The utility model provides a sealing structure of a refrigerator counter, which comprises a sealing strip retaining portion, a sealing strip and a step portion, wherein the sealing strip retaining portion is formed on an inner frame of the refrigerator counter, the sealing strip is fixed inside the sealing strip retaining portion, the step portion formed on the inner side of a door body of the counter is in abutting connection with the sealing strip when the counter door body is closed, and winding sealing clearance formed between the counter door body and the counter inner frame is arranged on one side of the sealing strip connected to the inner side of a refrigerator. The winding sealing clearance increases flow resistance of cold air, and greatly slows flow speed of the cold air near the side of the sealing strip connected to the inner side of the refrigerator, thereby obviously slowing thermal exchange speed of the cold air and the sealing strip and performing thermal isolation function.


Methods used in TDMA mobile communication to eliminate cochannel TDMA interferences is presented. since these methods use the spatial filtering, it is reasonable to use adaptive patterns to analyze the performance. Discussion about the performance of these methods is made from the view of adaptive patterns with methods which have close-form solutions. An actual signaling scenario is presented,and is followed by the simulation results such as adaptive patterns and the SINR of array output, using 8-element array and 4-element array. Factors which influence the effect of cochannel interference imination are discussed.


With the influence of pore water concerned,a Winkler beam model was adopted to simulate the interaction of pile and soil based on Biot consolidation theory.The response of seabed under waves was obtained and the horizontal motion equation of pile built.The influences of porosity,permeability coefficient,pile-soil rigidity ratio and wave circular frequency on horizontal steady state response of pile was analyzed,which provides foundation for ocean exploitation,pile detection and so on.


The axiomatization of physical theories is a fundamental issue of science. The first-order axiomatic system SpecR el for special relativity proposed recently by Andr′eka et al. is not enough to explain all the main results in the theory, including the twin paradox and energy-mass relation. In this paper, from a four-dimensional spacetime perspective, we introduce the concepts of world-line, proper time and four-momentum to our axiomatic system SpecR el~+. Then we introduce an axiom of mass(Ax Mass) and take four-momentum conservation as an axiom(Ax CFM)in SpecR el~+. It turns out that the twin paradox and energy-mass relation can be derived from SpecR el+logically. Hence,as an extension of SpecR el, SpecR el~+is a suitable first-order axiomatic system to describe the kinematics and dynamics of special relativity.


Based on the field survey during 2007-2011,the species composition,distribution,origin,life forms,invasive habitats,introduction paths,and damage extent of invasive plants in Dongting Lake wetlands were investigated.A total of 43 invasive species,belonging to 34 genera and 19 families,were recorded.Compositae and Amaranthaceae are the most common family,consisting of 7 and 6 species respectively.Harmful species included Populus deltoids,Populus euramevicana,Alternanthera philoxeroides,Daucus carota,Centella asiatica,Eichhornia crassipes,Phytolacca Americana,Phytolacca Americana,Pistia stratiotes.Among the invasive species,86% were herbs,62.8% were distributed in flood control bank or roadside and 55.8%were originated from America.These invasive plants were introduced by intentional(48.8%) or unconscious(37.2%) human activities.


Accurate diagnose of diseases prior to their treatment is a challenging task for the modern research, therefore it becomes necessary and important to use modern computing techniques to design an efficient and accurate prediction systems. Thyroid is one of the most common diseases found in human body with many side effects the accuracy for thyroid diagnosis system may be greatly improved by considering an ensemble algorithm technique. In this paper, an effective and accurate thyroid disease prediction model is developed using an ensemble of Bagging with J45 and ensemble of Bagging with SimpleCart to extract useful information and diagnose diseases. The performances of the two ensemble model were compared with single classifiers. The Bagging ensemble algorithm for thyroid prediction system promises excellent overall accuracy of 99.66% while other single selected classifiers like Bagging and SimpleCART has accuracy of 99.55% and J48 with accuracy of 99.60%. General Terms Machine Learning.


Introduction This paper is offered as a contribution to inform both the research and educational practitioner communities of the contemporary place of Montessori education in the empowerment of young children and the foundations of social justice created by young children's lived experiences. The research is based upon practitioner observation of spontaneous expressions in a Montessori centre for children aged three years to six years in Aotearoa New Zealand.


The development of information technology media is growing day by day, as well as a variety of informations given to the public which are very diverse and purposed to provideinsight, entertainment, and knowledge for the community, so that the quality of any informations conveyed must be kept. Similar to the LPP RRI Padang, which also
do not want to miss in broadcasting which he has. The religious proselytizing program in LPP RRI becomes a main menufor RRI Padang every day. Its objective is to provide religious knowledge for surroundings by the determined methods appropriate to the program. However, to improve the quality, anin-depth analysis for the message delivered is needed, so that the future proselytizing material delivered will have a goodgrade and quality. The method used in analyzing these messages is a discourse analysis using Van Dijk framework, so that eachdelivered message can be analyzed in the form of thematic,
schematic, semantic, syntactic, stylistic, and rhetorical. By using the framework, there will be some assessments of the messages, and may be some improper things which is meant the language used in preaching is rather ambiguous or there is no emphasizingvalues (semantic to rhetorical) to the message sent by preachers in media
such as radio


Abstract : Water quality models are being developed to assist planners and decision-makers at Army military installations to perform environmental impact analysis. Successful application of models depends on the existence and availability of water quality data. This report identifies major sources of water quality data and describes the location of sampling stations at or near selected Army military installations. The parameters measured are described and the dates and methods of measurement are provided. (Author)


Pulmonary agenesis is a rare congenital lung malformation. Although it is thought to occur sporadically, cases reported in the literature suggest the possibility of genetic transmission. The estimated incidence is 1 per 10000-15000 autopsies. Pulmonary agenesis may be unilateral or bilateral. The bilateral form is incompatible with extrauterin life. In 50% of cases, additional anomalies involving cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and musculoskeletal systems can be seen. The chest radiograph and computed tomography are the imaging modalities that should be choosen primarily. Prenatal diagnosis with prenatal diagnostic techniques such as fetal ultrasonography and fetal magnetic resonance imaging facilitates the postnatal diagnosis. In this report, the imaging findings of a newborn with right pulmonary agenesis are described and discussed in view of the existing literature.


This set of transactional analysis core concepts was developed in 1999 by the members of the task force on transactional analysis core concepts, which later became an ITAA development committee task force. The group was chaired by Claude Steiner and included Leonard Campos (USA), Pearl Drego (India), Vann Joines (USA), Susanna Ligabue (Italy), Gloria Noriega (Mexico), Denton Roberts (USA), and Emilio Said (Mexico).


ABSTRACT Stress is assumed to be intrinsic to interpreting and the ability to manage it a presumed predictor of performance. And yet, empirical research on the role of stress in interpreting has remained scarce. This study explores the impact of stress and anxiety on the academic scores, heart rate (HR) and speech rhythm of 23 student interpreters in a liaison interpreting task. Participants' stress and anxiety are measured using HR measures and the STAI test. Their speech rhythm is automatically analyzed through different indexes deriving from the variability of syllabic intervals. Results show that students' grades negatively correlate with their levels of state anxiety, which are, in turn, significantly related to their rhythmic parameters in L1-L2 interpreting. Greater rhythmic variability correlates with students' lower examination scores when speech is delivered into their L2. A significant increase in mean HR is reported during the interpreting task phase as compared with baseline and recovery phase, suggesting that HR was a sensitive marker to detect the students' stress response, but not to the level of influencing performance. Results point to the need to triangulate different measures to obtain a complete picture of how stress and anxiety may impact interpreting performance.


Background and Aims: In Costa Rica, pesticide use at large-scale banana plantations includes permanent use of chlorpyrifos-impregnated bags and weekly aerial spraying of mancozeb, an ethylene bisdi...


We have performed a comparative analysis of the frequency dependence of the profile widths of millisecond and normal pulsars. In this study we combine our 102 MHz observations with data at higher frequencies borrowed from the literature. We find that the profile width of millisecond pulsars remains nearly constant in the frequency range between 102 and 1400 MHz. This is in contrast with what is known for much slower pulsars where typically the pulse profile narrows significantly at the same frequency range. Our findings indicate that the geometry of the radio emission region of millisecond pulsars differs from that of normal pulsars. We therefore suggest that either the magnetic field configuration in millisecond pulsar magnetospheres deviates from that of a pure dipole, or (and) the radio emission region is compressed.


Optical TDM switching is a key contender for deployment in future telecommunications networks, due to its transparency, reduction of EMI problems, virtually unlimited capacity and compatibility with the existing network. The authors describe an architecture for optical TDM switching which can be used to build fabrics of the size likely to be used in the core network, using large substrates containing many switches. The architecture is device independent since it may be built from lithium niobate 2*2 switches, indium phosphide laser amplifiers and probably most future guided wave optical switching technologies too.


File sharing technology is the most popular methodology through which consumers gain music from online. However, music file sharing and free downloads of music have caused terrible recession of traditional music industry. The purpose of this paper is to develop the underlying theory for understanding the acceptance of music file sharing technology and empirically test our theoretical model. We develop extended TAM model and explore the influencing factors on the user acceptance of music file sharing technology. Our study delivers a better understanding on consumers' attitudes towards music downloads. By understanding the fundamental characteristics of technology that makes consumers enthusiastic, traditional music industry will gain managerial implications.


OBJECTIVE
To study the relationship of HO-1 and HPH.

METHODS
The expression of HO-1 and HO-1 mRNA were observed in pulmonary vessles of rats using the technique of immunohistochemistry and hybridization in situ. The average value of integral light density of HO-1 in three different diameters of arteries was detected by means of the image analysor and considered as the relative content in pulmonary arteries.

RESULTS
Hypoxia induced the expression of HO-1 and HO-1 mRNA and the relative content of HO-1 was significantly increased in pulmonary arteries corresponding with the period of hypoxia.

CONCLUSIONS
In the condition of HPH, relative content of HO-1 increase obviously. It suggests that HO-1 plays certain role in development of HPH. The change of HO-1 mRNA expression is the basis of molecular change of HO-1.


In civil engineering, the architecture of large constructions such as industrial buildings or entire cities plays an important role to achieve their desired properties. Similar, a software system's architecture defines how the system is built from individual elements and how these are interconnected. Consequently, the software architecture directly influences important quality attributes, e.g., understandability, maintainability, modifiability, scalability or performance. In addition, central architectural design decisions are considered hard to change.


Esophageal manometry is best performed without anesthesia or sedation. However, with particularly anxious patients, some form of topical anesthetic or sedation may be used. Benzocaine spray, thought to be a safe topical anesthetic, has been reported to induce methemoglobinemia in adults(Gastroenterology 1990;98:211-213). However, this has not been reported to occur in children. We report an 11½-year-old Caucasian male with a history of achalasia. He developed methemoglobinemia as a result of topical benzocaine sprayed onto his pharynx prior to esophageal manometry at 10:10 a.m. (see table). Within 25 minutes of receiving the benzocaine spray, his oxygen saturation (%) dropped from 98% to 88%, and he became cyanotic. His oxygen saturation continued to drop even though he was receiving oxygen therapy and maintained a Po2 of> 300 mmHg. He remained awake and alert. Arterial blood (AB) for oxygen content was noted to be brown, and the diagnosis of methemoglobinemia was made. Blood for methemoglobin concentration showed an increase to 16% and 24% on two occasions(<1% WNL). Intravenous methylene blue (M.B.) was administered; 2 doses of 35 mg each (1 mg/kg ×2). Within 12 minutes of the second dose, the patient was pink, and after 22 minutes his oxygen saturation was 91%.


This research aims to know the value of the predictive quality metrics and standards-based test to measure learning expected in the field of mathematics, the modulus of linear equations. The unit of analysis was 39 students between 13 and 15 years. It is a longitudinal, quasi-experimental application, with sample related. The quality of a learning assessment test, it is important to improve the management planning process and curriculum of the teacher. From the findings, it can be stated that the construction of tests has a complex structure and prove a difficult task for teachers who are starting their working lives. Were found in the teacher training, curriculum planning and deficient in design, construction and validation of tests. It was found that a learning curriculum planning based on strategies, techniques and theoretical support learning activities with a positive impact on student learning. Parametric and nonparametric procedures based on the Classical Theory of Evaluation methodology have been a valid strategy to support the construction of evidence. Of the total group, change its initial 67.6% of those who lived pedagogical intervention.


The distribution of donated blood for medical purpose is an area that presents many challenges. In order to establish a comprehensive solution, the current patterns of distribution must be reviewed and problems related to it need to be clearly understood. This paper introduces 'Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) System', as a potential solution to some of the problems which arise in the process of blood supply distribution, and a way to systematically manage the blood supply. For the various possible RFID systems, the reader and tag must be suitable for the purpose of blood distribution. A database has been designed that can recognize tags and objects in a ubiquitous RFID blood distribution system. In this paper, we design the real-time software to control the RFID reader system and transponder, using the EEPROM memory by RFID. The experimental results confirm that the transmission rate of 3.9kbps for RF is 125 KHz. The electric power usage of transponder chip is , with the recognition distance is about 7cm range.


An experiment was carr ied out at Latif Experimental Farm, Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam during 2004, in order to assess the effect of tillage on soil physical properties growth and yield of maize under different sowing methods. The maize variety Akbar was planted on clay loam soil under three different methods ridge, drilling and broadcasting using RCBD. It was found that soil moisture content was higher in ridge sowing method as compared to other sowing methods. While bulk density and soil strength were relatively lower in ridge sowing plots as compared to seed drill and seed broadcasting plots. The results of agronomic observations revealed that plant height, nu mber of leaves/plant, nu mber of cobs/plant, dry cob weight, seed index, root length and total grai n yield/ha were superior in ridge sowing, the second best was seed drilling, while seed broadcasting was found to be less eff ective. Maize sown on ridges resulted in greater seed emergence 89%, plant height 155.1 cm, weight of hulled dry cob 177.67 g, de-hulled dry cob 127.53 g and seed index 198.26 g, which in turn caused greater grai n yield 6.35 t/ha, the next best was seed drilling, while see d broadcasting w as not eff ective as other two methods.


Chapter 3 pursues his speculations. Throughout his poetry Shelley returns obsessively to the different kinds of survival thought and sentiment might enjoy after death — an idea which lies behind many of the stranger incidents in his poetry. The chapter offers a selective overview of examples taken from the early 'Poems about Mary' (1810) to the late 'Ginevra' (1821). This chapter also examines the ways in which Shelley challenges any clear division between life and death, a recurring theme that is bound up with the charge of morbidity levelled against him by early critics.


With the odour sewage sludge and alternation substrate cultivate desulfurizing-bacteria which has high degrading capacity for S 2- .Under the condition of 28~30℃,pH2~3,with shaker rotary speed 180 r·min -1 ,the experiment researches the desulfurizing-bacteria of the growth curve,the max capacity of purifying S 2- and the degradation efficiency experiments on S 2- The result showed that the cultivated desulfurizing-bacteria was suitable to degrade sulfide and has good degrading capacity.Thus this may make base for the purification of Hydrogen Sulfide in Low Concentration by Biological Biofilter.


This study explored the ripple effect and consequences of correspondent banking de-risking on global financial inclusion and stability, with a specific focus on evidence from Europe. Driven primarily by increased compliance requirements and the need to mitigate risks associated with anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regulations, de-risking led to the termination of correspondent banking relationships with various countries and financial institutions. The research aimed to understand the implications of this phenomenon on financial integration, access to essential financial services, and the exacerbation of economic disparities among different regions and demographic groups in Europe. A descriptive research design approach was employed, mainly quantitative analysis of CBR data and regulatory changes. The findings demonstrated that de-risking had a significant negative impact on financial inclusion and stability, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, non-profit organizations, and marginalized communities. Moreover, the termination of CBRs disrupted the flow of remittances, trade finance, and development aid, and led to an increased reliance on less-regulated, informal channels, which in turn undermined the global AML/CFT regime and exacerbated financial crime and systemic risks. Based on these findings, the study recommended enhancing collaboration and coordination among regulatory authorities, financial institutions, and affected stakeholders to develop a harmonized regulatory framework across European countries, implement a risk-based approach, and establish a centralized information-sharing platform. Additionally, targeted capacity-building efforts, exploration of innovative financial solutions, and the development of financial inclusion strategies prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable segments of the population were recommended to counteract the negative effects of de-risking and promote financial inclusion and stability in Europe. Keywords: Correspondent banking de-risking, financial inclusion, global financial stability, anti-money laundering, combating the financing of terrorism


Photograph of David Collins standing with a guest in front of a UNT and Mayborn backdrop. He is holding the first place plaque for the Literary Excellence award, which he received for his book manuscript "Accidental Texas Activists: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and their Fight for Marriage Equality in the Lone Star State". The win granted him a provisional book contract with UNT Press and it was awarded to him at the Literary Lights Dinner during the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference. The dinner was held in the International Ballroom at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, Grapevine, TX.


With the rapid scale growing of VLSI circuits, simulation speed and efficiency of CAD tool SPICE have turned out to be a bottleneck. Real VLSI circuit design simulation becomes unbearably time-consuming and urgent is the need to increase its efficiency. The emergence and thriving of multi-core systems in recent years offer a promising solution strategy to this problem. Circuit partition is required to these strategies, but traditional partition algorithms encounter difficulties when facing VLSI circuits for parallel simulation. This paper presents an efficient circuit partition algorithm specially designed for VLSI circuit partition and parallel simulation. The algorithm is established on recognizing DCCB and SCC. Our algorithm shows preferable solution quality and speedup for real experimental circuit designs compared with traditional ones1.


The anatomical consequences revealed that the bulbourethral glands in Syrian hamsters are in the form of a pair of small, oval-shaped glands and have a white color, similar to the fruit of a pea, each gland has a single duct that flows into the urethra, and these glands are buried under the cavernous bulbar muscle on both sides of the urethra. The long , wide and weigh were respectively about 0.7 cm and 0.4 cm and 1 g. Histopathological outcomes presented that the bulbourethral glands are a complex tubular-alveolar gland, lined with simple columnar epithelium, these glands are multi-lobed, each lobe consists of small simple alveoli that are connected to each other directly or through narrow and short tube. The goal of this study to know more anatomical and histological information for this gland for its significant and important role in the sexual reproduction process.


Multi-epoch Chandra X-ray observations of nearby massive early-type galaxies open up the study of an important regime of low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) behavior — long term variability. In a companion paper, we report on the detection of 158 X-ray sources down to a detection/completeness limit of 0.6/1.4× 10 37 ergs s -1 using five Chandraobservations of NGC 4697, one of the nearest (11.3 Mpc), optically luminous (MB < -20), elliptical (E6) galaxy. In this paper, we report on the varia bility of LMXB candidates measured on timescales from seconds to years. At timescales of seconds to hours, we detect five sources with significant variability. Approximately 7% of sources show variability between any two observations, and 16± 4% of sources do not have a constant luminosity over all five observations. Among variable sources, we identify eleven transient candidates, with which we estimate that if all LMXBs in NGC 4697 are long-term transients then they are on for � 100 yr and have a 7% duty cycle. These numbers are consistent with those found for brighter LMXBs in M87 and NGC 1399, which suggests that there does not appear to be a measurable difference between the outburst durations of long-term transient neutron star LMXBs and black hole LMXBs. We discuss in detail a transient supersoft source, whose properties are not easi ly explained by standard explanations for supersoft sources. Subject headings: binaries: close — galaxies: elliptical and lenticular, cD — galaxies: star clusters — globular clusters: general — X-rays: binaries — X-rays: galaxies


Objective Angiofibroma is a highly vascular lesion for which a wide range of surgical approaches has been recommended. Irrespective of the approach, a significant and often rapid recurrence rate is reported in all major series.


Abstract This study addresses the problem of disposal and effective reuse of waste material, fly ash, and construction concrete debris in order to find an optimized solution for their bulk disposal...


Two mycophagous amoebae, Saccamoeba sp. and Gephyramoeba sp., reduced the colonization of pine roots in soil by the ectomycorrhizal fungus, Rhizopogon luteolus, when added at the same time as the fungus or 2 weeks later. Another mycophagous amoeba, an unidentified leptomyxid, was unable to do so. When seedlings were grown in sterilized soil amended with different population levels of Saccamoeba, 42 and 85 amoebae g soil−1 had no effect but large reductions in root colonization by R. luteolus occurred when 430 and 860 amoebae g soil−1 were added. After 4 weeks, however, the protozoa population increased to a similarly high level in all treatments irrespective of the numbers added initially. Our results indicate that protozoa can have a large effect on the establishment of inoculated symbiotic fungi and could markedly affect the microbial composition of the rhizosphere.


We show the results of analyses performed on high-energy gamma-ray emission during the impulsive phase of solar flares detected by the LAT using Pass 8 data. We compare results obtained with Pass 7 and Pass 8 data sets, using both LAT Low Energy and standard data classes. With a dedicated event selection, Pass 8 allows standard analysis during the impulsive phase: it has been designed to be less susceptible to pile-up in the LAT Anti-Coincidence Detector caused by the intense hard X-ray emission at early times.


The utility model provides a dedicated tool for processing a molded surface of a moving blade of a large-scale steam turbine set. The blade is arranged perpendicular to the processing direction of a cutter tool; one end of the blade is connected and mounted by a clamping part on the end surface of a turntable of a machine tool; the dedicated tool comprises a rotating device and a synchronous transmission device, wherein the rotating device is arranged at the other end of the blade, is corresponding to the end surface of the turntable of the machine tool and comprises a clamping device and a rack; the rack is fixedly arranged on a workbench of the machine tool for supporting the clamping device; the clamping device is connected with and used for mounting the blade; and the clamping device is connected with the turntable of the machine tool by the synchronous transmission device, and is provided with a rotating pair which rotates along a rotating center line of the turntable of the machine tool and has a rotating state consistent with that of the turntable of the machine tool. By adopting the dedicated tool for processing the molded surface of the moving blade of the large-scale steam turbine set, as the blade is processed on a vertical-type numerical control machining center, the disadvantages in the prior art can be overcome, and two sides of a workpiece can rotate at the same time during processing, so that vibration and deformation caused by the processing can be avoided, and processing precision and effect on processing the workpiece can be effectively ensured.


The purpose of the this text is to find an answer to the
question where Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia enjoys
the highest degree of support within the Czech Republic, and
whether this support has or has not been stable for the last
sixteen years. The basic data file is made up of election
results since 1990 compiled by district. The distribution
statistics such as rate of uneployment, suicides, divorces,
average wages, and religious faith. On this basis the text will
analyze the interdependence of electoral behaviour.


We examine cryptographic techniques for protecting voters from coercion not to vote in pollsite elections. Although many other works have evaluated the receipt-freeness of the ballots cast by voters, very few have considered the privacy issues arising from whether the voter attended the polling place at all. Our objectives are simple: to simultaneously protect against voter coercion and ballot stuffing. In our voter attendance verification scheme, any voter can verify whether their attendance has been counted (which indicates whether they voted or not), and any third party can verify the total number of voters that attended any given polling place on election day. To mitigate voter coercion, impersonation and disenffanchisement, our scheme requires the look-up of a public web bulletin board, but it does not require complex voter verification -- we simply expect the voters to check the consistency of the 1-bit secret integer that was assigned to them during registration. We prove the receipt-freeness property of our scheme to ensure that a voter (or a registered non-voter) when challenged by an adversary, can always produce a transcript that indicates either that they have attended, or if they prefer, that they have not attended their assigned polling place to vote.


We report on our measurement of the Boltzmann constant by Johnson noise thermometry (JNT) using an integrated quantum voltage noise source (IQVNS) that is fully implemented with superconducting integrated circuit technology. The IQVNS generates calculable pseudo white noise voltages to calibrate the JNT system. The thermal noise of a sensing resistor placed at the temperature of the triple point of water was measured precisely by the IQVNS-based JNT. We accumulated data of more than 429 200 s in total (over 6 d) and used the Akaike information criterion to estimate the fitting frequency range for the quadratic model to calculate the Boltzmann constant. Upon detailed evaluation of the uncertainty components, the experimentally obtained Boltzmann constant was k=1.3806436×10−23 J K−1 with a relative combined uncertainty of 10.22×10−6. The value of k is relatively −3.56×10−6 lower than the CODATA 2014 value (Mohr et al 2016 Rev. Mod. Phys. 88 035009).


Combination therapy with infliximab and anti-metabolites is an effective strategy for maintaining remission in patients with Crohn's disease (CD); however, the implications of long-term combination therapy has led clinicians to consider discontinuing one of the two agents after sustained remission has been achieved. The SPARE investigators have addressed this in an unblinded clinical trial in which 211 patients were randomised to either continuation of combination therapy, withdrawal of infliximab, or withdrawal of antimetabolite therapy. Here, we aimed to determine whether nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics analysis of patient sera at baseline could determine which patients randomised to infliximab withdrawal would relapse over 2-years on anti-metabolite monotherapy.

 The study cohort comprised patients randomised to infliximab cessation who had a serum aliquot available for analysis (n=63). All patients had been treated with a combination therapy of infliximab (IFX) and anti-metabolite >8 months and had been in sustained steroid-free remission >6 months. Disease relapse was defined by CDAI>250 (or between 150–250 with 70 points increase over two consecutive weeks) alongside serum CRP and faecal calprotectin levels. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was carried out using NMR spectroscopy. Key metabolites were identified by their variable importance in projection (VIP) score using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) with 10-fold cross-validation on independent data. Multiple logistic regression on the metabolites with highest VIP score was used to report a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve integral (AUC) value after collinear variables were removed.

 Of 63 patients, 21 (33%) relapsed. The mean time to relapse after infliximab discontinuation was 7.9 months. Four independent (multicollinearity R2<0.4) serum metabolites (alanine, glutamine, acetoacetate, glucose) identified relapse with an AUC of 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.74–0.94, p<0.0001). The positive predictive value was 66.7%, and the negative predictive value was 77.1%. All serum metabolites identified were independent of baseline CRP level (p>0.05, Pearson correlation). Patients who relapsed following infliximab discontinuation had significantly elevated serum acetoacetate and decreased alanine and glutamine levels (post-hoc students t-test, p<0.05) at baseline.

 Here, we identify a panel of serum metabolites independent of baseline serum CRP, which predict high risk of disease relapse after infliximab discontinuation. These data may help in stratifying patients suitable for drug withdrawal, together with other clinical and multi-omic parameters.


Two types of super absorbent polymers were synthesized from corn starch,wheat starch and acrylic acid under gama irradiation,without any initiator.The water absorption capacity of the super absorbent products were studied.The results indicated that the prepared polymer from wheat starch per gram could absorb 755g distilled water,249g tap water,and 80g 0.9% NaCl;and the polymer from corn starch per gram could absorb 747g distilled water,238g tap water,and 84g 0.9% NaCl.The absorption capacity of the two polymers was decreased quickly at first and then slow down with the concentration of NaCl solutions increased.The two polymers have similar absorption capacity in pH value between 4 and 11 for distilled water and at temperature between 4 and 60℃for distilled water.The two polymers have good water retention properties in high temperature and pressure conditions.


Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) has become the technology of choice for the current and future generation of wireless systems. We have implemented the CDMA IS-95 based Wireless Transceiver System using Matlab Simulink v 7.0. The entire system is implemented using the Xilinx System Generator Block v6.3. Even though the CDMA IS-95 system is already implemented in Simulink and is provided as a demo, there is no way of converting it into real Hardware. Using Xilinx System Generator we have made our implementation capable of being translated into any of the HDL codes. This can be then mapped onto appropriate FPGA easily. We have used the hardware co-simulation feature of the Xilinx System generator to create a library of the basic building blocks of the IS-95 system. This library can be used for implementing to create the various channels that are the part of the CDMA system.


This paper reviews the development course of rics straw based panel in China and points out coherent problems. Aimed at the problems,some proposals are presented.


Preventable chronic diseases are a major threat to health worldwide. Stephen Sugarman argues that setting targets for companies will produce innovative solutions, but Stig Pramming (doi:10.1136/bmj.a1761) believes collaboration is the best way to improve health


For prediction of red tide, an auto analysis system of seawater nutrients was designed,which simultaneously combined the functions of sampling seawater and reagent, chemi-cal reactions, measuring absorbance of samples, and cleaning pipes. Based on PROFIBUS-DP, embedded WINCE OS and MCGS, and PLC controlling system with fuzzy logictechnology, the accuracy and reliability of the auto analysis system were greatly improved.The requirements for in-situ monitor were fully satisfied.


Cotton is a perennial with an indeterminate growth habit and is very responsive to changes in environment and management. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) have been used to control growth and enhance yields. Plant growth regulators are organic compounds, other than nutrients that affect physiological processes of plants when applied in small concentrations. These compounds represent diverse chemistries and modes of action and provide numerous possibilities for altering crop growth and development. There is, however, a lack of published research on their use and mode of action in cotton. Their time of use extends from early season when they are applied in-furrow or as seed treatments at planting, to mid-season foliar applications and late in the season, preparing the crop for harvest. Overall benefits from PGR use in cotton include control of vegetative growth, yield enhancement, improved fiber quality and greater ease of harvest. More specific responses include alteration of carbon partitioning, greater root: shoot ratios, enhanced photosynthesis, altered nutrient uptake, improved water status and altered crop canopy shape. These responses are a reflection of the interaction of heritable characteristics, cultural inputs and environment. Because of this complex interaction, crop response to PGRs is not always predictable. Plant mapping techniques have been developed to monitor the crop growth and development, with specific emphasis on fruiting rates, fruit retention and distribution of fruit relative to PGR treatment. Increased boll retention at the earlyfruiting sites enhances crop maturity, allowing quicker harvest and improved lint quality. Strategies for using PGRs in cotton production include numerous options for beneficially modifying crop response to improve yield and crop management. Research has shown that PGRs can play a role in remedial management of stressed cotton. This may prove to be a valuable future management tool.


In the construction of highway, the quality of the filling material of roadbed is very important to the life of road transportation. Lime, flyash, and soil are mixed in the fixed proportion as the material for the roadbed, and it has high strength and good stability. But lime content in the mixture is the key factor to affect the strength and stability of roadbed. Therefore, how to control lime content reasonably and effectively in the mixture is a key link in the construction. Some methods of controlling the content of lime in limeflyash soil roadbed construction are discussed,combining engineering characteristics and actual circumstance, and which have some reference meaning for the roadbed construction.


Objective Corneal transplantation is the main option for the management of corneal blindness,but it is restricted by the shortage of donated corneas.This study was to investigate the awareness of cornea donation and the factors influencing the willingness of the donators among college students in Nanjing,so as to find a feasible way to improve the cornea donation program.Methods We conducted a questionnaire investigation among 930 randomly selected students from three universities in Nanjing concerning demographics and 12 questions regarding cornea donation.We evaluated the factors influencing the willingness to donate corneas by univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis.Results A total of 884 valid questionnaires were collected,with an eligibility rate of 95.1%.Most respondents had a poor knowledge about corneal donation,with statistically significant differences between medical and non-medical students(P0.05),but not in the total knowledge positive score(P=0.793).Only 36.9% of the respondents were willing to donate corneas,49.9% agreed to the legislation of cornea donation,and 89.7% objected paid donation.As for the factors influencing the willingness to donate corneas after death,logistic regression analysis revealed a correlation of the donation willingness with major and gender;medical students(OR=1.41;95% CI: 1.03-1.92;P=0.032) and females(OR=1.51;95% CI: 1.14-2.01;P=0.004) were more willing to donate corneas,while political status and region exhibited insignificant influences(P0.05).Conclusion Only a few college students,especially medical and female students,are willing to donate their corneas after death.Most of them agree to the legislation of cornea donation but object paid donations.Apart from the legislation of cornea donation,more effective medical education has to be carried out to spread the knowledge of cornea donation and cultivate unselfish spirit in the whole the society in order to improve the cornea donation program.


BACKGROUND Increased intestinal permeability, known as leaky gut syndrome, occurs when the intestinal lining of the gastrointestinal tract has been damaged. The influx of unwanted material in the bloodstream can induce an immune response releasing proinflammatory cytokines that have been thought to be correlated with dermatologic conditions. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the role of leaky gut in dermatological conditions. Methods PubMed and Embase were systematically searched through September 2020 for clinical studies that measured intestinal permeability in participants with a dermatological condition. RESULTS We identified 20 studies including participants with dermatitis herpetiformis, atopic dermatitis/eczema, systemic sclerosis, psoriasis, bullous pemphigoid, and pemphigus vulgaris/foliaceus. Atopic dermatitis was the most well studied. Studies utilized a range of measures of intestinal permeability, including sugar excretion tests and serum markers. For all disorders reviewed, except bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris/foliaceus, there was evidence of increased intestinal permeability in the disease state compared with controls. LIMITATIONS The range of methodology across clinical studies makes it difficult to draw conclusions across results. In addition, studies tended to be small, and only one study included an intervention to target leaky gut syndrome. CONCLUSIONS We have found preliminary evidence of a relationship between leaky gut and certain dermatological conditions.


We describe our statistical system for promoter recognitionn inn genomic DNA withh whichh we tookk part inn the Genome Annotationn Assessment Project (GASP1). We a ppliedd twoo versions of the system; the first uses a regionn basedd approachh towards tra nscriptionn start site identification, namely interpolatedd Markov chains, the secondd a hybridd approachh combining regions andd signals withinn a stochastic segment model. We compare the results of bothh versions withh eachh other andd examine how well the applicationn onn a genomi c scale compares too the results we previously obtainedd onn smaller data sets.


Rice bran is a by-product of milling rice from rice processing. Rice bran-based food is known to have been consumed since ancient times, especially in Central Java, Indonesia. This study aimed to investigate the existence and antioxidant activity of rice bran-based traditional foods and the consumer preferences for traditional bran-based foods by the younger generation. This study was carried out with several stages, including a literature study, existence test, antioxidant activity test, and preference test. The data collection technique in the existence test was conducted with the survey using observation and interviews. The antioxidant activity was tested using DPPH analysis. The preference test was conducted using the hedonic test. The results show that rice bran-based traditional foods in traditional markets still exist with the discovery of three traditional markets: Telukan market, Bekonang market, and Gawok market in Sukoharjo district, Central Java. The antioxidant activity of the three-rice bran-based traditional foods is relatively high. However, the consumer preference from the younger generation could be higher, with an average score below moderate regarding color, taste, aroma, and overall. Therefore, the future innovation and development of rice bran-based traditional foods.


Printing-press mathematics has not been left out by the digital era and is now evolving into an extended Web representation. Given the advantages of hypertext over a static paper article, a mathematical document is now enabled to contain not only a presentational representation, but also a semantic one. This is achieved by a second layer of representation that captures the meaning of the mathematics as an explicit formalism. Formats such as OPENMATH and CONTENT MATHML allow this on the formula level, while document formats such as OMDOC provide a full framework for creating semantic mathematical documents. A lot of effort has been invested into converting the existing sources of printing-press articles, and into creating add-on enhancements in order to use the same typesetting tools for creating digital document equivalents. LTEX is undoubtedly the most prominent of the printing-age typesetters and there have been a variety of attempts to convert its output to XHTML+MATHML. While these attempts focus on the presentational side of mathematics, what we discuss in this paper is an architecture that is converting LTEX documents to a semantically enhanced OMDOC representation. This framework carries out the task of automatic migration between knowledge representations and provides a generalized mechanism for semantic enrichment and disambiguation during the conversion process, creating state-of-the-art, semantics-oriented, digital mathematical documents.


Abstract Functional safety, as addressed in the standard IEC 61508, is a key requirement for a high dependability of controlled systems. In order to guarantee that the function of programmable logic controllers (PLC) complies with given safety specifications, the use of verification has proven to be useful. This contribution builds upon a recently proposed approach to verify PLC programs with time specifications. It starts from a controller design given as sequential function chart (SFC), transforms the SFC into timed automata (TA), and applies model checking to verify (or falsify) functional safety. Since the explicit representation of the cyclic operation mode of PLC can lead to complex TA models, this paper investigates to which extent the cyclic mode can be omitted, to obtain simplified models for which the verification effort is considerably smaller.


The selenium contents of 17 kinds of food in Changde were determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry method.The results showed that the selenium contents of mushroom,newhall navel orange,selenium-enriched red grapefruit,selenium-enriched citrus,selenium-enriched Drunk Golden Muscat grapes,selenium-enriched Goldfinger grapes,selenium-enriched Victoria grapes and selenium-enriched summer black grapes as well as black tea,Lengxi green tea,tea oil,selenium-enriched oil sunflower oil,selenium-enriched rice,selenium-enriched fragrant rice,selenium-enriched pork,red wine and selenium-enriched Chinese liquor were 0.400、0.010、0.023、0.017、0.398、1.159、0.448、0.555、0.430、0.363、0.093、0.037、1.000、1.296、0.134、0.535、0.106 mg/kg,respectively,which provides a theoretical basis for scientific quantitative selenium supplement.


After analyzing some defects in the existing modeling methods for inter-organizational processes,a formal modeling method for inter-organizationa1 workflow based on pi-calculus and EECA(Extended-ECA) rule is proposed.Firstly,the EECA rule,which extends in time,resolves the problems of ECA rules' deficient in describing complex process related to time,is presented.At the same time,the collaborated manner of the local workflow in the inter-organizational workflow is described by using the pi-calculus technology.Finally,the implementation process of the proposed model is analyzed and an example is provided to prove the flexibility of the proposed method.The proposed method works well in the collaboration among local workflow and appropriates for the modeling of distributed cooperative workflow systems.


Consumers constitute the vast majority of global terrestrial biodiversity. Yet, local consumer richness is poorly understood. Plant species richness offers a simple hypothesis to how the diversification of carbon substrates may promote the diversity of arthropods and fungi. We took this one step further and used databases on plant-consumer interaction links to derive the richness of associated biota per plant species (link score). Using a species inventory of 130 sites we investigated 1) how well the link score could be predicted by plant attributes and 2) if the sum of plant species' observed or predicted link scores could predict site richness of arthropods and macrofungi better than plant species richness alone. We found plant link scores to be positively related to plant size, abundance, nativeness and ectomycorrhizal status. Link based indices generally improved prediction of richness, stressing the importance of plants as niche space for the megadiverse groups of insects and fungi.


High-current operation of the back-lighted thyratron (BLT) switch is reported. The cathode emission mechanism and discharge formation characteristics common to BLT and pseudospark switches are described. The BLT switch is an optically triggered low-pressure diffuse discharge closing switch that operates at high currents with a self-heated cathode. Operation for square 150 ns pulses of 1-10.5 kA, 2.5-20 kV, <25 Hz, 45 ns risetime and a 500 ns capacitor discharge up to 82 kA at 25 kV including operation at 5 Hz, 17.5 kV, 60 kA is reported. The switch exhibits a risetime and peak current limit at low currents but no high current limit (up to 82 kA). The low current limit is explained as being due to an insufficient heating of the self-heated cathode.<<ETX>>


According to the theory of incompressible fluid,flow field in wind tunnel model was simulated by fluid simulation software after loading revised wind speed formula of entrance. It was proved to be reasonable by comparison of the experimental data and simulation results,modified wind tunnel model was also built and compared. The difference of wind energy utilization rates was obtained by the integral operation of entrance and exit velocity in the fluid domain. All calculated results show that modified model can be used to increase the air flow rate further and improve the wind energy utilization rate.


Reflective writing. Although the theoretical value of reflecting-on-action is clear, the clear dislike of exercises in written reflection by medical students and doctors of all levels of seniority raises questions about what value it truly adds. A research team from Keele recently completed a study that arose out of efforts to improve medical student engagement with a reflective writing exercise.1 Realist methodology was used to explain the disinclination of the majority to do written reflection on workplace feedback, and the benefits to the minority. Three summary theories emerged showing the importance of context. First, written reflection is effortful and benefits those who invest in it when they need to think more deeply about a learning event. Second, following a reflective feedback discussion, writing a reflection may add little because the learning has already taken place. Third, external motivation tends to result in writing a 'tick-box' reflection. The authors suggest that exercises in written reflection could be better targeted to need by being more student-led, both in timing and topic.


107  Abstract— This paper proposes, a technique which uses chaotic communication system combined with adaptive beamforming, for secure communications and to improve the system performance by mitigating interference. For secure communications, chaotic sequences are used. Many chaotic communication systems have been proposed, but most of them show a poor performance under realistic channel conditions (i.e. noise and multipath fading).This paper proposes a wireless communication structure based on two coupled chaotic systems. In order to enhance the error-rate performance of MIMO-OFDM system, adaptive beamforming is used. Evaluation and comparison of the performances of MIMOOFDM system in the AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise) channel, Rician fading channel and the Rayleigh fading channel are provided. Results are verified and analyzed for two cases, one when adaptive beamforming is used in the proposed system and second when adaptive beamforming is not used in the proposed system. Computer simulations are done to verify the performance of the proposed approach. A simulation tool with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) which implements these algorithms is also developed to provide ease in the execution.


Abstract This article reviews the literature on decodable text, instructional material containing words with phonically regular relationships that the reader has been taught. In doing so the work establishes a definition for decodability by consolidating previous quantitative and qualitative analyses of words in text and by examining other word features. In addition, the theoretical purposes of decodable text are inspected, as are the very few studies that specifically examine the effects of text decodability on readers. The findings of this review are synthesized into a theoretical model that suggests a specific developmental juncture in which decodable text may be useful. In suggesting future research the work concludes that additional analyses of words in text are not necessary. Instead research should focus on the following: 1) experimental examinations of readers' interactions with decodable text; 2) inspection of readers' behavior as they read text with varying degrees of decodability; and 3) operation of text decodability with readers of varying abilities.


Direct bonding of copper and porous LaCrO3 without an extra filler interlayer was successfully completed using local and fast Cu‐infiltration through laser cladding. This significantly reduced the susceptibility of the ceramic to cracking. A high‐speed camera investigation into the wetting and infiltration behavior of a Cu‐melt into LaCrO3 with a porosity of ~63 vol% was performed. By adjusting the focal distance with a constant laser power of 300 W, the Cu‐melt was rapidly infiltrated into the ceramic preform in 10 seconds. This was completed under atmospheric air conditions, without added inert gas. The joining process developed can be used to fabricate ceramic/metal joints with targeted (micro‐) structure properties by adjusting the infiltrated melt and the infiltration depth, which would be suitable for many applications, such as multifunctional devices, solid oxide fuel cells or heating elements.


In this paper, the neural network was developed to improve the dynamic scheduling of SARIA industry complex. This work implemented into two modules: modeling system by time calculation, the main purpose of this modeling is to calculate the total manufacturing times of the products. The second module is the neural network model architecture, constructed to hold a real-time optimization schedule to solve dynamic scheduling problems. The analytical model was built, including collection and manipulation of data, time calculations, and the neural networks model was formulated. Several training tests were carried out, then the dynamic scheduling was formulated. To assess the validity of the system and to investigate the efficiency and robustness of the system, the results were compared with those obtained from SARIA. The results reveal that the total time of products demand is easily calculated, and the system is agile to schedule any change that occurs in the demand, also the proposed system reduces 4 shift days for one demand. So the developed neural network leads to minimizing the total costs.


guidelines to assess anti-hypertensive medication response, to improve patient compliance with therapy and to evaluate white-coat hypertension [2–4]. However, self-home monitoring may also cause anxiety and lead to self-modification of treatment by patients. In our study, blood pressure was measured before every cycle of bevacizumab and utilized institution-approved automated blood pressure measurement devices in the oncology clinic to maintain consistency with the comparator retrospective arm. Most of the phase III clinical trials listed in Table 4 of our study did not report the frequency of assessment of blood pressure, except a study by Tol et al. which was detailed once every 3 weeks [5]. In addition, our study was an observational study designed to evaluate the safety of shorter infusions and the focus was not to change the current practice standards of blood pressure monitoring. We do agree with Coriat et al. that if ESH or NCI-CTC v4.0 hypertension classification was utilized, the incidence of hypertension would have been higher in our study. This is especially due to lower threshold for assessment of grade 1 hypertension based on the systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. However, we do not agree that it is a limitation of the study since the same instrument, NCI-CTC v3.0, was utilized to assess the incidence of hypertension in both prospective and retrospective arms of the study.


We describe our cover song detection system, as submitted to the MIREX 2007 Cover Song Detection evaluation. The system is developed from our 2006 MIREX system, which was the best-performing entry in last year's evaluation. Using the new "covers80" dataset of 80 pairs of songs and covers, we improve the overall detection from 42.5% to 67.5% through a collection of minor modificationsrelatingtocorrelationnormalization, tempotracking, andtemporalfilteringofthebeat-synchronouschroma representation.


The problem of optimum recognition of edges is examined from a matched filter perspective, and optimum edge filters are derived. It is shown that the common belief that good detection and good localization are in opposition is incorrect. Rather, there is a coupled relationship between detection and localization. Moreover, the performance of the linear matched filter for edge detection cannot be exceeded by any form of nonlinear filter. No assumption as to the shape of the edge or the form of the noise power spectrum is made other than that it is (locally) stationary. Consequently, the results are valid for any desired feature to be detected, including step, ramp and roof edges. Under conditions of white noise and a Gaussian signal form, the one-dimension Marr-Hildreth edge operator approximates to the optimum. However, in two dimensions, this is not so, since optimum 2-D operators are radially asymmetric. A noise analysis of machine vision cameras is included.


The development of a new class of passive vibration and acoustic suppression systems is presented. The approach is to transfer the energy from one mechanical system to another using reversible piezoelectric transducers connected with a passive electric circuit. Response of the first system is suppressed while exciting the response of the second system. The two mechanical systems can be physically separated structures, or different mechanical modes of a single structure. The passive electric circuit is a network containing diodes and/or transistors switched from the piezoelectric voltages. Reductions of 25% in the response of the directly excited system have been shown. This approach is an improvement over a passive shunt technique in that the typically heavy inductor in the electrical shunt is replaced with an existing system mechanical impedance. It also has the advantage over active control techniques in that an external power source is not required and there is no possibility to add energy to the syste...


In order to solve the problem of image color recognition, this paper proposes a method of image color recognition and optimization based on deep learning and designs a postprocessing framework based on word bag model (bow). The framework uses CNN features and calculates feature similarity. The image sets with high similarity are input into the image classifier trained by bow clustering model as the preliminary retrieval results. The retrieval results are the categories with the largest number of images. The experimental results show that the image retrieval accuracy of the framework is 90.4% based on the same data set and classification category, which is 10% higher than the image retrieval algorithm based on CNN features. Conclusion. The color matching degree between the image color and the image to be retrieved has been greatly improved.


Subtitle: A strong recovery and capacity constraint have been good news for cargo so far this year--but can the brighter bulletins continue?


In this paper,the characterization of homomorphisms of the continuous lattices by means of the directed mininal sets has been given,an d the two corresponding extended theorems have been made.


While Tahrir Square has become the iconic space—open, exuberant, jam-packed with power, bristling with possibilities—for the wave of rebellions sweeping the globe since 2011, another space has opened up in tandem over the past years, far away from hot Cairo, on the northern summit of the planet: the blue Arctic Sea. Almost with the same regularity as a ruler is toppled from Tahrir, a record-small ice cover is now reported from the Arctic. Is there any relation between the two spirals? Are there connections—visible, invisible—linking global unrest and global warming in a long, disorderly slide of generalized upheaval? Is climate change already present in the groundswell of grievances driving revolutions in the Arab Middle East and revolts in other parts of the world—and if so, what does it mean for their prospects of success? Can there be traffic in the other direction, from Tahrir to the Arctic? That is to say, can the mass mobilizations of the kind we have witnessed since 2011 intervene in the planetary fate and shut down business-as-usual?


Now a days as compare to power resources power demand grows and energy cost is also increasing at constant rate. To reduce power consumption in entire network infrastructure lots of research developed. In this approach the solution to save energy is explain. In this approach Energy Saving IP Routing strategy is define. ESIR strategy work with Open Shortest Path First protocol. This strategy is useful for Internet Service Provider (ISP) backbone network. This strategy finds the shortest path between neighboring routers by using SPT exportation mechanism. Another mechanism defines in this approach which is known as Maximum Set of Compatible Moves. This approach saves the energy by using all this above mechanism and also with the help of putting the node in sleep mode instead of completely removing such node. This strategy provides energy solution with quality of services (QoS). The proposed system implement algorithm to switch off the link according to traffic variation.


The prevention of node capture attack is an important issue for wireless sensor network (WSN) security. Key management plays a crucial role in providing secure communication among the sensor nodes. The resilience of the key management scheme used by the WSN for secure communication is considered as a performance metric. During a node capture attack, the keying material gets revealed leading to further compromise of other non-compromised nodes/links. The resistance of key management scheme reduces as the number of captured nodes increases degrading security of the network. This paper addresses minimization of node capture and proposes an improved hybrid key management scheme for it. The scheme uses cryptographic hash function to reduce the number of additional compromised links and thus, the resistance against node capture is improved. We have also evaluated our scheme analytically and results obtained show that it gives better resilience against node capture as compared to other existing schemes.


The works on trigonometry, that is to say " Triangle Measurement" , go back to the Egyptians and the Babylonians. In Greece, Autolycos of Pitane1 (forth century B. C.), Aristarchos of Sam os2 (third century B. C.), Hiparchos3 (second century B.C.) and Heron of Alexandria (first century A.D.) are the forrunners of trigonometry. The Spherics o f Menalaos of Alexandria (first century A.D.) are, in fact a treatise on spherical trigonometry. As we come to Ptolemaus (second century A .D .), like other Greek vvriters, he used chords and extended the table of chord. In the West when the period of regression began, the Hindus produced Siddhantas appearently based on the Greek works. The Surya Siddhânta of Surya (tenth century A.D.) is the only one vvhich seems to be completely extant. The most important feature of this treatise is the use of sines, instead of chords and versed sines, The Paulisa Siddhânta is equally important in the History of Trigonom etry.4 Later in Islâm, Al-Battânî al-Şâbiî (858-929 A.D.), the greatest astronomer of his time, used sines regularly vvith a clear consciousness of their superiorty över the Greek chords. He also introduced tangents


Abstract : The report covers the design, development, and the U.S. Navy Service Qualification Program conducted on the NES-21A personnel parachute assembly designed for use in ejection seats of U.S. Navy T-33B and QT-33A aircraft. The NES-21A design objective was to provide a retrofitable replacement for the existing NS-3 personnel parachute assembly which would operate with a decreased opening time. This factor would improve aircrew survivability in the low speed, zero altitude operational envelope. This improvement was accomplished principally by the incorporation of a 40-inch diameter internal pilot chute and main canopy PDVL (Pull Down Vent Lines). The NES-21A parachute assembly will perform satisfactorily as presently designed at 90 KTAS (Knots True Airspeed) and above, for ground level and higher altitude ejections.


This paper reviews the extent of use, reliability, validity, and potential problems of five selection screening devices — reference checks, background investigations, medical exams, drug tests, and polygraph tests. Additionally, federal court cases involving the five devices from 1978 to the present were identified and content analyzed. Data is reported on: 1) the relative frequency of legal challenges associated with the five screening devices, 2) the outcomes of the legal challenges, 3) the types of charges (e. g., race, sex, age, national origin, or handicap) involved in the cases, and 4) the job types and organization types associated with the legal challenges. The results of the study suggest that the use of background investigations and reference checks may be legally risky. Also, protective service positions and city government organizations seem to be relatively more prone to litigation.


We have for years employed a glass dropper with the small end placed in a short rubber tube, as a routine part of home treatment in all forms of suppuration of the middle ear. The power is supplied by the mouth of the patient, if old enough, or by a member of the family. A rubber bulb can be used also, but this does not regulate the vacuum so well as the mouth. The vacuum and dry mopping are used alternately several times daily until the ear is dried at each treatment. This is one of the most satisfactory factors we possess in the treatment of cases of suppuration.


PurposeIn the era of digitization, blockchain technology (BCT) has gained huge attraction in a variety of business processes including operations and supply chains (SC) of different industrial sectors. This paper aims that the adoption of BCT in SC enables the industries to integrate the stakeholders and its distinct features enhance the performance of SC.Design/methodology/approachAn attempt is made to develop a BCT platform a pilot case of bearing-SC and identify the challenges and their solutions in the integration of BCT with SC. Moreover, the impact of BCT on measures of SC performance is also studied.FindingsThe results show enhanced transparency in the transactions, better security of the data, diminished latency period for transfer of information, improved traceability of the bearing, reduced time for payment transfer process and decreased nonvalue-added activities. Ultimately, overall trust of the customer can be improved by the integration of BCT in bearing-SC.Originality/valueIn the same way, BCT can be applied to SC of other components to assure the product quality to the end-users.


ABSTRACT Many industries and commercial operations depend on steam to provide thermal energy. Most small- to medium-sized installations are configured on low-pressure packaged boilers. These facilities cannot always use the same energy conservation measures (ECMs) as larger plants, and the application of an economizer is often overlooked. Economizers are frequently used to heat feedwater in large, high-pressure boiler plants and are an effective means to recover waste heat from flue gas. Considerable energy can be recovered, although it is normal to limit this practice to sensible cooling only. This prevents the formation of condensate and reduces the potential for any degradation of the boiler stack or economizer itself, though a significant amount of latent heat is lost. Economizers are not often used with small packaged boilers because the flue gas temperatures tend to be lower and the potential for heat recovery is limited. If designed appropriately, condensing economizers can alleviate these shortcom...


The relaxation and hysteresis of a periodically forced Swift-Hohenberg (SH) equation as a phenomenological model for the magnetic domains of a garnet thin film in an oscillating magnetic field are studied. It is already known that the unforced SH equation settles down to as ingle type of spatial structure called as tripe pattern, and that the relaxation process yields a scaling law for the structure factor. Two types of temporally oscillating spatial structure consisting of stripe and polka-dot patterns have also been asymptotically observed in the case of a periodically forced SH equation. Relaxation scaling behaviors are studied for these two patterns. It is also shown for the forced case that a hysteresis is observed in the vicinity of the boundary between two different spatial patterns in the phase diagram. Subject Index: 051


Alkenones (C37–C40) are highly specific biomarkers produced by certain haptophyte algae in ocean and lacustrine environments and have been widely used for paleoclimate studies. Unusual shorter‐chain alkenones (SCA; e.g., C35 and C36) have been found in environmental and culture samples, but the origin and structure of these compounds are much less understood. The marine alkenone producer, Emiliania huxleyi CCMP2758 strain, was reported with abundant C35:2Me (∆12, 19) alkenones when cultured at 15°C (Prahl et al. 2006). Here we show, when this strain is cultured at 4°C–10°C, that CCMP2758 produces abundant C35:3Me, C36:3Me, and small amounts of C36:3Et alkenones with unusual double‐bond positions of ∆7, 12, 19. We determine the double‐bond positions of the C35:3Me and C36:3Me alkenones by GC‐MS analysis of the dimethyl disulfide and cyclobutylamine derivatives, and we provide the first temperature calibrations based on the unsaturation ratios of the C35 and C36 alkenones. Previous studies have found C35:2Me (∆14, 19) and C36:2Et (∆14, 19) alkenones with three‐methylene interruption in the Black Sea sediments, but this is the first reported instance of alkenones with a mixed three‐ and five‐methylene interruption configuration in the double‐bond positions. The discovery of these alkenones allows us to propose a novel biosynthetic scheme, termed the SCA biosynthesis pathway, that simultaneously rationalizes the formation of both the C35:3Me (∆7, 12, 19) alkenone in our culture and the ∆14, 19 Black Sea type alkenones without invoking new desaturases for the unusual double‐bond positions.


Triplet state cis-trans photoisomerizations of olefins is the theme of this thesis, and the goal is to make the isomerizations as efficient as possible. The shape of the triplet potential energy surface (T 1 PES) is essential for this, and the possibility of calculating these T 1 PESs for two smaller olefins, using the computationally inexpensive density functional theory (DFT) methods, was investigated. Both pure gradient corrected and hybrid DFT methods were found to give a good agreement with experimental values and results from high-quality ab initio methods. Further investigations showed that DFT methods could also be applied to larger olefins with equally good results. Furthermore, these calculations of triplet energies, T 1 PESs, geometries and spin densities of olefins with different substituents give valuable information about the electronic aspects that are important for isomerization. The calculations also showed that there is a relationship between the aromaticity/anti-aromaticity of the olefinic substituent and the shape of the T 1 PES. The experimental work was focused on catalysis of cis-trans isomerizations. First, the cis-trans isomerization of 8-(3,5-di- tert -butylstyryl)fluoranthene was catalyzed using camphorquinone as a sensitizer and acridine as the catalyst. The quantum yields were found to increase as the concentration of catalyst rose, until a maximum was reached, after which the isomerization rate declined. When acridine is used, a more efficient quantum chain process is achieved: the quantum efficiency increases 5.5 times. The isomerizations of stilbene derivatives in the presence of zinc porphyrins were also investigated. Catalytic behavior similar to that noted above was found, but in this example a complex is involved; reverse triplet energy transfer within the complex, as well as triplet energy transfer between complexes, can account for this type of catalysis. A quantum yield of about 85 can be reached in this case.


Abstract We performed morphological and molecular studies of Laurencia catarinensis from the Canary Islands. This species has an entangled habit, cushion-like tuft formation, cortical cell walls, slightly to markedly projecting near the apex, and lacking lenticular thickenings in medullary cells. We inferred its phylogenetic position by analyzing the chloroplast-encoded rbc L gene sequences from 41 samples. The results demonstrate that specimens of L. catarinensis from the Canary Islands, where it is referred to as L. intricata, and those from Brazil (including specimens from the type locality in Santa Catarina) form a monophyletic clade with low genetic divergence (0–0.9%). In contrast, specimens of L. intricata from the type locality in Cuba, Mexico, and the USA were clearly distinct from L. catarinensis collected in Brazil and the Canary Islands, as shown by high genetic divergence values (4.9–5.7%). The type material of L. catarinensis from Brazil allowed us to identify all samples from the Canarian Archipelago as L. catarinensis. These findings expand the known geographical distribution of L. catarinensis to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and demonstrate an amphi-Atlantic distribution of the species.


The identification of Philistine Gath with Tell eṣ-Ṣafi has met with widespread, though not complete, acceptance. The present study argues for using historical geography not only to identify the site but also to reconstruct the socioenvironmental context and geopolitical history. In the present case, Tell eṣ-Safi's history is shaped by its position along the international highway, by its location on the fertile Philistine Alluvial Basin, and by its junction with an important local route leading into the hill country and Jerusalem. These factors confirm its identification with Gath while at the same time illuminating the geopolitical interaction between the coastal plain and the hill country in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages.


Cross sections and thick-target recoil properties of five nuclides with A=131 as well as those of a number of neighboring nuclides have been determined for the interaction of $sup 197$Au with 11.5-GeV protons. The charge dispersion at A=131 has a single peak at Z/subA/-Z=-3.5 and the total isobaric cross section is 8.9plus-or-minus0.8 mb. The ranges indicate that only approx.2% of this value can be ascribed to fission, the bulk of the cross section involving a deep spallation process. Similar data have been obtained at 300 GeV. Within the limits of error the results are the same at both energies. The systematics of deep spallation reactions are examined.


Haem oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) is an inducible enzyme that participates in haem degradation. Recent studies have indicated that HO‐1 activation may play a role in tumour development and progression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of HO‐1 in thyroid cancer and its clinicopathological significance.


Existing person re-identification (re-id) models mainly focus on still-image-based module, namely matching person images across non-overlapping camera views. Since video sequence contains much more information than still images and can be easily achieved by tracking algorithms in practical applications, the video re-id has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Distance learning is crucial for a re-id system. However, the computed distances in traditional video-based methods are easily distracted by the randomness of data distribution, especially with small sample size for training. To preferably distinguish different people, a novel regularised hull distance learning video-based person re-id method is proposed. It is advantageous in two aspects: robustness is guaranteed due to expanded video samples by regularised affine hull with limited ones, discriminability is ensured due to penalised hard negative samples more severely. Hence, the discriminability and robustness of the learnt metric are strengthened. Comparisons with the state-of-the-art video-based methods as well as related methods on PRID 2011, iLIDS-VID and MARS datasets demonstrate the superiority of the authors' method.


A chemically modified electrode (CME) prepared by mixing cobalt(II, III) oxide and carbon paste, greatly reduces the overvoltage for the oxidation of various biologically important compounds, such as sugars, hydrogen peroxide, and cysteine. The new electrocatalytic surface facilitates the amperometric detection of these compounds in flowing streams. The modified electrode is very stable, can be easily renewed, and gives reproducible results. Application for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in milk is demonstrated.


Objectives:To evaluate the clinical application of retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery for adrenal diseases. Methods: Twelve patients with adrenal diseases underwent laparoscopic surgery by the retroperitoneal approach. Of the 12 cases, 8 were on the left side and 4 on the right. There were 6 cases of primary aldosteronism, 2 cases of Cushing's syndrome (1 adrenal adenoma and 1 cortex hyperplasia), 2 cases of nonfunctional adenoma, 1 case of myelolipoma, and 1 case of pheochromocytoma. Results: All operations were performed successfully. There were no severe intra- and postoperative complications such as diaphragm damage, wound infection and subcutaneous emphysema. The mean operative time for the first 6 procedures was 172 minutes and 147 minutes for the second 6 ones. The average postoperative hospital day was 5.6 days. Conclusions:Comparing to the open surgery, laparoscopic adrenalectomy via the retroperitoneal approach has advantages of minimal morbidity, small incision and rapid recovery. This method could be considered as an alternative treatmant for adrenal diseases.


Abstract It is argued that the Peach-Koehler force on a disclination in a nematic liquid crystal is, unlike its namesake for a dislocation in a solid, not a fictitious configurational force, but a real force which, for equilibrium, must be balanced by an external force applied to the singular line. Formally this is a consequence of the near identity of the Ericksen stress and the appropriate energy-momentum tensor.


Uruguay is undertaking a countrywide deployment of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative, named Plan Ceibal. The technical challenges imposed by this project are both the computing infrastructure, involving the XO laptop distribution to every scholar in addition to the maintenance of a distributed server platform, and wireless communication infrastructure. Rural and semi-rural areas were covered in the first stage of the project, 2008, using a hot-spot wireless deployment strategy, due to the lack of networking infrastructure in these areas. Urban areas, particularly in Montevideo, the capital city, will be addressed in a second stage, where, in order to perform a successful deployment, several issues need to be considered. At this point different scenarios must be studied, therefore network models and software that allows their evaluation at laboratory environment, are needed. With the use of simulators, key networking parameters were tested, such as distance, rates, number of radio interfaces, aiming to reveal how these parameters are related to the network performance (particularly the throughput), and how much each one affects the network models alternatives. In this paper we present the result of the analysis of different network infrastructure models.


Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) arising within autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is rare. The detection of this complication in patients with ADPKD is difficult owing to the nonspecific symptoms. Here, we describe a case of a young woman who presented with RCC in the background of ADPKD. She had radical nephrectomy, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.


The Android operating system powers the majority of the world's mobile devices and has been becoming increasingly important in day-to-day digital forensics. Therefore, technicians and analysts are in need of reliable methods for extracting and analyzing memory images from live Android systems. This paper takes different existing, extraction methods and derives a universal, reproducible, reliably documented method for both extraction and analysis. In addition the VOLIX II front-end for the Volatility Framework is extended with additional functionality to make the analysis of Android memory images easier for technically non-adept


The present invention relates to a patient classification method and system for determining a treatment plan for prioritization to assess the severity score for each of the wounded, and to maximize the number of survivors. The invention resources - as including a mathematical algorithm that is based on the score on the restrictive triage, optimal number of survivors method that is modeled mathematically can be calculated, injured survival probability of the injury, deterioration rates and resource It is measured by a method to consider the availability. First, to evaluate each injured, evaluates RPM severity score based on a sum of the code values for the respiratory rate, pulse rate, and optimum movement reactivity. Then, in view of the availability and the timing of the passage of time harakyul and transport and treatment services for each RPM score for the probability of survival and the conveying and treatment pending injuries associated with each RPM score, analytical or mathematical techniques, for example, dynamic or linear to determine priorities of care through programming.


In Self-contained flat, ca.  (cover image), the Northern Irish artist Gerard Dillon presents himself inhabiting a domestic space of his own creation. Depicting the basement flat of his sister's house in London, where he lived from  to , the painting is divided into three sections, each featuring a self-portrait.The images of Dillon entering the living room and in the garden represent the public narrative of daily life, while the third portrait is located in the private realm of the bedroom. Dressed in the knitted sweater and loose trousers adopted from the west of Ireland fishermen, the central figure provides a distinct contrast to the self-consciously modern image in the foreground, whose green face and bohemian dress mark him as other.1 The central figure enters a room containing Dillon's decorator tools, canvases, and a statue of the Madonna, while the self-portrait in the foreground inhabits a space dominated by paintings and a sleeping nude (back cover).2 This sleeping figure can be related to the female nude in Paul Gauguin'sManaoTupapau,


In the modern world there is a growing need for innovative medicines, vaccines, biologicals, diagnostics and gene therapy, especially now that people are aging and more and more microorganisms are becoming resistant to traditional medicines. That is why, the national innovation system of the pharmaceutical market is defined, first of all, as an achievement in biotechnology. And it is no accident that the chemical paradigm for creating drugs is gradually being replaced by a biotechnological paradigm. For example, effective medicines are available today that help defeat diseases that were considered incurable 10-20 years ago. However, despite the fact that science is rapidly progressing today and scientific discoveries are running far ahead, the pace of development and promotion of new drugs for patients who need them remains quite slow. In the world there are a huge number of diseases and conditions for which an effective treatment has not yet been developed. The emergence of new, more effective therapies and drugs is vital. That is, in the modern world there is an increasing interest in the possibilities of developing significant new treatment methods. And most countries support health research and development, and as a result, several important discoveries have taken place in basic biomedical research. In addition, the promotion of an innovation system requires the use of a legislative methodology that allows us to compare the domestic innovation system with the innovation systems of developed countries. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the pharmaceutical market. So, each innovative drug has its own life cycle, which on average can last 10 - 15 years and, in addition to time, requires significant financial costs. Billions of dollars are invested in research and development of one drug, and the lion's share of them falls precisely on providing evidence of the quality, safety and effectiveness of the drug through clinical trials.


17 Separating recyclables from municipal solid waste (MSW) before collection reduces not only the 18 quantity of MSW which needs to be treated, but also the depletion of resources. However, the 19 participation of residents is essential for a successful recycling program, and the level of 20 participation usually depends on the degree of convenience associated with accessing recycling 21 collection points. The residential accessing convenience (RAC) of a collection plan is determined 22 by the proximity of its collection points to all residents and its temporal flexibility in response to 23 resident requirements. The degree of proximity to all residents is determined by using a coverage 24 radius that represents the maximum distance residents need to travel to access a recycling point. 25 The temporal flexibility is assessed by the availability of proximal recycling points at times 26 suitable to the lifestyles of all residents concerned. In Taiwan, the MSW collection is 27 implemented at fixed locations and at fixed times. Residents must deposit their garbage directly 28 into the collection vehicle. To facilitate the assignment of collection vehicles and to encourage 29 residents to separate their recyclables thoroughly, in Taiwan MSW and recyclable materials are 30 usually collected at the same time by different vehicles. A heuristic procedure including an 31 integer programming (IP) model and ant colony optimization (ACO) is explored in this study to 32


Absorption and laser‐induced fluorescence spectra of the iodine molecule are compared as sources of molecular constants. The comparative simplicity of the fluorescence spectrum and the increased precision provide a vivid and direct understanding of the iodine molecular ground state.


Abstract Historically, the origin of libraries has an intimate association with written records supporting administrative or ritual functions at the palace or temple. This article seeks to discuss the possibility of the existence of China's first library in the Shang dynasty (c. 1570–1045 bce) during the beginning of the formative period of Chinese civilisation. The article analyses and synthesises both palaeographical and archaeological evidence from the perspective of available materials, housing, and arrangement, answering the questions of what the books were made of, where they were stored, and how they were arranged. The article ends with the conclusion that there is a likelihood that China's first library may have existed in the Shang dynasty, building on a strong technical foundation. The article also points out that the exploration of China's first library is an ongoing process which will consider new palaeographical and archaeological discoveries in the future.


This paper deals with the results on the reconstruction accuracy of the irregularly sampled discrete-time signal (DTS) with unknown sampling locations. Reconstruction is performed by means of special reconstruction algorithms based on the sampling locations estimation. Comparison is done for results of estimation of the algorithms accuracy and accuracy of signal reconstruction by means of interpolation using the fast Fourier transform (FFT). The results show that the accuracy of the studied model DTS reconstruction when using proposed algorithms appear to be higher under the uniform distribution law of jitter as well as for the normal one.


Abstract Some of the problems that affect the usefulness of HPLC-analysis of PTH-amino acids have been examined. Four different C18-reversed phase packings have been tested, together with different mobile phases. The separation problems of the Met/Val-group, the Phe/Leu/Ile/Lys-group and of the basic amino acids His and Arg on the reversed phase packings have been examined and solutions to some of the problems have been demonstrated. The sensitivity of the quantitative analysis of amino acids from a hydrolysate was determined.


Modern society is characterized by the use of information and communication technologies. Older adults are believed to face challenges while learning to use new technologies but there is very limited understanding of what those challenges are or how they should be overcome. In this paper, we present findings from a literature review of 22 articles conducted to a) identify challenges that older adults face learning digital skills, and b) understand older adults' reactions in response to learning challenges. The findings indicate that older adults mainly face five types of challenges in learning digital skills: 1) age-related barriers, 2) problems related to technology features or design, 3) perceptions of low self-efficacy, 4) negative societal attitude, and 5) complexity of training materials. The findings also indicate that facing and trying to overcome the challenges result in negative emotions like fear and anxiety which are detrimental to gaining confidence in technology use. We identify opportunities to improve digital skills training so that older adults can benefit from confident use of new technology.


The medtech sales have been improved since 2015, with around 5% annual increase in the medical devices and technology globally. There are expectations for such growth, which was $370 billion in 2015 to reach $530 billion in 2022 [1]. Different medical devices are designed for the treatment of different organs (e.g., lung, neurons, skin, heart and bones), drug delivery, diagnostics and in the designing of surgical devices. However, there is still a long journey for creating the materials which can achieve the optimal properties for [1] the repairing of each organ, [2] providing the optimum condition for the delivery of different therapeutic molecules, whether this is locally or systemically, [3] giving the most accurate results for diagnosis as well as [4] providing the ideal properties for using in minimally invasive surgeries.


Selecting the best salt form for an ionizable drug is of paramount importance in pharmaceutical development of new chemical entities. This topic has been reviewed (1,2), and in more recent years, a small-scale method, termed in situ salt screening, was outlined (3,4). The method involves adding excess free base in acid solutions, measuring solubility and crystallinity, and conducting microscopic evaluation. Typically less than 50 mg of drug substance can be readily screened for approximately six salt forms, which makes the method extremely valuable for the early development of new chemical entities where compound supply may be limited. Moreover, the method can reduce the number of salts that a chemist needs to prepare, because only a couple of salts may have sufficient solubility to be considered for further study. In situ salt screening requires calculation of aqueous solubility from a measurement of solubility in acidic media, i.e., in the presence of excess counter ion. The common ion effect of the counter ion reduces the solubility in the acidic medium, but when appropriate calculations are used, it is possible to extract the water solubility of the salt. The calculation scheme was previously outlined (4) for a monobasic drug in a monoprotic acid, and, in this article, a generalized analysis is presented for a multibasic drug in a multiprotic acid. Considering that in


The present invention discloses a method for preparing rock Dracocephalum tea. Comprising the steps of: September 7, started from the harvested leaf Dracocephalum bluegrass, storage 0 ~ 8 ℃, to wash classification heteroaryl; fixing steam above 100 ℃, 7 ~ 15min, then spread out; dehydrated with hot air, aqueous 45 to 55% by mass, and then cut into 1.5 ~ 2.5cm; rolling the product temperature 35 ~ 45 ℃ 20 ~ 40min; then fermented by pile, pile temperature of 25 ~ 35 ℃, humidity of 85 ~ 95%, water content ~ 55 60%, the fermentation 18 ~ 26h, so that the material color was yellow brown or dark brown; rinsed 2 times with water, and dried to a moisture content of 3-5%; at 5.5 to 7.5 standard atmospheric pressure, using a mold after press molding packaging , ie finished. The product of the present invention intact rock Dracocephalum nutrients and beneficial ingredients, easy to carry, easy method, without using an adhesive and a release agent a press molding, easy industrial production.


A numerical procedure is given for the computation of the reflection and transmission of two‐dimensional, long‐time harmonic waves in natural fluid basins.


When evaluation began to flourish in the 1960s, evaluators of the period knew that evaluations were commissioned by political actors (e.g., members of legislatures, superintendents), but they had little awareness that evaluation itself was in some sense a political activity. Yet evaluators are not mere observers of the social and educational scene--they are not "innocent bystanders." Evaluators intervene, they ask questions, they collect data, they open up programs and subject things within them to scrutiny, and they make recommendations. All of these activities involve interaction with programs and program personnel, and of course with decision makers; and potentially, then, evaluators can have influence over people's professional and even private lives. A related difficulty for evaluators was to appreciate the manner in which individuals who play political roles actually make decisions. The most widely held view was the "rational model" of decision making. According to this view a problem is identified, data are collected, and a decision is made more or less mechanically on the basis of the data. Thus, according to this model, a decision about the fate of a program would be made by identifying the goals, by gathering data to see if these goals were achieved, and if they were, the program would be continued, otherwise not. Starting about 1970, Carol Weiss produced a series of influential papers that challenged this view. While not arguing that decision makers in politicized contexts were irrational, she argued that they had concerns and interests that made the rational model seem naive. She also sensitized the evaluation community to the political nature of their own activities.


The cycloadditions of methyl diazoacetate to 2,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)fumaronitrile ((E)-BTE) and 2,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)maleonitrile ((Z)-BTE) furnish the 4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazoles 13. The retention of dipolarophile configuration proceeds for (E)-BTE with > 99.93% and for (Z)-BTE with > 99.8% (CDCl3, 25°), suggesting concertedness. Base catalysis (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO), proton sponge) converts the cycloadducts, trans-13 and cis-13, to a 94 : 6 equilibrium mixture (CDCl3, r.t.); the first step is N-deprotonation, since reaction with methyl fluorosulfonate affords the 4,5-dihydro-1-methyl-1H-pyrazoles. Competing with the cis/trans isomerization of 13 is the formation of a bis(dehydrofluoro) dimer (two diastereoisomers), the structure of which was elucidated by IR, 19F-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The reaction slows when DABCO is bound by HF, but F− as base keeps the conversion to 22 going and binds HF. The diazo group in 22 suggests a common intermediate for cis/trans isomerization of 13 and conversion to 22: reversible ring opening of N-deprotonated 13 provides 18, a derivative of methyl diazoacetate with a carbanionic substituent. Mechanistic comparison with the reaction of diazomethane and dimethyl 2,3-dicyanofumarate, a related tetra-acceptor-ethylene, brings to light unanticipated divergencies.