In this paper, we introduce two new multiobjective optimization techniques based on the genetic algorithm (GA), and two engineering design problems are solved using them. These methods are based in the concept of min-max optimum, and can produce the Pareto set and the best trade-oo among the objectives. The results produced by these approaches are compared to those produced with other mathematical programming techniques and GA-based approaches using a multiobjective optimization tool called MOSES (Multiobjective Optimization of Systems in the Engineering Sciences). This tool, developed by the authors, is a convenient testbed for analyzing the performance of new and existing multicriteria optimization techniques, and it is an eeective engineering design tool. The two new multiobjective optimization techniques generate better trade-oos than any of the approaches previously reported in the literature.


We present Malafide, a universal adversarial attack against automatic speaker verification (ASV) spoofing countermeasures (CMs). By introducing convolutional noise using an optimised linear time-invariant filter, Malafide attacks can be used to compromise CM reliability while preserving other speech attributes such as quality and the speaker's voice. In contrast to other adversarial attacks proposed recently, Malafide filters are optimised independently of the input utterance and duration, are tuned instead to the underlying spoofing attack, and require the optimisation of only a small number of filter coefficients. Even so, they degrade CM performance estimates by an order of magnitude, even in black-box settings, and can also be configured to overcome integrated CM and ASV subsystems. Integrated solutions that use self-supervised learning CMs, however, are more robust, under both black-box and white-box settings.


Trench metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (TMOSFET), with closed cells (300; 400), comprising: a drain region (335, 340; 435, 440); a body region (330; 430) over the drain region (335, 340; 435, 440) is disposed; a gate region (320; 420) in the body region (330, 430) is disposed; a gate insulator region (325; 425) around a periphery of the gate region (320; 420) is arranged around; (325; 425) a plurality of source regions (315;; 415) along the surface of the body region (330 430) along a periphery of the gate insulator region disposed; wherein a first portion of the gate region (320; 420) and a first portion of the gate insulator region (325; 425) as parallel elongated structures (322; 421) of a first set of a plurality of trenches are formed; wherein a second portion of the gate region (320; 420) and a second portion of the gate insulator region (325; 425) than to the parallel structures (322; 421) normal structures (321; 422) of a second set of a plurality are formed by trenches; wherein a first portion (350; 451) and a second portion (331; 450) of the drain region (335, 340;; 435, 440) extends to a bottom of the parallel structures (421 322) of the drain region (335, 340; 435, 440) from the parallel structures (322; 421) normal structures (321; 422) is disconnected, wherein a doping of the same type as a doping of the body region (330; 430) in ...


The present invention relates to a telephone apparatus (10) and the hearing device (11) in a communication system, the communication system to reduce the risk of the feedback artifacts. Accordingly there is provided a communication system according to the present invention, the tuning signal processing in the telephone device and the hearing device (11) (10) in the communication system, and the hearing device (11) is configured to reverse the useful signal for the signal processing. In particular, the hearing aid prior to transmission of the acoustic signal from the telephone to be compressed and then performs frequency reverse frequency compression in the hearing aid. Thereby reducing the feedback artifacts.


MORTALITY RATES for most age groups have declined remarkably during the past 50 years in the United States and elsewhere. Although this decline has been proportionately far greater for the younger than for the older age groups, infant mortality rates are still high (1-3). Fetal deaths after the 20th week of gestation combined with deaths during the first week after birth are equal in number to all deaths during the sub¬ sequent four decades of life (^). Because the rate of decline of infant and perinatal mortality has slowed down in recent years, this problem has received renewed atten¬ tion. Beginning about 1950, with some varia¬ tions among the States, the rate of decrease in infant mortality dropped from 4.3 percent per year (1933-49) to about 2 percent per year (5). According to Hunt (6): "Since the mid1950's, national progress in reducing infant mortality has been close to a standstill."


A new method for the exact calculation of the throughput of a centralized slotted ALOHA packet radio network over slow Rayleigh-fading channels is presented and the results are compared with the computer simulations. Also, upper and lower bounds on the performance are provided. The effects of capture on the throughput of the system are related to the modulation and coding technique, signal to noise ratio of the received signal, general terminal distribution in the area, and the length of the transmitted packets. The binary phase shift keying (BPSK), coherent and noncoherent binary frequency shift keying (FSK) modulations and BCH coding are considered for the exact calculations. The results of the analysis show that the maximum average throughput of the slotted Aloha packet radio network is around 60% rather than 36% predicted from the simplified analysis. In contrast with some previous reports, it is shown that the throughput of the system is not affected significantly by the use of coding or the change of packet lengths. >


After completion of experimertal runs, specimens were cut from the core- wal1 of the Homogeneous Reactor Experiment No. 2 using a remotely controlled underwater heliarc. Equipment and technique are described. (D.C.W.)


hroughout the past century's cyclical battles for bankruptcy reform, legislators and scholars have debated the need for federal control over bankruptcy estate exemptions. Millionaire criminals and Wall Street hucksters shielding assets from creditors provide perennial fuel for the argument that bankruptcy exemptions inspire systemic abuse. Few legislators, scholars, or pundits, however, have investigated the actual economic and social policy wisdom in statespecific exemptions as they affect the lives of millions of Americans. This Article examines the origins and policy implications of statespecific exemption laws and argues in favor of limited federal deference to state law.


Electronic image stabilization (EIS) technology is an important research area of video processing and computer vision. This paper presented a set of fast and parallel EIS algorithms. Firstly, this paper proposed a fast local motion vector (LMV) estimation algorithm based on the FAST feature to solve the problem that the traditional algorithm is too complex. Secondly, a parallel global motion vector (GMV) algorithm based on image division is designed, which computes every LMV simultaneously, and then estimates the GMV by all LMVs. Finally, based on the proposed algorithm, an EIS systems based on BF609 dual-core DSP processor is designed and implemented. Experiment results show that the algorithm and system presented in this thesis can effectively stabilize jittery video and achieve high real-time performance. When dealing with PAL standard video, the total time cost is less than 40ms.


Marriage and fertility rates have been positively correlated in the West for the most part of the 20 century but, at the aggregate level, the association has reversed since the latter part of the 1990s. In a similar vein, the total divorce rate and the total fertility rate displayed a rather strong negative correlation in the period of the 1960s through the 1980s, but this correlation has reversed since the late 1990s, although the association is not as strong as it was 40 years ago (Billari and Kohler, 2004). For instance, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and France are characterised by total fertility rates that circle around 1.8 to 2.0 (which is relatively high compared to other European countries), while they also record total divorce rates of almost 50 percent. Southern European countries on the other hand have combined rather low divorce rates (about 30 percent) with TFR's below 1.35 (Sobotka, 2008).


The invention relates to a method of identifying a person by an acquisition device (202) adapted to capture the image of the eyelashes (102, 104) of said person, the method comprising, when the person is in vis a-vis said acquisition device (202): - a step of capturing an image of the eyelashes (102, 104) of at least one person's eye, - a step of comparing the features of the eyelashes (102 , 104) of the image thus captured with the corresponding features of images of eyelashes of a database (206); and- a step of taking a decision regarding the identity of the person from the result of said comparing step.


Although individuals create works of art, these works are also the product of a particular time and place. In "The Age of the Cathedrals, " French historian Georges Duby offers a sweeping survey of the changing mentalities of the Middle Ages as these changes are reflected in the art and architecture of the period. The result is a richly textured portrait of another age and a provocative essay on the relationship between art and society.


Current similarity-based approaches to interactive fine grained categorization rely on learning metrics from holistic perceptual measurements of similarity between objects or images. However, making a single judgment of similarity at the object level can be a difficult or overwhelming task for the human user to perform. Secondly, a single general metric of similarity may not be able to adequately capture the minute differences that discriminate fine-grained categories. In this work, we propose a novel approach to interactive categorization that leverages multiple perceptual similarity metrics learned from localized and roughly aligned regions across images, reporting state-of-the-art results and outperforming methods that use a single nonlocalized similarity metric.


In case C-533/08 TNT Express, the Court of Justice interpreted Article 71 of Regulation 44/2001 (the Brussels Regulation) which provides that the Regulation 'shall not affect any conventions to which the Member States are parties and which in relation to particular matters, govern jurisdiction or the recognition or enforcement of judgments'. The Court held that the provision must be interpreted as including the implied condition that the specialised conventions referred to can only apply to the extent to which they do not undermine the 'underlying principles' of the Brussels Regulation, including the principles of mutual trust and free movement of judgments. The Court also found that it had no jurisdiction to interpret the specialised convention at issue in this case. The judgment is important for the development of private international law in the EU and for the EU as a locus for the development of private international law, regionally and globally. The Court has effectively decided that certain principles which underlie the policy field are constitutional in nature and non-derogable even where the legislature has chosen to limit the scope of harmonisation and thus the degree of uniformity in the Union system and to leave space to an international regime. Thus certain choices in the creation of the area of freedom, security and justice are removed from the political agenda. This paper offers a critique of the Court's approach on a number of points, the aim being to try to tease out the implications of the ruling and to offer a different perspective.


It discusses variation of undertaking unit and investor is key for project under same conditions,introduces contents of construction item should be researched to select undertaking unit and investor exactly.


The level of autt)nt)nty ill which individu:d agunts function is of critical importance to the overall operation of multiagent systems. The term h, vel of autononty refers to the type of interactions between an agent and other agents in its system. In well-defined contexts, agents can be designed fur a single level ~)t" autonomy by predicting Ihe type of problems that will be faced. IIowcver. in dynamic systems, the appropriate level of aulonomy may depend on the situation. Therefore. substantial performance benefits for agent-based systems can be realized by agents that are capable of dynamically adapting their level of autonomy during system operation. This paper develops a representation for agent autonomy level and discusses how dynamic adaptive autonomy can be used to crcvte flexible nmlti-agcnt systems applicable to manufacturing environments.


This paper reports a new approach for debugging of the analog to digital converters based on process monitoring and extended design-for-test implementation. The circuit is re-configured in such a way that all sub-blocks are analysed and tested for their full input range allowing full observability and controllability of the analog to digital converter. To set initial data, estimate the parameter update and to guide the test, dedicated monitors have been designed. Additionally, the second presented algorithm allow circuit calibration without explicit need for any dedicated test signal nor requires a part of the conversion time. It works continuously and with every signal applied to the ADC.


The maximum conductivity achievable in Al-doped ZnO thin films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is limited by the low doping efficiency of Al. To better understand the limiting factors for the doping efficiency, the three-dimensional distribution of Al atoms in the ZnO host material matrix has been examined on the atomic scale using a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT). Although the Al distribution in ZnO films prepared by so-called "ALD supercycles" is often presented as atomically flat δ-doped layers, in reality a broadening of the Al-dopant layers is observed with a full-width–half-maximum of ∼2 nm. In addition, an enrichment of the Al at grain boundaries is observed. The low doping efficiency for local Al densities > ∼1 nm–3 can be ascribed to the Al solubility limit in ZnO and to the suppression of the ionization of Al dopants from adjacent Al donors.


Endophtic bacteria strains were isolated from health tobaccos in Yongzhou and Ningxiang from heavy disease plots.Eight endophytic bacteria showed relatively strong antagonistic actions against Phytophthora parasitica var.nicotianae.Culture these eight bacteria and Phytophthora parasitica var.nicotianae together,the result showed four endophytic bacteria 55y,NN-3,YN-4 and YN-10 have the best antagonistic effects.According morphologic,physiological and biochemical characteries,strain 55y,NN-3,YN-4 and YN-10 were identified.The results showed 55y is Pseudomonas aeruginsa,NN-3 is Bacillus subtilis and YN-4,YN-10 are Bacillus coagulans.We also indenlified they are all endophytic bacteria in tobacco.


The authors report on an experimental study of intensity and delay fluctuations for a two-level system by analysing stochastic distribution of the polarisation of superradiant pulses emitted on the transition 6p 2P1/2 to 6s 2S1/2 of rubidium atoms. They develop a theoretical interpretation of their results. Finally, use of these properties of polarisation fluctuations has permitted one to study the very beginning of the superradiant emission and to give a new estimate of the so-called 'tipping angle'.


Oxford Eye Hospital guidelines for management of patients with melanocytic choroidal tumours Choroidal naevi are found in about 6% of individuals whereas only 6 people per million per year develop melanoma. At Oxford Eye Hospital, we have prepared the MOLES acronym and scoring system and established a virtual clinic to help practitioners differentiate choroidal melanomas from naevi. We hope these measures will reduce the referral of patients to hospital with common choroidal naevi without delaying the care of patients with melanoma. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Bertil Damato (email@example.com)


A numerical model of the northern California Current System along the coasts of Washington and British Columbia is used to quantify the impact of submarine canyons on upwelling from the continental slope onto the shelf. Comparisons with an extensive set of observations show that the model adequately represents the seasonal development of near-bottom density, as well as along-shelf currents that are critical in governing shelf-slope exchange. Additional model runs with simplified coastlines and bathymetry are used to isolate the effects of submarine canyons. Near submarine canyons, equatorward flow over the outer shelf is correlated with dense water at canyon heads and subsequent formation of closed cyclonic eddies, which are both associated with cross-shelf ageostrophic forces. Lagrangian particles tracked from the slope to midshelf show that canyons are associated with upwelling from depths of ∼140–260 m. Source depths for upwelling are shallower than 150 m at locations away from canyons and in a model run with bathymetry that is uniform in the along-shelf direction. Water upwelled through canyons is more likely to be found near the bottom over the shelf. Onshore fluxes of relatively saline water through submarine canyons are large enough to increase volume-averaged salinity over the shelf by 0.1–0.2 psu during the early part of the upwelling season. The nitrate input from the slope to the Washington shelf associated with canyons is estimated to be 30–60% of that upwelled to the euphotic zone by local wind-driven upwelling.


The current study analyzed socio-economic and cultural determinants of maternal and neonatal mortality in Pakistan. This research was conducted at PIMS, Islamabad, Pakistan. In the first phase of research, we used a survey method to collect data from 56 respondents (36 female doctors and 20 female nurses) and their perceptions were enumerated about the socioeconomic and cultural determinants of maternal mortality. In the second phase of the research, 200 mothers (who had a baby under 1-year) currently admitted at PIMS were sampled for in-depth interviews and they were asked about the multiple determinants of neonatal mortality. In both phases, we employed a purposive sampling technique with a special inclusion criterion. The study highlighted multiple reasons influencing mortality of mothers and neonates such as lack of awareness, lack of transportation facilities, illiteracy, poverty, lack of antenatal care services and deliveries handled by unskilled birth attendants at homes.


2-Acetoxy-5-pyrrolidone was furylated under a catalytic combination of zinc bromide and chlorotrimethylsilane. The effective catalyst system extremely accelerated the furylation reaction


Leaving the industrial age in the dust, telecommunication giants and cyberspace czars are making their mark. The Guggenheim Soho's recent exhibition "Mediascape" is one of those marks. The show, a collaboration with ZKM/Center for Art and Media(1) in Karlsruhe, Germany was made possible largely by the support of the Deutsche Telekom, Europe's largest telecommunication company. Covering low- to high-tech video art, "Mediascape" reveals a shifting patronage, while proposing a bizarre pedigree for new multimedia art. The curious aspect of the exhibition is its uncomfortable relationship to history. The overall agenda of a media show typically suggests a break from tradition. Yet, based on the pieces selected for this exhibition, there is a curatorial if not institutional desire for the sanction of history. At the same time, the historical video work provided comes out of a conceptual and anti-commodification sensibility at odds with the newer commodity-oriented work. Exhibited together, the new work has the potential to undermine, invalidate or even erase that which it is called upon to validate. Although not reflected in the catalog, the work in the show was divided between the first and the second floors. Generally, the technically complex and ultimately less engaging work was on the first floor. The glitzy attraction wore off during subsequent visits, while on the second floor the quieter work, demanding some reflection on the part of the viewer, held ground. ZKM appears to have many toys, and at this point random distraction is the greater part of the game. At the entrance to the exhibition Nam June Paik's Megatron (1995), a wall of video monitors with constantly changing images, engaged most visitors before they entered the galleries. Intermittently, all screens would momentarily lock together, generating a cartoon, a flying bird or a national flag, for example. The fast-paced video loops were punctuated by a series of repeating erotic clips depicting a voluptuous woman, whose bare breasts and other body parts are fondled by the camera. I was amazed at first and kept trying to find repeating patterns, but my intense looking just gave me a headache. Megatron actively resisted close scrutiny. In a dark first floor gallery, Toshio Iwai's interactive Piano-As Image Media (1995) allowed visitors to click a mouse, creating random patterns or notes on a moving gossamer-like scrim that rolled up to a grand player piano, which actually appeared to "play" the notes. Then the scrim, all the while moving away from the viewer, establishes an upward trajectory where upon the notes are transformed into light patterns. Bill Seaman's Passage Sets/One Pulls Pivots at the Tip of the Tongue (1994-95) also invited viewers to queue up to move a mouse and apparently effect a random connection of words and images. For Jeffrey Shaw's The Legible City (1991), the museum visitor mounted a stationary exercise bike and, by pedaling, simulated movement through a virtual metropolis made of giant, illegible letters. I was amused, but also concerned about the line of people behind me waiting to try the bike. Ingo Gunther's Im Berich der West-Wind-Welt (1991) involved two waving flags that served as a screen for a projection of U.S. and Russian political moments. This piece demanded the viewers' knowledge of recent history, and without that knowledge, the work would have had little meaning. Upstairs, earlier work suggested - but did not confirm - an historical context for video and interactive multi-media art. The pieces were largely free of a fun-and-games, commercial attitude, though Marie-Jo Lafontaine's Les Larmes D'Acier (1987), a mural of monitors showing brawny biceps pumping iron, brought to mind a giant Calvin Klein advertisement. Jenny Holzer's Untitled (1990) was a room filled floor-to-ceiling, band upon band, with neon signs spewing aphorisms in different languages. Using language, Holzer created a system in which text as form and form as text diverge and coalesce. …


The paper presents results of implementation of educative activities and hygienic education in study process of special schools for children with sensory deprivation of hearing. The active forms of education were used in this process. Practical training included game educational form, this form helps to develop cognitive interest of pupils in the problem of dental health. Results: new knowledge about oral hygiene; the change of quality indicator of material learning – from satisfactory to good (0,7±0,06); the increase of the level of oral hygiene from 2,7±0,2 to 1,9±0,1.


With the rapid development of computer networks,security issues by people more and more attention.The vulnerability of computer networks and their potential threat to computer users suffer,so to take strong security policy to protect the network host security is very necessary.The network increasingly complex and diverse,how to protect networks and applications,and and information security,network management personnel at all levels has become the most important thing.


One kind of the hollow bead reinforced polyurethane foam composite was prepared. The effects of amount of hollow bead and value of water pressure on water absorption properties of the material were discussed.The results showed that the water absorption rate was obviously influenced by the value of water pressure.The water absorption rate of the material under 4 MPa pressure reached to 40%.Keep the scarfskin of the material and cover a layer of coat could sharply decrease the phenomena of permeability.The stain value of the specimen in three-dimensional direction under 7 MPa static water pressure were tested.The pressure/stain curves was obtained while the pressure was gradually increasing.The results showed that the dimensional stability of the material in the process of pressure increaseing was fine.The maximal volumn shrink rate was only 0.84%.


One of the largest oil-shale mining areas of China is situated in Maoming Basin, Guangdong Province about 300 km southwest of Hong Kong. This Tertiary basin is about 50 km long by about 10 km wide and is fault-bounded on its northeastern edge. The oil-shale mine is located at the southwestern edge just outside of the city of Maoming. The mine was started in 1958 on an automated schedule, using power-shovels, hoppers and electric trains, with a cutback rate of about 10 m per year. The clay units between the coal beds and those between the shales are hand-mined and used for medicinal potions as well as for special applications in local brick manufacturing. The oil output from the oil-shale is about 100,000 metric tonnes (700,000 barrels of oil) per year and, in 1984, it was estimated that about 1/10th of the recoverable reserves had been mined. Only the two lowermost oil-shale seams are mined by four large mechanical shovels which clear the overburden, dig out the oil-shale and dump it directly into hoppers which are then moved by three diesel-electric trains to the rock crushing plant. Here, the shale is tipped out and large pneumatic drills break up large pieces so they can fall into the crusher. From the rock-crushers, the particles are transported by three rubber elevators to the top of a large separator. The separator sorts out the gangue material which is shipped to dumps by small electric trains. Two large elevators then transport the crushed oil-shale to 96 vase-shaped retort heating pots, where some of the oil-shale is used as fuel in heating the pots. These pots have been specially designed for low temperature retorting by an inner heating method. The estimates of oil content of the shale average about 6.9% to 16%. After the oil is drawn off and cooled, the by-products of gas, tar and waste pitch are separated. The pitch is returned to the heating pot for recycling and the residue rock is transported underground back to the separator for recycling or dumping. A geochemical examination of the oil-shale showed that most of the organic matter is predominantly Type I algal-lacustrine kerogen. Although organic carbon and Rock Evaluation values show the samples to be extremely rich in kerogen, the Tmax and PI data indicate that the kerogen content is relatively immature, which is typical of oil-shales.


Abstract Hysteresis may be defined as 'the retardation or lagging of an effect behind the cause of the effect'. The two main reasons for the lag phase are limited access to the site of drug action or slow receptor kinetics. Both these characteristics produce an anticlockwise hysteresis, in which time moves anticlockwise in the change in the relationship between plasma concentration and observed effect with time. An alternative definition: 'failure of one of two related phenomena to keep pace with the other' would include any situation in which the value of one variable depends on whether the other variable is increasing or decreasing. This definition would include clockwise hysteresis, which is seen in drug tolerance.


Abstract In the domain of discrete event systems, various approaches have been developed for the detection and diagnosis of faults. This paper concerns the fault detection and diagnosis with Petri nets according to a state-based approach that uses the properties of the reachability graph. The proposed method provides a decision thanks to the analysis of observation sequences that include the capture of some observable events and the partial measurement of the markings variation. For that purpose, elementary firing sequences are introduced and characterized with matrix linear inequalities (LMIs). Sufficient conditions for fault detection and diagnosis are stated as a consequence.


A number of investigators have studied the fate and origin of plasma phospholipids. In the rabbit, Pasternak and Page' found that cephalin emulsions were removed from the plasma only by the liver. In the rat, Haven and Bale2 found that P3'-labeled phospholipid emulsions were removed from plasma primarily by liver, spleen, and lung. Since the lipids administered by these investigators were particulate emulsions, i t is possible that their removal was a function of the reticuloendothelial system and did not represent the normal handling of phospholipids by the animal organism. Hahn and Hevesy3 administered P3*-labeled native plasma phospholipids to rabbits and noted that these were primarily removed from plasma by liver. However, smaller quantities were also removed by kidney, lung, spleen, heart, small intestine, brain, and muscle. Zilversmit et al.* found that, in the dog, phospholipids were removed from the plasma primarily by the liver. From this work i t might be concluded that, in the rabbit and dog, hepatic removal of plasma phospholipids is of considerable importance. However extrahepatic tissues are also involved in this process. The observed extrahepatic removal of plasma phospholipids' was minimized by Entenman et a1.' who observed that evisceration in the dog caused a profound decrease in the apparent turnover of plasma phospholipids. These workers concluded that phospholipids were remot ed from the plasma only by the liver.' Fishler et al.' measured negligible incorporation of P3204 into plasma phospholipid after hepatectomy and suggested that plasma phospholipids in the dog were synthesized exclusively by the liver. Thus it was suggested by these investigators6" that in the dog, liver was the source as well as the ultimate fate of plasma phospholipid. While this conclusion has achieved general acceptance, it should be noted that extrahepatic synthesis of plasma phospholipid has been observed in the rabbit7 and chicken8 although not in the hepatectomized rat.g In this study definitive evidence is provided for the extrahepatic removal of plasma lecithin by dog tissues. Re-evaluation of the data of Entenman et al.' shows it to be consistent with our finding and to provide, additionally, suggestive evidence for the extrahepatic synthesis of plasma phospholipid * Part of this research was supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Heart Association. t Present address : Radiological Health Laboratory, United States Public Health Service, 1901 Chapman Ave., Rockville, Maryland.


The Indian species of Parahonnius Nixon are reviewed. Two species namely, P. leucopterae sp. nov. and P. punensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated from India. Brief diagnosis of the genus and key to the Indian species of the genus Parahonnius is provided.


Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are systemic, chronic inflammatory conditions that predominately affect the gastrointestinal tract and can induce abdominal pain. Besides, many IBD patients complain about headaches in daily practice. The objective was to assess the prevalence of headaches, including migraines and pain with neuropathic characteristics (NC), in IBD patients compared to historical controls from the general population.


must be compliant or liability to the other parties may occurs. The aim of the inventory is to prioritize those items which must receive attention first, and to estimate the time involved in taking remedial action. Age will be a significant factor in determining whether software or equipment is likely to be Year 2000 compliant. The likelihood is that only the newest items may be compliant, but even that is not guaranteed. It will be relatively easy to identify and prioritize systems, but items of hardware and equipment which contain embedded soft-


The article presents an analysis of the condition of children's healthcare in Molotov city during the Second World War. The authors pay attention to the significant difficulties in protecting the children's health (under one year old): a significant rise in the incidence of childhood infections, malnutrition, incomplete vaccination of children, and a weak level of preventive work. It is emphasized that among nursery and unorganized children respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases were mainly common during the war years: measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, diphtheria. It is concluded that shortage of qualified medical staff, untimely and partial vaccinations, errors in diagnosis and other reasons have led to an increase in morbidity and mortality among children. In addition, the high incidence of infections with high mortality among children was also associated with the weak and unsatisfactory work of children's consultations on the early detection of diseases which hindered timely treatment.


Novel synthesis of gold nanoparticles, EPS-gold and silica-gold bionanocomposites by biologically driven processes employing two diatom strains (Navicula atomus, Diadesmis gallica) is described. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction analysis (SAED) revealed a presence of gold nanoparticles in the experimental solutions of the diatom culture mixed with tetrachloroaureate. Nature of the gold nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and TEM showed that the nanoparticles were associated with the diatom frustules and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) excreted by the diatom cells. Due to its accessibility, simplicity and effectiveness, this method of nanocomposites preparation has great importance for possible future applications.


Based on the demand for on-line moniton of on-spot equipment, this paper discusses in detail how to get Fieldbus data by S3C2440, data analysis, and server configuration, and the information transmission on the Internet. The paper presents system principle, hardware structure, Goahead WebServe, SQL and http. The experiment results show that the system has achieved good results.


Using hydromechanics,considering the effect of wind speed,the equation of motion of raindrops was presented to calculate the impact load of rain induced wind,the influence of different factors on the impact load was analyzed.Research results show that the vertical limit speed of the raindrops is related to the diameter of the raindrops and drawing resistance coefficient,and the speed increases with the increase of the diameter of the raindrops;the horizontal speed limit of raindrops is equal to the wind speed.Through a series of theory analysis,it is concluded that raindrop impact load,its normal and tangential component loads increase with the increase of wind speed and the diameter of the raindrops.


Neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms account for substantial morbidity in Huntington's disease (HD), but their impact on functional status may not be captured using the Total Functional Capacity (TFC) scale. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric symptoms on functional status in persons with HD, comparing two instruments.


Diamond-like carbon(DLC)film, prepared by rf PCVD, was irradiated by 14 MeV neutrons up to 10 n/cm . The Raman and infra-red (IR) spectroscopy measurements showed that the SP3C-H and SP C=C bonds were decreased and increased, respectively. The neutron irradiation leads to the appearance of amorphous SP C=C (straight line carbon)bonds. The IR transmittance of DLC films is increasing, and independent of the irradiation doses in the experiments.


ASSESSMENT OF INFLUENCE OF MOUNTAIN PRESSURE UPON TECHNOLOGICAL MINE
IN THE CONSTRAINED CONDITIONS OF CITY BUILDING
А. KOLOGRIVKO, D. IGOLKA, E. LUKSHA


Considering the developments of the collaborative R&D projects dTTb, HD-DIVINE and /sup H/DTV/sub T/ this paper describes the specification for a European, terrestrial DTVB system, which has been drafted under the umbrella of the European DVB project. This system has been designed to meet the user requirements established by the terrestrial commercial module (TCM) of DVB concerning flexibility, concerning suitability for fixed and portable reception and concerning SFN operation. An OFDM system with concatenated error correcting coding and an optional two level hierarchy for channel coding/modulation has been specified. This system is suitable for digital multi-programme transmission in existing UHF spectrum allocation while providing sufficient protection against co-channel and adjacent-channel interferences emanating from existing PAL/SECAM services. It shows a high degree of commonality with the DVB-systems for satellite and cable by using the same standards for audio and video coding as well as for transport multiplex according to the MPEG-2, an identical outer coding (RS) scheme and a similar inner coding scheme. >


ABSTRACT Objectives: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy for prevention of Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection associated complications and early relief of influenza symptoms. Methods: In a retrospective observational cohort study, Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection hospitalized patients were identified and divided into two groups based on the initial therapy. Group-AV patients were initiated on Oseltamivir without any antibiotic in treatment regimen while Group-AV+AZ patients were initiated on Oseltamivir and Azithromycin combination therapy for at least 3-5 days. Patients were evaluated for different clinical outcomes. Results: A total of 227 and 102 patients were identified for Group-AV and Group-AV+AZ respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that incidences of secondary bacterial infections were significantly less frequent (23.4% vs 10.4%; P-value = 0.019) in Group-AV+AZ patients. Group-AV+AZ patients were associated with shorter length of hospitalization (6.58 vs 5.09 days; P-value = <0.0001) and less frequent incidences of respiratory support (38.3% vs 17.6%; P-value = 0.016). Overall influenza symptom severity score was statistically significant less for Group-AV+AZ patients on Day-5 (10.68 ± 2.09; P-value = 0.001) of hospitalization. Conclusion: Oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy was found to be more efficacious as compared to oseltamivir alone in rapid recovery and prevention of Influenza associated complications especially in high risk patients.


Total Phenolics and the antioxidative properties of Amorphophallus campanulatus were studied. The dried Powder of tubers was extracted successively with methanol, Hydroalcohol, ethanol and 70% acetone separately. After removing the solvents, the extracts were freeze-dri ed. The Amorphophallus campanulatus tubers contained relatively high levels of total Phenolics and tanni ns. The extracts were subjected to assess their pot ential antioxidant activities using systems such as diphenyl- β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙), ABTS , FRAP, linoleic acid emulsion, O ₂⁻and OH ´. The superoxide anion radical-scavenging activity was found to be higher in methanolic extract in co mparison to other extracts' at the concentration of 600 µg i n the reaction mixture. The DPPH radical and ABTS action radicalscavenging activities were well proved and related with the ferric-reducing/antioxidant capacity of th e extracts. Interestingly, among the various extracts, methanol ic extracts' shows significantly (P < 0.05) higher hydroxyl radical- scavenging activity. In general, all extra cts exhibited good antioxidant activity (53.3‐73.1% ) against the linoleic acid emulsion system but were significantl y (P < 0.05) lower than the synthetic antioxidant, BHA (93.3%).


The FMR spectra of magnetic bubble films have been measured in the low frequency microwave range and the frequencies at which the magnetoelastic excitation of elastic resonances vanishes have been determined. From these data the regions where localized modes are concentrated have been derived. The observed behaviour of the modes is a consequence of the spatial variation of the uniaxial anisotropy, which differs markedly for films grown by the vertical or the horizontal dipping method. Spatial variations of the anisotropy field are predicted which qualitatively can explain the experimental results as shown by numerical calculations.


With the continuous improvement of the related relation extraction model, researchers focused on optimizations of the input of the sentence expression structures, such as dependency trees, and slight improvements and integrations of basic models applied to this task. This paper utilizes position-aware attention mechanisms to highlight critical information and makes good use of global information generated by the bidirectional LSTM, absorbing characteristics and advantages of those related models to propose a new Position-Aware Graph Convolutional Network (PA-GCN) model and describe it in three steps. Moreover, this paper trials the model on the RACRED dataset to evaluate its performance and suitability. The experiment results demonstrate that the PA-GCN model outperformed others listed in this paper, achieving an F_1 score of 66.6%, which verifies an improvement of the model and the effectiveness of adding an attention-aware mechanism.


The study was carried out to evaluate the crop coverage effect on soil erosion as affected by different transplanting times under heavy rainfall. It was conducted at lysimeters having slopes of 15%, and length of 5 m, width of 2 m with three soil textural types, which were transplanted red peppers ( Capsicum annum L.) on May 4(RPI), 15(RPII), and 25(RPIII). Crop coverage for the plot was calculated by NDVI and crop heights measured at interval of 7 days. After the rainfall event, the runoff volume and soil erosion from the each plot was measured. Under heavy rainfall over 100mm, crop coverage of red pepper and soil erosion ratio were related (p<0.05), depending on textural types. The coverage effect of red pepper transplanting time on runoff was different according to EI 30 , rainfall with under 100 MJ mm /ha/h EI 30 , affected runoff, but over 100 MJ mm /ha/h EI 30 , it was not effective. Red pepper coverage effects on soil erosion partly depend on soil texture, and red pepper coverage effects on runoff depend on rainfall types.


Micromagnetic simulations predict vortex gyrotropic frequency variations induced by voltage-generated uniaxial stress in a soft, elliptical, magnetostrictive nanodisk. The gyrotropic frequency decreases when the direction of uniaxial stress changes from the major axis of the nanodisk to the minor axis, whereas a more notable downshift of the gyrotropic frequency occurs when the magnitude of the stress increases. The mechanism is analyzed in terms of the stiffness coefficients, which are calculated based on the vortex dynamic energy profile. This voltage tunability of gyrotropic frequency paves the way for the realization of vortex oscillators and frequency-controlled vortex computer memory with ultralow power consumption.


General influences of flux control and error control on communication performance are studied in this paper. Stop and Wait protocol and continuous ARQ protocol are mainly analyzed, and the relation between channel occupancy and frame size is discussed. Fundamental principles of some multipoint access technologies, such as CSMA and CSMA/CD, are introduced with corresponding performance simulation curves. The communication performance evaluation test designed has visual and various simulation interfaces which closely associate with experimental knowledge points and therefore efficiency and quality of experimental teaching can be improved greatly.


The turbulent flow past a circular cylinder has been studied extensively by previous researchers due to its importance in many engineering applications. In particular, the wave run-up is one of the most significant design factors when offshore structures are operated. In this paper, the wave run-up height and depression depth around a vertical circular cylinder were numerically investigated. The commercial CFD solver "STAR-CCM+" has been used for the numerical simulations. The models of K-epsilon turbulence and volume of fluid (VOF) are utilised to solve the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) and continuity equations, respectively. Various Froude numbers and Reynolds numbers are utilised to observe the wave run-up height on the front of the cylinder and the depth of depression at the back. The results were compared with previous experimental data and theoretical values and were found to be in good agreement with other studies.


The U.S. trade policy will be tested following the official establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, which plans a $600 billion industrialization and modernization program that will involve 120 projects, including 10 steel mills, 9 nonferrous metal complexes, 10 new oil and gas fields, 8 coal bases, 30 electric power stations, 5 harbors, and 6 trunk railroads. China primarily needs U.S. drilling equipment and technology, particularly for deeper offshore areas, to develop its oil reserves which are about 100 billion bbl. Current production is approx. 2 million bbl/day and a 13Vertical Bar3


This study aimed to reveal how the description of gender responsive school management as well as gender responsive facilities and infrastructure in teacher secondary schools, especially at state vocational high school 5 Kendari. This research is a qualitative research with data collection through interviews. The results of the study illustrated that school management that is gender responsive in terms of the placement of the principal's position broadly opens opportunities for teachers to occupy strategic positions regardless of male or female gender but based on competence and responsibility and has implemented gender equality and justice in all things, as well as in service in schools provide opportunities for male and female teachers to attend training outside the school and apply disaggregated data in order to facilitate obtaining information about the school in this case school administration. In addition to school management that has been gender responsive and the results of the research show that the tools that support learning are facilities and infrastructure that are also gender responsive, including the use of classrooms, toilet rooms, prayer rooms (mosques) and laboratory room seats.


Human and peoples' rights as argued under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights apply to everybody, including women and children. However, compared to other regional and international human rights treaties, the African Charter does not address in more details the specific rights of women and children, except under article 18(3) which enjoins State parties to ensure the protection of the rights of women and children as stipulated in international declarations and conventions. Therefore, the present study investigates the extent to which women's and children's rights, as stipulated in other international declarations and conventions, may form part of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.


Three complexes which resulted from the C−N bond cleavage reactions of formamidinate anions, [ArNC(H)NAr]-, have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The reaction of N,N'-diphenylformamidinate, DPhF-, with (Me2S)Cl2Ta(μ-Me2S)(μ-Cl)2TaCl2(SMe2) (abbreviated as Ta2Cl6(SMe2)3) in the presence of Zn metal produces the CNPh-containing dinuclear compound (η2-DPhF)2Ta(μ-NPh)(μ-η2-CNPh)Ta(η2-DPhF)2·C7H8, 1·C7H8. By using DTolF- and Na/Hg as reducing agent, the isolated product is (η2-DTolF)Ta(μ-NTol)(μ-η2-CNTol)(μ-DTolF)2Ta(η2-DTolF)·1.5C6H14, 2·1.5C6H14, where DTolF- = N,N'-di(p-tolyl)formamidinate. Both 1 and 2 are isolated in low yields. There is a formal single bond between the tantalum atoms which are bonded to intact formamidinate ions as well as the two fragments which result from the cleavage of a formamidinate ligand, namely arylimido (NAr2-) and (CNAr). In the absence of a reducing agent, the reaction of LiDTolF and Ta2Cl6(SMe2)3 produces Cl2(η2-DTolF)Ta(μ-NTol)(μ-η2, η2-HCNTol)Ta(η2-DTolF)2...


Over the past two decades, Nicaragua's Sandinista Revolution-its causes, inner dynamics, and consequences-has been the target of much scholarly work. What factors led to the revolution and its success? What factors led to the buildup of the contra movement in the 1980s? What are the implications of the 1990 Sandinista electoral defeat and the implementation of neoliberal reforms? Three recent books focusing on different stages of the Nicaraguan revolution and its aftermath attempt to answer these questions. In States, Ideologies, and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of Iran, Nicaragua, and the Philippines, Misagh Parsa attempts to explain why three similar revolutionary movements had such different outcomes. Looking at the subsequent period in Nicaraguan history, in Peasants in Arms: War and Peace in the Mountains of Nicaragua, 1979-1994 Lynn Horton shows us why some Quilali villagers supported the Sandinistas while others took up arms with the contras. Finally, in Women and the State in Post-Sandinista Nicaragua Cynthia Chavez Metoyer focuses on the period following the war and the revolution and examines the structural adjustments imposed by the state and the impact of these policies on the position of women in Nicaraguan society. While these writers are analyzing three very different periods in Nicaragua's history and employing different methods, their theoretical approaches are similar in their emphasis on the potential autonomy of the state and its importance as a key actor in determining the outcomes of these situations. They are also similar in that they deemphasize class analysis and treat the international system and the United States as contextual but not active variables.


We investigate the relationship between wages, productivity, and workercharacteristics using a new exhaustive matched employer–employee longitudinaldataset for France. Expanding on the methodology originally proposed byHellerstein, Neumark and Troske (1999), we relax their hypotheses and providea new method using cost for the employer. Interestingly, results for Francestand in stark contrast with those found in the US: in manufacturing, we findno or little wage discrimination against women who appear to hold less productivejobs, while older workers are relatively overpaid, or equivalently, youngerworkers are underpaid. Robustness of these results across time periods, industriesand identifying assumptions, are confirmed. (J24, J31, J7) Labor productivity, wages, discrimination.


August Forel's name is not widely known among neuropathologists. It is traditionally attached to the subthalamic H-Fields which after all are not known to be exceedingly pathogenic structures in contrast to those named after Forel's teacher, Theodor Meynert (1). Perhaps, inhabitants of prosperous countries may remember August Forel's dignified face, portrayed on the thousand frank note of the S w i s s National Bank associated with the picture of the human brain and the Golgi preparation of a neuron (Fig. 1). Why this unusual distinction? To the general public, in his time, August Forel was admired for his relentless fight for social justice and as a reformer of human sexuality; not so much to certain personalities of the social, political and religious establishments which he used to blame at times for bigotry, hypocrisy and taboos. His life long struggle for peace and better living conditions for the sick and the poor have left their traces up to present day, not only for his missionary zeal for birth control and equal rights for women, but also for public innovations such as the opening of non-alcoholic restaurants, the inauguration of a special clinic for alcoholic patients, the foundation of world peace associations as well as his appeals before the outbreak of and during World War I for the idea of "The United Nations of Europe". One of August Forel's staunchest admirers and co-fighters for a more peaceful world was the French writer Romain Rolland (2). August Forel's vigorous campaigning began with 31 years as the Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Psychiatric Hospital Burgholzli (3), in Zurich. "Labor omnia vincit" was Forel's supreme principle (4). His initial concern arose from the fact that a great number of his patients were alcoholics. Most A portrait photograph of August Forel, a t the age of 76 years. The photograph is courtesy of R. Meier.


There is explicit need for characterization of the materials for possible commercialization as little characterization data exists. Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major ecosystem type found in the Southwest and the Intermountain West regions of the United States including Nevada, Idaho and Oregon. These widespread ecosystems are characterized by the presence of several different species of pinyon and juniper as the dominant plant cover. Since the 1800s, pinyon-juniper woodlands have rapidly expanded their range at the expense of existing ecosystems. Additionally, existing woodlands have become denser, progressively creating potential fire hazards as seen in the Soda Fire, which burned more than 400 sq. miles. Land managers responsible for these areas often desire to reduce pinyon-juniper coverage on their lands for a variety of reasons, as stated in the Working Group objectives. However, the cost of clearing thinning pinyon-juniper stands can be prohibitive. One reason for this is the lack of utilization options for the resulting biomass that could help recover some of the cost of pinyon-juniper stand management. The goal of this TAP effort was to assess the feedstock characteristics of biomass from a juniper harvested from Owyhee County to evaluate possible fuel and conversion utilization options.


In any democratic society, state or business, workers and community play a very important and distinctive role for the sustainable development of any industry. Their contribution becomes more important in the development process when it is going to affect all of them. The unplanned process of industrial development with the ultimate aim of profit maximization creates conflicts among the key stakeholders. The significance of industrialization cannot be denied, however, there is a need to rethink 'the process', which is involved. Every year hundreds of workers are injured or become victims of diseases due to unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. Their plight, however, is unreported in media and in government statistics. They attract short-lived media attention only when disaster strikes on a large scale. However, the reported figures seem unrealistic in the context of the existing unsafe and unhealthy conditions.

It is under such compelling circumstances that in the present paper, the prevalence of occupational health problems in the workers of mining industry of India, in general and Jharkhand, in particular, has been reviewed.


Central giant cell granuloma ( CGCG) was classified as rarely aggressive idiopathic benign intraosseous lesion that occurs mostly exclusively in the jaws. It occurs most frequently in young women. It is usually slow growing and non neoplastic lesion which exhibits a spectrum of clinical behavior ranging from non aggressive to aggressive variants. The striking feature of this case is its aggressive nature and presence of this lesion in the anterior part of maxilla which considers being a rare finding as the lesion commonly occurs in the mandibular region anterior to first molar.


Objective To explore the diagnostic value of prenatal ultrasound to fetal holoprosencephaly.Methods A total of 15 000cases,receiving ultrasonography examination during Jan.2010to Jan.2013in this hospital were chosen to be analyzed.Results Among all 15 000cases,11cases were found as holoprosencephaly,of which 5 cases were non-forebrain-cleaved deformity,3cases were semi-forebrain-cleaved deformity,and 3cases were forebrain-cleaved deformity.3cases were combined with cleft lips,1case was combined with no nose,1case was combined with eyes distance deformity,and 2cases were combined with dandy-walker syndrome.2cases were polyhydramnios,and 1case was polycystic kidney.All of the 11cases were confirmed by corpses.Conclusion The accuracy of prenatal ultrasonography could be high,and be with important diagnostic value for prenatal diagnosis,which might be worth to be promoted.


We propose a new clustering-based method for customer feature vector extraction based on the history of their financial transactions. Customer vector representations can be used to solve downstream tasks, such as customer segmentation or next purchase category prediction. The main advantage of the proposed method is that the obtained feature vectors may be interpreted in terms of temporal activity while preserving sufficient quality for solving downstream tasks. Using this method, we were able to extract well-interpreted customer segments (using the debit card transaction data from a large Russian bank) which are useful for various business cases (e.g., planning of marketing campaigns or customized recommendations of financial products). This interpretation would help meet the tasks of analyzing the typical customer behavior and its reasons. In addition, we demonstrate that our method of constructing embeddings provides comparable quality for several downstream tasks (customer purchase category forecasting, missing category prediction, and campaign targeting) with non-interpretable algorithms such as word2vec and autoencoders approaches.


Less studied than other loans, Americanisms have, however, played a relevant role in the forming of peninsular Spanish. After terminological precautions, this article summarizes the procedures of the linguistic integration of these indigenous words to Spanish.


The ability to work in an effective team has been identified by employers as a key skill for students entering the work force. Furthermore, a desire for active learning by both students and faculty has also increased the use of team-based learning. However, team-based learning also has its drawbacks – notably, managing conflict among team members, reconciling differing levels of effort by students, and the construction of a fair and effective method of assessment for teambased work. Highly developed and cohesive teams allow the focus of the classroom to be on engaged and transformative learning, yet previous research has focused mostly on the learning outcomes of such teams rather than on the formation and development processes. The application of team-based learning in a third year, large enrollment course for engineering technology and engineering students will be discussed. Specifically, strategies used to select and develop teams and methods used to optimize the team-based learning processes will be highlighted. Student performance on key team-based learning activities and student evaluation of team-based learning will be shared. Suggestions for using team-based learning with engineering and engineering technology students will conclude the paper Team-Based Learning The ability to work effectively in teams has been identified as an essential skill for new employees to bring to the work environment upon graduation 1, 2 . Furthermore, benefits to both faculty and students have been noted by those who have practiced team-based learning methods 3 . However, team-based learning also presents challenges to both students and instructors 4 . In addition to addressing both the benefits and challenges of team-based learning in engineering and engineering technology, this paper will discuss the application of the Michaelsen, Knight, and Fink 5 method of team-based learning (TBL) to a course in total quality management. The process used to create and develop functional learning teams will also be a focus of the paper. Data on student performance and their feedback on the process will be included in the final portion of the paper. Benefits of Team-Based Learning


Quintus' literary reputation is on the rise, in the wake of a general reappreciation of late antique literature. In my article I discuss Quintus' use of embedded focalization: when we look at events through the eyes of one of the characters. Quintus uses this narrative device both in the same way as Homer, but also in original new ways. One such new way is the serial use of embedded focalization at the moment of arrival of a champion. The ample use of embedded focalization can be added to the list of stylistic features which contribute to the well-known visual aesthetics of late antique poetry, such as ekphrasis, miniaturization, enumeration, and the juxtaposition of episodic scenes. But I also argue that Quintus through the ubiquitous presence of spectators frames the action of his story as a spectacle, a race or gladiatorial show, which gods and characters and hence his narratees, watch as if sitting in an amphitheatre or circus.


We characterized the composition, structure and diversity of tropical dry forest trees at Tziritzicuaro,municipality of La Huacana, in the Depresion del Balsas, Michoacan. We sampled all trees that were rooted inside 36plots of 100 m2 (0.36 ha) with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm. A total of 78 species, including 50 generaand 24 families were recorded. Fabaceae was the most important family respect to the number of species (24), genera(14) and individuals (274). It was recorded a total of 1 013 individuals and 2 313 stems. Basal area, cover and heightaverage were of 0.18 m2, 310 m2 and 5 m, respectively. The average of species richness was of 10 species, with a meanvalue of Fisher α= 8. The tropical dry forest studied shares comparable characteristics to similar communities locatedin other parts of Mexico and the Neotropics, this enable to confirm patterns previously detected in the composition,structure and diversity of this vegetation type.


On January 31 and February 1, 1950, the Tuesday and Wednesday preceding the New York meeting of the American Physical Society, the Division of Electron Physics of the Society and the Panel on Electron Tubes of the military's Research and Development Board presented a symposium on thermionics.


High-resolution digital images that are used in geo-spatial and remote sensing technologies tend to be of large sizes, especially with newer satellite imageries that provide better than 5 m spatial resolution, and thereby consuming large storage space, large transmission bandwidth, and long transmission times. Therefore, method of compressing the archived images is required before storage and transmission. JPEG2000 is the latest image compression standard offering superior compression performance. JPEG2000 compresses and decompresses the images using discrete wavelet transformation and allowing image information to be retained without much distortion or loss. Compression in JPEG2000 can be performed in both lossy and lossless fashion. Lossy compression is preferred because of its higher compression ratio. When lossy compression is performed, some amount of data is lost during the compression. Such loss of data may lead to erroneous results when analysis is performed using computer based image applications. Thus, there is a need for image quality assessment of compressed and reconstructed images using JPEG2000 at various compression ratios. This paper focuses on such studies and, using image quality metrics, experiments are conducted to compute benchmarks of compression ratios for GIS systems that can be identified for the intended use of the image without significant degradation in the results.


Zühlke, Pedro; Saldanha, Nicolau C.. Homotopies of Curves on the 2Sphere with Geodesic Curvature in a Prescribed Interval. Rio de Janeiro, 2012. 117p. Tese de Doutorado — Departamento de Matemática, Pontif́ıcia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. For −∞ ≤ κ1 < κ2 ≤ +∞, let L2 κ1 denote the set of all closed curves of class C on the sphere S whose geodesic curvatures lie in the interval (κ1, κ2), furnished with the C topology (for some r ≥ 2). In 1970, J. Little proved that the space L+∞ 0 of closed curves having positive geodesic curvature has three connected components. Let ρi = arccotκi (i = 1, 2). In this thesis, we show that L2 κ1 has n connected components L1, . . . ,Ln, where n = ⌊ π ρ1 − ρ2 ⌋ + 1 and Lj contains circles traversed j times (1 ≤ j ≤ n). The component Ln−1 also contains circles traversed (n− 1) + 2k times, and Ln contains circles traversed n + 2k times, for any k ∈ N. In addition, each of L1, . . . ,Ln−2 is homotopy equivalent to SO3 (n ≥ 3). A direct characterization of the components in terms of the properties of a curve and a proof that L2 κ1 is homeomorphic to L2 κ̄1 whenever ρ1 − ρ2 = ρ̄1 − ρ̄2 (ρ̄i = arccot κ̄i) are also presented.


The emission spectra of four dye mixtures pumped by a N/sub 2/ laser are studied. The mixtures are Rh6G+crestyl violet, RhB+crestyl violet, Rh6G+RhB, and Rh6G+RhB +crestyl violet. The energy transfer processes in the mixtures are discussed. It has been shown that the dye mixtures make it possible to broaden the tuning range of the dye lasers, increase the laser efficiency of some dyes, and obtain the dual wavelength laser oscillation.


Based on the distinguishing features of multi-tier millimeter wave (mmWave) networks such as different transmit powers, different directivity gains from directional beamforming alignment and path loss laws for line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) links, we introduce a normalization model to simplify the analysis of multi-tier mmWave cellular networks. The highlight of the model is that we convert a multi-tier mmWave cellular network into a single-tier mmWave network, where all the base stations (BSs) have the same normalized transmit power 1 and the densities of BSs scaled by LOS or NLOS scaling factors respectively follow piecewise constant function which has multiple demarcation points. On this basis, expressions for computing the coverage probability are obtained in general case with beamforming alignment errors and the special case with perfect beamforming alignment in the communication. According to corresponding numerical exploration, we conclude that the normalization model for multi-tier mmWave cellular networks fully meets requirements of network performance analysis, and it is simpler and clearer than the untransformed model. Besides, an unexpected but sensible finding is that there is an optimal beam width that maximizes coverage probability in the case with beamforming alignment errors.


ACAS (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System) / TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) is an airborne system designed to increase cockpit awareness of nearby aircraft and to service as a last defense against mid-air collisions between the aircrafts. In the existing system, four monopole stub elements are used as TCAS directional antenna and one blade type element is used as TCAS omni-directional antenna. The transmission and reception frequencies of the TCAS antenna are 1.03 GHz and 1.09 GHz respectively. The existing TCAS antenna has some drawbacks such as low gain, large beamwidth, frequency and beam tuning/scanning issues etc. Antenna issues like unwanted signals reception may create difficulties in identifying the possible threats. In this paper, the focus is on the design and development of a Novel Microstrip Antenna which can be used for ACAS / TCAS application. The proposed model is a Dual Patch Microstrip Antenna, designed in CST MWS Studio 2015 and FEKO Suite 7.0.1 to meet the current needs of aircraft collision avoidance system and to overcome the possible limitations associated with the existing techniques. The performance and other antenna characteristics have been explored from the simulation results followed by the antenna fabrication and measurement. A good Reflection Coefficient and VSWR with proper 50 Ω Impedance matching, high Gain and perfect directional Radiation Pattern at the operating frequencies make this proposed antenna a good candidate for ACAS application. The proposed antenna would be expected to meet the requirements of the advanced avionics standards in terms of design simplicity, lightweight and high performance.


The invention belongs to the technical field of aviation flight test and relates to an aircraft fuselage bottom pod, which can be used as a trial flight and using platform for airborne products such as large-sized antennas, radars, cameras and the like. The aircraft fuselage bottom pod is placed on a straight section right under an aircraft underbelly and is a closed test pod, which consists of an aircraft fuselage bottom structure, an adapter flange and an antenna housing; a lifting beam, which used as a tested equipment mounting interface, is placed in the pod and rigidly connected with the aircraft fuselage bottom original pod structure. According to the invention, as the pod is not shielded on the sides and at the bottom, the aircraft fuselage bottom pod can satisfy omnibearing working requirements of aircraft equipment; the universality of the aircraft fuselage bottom pod is strong and various equipment can be mounted in the same lifting beam through different mounting structures; as the shape of the pod is fused with that of the bottom of the aircraft fuselage, the pod has a small effect on the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft; and the pod and tested equipment in the pod are convenient to maintain.


In this short note, we describe our current research activities in database management systems. The department's interest in database managemen% systems has been steadily growing over the years, and now encompasses work in database machines (Boral, DeWitt), design data management (Katz), user interface and data models (Klug), and theoretical foundations (Klug). In the following sections, we describe the research projects underway at the University of Wisconsin.


Physicochemical. Microbial and Phnrmacologielll studies on Fe{lII)-Dacarbazine complex have been done in solid and aqueous phase. On the basis of elemcntnl analysis, polarographic studies. amperomelric tilra\iOlls and IR spectrnl sludies the probllble formula for the complex has been worked out to be I : I, Fe(lIIl-Dacarbazine. The metal ligand interaction has been studied using polarographic method at 25:tl"C lind at ionic strength of ~1=1.0 (Kel). Microbial studies 011 the complex wns done against various pathogenic bacterin viz. Pselldomolla.~ mallgi(en' $ttlpnylococu:> aureus, Salmonella r.vplli and Vibreo colarae and fungi i.e. TricnotJu:s;rtlll and Chrysnsporiuni sp. using Raper"s method. Mouse sarcoma cell line 180 and l3alb/C mice were used for the anticancer screening of solid complex ill vitro :md in vivo respectively. The observed polarographic data. on lingane treatment revealed the formation of single (1 ; I) (M: LJ cOlllplex with Fe(lIl) nnd dacarbazine ligands. The results of amperometric titrations of FeUII) with dacarbazine in 1M KCI supporting electrolyte pH 7.0:t0.1 supported the nbove findings the lit data speaks of the complex formation between the melal and the dacnrbazine ligand through the two nitrogen one each of primary amide and tri1:o groups. The results of microbial lind phnrmucologic:ll studies with the M:Drug complex revealed that the anticancer activity of the drug metal complex is nearly doubled as compared to lhe pure drug. As sllch FeOIl) dacnrb:l1:ine complex may be recommended lo the therapeutic experts for its possible usc as more potent anticancer drug.


When phase fault is close up to the neutral point at the Y0 side and near the apex at the Δ side of the Y0/Y0 or Y0/Δ wiring transformers, because the short circuit turns are few and the short circuit current is small, any protection may refuse to operate, that is any protection has certain dead-zone. The existence of the longitudinal differential protection dead-zone of Y0/Y0 wiring transformers and the factors affecting the size of the dead-zone are analyzed. The calculation formula of differential current when two-phase short-circuit happens at the edge of the dead-zone is deduced, which is regarded as a basis for protection setting.


Establishes weight restrictions for vehicles on the Interstate System. Provides that no funds authorized to be appropriated for any fiscal year under the Federal-Aid Highway Act shall be apportioned to any State within the boundaries of which the Interstate System may lawfully be used by vehicles in excess of the established weight limitation.


This work proposes the design of a low cost semi-industrial three degree of freedom CNC vertical milling center (VMC) with non-ferrous metal machining capabilities. The design seeks to mitigate the difficulties that acquiring a commercial industrial CNC can present, such as large dimensions, high cost and complications in its transportation within the plant. The proposed machine will be made up of 1 NEMA 23 stepper motor for each X, Y and Z axis, and will be controlled by open source firmware using an ATMEGA 2560 microcontroller. Likewise, the working area will be 320x180mm and will have a precision 100 microns with semi industrial capacities. This design is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that are looking for a low cost non-ferrous CNC milling machine that in turn has the quality, performance and precision of an industrial one.


Abstract : The primary aim of this study was to investigate the role of central adenosine receptor (AR) stimulation in neuroprotection by directly injecting (6)-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA), an adenosine agonist specific to the A1 receptor subtype (A1R), into the brain intracerebroventricularly (ICV) in a soman seizure rat model. In addition to general A1R stimulation, we hypothesized that bilateral micro-injection of CPA into the cholinergic basal forebrain (BF) and of the adenosine A2AR agonist CGS21680 into the GABAergic ventrolateral pre-optic area (VLPO) could also suppress excitotoxic activity. The results from these studies demonstrated that centrally administered adenosine agonists are anti-seizure and neuroprotective. CPA-delivered ICV prevented seizure and convulsion in 100% of the animals. Moreover, neuropathological evaluation indicated that adenosine treatments reduced brain damage from severe to minimal. Inhibition of the BF via CPA and stimulation of the VLPO via CGS21680 had varied results. Some animals were protected by treatment; however, others displayed similar pathology to the control. Overall, these data suggest that stimulating central ARs could be an effective target for the next generation countermeasures for nerve agent intoxication.


Search engine optimization (SEO) can significantly influence what is shown on the result pages of commercial search engines. However, it is unclear what proportion of (top) results have actually been optimized. We developed a tool that uses a semi-automatic approach to detect, based on a given URL, whether SEO measures were taken. In this multi-dimensional approach, we analyze the HTML code from which we extract information on SEO and analytics tools. Further, we extract SEO indicators on the page level and the website level (e.g., page descriptions and loading time of a website). We amend this approach by using lists of manually classified websites and use machine learning methods to improve the classifier. An analysis based on three datasets with a total of 1,914 queries and 256,853 results shows that a large fraction of pages found in Google is at least probably optimized, which is in line with statements from SEO experts saying that it is tough to gain visibility in search engines without applying SEO techniques.


A series of wind tunnel experiments with different densities of car roughness elements was carried out to measure wind velocities and drag forces caused by the roughness elements. Next, CFD predictions with the 'Vehicle Canopy Model' were carried out for the same targets as these in the wind tunnel tests. The model coefficient included in a 'Vehicle Canopy Model' proposed by the present authors was determined based on the comparison of CFD results with the experimental results.


WithGlobalization at Risk, Hufbauer and Suominen have produced a very useful book for both the specialist and the general reader. Their volume provides an updated monitor of some key vital signs of globalization with a neat selection of the evolution of pertinent indicators on global trade and finance – although international migration of labor is conspicuously absent. The authors distill and present clearly and lucidly the best supporting evidence of globalization as a force for good, while skillfully refuting some of the arguments put forward by the skeptics or outright opponents of the process. Convincingly they submit that the 'Great Crisis ' of 2008–2010 has been the biggest challenge to contemporary globalization, and sketch in a very accessible way its gestation, outbreak, and fallout. There is no question that this book will easily join the select group of serious and convincing contemporary pro-globalization works alongside the celebrated volumes by Martin Wolf and Jagdish Bhagwati. The authors do an excellent job proving what they call their main theses: that globalization has delivered heady economic benefits; that it has not been automatic, having required active policies to foster it ; and that preventing its derailment will require tireless work, domestically and internationally. In writing this book, the authors task themselves with three worthy objectives: assessing globalization, identifying the biggest challenges to its future, and producing an action plan to both further it and make it better. They do a fine job on the first two, but it is questionable whether they even come close to delivering on the third. Their scattered, and for the most part uncritical, recollection of a number of ideas that have been floated to improve one or another aspect of global macroeconomics, finance, and trade does not really add up to the road map they purport to produce. This insufficiency seems to arise from a basic inconsistency between the authors' diagnosis and a central premise they use to formulate their prescriptions. On the one hand, they tell us that economic policymaking is no longer about finetuning the business cycle or boosting growth rates; that the design of the economic system is now up for grabs; that we are in for years of reexamination of the policy framework; and that incremental realignments may no longer suffice. On the other, they take the stance that a major recalibration now seems virtually unattainable; that this is not the time for a full-blown revision of global governance, nor could it be accomplished; that leaders cannot abandon aspects of national sovereignty that their people treasure – in short, that incremental change will remain the name of the game. They clearly abide by the latter in formulating their prescriptions. To their merit, they World Trade Review (2011), 10 : 4, 557–559 f Cambridge University Press


Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of use of hearing aids by older adults in Chile and the influence of some variables such as education level, income level and geographic area of residence on the prevalence of hearing aids. Design: A national cross-sectional survey which was carried out in 2009. Study sample: A representative sample of 4766 Chilean older adults aged 60 years and above. Results: The percentage of older adults in Chile who self-reported hearing problems and used hearing aids was 8.9%. Such prevalence increased for adults living in urban areas and for those who knew about the new Chilean programme of universal access to health services (AUGE). For older adults who did not know about this programme, significant associations between the use of hearing aids and the variables of age, geographic area of residence, and income level were found. Conclusions: People's knowledge about AUGE programme may positively influence the use of hearing aids, although a direct effect cannot be attributed.


A new feedback scheme for the suppression of tearing modes which are considered to be a principal cause of major disruptions in tokamak devices is proposed. Attention is focused on the suppression of the 2/1 mode as this mode strongly destabilizes the other tearing modes. Fourier components of the perturbed radial field are fed back to the toroidal field. Numerical experiments show that the feedback system is worth being discussed as a means of stabilization.


Analysing and optimising service productivity is a widely discussed task in service management. While directly measurable factors such as processing time or service turnover are frequently used in order to measure the productivity of services, underlying factors that are, in many cases, not (directly) measurable are not considered in-depth. However, these "qualitative†factors influence service productivity to a high degree. The idea behind the approach provided in this article is to open the former "black box†view on productivity (input–output) to a process efficiency-oriented perspective instead and to show which qualitative factors play a crucial role regarding service productivity.


SUMMARY Sixteen healthy subjects, ages18-35years, werestudied inthesupine position bymeansof systolic timeintervals andechocardiography before andaftersmoking a high-nicotine cigarette (2.5mg nicotine) andatobacco cigarette ofverylownicotine content (<0.02mg nicotine) toassessandcomparethe immediate effects uponleft ventricular function. Smokers (n= 12)andnonsmokers (n= 4)behaved alike. High- andlow-nicotine cigarettes bothcaused significant increasesinheart rate, systolic anddiastolic bloodpressure andthetriple product (systolic blood pressureX left ventricular ejection (LVET)X heartrate), prolonged LVETcanddecreased thepreejection period (PEP)andPEP/LVET.Inaddition, smoking a nicotine reference cigarette increased theechocardiographically derived LV end-diastolic volumeby7.5%,augmented ejection fraction by4%,while significantly enhancing mean normalized circumferential fiber shortening by12.5%andmean normalized posterior wallvelocity by9%.Smoking a tobacco cigarette ofultra-low nicotine content resulted incomparable increases inejection fraction andmean circumferential fiber shortening, albeit onthebasis ofasignificantdecrease inend-systolic volumewithout alteration inend-diastolic volume. Thesedatasuggest thatinthesupine position smoking ahigh-nicotine cigarette acutely increases venous return andaugments theprincipal determinants ofmyocardial oxygenconsumption heartrate, contractility, preload andafterload andthatcigarette smokemay contain inotropic andchronotropic substances other thannicotine.


In the new historical period,China's theory of art and literature has been growing healthfully for thirty years,which developing track may be summed up the following,from aesthetic theory to linguistic theory and cultural theory.So it is necessary to press forward the study of theory of art and literature in its more healthy development along the path of "cultural Poetics"consisted of aesthetic theory,linguistic theory and cultural theory.


Agriculture is a vital part of the Western Cape Province economy, yet, it is projected that it will be affected by climate change. In its green economy plan, known as "Green is Smart", the Western Cape Province thus recognises "smart agri‐production" as among the key drivers for transitioning to a green economy. This transition will, however, have implications on the food crop producti on in the Province. The purpose of this paper was therefore to identify an appropriate approach to better understand how the green economy transition will influence food crop production. From the review undertaken, concepts such as systems thinking, complex systems and transition theor y seem relevant within the context of the food crop agriculture sector. It also became clear that understanding the behaviour of the Western Cape Province's food crop agriculture sector as a system is both complex and challenging. System dynamics modelling therefore appeared to adequately suit this specif ic research relative to other the approaches reviewed. Transitioning to a green economy presents itself as a possible solution to help increase the longevity of the Western Cape's food crop agriculture. The next steps for this study will be developing a system dynamics model for the food crop production, which is in tended to explore where investments should be made to secure the safety of the agricultural sector of the Western Cape Province. Such kind of research has only been done on a national level and this study will therefore provide valuable information and insights to the provincial stakeholders.


bob beel a self-taught photographer established the le dawn studios in wangaratta in 1956. from 1956 to his retirement in october 1996 he recorded public events and life in north eastern victoria.selectively digitised as some images identical or very similar. date and title inscribed in blue ballpoint pen on original envelope (retained) negatives in groups of two on horizontal strips.


Purpose – Analysis of the matches in the World Cup 2018 of the leading teams, among men and women, with regard to occurrence of penalty corners.
Methods. The following research methods were used: analysis and generalization of scientific-methodical and special literature, video analysis, and mathematical statistics.
Results. The study included a video analysis of 36 women's matches and 36 men's matches of the 2018 World Cup with regard to occurrence of penalty corners. We recorded parameters such as shooting type, shooting time, shooting accuracy, ball receiving, and the moment of realization.
The study determined the effectiveness of penalty corners for men's and women's teams. It has demonstrated that the speed of the ball shooting when performing a penalty corner is significantly different for women and men. In men's teams, there is only one type of a penalty corner - from a static position. Women's teams have a large proportion of penalty corners from a static position, but there are also mobile shots and sweeping shots.
Conclusion. The analysis of matches of the World Cup 2018 of women's and men's leading teams with regard to occurrence of penalty corners has revealed that the effectiveness of a penalty corner for the strongest men's teams is 23.6%, for women's teams - 17.8%. Men's teams serve mainly from a static position, while women's teams use 3 types of shots. The factor analysis based on the values of factor weights enabled explanation of tournament tables and creation of a pattern of the winner's team according to the results of penalty corners.


Mixing limestone powder (LP) in the self-leveling mortar (SLM) can not only solve the problems of LP waste randomly piled up and secondary utilization of resources, but also reduce the raw material cost of SLM and have excellent mechanical properties. The effect of replacing fly ash
 (FA) with LP and replacing cement with LP after completely replacing FA on fluidity and strength of SLM are studied. The microstructure of SLM is measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscope. The results show that the initial fluidity and the 20-min fluidity of
 SLM decrease gradually with the increase of LP content. The strength of SLM increases and then decreases with the increase of LP replacing FA, and the strength is the highest when the addition of LP is 40%. When LP replaces cement after completely replacing FA, the strength of SLM decreases
 with the increase of displacement. Excessive LP can greatly damage the mechanical properties of SLM. The appropriate content of LP can improve the microstructure of SLM and promote the formation of hydration products, which is helpful to reduce the porosity and thus improves the structure
 density. This may be due to the chemical reaction and the microfiller effect of LP.


As everything around us will be linked to the net in many ways via the Internet of Things (IoTs) and compared to the standard Internet, new forms of problems and complications can arise. Huge IoTs experiments are currently under way, most of which concern its sight, supporting technology, software, or facilities. Recently, a limited studies have comprehensively defined the security requirements such as privacy concerns, security, and trusting in the IoTs that are deemed special to the future net, these terms need to be discussed and addressed via numerous scholars and research groups as well. This article surveyed through 102 references from popular literature databases to explore the features\ properties that define the distinctive IoT relating to forthcoming privacy, security and trust issues. Then created security requirements that were triggered by the mentioned properties. This article examined the privacy, security, trust and resilience components of the three most popular IoT architectures in consideration of the requirements as well. Also, this survey contributed to the state-of-the-art security issues for embedded devices in Internet of Things world including provide a comparative table of well-known secure routing protocols and their countermeasures to well-known attacks on Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) structure of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) within Internet of Things world. Finally, this survey identifies a number of study gaps that will serve as the foundation for future research.


The Statute of Frauds requires certain types of contract to be in writing and signed by the parties. A contract for transfer of real estate is also within the Statute, meaning that terms of the contract must be in writing with the parties" signatures. Current laws have substituted the traditional requirements of the Statute. Today, both legislative and common law recognize as valid a contract for transfer of real estate in electronic form. With the legislation of UETA and ESIGN, a contract is not denied its legal effect solely because it was made in electronic form. Most states in the U.S. have adopted UETA Also, even courts in a state where UETA is not in effect uphold the validity of real estate contract in electronic form. Parties are no longer required to write and sign on paper to make a contract for sale of real estate. Meanwhile, there are some concerns regarding electronic transactions in real estate. Parties may enter into a real estate contract without "thinking twice" because they are not required to write the contract terms and sign on paper for legal effect. Also, there are risks of electronic documents being forged In addition, most real estate owners are not much informed of legal consequences of their activities online. They may end up with entering a legally binding contract without such intent. Because of these concerns, we need to rethink whether parties may enter into a valid contract for transfer of real estate in electronic form. We may make an exception to UETA and EIGN when it comes to a transfer of real estate. Alternatively, we may strengthen the authenticity of electronic signature to prevent forgery.


5047 Background: We previously reported the PSA response rate and toxicity data of a phase 1/2 single-arm, multi-institutional trial to examine the efficacy and safety of co-administration of ENZ + CAB in mCRPC without prior chemotherapy given in the mCRPC setting. We found that full doses of ENZ (160 mg daily) and CAB (25 mg/m2) were tolerable and that 80% of pts had PSA decline ≥50%. Here, we report the final analysis of ORR, rPFS and OS. Methods: We calculated the ORR (CR/PR) and 95% confidence intervals using the Clopper-Pearson Exact Method. We determined response according to RECIST 1.1 for measurable disease and Prostate Cancer Working Group 2 criteria for non-measurable (bone) disease. We estimated median rPFS (time from the study entry to the time of confirmed progression (radiographic or clinical) or death) and OS (time from the study entry to death) with 95% confidence intervals using the Kaplan-Meier method; data cutoff was 6/1/22. Statistical analysis was performed using R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Results: 37 pts consented and 35 were included in the efficacy analyses (1 withdrew consent, 1 was lost to follow up before efficacy assessment); 7/35 (20%) had prior exposure to chemotherapy given for mHSPC and 9/35 (25%) had prior exposure to abiraterone (ABI), including 2/35 (25.7%) with prior exposure to chemotherapy and ABI. 28 pts had at least one on-study trial imaging study and were evaluable for ORR. After a median follow-up of 23.7 (range: 4.9 to 62.4) months (mo), median OS was 25.1 mo (95%CI 19.4 - 37.6 mo). Median PSA PFS was 11.9 mo (95%CI 9.2 - 15.4), and median rPFS was 22.2 mo (95%CI 13.6 - 25.2). PK assessments revealed that ENZ decreased CAB levels: CAB (monotherapy) Cmax 178.9ng*h/ml vs CAB (in the presence of ENZ) Cmax 85.5 ng*h/ml (p<0.05). Conclusions: The combination of ENZ+CAB in this heterogeneous mCRPC population, which included about a quarter of pts with prior chemotherapy and ABI exposure, resulted in an OS of 22.5 mo comparing favorably with the OS of 25.2 mo seen in the FIRSTANA trial of single agent CAB in docetaxel naïve men, 15.1 mo post chemotherapy in the TROPIC trial, and 13.6 mo in the post-docetaxel, post-ABI in the CARD trial. Of note, the rPFS in this trial was 22.2 months compared to 5.1 months in FIRSTANA suggesting improved efficacy; however cross-trial comparisons are discouraged due to several confounders. Chemo-hormonal therapies and prognostic/predictive biomarkers warrant further study in mCRPC. Clinical trial information: NCT02522715 . [Table: see text]


In order to reveal the valence state of Ti in conductive nanowires in sapphire, near-edge x-ray-absorption fine structures (NEXAFS) were observed. From experimental and theoretical studies on NEXAFS of reference compounds including rutile, anatase, and Ti{sub 2}O{sub 3}, it was found that the valence state of Ti can be identified by regarding the positions of the spectral onset and the shoulder in the main peak of Ti-K NEXAFS. The valence states of Ti doped Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} polycrystalline specimens which were annealed at oxidized and reduced atmospheres were determined to be +4 and +3, respectively. The solubility limit of Ti in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} polycrystal was found to be between 1000 ppm to 1.0% at the both atmospheres. The spectrum from Ti nanowires in sapphire has a lot of similarities to the reduced specimen, the valence state was therefore concluded to be +3.


This paper is an attempt to describe briefly the contribution of Indian writers in the literature in English language. Many Indian writers believed that English language is a gateway to western knowledge. Contact with English language and literature was fruitful to the regional languages, as it led to the growth and development of creative literature in these tongues. The use of English led to the Indian Renaissance of the 19th century. In this paper, two novels, Music for Mohini and The Serpent and The Rope, have been discussed to prove that English has acted as a link language among various regional languages, meanwhile, those novels exposed the conflict between two cultures and showed the direct or indirect impact of English language and culture on the Indian traditions and spirit.


Background: Follicular lymphomas are indolent lymphomas of low incidence in Africa. They are considered incurable, but recent progress has led to a significant increase in survival. The aim of our work is to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic and evolutionary profile of patients followed for follicular lymphoma in Casablanca, Morocco. Patients and methods: During the period of January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015, were included, all patients diagnosed of follicular lymphoma on a histological and immunohistochemical study of the ganglion or the affected tumor tissue. The treatment was either a therapeutic abstention or chemotherapy with or without Rituximab. Results: 53 (6.4%) of the 841 patients followed-up for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma had follicular lymphoma, only 35 were included in this study. The median age of diagnosed patients was 56.1 years [27; 87] and the sex ratio 2. The primary site was the ganglion in 28 (80%) patients and 71.5% of the patients were at stage III and IV of Ann Arbor at diagnosis. According to the FLIPI score 1 about 1/3 of the patients were classified as low risk, intermediate risk and high risk, respectively. 3 (9.4%) patients were under supervision/observation, 1 patient under CVP, 13 (40.6%) patients on CHOP, 1 patient on R-chloraminophen, 14 (43.6%) on R-CHOP. In the R-CHOP group, 85.7% of the patients were on CR with a median remission of 25.8 months. 3 patients in the R-CHOP group had/received maintenance with rituximab. Discussion and conclusion: Follicular lymphoma is of low frequency and is often revealed by lymphadenopathy. The patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. The R-CHOP protocol with rituximab maintenance is the most used and best protocol for our patients.