The content of Fe, Zn, Cd and Pb was determined in two ecologically contrasting earthworm species (L. terrestris and A. chlorotica), worm casts (caprolites), and soil samples taken from lawn near the street in the city of Siedlce. Anthropogenic factors limited species diversity of earthworms in the soils studied without reducing their density and biomass.


A one-dimensional version of the second-order transition model based on the sheared flow amplification by Reynolds stress and turbulence suppression by shearing is presented. The model discussed in this paper includes a form of the Reynolds stress which explicitly conserves momentum. A linear stability analysis of the critical point is performed. Then, it is shown that the dynamics of weakly unstable states is determined by a reduced equation for the shear flow. In the case in which the flow damping term is diffusive, the stationary solutions are those of the real Ginzburg-Landau equation.


The purpose of this study was to assess the use, in computer-mediated communication, of the strategic message structuring tactic known as framing. Interlocutors in computer-mediated environments have software supported systemic resources facilitative of constructing messages using framing tactics in their argumentative discourse. It is hypothesized that framing strategies are related to the emotional tenor of a disputant's message and that a speaker's emotional involvement with an issue should be curvilinearly related to the appropriation of framing as an argumentative discourse strategy. Results from the analysis of 3000 messages, obtained from a diverse sampling of computer-mediated discussion groups and forums, provided support for the primary hypothesized relationship. A speaker's emotional involvement was significantly and curvilinearly related to two message framing devices (message dependency and coalition building) and a measure of conciliatory face-saving moves.


This study was designed to extend a recent report about the ability of hapten-primed T lymphocytes to serve as helper cells, capable of augmenting the generation of tumor-specific CTL in vivo when the priming hapten was coupled to the immunizing tumor cells. Spleen cells of mice primed with 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-mouse γ-globulin (TNP-MGG) conjugate under conditions known to elicit hapten-reactive T lymphocytes, and subsequently immunized with TNP-derivatized, mitomycin C-treated syngeneic tumor cells, generated, upon in vitro stimulation with the relevant tumor cells, substantially higher CTL responses than did spleen cells from mice that were not primed with TNP-MGG. Furthermore, we demonstrated directly that such help resulted from T-T cell cooperation by showing that the addition of TNP-MGG-primed spleen cells in culture augmented the in vitro induction of a secondary tumorspecific CTL response upon sensitization of tumor-primed spleen cells against TNP-derivatized tumor cells. These experiments, therefore, establish a convenient in vitro model system that allows study of the regulatory influences of hapten-reactive T lymphocytes on tumor-specific, cell-mediated immune responses, and open obvious new avenues for the potential immunotherapy of growing tumors.


The introduction of standards to the clinical data life cycle has brought about significant changes to the job of a SAS programmer. Traditionally, SAS programmers who built data sets and statistical output for regulatory submission purposes had little need for technical knowledge beyond SAS programming and maybe some Microsoft or Adobe basics. In today's world, collected data can be made available in an XML format produced by EDC systems (i.e. ODM.xml). Submissions are expected to be accompanied by metadata expressed through an XML extension of ODM (i.e. Define.xml). There's even talk of replacing the traditional version 5 transport files with another XML extension of ODM (i.e. SDS-XML) for submission of domain data. The increased use of XML for transferring data and metadata has its advantages, but also imposes new requirements of a programmer's skill set. This paper serves as an introduction to some of these new skills. In it we'll discuss general XML basics and examine how they are applied in our industry today. We'll also look at tools that allow us to move data from a SAS data set to an XML format and vice versa. This paper is for industry SAS programmers at an intermediate level or above.


Objective: To investigate the value of microvolt T wave alternans(MTWA) and heart rate variability(HRV) in predicting malignant arrhythmia during hospitalization in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Methods: A total of 117 AMI patients [male 86,female 31,aged 32~84 years old,mean aged(61±11) years old] were enrolled.The results of 24 hour ambulatory ECG data in117 AMI patients were analysed.117 AMI patients were divided into malignant arrhythmia group(37 cases) and non-malignant arrhythmia group(80 cases) basing on weather they had experienced an episode of ventricular tachycardia(VT) or ventricular fibrillation(VF) during their hospitalization.Results: MTWA showed significant difference(P 0.01) between malignant arrhythmia and non-malignant arrhythmia group.MTWA was positive(MTWA≥25 μV),the sensitivity for diagnosis of malignant arrhythmia in AMI patients was 50.00%,specificity was 80.28%,positive predictive value was 54.84%,and negative predictive value was 77.03%.MTWA and SDNN(SDANN) were positive,the sensitivity was 20.59%(20.59%),specificity was 94.37%(95.77%),positive predictive value was 63.64%(70.00%),and negative predictive value was 71.28%(71.58%).Conclusion: MTWA and HRV of AMI patients could play the predictive role in malignant arrhythmia during hospitalization,and could be used to identify high risk patients from AMI patients.


3D environments are very popular among gamers and ever more used for simulations and serious games. The educational value of setting an adventure/simulation in a Virtual World (VW) is significant, in particular when training a workforce in performing dangerous/special tasks. However, when it comes to the exploration of a world to learn from it - as it happens in several real-life experiences - there is the risk that a lot of "knowledge in the world" is wasted because of a lack of appropriate guidance and the difficulty of providing more in-depth information about some items without interrupting the flow of the game. This paper discusses a Virtual Reality (VR) environment - aimed at promoting a meaningful interaction with artistic heritage - that has been enhanced with embedded microGames (mGs). mGs challenge the player to discover/investigate historical/artistic details related to a reconstructed area and virtually interact with pieces of the heritage in their context. mGs can be thought of as sort of 1-level links in the "hypertext" represented by the 3D environment where the player lives her/his cultural adventure. Preliminary informal tests have suggested that the approach is valid and also provided some guidelines about how to properly and smoothly integrate mGs in a 3D environment, which is an important requirement in order not to startle/distract the player.


Background: One of the most crucial procedures for the success of a composite restoration is finishing and polishing. In this study,three surface sealant polishing systems were examined and contrasted with two finishing systems and evaluated for surface roughness and adherence of two strains of Streptococcus Mutans. Materials and Methods: 110 resin composite discs made of Filtek Z 250 (8 mm x 1 mm) were randomly divided into five groups of 22 discs, each based on the finishing and polishing system employed. In Group 1, discs were finished with Mylar Strip alone. In Group 2, discs were finished and polished with Caulk Micropolisher. In Group 3, Permaseal (PS) was applied over finished and polished discs. In Group 4, Optiguard (OG) was applied over finished and polished discs. In Group 5, G Coat plus (GCP) was applied over finished and polished discs. Result: Mylar strip showed the smoothest mean surface value, followed by Permaseal, Optiguard, and G Coat Plus. Caulk had the highest mean roughness value. Permaseal and Optiguard had smoother finishes compared to Caulk micro polisher alone. Permaseal and Optiguard had the least Streptococcus mutans counts, followed by Mylar while G Coat plus had the highest. At 18-hour incubation, the mean CFUs were least in Permaseal, followed by Optiguard and Mylar. The highest mean value of CFUs was observed in G coat plus, followed by Caulk. The mean colony-forming units significantly increased between 6 and 18 hr in the Caulk micro polisher. Conclusion: This in-vitro study noted that applying surface sealants reduces surface roughness and decreases Streptococcus mutans adhesion on the restorative composite resin surface.


An Empirical model is efficient and simple to use, as it is obtained from in-depth field measurement. The input data here are qualitative, though not very correct for area like dense urban area, rural area and others. On the other hand, Site-specific models are based on numerical methods and the finite difference timedomain (FDTD) technique. The input data here are very precise and in depth whileTheoretical models are obtained from physical hypothetical assumption with inclusion of some moderate conditions. This can be seen when, for instance, considering the over-root top, the diffraction model here is obtained by the use of physical optics with the assumption of constant heights and buildings spacing.


The design of cellular systems impacts spectrum efficiency and service quality via several design choices and techniques. The reuse pattern "N" and sector plan are choices that trade off spectrum efficiency and voice quality. Overlaid cells, channel borrowing and reuse partitioning are techniques to improve that tradeoff. These effects can be quantified in generak by fairly simple rules. However, specific system growth planning depends critically on the traffic distribution in a particular city and becomes very complex in large systems. We have developed computer aids to automate growth planning and this paper reports a set of empirical studies using these aids. One of the most surprising results is how sensitive capacity is to traffic distribution.


A new whole-heart model is proposed for the simulation of normal and pathological propagation of cardiac activation. The effects of myocardial fiber anisotropy on propagation and on the subsequent calculation of ECG potentials are included, thereby permitting more accurate simulations. The isochrones, ECG and VCG potentials corresponding to normal activation of the model, are similar to published results. The introduction of the His-Purkinje system into the model permits the simulation of various types of bundle branch blocks.<<ETX>>


The major health problem in Worldwide is Diabetes Mellitus. To detect the diabetes mellitus and its NPDR, a non-invasive approach is proposed which uses tongue color, texture & geometry features for diagnosis. A tongue color gamut is established with 12 colors which represents the tongue color features. On the tongue surface, the texture values of blocks strategically located with the additional mean of all eight blocks are used to characterize the nine tongue texture features. And on the basis of measurements, distances, areas and their ratios their 13 features extracted which represents the geometry features. On the combination of these features, we can classify healthy & DM person from their tongue images.


is the difference between the yields on constantmaturity nominal Treasury securities and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). Payments on nominal securities are fixed. That is, they are not adjusted for inflation. Payments on TIPS are adjusted for inflation—specifically, changes in the consumer price index (CPI).1 This difference between nominal and inflation-adjusted (real) Treasury yields is sometimes called the breakeven inflation rate (BEI) because, if actual inflation comes in at the BEI rate, then holders of nominal and real Treasury bonds will get the same return. Because the BEI rate provides the same return and, thus, a risk-neutral investor would be indifferent between holding the two types of bonds, BEI is considered a forecast of future inflation. This easy-to-measure gauge of the Treasury market's expectation for average inflation (over a given horizon) has been a boon to economists and policymakers since it was first introduced in the United States in the late 1990s.2 The figure shows the yields on nominal and real 5-year Treasury securities and the difference between those yields: that is, the five-year BEI that measures the bond market's expectation of average inflation over the next five years. The vertical line marks March 13, the Friday before the FOMC meeting announcement on Sunday, March 15, 2020. Measuring Market-Based Inflation Expectations


A new portable gloss tester has been developed, which indicates a quantity closely related to the degree of visual gloss without the influence of the orange peel effect and surface convexity. Our gloss measurement is based on the fact that the gloss intervals are well correlated with the maximum slope of the dark-to-bright transition curve for a reflected image of a knife-edge pattern. In order to eliminate the orange peel effect, an optical measurement system has been designed to satisfy the following relations: 2R<λw and 2Δb≪rw, where R, Δb, λw and rw are respectively the width of the illuminated area of the sample, the distance between the sample and the image, the wavelength, and the radius of curvature of waviness. The performance of the gloss tester is; reproducibility, within ±1 percent; correlation factor between the degrees of physical and visual gloss, 0.99. The tester is 135 mm × 92 mm × 280 mm in size.


Hausmannite Mn3O4 nanoparticles were successfully prepared via a facile one-step solvothermal route with Mn(CH3COO)2·4H2O as manganese source in the mixed solvent of acetone and water. Powder X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) were used to characterize Mn3O4 nanoparticles. It was found that the particle size could be tailored by varying the synthesis temperature. On the whole, the particle size becomes larger with the rising of solvothermal reaction temperature. But there is no linear relation between them. According to the different temperatures(60-140 °C), the average particle size is from about 9 nm to 15 nm. Magnetic properties of Mn3O4 samples prepared at 60, 100 and 140 °C were studied via a superconducting quantum interference device(SQUID), respectively.


The author proposes that when counselor candidates are allowed to participate as clients in counselor-training laboratories, an indirect dual relationship is established, which may create unique ethical conflicts.


Topic No. 1 Monitoring the successes and failures of the newly introduced WEL system for the control of exposure to hazardous substances (Len Levy) Much effort has been spent setting up the new WEL system. However, it is not clear, to at least some knowledgeable individuals, what is being done to assess what progress is being made towards successfully achieving the objectives of the WEL system and/or how well it is overcoming the shortcomings of the previous UK OEL system. If such assessment is being done in-house by HSE, is it possible/ helpful/ necessary for periodical updates to be made to a body to ensure adequate progress is being made ? If no such assessment is being made, should a body be appointed to help set up such an assessment ? It is noted that the OEL Framework Group that formulated the new WELs system drew up 7 key criteria for setting up and/or appraising any new system. These criteria might be a useful starting point for any assessment process if it has not already been undertaken and is considered necessary.


Among the recently collected chalcidoid wasps in a rice field of eastern Guilan province (coast of Caspian Sea), at July 2012, there were some specimens of Pteromalidae belong to the genus Callitula. It was identified as Callitula ferrierei (Boucek, 1964). Both genus and species are new record for Iranian fauna. Morphological characters and geographical distribution of the newly recorded species are given.


To provide theoretic and technical support for molecular assessment of genetic diversity in germplasm resources of Eucommia ulmoides,simple sequence repeat-polymerase chain reaction(SSR-PCR) system was established through orthogonal test and optimized through single factor experiment.The results showed that the optimal SSR-PCR reaction system was a volume of 10.0 μL containing forward-and reversed-primer(10 μmol.L-1) 0.2 μL,respectively,Taq DNA polymerase(5 U.μL-1) 0.1 μL,dNTP(10 mmol.L-1) 0.2 μL,DNA(5-10 ng.μL-1)1.0 μL,Mg2+(25 mmol.L-1) 0.6 μL,10 × PCR buffer 1.0 μL and HPLC water 6.7 μL.Three SSR polymorphic primer pairs were selected.The results proved the limited transferability of SSR primers between distantly related species,revealed the genetic diversity of E.ulmoides preliminarily,and exhibited the advantages of SSRs for the investigation of genetic diversity.


This paper discusses the integration of a number of advanced image and data processing technologies in support of the development of next-generation Situational Awareness systems for counter-terrorism and crime fighting applications. In particular, the paper discusses the European Union Framework 7 'SAMURAI' project, which is investigating novel approaches to interactive Situational Awareness using cooperative networks of heterogeneous imaging sensors. Specific focus is given to novel Data Fusion aspects of the research which aim to improve system performance through intelligently fusing both image data and non image data sources, resolving human-machine conflicts, and refining the Situational Awareness picture. In addition, the paper highlights some recent advances in supporting image processing technologies. Finally, future trends in image-based Situational Awareness are identified, such as Post-Event Analysis (also known as 'Back-Tracking'), and the associated technical challenges are discussed.


Online platform is becoming important tool for today's marketing mix. This mechanism helps marketers reach more target market while enhancing profit. For higher education, online marketing has been recently applied with office marketing tools in order to attract young students who like to search on online platform. The objective of this paper are to analyze marketing environment of higher education in Thailand as well as to exploit strategy that best appropriated with improving marketing strategy via online platform in International College, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University context. This research uses a qualitative research method with semi-structure interview question as an instrument. The sample in this study consists of 10 academic and supporting staffs currently working in International College and 5 students. They were obtained by using probability sampling method - samples were selected using population list then using simple random sampling. Data was analyzed using content analysis method. The results illustrated that administrative environment could help the college to operate marketing via online platform more efficient. Meanwhile external environment could facilitate the institute to effectively reach target market. To improve strategic environment, TOWS matrix model had been introduced. The college could maximize strengths in terms of creating reliable and attractive online marketing channels. They could also offset weaknesses by using opportunities to provide faster information with high level of accuracy. Moreover, threats could be avoid by providing up-to-date content in order to accomplish customer preferences. Finally, the interviews showed that students were likely to use social media to obtain information. Nevertheless, the usage of other online marketing channels, such as the college's website was quite low. Therefore, International College should promote the website through social media and provide clearer and deeper information in all channels.


Abstract An organizational development (OD) initiative in the form of a competency-based supervisory training program was evaluated in two group homes for individuals with mental retardation. Four supervisors, two from each home, received 5 hours of training via instructions, modeling, role-play, and feedback, to use selected performance antecedents (rationales, verbal instructions, modeling, prompts to practice, and assigned and participative goal-setting) and consequences (praise, feedback on correct and incorrect performance) while they taught client-teaching skills to four paraprofessional staff on the job. Supervisors' staff training performance and paraprofessional staffs' teaching performance were evaluated in multiple baseline fashion across the two homes. The program was associated with increases in the use of consequences by three of the supervisors, while patterns in the use of antecedents varied across supervisors. Changes in supervisors' performance were in turn associated with.


Despite its considerable growth and development during the last decades, the software industry has had to endure several significant problems and drawbacks which have undoubtedly had negative effects. One of these aspects is the lack of alignment between the curricula offered by Universities and other kinds of education and training centres and the professional profiles demanded by companies and organizations. This problem defines the objective of this work: to provide a set of mechanisms and a solution to allow companies to define and express their competency gaps and, at the same time, allow education centres to analyse those gaps and define the training plans to meet those needs.


In a bonus-malus system in car insurance, the bonus class of a customer is updated from one year to the next as a function of the current class and the number of claims in the year (assumed Poisson). Thus the sequence of classes of a customer in consecutive years forms a Markov chain, and most of the literature measures performance of the system in terms of the stationary characteristics of this Markov chain. However, the rate of convergence to stationarity may be slow in comparison to the typical sojourn time of a customer in the portfolio. We suggest an age-correction to the stationary distribution and present an extensive numerical study of its effects. An important feature of the modeling is a Bayesian view, where the Poisson rate according to which claims are generated for a customer is the outcome of a random variable specific to the customer.


The face of the new rural construction activity and speeding up the process of urbanization,the new township building the initial signs of emerging,and in three towns selected as Positive Sunan location,relatively developed areas Construction township building new evaluation system,enabling the use of subjective AHP(AHP)and the entropy of the objective to empower the right combination evaluation method.


One aspect of success in data communication is security. Data security can be done by using steganography. Steganography is a way to hide messages in the media in such a way that other people do not realize there is a message in the media. Many of the algorithms used in steganography one of which is the Least Significant Bit. In this research, the authors modify Least Significant Bit algorithms with Alternate Insertion method. Modification is doing of embedding and extracting messages process by changing the RGB values ??at each pixel of image data with confidential file by inserting message alternately and insertionly until the all message inserted. This steganography applications have input password that is used as the key of a message can't be opened in addition to the addressee so that the data will be kept confidential. The parameters used to measure the performance of the Least Significant Bit and Alternate Insertion are using runtime program and analysist algorithms of Big . The message insertion applications built by using C# (C Sharp) programming language. From the results of research that extracting process messages work faster than the embedding process. More larger of image in used it will be spend longer time to process the inserting message. Time complexity of algorithms (Big ) embedding and extracting processes obtained in testing the system is T (n) = (xy). From the results of research that extracting process messages work faster than the embedding process. More larger of image in used it will be spend longer time to process the inserting message. Time complexity of algorithms (Big ) embedding and extracting processes obtained in testing the system is T (n) = (xy). From the results of research that extracting process messages work faster than the embedding process. More larger of image in used it will be spend longer time to process the inserting message. Time complexity of algorithms (Big ) embedding and extracting processes obtained in testing the system is T (n) = (xy).


In a communication network with cryptographically protected connections a unique key is used for each connection between two subscribers, so that when one or more keys fall into the hands of an unauthorized person it has no consequences for the protection of the remaining connections. In a network comprising N subscribers this implies that each participant must have N-1 keys for communication with the other partici pants. Such a set of N-1 keys is obtained by putting a column from a NXN key matrix (main diagonal empty) at the disposal of each participant. During the connec tion set-up the correct unique key is automatically se lected by interchange of the column number. The key matrices used in the network can be regularly replaced without it being necessary to interrupt the operation of the network.


Partial Discharge (PD) measurement and characterization provide vital information on insulation condition, different aspects of insulation ageing useful for equipment integrity verification and diagnosis. The PD denotes the Life vs. Stress characteristics of the material. The PD phenomenon is manifested as observable electric pulses. The work demonstrates the principle of PD measurement with the aid of an Off-line test arrangement. This paper investigates on the PD Inception and Extinction Voltage and determines the apparent charge, discharge energy and power dissipation for discharge quantity at a specified voltage. PD detection and measurement procedures suitable for use on Surge Arresters, Current Transformers and Insulators are examined.


Five 2 4 formyl styrylbenzothiazoline compounds(FSBT) were synthesized and their spectral characteristics were studied. The results indicate that FSBT compounds possess a good spectral response at visible region which varies remarkably with different counter ions. The intermolecular aggregation of FSBT is easily formed at high concentration of aqueous solution. New absorption and emission peaks of aggregates were observed at long wavelengths by the second order derivative absorption spectra and the fluorescence spectra. This property is very important to enhance the photosensitivity.


Abstract S-2-(3-Methylaminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid (WR-3689) is a radioprotective agent that is behaviorally toxic at radioprotective doses. It was recently reported that the combination of WR-3689 and caffeine ameliorated behavioral toxicity (determined by locomotor activity in mice) compared with WR-3689 alone. Since catecholamines can modulate locomotor activity, we determined norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) content (using high-performance liquid chromatography) in the hypothalamus of mice after treatment with WR-3689, caffeine, and the combination of the two drugs. CD2F1 male mice were injected intraperitoneally with saline (control), WR-3689 (100 and 200 mg/kg), caffeine (20 and 40 mg/kg), or the combination of WR-3689 (200 mg/kg) and caffeine (40 mg/kg). Control values for NE and DA ranged between 200 and 220 pg/mg and 69 and 94 pg/mg of hypothalamic tissue, respectively. WR-3689 had no effect on the content of NE and DA. In contrast, NE increased to (mean ± SE) 324 ± 27 pg/mg and 377 ± 61 pg/mg (P < 0.05) 4 hr after injections of 20 and 40 mg/kg of caffeine, respectively. Similarly, DA increased to 142 ± 13 pg/mg (P < 0.05) 4 hr after injection of 40 mg/kg of caffeine. The combination of WR-3689 and caffeine had no effect on NE and DA contents when compared with control values. These results suggest that WR-3689 can affect catecholamine metabolism in the mouse hypothalamus, but the mode of action is not clear.


This chapter investigates the impact of inward and outward FDI on ICT diffusion in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions for the period 1996-2008. The results indicate that while inward FDI has generally had a positive and significant impact on ICT diffusion in Asia-Pacific economies, its impact on the Middle Eastern countries has been detrimental. In contrast, the results of this study also show that outward FDI has had, in general, the inverse effect, it has been in general positive and significant for the Middle East countries but insignificant for Asia-Pacific economies.


Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) treatment with macrolides combination has showed benefits in non-interventional studies, however there are controversial data from RCTs. Pneumococcal CAP (PCAP) has highest inflammatory response than other etiological pathogens in CAP. Thus, we aimed to evaluate whether there is a protective effect on mortality of patients with PCAP treated with macrolide combination. Prospective, observational cohort of patients admitted with CAP. We analysed only patients with etiological diagnosis. We clustered them in three groups according to etiology: PCAP, atypical germs and others; and according to antimicrobial treatment: β-lactams plus macrolides (BLM), β-lactams plus fluorquinolones and fluorquinolones (FQ). We performed a multivariate analysis for in-hospital mortality (IHM), including an interaction among antibiotic treatment and etiologic group, using a propensity adjusted analysis for antimicrobial treatment. We included 1884 (29%) of 6884 patients. 817 patients (43%) had PCAP, 124 (7%) atypical CAP and 943 (50%) others. 975 (51%) received combination of BLM, 482 (25%) received β-lactams plus fluorquinolones and 427 (22%) FQ. We did not observe a significant effect of antibiotic type (FQ being the reference group, OR for BLM 0.90, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.63, p=0.74) or their interaction with pathogen for IHM (p=0.99). We observed similar results in patients with CRP ≥15 mg/dL (ORantibiotic type 0.91, 95% CI 0.41 to 1.99, pantibiotic type=0.81; pantibiotic type x pathogen=0.90). We did not observe mortality benefits of BLM treatment compared with FQ in the overall population, nor did pneumococcal CAP.


Part 1 Cultural overview: Herostratus, Jean-Paul Sartre son of Cain or son of Sam? the monster as serial killer in "Beowulf", Brian Meehan towards an historical sociology of multiple murder, in "Hunting Humans - the Rise of the Modern Multiple Murderer", Elliott Leyton. Part 2 Origins of the impulse: a study of serial murder, Constance McKenzie serial murderers - early proposed developmental model and typology, Nancy L. Ansevics and Harold E. Doweiko detective magazines - pornogrpahy for the sexual sadist?, Park Elliott Dietz et al adolescents' motivations for viewing graphic horror, Diedre D. Johnston ideological homicide in Thomas O'Reilly-Flemming (ed) "Serial and Mass Murder: Theory, Research and Policy", R.S. Ratner. Part 3 Criminal analysis: a murder wave? trends in American serial homicide, Philip Jenkins serial murder in England 1940-1985, Philip Jenkins multiple murder - a review, David M. Gresswell assessment of PTSD symptoms in a community exposed to serial murder, Michael J. Herkov and Monica Biernat. Part 4 Psychiatric diagnosis and the law: American psychiatry and the criminal - an historical review, Seymour Halleck the insanity plea - a futile defence for serial killers, Anne Gresham contributions of psychiatric consultation in the investigation of serial murder, John A. Liebert the sexually sadistic criminal and his offences, Park Elliot Dietz et al. Part 5 Psychological perspectives: a study of William Heirens, Foster Kennedy et al the Bianchi (LA Hillside strangler) case - sociopath or multiple personality?, John G. Watkins difficulties diagnozing the multiple personality syndrome in a death penalty case, Ralph B. Allison on the differential diagnosis of multiple personality in the forensic context, Martin T. Orne et al towards a new methodology for making sense of case material - an illustrative case involving attempted multiple murder, David M. Gresswell and Clive R. Hollin. Part 6 Gender issues: Jack the Ripper and the myth of male violence, Judith R. Walkowitz female serial murderesses - a preliminary analysis, Belea T. Keeney and Kathleen M. Heide the sexual component of serial murder in Thomas O'Reilly-Flemming (ed) "Serial and Mass Murder: Theory, Research and Policy", Candice Skrapec feminist perspectives on serial murder - a critical analysis, Julei Cluff et al. Part 7 Policing concerns: the lust murderer, Robert R. Hazelwood anbd John E. Douglas rape and rape-murder - one offender and twelve victims, Robert K. Ressler et al serial killers and their victims -identifying patterns through crime scene analysis, Robert K. Ressler et al the presumptive role of fantasy in serial sexual homicide, Robert Alan Prentky et al.


Celtis tournefortii Lam and Prosopis farcta plant's antioxidant and polyphenolic characteristics have been attributed to the various phytochemicals, including phenolic and fatty acids, present in the crude extract in the leaves, fruits, pods, and seeds. This study's aim is to determine the entire phytochemical compositions of the leaf and fruit reflect Celtis tournefortii Lam, while pod and seed represent Prosopis farcta from Mazne sub-district, including proximate analysis, total antioxidant capacity, total organic acids, ascorbic acids, polyphenols, and fatty acids following established procedures. Pods have higher levels of fiber (41± 0.05 mg/100 g), protein (20.3±0.05%), and vitamin C (26.47±0.03 mg/100 g) from Prosopis farcta, although fruit has higher levels of total antioxidants (89.54± 0.28%) and organic acid (1576±0.57 mg/kg) from Celtis tournefortii Lam. Gallic acid (10.56±0.03 mg/kg) had the highest concentration of polyphenols, whereas the pod contained the highest concentrations of quercetin (11.27±0.14 mg/kg), rutin (13.0±0.57 mg/kg), coumaric acid (2140.57 mg/kg), and chlorogenic acid (659.0±0.57 mg/kg). Oleic acid 32.60±0.24%, Cis-11-Eicosenoic 3.20±0.11%, and Cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-Docosahexaenoic 2.10±0.05% were the most prevalent unsaturated fatty acids in the seed, whereas palmitic 17.40±0.05% and tricosanoic 6.40±0.05% were the most prevalent saturated fatty acids in the leaves. Overall, seeds had the highest concentration of unsaturated fatty acids (74.44%), while leaves had the highest concentration of saturated fatty acids (44.42%). This study identifies two untamed plants, Celtis tournefortii Lam and Prosopis farcta, as potential new sources of natural oil and beneficial natural ingredients.


The Lexicon-Grammar of French is a dictionary with structured syntactic-semantic information. In order to assess its exploitability in language processing, we survey four criteria: readability, degree of formalisation, degree of validity of information content, and richness in information. We contribute concrete examples to inform this discussion. We compare the significance of the criteria, in order to evaluate the validity of the priorities retained and of the compromises adopted in the course of the construction of the Lexicon-Grammar.


Objective:To construct the eukaryotic expression plasmid expressing shRNA targeting EGFR gene family as a tool for following experiments in vitro and in vivo.Methods:EFGR family highly expressed in low radiosensitive ovarian cancer cells SKOV3,chosen highly expressed homologous genes in EFGR family as targeted gene.According to guidelines for shRNA design,designed experimental shRNA and negative control shRNA.In vitro synthesized 2 of the coding sequence of short hairpin RNA DNA single-strands,annealing,and cloned into the corresponding vector pGensil-1 of pol Ⅲ promoter downstream,named pGensil-1-E and pGensil-1-C.Confirmed by restrict endonuclease digestion and DNA sequencing.Conclusions:Eukaryotic expression plasmid experssing shRNA targeting homologous genes in EFGR family was constructed successfully.


The tetranuclear title compound, [Cu2Ti2(C6H6NO6)2O(O2)2(H2O)10]·7H2O, lies about a twofold rotation axis that passes through the bridging oxide atom. The titanium atom is N,O,O′,O′′-chelated by the nitrilotriacetate and O,O′-chelated by the peroidxo group and is coordinated to the bridging O atom in an overall pentagonal-bipyramidal geometry. The O atom of one of the carboxylate –CO2 groups binds to the water-coordinated Cu atom, whose coordination polyhedron is an elongated octahedron. Adjacent tetranuclear molecules are linked through the coordinated and uncoordinated water molecules by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network.


The cyclodecatrien collinolactone is a new microbial natural product from Streptomyces sp. Go 40/10 and represents a hitherto unknown chemical class of substances. The structure elucidation was performed with modern spectroscopic methods (1D/2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV) and revealed the unique combination of a 7-10-6-cyclodecatrien structure with a hydroxyl group, an ethyl side chain, and two lactones. Collinolactone exists as a mixture of two rotamers of a double bond in the ratio of 4:1. By feeding [13C]-labelled precursors to the producing strain, fermentation under 18O2 rich atmosphere and NMR-spectroscopic analysis of the natural product the polyketide biosynthetic origin of all carbon and oxygen atoms in the collinolactone skeleton was proven. These studies suggests a biosynthetic pathway starting from the formation of a nonaketide via PKS and macrolactonization, followed by a so far unkown rearrangement of the double bonds under formation of the tricyclic skeleton, and finally introduction of one oxygen via a Baeyer-Villiger oxygenase, forming the seven-memebered lactone. Successful derivatizations resulted in seven more compounds of this new chemical class. Four ester derivatives showed an unusual action to the microtubules (mono-astral spindles), cytotoxic and cytostatic activity.The hitherto unknown biosynthesis of 1-O-benzoyl α-L-rhamnopyranoside from Streptomyces griseoviridis (Stamm Tu 3634) were analyzed successfully by methods of natural product chemistry. Feeding experiments with [1,7-13C2]shikimic acid it was clearly showed for the first time that the starter unit benzoic acid originates directly from shikimate, and therewith, the plant-like pathway via prephenate and phenylalanine could be excluded.In a research project 15 strains of extremophilic microorganisms were analyzed in a chemical screening. Three selected strains were fermented in large scales (10 50 L). Isolation and structure elucidation of the compounds led to one new and various known substances.


The Culgoora circular array (CCA) is a 3-km-diameter ring of 96 reflectors operating at 80, 160 and 327 MHz. It has an effective collecting area of ~ 6000 m2 and achieves angular resolutions (full half-power beamwidths) of 3'.70, 1 '.85 and 0'.92 at the three operating frequencies. During the interval 1978-1981 we have used the CCA to make 80 and 160 MHz measurements of a comprehensive selection of radio sources which were detected during various complete surveys of clusters of galaxies (see Table 1). We have combined our low-frequency intensity measurements with other available higher-frequency flux data to compute accurate radio spectra. The 160 MHz contour maps for many of the cluster fields were used to find positions and angular sizes for the associated radio sources.


Professor Davidson's Econometric Theory offers a clear, well written, graduate level econometrics textbook, which would be highly appropriate as the principal text for the second and/or third semester of a general Ph.D. econometrics sequence or for a specialized course on time series. It provides good reading material for anyone interested in deepening his or her understanding of econometrics and also a valuable reference source for econometricians. Although the book reviews the basics of multivariate regression, it is written at a level that requires either some degree of mathematical sophistication or prior familiarity with econometrics. As a result, it may be too advanced for a first semester Ph.D. course, except where students have strong preparation.


The object of analysis is an unbounded layer made of two isotropic, linear elastic materials and periodically laminated along the 1 Ox axis (cf. Fig.1). The layer is resting on the rigid base. It is assumed that the laminas are homogeneous and their number is very large. Hence we deal with a certain microstructured layer. The aim of this contribution is to propose a certain mass discretized model for the analysis of vibrations of the layer. It is shown that there exist two kinds of these vibrations which are independent of 2 x and 3 x coordinates.


In this article is given analysis development of the industry of building materials and an estimation of a role of branch in economy of region.


Elucidating trophic interactions, such as predation and its effects, is a frequent task for many researchers in ecology. The study of microbial communities has many limitations, and determining a predator, prey, and predatory rates is often difficult. Presented here is an optimized method based on the addition of fluorescently labelled prey as a tracer, which allows for reliable quantitation of the grazing rates in aquatic predatory eukaryotes and estimation of nutrient transfer to higher trophic levels.


Introduction Persistent delirium is recognised as a substantial problem, but there are few insights into which patient groups might be particularly affected. Delirium is associated with future dementia progression. Yet whether this occurs subclinically over months and years, or persistent delirium merges into worsened dementia is not understood. Methods We adopted an identical approach to a previous systematic review, only including studies using a recognised diagnostic framework for ascertaining delirium at follow-up (persistent delirium). We applied risk of bias assessments based on Standards of Reporting of Neurological Disorders criteria. Estimates were pooled across studies using random-effects meta-analysis, and we estimated associations with age and follow-up duration using meta-regression. Results We identified 13 new cohorts, which we added to 8 from the previous systematic review (21 relevant studies reporting persistent delirium over 37 time points). Studies were mainly at low risk of bias. Pooled delirium prevalence estimates at discharge were 40% (95% CI 24% to 54%, 10 studies). Meta-regression showed variation in prevalence of persistent delirium over time (0.6% per week, 95% CI -1.2 to -0.1, p=0.02). Older study sample age was associated with higher prevalence of persistent delirium (8.8% per SD age, 95% CI 1.1% to 17%). The rate of improvement was the same regardless of age, but the overall burden was higher with older age such that 44% (95% CI 11% to 76%) of 95-year-olds would be expected to have persistent delirium at 12 months. Conclusions This systematic review emphasises the key importance of delirium as a persistent and extensive problem, particularly in the oldest-old. Addressing persistent delirium will require a whole-system, integrated approach in order to detect, follow-up and implement opportunities for recovery across all healthcare settings.


Cooking fume pollution is one of the key environmental problems in metropolis, for it becomes main target of complaints in the urban area, and one of the sources of fine particles PM2.5as well. Suggestions of cooking fume reduction are proposed in this paper based on the analysis of Shanghai food beverage industry and cooking fume pollution.


In this paper we presents a smart stick assistive navigation system to help blind and visually impaired people with outdoor and indoor travel. Blindness is one of the more feared affliction in this evolving world. It is very difficult to travel to a desired distance and to find the desired object which is present in front of the blind people. Blind people relay on some people for their work to be done. Our system solves this problem by providing a virtual eye in the form of smart stick to the blind people so that they can lead their own life without the help of the other people. The Smart stick consists of a camera and raspberry pie attached to it which helps in the detection of the object which is present as an obstacle to the blind people, can be easily identified and informed to the blind people by the earphones which is directly attached to the blind people. In addition to the speech warning and another sensor is also placed at the bottom of the stick for the sake of avoiding the puddles. This can be achieved by using Yolo and Dark flow algorithm. The goal here is to develop a system that will provide guidance for visually impaired individuals to reach desired destinations and to live an independent life.


This paper presents the analysis of cylindrical electron beam and beam-impact-generated plasma using particle-in-cell simulation code VSim 6.2 at different operating conditions. The transient plasma parameters, such as, beam density, charge neutralization factor, space charge potential, ionization time, beam compression, and plasma electron temperature, have been estimated and analyzed for a 40-keV, 10–100-A electron beam propagating in argon gas-filled drift space at different operating pressures. These parameters are difficult to be measured experimentally. The evaluated charge-neutralizing factor has been found dynamic in space and time, which is maximum at the beam envelope. The voltage profile of space charge potential required for effective electron beam propagation approaches zero due to formation of the plasma in the order of ionization time. The estimated average plasma electron temperature has been found to be less than ~1 eV, which is less damaging for interaction structure of the plasma-assisted microwave sources. It has been observed that an optimum pressure limit needs to be maintained inside the drift space to prevent the loss of electron beam due to instabilities resulting in excessive collisions with the drift space walls.


The electromagnetic field inside an isotropic optically active medium is quantized on the base of Fedorov's model for optical activity. The modified photon propagator is derived. Using this result it is shown that the QED correction to the electron mass contains chiral terms which nevertheless are parity invariant. The spontaneous emission rate of a two-level atom is shown to increase in the medium. The spontaneously emitted radiation is partially polarized.


Abstract : A method is derived for obtaining parameters which characterize higher order surface wave mode propagation on cylindrical columns with radially inhomogeneous permittivity bounded by a homogeneous medium. The method is well suited for application to boundary value problems where conventional Green's function techniques or expansions in series of known functions cannot be used since it works directly with the coefficients of a particular set of differential equations. The only theoretical restriction on the permittivity function is that it ust be non-singular. Numerical results were obtained for some permittivity models as a demonstration of the application of the method. (Author)


In this study we are going to study the pinnacle of our pyramid ... the Gospel message itself. First and foremost, we must understand the power of the Gospel. THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL Romans 1:16–17 (NKJV) — 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." The Gospel is what saves people ... living a godly life will not save people ... the Gospel will ... defending the faith will not save people ... the Gospel will! People need to hear a clear Gospel. We only need to use apologetics when necessary ... i.e. when people have obstacles in their thinking that are holding them back from trusting Christ as Savior. DEFINING THE GOSPEL


The micro, small and medium enterprises continue to play a critical role in the development process in developing economies. Therefore they continue to be in the forefront of policy debates not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. In spite of the generally fast pace by which access to financial services for SME is being developed, significant segments of the SME sector do not yet benefit from the expansion and deepening of outreach. Risk based lending continues to gain momentum in Kenya and as a result credit rationing for SMEs is imminent. In attempting to gain access to financial services SME continue to face constraints. Thus this research intended to study the role played by credit rationing on financial accessibility by Small and Medium Enterprises in Eldama Ravine Sub–County in Baringo County, Kenya. A cross-sectional survey research design was used. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted to draw a sample of respondents from the accessible population. This study used a selfadministered semi-structured questionnaire to collect data. A pre-testing of questionnaires was conducted before carrying out the main study. This study employed the Cronbach alpha coefficient to test the instrument's reliability. Content validity test was used for validity test . Data analysis captured both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics included modes, medians, means, standard deviations and variances. The results of the analysis were presented in form of tables, graphs and charts. From the findings the study concluded that: firms with good credit history, older and large enterprises are not denied loans. The respondents further agreed that risky ventures are credit rationed by banks. In most cases firms that offer highly valued collaterals are not credit rationed. The results indicated with reduced credit rationing, financial institutions will ensure financial services are accessible to SME's. Majority of financial institution would prefer group lending compared to individual. This will have a positive impact on the performance of SMEs.


This study explores the extent of individual users' satisfaction with Sina Weibo from the perspective of network internalities and network externalities. Based on the literature review, 21 items were operationalised on top of a question measuring overall user satisfaction for a questionnaire survey. Data were collected from 240 respondents from the 16 districts and 2 counties in Beijing. Generally, the findings suggest that individual users are more satisfied with network internalities than network externalities and that 19 of 21 items show significant correlation with user satisfaction. Based on the comparison between mean rankings and correlation coefficient strengths of all the items, practical and research implications are provided, along with future research directions.


In this paper, a nonintrusive polynomial chaos (PC) approach for the fast multidimensional uncertainty quantification of microwave/RF networks is presented. The key feature of this paper is the development of a linear regression methodology based on sparse D-optimal design of experiments to accurately evaluate the PC coefficients of the network responses. A greedy search algorithm to identify the sparse set of D-optimal design of experiments from within a multidimensional random space has been presented. Additional numerical approaches to further accelerate the search algorithm for high-dimensional random spaces have also been developed.


The Dappled World is not only, as the subtitle says, A Study of the Boundaries of Science ; it is also a study of the boundaries of natural law. From my empiricist point of view the two are intimately connected. The best way to learn about laws of nature is by looking at the laws of our most successful and admired sciences. I focus on the exact sciences, in particular on physics and economics. I do not look at biology, geology, anthropology, sociology or any of the other natural or social sciences. Superficially it looks as if they should be more, rather than less, open to the kind of interpretation I give; still, they may teach different or additional lessons. The central thesis is what Peter Lipton here calls "anomalous dappling". Laws of nature (if conceived of as necessary or counterfactual regularities between so-called 'occurrent properties') are limited in their range; in regions that seem to overlap, the separate laws may be helpful in calculating what happens, but the overall outcome may be highly context dependent or there may be no rules at all for composing the separate effects; and some situations may not be subject to law at all—what happens happens by hap. I give three major arguments in favour of dappling. As with many philosophical views, a first step is to show that the view is possible. So one of my central aims is to show that dappling is consistent with our most impressive scientific successes and that it is consistent with realism— that is, it may be true even of the set of all nature's 'true' laws. 1


This Article has as goal present the stochastic augmentation, applied in a predictive generalized minimum variance control (GMV), the which is based on a linear control (PID). The referred control technique was applied in a process multivariable of bench compound of a helicopter with two degree of freedom, on what was considered the decoupling of variables of state to have a control law decentralized.


A conventional solar dynamic system transmits solar energy to the flowing fluid of a thermodynamic cycle through structures which contain the gas and thermal energy storage material. Such a heat transfer mechanism dictates that the structure operate at a higher temperature than the fluid. This investigation reports on a fluid absorption receiver where only a part of the solar energy is transmitted to the structure. The other part is absorbed directly by the fluid. By proportioning these two heat transfer paths the energy to the structure can preheat the fluid, while the energy absorbed directly by the fluid raises the fluid to its final working temperature. The surface temperatures need not exceed the output temperature of the fluid. This makes the output temperature of the gas the maximum temperature in the system. The gas can have local maximum temperatures higher than the output working temperature. However local high temperatures are quickly equilibrated, and since the gas does not emit radiation, local high temperatures do not result in a radiative heat loss. Thermal radiation, thermal conductivity, and heat exchange with the gas all help equilibrate the surface temperature.


transborder relations are not well understood. The 1990s have been a time of rapid change in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and minority groups have figured prominently in this change. They have played a particularly important role in shaping the dynamics of relations between countries in the region and have been the focus of attention in the wider international community. The behaviour of each state towards minorities within its borders has been subject to scrutiny and connected to that country's compliance with biand multilateral treaties, as well as its status in regional associations and intergovernmental institutions. International relations are also important to minorities, both to maintain and benefit from contacts with their ethnic kin in neighbouring countries and because international organizations can help to ensure protection of their rights. While members of minority groups may facilitate informal exchange between citizens of different countries, these transfrontier contacts have often met with suspicion and are sometimes the source of friction between groups and between countries. Nevertheless, transborder interactions can bring tremendous benefits to all involved, through increased stability, trade and cultural exchange. To learn more about these issues, Minority Rights Group International and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights organized a Skills Exchange Workshop in Warsaw, Poland, in spring 1998. The workshop brought together public officials, parliamentarians, representatives of minority organizations and NGO activists from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The goal of the workshop was to support the process of analysing the problems and sharing strategies to address them. Participants identified their major concerns, based on their own situation. Through interactive discussion, the group then analysed these issues and sought to develop an understanding of the problems with ideas for solutions to address them. The topics covered both the actions of states and the actions of minority groups. Participants analysed the broader international context, including the efficacy of minority rights standards and the impact of European integration on minority communities. They examined the impact of bilateral relations on minority communities, including the role of 'kin states', the 'politics of reciprocity', bilateral treaties, citizenship and media communications. They also discussed the function and methods of transborder interactions between members of the same ethnic group and the possibilities for inter-ethnic cooperation. This Workshop Report describes these discussions.


no. 2004; MoPeB3283. Korting HC, Walther D, Riethmüller U et al. Comparative in vivo susceptibility of Treponema pallidum to ceftizoxime, ceftriaxone and penicillin G. Chemotherapy. 1986; 32: 352–355. Larsen SA, Steiner BM, Rudolph AH. Laboratory diagnosis and interpretation of tests for syphilis. Clin Microbiol Rev


We propose a series of small, low-cost Radio Science and Astronc)my Mission (RSAM) orbiters suitable fclr intense study of the giant planets. I'hese missions will provide fundamental new information on the atmospheres, interiors, rings, and satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, using a combination of space-proven occultation, bistatic radar, celestial mechanics and radiometry methods. ~-he instrument is a high precision tri-frequency (S, X, and Ka bands) radio system and powerful digital signal processor. Orbital tours last one year, with ork)ital periock about one month, varying by planet. F'repulsive inclination "cranking" aided by satellite gravity assists, achieves global coverage.


Recent years have seen significant progress in the development of practical applications of NMR in many industries; however, knowledge of the capabilities and potential of NMR amongst environmental professionals still remains rather limited. Generally defined, the environmental industry is comprised of engineers, scientists, and policy makers engaged in the assessment, management, protection, and remediation of sensitive environmental resources. Much of this activity requires a keen understanding of the occurrence and behaviour of anthropogenic chemical and biological agents in complex environmental systems, including wastewater streams, groundwater, soils, and sediments. In general, better information results in better environmental protection and more efficient and effective remediation practices. The primary goal of this short article is to provide an industrial perspective on the current challenges facing the environmental community and to comment on the potential that the development of practical applications of NMR have in improving our ability to characterize and understand these environmental systems.


Modeling the interaction between particles is an open issue in dusty plasma. We dealt with strongly coupled dust particles in two dimensional confined system. For small number of clusters, we investigate the effect of random charge fluctuation on background configuration. The study is conducted for a short rang as well as a long rang potential interaction. Numerical simulation is performed using Monte‐Carlo simulation in the presence of parabolic confinement and at low temperature. We have studied the background configurations for a dust particles with constant charge and in the presence of random charge fluctuation due to the discrete nature of charge carriers. The latter is studied for a positively charged dust when the dominant charging process is due to photo‐emission from the dust surface. It is found, for small classical cluster consisting of small number of particles, short rang potential gives the same result as long rang one. It is also found that the random charge fluctuation affect the backgrou...


In one of the great purple passages of nineteenth-century English historiography, Thomas Babington Macauley in his review of Leopold von Ranke's History of the Popes declared the papacy to be the western institution most worthy of historical study. Accordingly, historians have devoted innumerable pages to the analysis of papal politics, ideology, finances, and many other areas. However, there are still aspects of the history of the papacy that have been seriously neglected.


In the case of Bosnian War (1992-1995), International Participation has just maintained interethnic peace with limitedsuccess.Peace-keeping strategiesimplemented without consensussubsequently set up an environment in which ethnic cleansings transformedinto genocide in UN " Safe Areas†. According to World Bank's reports; following the end of military conflict late 1995, of a pre-war population of 4.4 million, an estimated 250,000 people had lost their lives or were considered missing, 200,000 to 400,000 people had been wounded, and an estimated 2.5 million people, more than half the population, either left the country as refugees or were internally displaced (The World Bank Report,2004). Despite what has happened during the turmoil, the worst happened in Srebrenica as one of UN Security Zone which was protected by Dutch soldiers. Still it is unknown how many people had lost their lives in Srebrenica. According to Human Right WatchReports, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia was systematically planned and implemented by Serbian irregulars. In this article, it is aimed to illustrate the negative effectsof dissolving interethnic peace in Bosnia. The case of Bosnian interethnic war has been examined from security matter to genocide


The 21st century is the era of knowledge economy,science and technology affects every aspect of society.The expert evidence is more applied to the lawsuit activities.Its function is becoming lager and larger,even plays a crucial role.But we should prevent its abuse.The system of expert evidence in the USA is perfect and representative.The admissibility system of expert evidence in the USA has the significance of reference and inspiration to China.


We report detailed light scattering experiments in toluene comprising measurements of shifts and linewidths of polarized (VV) and depolarized (VH) spectra in the temperature range from 30°C to the glass transition T g = - 156°C. The values of the longitudinal sound velocity and attenuation are analysed in association with the existing ultrasonic data. We find that both types of measurement support the prevalence of a vibrational relaxation process at high temperatures and a viscous one (structural+shear viscosity) at low temperatures. Viscous processes are analysed in the framework of current viscoelastic models. Transverse light scattering data do not agree with the corresponding quantities usually found in ultrasonic shear wave experiments. Although longitudinal properties look similar to those obtained in ultrasonic experiments, we find unusual features in the compressional component.


An accelerated-ageing test is conducted on three room-temperature-vulcanised (RTV) coated porcelain insulators, until the initiation of ageing phenomena, in a salt-fog-ageing test chamber. The test conducted was similar to the IEC 1109 1000 h test, but with scaled-down test set-up parameters to address criticisms published in the literature. The results obtained prove the effectiveness of the hydrophobicity of the surface in terms of electrical and material properties. The electrical properties were obtained by online monitoring of the leakage current. The material characteristics were evaluated by conducting energy-dispersion X-ray (EDX) analysis and X-ray-diffraction (XRD) analysis. In addition, the fog dynamics in the test chamber on the direct fog (DF) sample, which is in the axis of nozzle columns, and indirect fog samples IF1 and IF2, which were slightly away from the nozzle column axis, was evaluated. It was concluded that the RTV-coated samples which were kept away from the nozzle-column axis, i.e. IF1 and IF2 samples, showed symptoms of initiation of ageing earlier than the sample which was in direct fog mode.


In public places are convertible seat that includes a seat portion (1) and a backrest (3), wherein the backrest (3) with respect to the seat portion (1) is rotated to become substantially horizontal conversion mechanism resting seat surfaces (9), means for fixing the user item, toll collection device and the cover converted into at least a seat a rest surface of the device rest space is at least partially closed formation, wherein in order to cover the seating space, the apparatus comprising a standard width of the covering means ( 16), the cover means from the backrest of the seat along the mounting means of the control assembly to cover both sides of the seat (7) moves, the height of the assembly so that a space required for resting the lower cover means (16), the the seat includes a control unit (27), the control unit is used for confirming fee payment, to allow the seat to move in space to rest on the ground, in the rest space, space saving the user the article (19) is in a protected state the rest space can be closed by a cover means (16), the control unit using the time when the payment is completed (27) covering the adjustment means with the aid of adjustment means (16) away from the closed position resting place.


The evolution of farm size and land use are important determinants of the efficiency and profitability of agriculture and the configuration of the territory. In this paper, a conceptual framework of the evolution of the number of farms and land use is presented, arguing that a major determinant of the change in the number of farms is the presence or absence of successors to ageing farmers and that these socio-demographic variables shape the evolution of the sector in terms of farm size, while they do not significantly affect the changes in the farmed area. This hypothesis was empirically tested with data drawn from individual farm records of the Italian Agricultural Censuses of 2000 and 2010—aggregated at the municipality level for an Italian region—by estimating regressions on the decrease rates of the number of farms, the utilised agricultural area and the total agricultural area. The results support the conclusion that the change in the number of farms was largely determined by the absence of successors in family farms and by the average operators' age, unlike the change in the farmed area, for which natural land conditions were the main drivers.


Automated refactorings may change the program behavior. We propose an approach and its implementation called SafeRefactor for making program refactoring safer. We applied 10 Eclipse refactorings in a number of automatically generated programs, and used SafeRefactor to identify 50 bugs that lead to behavioral changes or compilation errors.


A multi-disciplinary research program, focusing on Early Dynastic Pottery from the Diyala Region in Iraq, has contributed both to culture historical and methodological aspects of the archaeological exploration of ancient Mesopotamia. Trace-element analysis is found to have great potential as a tool for discriminating pottery workshop traditions. Microscopic section analysis is suggested as an ideal sampling procedure for subsequent scientific analysis.


In the paper, by analyzing the ability of numerical control cutter, effective cutting length is extended with according to the requirement of production. The CCAP programming software is adopted for blanking piece so as to reduce the auxiliary time, improve production efficiency and then enhance utilization ratio of equipment.


A multiple goal context was examined to assess the interaction of environment, person and behavior over time. Specifically, frequency of feedback was manipulated, and performance and goal commitment for a quality and a quantity goal were measured in a short-term, longitudinal study. One hundred fifteen participants were given the performance goals in a dynamic, decision-making task. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test the hypotheses, which included both within and between person effects. Discussion focussed on the special issues related to the interpretation of these types of multi-level data and the self-regulating framework used to develop the hypotheses.


Full Title : Synthesis and Spectral Characterization of Some New Carbacylamidophosphate Derivatives. Crystal Structures of CCl 3 C(O)NHP(O)[NH(C 5 H 9 )] 2 and CH 3 C 6 H 4 C(O)NHP(O)[NH(C 5 H 9 )] 2 Some new carbacylamidophosphate derivatives with the general formula RC(O)NHP(O)[NH(C 5 H 9 )] 2 : (R=CCl 3 ), 1a; (R=CHCl 2 ), 2a; (R=CH 2 Cl), 3a; (R=CF 3 ), 4a; (R=C 6 H 5 ), 1b; (R=p-Cl-C 6 H 4 ), 2b; (R=p-Br-C 6 H 4 ), 3b; (R=p-Me-C 6 H 4 ), 4b; were synthesized and characterized by 1 H, 13 C, 31 PNMRand IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The crystalline solids of 1a and 4b were studied bysingle crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The dimeric aggregate and the centrosymmetric dimer formed via intermolecular N-H....O=P and N-H....O=C hydrogen bonds in 1a and 4b, respectively. In all the synthesized molecules, similar spectral patterns were obtained in the 13C NMR spectra for carbon atoms of cyclic amines with 2 J PNC = 0 and 3 J PNC ranging from 4 to 6 Hz. KEYWORDS : Carbacylamidophosphates, hydrogen bonds, IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy.


The processes behind local colonization and establishment of the brown seaweed Sargassum muticum were investigated. Results from a wide variety of field and laboratory studies, show that colonisation is benefiting from the semi-lunar periodicity of gamete release (Engelen et al., 2008), but microrecruit survival is not clearly affected by lunar phase and microrecruit survival did not differ from the native brown seaweed Cystoseira humilis. Population growth rates increased and became more stable as the species became established and dominant. In this respect especially the persistence of non reproductive adults is of importance, both during the colonization and the establishment phase (Engelen & Santos, 2009). Fauna associated to S. muticum differed in the native and introduced range from competing seaweeds at both ranges (Engelen et al., 2013). Multiple food choice experiments showed that meso-herbivores in Portugal prefer native seaweeds as food source rather than the invader (Monteiro et al, 2009; Engelen et al.; 2011), this is however not due to chemical defense. On the contrary, waterborn cues released upon the grazing of S. muticum induces chemical defense in closely related brown seaweeds (Yun et al.; 2012). S. muticum benefits from high growth rates and the relative low grazing pressure on the species to increased the competetiveness of the invader. This invader could probably best be typified as a space grabber that relies on a combination of rand (mainly) K-traits and may benefit from the need of perennial competitors to allocate energy to defense against grazing.


Determination of the number of clusters in the classical mean square error (MSE) clustering analysis (e.g., by the well known k-mean algorithm) and determination of the number of Gaussians in a finite Gaussian mixture (e.g., by the EM algorithm) are well known model selection problems that take important roles in unsupervised pattern recognition. The problem has remained open for decades since there is no appropriate theory for solving it except for some heuristic techniques. This paper presents a theory for solving this problem based on the Ying-Yang machine-a Bayesian-Kullback learning scheme for unified learnings (Xu, 1995, 1996). By this theory, we obtain the criteria for selecting the correct number of clusters in the MSE clustering or in a Gaussian mixture. In addition, an automatic procedure is designed for a fast implementation of the selection. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate our success.


Gadolinium doped ceria(GDC) has been applied in solid state fuel cell as the main candidate electrolyte.Due to the limitation of the experiment conditions,the properties of GDC are always investigated by molecular dynamics(MD) simulations.In the past few decades,several potential parameters have been developed to describe the interactions between ions.Since the validity and reliability of the potentials are crucial to MD simulations,distinct parameters may lead to reverse results.However,to the authors' knowledge,no reviews about the parameters are proposed in details.The benefits of the potentials are summarized above.And further comparison is provided to forecast the development trend of the potentials.


Effects of Neem EC (The Indian Neem Tree CompanyTM, 1% azadirachtin) on gas exchange cycles, tracheal ventilation, and water loss in diapausing pupae of the large white butterfly, Pieris brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), were studied using a constant volume respirometer combined with an infrared probe actograph. The non‐treated pupae displayed discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGC) with a trend coinciding with the bursts of carbon dioxide (CO2) release, active tracheal ventilation, and the heartbeat periods. Two independent forms of tracheal ventilation were observed, relatively vigorous abdominal shaking movements and weak abdominal pulsations. The ability to respond to mechanical excitation with abdominal movements was entirely lost on the 2nd day after treatments with Neem EC, and also a reduced tendency to use a DGC was observed. During 2–3 days after treatments, the DGCs and gas exchange microcycles were entirely lost, as was active ventilation. Before treatments, body mass loss, that is, water loss, was 0.6–0.9 mg g−1 day−1. After the treatments, water loss increased to 3–5 mg g−1 day−1. The pupae remained alive for 10–15 days after the treatments and died after having lost about 50% of their initial body mass. The absence of heartbeats measured during at least 4–5 h was the main criterion for ascertaining death of pupae. The results suggested that respiratory failures, that is, the loss of cyclic gas exchange, evoked by Neem EC were the primary cause of lethal desiccation. Thus, the hypothesis that the cyclic gas exchange is an adaptation for restricting water losses in insects was supported.


Paul Courant, Edward Gramlich, and Susanna Loeb (University of Michigan) School finance reform: The view from Wisconsin Andrew Reschovsky and Michael Wiseman (University of Wisconsin) Respondants: Illinois--Theresa McGuire (University of Illinois) Indiana--Larry DaBoar (Purdue University) Iowa--Thomas Pogue (University of Iowa) The South Carolina experience with incentives On October 26 and 27, 1994, researchers and policymakers met at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to exchange information and research about current attempts to reform education finance and delivery. School reforms and experiments are taking place across the U.S., and the Midwest currently lays claim to diverse reform efforts. On the finance side, the states of Michigan and Wisconsin have recently voted to diminish the local property tax as the primary source of school funding and to increase the state government's role in funding. As to delivery of school services, the city of Milwaukee has the nation's only system of cash vouchers from public coffers that can be used to pay tuition at local private schools. Charter schools, a public-private hybrid, have been authorized in both Michigan and Minnesota, while programs allowing students to choose public schools across local school district boundaries are now in effect in Minnesota, Iowa, and metropolitan Milwaukee. Minneapolis schools have contracted with an outside agency for provision of some school services. The Chicago public school system has chosen a reform approach of site-based management with local communities participating in school management and budgeting. The Chicago Fed's conference addressed these diverse efforts and evaluated each of them in an attempt to help the region's policymakers as they choose among these and other models. In an opening presentation, Michael H. Moskow, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, outlined a framework for the conference proceedings. He noted that one of the key determinants of our economy's rate of growth is the skills and training of our work force--what economists call human capital. He stated that the Midwest has been somewhat of an incubator for finance and delivery reform experiments. For example, Michigan has made a major overhaul of its system of school financing, as a result of which the state government has become responsible for providing nearly 80 percent of educational funding. However, fiscal strains can be seen in other school districts throughout the Midwest, both urban and rural. The state of Illinois continues to wrestle with school funding problems; the Chicago public schools in particular face an impending $300 million deficit in school year 1995-96. Moskow then turned to the many experiments with choice among public and private schools. Such experiments introduce competition into the provision of schools services in the expectation that this will improve the quality and reduce the cost of education. However, Moskow cautioned that it is difficult to evaluate education vouchers and similar experiments in school choice. In order to measure whether such experiments improve learning and reduce costs, one must simulate a full-scale program for an extended period of time. The long-term benefits of choice such as opening of new private schools, improvement of existing public schools because of competition, and increased research and development spending cannot reasonably be expected to occur unless the program covers a sufficient number of students for a guaranteed, extended period of time. In closing, Moskow posed some questions that he hoped the conference would address: 1. Insofar as education is a public good that benefits our society and economy, do school financing systems in the Midwest ensure a sufficient and stable level of funding for every child? What criteria should be used to determine what this level is? 2. State and local electorates hold the purse strings to school finance, and increasingly, voters are refusing to fund schools without further evidence that their money is being well spent. …


When fr ying oil is used for a long time, secondar y products of lipid thermal oxidation, such as polar polymers, carbonyl compounds, etc., accumulate in the oil, accompanied by an increase in acid value. So far, the increase in acid value has been thought to be based on the hydrolysis of triglycerides by water transferred from fr ying materials. However, the acid value of oil heated while spraying water was not increased in the low oxygen atmosphere where thermal oxidation does not progress. The addition of long chain free fatty acids, short chain free fatty acids or hydroperoxides into heated oil did not potentiate the increase in acid value under the low oxygen atmosphere. These results suggest that the increase in acid value of frying oil is not simple hydrolysis of triglycerides but the result of ester decomposition mediated by initial oxidation intermediates or oxygen molecules themselves.


We studied the optical transient bleaching of ∼40 A, ammonia‐passivated CdS clusters in a polymer with nanosecond and picosecond pump‐probe techniques. The transient bleaching spectra behave differently in different time regimes. Within the 30‐ps pump laser pulse width, we tentatively attribute the bleaching to the exciton‐exciton interaction, and the magnitude can be enhanced by surface passivation. On time scales of tens of picoseconds and longer following the pump pulse, when only trapped electron‐hole pairs remain from the pump excitation, the bleaching is due to the interaction between such a trapped electron‐hole pair and a bound exciton produced by the probe light. Experimentally we determined that roughly one trapped electron‐hole pair can bleach the excitonic absorption of the whole CdS cluster. We developed a theoretical model which considers the effects of the trapped electron‐hole pair on the energy of the exciton transition and its oscillator strength. We found that, when a trapped electron a...


The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the world's largest exporter of petroleum, and its ruling Al Saud family is the richest and most influential monarchy on the globe. Therefore, over the past fifty years, oil wealth and financial power have been dominant foreign policy tools for the kingdom. Due to Riyadh's role in international politics and the global economy, many foreign diplomats and intelligence agencies have attempted to analyze how its secretive royal family operates. Although investigative journalists and academics have provided useful clues about the inner workings of the Al Sauds, until now, no scholar or journalist has managed to write a comprehensive profile of the way they make decisions based on their strategic interests.


This paper describes two approaches to the construction of reduced-order models from computational fluid dynamics to predict the gust response of airfoils and wings. The first is a linear reduced-order model constructed using the eigensystem realization algorithm from pulse responses, and the second approach modifies the linear reduced-order model using steady-state data to introduce some nonlinearity into the reduced-order model. Results are presented for the Future Fast Aeroelastic Simulation Technologies wing and the Future Fast Aeroelastic Simulation Technologies crank airfoil. These show that for gusts of large amplitude in the transonic regime the response exhibits nonlinearity due to shock motion. This nonlinearity is not captured well by linear reduced-order models; however, the nonlinear reduced-order model shows better agreement with the full nonlinear simulation results.


In engineering mechanics teaching,the students should focus on understanding the basic knowledge whereas the teachers should choose the suitable textbook for them.Besides,the teachers should pay more attention to develop students' innovation and arouse their passion of study by associating textbooks with practice.


In recent years, the application of object detection in the military field has become more and more extensive, and the detection of aircraft objects in remote sensing images can provide data support for accurate object strikes. In this paper, we propose an real-time aircraft object detection method in remote sensing images based on YOLOv4 object detection algorithm. We improved the YOLOv4 object detection algorithm by replacing the traditional convolution in Res_unit with a depthwise separable convolution, replacing the Mish activation function in the backbone with the ELU activation function, and adding an SE module in each CSP_unit. The obtained algorithm was named Aircraft-YOLOv4 finally. The mAP and fps of Aircraft-YOLOv4 when detecting aircraft objects in remote sensing images can reach 86.92% and 29.62, respectively, realizing real-time detection, which is 2.82% and 7.01 higher than YOLOv4. And Aircraft-YOLOv4 has improved performance in all aspects when model is tested on UCAS-AOD, a dataset similar to the RSOD-Dateset used for training. The experimental results show that Aircraft-YOLOv4 has good generalization and is more suitable for aircraft object detection tasks in remote sensing images in the military field than YOLOv4.


The influences of polyphenol,dextrin and proteins on Subei wort turbidity were studied.The results showed that proteins had the largest effect on Subei wort turbidity,polyphenol had smaller effect and dextrin had the smallest effect.Maltdextrin had no effect on Subei wort turbidity.Conclusion: Proteins content and polyphenol content should be tightly controled in brewing.


Background Tuberculosis (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are global public health problems. TB and HIV diagnostic services linkage is imperative for the fight against the two diseases. Objective To assess the diagnostic service linkage and testing of TB-HIV diagnostic services and identify predictors in Public hospitals of Northern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in five hospitals of Northern Ethiopia. Study subjects' socio-demographic, household and clinical variables were assessed. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Logistic regressions were used to determine the predictors of uptake of TB and HIV testing among HIV and TB patients, respectively. Result The level of HIV testing among TB patients was 94.4% and of TB screening among HIV patients was 90.5%. Factors that independently predict HIV testing among TB patients were Residence AOR=0.187(95% CI 0.05–0.76), being 9 grade and above AOR=13.17 (95%CI 2.67–65.03) and drinking alcohol AOR=0.03(95% CI 0.002–0.475). Likewise, being grade 9 and above AOR=6.92 (95% CI 1.75–27.4) and having chronic cough AOR=0.23 (95% CI 0.06–0.92) were predictor variables for having TB screening among HIV patients. Conclusion The levels of TB-HIV linkages and testing are high. Moreover, educational status is a strong predictor of TB screening among HIV patients and HIV testing among TB cases. The regional health bureau has to continue supporting its TB and HIV case teams in every health facility.


sperms are largely confined to the flowers and fruits, their adaptive significance, if present, would of necessity be concerned with different ways of carrying out the two most vital functions connected with the reproduction of the higher plants, namely the transfer of pollen from one plant to another, and the dissemination of seeds. At first sight, the different ways in which plants have solved these problems seem to bear no close relationship to their segregation into orders and families. From the Ranunculaceae to the Labiatae and Compositae species can be found which are pollinated by bees, while pollination by flies, birds, wind, and water is likewise scattered through the angiosperms, with little relationship to the boundaries of the higher categories. The same is true of the different methods of seed dispersal; by wind, water, or animals. This has led many botanists to belittle or even to deny the role of selection in the origin of the orders and families of angiosperms; one elementary textbook of botany states specifically that differences in the number and arrangement of floral parts cannot possibly affect the survival of the species, and therefore cannot have been brought about by natural selection. This assumption, however, is contrary to those made by students of most other groups of organisms, and if true, would make the evolution of the flowering plants a very anomalous series of processes. Furthermore, there are certain trends in floral evolution which are repeated many times in groups with very diverse affinities. These trends are truly progressive, with so many intermediate conditions found among living species that they cannot have arisen through the occurrence INTRODUCTION


The resistance of wheat cultivars from Huanghuai wheat region to 15 isolates of Puccinia recondita f.sp.tririci has been analyzed according to Interorganismal Genetics.The best one of the tested cultivars is Xuzhou174 with the virulent frequency of 333%.There are 7 cultivars,such as Bainong64,Xuzhou8697,whose virulent frequency is less than 60%.22 wheat cultivars can resist No.2 and No.3 isolates,whereas no wheat cultivars can resist No.14 and No.15 isolates.In the mass ,the resistance of all the tested wheat cultivars is unsatisfactory.


The curriculum and details concerning specific courses and course content are described for this innovative program which was developed by faculty from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology and Computer Science departments. The concentration in industrial and enterprise networking requires courses in programming languages, application programming, local and wide area networking, networking security, and wireless networking. Also required are hands-on laboratories that can be used by students for programming, development, and configuration of networks using different operating systems and hardware configurations. Similar programs, in Indiana and nationwide, are compared and contrasted. Also discussed are national, regional, and state demand and employment factors that provided justification for the new degree. Background Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne 1 (IPFW) offers over 175 degree programs, is located in the 2 nd largest city, and is the 5 th largest university in Indiana. The new Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Technology (CPET) degree, which was approved by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in October 2003, has an initial concentration in industrial and enterprise networking. The program is designed to be accreditable by the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology 2 (ABET) and to attract students who desire to pursue a career in the computer networking, automation, telecommunications, or other computer-electronics fields. The degree is a collaborative effort between the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology (ECET) and Computer Science (CS) departments. The program is designed to provide training in modern, industry based areas that are experiencing growth in the northeast Indiana region, which has experienced considerable job loss in the manufacturing sector. The term, industrial, is used to mean business-related services. Some specific objectives considered while designing the curriculum were to: 1. Provide the industrial/manufacturing community with the technically trained manpower base to support manufacturing and commerce in the region; 2. Provide an educational center for retraining of workers with needed skills; 3. Provide graduates with desired skills in electronics and networking; 4. Fill a need for trained professionals in the computer networking, manufacturing, information technology, and telecommunication industries. Page 942.1 Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education The B.S. in CPET program is focused on applications and application packages in technology work areas. This can be contrasted with Computer Engineering programs where the focus is on the theory and design of processors, computers, and computerbased systems. The initial degree focus on computer networking can be converted to other computer based application areas in reaction to market trends and employment opportunities. The adoption and integration of evolving technologies to meet changing needs is a priority in the program. A graduate of this program will have the training and skills encompassed by a combination of CPET, ECET, CS, and supporting science, mathematics, general education, and other technical courses. CPET courses generally focus on software strongly related to hardware, while ECET courses focus on hardware and related software, and CS courses focus on computer program design topics such as programming languages and structure, Internet languages, and database structures and systems. A strong feature of this program is the adaptability of the curriculum to concentrate on technical applications similar to those being developed and implemented for use in industry such as: industrial networking, web-based control, electronic devices, web services, and other aspects of enterprise networking. Curriculum Core courses in the curriculum provide basic instruction in analog and digital circuit analysis with hands-on laboratory work. The fundamentals of computer systems, programming, and applications using word processors, spreadsheets, and high and low level computer languages are also introduced. The area of specialization provides indepth knowledge about networking and the requisite hardware and software. Other required courses provide mathematical and communication skills, and sufficient knowledge of the industrial environment to perform effectively in the workplace. Current A.S. and B.S. programs in EET, also in the ECET department, are accredited by TAC/ABET and are scheduled for a TAC/ABET visit during Fall 04. The B.S. in CS program recently underwent an initial accreditation visit by the Computer Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET. Students in the CPET program have the option of obtaining a minor in Computer Science if they choose the requisite electives. Accreditation of the B.S. CPET will be sought after there are program graduates. Preparation for TC2K accreditation includes extension of the current departmental assessment and continuous improvement plan and use of course and curriculum outcomes that focus on development and implementation of computer systems as specified in the IEEE program criteria. A sample curriculum is shown in Appendix A and a semester hour breakdown, by area, is provided in Table 1.


The utility model relates to a flow metering system and a condition monitoring system monitoring operation of the flow metering system. In one embodiment, the flow metering system comprises a flow meter, a first pressure sensor, a second pressure sensor, a flow adjuster and a condition monitor, wherein the flow meter is configured to measure flow volume of fluid flowing through the flow meter; the first pressure sensor is arranged to be close to the flow meter and measures pressure of fluid close to the flow meter; the flow adjuster is mounted on the upstream of the flow meter; the second pressure sensor is arranged on the upstream of the flow adjuster to measure pressure of fluid on the upstream of the flow adjuster; the condition monitor is coupled with the flow meter and the pressure sensors; and potential conflicts in the operation of the flow metering system can be identified based on difference of pressure measuring results between the first and second pressure sensors by the condition monitor.


This paper presents a simple model capturing differences between debt and equity finance to examine how financial structure matters for macroeconomic volatility. Debt finance is relatively cheap in the sense that debt holders need to verify relatively few profitability states, but debt finance may lead to costly bankruptcy. At the aggregate level, a more debt-based financial structure leads to a higher bankruptcy rate. Therefore, aggregate output is more variable in case of a heavy reliance on debt finance. This paper provides empirical evidence that countries with more equity finance have a lower variance of GDP and a lower probability of episodes of negative economic growth.


We propose a novel decision tree algorithm that can be used to lower the cost of feature computation while maintaining a high level of classification accuracy. The method determines the branching of each node by using a criterion that integrates the impurity of the data set and the expected computational cost. This approach enables data to be classified quickly and accurately. We also discuss its application to video analysis of shot boundary detection. The experimental results show that the proposed method detected shot boundaries and had a lower computational cost while maintaining the same accuracy as conventional algorithms such as the usual decision tree and support vector machine. Recall and precision were 96% and 90%, respectively, and the processing time was reduced by nearly half compared with that of the conventional algorithm.


Tullio phenomenon with bilateral vestibular failure, a pure horizontal nystagmus in response to sound, normal hearing, and the absence of semicircular canal dehiscence was previously described in a single patient by Acierno et al. in 1997 (3) and in 2012 by Kaski et al. (4) in three patients who underwent thorough audiovestibular testing. Although the possibility that the Tullio phenomenon with bilateral vestibular hypofunction is related to VA is an attractive hypothesis, we believe there is insufficient evidence to substantiate this claim. Firstly, as Wenzel et al. indicate, only five of those eight subjects with pathologically confirmed VA had accompanying clinical histories of dizziness with reduced vestibular function. Indeed, the clinical hallmark of the cases reported by Wenzel et al., Kaski et al., and Acierno et al. (i.e., eight cases in total) is the Tullio phenomenon, not described in patients with VA. Secondly, three of five patients with VA reported paroxysmal vertigo, most (2/3) with complete resolution, rather than progressive or continuous disequilibrium or oscillopsia that one would expect with bilateral vestibular hypofunction. Thirdly, four of five patients with pathologically confirmed primary VA had unilateral disease, whereas all patients reported by Wenzel et al. and Kaski et al. had bilateral vestibular hypofunction. In summary, although the clinical syndrome described by Wenzel et al. is now well defined and consistent with previous case descriptions, we believe that further clinic-pathological correlation is required to substantiate the proposal that the Tullio phenomenon with horizontal sound/pressure-induced nystagmus, bilateral vestibular hypofunction, and normal audiometry relates to VA. One difficulty is that the original report of VA used limited retrospective clinical data, although it is perhaps unlikely the Tullio phenomenon would go unnoticed. Further research will thus be required to delineate the pathological correlate of this syndrome.