downregulation has been difficult to assess because of their other actions. To test the effects of pharmacological downregulation of 5‐HT2 receptors on exploratory behavior in the mouse, mianserin, a drug known to downregulate 5‐HT2 receptors after a single dose, was administered 30 min, 48 hr, or 18 days prior to testing in the elevated plus‐maze. Following testing in the elevated maze, the head‐shake response to 4‐iodo‐R‐(—)‐2,5‐dimethoxyphenylisopropylamine (DOI), a selective 5‐HT2/5‐HT1C agonist was assessed, and in a separate group of animals 5‐HT1A, 5‐HT1B, 5‐HT1C, β1,β2, and 5‐HT2 agonist and antagonist binding was quantified autoradiographically. Mianserin pretreatment resulted in a significant dose‐related anxiolytic effect in the elevated plus maze evidenced by increases in the percentage of entries to, and time spent on the open arms. Head‐shakes induced by DOI were also dose‐dependently decreased as a result of mianserin pretreatment. At this time, the binding of the 5‐HT2 receptor antagonist, 7‐amino‐8[125I]ketanserin was decreased by 50%. Binding of DOI to 5‐HT2 receptors was decreased by 46%, and to 5‐HT1C receptors was decreased by 53%, but no other changes were found in any of the other receptor types examined. These findings demonstrate that the 5‐HT2 receptor plays at least a permissive role in anxiety‐like behaviors, since an intact 5‐HT2 system is necessary for the full expression of the anxiety‐like response, but the role of 5‐HT1C receptor downregulation in the effects of mianserin cannot be ruled out at this time. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The Propagation Rule Compiler (PROP) is a tool developed within the ES-PRIT III project IDEA (Intelligent Database Environment for Advanced Applications). It aims at supporting developers of Chimera applications during schema design and prototyping. PROP consists of two components: the rule compiler as such and an explanation facility. The task of the explanation facility is to graphically illustrate the logical dependencies established via deductive rules of a given Chimera schema. The purpose of the compilation unit is to generate update propagation triggers from deductive rules. Such triggers are able to automatically compute all implicit changes of a Chimera database once a speciic updating transaction has been issued. PROP has been integrated as a subcompo-nent into Bonn's Chimera Prototyping Tool (CPT). The purpose of this document is to provide the technical documentation of the rule compilation process. This report has been issued to the ESPRIT III project 6333 (IDEA) as deliverable IDEA.DE.22.O.005.


The one-dimensional cutting stock problem has many applications in industries and during the past few years has been one of the centers of attention among the researchers in the field of applied operations research. In this paper, a revised version of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) technique is presented to solve this problem. This paper is a sequel to the previous ACO algorithm presented by the authors. In this algorithm, according to some probabilistic rules, artificial ants will select cutting patterns and generate a feasible solution. Computational results show the high efficiency and accuracy of the proposed algorithm for solving one- dimensional cutting stock problem.


This study aims at empirically analyzing the effect of tax moral, sanction, and tax relaxation o n taxpayer compliance. This study result is expected to provide an option to increase tax compl ia nce d u ri ng the Covid-19 pandemic. The type of this study is a quantitative study. It collects the data using a questionnaire in the form of Google form. The sampling technique of this study uses purposive sampling. The number of samples is 95 MSMEs members registered at the Department of Cooperative and Micro Enterprise, Magetan Regency, Indonesia. The data were analyzed by the multiple linear regression analy sis techniques. The analysis result shows that during the Covid-19 pandemic, tax moral function was negle c te d in increasing tax compliance.The focus of MSMEs owners is trying to maintain thei r b usi ness t o su rv iv e while their tax obligations are the next priority. The considerations as thei r b asi s t o c arry o ut t h ei r t ax obligation are sanction and tax relaxation. The sanction plays a strong role in increasin g t a x c o mpl ia nce which means the tax compliance of MSMEs owners is in compliance due t o c o e rci on. Ta x re l ax at ion i s another option as a solution to increase the taxpayer's compliance with MSMEs owners during the pandemic. It gives ease and relief for MSMEs owners to fulfill their tax obligations


This paper develops a quasi-three-dimensional neasrshore current model that accounts for volume fluxes due to waves and surface rollers. While the present model follows the concept of depth-integrated 2DH mass and momentum conservation equations, the model splits the water column at the wave trough level and has 2DH equations respectively in two layers. Decomposing velocity fields into multiple components due to different phenomena, such as waves, surface rollers and slowly varying mean current, and time-averaging over the wave period, the model expresses the influence of additional volume fluxes and momentum forces in explicit formulae. The model showed excellent predictive skills both in undertow and longshore currents on the long straight beach and more complex circulation currents behind the submerged breakwater.


First time in the history of independent India, the Government of India, took up the initiative to launch a Nationwide Ranking framework to rank the educational institutions in the country. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was launched by MHRD on 29th September 2015 and ranking was announced on 4th April, 2016. The major role was played by UGC, AICTE, NBA and INFLIBNET in ranking of the institutions. This paper provides an overview and score (overall and Teaching, Learning & Resources) for Indian Rankings 2016 including various challenges and opportunities for improvement in the next interaction of the NIRF implementation. The purpose of this paper to spread the awareness of such initiatives among academic communities.


To the Editor: I thank Dr Kawada for raising interesting points related to our study on sleep duration and risk for hypertension in women, "Sleep Duration and Hypertension With Special Emphasis on Gender and Obesity." In analyses stratified by age, we found sleep durations of ≤5 hours to be associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension in all age groups and with higher incidence of hypertension only in the younger age group (aged 50 years. The inclusion of older adults in their analyses could have lowered the odds ratio. The sample size in the Whitehall II analysis was also much smaller than that of the Nurses' Health Study,2 resulting in less statistical power.

We explored whether obesity, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia could have acted as partial mediators in the relationship between sleep duration and hypertension by seeing whether the inclusion of these variables in the multivariate models sufficiently attenuated the associations. Statistical analyses alone cannot distinguish between a confounding variable and a mediating variable. However, results from experimental studies showing that insufficient sleep compromises insulin sensitivity and increases hunger provide plausible mechanisms for the potential for mediation. Although sleep duration has been shown to be associated with diabetes incidence in previous analyses from the Nurses' Health Study and diabetes was associated with increased risk for hypertension prevalence and incidence (Table 1) in the present study, our results were not consistent with diabetes acting as a partial mediator of the relationships between sleep duration and hypertension. Our results were consistent with obesity acting as a partial mediator. Sleep duration has been shown to be associated with weight gain in data from the Nurses' Health Study;3 in our analysis, body mass index was associated with hypertension prevalence and incidence (Table 1). As Dr Kawada points out, we were not able to control for the presence of sleep apnea in our analyses; however, we were able to control for snoring and body weight, which are closely related to sleep disordered breathing. Our results lend support to the hypothesis that inadequate sleep plays a role in the etiology of hypertension in some young women and that obesity acts as a partial mediator of this relationship.

Table 1.

Multivariate analyses using logistic and Cox proportional hazards models to explore the relationship between diabetes and BMI and hypertension.


This paper investigated the impact of behavioural biases on the initial returns ofMalaysian IPOs from the perspectives of divergence of opinion and representative heuristics theories. The initial returns were calculated using 142 IPO samples listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia
(formerly known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange). In addition to the behavioural proxies, ex-ante variables were included as control variables in the models for analysis. The findings showed support for initial underpricing of66.51%. Behavioural biases, divergence ofopinion and
representative heuristics, were found to have significant explanatory powers over initial returns. The findings fit well with the profile of the Malaysian market whereby the majority of the investors are individuals who are not well-informed and have an emerging market status.


A growing literature demonstrates increasing remunicipalization of local public services. Yet, while this literature is becoming extensive, many debates still exist about remunicipalization's causes. This article reports the findings of a meta-analysis of the remunicipalization literature, focusing on the question: how do country, sector and method effects affect the findings of remunicipalization studies? I include articles on remunicipalization under different terms ('remunicipalization', 'reverse privatization', 'insourcing' and 'contracting in'), using a large range of methods (case studies, surveys and document analysis) and covering a large period (1995–2019). I find 30 causes of remunicipalization that are considered and found in the literature. Political and pragmatic factors appear to be most frequently considered and found as causes of remunicipalization in the literature; environmental factors are less often considered but seem highly relevant. Moreover, I uncover large differences between the qualitative and quantitative literatures. I offer a research agenda to allow greater future synthesis in the remunicipalization literature. Points for practitioners The literature on remunicipalization is highly fragmented and remunicipalization can have many different causes. Remunicipalization appears to be both a political and a pragmatic trend, but the literature is still too fragmented to know for sure. Be aware of the potential biases and limitations in current research on (causes of) remunicipalization.


This article is intended to be a primer on the LNG industry and project structuring. Given the recent focus on gas and LNG as an energy source, the article first describes LNG, how the international LNG industry developed, LNG's importance and the 'LNG chain'. Next, the article discusses how a typical LNG project is structured, the reasons why a particular structure is chosen, the critical contractual agreements utilized in these structures and some common structuring issues. Last, the article notes trends in the LNG industry of possible importance to those structuring, negotiating or documenting future LNG projects. The article was prepared based on author Philip Weems' more than 20 years experience in the LNG industry and both authors' recent participation as legal counsels to many of the LNG projects currently under development.


m HE economist is blessed among social scientists in his possession of a single, simple, and central instrument of analytical equipment, the price system. Ringing the logical changes on demand and supply, and examining the course of prices in the real world for separate commodities and as a whole, he has been able to adduce a string of useful theorems and explain a few of the historical facts of economic life. It is true, as a physicist once explained, that "everything is more complicated than most people think"; but the price system has provided an organizing system of great usefulness, if not a pregnant hypothesis, with which the economist can attack reality. As he views his sister social sciences, the economist continuously finds himself suspecting that there must be similar analytical tools, capable of organization into logical systems deductively, and fitting the data for inductive work. If only there were, for example, a decent measure of "social cohesion" at the family, local, class, national, or world level! It may be his methodological advantage which encourages the economist to wander into neighboring fields. The present essays, by R. G. Hawtrey, are essentially an exercise in international power politics. Jurisdictionally speaking, it was perhaps presumptuous of him first to write them in 1929, when they were given as Lowell Lectures in Boston, and second to bring them up to date. It is clearly presumptuous for an economist to undertake to discuss them, a fortiori outside his own precinct. The first part of the book consists of the essays as they were written in 1929. They remain fresh and pointed in all but a very few respects. Hawtrey's intended emphasis was on imperialism and the struggles between major powers for economic


Library readers statistics can further understand readers behavior and readers' reading laws.By the Lending statistics of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University,this paper revealed the total annual circulation of books and the circulation of various disciplines books,analyzed the main reading requirements and summarized the problems in collection structure of library.


The noise signal of image quality is caused by internal and external disturbance during receiving,transferring and decoding data of remote sensing image data. In this paper,combined with the denoising method for frequency domain and compared to the low-pass filtered image,the grey relational analysis is employed to select the suspect noise pixels and optimize its spatial filtering window pixels series which is used to build a grey linear model to process the noise in the remote sensing image by reference to the traditional median filtering method. According to simulation experiment analysis,this method has not only a superior effect for removing impulse noises,but also can keep the quality of image detail information well. In addition,this combination algorithm can improve the level of reducing mixed noise in some extent if the threshold can be selected reasonably by considering the specific situation of noisy image.


This study was conducted to evaluate the control effect of sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) for Venturia nashicola on Niitaka pear during flowering period. As a nontoxic disinfectant, sodium dichloroisocyanurate is widely used in the field of hygiene and disease prevention, medical treatment, aquiculture as well as plant protection. NaDCC was sprayed on the pear tree inoculated with conidia (4.5×10? spores/mL) of Venturia nashicola and as a result the incidence of pear scab was 23.8% in 750mg/L and 26.2% in 1,000mg/L compare to the 51.6% incidence in untreated tree. No damage in the pollen of pear flower was detected with NaDCC treatments in the full bloom period for six pear cultivar including Wonwhang. A NaDCC single treatment in the early bloom of Niitaka pear showed more than 98% of fertilization rate. Furthermore, there was no incidence of Venturia nashicola on Nitaka pear trees treated with NaDCC 4 times during their growth period.


A number of wireless sensor network (WSN) applications require the handling of high-fidelity data (such as audio or images), and/or are very bursty in their networking and processing activity (i.e. there are long periods of inactivity interrupted by short periods where lots of data is processed and/or communicated). Sensor node platforms which can support such bursty or high-fidelity sensor data are within our reach. However, we need to understand how to implement such demanding systems, and what the implications are for current and future hardware capabilities (battery life, computational power, and communication bandwidth). This paper provides an abstract of three ongoing research efforts exploring high-rate sensing; these were presented in an invited talk at INSS 2008.


The catabolism of 131I and 125I paired labelled Fc fragments of myeloma proteins and of H chain disease proteins of different heavy chain subclasses was studied in men and monkeys. In contrast to the previously demonstrated catabolic heterogeneity of intact γG immunoglobulins, the Fc fragments and H chain disease proteins of all subclasses tested were catabolized at a similar rate. These data suggest that structures not present on the Fc fragments are responsible for the faster turnover rate of γG3 immunoglobulins and for the differences in half-lives of myeloma proteins within a given subclass.

The catabolic features of the H chain disease proteins differed from those of intact γG. Although the whole body half-lives of the two proteins were similar, the fractional turnover rate of the H chain disease proteins was higher than that of γG, on the average 8% of the intravascular pool/day as compared to 4% for γG. One-half to 1% of the intravascular pool of the H chain disease protein and less than 0·1% of the γG was excreted into the urine. An average of 24% of the H chain disease proteins and 44% of the γG equilibrated into the intravascular compartment.


Summary. In the present work an evaluation is carried out of a vehicle's energy-consumption in the range of kinetic energy depending on speed profile implementation of disperse phase, acceleration and braking (retarded motion). The analysis included the vehicles' driving speed profiles on motorways in Germany, France and Spain. Variable statistic parameter calculations and indicator of distribution probability (WPR) were used for the analyses..


This paper addresses a method to estimate the multi user channel quality indicator (CQI) from the reported rank 1 single user CQI in LTE systems. We investigate the relationship between the multi user CQI and the channel condition. Based on that, we propose an updating mechanism where the estimated multi user CQI is varied according to the reported channel condition i.e. the rank 1 single user CQI. System performance of the proposed scheme is compared with the conventional fixed offset single user CQI estimation. System level simulation results show the efficiency of our proposed scheme with respect to both the enhancement in the system level performance and uplink overhead reduction. Using the statistic metrics derived from the system level simulation, we highlight the importance of having an accurate multi-user CQI estimation. The results illustrate how the multi user CQI information influence the packet scheduling and link adaptation decisions and ultimately the overall system performance.


Today, Europe pays close attention to its relations with African countries. Germany is the locomotive of the EU and is also building its own policy towards African countries. During the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, several initiatives were proposed aimed at the development of economic relations with Africa. In 2021, Olaf Scholz became the chancellor of Germany. The article examines Germany's policy towards African countries both before and during the chancellorship of Olaf Scholz. Africa is the key to Europe's economic sustainability, especially as Europe has continued to separate from Russia economically and politically in the last years. In this context, Africa plays a significant role in meeting Europe's pressing fossil fuel needs. Despite the European rhetoric to the contrary, in recent decades relations between Africa and Europe have stalled in the paradigm of charity rather than equal partnership. However, Europe now really needs a genuine strategic partnership with African countries in order to be able to negotiate on the energy and climate crisis, prevent future migration crises and compete with geopolitical rivals. The policy of "green energy" is a promising direction of German foreign policy towards the African continent. Against the background of already existing German initiatives towards Africa, the results of recent international summits on climate and the provisions of new initiatives in the field of green energy and climate conservation are considered. All this can become one of the main bridges for strengthening relations between Germany and African countries. In this regard, the article attempts to highlight the main prerequisites for the formation of modern German foreign policy in Africa and attempts to describe the establishment of German-African relations during the chancellorship of Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz.


The influence of particle characteristics on the sinterforging process has been studied by measuring forging force, forged density, and Charpy impact energy of reduced and airand water-atomized iron powders. Powder type, lateral flow during forging, and particle size all have a considerable effect on impact properties of powder forgings. A consistent explanation for all these influences can be given when it is assumed that the fracture mode, i.e. ductile or intergranular brittle, is closely related to the amount and distribution of non-metallic inclusions and/or oxide films present on the surface of powder particles.


A synthesis method for the design of large planar array antennas with phase-only control is here presented. The synthesis is based on the use of Zernike polynomials, as global basis function for the phase, to reduce the number of optimization variables with respect to the number of elements of the array. Invasive weed optimization (IWO) is applied to polynomial coefficients' optimization to circumvent non-linearity and local trapping issues typical of phase-only problems. The periodicity of the array factor is exploited to reduce the optimization to a Voronoi cell of the grating-lobes' lattice and non-uniform meshing is introduced to best adapt the control stations to the beam shape requirements. The technique is applied to the design of shaped beams for continental coverage from geostationary satellites.


On December 8, 1996, David Chappell delivered the Bodhi Day lecture, titled "Bodhisattva in the Twenty-first Century," at the Hompa Hongwanji Temple in central Oahu. The lecture wasn't autobiographical—David was much too unassuming to have thought of himself in these terms—but those of us who loved David and who had the privilege of working with him over many years have no such qualms. David's dedication, sincerity of spirit, generosity, and compassion were truly bodhisattva-like. In his lecture David contrasts the superficial, electronic Internet connectedness of our lives today with the common ground discovered at Awakening based on what David called "heart connection," an insight into the shared nature of all sentient beings that leads to empathy, compassion, and kindness. In contrast to enlightened heart connectedness, Internet interaction lacks the capacity of an intimacy with the varied phenomena of life at each moment. "The Internet," he observes, "allows us to ease our solitude by getting access to things that are compatible with our own interests. However, Buddhism considers that the achievement of enlightenment involves being able to be compatible and have empathy with things that may seem foreign or offensive or a threat to us by seeing them as connected and similar to ourselves. This involves not just new information, or a new perspective on things, but a new understanding of ourselves and our relationship to others at a level that touches what is beyond manipulation or even rational expression." I've quoted rather extensively from David's 1996 Bodhi Day talk because it reveals several dimensions of his bodhisattva-like nature: his sense of connectedness with those around him and a heart-to-heart intimacy with a wide network of friends, acquaintances, and even those at a greater personal distance. David's simpatico nature was manifested in many ways—from his body language to his dedication to peacemaking. On a visit to the United States during the Vietnam War, Thich Nhat Hanh was speaking to a large audience gathered in the auditorium of a large Midwestern church. Following the talk a middle-aged man jumped to his feet, shook his clenched


Not much reasoning is needed for congratulating András Jakab, Arthur Dyevre and Giulio Itzcovich on a book that deserves to be counted amongst the best handbooks of comparative constitutional law in recent years. It should be called a handbook because it actually offers such a wealth of information about constitutions, constitutional courts and constitutional interpretation that it touches almost on everything that is at the heart of global constitutionalism. But it is at the same time much more than a mainstream handbook since it avoids a random choice of constitutional topics, whereas it focuses on constitutional reasoning in a, methodically as well as substantively, highly innovative way. According to the editors' basic definition, constitutional reasoning refers to the justifications that decision makers may publicly adduce for their elected course of action. The decision makers alluded to are constitutional courts or other apex courts in systems with integrated judicial review. The editors start from the hypothesis that judges are rhetoricians who seek to persuade one or more audiences to accept their "messages", as resulting from their decisions. Thus, constitutional reasoning is conceived to result from the interaction of the judges' values and preferences over policy and case diposition with the views and representation of the judicial role held by their audiences as well as with their skills and creativity in crafting arguments that reflect their own preferences while remaining attuned to the beliefs and expectations of their audiences. In order to find out how the judges' constitutional reasoning is carried out, 25 authors compared the constitutional reasoning of 18 different courts across continents, constitutions and systems of judicial review. Apart from other issues, each author was asked to list 40 landmark decisions of the respective court using them to answer a sophisticated set of questions which, inter alia, considered the organisational and functional environment of constitutional judges as well as a variety of interpretive methods, style and rhetoric of decisions or argumentative patterns. Details for each system are


Reach Touch and Teach, published in 1970 by an American school teacher, describes an experiment in education at Richmond Union High, 'an integrated school of three thousand in an industrial city across the bay from San Francisco' (Borton, 1970, p.3). In many ways, it is a book of its time, filled with accounts of open learning experiments (complete with photographs), idealised statements of intent and examples of students' creative writing and artwork. It's aims are summed up in the opening sentence of the preface:


Recently, studies have shown that the alpha band (8-13 Hz) EEG signals enable the decoding of auditory spatial attention. However, deep learning methods typically requires a large amount of training data. Inspired by "sparse coding" in cortical neurons, we propose a spiking neural network model for auditory spatial attention detection. The model is composed of three neural layers, two of them are spiking neurons. We formulate a new learning rule that is based on firing rate of pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neurons in the first layer and the second layer of spiking neurons. The third layer consists of 10 spiking neurons that the pattern of their firing rate after training is used in test phase of the method. The proposed method extracts the patterns of recorded EEG of leftward and rightward attention, independently, and uses them to train network to detect the auditory spatial attention. In addition, a computational approach is presented to find the best single-trial EEG data as training samples of leftward and rightward attention EEG. In this model, the role of using low connectivity rate of the layers and specific range of learning parameters in sparse coding is studied. Importantly, unlike most prior model, our method requires 10% of EEG data as training data and has shown 90% accuracy in average. This study suggests new insights into the role of sparse coding in both biological networks and brain-inspired machine learning.


The "green" McGill Paleoclimate Model is run from 8 to 0 kyr BP under variable insolation (Milankovitch forcing), Taylor Dome CO2 (radiative forcing) and four prescribed meltwater scenarios (freshwater forcing) due to the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). For each scenario, we constrain the total volume of meltwater to be 1.62 × 1015 m3 (sea level‐equivalent of 4.62 m), which is obtained from the work of Paterson (1972) and the reconstructed sea level increase between 8 and 6 kyr BP. During each freshwater perturbation, the simulated maximum Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) intensity is reduced, by amounts of up to 8 Sv. During the time of a weakened MOC, the sea surface temperature is reduced in the high‐latitude North Atlantic and increased in the Southern Ocean. Our model results indicate that the freshwater impact on the Holocene climate and terrestrial carbon cycle is likely negligible after the 8.2‐kyr cold event. Only a large freshwater perturbation (>0.1 Sv) has a significant impact on the Holocene climate and terrestrial carbon cycle; it results in an enhanced cooling of about 1°C in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and notable drops in the global net primary productivity (2 PgC/yr) and total land carbon storage (40 PgC).


This is a report on 33 men who are involved in conjugal violence and seeking psychiatric assistance for this problem. Sociodemographic characteristics, nature of the violent episodes, backgrounds of violence, psychiatric histories, and clinical impressions of this population are presented. Therapeutic interventions that have been successful in eliminating violent behavior are described. Language: en


The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) was born in opposition to the prevailing practices and spirit of the American Sociological Society. Many of its originators regarded the renamed ASA as aiming to be a "science," paralleling the "hard sciences." At the same time that this empirical false gold was pursued, some saw Parsonian grand theory as blocking more critical approaches. My impression was that most of those at the founding meeting of SSSP were critical of the quantiŽcation of sociology. Some sought greater relevance to issues of the day. Perhaps others may have felt pushed aside by the dominant intellectual and methodological leaders of the profession. My view was not incompatible with some of those outlooks, but had some important—to me at least—different emphases. I was the youngest, and certainly the least important, person at that Žrst meeting, and had cast myself as a sociologist only a few months earlier. That was not a principled decision. I had been teaching in both the Economics and Sociology departments at Brooklyn College. When I received my Ph.D. that spring, the Economics Department offered me an instructorship and the Sociology Department, headed by Alfred McClung Lee, the animating spirit in the formation of the SSSP and the person who invited me to that Žrst SSSP meeting, dangled an assistant professorship. I became a sociologist. That decision was not completely status-based because I had had a sociological education outside of graduate courses. My graduate work at Columbia and Princeton was in economics, but I was close to sociologists in both places. My important sociological education was mainly in the Citizens' Social Research Council. Alvin Gouldner and Frank Riessman, graduate students in sociology at Columbia, formed that grandiose sounding Council. Its aim was to pursue a more relevant social science than the Social Science Research Council (this occurred in the exciting immediate post World War II years). I joined with them in the effort to distill the Žndings of social science (yes, we had great hopes for its empirical and theoretical developments) so that they would be useful for people involved in labor unions and community action. We published a periodical entitled, Ideas for Action, where we interpreted social science Žndings and distilled their action implications. I was also involved in political activities, most importantly for me, the 1948 Progressive Party presidential campaign of Henry Wallace. I offer this autobiographical glimpse because it inuenced the ways that I regarded the SSSP at its beginning, and now. What I hoped is that the SSSP would be more than an alternative to ASA sociology. That it would develop a different kind of social science—engaged and facing the contradictions of that engagement. Engaged, for me, means more than trying to clarify and explain the world. Engagement also involves seeking ways to improve the situations of people treated as "Others," those losing out because of their race, class or gender. That kind of engagement is difŽ cult and dangerous, as well as exhilarating.


The apical domain of epithelial cells can acquire a diverse array of morphologies and functions, which is critical for the function of epithelial tissues. The Crumbs proteins are evolutionary conserved transmembrane proteins with essential roles in promoting apical domain formation in epithelial cells. The short intracellular tail of Crumbs proteins interacts with a variety of proteins, including the scaffolding protein Pals1 (protein associated with LIN7, Stardust in Drosophila). Pals1 in turn binds to a second scaffolding protein termed PATJ (Pals1-associated tight junction protein), to form the core Crumbs/Pals1/PATJ Crumbs complex. While essential roles in epithelial organization have been shown for Crumbs proteins in Drosophila and mammalian systems, the three Caenorhabditis elegans crumbs genes are dispensable for epithelial polarization and animal development. Moreover, the presence and functioning of orthologs of Pals1 and PATJ has not been investigated. Here, we identify MAGU-2 and MPZ-1 as the C. elegans orthologs of Pals1 and PATJ, respectively. We show that MAGU-2 interacts with all three Crumbs proteins as well as MPZ-1, and localizes to the apical membrane domain in a Crumbs-dependent fashion. Similar to crumbs mutants, a magu-2 null mutant shows no developmental or epithelial polarity defects. Finally, we show that overexpression of the Crumbs proteins EAT-20 or CRB-3 in the C. elegans intestine can lead to apical membrane expansion. Our results shed light into the composition of the C. elegans Crumbs complex and indicate that the role of Crumbs proteins in promoting apical domain formation is conserved.


The Viterbi decoding is available through a corresponding trellis. The channel fading information is obtained from periodically inserted pilot symbols. The estimated channel fade is also used to modify the decoding metric. Computer simulation shows good system error performance.<<ETX>>


IN a communication made to the Royal Society of Edinburgh on December 21st, 1891. the author gave an account of the experiments he had made to ascertain and compare the electrical resistances of various kinds of urine both in states of health and of disease. The fluids were held in a U-shaped electrolysis tube containing two disc-shaped platinum electrodes arranged so as just to rest upon the surfaces of the fluid, 21 c.cm. of which were used for each experiment. The measurements were made by Kohlrausch's method, and at a temperature of 650 F. As 'a result of the observations, which extended also to artificial urines, it was found that the specific resistance of a normal urine amounts to about 45 ohms, and that the resistance is a measure of the salts, chlorides, phosphates, sulphates, etc., present in the urine; the greater the concentration the less the resistance and vice versa. In disease the resistance was found to be increased chiefly in acute croupous pneumonia (dlue to the diminution in the chlorides), in diabetes mellitus, acute and chronic Bright's disease, and in pernicious anaemia. As it is believed that the glomeruli are mainly responsible for the presence of salts in the urine, a high electrical resistance, other things being equal, would indicate an impairment of the function of the glomeruli. Within the last ten years the author has made many attempts to measure the electrical resistance of the blood; various methods (dilution with distilled water, measurement of a column of blood in a capillary tube, etc.) have been employed and subsequently rejected. The principal difficulty is due to the fact that only very small quantities of blood can generally be obtained at one time. The best results were obtained by placing 5 c.mm. of freshly-drawn blood between two cup-shaped electrodes 3 mm. in diameter, coated with spongy platinum, and fixed at 0.75 mm. apart. The length of the cylinder of blood between the electrodes is of less importance than its diameter, because the cross-sectional area varies with the square of its diameter, and the resistance of a conductor varies directly as its length and inversely as its cross-sectional area. By employing electrodes of fixed diameter and at the same distance apart, and the same quantity of blood for each observation, and by making the measurement at once before such changes as coagulation or evaporation could occur, fairly consistent results were obtained. The average specific resistance of normal blood measured in this way is 93.5 ohms, but it may fall to 85 or rise exceptionally to 130. The resistance depends again upon the salt concentration of the blood. A striking change is to be observed in pernicious anaemia, the resistance in this disease being usually about one-half (50 ohms) that of normal blood. The deduction is that the blood in this disease contains an abnormal amount of salts due either to destructive metabolism or to renal inefficiency, or to both. Light is thrown on this question by examining the resistance of the urine; this will be found to be abnormally high. Hence we have the striking fact that while the urine contains too few salts, the blood contains an abnormal amount. This, then, is a clear case of renal inefficiency. In view of this fact (impairment of the glomerular iunction of the kidney) the pathology and treatment of pernicious anaemia require reconsideration. These results, obtained some years ago, and the introduction of cryoscopy, have led me to compare this method of determining the renal efficiency with that of cryoscopy, and to originate a ratio which I will call "The Haemo-renal Salt Index," namely:


The leakages in secondary level education brought forward the necessity to restructure the educational system so as to address the social and individual needs and meet the requirements of Turkey; therefore, a "reformation" study became an obligation. The formal education in Turkey starts at the age of 6, when the individual is shaped within the system. Determination of the characteristics of an ideal future citizen of a country should be apprehended at all levels of education and individuals should attain these appreciated characteristics. The reformed science education programs in Turkey aim to guide the individuals to be scientifically and technologically literate. Through enabling an individual, who is in a technological media, to attain the required knowledge, skills and attitudes, the individual should have the "science and technology literacy and creative thinking" skills. Individuals should recognize the technological environment they live in as well as the dimensions and facilities of technology, and should be aware of the fact that they could make use of these opportunities. In the light of this aim, this study involves the teaching of "separating mixtures" to 9th grade students in relation with science, technology, society and environment and the examination of its possible effects on students' achievement as well as their career choices. The Chemistry Achievement Test and the Career Choice Questionnaire were administered as pre- and post-test to serve as data collection tools. The study concluded that chemistry education in relation with science, technology, society and environment would lead students to choosing different fields for their future careers by changing their perspectives towards science. A significant increase in students' chemistry achievement levels was also observed.


Extracting pylons from point clouds gathered by unmanned aerial vehicle LiDAR systems (UAVLS) is challenging, particularly in complex environments. The difficulty arises due to the presence of nearby objects and vegetation, which are intertwined around the pylon legs and structures. In such situations, it is hard to identify pylon points from vegetation points using spatial point-level features. To overcome this issue, we propose a classification approach using the random forest (RF) classifier incorporating smoothed color features. The procedure involves the following steps: first, a set of local geometry and distribution features are generated by combining spherical and cylindrical neighborhoods. The optimal neighborhood radius is then determined by experimenting with radii ranging from 1 to 8 m. To further enhance the method's accuracy, we introduce smoothed color features within a neighborhood to eliminate the misclassification points of the vegetation close to the pylon leg. The results indicate that smoothed color features outperform intensity and single-color features, achieving a high extraction rate of 98.65% and 99.99% for the two datasets, respectively. Furthermore, our method is robust against varying levels of noise and density, and it significantly improves pylon classification accuracy when coupled with other classifiers such as support vector machine (SVM) and AdaBoost.


This paper adopted a dependable analysis method according to the dependable theory in the analyzing of the influence of the three index γ,c, value varying in a land-slip, and bring up a calculating-method for the failure-possibility of a land-slip. And provided a certain theory basis for the dependable degree designing of a Land-slip.


With the multitude of non-communicating wearable sensors, there is an urgent need to better combine wearable data streams in order to improve human health and well-being. A five-step process is proposed. The first step is to specify the human behavior that the data set will address. The second step is to critically assess primary measurement that allows the behavioral goal to be addressed. After this, other streams can be integrated in a hierarchical fashion based on their accuracy, precision and relevance. The third step is to perform a hierarchical synthesis of the multiple data streams. In the fourth step, the multiple data streams are integrated for practical use; we propose achieving this with wearable computers. The final step is that system retraining occurs, via Artificial Intelligence, so that an integrated wearable system can be individualized. A case study of Type 1 diabetes is used: this analysis and the proposed solutions illustrate the need for an urgent interdisciplinary debate to advance useful methods for combining data from divergent wearable sensors. Wearable fully integrated systems, programmed with Artificial Intelligence, will enable data from multiple wearable sensors to be optimized to improve individual well-being.


The tunnel length of O47 Sanchong Elementary School station of CL700A project, Luchou line to the tunnel turnout of CK570C project , Sinjhuang line, Taipei MRT,totals up to 887 m. Due to the insufficiency of the road width of Sanho road, sec1、2, Sanchong City, Taipei County where the shield tunnel goes underneath, the tunnels start in parallel direction from the work-shaft of the station, gradually changing into overlap form according to the alignment of the tunnels towards the turnout of CK570C project , Sinjhuang line when passing the intersection of Sanho rd. sec2 and Chang-an street. Therefore, the on-site hydro pressure anchor caisson method for cross-passage 1 in this tunnel is introduced, in respect of its depth(33 m)and environments where the road width is 8.5 m and the cross-passage is only 2 m away from the existing building. Usually In Taiwan, similar shafts which mostly are shallow are usually constructed with the self-weight caisson methods, whose construction precision is beyond control. The introduction of hydro pressure anchor caisson method is not only the first time in the mass transit system, but also the pioneer in civil works in Taiwan.


Objective To investigate if fresh allogeneic osteochondral transplantation, combined with basic fibroblast growth factor, could accelerate the formation of new articular cartilage and improve the success in repair of articular cartilage defects. Methods 48 rabbits(96 experimental joints) were used in the experiment. The rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups: Fresh allogeneic osteochondral transplantation was migrated into articular cartilage defects in the knee of rabbits in group A; Basic fibroblast growth factor was injected into the defects in group B; Fresh allogeneic osteochondral transplantation was combined with basic fibroblast growth factor in group C; Group D was the control group. The models of the articular cartilage defects were made in asepsis condition. General observation, X-ray examination, histology examination and immunohistochemistry examination were performed at the 4~ th week,the 8~ th week and the 12~ th week after operation. Results The repair effect of articular cartilage defects in group C was better than that in other groups. There were significant differences in counting chondrocytes between group C and other groups(P0.05). Conclusion Fresh allogeneic osteochondral transplantation,combined with basic fibroblast growth factor,could accelerate the formation of new articular cartilage in the repair of articular cartilage defects, and synergistic effects was also obtained.


This study aims to: Describe teachers' perceptions about the implementation of the independent learning curriculum in science education and describe the constraints felt by teachers in implementing the independent learning curriculum as well as solutions to overcome these obstacles. This type of research is a case study. The sample in this study was a science teacher at SMP DR Wahidin Sudirohusodo Medan, who were selected using a purposive sampling technique and developed using a snowball sampling technique. Data collection was carried out through interviews and questionnaires. Data analysis techniques were carried out in an interactive descriptive manner. The results of this study indicate that the teacher's perception is positive because they welcome the implementation of the independent learning curriculum, supported by adequate socialization and training so that they can apply the concept of learning science in accordance with the independent learning curriculum. Constraints experienced by teachers in the form of technical and non-technical constraints. There are several factors that become obstacles, namely, the first is the inadequate quality of the teacher's human resources, the second is that the facilities and learning resources are minimal or the infrastructure is inadequate and the teacher is clueless, the third teacher is comfortable with the old standard and has no experience in learning independent study.


Some open problems in hadronic physics are discussed, and it is proposed that these could be very effectively addressed at the proton Booster-Stretcher facility proposed for the First Muon Collider.


Sugars‐sweetened beverages are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). To assess whether this association holds for the fructose‐containing sugars they contain, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies.


Combing the middle and little dairy factory's characteristic, HACCP has been used to the yogurt production for assuring the quality safety. The effect is obvious. The dissertations take solidifying yogurt for example to particularize it.


Preface Synchronous groupware allows users, who are geographically distributed, to collaborate via a computer network. Currently, groupware is playing a major role in distance education, where it supports group discussions, joint work on electronic courses, joint visits of Web pages, remote laboratories, video conferences, joint program development, cooperative publishing, virtual environments etc. Developing groupware is a difficult and time-consuming task. To relieve developers , a development platform can offer solutions for recurring problems, e.g. provide functions for collaboration, communication, user interface development, and data handling. To collaborate, users must become able to coordinate their work, e.g. plan, schedule, and inform and get informed about joint sessions. A groupware application has to communicate with other computers, i.e. communication links have to be established, data be transferred and connections be supervised. In contrast to single-user applications, the user interface of a groupware application has to manage input and output from and to many users simultaneously; special group functions have to support collaboration awareness. Groupware applications share and distribute data among geographically distributed users; data must be kept consistent, concurrency control mechanisms must be used for coordinating parallel data modifications; users must be able to store shared data, e.g. for reusing them in later synchronous sessions. The wide range of synchronous groupware applications leads to quite different requirements on a development platform; it has to provide a variety of solutions to choose from and even allow a developer to extend the platform with his own solutions. This thesis mainly focuses on the specification, design and implementation of a transparent development platform DreamObjects, that relieves developers from all data sharing issues mentioned above. Developing a complex groupware application becomes almost as simple as developing a single-user application, i.e. developers can concentrate on application-specific details and their reliable realization. DreamObjects offers a wide variety of standard solutions concerning data distribution and data consistency, but also allows a developer to individually adapt the platform to her special requirements and needs. iii iv PREFACE Acknowledgements Many people assisted me while working on this thesis. Without their support it would have been much more strenuous to complete this thesis. I thank Prof. Dr. Claus Unger, as he gave me the opportunity to work on this thesis. Additionally, I thank him for his unrestricted support and his encouragement. Furthermore, I thank Prof. Dr. Jörg M. Haake for his valuable advice in the final phase of this thesis. Moreover, I …


The agricultural products processing industry is the leading industry in the developed countries. It is also a sunrise industry in 21st century in china. In recent years, the value output of the agricultural products processing have raised continuously. But the whole level is not high. Not only has it the big gap with developed countries, but also fall behind the coastal provinces. In the new period, the development of agricultural producls processing industry in Jiangsu should coordinate the development of the urban area and the rural area,reinforce the macro-regulation of agricultural products processing industry, optimize the social environment, strengthen the innovation of the organizations, realize sound cycle of the industry chain, perfect the technique market, strengthen the technique innovation, and draw upon the strategy of group and brand.


Sport is a global phenomenon that is assigned different meanings in different countries. This article reviews how we can understand the intersections of national identity and gender in sport. Two diverging analytic pathways reveal themselves. On the one hand, we have an intersectional approach, wherein national identity and gender are understood to be formed by universal notions of nationalism and patriarchy, respectively. On the other, we have a cultural analysis by which specific national-identity repertoires are understood to form local gendered meaning. These two analytic pathways are exposed by comparing selected sport studies with developments in cultural sociology. I find that intersectional sport studies draw attention away from cultural sociologists' aim to uncover variation in global and local meaning-making. Cultural sociology can thus help take apart the universalities argued for in many sport studies and explicate variations across national representations of gendered identities.


Experimental nonlinear optics (NLO) is usually expensive due to the high-end photonics and electronic devices needed to perform experiments such as incoherent second harmonic generation in liquid phase, multi-photon absorption, and excitation. Nevertheless, exploring NLO responses of organic and inorganic compounds has already opened a world of new possibilities. For example, NLO switches, NLO frequency converters, and a new way to obtain biological images through the incoherent second harmonic generation (SHG) originate from first-order molecular hyperpolarizability (β). The microscopic effect of the coherent or incoherent SHG is, in fact, the β. Therefore, estimating β without using expensive photonic facilities will optimize time- and cost-efficiency to predict if a specific molecular structure can generate light with double its incident frequency. In this work, we have simulated the β values of 27 organic compounds applying density functional theory (PBE0, TPSSh, wB97XD, B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, and M06-2X) and Hartree–Fock methods using the Gaussian software package. The predicted β was compared with the experimental analogs obtained by the well-known Hyper–Rayleigh Scattering (HRS) technique. The most reliable functionals were CAM-B3LYP and M06-2X, with an unsigned average error of around 25%. Moreover, we have developed post-processing software—Hyper-QCC, providing an effortless, fast, and reliable way to analyze the Gaussian output files.


Shape imparting mechanism for a catheter according to the present invention (10) includes elongate element which is dimensioned to fit within the lumen of the electrode sheath 14 of the catheter (12). To facilitate insertion into the lumen of the catheter of the electrode sheath the distal end of the elongate element (12) (14), the insertion facilitating device at the distal end of the elongate element (12) (22) supporting the. .FIELD 1