Process and production practice of super-gravity desulphurization in Huaxing Chemical' s 200 kt/a pyrite-based sulphuric acid plant are described.The tail gas absorption system of 2# sulphuric acid system has been stably operating for more than two months after revamping with super-gravity technology by ammonia process.SO2 concentration of the tail gas from super-gravity reactor was 240-680 mg/m3 and the intended purpose was achieved.Desulphurization by-product,about 7 kt/a solution containing about 400 g/L ammonium sulphite and bisulphite,was used to produce liquid sulphur dioxide,sodium metabisulphite,ammonium sulphate,ammonium persulphate,sodium persulphate and sodium sulphite,et al.Huaxing Chemical has successfuly extended its sulphur-related product line while reducing SO2 pollution.


Among the Plesiosaurian remains recently mounted for exhibition in the Reptile Gallery at the Natural History Museum is a very fine pelvic-girdle belonging to a species of the genus Cryptoclidus (Seeley), and forming part of the same skeleton (Leeds Coll., R. 2616) as the pectoral-girdle recently described and figured by the present writer. These specimens are perhaps the most perfect known, the bones being quite uncrushed, free from matrix, and, except that they are cracked and broken to a slight degree, in much the same condition as if they had been obtained by maceration from a recent reptile. They clearly belonged to an old individual in which ossification had nearly reached its maximum: this is shown (1) by the complete union of the coracoid and scapula with one another in the middle line closing the coraco-scapular foramen; (2) by the sharpness of some of the edges of the bones, e.g. of part of the anterior border of the pubis; (3) by the great solidity of the bones, and by the accuracy with which the pectoral and pelvic elements fit together to form the glenoid and acetabular cavities respectively, showing that the cartilage which separates them in the young animal had been ossified.


The present paper is based on the description of the planktonic caught zoea I of Menippe rumphii (Fabricius, 1798). The planktonic materials have been obtained from Manora channel (Long. 66 59'E and Lat. 24 48'N) through the financial support of ONR (US Office of the Naval Research) project during 1993-1995.


The controlled placement of chemical functionalities on solid supports is a central tenet that underpins catalytic engineering. Control of the spatial distribution of individual functions in particular can enable choreographing and enhancement of reaction processes, including multi-functional behavior. Advancing this design strategy, the selective harboring of catalytic functions in compartmentalized porous networks, with interconnected routes for transport of reactants and products, is an attractive concept that could achieve fine control of catalytic cascade reactions. Inherently this implies sophisticated multidimensional architectures, requiring both innovative synthesis protocols and methods capable of characterizing the structures. Here we report the three-dimensional pore structure and selective functionalization of a hierarchical macro/mesoporous silica framework for Pd/Pt catalyzed cascade reactions, achieved by electron tomography in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM).


The past decade has seen several campaigns to raise awareness of sepsis, but serious failings are still occurring, reports Jacqui Wise


It is a well-known fact that aquatic food is good for human nutrition. However, in some cases, the species used for consumption may contain toxic components produced by microorganisms or contaminants in the water; or in other cases, viruses or organisms may cause diseases when the products are ingested. Product safety is thus always a concern for any processor of aquatic food. The present issue of the journal contains articles that consider either nutrition or safety, thus balancing both aspects. Rarely, a paper covers both sides, but in this issue, there is actually a paper that addresses the balance. It is about quality aspects of such a common species as Atlantic mackerel, which is considered to be one of the most nutritious of all species due to its high content of DHA in the lipid fraction. However, mackerel is also known to have high amounts of free amino acids, particularly histidine, which is converted to histimine by bacteria during storage. Other biogenic amines are converted from other amino acids. The changes in both lipids and biogenic amines during chilled and frozen storage of mackerel are covered in the same article. A new public concern for seafood safety has emerged as microplastics have been highlighted by the media, and indeed, plastic contamination of the oceans is much higher than previously considered. The most visible clue is the occurrence of floating objects like plastic bottles or other easily observed plastic materials, and it is positive that cleaning the oceans of such items has received much attention. This, however, is a side effect, as such objects are what could be called 'macroplastics'. The microplastics are not visible to the human eye, making this fraction even more difficult to handle. Microplastics may result from mechanical disruption of the larger plastic pieces, but most of it originates from cosmetics or laundry products. The issue was covered in an earlier editorial in this journal (Vol. 24, 2015, issue 5, pp. 415–416), and a number of papers have occurred in the literature since, some of which are reviewed in a paper in the present issue of JAFPT. Very few studies have addressed the potential toxic effects in humans, but evidence of the occurrence of microplastics in marine organisms is accumulating. Other articles in the present issue of the journal cover effects of processing aquatic food, optimizing nutritional contents, like using bone powder as a natural calcium source, or applying high pressure treatment for improving the physicochemical quality and safety of fish fillets. In the latter case, a farmed fish was studied, adding to the increasing number of studies on products originating from aquaculture. The amount of aquatic food being farmed is steadily increasing, which is necessary due to the fact that existing wild resources are close to their sustainable harvesting capacity. But attempts are also made to fish sustainably lower down the food web, of which another article, on the extraction of oils from Antarctic krill, is a good example. The phospholipids of this species are considered especially good for human nutrition. It is a pleasure to observe that the processing times of most articles in the present issue of the journal have been very short, fulfilling the aim to shorten the time from submission to publishing. As this most likely will result in an increasing number of submissions, a steady high rejection rate will be retained, allowing only articles of the highest quality and reader interest to be published.


Three instructors teaching very different contents and classes compared their results from using Classroom Assessment and find more similarities than differences.


Maize (Zea mays L.,) is an important smallholder crop grown in Ethiopia. Its yields are low because of a decline in soil fertility, insufficient use of fertilizers, and blanket use of fertilizer. However, there is no Nitrogen and Phosphorus fertilizer recommendation for Maize in Yeki District. A three-year field experiment was conducted to verify the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer rates for maize. The experiment consisted of three treatments; 92 kg N ha-1 + 69 kg P2O5 ha-1, 64 Kg N ha-1 + 46 kg P2O5 ha-1and no fertilizer (control) laid out using a randomized complete block design with four replications. The replication represents the four locations selected for the test. The results of the study showed that the application of 92 kg N ha-1+ 69 kg P2O5 ha-1significantly increased the growth parameters and yield of maize when compared to the other treatments. The highest maize grain yield (10052.9 kg ha-1) was obtained from the application of 92 kg N ha-1 with 69 kg P2O5 ha-1. This study further confirms the significant role of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers for maize production. From the result of the study, the application rate of 92 kg N ha-1 + 69 kg P2O5 ha-1 is recommended for increasing maize yield, particularly in the study area, and also it is economically feasible.


We develop a genetic-based approach for system-level architecture synthesis for scheduling, allocation, and mapping. Traditional design practices lead to over allocating resources for embedded SoC and, hence, high manufacture cost. The approach determines the scheduling, allocation, and mapping for the system at every step to find the near optimal solution. Unlike other genetic approach for parallel processing in the literature, a new chromosome encoding is designed to avoid generating invalid system architecture and, hence, reduce the number of generations to obtain near optimal solutions. In addition, a dynamic allocation probability is designed to reduce cost and run-time overhead. We evaluate our approach with extensive simulations and compare our performance with other approaches in the literature. The results show that our approach increases schedulability up to 80% and reduces the cost up to 60% for the tested workload, comparing to earlier approaches. Furthermore, its run-time overhead is still acceptable for complex system design.


The title complex Cu2MES·2H2O [H4MES = N,N′-bis(3-carboxylsalicylidene)-1,2- diaminopropane] is synthesized in methanol at room temperature. The structure is characterized by elemental analysis, IR and single crystal X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in triclinic system, space group P-1, with a=0.780 13(10) nm, b= 1.104 12(14) nm,c= 1.159 74(15) nm,α= 80.067(2)°, β = 74.129(2)°, γ = 80.627(2)°,Molecular formula C19H18Cu2N2O8,V= 0.939 4(2) nm3,Z=2,Dc=1.872 Mg/m3,F(000) = 536,R1= 0.049 5,wR2= 0.126 9,S=1.050. The crystal is constructed with binuclear units, in which the two copper atoms are bridged by two phenolic oxygen atoms. Copper atom 1 is coordinated by two nitrogen atoms, two phenolic oxygen atoms in a planar geometry; copper atom 2 is coordinated by two phenolic oxygen atoms and two carboxyl oxygen atoms in the same plane.


This paper describes a method for constructing a precision online real-time measuring system of the interfacial tension of fluids by analyzing images of the fluids' drop shape interface. The measurement is based on MMSE fitting of a solution curve of Young-Laplace ordinary differential equations onto an observed drop curve. The system showed higher accuracy and efficiency than previously reported ones because we have introduced in our system a new method of detecting drop shape with sub-pixel accuracy and a Levenberg-Marquardt-Morrison method of nonlinear optimization. In addition, we have proposed a new method of evaluating curve fitting error. Our method presents an effectual and precise means of analyzing time dependent phenomena in various fluids' interfaces through observing interfacial tension.


The evolution of squeezed coherent states (CSs) of motion for trapped ions is investigated by applying the time dependent variational principle (TDVP) for the Schr\"{o}dinger equation. The method is applied in case of Paul and combined traps, for which the classical Hamiltonian and equations of motion are derived. Hence, CS provide a natural framework to: (a) engineer quantum correlated states for trapped ions intended for ultraprecise measurements, (b) explore the mechanisms responsible for decoherence, and (c) investigate the quantum-classical transition.


The continued miniaturization in computing and wireless communication is about to make informationally enhanced environments become a reality. Already today, devices like a notebook computer or a personal digital assistent (PDA) can easily connect to the Internet via IEEE 802.11 networks (WaveLAN) or similar technologies provided at so-called hot-spots. In the near future, even smaller devices can join a wireless network to exchange status information or send and receive commands. In this paper, we present sample uses of a generic Bluetooth component that we have developed and that has been successfully integrated into various mininature devices to transmit sensor data or exchange control commands. The use of standard protocols like TCP/IP, Obex, and HTTP simplifies the use of those devices with conventional devices (notebook, PDA, cell-phone) without even requiring special drivers or applications for these devices. While such scenarios have already often been dreamt of, we are able to present a working solution based on small and cost-effective standard elements. We describe two applications that illustrate the power this approach in the broad area of e-commerce, e-learning, and e-government: the BlueWand, a small, pen-like device that can control Bluetooth devices in its vincinity by simple gestures, and a door plate that can display messages that are posted to it e.g. by a Bluetooth PDA.


The present invention discloses a class of high molecular weight urethane acrylate based on molecular weight of an aliphatic polyester diol 500 to 8000, an aliphatic diisocyanate and a hydroxy acrylate monomer obtained by the reaction, wherein the ring containing the polyester diol resinous structure, mechanical properties of the photocurable film mechanical properties and resistance to hydrolysis is improved. The synthetic resin is 10,000 to 50,000 molecular weight units, both ends of the molecular chain of the acrylate double bonds in the resin under the action of a photoinitiator, by UV irradiation, may occur with high efficiency radical polymerization crosslinking. Forming its crosslinked product having excellent flexibility and adhesion, low photocuring shrinkage, high tensile strength and elongation at break, improved hydrolysis resistance can be used as a photocurable coating, UV curable ink, the photocurable adhesive main ingredient or secondary materials.


The new characteristics of modern college students and their positive and negative mental states toward physical classes will directly influence the quality of our physical education and the fulfillment of the educational goal -health is the most important. The author of this paper tries to objectively analyze some distinctive kinds of mentality in physical classes, and correspondingly provide some ways of instruction, which can put college students in good mental states in class and make them to virtuous muscle actions, which can make physical education convenient. Only when the teachers grasp the education rules,can they excellently fulfil the educational task of each class.


This essay seeks to traverse new territory in the field of digital game studies by combining the focus on performance and play practices exercised by ludologists with the awareness of technological detail common to software/platform studies. This combined approach provides an insight into the immediate effect of algorithms on play and gaming practices. Combining technological details with a close reading of gameplay practices, this essay suggests the impact of a 'physics engine'—the body of code responsible for the in-game representation of physics—on the first-person shooter (FPS) videogame Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013). This essay concludes that physics algorithms, in FPS games in particular, shape the actions of players through two major methods: via the specific mediation of physical forces (such as gravity and drag) and the related modelling of object interactions. Focusing on the outcomes of these mediations we can begin to think of play practices as simultaneous productions shared between machine and human, drawing on conceptions of interaction familiar to media theory. For instance, as Timothy Barker states, 'In any form of computer interaction, the user must operate within the limitations, function, and potentialities of the software … By the same token, the software operates with the user's capacities' (Barker 2012: 115). Ultimately, it will be shown that while physics algorithms have shaped existing gaming behaviours, they are also entwined with the processes wherein players invent new performative practices.


Bilateral cochlear implants (BiCIs) are being provided to a growing number of individuals with bilateral severe-profound hearing loss and are becoming standard in many clinics worldwide, to restore spatial hearing skills and improve speech understanding in noisy environments. While patients generally perform better with BiCIs, their performance is significantly worse than that of normal hearing (NH) listeners. Spatial release from masking (SRM) in NH listeners depends on monaural (head shadow) and binaural cues. In BiCI users, SRM appears to be primarily due to head shadow; however, binaural-mediated SRM is weak or absent. Two factors are most likely responsible for this. First, bilateral CI processors are not coordinated, rendering binaural cues weak, absent or inconsistent. Second, patients' history with auditory deprivation likely results in poor neural survival at numerous cochlear locations. Our studies suggest that signal processing tools can be applied to bilateral CI users to restore binaural sens...


This study was conducted to determine Environmental, Demogrphic and Socioeconomic factors influencing adoption of artisanal fisheries resources conservation measures based on the perspectives of Artisanal fishers in Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states, Niger Delta, Nigeria. The study was conducted for a period of one year (January 2008 to Decmber 2008). With the aid of well-structured questionnaires the desired information were collected and analyzed. A total sample size of 1,200 respondents within the study area, were selected using random sampling technique. Logistic regression technique was used to determine the impact of the independent variables on willingness to adopt fisheries conservation measures. The regression analysis result show that eleven (11) independent variables (Public Enlightenment, Regulatory pressure, Environmental stewardship, Severity of pollutants, Economic circumstances, Institutional Support, Information access, Highest Education, Fishing Experience, Legal Structure and Age) were factors that influence willingness to adopt conservation measures by the fishers. However, the level of influence was found to vary differently in the three states studied depending on the socioeconomic and educational status and other peculiarities of each of the state. Generally, based on the result of the logit analysis of the perspectives of the artisanal fisher respondents, it is therefore inferred that the willingness to adopt fisheries resources conservation measures in the Niger Delta by the Artisanal Fishers, is significantly a function of the studied demographic, socioeconomic, psychological, institutional and environmental factors as specified by the eleven variables.


Abstract Confidentiality protection of data published in tables is a major problem for statistical offices. To obtain full cooperation of the respondents, it is required that information of individual respondents with a confidential character is kept from being disclosed. One method to avoid disclosure is the method of cell suppression, in which the values of a number of statistical cells are not published but are suppressed from publication. We discuss the method of cell suppression in general two-dimensional tables, in which row totals and column totals are always published. The values of the sensitive cells are replaced by a cross (X). Usually, additional suppressions are necessary to prevent the values of the sensitive cells from being calculated from the row or column totals. Because of these additional suppressions, useful information gets lost. We want to minimize the loss of information by making the best choice for the additional suppressions. Therefore, we introduce and compare the performance o...


A personalised parent voice smoke alarm is more successful in waking children from deep sleep than a conventional one. Conventional smoke alarms fail to wake most children during slow-wave sleep.


1. Understanding the structure of threatened populations, particularly those that exist in degraded or fragmented habitats is crucial for their effective management and conservation. Recently developed methods of individual-based analysis of genetic data provide an unprecedented opportunity to understand the relationships amongst fragmented populations. 2. In the present study, population structure of an important cyprinid species (Tor douronensis), which is indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia, is investigated as part of an ongoing conservation effort to restore threatened wild populations of the species. The population structure inferred using data from seven autosomal microsatellite loci was generally consistent with geography and habitat fragmentation. 3. The results indicate that there are two well-defined clusters of T. douronensis in Sarawak, namely the 'northeastern' and the 'southwestern' clusters. In addition, a further subdivision was observed in each of the clusters distributed between river systems. Low levels of gene flow were also observed and migrants between habitat fragments were identified, possibly resulting from human-mediated translocations. 4. Implications of the findings for management and conservation of T. douronensis are discussed.


Upregulation of the HGF and MSP growth‐factor processing serine endopeptidases HGFA, matriptase and hepsin is correlated with increased metastasis in multiple tumor types driven by c‐MET or RON kinase signaling. We rationally designed P1' α‐ketobenzothiazole mechanism‐based inhibitors of these proteases. Structure–activity studies are presented, which resulted in the identification of potent inhibitors with differential selectivity. The tetrapeptide inhibitors span the P1–P1' substrate cleavage site via a P1' amide linker off the benzothiazole, occupying the S3' pocket. Optimized inhibitors display sub‐nanomolar enzyme inhibition against one, two, or all three of HGFA, matriptase, and hepsin. Several compounds also have good selectivity against the related trypsin‐like proteases, thrombin and Factor Xa. Finally, we show that inhibitors block the fibroblast (HGF)‐mediated migration of invasive DU145 prostate cancer cells. In addition to prostate cancer, breast, colon, lung, pancreas, gliomas, and multiple myeloma tumors all depend on HGF and MSP for tumor survival and progression. Therefore, these unique inhibitors have potential as new therapeutics for a diverse set of tumor types.


The optimum combination of factors for preparing nonyl phenol polyethenoxy ethergrafted cis1,4polybutadiene with the melting mixing method by using diisopropylbenezene peroxide(DCP) was investigated.The results showed that the optimum combination of factors was as follows:nonyl phenol polyethenoxy ether2 phr,DCP3 phr,reaction temperature150 ℃,reaction time4 min;and the wettability of nonyl phenol polyethenoxy ethergrafted cis1,4polybutadiene was much better than that of conventional BR.


The realization for the saturation value of the mortgage of the collective forest rights is to promote forestry production and maximize the comprehensive benefits of forest resources,and is the purpose of the collective forest right system reform. Some obstacles hinder the realization such as the limitation of the mortgage object scope,the inaccuracy of the forest resource assets appraisal,the high transaction costs of the forest right mortgage and the restriction of the realization for the mortgage and so on. Based on the analysis of the causes for the obstacles,we put forward such measures as improving the legal system of the forest rights mortgage,making the related system of forest rights mortgage sound,building perfect credit systems for the rural areas and so on.


ConclusionsTwo difficulties arise when modeling structural behavior: one is the need to test accurate models, the other is the use of scaling laws. Having solved the first, direct scaling from model to full-size structure is still only possible when both fail in the same manner. This restricts the value of the experiment, which should be combined with the mathematical analysis. Geometric imperfections, compatible with the manufacturing tolerances, can be modeled, but not residual stresses, which may have an important effect on the strength of the structure. It is clear that the best use of the method described is in providing physical models of complex shell structures for checking experimentally the validity of mathematical models.


According to the proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis presented in this work, protons injected into a thylakoid may be electrostatically localized at the water-membrane interface along the lumenal surface. This hypothesis provides a natural frame work to explain a wide range of experimental observations in the bioenergetics of chloroplast and other biological systems conducted since the 1960s, including the longstanding well-characterized energetic problems of alkalophilic bacteria such as Bacillus firmus. It can also help reconcile the elegant scientific observations of both the Dilley experiment and the Junge neutral-red thylakoid proton detection. Our analysis indicates that the Mitchellian view of delocalized proton coupling to ATP synthase could only be true under special circumstances; namely, when the membrane electrical potential difference is near zero and the bulk phase-to-bulk phase pH difference becomes the dominant factor. The proton coupling under most physiological conditions of photosynthesis is likely to occur in a mixed state of proton electrostatic localization of excess charge at the membrane surface and delocalization in the bulk media. The proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis leads to a new bioenergetics equation for the proton motive force which may provide a unified framework for understanding the energetics of many biological systems. By the early 1970s, the chemiosmotic hypothesis [1,2] of Peter Mitchell was widely accepted by bioenergetics researchers as the best conceptual scheme to explain how ATP is formed in oxidative or photosynthetic phosphorylation. It is well recognized that the driving force of ATP synthesis catalyzed by the thylakoid membranes in chloroplasts is linked to a flux of protons (H+) between the membranebounded donors (redox H+ pumps: photosystem II and cytochrome b/f complex) and acceptors (the ATP synthase enzymes: CFoCF1 complexes). According to Mitchell's chemiosmotic hypothesis, illustrated in Figure 1, the ATP synthase is coupled to the redox H+ pumps via bulk phase-to-bulk phase proton electrochemical potential gradients generated across the thylakoid membrane; while the membrane is regarded as an insulator between the two bulk phases that plays no role in the lateral transduction of the protons to the ATP synthase. After Mitchell (1961), the proton motive force (pmf) that drives the protons through the ATP synthase is commonly written as pmf = –∆μ  H+ /F = ∆ψ – 2.3RT/F×∆pH (1) where ∆ψ is the electrical potential difference across the membrane (trans-membrane potential difference), ∆pH is the pH difference between the two bulk aqueous phases separated by the membrane, R is the gas constant, T is the temperature, and F denotes the Faraday constant. The Gibbs energy change is denoted by ∆μ  H+. Bioenergetics: Open Access B i oe ne rge tics: pen Aces s


Contents: Preface Introduction Part 1 Alfonso d'Este's Camerino, Mario Equicola and the Libidinal Seasons: Proemium: The libido in winter: Bellini's Feast of the Gods The libido in spring: Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne The libido in summer: Titian's Bacchanal of the Andrians The libido in Autumn: Titian's Feast of Venus Interpreting the camerino: the bacchanals as procreative pedagogy. Part 2 Colonna's Poliphilus - the Science and Season of Sexual Performance: Proemium: Duke Guidubaldo's dysfunction: Poliphilus and the diagnosis of love Poliphilus's nightmare and erotic magic: an excursus on the bewitching of the male genitalia Poliphilus's wet dream A Venus in the bedroom Coloring the roses: Colonna, Titan and the '3rd Venus' A sacred/profane love: the Dodonian font and Poliphilus's wedding Conclusion Bibliography Index.


A top surface 2 and bottom surface 3 of the transparent timepiece components (1) a method for the manufacture and decoration, - a first decoration (A) is deposited on the male pattern (9); - The preform 6 is covered or not the male pattern (9) that is covered with is moved to the injection chamber 11, the transparent material 13 is injected therein to cover the male pattern 9, the ground in the surface 3, there is obtained a compound (14) including said top surface (2) with the first decoration (a); Wherein the first compound (14) is removed after the polymerization in the injection chamber (11) therefrom; - it is deposited on another material 15 and / or the second ornament (C) are co-is deposited (16) and is held by the force of gravity, and wherein said top surface (2) through the relative motion in the gravity direction, 2 is obtained a compound (18).


Excerpt To the editor: Morris and associates (1) write that by hemodynamic monitoring they could separate patients with or without infection. However, over one third of their patients required righ...


This paper extends stochastic conditional duration (SCD) models for financial transaction data to allow for correlation between error processes and innovations of observed duration process and latent log duration process. Suitable algorithms of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) are developed to fit the resulting SCD models under various distributional assumptions about the innovation of the measurement equation. Unlike the estimation methods commonly used to estimate the SCD models in the literature, we work with the original specification of the model, without subjecting the observation equation to a logarithmic transformation. Results of simulation studies suggest that our proposed models and corresponding estimation methodology perform quite well. We also apply an auxiliary particle filter technique to construct one-step-ahead in-sample and out-of-sample duration forecasts of the fitted models. Applications to the IBM transaction data allow comparison of our models and methods to those existing in the literature.


The article examines the negative influence of the world financial crisis on small and middle-medium level business of China since the second half of 2008. There thoroughly considered anti-crisis measures of the central authorities of the country as a whole, and concrete measures of the authorities of Heilongjang Province on supporting small and middle-medium level enterprises, in particular. There shown positive results of these actions. The article is written on statistic data.


Motivated by the widely used geometric median-of-means estimator in machine learning, this paper studies statistical inference for ultrahigh dimensionality location parameter based on the sample spatial median under a general multivariate model, including simultaneous confidence intervals construction, global tests, and multiple testing with false discovery rate control. To achieve these goals, we derive a novel Bahadur representation of the sample spatial median with a maximum-norm bound on the remainder term, and establish Gaussian approximation for the sample spatial median over the class of hyperrectangles. In addition, a multiplier bootstrap algorithm is proposed to approximate the distribution of the sample spatial median. The approximations are valid when the dimension diverges at an exponentially rate of the sample size, which facilitates the application of the spatial median in the ultrahigh dimensional region. The proposed approaches are further illustrated by simulations and analysis of a genomic dataset from a microarray study.


Dokken, PI, experimental design, primary author 12 Piermarini, Teachey, Dameff, Heller, Krate, Ashgar, Querin, and Mitchell, experimental 13 procedures and manuscript review/edit. 14 Gura, experimental procedures, data analysis, manuscript review/edit. 15 Hilwig, Kern, experimental design and procedures, manuscript review/edit 16 17 Running Head: GLP-1 prevents coronary microvascular endothelial dysfunction 18


The multi-functional roofbolter is mainly used for geotechnical anchor engineering.Its swing mechanism carries out multi-directional and multi-angle rig construction.On the basis of the swing mechanism design of multi-functional roofbolter,establishing its three-dimensional model and applying COSMOS / Works software to analyze the swing mechanism at the highest point and lowest point of the lateral.It provides reference for the swing mechanism optimal design and manufacturing.


Several models used for describing the Gibbs energy of liquid phase containing rare earth chlorides are briefly discussed. In order to reliably predict the ternary thermodynamic properties from its sub-binary ones, a thermodynamic criterion is proposed to reasonably identify the symmetry of ternary system. A series of binary and ternary phase diagrams of the rare earth containing chloride systems have been optimized and calculated. The agreement between calculated and measured phase diagrams is good enough.


Abstract : The paper is a continuation of the study of the interfacial properties of water by gas chromatography. Adsorption characteristics at zero surface coverage of a large number of solutes at the gas-liquid interface of water are presented. In all cases of relatively nonpolar solutes, the differential heat of adsorption is found to be less than the heat of liquefaction, indicating the gas liquid interface of water as a low energy surface. For n-propyl ether the heat of adsorption is 4 kcal/mole higher than the heat of liquefaction, strongly suggesting hydrogen bond formation between the ethereal oxygen and the hydrogens from the water surface of the liquid. Also studied was the infinitely dilute solubility characteristics of several non-electrolytes in the thin layers of water coated on wide pore diameter adsorbents. From layer thickness of about 30 A up to 2000 A, the solubility remains constant. Finally some preliminary adsorption and 'sorption' isotherms, determined by gas chromatography, are presented. (Author)


Objective:To investigate the related complications and the prognosis after posterior capsule rupture during phacoemulsification.Methods:Retrospectively studing 70 eyes which posterior capsule ruptured during phacoemulsification.Results:52 eyes had the best corrected visul outcome. The complications including pupil decentration,intraocular hypertension,intraocular lens dislocation,cystoid macular edema et al.Conclusion:Proper management of the related complications after posterior capsule rupture is important. The postoperative corrected visul of the patient is better.[


Nowadays, the genetic algorithm (GA) has become widespread, the theoretical work from the genetic and evolutionary computation field has been largely ignored by practitioners in real world applications. This paper provides the estimation of convergence of majority GA, which depends on the size and character of optimized function.


In order to explore a suitable bone graft substitute to improve the success rate of bone graft, the bone reconstruction modeling has become a hot research topic. Over the past several decades, there have been a lot of models developed for the bone reformation. This study mainly discusses the current research progress of the bone reconstruction, several cutting edge key techniques and the challenges of bone reconstruction in the distant future.


Edge computing may improve the processing quality of big IoT stream data and reduce network operational cost by moving computation onto the edge. However, there are two challenges in integrating cloud and edge computing for big stream data. Firstly, edge equipment usually has very limited computing power as well as storage ability, and apparently cannot support all the processing of big and real-time stream data. A flexible division of such services between edge and cloud is needed. Secondly, edge-end collaboration continuously changes due to some intrinsic interaction of data stream. In this paper, we propose a service-based approach to seamlessly integrating cloud and edge equipment. Based on our service model, we split a cloud service into two parts running on cloud and edge respectively. Also, we propose a dynamic service scheduling mechanism based on the improved bipartite graphs. We can deploy a cloud service to the edge at the right time when a key node emerges. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by examining real cases of China's State Power Grid. Experimental results verify the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach.


We studied the effects of acetate (Ac), the buffer in crystalloids used during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (e.g. Normosol-R and Plasma-Lyte, Ac = 27mEq/1), on coronary resistance (R) for the empty beating heart, and on vascular resistance (SVR) of 19 dogs on CPB. Control Rwith Ac = 0 (Rc) was obtained by adjusting flow to give a pressure of 90 ± 10mmHg (R = 532 ± 32 dynes.sec/cm5g, other Rs are given as a percentage of their respective Rc ) . Continuous addition of Ac = 1.6 or 7.1 mEq/L of blood resulted in a rapid decrease in R to 34 ± 3 and 17 ± 2% of Rc, followed by a recovery to higher steady values of 53 ± 3 and 27 ± 2% respectively (p < 0.008). A bolus administration of 2mEq and 6mEq into the coronary circuit resulted in R dropping to 30 ± 5 and 17 ± 6% respectively. Rs obtained with Ac were compared to the Rs obtained for control 20sec reactive hyperaemia (35 ± 1 %), after 30 minutes global ischaemia (14 ± 1 %), and with the addition of bicarbonate (98 ± 2%). Ac did not change heart rate, but caused an increase in O2 consumption from 3.4 ± 0.4 to 4.8 ± 0.7ml/min/1 00g, (p < 0.038). Systemically, a bolus of 6mEq of Ac caused an immediate drop in SVR to 45 ± 5% of control. The property of Ac as a potent coronary and vascular dilator may need to be considered when Ac is used during cardiac surgery. Statistical comparisons were made with the paired t-test.


The objective of this study was to examine the design process, and how it was affected when applied to the different forms of opera and theatre, using two specific examples as test subjects. To ensure homogeny between these subjects I chose Federico Garcia Lorca 's play, Blood Wedding, and an operatic adaptation, Sandor Szokolay's Vernasz. Using my personal design process as a basis for study, I developed preliminary and final scenography, including scenery and costumes, for both pieces concurrently. These theoretical productions were designed for the Shaw Festival Court House Theatre and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, respectively. The results revealed that, although scenographic decisions were influenced by factors exclusive to opera, theatre, and the selected theatres; the design process itself was unaffected.


Objective To explore the etiology, diagnosis, treatment and the surgical complications of pediatric urolithiasis. Methods We analyzed the specialty of pediatric urolithiasis include 117 cases in our hospital as well as the diagnosis, treatment and the reason of postoperative complications. Results Most of the patients in our group came from faraway countryside. They were finally diagnosed by ultrasound and radiologic investigation . The treatment was focus in the open surgery in the past and there were less complications while microsurgery becoming popular. Conclusion Pediatric urolithiasis is different from the adult' s and the curative effect is satisfactory. The microsurgery is the tendency.


The purpose of this paper is to clarify the meaning of "Center-Post", that is a very important part in a tea room, presented by Horiguchi Sutemi in his architectural thought, through analyzing his wide-ranging tea room research. According to Horiguchi, the center-post is supposed to establish "balance" between the two important elements of the tea room, i.e., the ro and the tokonoma. In this manuscript, we intend to interpret the meaning of "balance" and the characteristics of the tokonoma and the center-post as the establishment background of this "balancing."


The technology of dry special-purpose drinks enriched with vitamins, beta-carotene and pectin has been developed. The task is to obtain multicomponent dry mixtures with high percentage ratios. The raw components differ in size, physical and mechanical properties, which characterize a mixing process as stochastic. A centrifugal mixer with cone working rotors is applied to solve the problem of thorough mixing. The peculiar feature of this device is realization of mixing of loose components in thin layers when crossing flows, which have different directions. The special feature of the device design is also mixing in discharged and intersectional layers using direct and reverse recycling under the action of centrifugal and inertial forces. The process intensity is guaranteed by distribution of dry material flows, under the action of structural blades of the instrument, reduction of dead zones due to the presence of new solutions in the device design, namely a special cone based on the rotor and structural blades. The quality of mixing is evaluated with the help of a coefficient of heterogeneity. The homogeneity of distribution is determined in terms of quantity using a variation factor. It is shown that the use of the developed mixer in the production of dry vitamin beverages makes it possible to obtain a powdered concentrate of high quality, solve the problem of lump formation and caking of loose disperse components of raw materials and their uniform distribution throughout the mass of a product. The technology has been tested at the enterprises of Valetek Prodimpex Company with the establishment of regulated quality indicators of the developed products. The nutritional value of a special-purpose product designed for optimization of healthy meals of workers in metallurgical enterprises is determined.


Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease after myocardial infarction and stroke globally. The mortality used to be about 30% but the use of anti-coagulant therapy has significantly reduced the mortality and the recurrence of venous thromboembolism. The most difficult issue in the diagnosis is to consider the possibility of a pulmonary embolism as it is considered the great masquerader. CT angiography is now considered the gold standard in diagnosis. Elevated troponin levels and right heart failure is associated with a worse prognosis. Low-molecular weight heparin followed by warfarin therapy is now considered to be a better option than unfractionated heparin because of mortality benefits, but the newer oral anti-coagulants are non-inferior to these regimes. Long-term anti-coagulation is necessary in some patients and this is probably where the new oral anti-coagulants maybe useful.


Chromium nitride thin films have interesting properties, such as oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and wear behavior. In the present investigation, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been employed to record the core levels of Cr and N in chromium nitride (CrNx, x= 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.0) films. These films have been deposited with varying concentrations of nitrogen on a stainless steel substrate by a dc magnetron sputtering technique. Mg Kα radiation has been employed to record the spectra. The XPS data in the Cr 2p and N 1s regions are presented.


Objective:To study Q-,N-type Ca2+ channel in the unstable bladder of rabbit's partial bladder outlet obstruction.Methods:Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits had been divided into 2 groups randomly, the control group(15 sham operated age-matched rabbits acted as the control group, time of postoperation for 8 weeks) and the experiment group(time of model for 8 weeks, those with unstable bladder were confirmed by Urodynamics). After the model had been finished, bladder smooth muscle cells of these rabbits were isolated by collagenase digestion. Q-,N-type Ca2+ channel changes in detrusor cell between the control group and the experiment group were observed by confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM) and immunochemical methods. Results:There were Q-,N-type Ca2+ channels in membrane of bladder smooth muscle cell with CLSM and immunochemical method. Q-,N-type Ca2+ channels significantly increased in the unstable bladder of the experiment group. Conclusion:It was an important pathogeny for the unstable bladder of partial bladder outlet obstruction that changes of pathology and pathophysiology of Ca2+ and Ca2+ channels with the unstable bladder .


Almost four years after the appearance of Salvesen-Tuck-Faltinsen ( STF ) strip theory [1], Salvesen in 1974 published his popular method for calculation of added resistance [2], [3]. His method is based on an exact near-field formulation, however he applied the long-wave and the weak-scatterer assumptions to present his approximate method using the integrated quantities (hydrodynamic and geometrical coefficients). Considering the available computational powers in the 1970s, both of these assumptions were absolutely justifiable. The intention of this paper is to disseminate the results of a recent study at the Technical University of Denmark, whereby the Salvesen's formulation has been revisited and the added resistance is computed from the original exact equation without invoking the weak-scatterer or the long-wave assumptions. This is performed using the solutions of the radiation and the scattering problems, obtained by a low-order Boundary Element Method and the two-dimensional free-surface Green function inside our in-house STF theory implementation [4]. The weak-scatterer assumption is then removed through a direct calculation of the x -derivatives of the velocity potentials and the normal vectors along the body. Knowing the velocity potentials over each panel, the long-wave assumption is also avoided by a piece-wise analytical integration of sectional Kochin function [5]. The presented results for 5 ship geometries testify that the correct treatment of the original equation is achieved only after both of the above-mentioned assumptions are removed. Implemented in this manner, Salvesen's method proves to be relatively more accurate and robust than has been generally perceived during all these years.


South Alpine heavy precipitation episodes are very often characterized by the occurence of a narrow meridionally elongated potential vorticity (PV) filament over western Europe and by the formation of a low-level cyclone over the Mediterranean. These synoptic features are responsible for a southerly flow that carries large amounts of moisture to the south of the Alps. In this context the Mediterranean becomes the natural candidate for supplying moisture for these episodes. However, its small latitudinal scale prompts consideration of other larger moisture sources like the Atlantic. We present here results from simulations performed on a numerical weather prediction model in which the sea surfaces of the Northern Atlantic and/or the Mediterranean have been replaced by land surfaces to modifiy the supply of atmospheric moisture. The October 2000 episode of heavy precipitation on the Alpine southside has been analysed in this context.


Compressive sensing is an emerging field in digital signal processing. It introduce a new technique to image reconstruction from less amount of data. This methodology reduces imaging time in MRI. Compressive sensing exploit the sparsity of the signal. In this paper Fractional Fourier is used as sparsifying transform and signal sampled by random sampling . Run length encoding is applied to code the signal for transmission and storage. MRI reconstruction is done by Maximum likelihood estimation. KeywordsFractional Fourier transform, Compressive sensing, MRI, Maximum likelihood estimation, Run length encoding


Abstract. Voice Over or what is known as VO is being discussed a lot, not only about the profession, but also from the industry side and the various voice over techniques used. Due to this phenomenon, many ordinary people try voice over from imitating, covering, voice over. challenges on instagram. From a journalistic point of view, voice over is also used in news programs, from various types of regular news programs, this research focuses on voice over features because it has more discussion, the way it is delivered, produces more diverse news using different voice colors, with the research subject being voice actors. overfeature news tvOne. This study is entitled The Meaning of Voice Over in Television Feature Reporting. The purpose of this study is to discuss the experiences of voice over talent from the journey of becoming voice over talent to the voice over production process on tvOne, to analyze the motives for becoming voice over talent feature news on tvOne, to find the meaning of voice over on tvOne news feature, to analyze self-representation as news voice over. This study uses a qualitative research method, Alfred Schutz's phenomenological approach to answer research questions. The results of the research in the experience of news voice over on tvOne that each informant has a different experience and it has been for many years, some have previous experience because they have served in the media before, have knowledge through training, have the ability to report or deliver news. Commonly used voice over techniques include articulation, emphasize, and intonation. The motives behind the voice over tvOne news in carrying out their work are dream motives, work experience motives, and interest motives. These motives are included in the because motive or past motives. Meanwhile, future motives or in order to motives are economic motives and learning motives. The self-representation of news voice over consists of two parts, namely the front stage and the back stage. The front stage for news voice overs is when they take voice over, voice according to the character of the feature or program script, do voice acting with an informative impression. Back stage for news voice over is script discussion with producer or scriptwriter, doing script or voice character research, practicing before doing voice over take. The meaning of voice over for news voice over is divided into five categories, namely, (1) Voice over and picture shows have the same value, (2) Voice has feelings and emotions (3) Voice over as a messenger (4) Voice over to channel interest and (5) Voice over as a learning medium.
Abstrak. Voice Over atau yang dikenal VO sedang banyak diperbincangkan, tidak hanya seputar profesinya saja, tetapi dari sisi industri dan berbagai teknik-teknik voice over yang digunakan, adanya fenomena ini banyak orang awam mencoba-coba voice over dari meniru, meng-cover, voice over challenge di instagram.  Dari sisi jurnalistik voice over pun digunakan pada program berita, dari berbagai jenis program berita reguler, penelitian ini fokus dalam voice over feature karena lebih banyak pembahasannya, cara penyampaiannya, menghasilkan berita yang lebih beragam dengan menggunakan warna suara yang berbeda, dengan subjek penelitian pengisi voice over feature news tvOne. Penelitian ini berjudul Makna Voice Over Dalam Pemberitaan Feature Di Televisi.Tujuan penelitian ini untuk membahas pengalaman para voice over talent dari proses perjalanan menjadi voice over talent sampai proses produksi voice over di tvOne, untuk menganalisis motif menjadi voice over talent feature news di tvOne, untuk menemukan makna dari voice over pada feature news tvOne, untuk menganalis representasi diri sebagai news voice over. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif, pendekatan fenomenologi Alfred Schutz untuk menjawab pertanyaan penelitian. Hasil penelitian dalam pengalaman news voice over di tvOne bahwa setiap informan memiliki pengalaman yang berbeda dan sudah bertahun-tahun, ada yang memiliki pengalaman sebelumnya karena pernah bertugas di media sebelumnya, memiliki ilmu melalui pelatihan, memiliki kemampuan dalam reportase atau menyampaikan berita. Teknik voice over yang umum digunakan meliputi artikulasi, emphasize, dan intonasi. Motif yang menjadi latar belakang para news voice over tvOne dalam menjalankan pekerjaannya adalah motif mimpi, motif pengalaman pekerjaan, motif minat. Motif tersebut termasuk ke dalam because motive atau motif masa lalu. Sedangkan motif masa depan atau in order to motive yaitu motif ekonomi dan motif belajar. Representasi pada diri news voice over terdiri dari dua bagian yaitu front stage dan back stage. Front stage para news voice over adalah saat melakukan take voice over, menyuarakan sesuai karakter naskah feature atau program,  melakukan voice acting bersuara dengan kesan informatif. Back stage para news voice over adalah diskusi naskah dengan produser atau penulis naskah, melakukan riset naskah atau karakter suara, berlatih sebelum melakukan take voice over. Makna voice over bagi news voice over dibagi menjadi lima kategori yakni, (1) Voice over dan tayangan gambar memiliki nilai yang sama, (2) Suara memiliki rasa dan emosi (3) Voice over sebagai penyampai pesan (4) Voice over untuk menyalurkan minat dan  (5) Voice over sebagai media belajar.


Objective To investigate the influence of self-designed STAT3 antisense oligodeoxynucleotides(STAT3 ASODN) on irradiation sensitivity of lung adenocarcinoma.Methods Lung adenocarcinoma cells were exposed to different doses of irradiation(4,8,12,16,and 20 Gy 60Co γ) after transfected with STAT3 ASODN.The survival rates of cells in each group were evaluated by CCK-8 assay.Early apoptosis of cells was observed by FACS.Local irradiation models were established with tumor-bearing mice.STAT2 ASODN was intratumorally injected for two weeks at a dose of 15 mg/kg,and 2 h after injection the animals were locally irradiated with 60Co γ(totally 20 Gy,2 Gy each time,5 times each week for 2 weeks,with a irradiation rate of 1 Gy/min).The following parameters were observed,including the tumor size,delay of tumor growth,relative growth rate,growth inhibition rate,q value,and tumor mass.Results In vitro experiment showed that compared with irradiation alone,combination of irradiation with STAT3 ASODN significantly decreased the survival rate and increased the early apoptosis rate of A549 cells.In vivo experiment found that combination of STAT3 ASODN with local irradiation greatly inhibited the growth rate of lung adenocarcinoma xenografts(q=1.27).Conclusion STAT3 ASODN not only possess chemotherapeutic effect,but also can improve the sensitivity of tumor cells,making it a promising agent for future research and clinical application.


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting human health and the environment from the effects of accidental and intentional releases of radiological materials, including terrorist incidents such as a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or "dirty bomb". A primary EPA responsibility is cleanup and restoration of urban areas which would be affected if such an incident were to occur. In order to prepare for such an event, the EPA's National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) is conducting performance evaluations of commercial, off-the-shelf radiological decontamination technologies, such as those originally developed for the nuclear power industry and the U.S. Department of Energy. Desirable decontamination technologies must not only be effective in removing threat contaminants from typical building materials, but must do so without being destructive to building surfaces. Due to the large areas likely to be affected by such an event, the time required to perform effective decontamination and the cost of deployment are significant issues as well. In FY2009, NHSRC evaluated the performance of five candidate technologies for their effectiveness in the removal of cesium from concrete through NHSRC's Technology Testing and Evaluation Program (TTEP). An emphasis on "low-tech" methodologies led to the selection of simple, low cost, easy to use technologies which can be transported and deployed quickly, requiring only minimal support services or infrastructure. The process and results of this testing, along with an assessment of any deployment issues associated with each technology, are being made available to the larger homeland security community for use in developing clean up guidance and to support decisions concerning the selection and use of decontamination technologies for large outdoor environments contaminated with specific radiological threat agents.


In this paper we examine the effects of K-distributed clutter on the performance of a spatial MIMO radar system. Multistatic systems provide a set of received data containing more information than in the mono/bistatic case. This increased quantity of information can be exploited to achieve improved detection also in severe clutter conditions. The processing of the received echoes has to take into account the extra information provided and the environment that the radars are in. Thus here we propose two different ways for signal processing and moreover we report their performance


Traditional block matching algorithms have many deficiencies in image feature extracting and image matching,the complex edge extraction and the matching principle based on gray scale make the processing speed and accuracy decrease.To make the identification process more quickly and accurately,a recognition algorithm of the improved block matching was proposed.The image feature was enhanced by Laplace operator to improve the feature information.The results show that the average computing time of feature enhancement of this algorithm is about 0.005 4sfor 320×240pixels picture in Matlab.


Objective To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture plus Chinese medicine iontophoresis in treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation(LIDH).Method A hundred patients with LIDH were randomized into a treatment group and a control group,50 each.The treatment group received acupuncture plus Chinese medicine iontophoresis,and the control group only received Chinese medicine iontophoresis for treatment,10 sessions as a treatment course,and 2 courses in total.A one-year follow-up study was conducted.The general therapeutic effect,improvement of major symptoms,improvement index,improvement rate and relapse during the one-year follow-up study were observed in the two groups.Result The differences in the general therapeutic effect,improvement of major symptoms,improvement index,improvement rate and relapse during the one-year follow-up study between the treatment group and the control group were statistically significant(P0.01,P0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture plus Chinese medicine iontophoresis is an effective method in treating LIDH.


Education is the foundation stone and girls are the pillars for the sustainable development of a nation. National Education Policy 2020 of India has touched life skill to bring forth some modifications in curriculum for mental well-being of adolescents, but an exclusive picture mode is missing in all life skill fields of studies. Focusing on the literacy on selected life skills through a contemporary creative medium, this article presents a new methodological approach in life skill training. Pictures generally attract children.A module with digital paintings on  life skill quotes was prepared by the researcher and after training of rural girl participants, significant difference in the calculated T-test value from the table value was observed in analysis. Thus result gave initial evidence within the context by the participants on the effectiveness of the use of digital painting in the module in training life skills selected for the study, which has great educational significance in mental health area.


The principal characteristics of numerical anomalies of the teeth are described: the occurrence, the incidence, the nomenclature. With healing such anomalies the cooperation of the oral surgeon, the prosthetic and the orthodontist is important. Methods of orthodontical, oral, surgical, and prosthetical treatment are described. Possibility of prevention, its significance and the necessity of examining such anomalies are mentioned.


Enhancing the performance of software transactional memory (STM) is one of the main challenges in developing multi-core systems. Even though current STM has been evaluated for high performance in large-scale multi-core systems, its use in mobile devices and the effect of its power consumption have not been considered. Recently, smart phones and tablet computers have been emerging and working on only lock-based synchronization. We propose and apply a new STM model (called ATC) to a platform for mobile devices and show that the ATC-based platform enhances speed-up and power conservation over a state-of-the-art solution, by as much as 1.75× and 1.4×, respectively.


The endurance of a remarkable quantity of buildings constructed during Fascist rule, a consequence in part of Mussolini's comprehensive public works projects as well as the state's willingness to fund their completion during the postwar period, has attracted significant attention among historians and preservationists. Many of these buildings are leading examples of Italian modernism, and recent restoration campaigns have fueled new debates about how best to confront the material remains of the nation's interwar history as well as the preservation of modern architecture in Italy more generally. Fascist Party headquarters—the buildings most intimately identified with Fascism and often designed by young architects influenced by avant-garde modernism—are largely absent from this literature, perhaps in part because of their relative modesty but also because of their continued associations with political power. The relationship between these buildings and the political ambitions of the regime, their use as centers for political activity in the immediate aftermath of Fascism's collapse, and their transformation in the following decades into military and police headquarters raise questions about how and to what extent the representations of political authority cultivated under Fascism have persisted in the postwar period, and what consequences this has for the study and preservation of modern Italian architecture.


This paper details the effect of spatial resolution on target discrimination in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. Multiple SAR image chips, containing targets and non-targets, are used to test a baseline Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) system with reduced spatial resolution obtained by lowering the pixel count or synthesizing a degraded image. The pixel count is lowered by averaging groups of adjoining pixels to form a new single value. The degraded image is synthesized by low-pass-filtering the image frequency space and then lowering the pixel count. To train a linear classifier, a two-parameter Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) detector is tested, and three different types of feature spaces, are used: size, contrast, and texture. The results are scored using the Area Under the Receiver Operator Characteristic (AUROC) curve. The CFAR detector is shown to perform better at lower resolution. All three feature sets together performed well with the degradation of resolution; separately the sets had different performances. The texture features performed best because they do not rely on the number of pixels on the target, while the size features performed the worst for the same reason. The contrast features yielded improved performance when the resolution was slightly reduced.


Introduction: Vaccination campaigns against influenza virus achieve coverages under recom-mended and desired values. In current context of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic it becomes more relevant. Our objective is to evaluate the impact on vaccination coverage of a set of implementation strategies carried out. Material and methods: Vaccine implementation strategies were introduced in our basic health zone as active caption of patients and schedule extension. Then the vaccination coverage achie-ved in the current campaign was evaluated and compared with previous in the 8 th week and at the end of the campaign. Besides, a transversal study through a survey was carried out to measure the impact of the applied strategies. Results: In the 8 th week of the campaign significant differences were detected in the increase of vaccination coverage compared with previous years. These results were confirmed at the end of the campaign, getting a significant difference (<.05) of vaccination coverage in all the studied centers, these data support the effectivity of the applied strategies. Conclusions: The vaccine implementation strategies applied have shown effectivity, achieving an increase of until 74% in the total administered doses compared to previous campaigns and even a 15% of vaccination coverage increased in the group of patients older than 64 years; even in a pandemic context and the increasing of anti-vaccine movements.


Tracking of objects of interest is of great significance for video based automated surveillance systems. This research presents the design and implementation of Xilinx ML510 (Virtex-5 FXT) FPGA platform based vision system for real-time object tracking in a video sequence. Modified particle filtering and sum of absolute differences (SAD) based scheme is used for object tracking. The proposed complete system is designed to meet the real-time requirements of video surveillance applications. The implemented system can robustly track the objects present in a video stream in real-time for standard PAL size color video.


A rule-based scalar tuning fuzzy control system is proposed in this paper. A fuzzy controller with three scalar factors is considered to directly control the plant, and a scalar tuning mechanism through a fuzzy inference method is used to dynamically generate appropriate scalar factors for the fuzzy controller at each sampling time. A state evaluator is used to estimate a critic score to indicate the current state of the system, and to provide this score to a parameter modifier to create a modifiable value. A scalar making mechanism is proposed such that the rule-based fuzzy control system has the powerful ability to automatically select the consequent parameters in the scalar tuning mechanism such that the controlled system has a better performance. Finally, the inverted pendulum control problem is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the rule-based tuning control scheme.


This paper outlines comprehensive design principles for drip irrigation disposal of secondary
treated (20 CBOD/20 TSS) effluent from domestic and other wastewater treatment systems. This
study is based on an assumption that the merits of drip irrigation technology are inadequately
understood and appreciated because the technical requirements for effective drip irrigation systems
and the technology available for meeting these guidelines are inadequately known to those in the
on-site wastewater industry.
Key sections of the paper deal with the following: 1) soils and design implications for drip
irrigation systems, 2) soil loading rate determination, 3) drip irrigation system design parameters
and components, 4) system operation and controls, 5) drip irrigation field layout considerations,
and 6) typical sources of failure and their avoidance.
The emphasis of our project was the development of a comprehensive drip irrigation manual
(Netafim, 2001) and included input from scientists, engineers, equipment providers, managers, and
clients of drip irrigation systems. This paper highlights the key principles essential for design of
drip irrigation systems for the on-site wastewater field. It provides an examination of the critical
historic problems that have hindered the development of drip irrigation as a cost-effective, low risk
wastewater disposal technology.


3 Abstract: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary threonine amino acid supplementation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of Japanese quails. Day old, two hundred and seventy quail chicks were divided into six dietary treatment groups comprising 45 birds each, which consisted of 3 subgroups containing 15 birds for each replicate. Experimental diets were prepared and contained 0.81, 0.86, 0.91, 0.96, 1.01 and 1.06 % threonine amino acid, respective to groups 1-6, on fresh matter basis. Birds were fed these experimental diets respective to treatment for 35 days. Total feed intakes and the changes in body weights were determined on weekly basis. At the end of experiment 35-d, birds were killed humanly to determine their edible carcass parts. Results showed that threonine supplementation to the diet did not affect growth performance and edible carcass parts (p>0.05), assuming that birds can make metabolic adaptation to current dietary threonine supplementations.


Wireless networks are becoming ubiquitous and as the cost of equipment decreases and performance increases, it becomes both economically and technologically feasible to deploy wireless networks in power systems and industrial environments for a wide range of applications. They have advantage of providing diverse controlling features through a unified communication platform. Application of such networks in the smart grid/industrial environments is under active research and expected to become an integral part of the power system. This research propose novel technique smart grid communication in wireless 5G networks for monitoring and controlling management. Here the smart grid designing has been done based on wireless communication networks. The smart grid network for renewable energy has been controlled using Stackelberg equilibrium based SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) method. The control method based collected data has been monitored for detection of malicious activities in the network using supervised radial basis fuzzy systems. The experimental analysis has been carried out based on control system and network malicious activities. Here the control system based parameters analysed are Scalability of 65%, QoS of 71%, Power consumption of 41%, Network Efficiency of 92%. Then machine learning based malicious activities detection in terms of accuarcy of 96%, network security of 88%, throughput of 94%, Network delay of 41%. Proposed method supports interoperability of multiple types of inverters, is scalable and flexible, and transmits data over a secure communication channel.


We study the proof theoretic strength of several infinite versions of finite combinatorial theorem with respect to the standard Reverse Mathematics hierarchy of systems of second order arithmetic. In particular, we study three infinite extensions of the stable marriage theorem of Gale and Shapley. Other theorems studied include some results on partially ordered sets due to Dilworth and to Dushnik and Miller.


e19527 Background: Skeletal MRI plays an integral role in diagnosing Multiple Myeloma and, in many cases, dictates need for treatment. While axial skeleton MRI is performed with established clinical utility, appendicular MRI is performed sparingly with utility not fully ascertained. We aim to assess the utility of appendicular MRI while establishing clinical factors which may predict outcomes. Methods: 107 appendicular skeleton MRIs were included for retrospective analysis over 15 years. No statistically significant age or gender related variability was noted. Variables including patient age, diagnosis, disease stage/activity, indication, transplant status, MRI result, treatment course, and survival were analyzed via Likelihood Ratio Chi-Square test or logistic regression. Results: Patient age, disease stage, presence of active marrow disease, history of relapse, and presence of axial or appendicular osseous disease were found to have a statistically significant correlation with MRI result. Disease stage and presence of active hematologic disease correlated with post MRI management alterations. Additionally, presence of active hematologic disease at time of MRI demonstrated a correlation with post MRI management strategy. Furthermore, MRI result was a predictor of downstream development of additional skeletal lesions. Interestingly, MRI result was not a predictor of survival. Conclusions: Several parameters may be used to determine a clinical pre-test probability of appendicular disease at the time of MRI. In addition, these clinical parameters and MRI results correlate with trends in subsequent patient treatment strategies. [Table: see text]


Health authorities have recognised the importance of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) in maintaining health and it is generally accepted that we need to increase our dietary intake of these fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA). Common practice has been to increase our intake of fish, consume fish oil supplements or increase our intake of n-3 enriched foods. These practices rely heavily on a declining global fish supply. Alternative ways to increase our n-3 LCPUFA status are, therefore, imperative. The fatty acids found in dairy fat may provide an alternate source to increase our n-3 LCPUFA status. We examined the accumulation of EPA and DHA in HepG2 cells supplemented with α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, ALA), EPA and docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3, DPA). There was a dose) dependent increase in the level of ALA, EPA and DPA in HepG2 cell phospholipids following supplementation with these respective fatty acids. The accumulation of DHA, the long chain n-3 metabolite of fatty acid synthesis, was significantly higher in ! cells supplemented with EPA and DPA compared to those supplemented with ALA. Dairy fats uniquely contain greater amounts of EPA and DPA than ALA and no DHA. This study suggests that the fatty acids found in dairy fats have the capacity to elevate the level of DHA in cell membranes.


The risk for travel‐related illnesses has increased with significant growth in international travel, but very few travellers seek travel advice. Community pharmacists can play a vital role in the provision of travel medicine advice due to their accessibility. This study aimed to assess travel medicine knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among community pharmacists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.


The theory of descriptor system (DS) has been studied intensively in recent years, but little attention was paid to study the model following control system (MFCS) for DS. In this paper, a design method of nonlinear model following control system with disturbances is proposed. We can design nonlinear model following control systems whose inner states are bounded based on the consideration to separate the object system into a linear part and a nonlinear part. In model following control system zeros of linear part must be stable. It is desirable to remove the condition which is a constraint of design. We can remove that condition based on stable assignment of invariant zeros.


A number of contributions have proposed solutions to the problem of location management for mobile ATM devices [2-4]. These solutions may generally be categorised into either mobile PNNI schemes where the routing mechanisms of PNNI are extended to cope with mo bility r location register schemes where location management is performed outside PNNI. The solution proposed here f alls into the latter category.


"Tunable" clay–polymer composites have the potential to improve the engineering properties of clay materials. The importance of these materials derives from the ability of the responsive polymer to adopt various conformations (coiled, partially extended or extended), which in turn impacts the mesoscale properties of the material. However, the influence of polymer molecule conformation on particle arrangement and overall composite behavior is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to understand the fabric development due to the conformational behavior of the polymer, and thus the clay–polymer composite, over a wide range of solids content and stress levels. The polymer molecule conformation was controlled using selected fluid pH and ionic concentrations. Results show that the polymer conformation significantly influences clay fabric formation. When the polymer molecules are likely to have extended conformation, the dominant fabric mode is face-to-face and particle mobilization increases. Both face-to-face and edge-to-edge fabric formation dominate the behavior of the composite when coiled conformation is likely, resulting in a decrease in interparticle movement. Thus, the polymer conformation can be used to manipulate both the interparticle spacing between particles and (or) aggregates and arrangement of particles.


IMO regulations require oil water separating equipment to be provided on merchant ships. As the capabilities of such machinery may not be satisfactory, actual service performance tests of existing installations in Japan were carried out and new techniques studied. Findings and conclusions are given.


Effective and systematic corporate education, as a part of the
overall company strategy, shows to be a key aspect for the
maintenance of competitiveness in the present economy of
knowledge. The aim of this paper is therefore to find out by
means of a questionnaire survey to what extent large and medium
sized companies in the Czech Republic apply a systematic
approach to education, which is among others linked to the
existence of long-term and annual education plans and also to
the fact that education is organized systematically by the
personnel department or by a dedicated staff department focused
on education. We set two hypotheses. The first one was, that at
least 70 % of large companies and 50 % of medium sized
companies deal with education within the personnel department
or within a separate staff department focused on education, and
the second one was, that at least 70 % of large companies and
50 % of medium sized companies have a long-term education plan
in place and also an annual education plan. Although none of
the hypotheses was confirmed, a fact has been proven, that
large companies after all approach to corporate education more
systematically than medium-sized ones.


The impressionists started their own artistic pursuits through rebelling against the ossified tradition,but this was just a deviation from the strong tradition,that is to say,they put forward their own views when they understood the traditional heritage.Their own huge accumulation of the tradition became the prerequisite and basis for making themselves be one part of it in the future.And their love of nature was influenced not only by romanticism,but also by realism.


Abstract In this article I use the framework of the postcolonial Gothic to analyse Angelina N Sithebe's Holy Hill, a novel which combines a focus on Christian religion and traditional African spirituality. Sithebe uses the convent school setting of her text to offer social critiques of power and religion in specific contexts. I highlight the postcolonial dimension of her critique by comparing aspects of the novel with Karen Armstrong's memoir, The Spiral Staircase. In addition to social critique, however, Sithebe also uses epigraphs from biblical parables to suggest benefits which orthodox religion might offer. At the same time as she reveals the intimate connections between religion and animism, she delineates the problems of syncretism. The text derives much of its Gothic force from the uncanny voice of the narrator, a traditional spirit. I use concepts such as Musa W Dube's "critical twinning" and Harry Garuba's "animist realism" to explore the discomfiting, bleak vision of Sithebe's novel.


The general solutions of partial differential equations contain arbitrary functions equivalent to an infinite set of constants. For boundary problems in which the boundary does not coincide with curves or surfaces of a coordinate system in which the partial differen tial equation is separable into ordinary differential equations, these constants may be used to satisfy the given physical boundary condition on arbitrary given boundary curves and in terfaces. Thus it is possible to calculate wave propagation and eigenfrequencies of straight and bent glass fibers and wave-guides of various cross sections like Cassinian curves etc. The basic idea The new method has been invented to solve non-separable boundary problems. Problems of this kind arise when the boundary on which certain boundary conditions have to be satisfied cannot be described by coordinate lines or surfaces of a coordinate system in which the re spective partial differential equation is separable. For instance Maxwell's equations cannot be separated into ordinary differential equations for toroidal coordinates. The main idea of the new method consists now in the following: The general solution of a partial differential equation of order n contains n arbitrary functions: If it is possible to construct such an arbitrary function as a sum of degenerate eigenfunctions, that means functions belonging to one and the same eigenvalue, then the partial amplitudes of the eigenfunctions representing the arbitrary function may be used to satisfy the boundary conditions given by the physical problem on an arbitrarily given curve or interface. A simple example As an example for the new method we will solve the eigenvalue problem of a circular mem brane of radius R in Cartesian coordinates, that is in straight line coordinates. Here the boundary curve, a circle, does not coincide with coordinate lines. We choose this example to show that problems can be solved in which the boundary curve is not a coordinate curve. The eigenvalue k of this problem is very well known from the zero of the Bessel function Jo. With the ansatz w(x,y)exp(icot), k = w/c the wave equation for membrane oscillations is transformed into Helmholtz equation Wxx + wyy + k2w = O


We present the results of a very simple nonlinear nonautonomous parallel LCR circuit which exhibits a rich variety of bifurcations and chaos. This simple experimental chaotic oscillator is made up of a few passive components and a uniquely designed nonlinear element comprising of a junction diode and Op-amp based negative conductor. The system exhibits a rich dynamics such as chaos via torus breakdown, period-doubling, period three-doubling, period-adding, Farey sequences, etc., and the results of the investigation are vividly presented along with experimental, numerical and analytical evidences. The laboratory experimental outcomes are in agreement with the numerical and analytical results.


Ambulance planning involves decisions to be made on different levels. The decision for choosing base locations is usually made for a very long time (strategic level), but the number and location of used ambulances can be changed within a shorter time period (tactical level). We present possible formulations for the planning problems on these two levels and discuss solution approaches that solve both levels either simultaneously or separately. The models are set up such that different types of coverage constraints can be incorporated. Therefore, the models and approaches can be applied to different emergency medical services systems occurring all over the world. The approaches are tested on data based on the situation in the Netherlands and compared based on computation time and solution quality. The results show that the solution approach that solves both levels separately performs better when considering minimizing the number of bases. However, the solution approach that solves both levels simultaneously performs better when considering minimizing the number of ambulances. In addition, with the latter solution approach it is easier to make a good trade-off between minimizing the number of bases and ambulances because it considers a weighted objective function. However, the computation time of this approach increases exponentially with the input size whereas the computation time of the approach that solves both levels separately follows a more linear trend.


Achievement Test in grades I through 4. Description of Predictor: Otis 6,)uick-Scoring Mental flbility Tests: Alpha Short Form is an abbreviated version of the original edition containing one half of the original items. Split-half reliability coefficients for this test, corrected by the SpearmanBrown formula, in two samples of third grade pupils (N = 370 in each sample) were .87 and .88. Samples: Approximately io per cent samples of the total 1952 Stanford national normative sample at each of the first four grade levels were selected. Criterion Measures: Subtests of SAT-Paragraph Meaning, Word Meaning, Spelling, Language (grades 3 and 4), Arithmetic Reasoning and Arithmetic Computation. The median of four reliability estimates (one at each grade) is given in parenthesis after each subtest title in Table i. These values were


Purpose: To determine the reproducibility and reliability of arthroscopic PCL femoral tunnel placement and anatomic landmarks. Materials and Methods: 10 frozen cadaveric knees underwent arthroscopy. Through anterior inferolateral portals with the knee in 90-100 degrees in flexion, a drill guide bit was inserted into the center of the anterolateral bundle of the PCL femoral origin. The guide wire was driven through the femoral condyle to create a PCL femoral tunnel from an inside to outside technique. An anatomic dissection was performed and measurements from exit point of the guide pin to the anterior, distal, and posterior articular margins of the femoral condyle were recorded. The average angle of the arthroscopic pin was calculated. The mean and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all measurements. Reliability was measured with the coefficient of variance. Results: The femoral tunnel was readily created with arthroscopic visualization from either the standard anterolateral or anteromedial portal. The average distance from the distal articular margin of the medial femoral condyle was 2.6 cm with a range of 1.8 to 3.8 cm. The average distance from the posterior articular margin of the medial femoral condyle was 3.9 cm with a range of 3.0 to 4.8 cm. The angle of the femoral tunnel was repeatable with an average of 45.1 degrees (95% CI 39.6 50.6 degrees) with a coefficient of variance of 6.2%. Discussion: Using an arthroscopic technique through a low anterolateral portal, the femoral tunnel could be reliably created. The tunnel angle and exit point was reproducible. The tunnel exits within 1 cm of the medial epicondyle. This resulted in the average distance from the distal articular of 2.6 cm, which is similar to previously reported results. This technique decreases the theoretical possibility of AVN of the medial femoral condyle, with greater distance from the subchondral bone. Also, if a femoral arthroscopic tunnel is created, a paramedial capsular incision is avoided, as is the potential for violating the vastus medialis. Conclusion: An arthroscopically placed femoral tunnel in the reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament using the insideout technique can be reliably reproduced using the low anterolateral portal.


In this study we investigated the effects of the average signed area (ASA) between the item characteristic curves of the reference and focal groups and three test purification procedures on the uniform differential item functioning (DIF) detection via the Mantel-Haenszel (M-H) method through Monte Carlo simulations. The results showed that ASA, rather than the percentage of DIF items in the test, determines the performances of the conventional one-stage M-H method. For example, the M-H method performed appropriately even when there were 50% DIF items in the test, as long as ASA approaches 0. Under most of the simulated conditions, the two-stage and iterative M-H methods performed much superior to the one-stage M-H method. When tests were short and the mean abilities of the reference and focal groups were far apart, all the three M-H methods yielded inflated Type I error under the two-parameter or three-parameter logistic model. For most of the other situations, the two-stage and iterative M-H methods can be used safely.


In the past few years, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have become an extremely popular mechanism for large-scale content sharing. P2P systems have focused on specific application domains (e.g. music files, Video files) or on providing file system like capabilities. Now a days the tendency to place there data on global storage is increased. But successful implementation of conventional databases on the P2P systems is not yet reported. In this paper we have presented a hierarchical based data distribution scheme for the P2P networks. Simulation result shown that, database partitions may be placed on the peers with the availability factor more than 0.7 gives better results. Degradation index, throughput, utilization are all the parameters dependents on the availability factor.


Abstract The discrete ordinates code DORT is employed to treat pin cell and fuel assembly configurations in two spatial dimensions. Despite DORT's restriction to regular (i.e., Cartesian) coordinates, we demonstrate its ability to calculate accurate pin power distributions and eigenvalues of typical reactor fuel lattices. Several numerical experiments have been performed to investigate the effects of spatial, angular, and energy discretization and to quantify their impact on the results. DORT is also used to homogenize and collapse cross-section sets within the framework of the coupled transport/burnup code system KENOREST.


Ascocoryne turficola (Helotiaceae, Helotiales), an extremely rare fungus in Europe and a typical inhabitant of peat bogs, is recorded for the first time in Bulgaria and South Europe. A concise description and illustrations are provided of the studied specimens, as well as notes on the species ecology.


This research project examines the narratives that emerged in alterations of corporate billboards and advertisements. The altered billboards were found in Adbusters magazine and the magazine's Web site-particularly the "Creative Resistance" campaign developed by the publishers of Adbusters. Through the use of narrative criticism I construct a resistance narrative that glides throughout all of the altered billboards and is paramount to the anti-corporate movement and culture. This resistance narrative is based upon the identity of the culture and corporations that they resist, the cultural values of both the anti-globalists and corporations, and the political community that is constructed from the resistance artists' calls to action. The resistance narrative that emerges provides empowerment that is necessary for community building in the anti-corporate movement and culture.


Notwithstanding its widespread acceptance in the law & economics literature, agency theory could not be in general the most suitable microeconomic modeling for designing efficient and fair economic transactions institutions. The case against the standard principal-agent modeling is made about liberalizations of professional services that introduced schemes of professionalsi?½ remuneration contingent on outcomes i?½ i.e. i?½contingent feesi?½ for lawyers. If the relationship between the professional and clients is seen according to the principal-agent model, contingency fees can be economically justified as an efficient incentive for the professionali?½s effort. The case is quite different, however, if the situation is seen as one of bounded rationality and unforeseen and asymmetrically gathered events. Remunerations contingent on outcomes in these contexts can generate pathological incentives. This paper argues that the professional relationship is an authority relationship based of contractual incompleteness, which requires the reliance on trustworthiness of the authority positioni?½s holder. Hence I propose a model for understanding the professional relationship which extends the i?½formal vs. real authorityi?½ model proposed a few years ago by Aghion and Tirole (1997). This leads to underline the essential role played by behavioral hypothesis on professionalsi?½ i?½endogenousi?½ adherence to ethical standards that prevent conflict of interests and induce the professionali?½s identification with her clientsi?½ interests, based on reciprocity and conformist preferences. A game theoretical thought experiment aimed at checking the case for or against using agency models in modeling the professional relationship is then carried out. It shows that (i) in the case of a self-interested lawyer, notwithstanding that utilitarian efficiency is safeguarded, contingent fees leads to not respecting the fiduciary obligations with at least one client (to detriment of Pareto optimality and impartial and loyal treatment of all clients) for only the ex post mostly remunerative cases are litigated. (ii) In the case of the lawyeri?½s willingness to comply with deontology standards - requiring impartial protection of all the clientsi?½ rights, under a condition of minimal individual rationality - contingent fees lead nevertheless to neutralization of the deontological motivation and to a loss of efficiency in utilitarian sense. A Pareto optimal, impartial, as well as efficient, arrangement aimed at maximizing the total volume of damage compensation is then considered. Nevertheless the main result is that under a contingent fee contract, even if these motivations were available, the professional could not carry out them because the logic of the contract doesni?½t allow pooling different casesi?½ damage compensations in order of carrying out redress across the lucky and unlucky clients.


Irreversible demagnetisation of a permanent magnet (PM) at high temperature can be caused by the field distributions because of the stator currents. It can be prevented if the magnet thickness is sufficient. However local irreversible demagnetisation can occur even if the magnet thickness is sufficient. The local irreversible demagnetisation is varied according to the magnetic path. To analyse the cause of local irreversible demagnetisation, the authors introduced an interior PMSM (IPMSM), consisting of a V-shaped magnet and concentrated winding, and performed a parameter analysis of the magnetic field based on the barrier width and magnet position considerably related to the magnetic path using the finite-element method. On the basis of the results, the authors developed a model avoiding local irreversible demagnetisation. A maximum load test was performed after a thermal saturation test to confirm whether irreversible demagnetisation of the manufactured models occurred. Finally, to verify the validity of the finite-element analysis (FEA) results, the torque, efficiency, power factor and induced voltage of the manufactured model, which were obtained by FEA, were compared with the test results.


A direct design method of the complementary binary sequence is presented.A new block design(complementary difference set pairs) is defined,which is constructed based on the cyclotomic class.A new complementary binary sequence is given,taking advantage of the equivalence relation between difference set and sequence.Specially,any one of the new binary sequences has optimum balance among 0 and 1.The method proposed in this paper has wider existence space,which can satisfy the requirements of engineering applications.


The study and benchmarking of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) models has become a trend in many industries, including aerospace engineering and communications. Recent studies in these fields propose these kinds of models to address certain complex real-time decision-making problems in which classic approaches do not meet time requirements or fail to obtain optimal solutions. While the good performance of DRL models has been proved for specific use cases or scenarios, most studies do not discuss the compromises and generalizability of such models during real operations. In this paper we explore the tradeoffs of different elements of DRL models and how they might impact the final performance. To that end, we choose the Frequency Plan Design (FPD) problem in the context of multibeam satellite constellations as our use case and propose a DRL model to address it. We identify six different core elements that have a major effect in its performance: the policy, the policy optimizer, the state, action, and reward representations, and the training environment. We analyze different alternatives for each of these elements and characterize their effect. We also use multiple environments to account for different scenarios in which we vary the dimensionality or make the environment non-stationary. Our findings show that DRL is a potential method to address the FPD problem in real operations, especially because of its speed in decision-making. However, no single DRL model is able to outperform the rest in all scenarios, and the best approach for each of the six core elements depends on the features of the operation environment. While we agree on the potential of DRL to solve future complex problems in the aerospace industry, we also reflect on the importance of designing appropriate models and training procedures, understanding the applicability of such models, and reporting the main performance tradeoffs.


Abstract Salinas, G. and Cardozo, S. 2000. Echinococcus granulosus: Hetero geneity and differential expression of superoxide dismutases. Experimental Parasotology94, 56–59.