In this dissertation, we discuss Bayesian modeling approaches for identifying brain regions that respond to certain stimulus and use them to classify subjects. We specifically deal with multi-subject electroencephalography (EEG) data where the responses are binary, and the covariates are matrices, with measurements taken for each subject at different locations across multiple time points. EEG data has a complex structure with both spatial and temporal attributes to it. We use a divide and conquer strategy to build multiple local models, that is, one model at each time point separately both, to avoid the curse of dimensionality and to achieve computational feasibility. Within each local model, we use Bayesian variable selection approaches to identify the locations which respond to a stimulus. We use continuous spike and slab prior, which has inherent variable selection properties. We initially demonstrate the local Bayesian modeling approach which is computationally inexpensive, where the estimation for each local modeling could be conducted in parallel. We use MCMC sampling procedures for parameter estimation. We also discuss a two-stage variable selection approach based on thresholding using the Shariq Mohammed, University of Connecticut, 2018 complexity parameter built within the model. A prediction strategy is built utilizing the temporal structure between local models. The spatial correlation is incorporated within the local Bayesian modeling to improve the inference. The temporal characteristic of the data is incorporated through the prior structure by learning from the local models estimated at previous time points. Variable selection is done via clustering of the locations based on their activation time. We then use a weighted prediction strategy to pool information from the local spatial models to make a final prediction. Since the EEG data has both spatial and temporal correlations acting simultaneously, we enrich our local Bayesian modeling by incorporating both correlations through a Kronecker product of the spatial and temporal correlation structures. We develop a highly scalable estimation approach to deal with the ultra-huge number of parameters in the model. We demonstrate the efficiency of estimation using the scalable algorithm by performing simulation studies. We also study the performance of these models through a case study on multi-subject EEG data. Bayesian Variable Selection with Applications to Neuroimaging Data


1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Department of Chemistry, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria,Nigeria Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. School of Chemica and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.


Shopping is really a kind of browsing. Gal lery gazing; a visit to the zoo; wandering through the streets of an unknown city; a walk in the country?this meandering kind of exploration is browsing. In library jargon, browsing is a technical term. Let it mean, for the moment, the pleas urable process of exploring among stacks and stacks of primary materials (books, papers, pamphlets, scores, prints) which can be ex amined by utilizing all one's senses. The exact limits of the browsing process are hazy, but there seems to be a purpose in it, no matter how random the activity may appear to an observer. Let us dwell for a bit on the nature of this purposeful-purposeless activity. Let us imagine that the browser is an adult human being in full possession of his senses (in the literal meaning of the term). He comes to the store of materials with a store of his own?his store of information-? his memory. Let us hypothesize that his pur pose in browsing is to add to his store of in formation in a particular way. For want of better words let us call this sensory experi ence of physical materials considered acces sible in their entirety to all the senses. To make this a bit clearer, the person doing the browsing uses not only his eyes, but also his ears, nose, smell-taste receptors, and his sense of touch to examine the room, the book jackets, the titles, the pages, the print, with the understanding that the book he will take and open will reveal not only the words, but also the texture of the paper, the material of the binding, the color of the ink, the smell of paste, and whatever else he associates with the particular materials at hand. Browsing among secondary materials, such as films or recordings, which are not accessible to the senses without mechanical intervention, seems less satisfying. Browsing is least satisfying, and in some cases impossible, among micro films, other miniaturized or coded material, or lists of objects. Browsing as a sensory intake of informa tion seems to take a number of forms, which upon closer inspection become three different levels of attention. These three levels shall be called (1) random browsing through an un known collection; (2) quasi-random brows ing through an area of a building or a collec tion previously explored; and (3) semi-deter ministically in a limited physical area or bounded intellectual area.


The research aimed to design Ecotableros based on rice husks C (Oryza sativa) and sugarcane bagasse B (Saccharum officinarum) using different proportions (mixtures) of agroindustrial residues (20g B + 80g C; 40g B + 60g C, 60g B + 40g C and 80g B + 20g C) and particle size, particle size (3mm and 4mm), which were measured by the Resistance to flexion (N / mm2), Cohesion Internal (N / mm2), Internal Traction (N / mm2) and Humidity (%). The method used was experimental where the experimental unit comprised 100 g of mixture (husk + cane bagasse) plus 20 g of glue. The residues were collected in a radius of 300m on one side of the Tosagua-Calceta road. Statistical analysis was performed to verify the normality of the data using the Sharpiro Wilks test and the equality of variances using the F test. The parameters of flexural strength and internal cohesion (N / mm2) analysis of traditional variance and the Humidity (%) and internal traction (N / mm2) the Kruskall Wallis test. The treatment with the best characteristics is 5 (20 g B + 80 g C * 4 mm), which also has higher production costs, but since the difference with the lowest cost (less than 20%) is not feasible, the use of this formula for the efficient production of ecotableros.


No flow is defined as the lack of myocardial perfusion despite opening up the epicardial coronary vessels in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The study aims to find the efficacy and safety of local intracoronary adrenaline in treating the no-reflow phenomenon. This prospective observational study was conducted at the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology from January 2021 to January 2022. Data was collected from 86 patients. Data was collected through clinical assessments, angiographic evaluations, and patient records. Relevant baseline characteristics, procedural details, and outcomes were systematically documented for each participant. The average age of the participants was 62 years, with a gender distribution of 60% male and 40% female. Among the 86 patients, 42% exhibited an angiographically confirmed no-reflow phenomenon during PCI. No-reflow severity varied, with 18% experiencing mild, 15% moderate, and 9% severe no-reflow. Local intracoronary adrenaline was administered as part of the treatment strategy for the no-reflow phenomenon in the eligible patients. The standardized dose of adrenaline used was 100 μg, administered via the intracoronary route during the PCI procedure. It is concluded that local intracoronary adrenaline administration appears to be a potentially effective and safe strategy for managing the no-reflow phenomenon during PCI procedures.


Efficient Sampling Rate Conversion by Thomas A. Baran Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY February 2007 c © Thomas A. Baran, MMVII. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part.


The paper reviewed in detail the desulfurization and dressing process and method of iron ore associatedwith pyrrhotite or pyrite, including stage grinding, stage dressing desulfurization process, desulfurization process combining magnetic separation and flotation, desulfurization process combining roasting, magnetic separation and flotation. The results showed that: for the iron ore with fine dissemination size and single type of sulfur, stage grinding and stage dressing desulfurization process was suitable; for the strong magnetic iron ore with various types of sulfur, desulfurization process combining magnetic separation and flotation was suitable; for the weak magnetic iron ore with various types of sulfur, desulfurization process combining roasting, magnetic separation and flotation was suitable. In addition, the paper narrated in detail the study and application of new activator and collector for pyrrhotite and pyrite in the desulfurization and flotation process, and analyzed main action mechanism of pyrites with activator and collector according to the crystal structural characteristic of pyrites. The results showed that: the activator was capable of removing the hydrophilic substance attached on pyrites surface to expose fresh surface, and improving the oxidation potential of the pyrites surface to hinder the further generation of hydrophilic substance; collector was capable of selectively acting on the pyrites surface to make the mineral surface hydrophobic.


Abstract Who runs and is elected is one of the most fundamental questions in political science as it pertains to the issue of descriptive representation. Despite the importance of this issue, until recently there were no longitudinal datasets on candidates in Canadian elections. This article presents two novel datasets including information on all candidates who ran in Canadian federal and Ontario provincial elections from 1867 to 2019. I present how these data were collected and how they can be used to gain new insights. I expect these data will be a valuable resource to Canadian political scientists for both research and teaching purposes.


THE criticism contained in the preceding paper by W. R. Amberson, of the method of curve analysis employed by Hartree and Hill in their work on the heat production of muscles, will be discussed more fully later by W. Hartree, in connection with experimental observations now being undertaken with a much quicker recording system of thermopile and galvanometer than has hitherto been available. Since it may be some time before this investigation is completed, and in order to prevent misunderstanding in the meantime, it is desirable to point out: (1) That the results of the older analyses, viz. those prior to 1925, which are the only ones, with one exception, criticized by Amberson, were admitted by Hartree(1) in 1925 to be relatively indeterminate, in the following terms: "in view of recent improvements in technique the results then obtained can now be regarded as little better than a first approximation." (2) That the improvements in technique referred to (i.e. in quickness of response of galvanometer and thermopile) made during and since 1925 have rendered the results of the analyses of the heat production of frog's sartorius muscles very far from indeterminate, even when the time-unit of analysis is considerably shorter than that (i sec.) adopted in the earlier experiments: this will be shown in detail later by Hartree. The horns of Amberson's "insoluble dilemma" have in fact been dissolved away long since in experimental improvements of the type to which he, somewhat vaguely, refers. Indeed in Hartree's latest experiments (unpublished) the relaxation heat can be seen as an obvious hump on the photographic record (cf. Fig. 2). (3) That the third phase of the initial heat production (the relaxation heat) is certainly not "entirely a myth": apart from analyses of observations made during and since 1925, which have demonstrated its existence beyond dispute, Hartree's present records exhibit it, without any analysis, in Amb e r s o n's words, as a "separate and distinct phase,


Users have digital and digitally mobilised footprints. The online data sets are defined and identified within their different networks. These result in data sets and interactive markers via personal media such as digital/mobile/smart devices. The compass-devices support to manage everyday life and to define digitally mobilised identities in online networking society, culture, and business. This chapter studies the digitally mobilised identitiy in a multitasking context, digital trends that shape personal/organizational mobile identity, and emerging technologies, services, and cases that support these changes and challenges. DIGITAL MOBILISATION AND IDENTITY Users have offline and online identities. They have gender, nationality, generation, and they are living in a culture. They have a qualification, job/profession, and hobbies and they have family members, friends and enemies. They are under social control because of all these parameters and due to other identity factors. They live under a wider social control via platforms of online publicity. They are also consumers of digital devices and digital contents. Consumer-driven online identity produces user-generated content and interactive communication design. Users are living through online networks: networks of devices and platforms, links, data and contents, networks with other digital identities. Offline life is represented online via digital screens. Users' self-expressions are not identical with that of the offline way. However, they are akin to it. Feelings, stories, projects could be the same but the online environment and linked digital networks − that is, the online framework − provide alternative routes. The choices and tools are determined by the media. Interoperability and a strict separation among closed systems, semi-public scenes and publicity deploy mass media and the rites of interpersonal communication. However, mobile devices provide an opportunity for communication Katalin Fehér Taylor's University, Malaysia DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6166-0.ch004


Background
Both QTd and Tp-e/QT ratio have been linked to increased risk for arrhythmia and mortality. But Significance of QTd in STEMI Patients is not documented in all studies and Tp-e/QT ratio is a novel index which is understudied in these patients. Therefore, the present study is aimed to determine the short term, in-hospital prognostic value of QTd and Tp-e/QT ratio in thrombolysed STEMI patients.

Methods
This is a prospective, observational study that includes 321 patients. Relevant clinical data is collected. QTd and Tp-e/QT ratio (tangent method) is calculated from "at admission ECG" just before thrombolysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to determine the predictors of in-hospital outcomes. A p-value of >0.05 is considered statistically significant.

Results
The mean age of study population was 56.72 ± 11.36 with males:females ratio of 2.73:1. Mean value of QTd and Tp-e/QT ratio were 80.29 ±10.2 ms and 0.28 ± 0.05 respectively. The QTd and Tp-e/QT ratio are found to be independent predictors of in MACE, in addition to absence of beta-blocker therapy at admission, AWMI. Tp-e/QT ratio is independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in addition to reduced LVEF and AWMI. Analysis of the ROC curve demonstrated that the optimal cut-off value for in-hospital outcomes was a Tp-e/QT ratio of ≥0.30.

Conclusion
Both QTd and Tp-e/QT ratio may serve as a prognostic predictors of in hospital MACE independently but only Tp-e/QT ratio predicts patients with in-hospital all cause mortality in thrombolysed STEMI patients.


The biology of the nematode species found living in moss cushions is considered. Particular attention is paid to the methods used by the animals which enable them to live in an environment which suffers periodic desiccation.


Objective To study the expression and clinical significance of tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α) of saliva in patients with recurrent aphthous ulceration(RAU).Methods Salivary levels of TNF-α in 38 patients(male21,female17,aged 15~56 years) with RAU were determined by double-antibody sandwich ELISA,salivary of 38(male19,female19,aged18-50 years)healthy individuals served as controls.Results The mean salivary TNF-α level in RAU patients(82.86±21.63) pg/ml was significantly higher than that in the controls(55.34±17.50)pg/ml,(t=3.877,P0.001).Conclusion The salivary TNF-α level in RAU patients is significantly increased,which indicates further that TNF-α may play a very important role in the pathogenesis of RAU.


The current situation of environmental resources requires their efficient usage through efficient process control. But, process control can not be achieved without an essential component: the communication between all devices, such as sensors, controllers, actuators, programming stations etc. The aim is to achieve the irrigation process of plants in greenhouse conditions. Therefore, it is submitted a comprehensive application that proposes to be a distributed control system including data acquisition and processing, both local and remote monitoring of the process parameters. The distributed system is based on modern equipment: Siemens Simatic PLCs and HMI, Memsic e̅Ko Pro wireless sensors network, level sensors for irrigation tanks and actuators such as on/off valves and pumps. In terms of communication between equipments, an industrial bus and protocols were used - Profinet and wireless communication. The software part is provided by TIA Portal with STEP 7 and WinCC flexible RT and LOGO! Soft Comfort for programming the automation devices. ModbusTCP was used to develop the communication protocol between central devices.


The Septentrional fault system in the northeastern Dominican Republic marks the zone where the North American-Carribean plate boundary is evolving from subduction to strike-slip motion, and where terranes appear to be forming and migrating laterally in a subduction complex/forearc region. On the Island of Hispaniola, slip vectors are oblique to the strike of the Puerto Rico trench, and oblique subduction thrusts the upper plate over normal seafloor. The offshore geology and seismicity of the northern Caribbean suggest that uplift, broad crustal warping, thrusting, and strike-slip faulting (ie. collisional tectonics) should be present in the northern part of the Dominican Republic. The high topography (>1000m), high levels of seismicity, and large earthquakes support the hypothesis of contemporary deformation in Hispaniola. In this region, the subduction regime dies out toward the west, and deformation is transferred to onshore, oblique-slip faults. As this change in tectonic style has occurred in Neogene to Recent times, we are investigating the modern evolution of a plate boundary. We have already documented: (1) the presence of a strike-slip faulting in the northeastern Dominican Republic; (2) an anomalous push-up structure; and (3) a region of numerous splay faults. In conclusion, recent seismicity suggest a wide zone of deformationmore » and variations in interplate motions near Hispaniola. This island lies at the western limit of active underthrusting and at the eastern limit of onshore faulting, i.e., at an important transition from a subduction to strike-slip regime.« less


Proximate analyses of two traditional grain legumes consumed in Eastern Nigeria- Bambara groundnut (Voadzeia subterranean) and African yam beans (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) were carried out. Bambara groundnut was found to contain 2.86±0.02% moisture, 32.40±0.02% protein, 7.35± 0.02% fat, 5.78±0.02% ash, 2.68±0.02% crude fiber and 51.78±0.02% total carbohydrates. African yam beans contained the following: 1.96± 0.02% moistuire, 37.21±0.02% proteins, 9.49±0.02% fat, 5.35±0.02 Ash, 3.55±0.02 crude fiber and 44.4±0.02% total carbohydrates. The result indicates that the two underutilized food legumes have high protein content with African yam beans having slightly higher value of the protein nutrient. They also contain varying levels of ash content, crude fiber and carbohydrates. This reveals that bambara groundnut and African yam beans are important food sources that can be exploited particularly in the developing countries were there is shortage in animal protein and under nutrition facing many families in developing countries.

 Key words: Bambara groundnut, African yam beans, proximate analysis, under nutrition, protein.


Normality in anatomy consists of a range of morphologies that are most typical and others less frequent, which are called variations and not considered abnormal (Willan and Humpherson, 1999). The latter provide a framework for reviewing common morphology and embryogenesis of the structure (Zucconi et al., 2002). Variations, no matter how considerable they are, affect every part of human body. Anomalies in axillary artery with regard to origin, course, and branching are infrequent (Tan and Tan, 1994). The variations of axillary artery can be explained on the basis of the embryologic development of the arterial supply to the upper limb. In the earliest stages of embryogenesis there are numerous segmental branches of dorsal aorta, which supply the limb buds. The distinct branches of the central trunk (axis artery) are marked as axillary, primitive brachial, and anterior interosseous arteries (Starck, 1965). Anatomic variations of axillary artery have been recently described by many authors (Lengele and Dhem, 1989; Jurjus et al., 1999). The aim of this study is to report a case of double axillary artery, which is different from similar described patterns of this vessel (Calori, 1877; Jurjus et al., 1999; Cavdar et al., 2000) and is not reported in the available data.


With the rapid progression of technology and the growing presence of natural language processing applications in everyday life, it is essential to explore how high school students engage with these tools and how they foresee their futures in light of these advancements. The goal of this study is to analyse the usage patterns and future value perceptions of ChatGPT among 70 high school students through a survey-based approach. A key finding highlights that technology has become an integral element of contemporary life, underscoring the historical relevance of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and the eagerness of the younger generation to adopt such emerging technologies. High school students utilise ChatGPT for various purposes, including academic support, social communication, and personal management, across both educational and social contexts. Moreover, the participants conveyed a positive outlook on the potential of ChatGPT to significantly impact their lives in the coming years while acknowledging possible hurdles. Based on the findings of this study, it is clear that NLP tools like ChatGPT have a crucial role in moulding the experiences and anticipations of high school students. This paper, therefore, sets the stage for additional research and development in this area.


In Scottish secondary schools, the physics syllabus is broadly prescribed by the Scottish Education Department. At the 'O'-grade level, which is the focus of this study, the various components of the syllabus are stated in terms of behavioural objectives. The syllabus itself is divided into a number of broad topics such as Waves, Newtonian Mechanics, Heat Energy, Electron Physics and the Nucleus. Pupils usually commence the syllabus at the beginning of their third year, during which they study Waves, Newtonian Mechanics and a part of Heat Energy, and they complete the course at the end of their fourth year when they sit the public 'O'-grade examination. This examination consists of two papers, one of which is of the multiple-choice type using a five-option format. In this study we are not concerned with the substance of the syllabus, but with the ways in which the Scottish Certificate of Education Examination Board (SCEEB) has sought to help physics teachers to define behavioural objectives and to assess their pupils. Although educational objectives in Bloom's noted (1956) taxonomy are common coin among educators, not all of them support Bloom's ideas. Opposition is to be found among philosophers of education (Pring, 1971; Sockett, 1972), more of whom later, and among practising teachers, who concern us here. During the 1970s it was found that some teachers had encountered difficulty in constructing objective tests to prepare their pupils for their final 'O'-grade examination in physics. It was in response to this that SCEEB undertook to establish a National Item Bank which would hold a collection of questions, or items, which teachers could make use of in their own schools. Each of these items, or questions, was accompanied by a set of parameters which were intended to help teachers in their classroom assessment procedures. Each item was given six parameters. The first, a six-digit number, gave information on the subject being tested, the year group to be tested, the month of pretesting and a sequential item number. The second parameter denotes the syllabus section to which it refers, Waves for example. The third informs the teacher which


In this work, the in-situ upgrading of heavy oil from Tatarstan oilfield using steam and copper stearate as a catalyst at 250 °C and 35 bar for 24 hours was studied in stainless-steel reactor. Changes in the density/API gravity, viscosity, chemical composition (SARA-analysis), elemental composition and structure (FTIR-spectroscopy) of heavy oil before and after conversion were determined. Generally, we can summarize, that the content of resins and asphaltenes as well as the average molecular weight of heavy oil were reduced after conversion process. Whereas, amount of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons was increased due to the destruction of its high molecular weight components. Also, irreversible decrease of viscosity was fixed.


Bushy shares his hard won secrets on the dark art of Midge fishing for Trout this morning. Our first cast this morning comes from fly fishing author Greg French.


In order to simulate wave breaking process, air mass and bubbles entrained in water should be considered in calculation. In the present study, a numerical scheme is developed for wave breaking assuming an incompressible uni-phase flow with density varying between air and water. To satisfy the momentum conservation over the computational domain with large density variation, Navier-Stokes equation described in terms of momentum advection is employed as the governing equation. The advection terms of the momentum equation and advection equation for Density Value Method are solved by R-CIP method to minimize numerical diffusion. The results are compared with experimental results for a dam-break, bore and wave breaking on a slope. It is found that the model can reproduce bubbly areas due to wave breaking fairy well.


This paper reviews our recent work on laser beam shaping using plasmonics. We demonstrated that by integrating properly designed plasmonic structures onto the facet of semiconductor lasers, their divergence angle can be dramatically reduced by more than one orders of magnitude, down to a few degrees.


The apparent impedance seen by a distance relay may fall within its operating zone during power swing. This may cause the relay to trip unnecessarily. To avoid unintended trip operation during such conditions, a power swing blocking function is utilized in distance relays. However, if a fault occurs during power swing, the relay should detect the fault and trip as soon as possible for maintaining security. Detection of fault during power swing in a series compensated line is more complicated due to the presence of protection circuit of the capacitor. This paper proposes a negative sequence current based technique for detecting fault during power swing in a series compensated line. The technique is tested for symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults in a system simulated through EMTDC/PSCAD. The method is compared with available techniques.


Adipose tissues are distributed in multiple depots in the body of animals including human beings and rodents.1 In the past decades, the biology of adipose tissues has been intensely studied. Currently, it is well accepted that the existence of adipose tissues is essential to maintain normal physiological activities and health. However, excessive accumulation of adipose tissues in their original depots and ectopic accumulation of lipids especially in the liver and skeletal muscles lead to obesity and insulin resistance, which will further cause lethal cardiovascular complications.2 Mechanistically, it has been established that macrophage infiltration and oxidative stress in adipose tissues cause malfunction of the adipose tissue, resulting in the secretion of numerous inflammatory factors and adipocyte-derived hormones that negatively regulate functions of the target organs such as heart and blood vessels and eventually lead to cardiac and vascular diseases.3 Notably, adipose tissue may be originally differentiated from cells in the vasculature or share the same precursors with vasculature cells.4 Also, adipogenesis always is companied by angiogenesis of blood vessels.5 Thus, the relationship between adipose tissue and blood vessels is drawing much attention on aspects relating to both physiology and shared origin.

See accompanying article on page 455

One of the primary functions of adipose tissue is to store extra triglycerides in the form of lipid droplets. However, the sizes and distributions of lipid droplets are considerably different in different adipose tissue depots. Most adipose tissues in the human body comprise adipocytes containing a single large lipid droplet with fewer mitochondria, which is called white adipose tissue (WAT) and is distributed in visceral and subcutaneous regions. It is well accepted that visceral WAT is positively associated with development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and related complications, whereas subcutaneous WAT …


This work shows an approach to solve the nonzero initial conditions posicast control. This control has been studied for systems which are lightly damped like the half-cycle ones. However these techniques have not had special attention for applying their approaches when the initial conditions are not zero. This note presents a methodology for solving this problem with a basic analysis in the complex domain and the results shown with simulations prove the efficiency of our approach.


A real scene observed from a satellite image contains a variety of features, textures and shadows and it can therefore be very complex to detect the region of interest (ROI). The ROI of a satellite image depends on the application field for Earth observation. Therefore image segmentation has been developed for extracting different features or textures inside an image. This can be performed a number of different ways using the image properties. Extraction of a feature of an image is very difficult to find the appropriate image segmentation techniques and combine different methods to detect the ROI most effectively. This paper proposes techniques to classify objects in the satellite image by using image processing methods on high-resolution satellite images. The systems to identify the ROI are performed automatically and focus on the ROI of coastlines, forests, urban areas and agriculture. Three different methods to detect the ROI of the satellite images have been studied, implemented and tested; these are based on edge, histogram and texture segmentation. The edge method is based on edge detection and morphology. The histogram method is based on thresholding and morphology. The texture method is based on GLCM texture feature statistics and morphology. All three of the image segmentation methods can detect the ROI and reduce the size of the original image by discarding the unnecessary parts. A comparison of each technique has been performed. In this paper the combination of the proposed ROI automatic detection and image compression technique have been performed to find the percentage size reduction of the original image. Moreover the possibility to implement these techniques in cubesat onboard computer has been described. In addition the morphology structure element is used in these proposed techniques. A study on the appropriate shape and size of structure element is required and has been discussed in this paper.


John Goodridge: At Shandy Hall you talked about Clare's way of thinking, and the kinship that you might have with that. What is Clare's way of thinking, for you? Carry Akroyd: Partly it's the value of things isn't it... that seeing, where he talks about farmers looking at the landscape and seeing fields of beans and thinking about the bank balance and, you know, farmers, that's what they see. Whereas I would go for a walk and I can see the parish boundaries, and I know the history of what used to be there hundreds of years ago, or what was there in my own lifetime and has disappeared, or I've seen what's growing or what's flying past, and that kind of attention which I think I've had confirmed by my reading of Clare. JG: Was that what brought you to Clare in the first placet CA: No, I had a false start where I did a picture to go with the poem 'The Crow', and I was taking it to an exhibition, a very early exhibition that I was having in the back of a framing gallery in Huntingdon, and I was carrying my work across the pavement and in the door of this gallery, and somebody stopped me and looked at it and bought it on the pavement. I'd written out some of the poem alongside a watercolour, and I don't know who it was, don't know where it went to, and I didn't even take any notice of it really. It should have signalled to me that that was a good idea, but I didn't take any notice of it. JG: So you'd written out some of the verses as a separate thing to the artwork? CA: No, no, on the image, as part of the image. JG: That's become quite a regular feature of some of your work. CA: Yes. Anyway then; in 1996 I think, Northamptonshire libraries wanted to have a travelling exhibition to go around some of their little small library exhibition spaces about Clare and H. E. Bates. They were feeling as though Northamptonshire had nothing to offer, and they pitched the two together, and I applied for the job and got it. I hadn't applied for a job for a long time, and I was still getting myself established as an artist, so it was a great fillip at the time, because it was like three little instalments of islands of money that I could live on for a while, and just concentrate on reading H. E. Bates and Clare. Well, I soon got fed up with H. E. Bates. JG: The short story writing?· CA: Yes, and anyway, you know he soon left Northamptonshire and went to Kent. But the Clare, well, it was the first time I'd really settled down to read a lot, and I just immersed myself in it, and it coincided with the time when wheat prices were high, wheat subsidies were high and all the landscape was being changed, because every possible field was being ploughed up, and so the landscape that I was familiar with was changing in an afternoon, and reading Clare I kept coming across all these similar emotions, and so it came to me, you know, how I was going to go about doing it, that I was going to do a contemporary landscape, but with Clare as the commentator, and try to pitch the text with the image to make that historical allusion. JG: So where you have a picture, painting or a print, you're using Clare's text, in that sort of modern image, of a modern landscape? CA: Yes, I don't do nostalgia. JG: Right, but you regard the Clare text as commenting on that? CA: Yes. JG: Did you have to give it a lot of thought about how you were going to bring the text into the picture, or did it seem a natural thing to lay the lines of verse into the surface? CA: I think that I did it more successfully in some works than in others, and I like them best when the text really does embed itself in the image and if you took the text out, the image would lose something, and a layer of the reference would disappear. I think that we're not very visually educated in this country, and just generally, that people don;t necessarily recognise in architecture how old a building is, or in the landscape what are the oldest features, and that people's way of seeing is shaped by, well, television programmes that say, Oh look at this, this is a lovely view7, or postcard views, or stereotypical ideas. …


By analyzing the deficiencies of the LZW code,this chapter introduces specific methods to resolve the lack.By a brief fixed-length coding and Huffman coding,it describes the specific process of converting the general file to a text file in detail.Based on the detailed introduction of the improved algorithm about LZW code,it illustrates the specific implementation process of algorithm by several specific examples.At last,it compares the results of compression and illustrates the feasibility of the algorithm.


THE INVENTION REFERS TO A NEW PRECIPITATED SILICON PREPARATION PROCEDURE USED AS A REINFORCEMENT LOAD FOR ELASTOMEROS. THIS REFERS TO ALSO TO NEW PRECIPITATED SILICONES IN THE FORM OF POWDER, GRANULES OR PREFERREDLY OF PRACTICALLY SPHERICAL BALLS, CHARACTERIZING THESE SILICONS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SPECIFIC BET SURFACE BETWEEN 185 AND 250 M 2 / SPECIFIED IN 180 M 2 / G, A PORE DISTRIBUTION OF MANE RA THAT THE POROUS VOLUME V2 CONSTITUTED BY THE PORES WHOSE DIAMETER IS UNDERSTANDED BETWEEN 175 AND 275 A REPRESENTATIVE LESS THAN 50% OF THE PORE VOLUME V1 CONSTITUTED BY THE PORES OF LOWER OR EQUAL DIAMETERS TO 400A, A POROUS VOLUME (V D1) CONSTITUTED BY THE PORES OF DIAMETER LESS THAN 1 MI N OVER 1.65 CM 3 / G, A FINANCE INDEX (IF) INCLUDED BETWEEN 70 AND 100 A, A LEVEL OF FINE GRAINS (TA T ), AFTER DISAGLOMERATION WITH ULTRASOUNDS, OF AT LEAST 50%.


The paper addresses the issues of classroom simulation by making use of the experimental setup of Second Life(SL) which is used as a virtual student having a trainee teacher. It aims to evaluate the SL in terms of interaction, behaviour, and the way and style through which teaching is made. Simulating the actual classroom environment, the trainee teacher is enabled for getting skills and qualities that are considered essential for maintaining a teaching-helpful environment in the classroom and also the teacher in enhancing his/her confidence while teaching to the students. Six trainee teachers used to survey the various behaviours of the SL such as interaction, behaviour simulated, and safety. Another set of six persons was used to observe the six trainee teachers and represents the study of smarbots, trainee teacher, and observer avatars inside the simulated class.


OBJECTIVE: To analyze the irrational drug use by using Pareto chart so as to find out the major factors accountable for this phenomenon and timely probe into the central tendency of irrational drug-use and provide references for clinical pharmacists about the key points in their clinical work.METHODS: SPSS 11.0 statistical package was used to analyze a total of 3 126 irrational prescriptions from March 2009 to March 2010,meanwhile,a Pareto-Chart analysis was performed regarding the types of irrational drug use and drug categories.RESULTS: A total 11 types of irrational drug use were predominantly resulted from four types of problems.6 of the total 13 categories of drugs were the major factors for the irrational drug use.CONCLUSION: Clinical pharmacists should provide effective intervention and pharmaceutical care aimed at the type of irrational drug use to improve the clinical rational drug use level.


This paper describes the main features and results of a numerical investigation of molten microdroplet impact and solidification on a colder flat substrate of the same material that melts due to the energy input from the impacting molten material. The numerical model is based on the axisymmetric Lagrangian Finite-Element formulation of the Navier ‐Stokes, energy and material transport equations. The model accounts for a host of complex thermofluidic phenomena, exemplified by surface tension effects and heat transfer with solidification in a severely deforming domain. The dependence of the molten volume on time is determined and discussed. The influence of the thermal and hydrodynamic initial conditions on the amount of substrate melting is discussed for a range of superheat, Biot number, and impact velocity. Multidimensional and convective heat transfer effects, as well as material mixing between the droplet and the substrate are found and quantified and the underlying physics is discussed. Good agreement in the main features of the maximum melting depth boundary between the present numerical results and published experiments of other investigators for larger (mm-size) droplets was obtained, and a complex mechanism was identified, showing the influence of the droplet fluid dynamics on the substrate melting and re-solidification. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1391274#


The main goal of this Chapter is to describe a novel approach for the control of Talking Heads in Humanoid Robotics. In a preliminary section we will discuss the state of the art of the research in this area. In the following sections we will describe our research results while in the final part some experimental results of our approach are reported. With the goal of controlling talking heads in mind, we have developed an algorithm which extracts articulatory features from human voice. In fact, there is a strong structural linkage between articulators and facial movements during human vocalization; for a robotic talking head to have human-like behavior, this linkage should be emulated. Exploiting the structural linkage, we used the estimated articulatory features to control the facial movements of a talking head. Moreover, the articulatory estimate is used to generate artificial speech which is by construction synchronized with the facial movements. Hence, the algorithm we describe aims at estimating the articulatory features from a spoken sentence using a novel computational model of human vocalization. Our articulatory features estimator uses a set of fuzzy rules and genetic optimization. That is, the places of articulation are considered as fuzzy sets whose degrees of membership are the values of the articulatory features. The fuzzy rules represent the relationships between places of articulation and speech acoustic parameters, and the genetic algorithm estimates the degrees of membership of the places of articulation according to an optimization criteria. Through the analysis of large amounts of natural speech, the algorithm has been used to learn the average places of articulation of all phonemes of a given speaker. This Chapter is based upon the work described in [1]. Instead of using known HMM based algorithms for extracting articulatory features, we developed a novel algorithm as an attempt to implement a model of human language acquisition in a robotic brain. Human infants, in fact, acquire language by imitation from their care-givers. Our algorithm is based on imitation learning as well. Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in service robotics. A service robot is a complex system which performs useful services with a certain degree of autonomy. Its intelligence emerges from the interaction between data gathered from the sensors and the management algorithms. The sensorial subsystem furnishes environment information useful for motion tasks (dead reckoning), auto-localization and obstacle avoidance in order to introduce


Gender impacts the personnel structure, spatial design, course program, and extracurricular activities in schools. Yet, on the other hand, as pointed out by a famous American scholar, Connell (2000), the school system itself is a gender regime, which also directly influences the peer interrelationships. The purposes of sexuality education is not just merely impart proper knowledge and/or amend deviations, but to cultivate a healthy and integrated sexual attitude, and further enhance the harmonious relationships within different genders, thus lead to an individual's overall balanced development bio-psychosocially and culturally. Within this study, a famous public high school in Kaohsiung was selected, as questionnaire was designed to find out those students who were willing to be interviewed, and further interviews were aimed to explore the influences and cultivation of their sexual identity and gender traits, hoping to understand how these teenagers established their sex knowledge and sexual identity through formal and informal courses. The ultimate goal was aimed to provide a reference for further revision or modification in sexuality course, so that the materials could be closer to the students' needs and initiate their motivation in learning.


n vertebrates, axons are covered with an insulating myelin sheath, punctuated by gaps called nodes of Ranvier where voltage-gated sodium channels cluster. The nodes are essential for propagating action potentials along the axon, but little is known about how they develop. Gatto et al. (page 489) imaged live cell cultures to watch Schwann cells myelinate explanted dorsal root ganglia and discovered a novel growth cone–like structure on the Schwann cells that appears to mediate node formation. Previous studies have produced a controversy, since the development of nodes seems to require direct contact between Schwann cells and axons in some in vitro systems, but not in others. The authors used a new approach to transfect cultured Schwann cells with fluorescently labeled proteins and watch myelination using time-lapse videography. The Schwann cells initially migrate along axons and resemble aggressively motile fibroblasts, but as the culture matures they assume the bipolar shape characteristic of myelinating cells. Induction of myelination causes the Schwann cell microvillar components to reorganize into structures called caps at the cells' tips. Schwann cell caps are highly dynamic, and their protein composition and behavior are reminiscent of axonal growth cones. Cap formation requires activation of the Rho pathway, and uncoupling cap formation from myelination interferes with node formation. Efficient node development appears to require a direct interaction between the Schwann I


High levels of autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD‐abs) are associated with stiff‐person syndrome (SPS). However, the full clinical spectrum associated with GAD‐abs in Asians is unclear. The clinical and immunological features of patients positive for GAD‐abs were reviewed in a large Taiwanese series.


Long-term goals of this research were to increase production and maintain purity of Madura cattle as one of Indonesian native cattle. The specific objectives of this study was to develop an institutional model of conservation of Madura cattle as a base for improving productivity and empowerment of Madura cattle farmer. The research was conducted by survey method. Data collection were done by the technique of interview, observation participation and Foccus Group Discussion (FGD) and the Delphi technique. The instruments for data collection were questionnaire and interview guidelines. The results showed that the highest increament of cattle population was found in Bangkalan district. Most of the households managed 2-3 cattle which belong to their own, but there were still 32.50 percent of households managed share cattle.  Mating system using artificial insemination of excotic breed frozen semen has been commonly used among the farmers. Reproductive performance of Madura cattle was good indicated by service per conseption (S/C) of 1.5 and calving interval (CI) of 18 months. With regards to perception, farmers tended to agree with cross-breeding between Madura cattle with semen of exotic breed. This was mainly due to economic aspect in which crossbred cattle was more expensive than local cattle. Determination of Sapudi Island as a breeding centre of Madura cattle showed as an institutional changes of Madura cattle conservation. The development of institutional model of Madura cattle conservation should consider the economic, technical and social aspects. It coul be suggested that the guidance and supervision of the farmers need to be carried out continuously as an effort to preserve the purity of Madura cattle. Economic incentives as a reward for farmers who rear Madura cattle should be a major consideration in the development of an institutional model of Madura cattle conservation. In addition, madurese community must be involved in the development of institutional model for Madura cattle conservation. Keywords: Institution, conservation, genetic resources, Madura cattle


The survival signature, a new approach introduced by Coolen, has been used as an effective method to quantify the complex system's reliability as it requires less computation cost than other algorithms. This paper develops a new method for computing the exact survival signature based on the system reliability block diagram by extending the universal generating function (UGF). And verification example and comparisons with enumerative method are presented for its correctness and efficiency.


In this paper, modeling of an underactuated helicopter experimental system is shown. The modeled system has two inputs and three outputs, namely, this system is underactuated. For the modeled system, PD-based controller is designed, and an analysis to show the possibility of the proposed controller for the underactuated system is also given. Simulation shows the effectiveness of the proposal.


Objective A therapeutic camp weekend was developed for adolescents living with a facial difference. The camp comprised a program that involved personal challenges and group-building activities, as well as social recreational activities. This article outlines the camp intervention, with recommendations for future camp evaluation.


In this paper,A new selection theorem is given in L-convex spaces, generalizing the result of Ding~(). Moreover, we express that there are two contradict conditions in Lin~(), and get right results. A fixed point theorem and a coincidence theorem in L-convex spaces are also obtained.


In this research we point out the problem of the retention rate in the discipline "Differential and Integral Calculus I "(CDI I) which is in the curriculum of the higher education courses of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Paraíba, Cajazeiras campus. The research typology used in the study comprises the qualitative-quantitative, descriptive-exploratory approaches and case study. The results obtained present the general performance data of students of 32 classes of the discipline in the years 2014 and 2017; the brief profile of the students of class 2018.2, in effect during the period of this research and an experience of pedagogical intervention through the use of the web service 'Google Classroom'. We infer, however, that if this teaching strategy continues from its setting to its expansion, there will possibly be an expansion of the study dynamics of the subjects involved.


Stochastic nature of subgrid-scale stress causes the predictability problem in large eddy simulation (LES) by which the LES solution field decorrelates with field from filtered direct numerical simulation (DNS). In order to evaluate the predictability limit in a priori sense, the information on the interplay between resolved scale and subgrid-scale (SGS) is required. In this study, the analysis on the inter-scale interaction is performed by applying tophat and cutoff filters to DNS database of flow over a circular cylinder at Reynolds number of 3900. The effect of filter shape is investigated on the interpretation of correlation between scales. A critique is given on the use of tophat filter for SGS analysis using DNS database. It is shown that correlations between Karman vortex and SGS kinetic energy drastically decrease when the cutoff filter is used, which implies that the small scale universality holds even in the presence of the large scale coherent structure.


A method was approached about making a gradient coating of self-melt Co-based alloy on 20 steel substrate with rare earth(RE) by laser cladding. The results show that the coating with 204 Co alloy is a homogeneous sub-eutectic structure, which consists of e-Co, Co 3B, M 23(C, B) 6, Cr 2B and Co 7W 6. The average hardness is HV1?070, HV890 higher than that of the substrate (HV180). And the wear resistance of the layer is found to be increased 1.5 times that of the base. When 0.6% RE is added into the 204Co alloy, the coating microstructure reveals a gradient variation with the layer depth. The microstructure varies continuously from sub-eutectic to eutectic. Apart from the phases contained in the 204Co coating above, this coating still contains CeCr 2B 4. The highest hardness of the coating is HV1?204, increasing 12.3% than that of 204Co alloy. The wear resistance is found to be increased about 2 times than that of the base and to be 25% higher than that of the 204Co alloy. The mechanism of forming gradient structure was discussed


This research paper aimed to test the performance of developed facial matching composite sketch by focusing on image processing using convolutional neural network (CNN) and compared its accuracy with the Forensic Sketch Matching to Mug shots using Scale-Invariant Feature Transform. This study will help law enforcement officials in finding suspected criminals with forensic sketches through the available mug shots. Previous studies shown that using CNN models for visible spectrum face recognition improved the heterogeneous face recognition. The researchers used experimental approach as its methodology to test the performance of the developed facial recognition application in terms of its precision, recall and f-measure. Data sets of 75 frontal view images and its corresponding facial composite sketch was feed and processed in the developed facial matching application. T-test was used to test the significant difference of the two application. The results of performance are as follows: precision - 86%; recall - 89%; and f1-score - 87% and its accuracy is 89%. The computed t value 4.9206 which is higher than the t critical value of 1.9925 means it failed to accept the null hypothesis. Therefore, there is a significant difference between the accuracy of the two applications. This study proved that CNN has a better performance in matching sketch images to its mugs shots.


Royal Infirmary, including Lock Hospital. Upwards of 560 Beds. Visits daily from 12 till 2 p.m. Physicians?Drs Maclagan, Sanders, and * * * Professors of Clinical Medicine; Professor Simpson (for Diseases of Women); Drs D. R. Haldane, G. W. Balfour, and Grainger Stewart, Clinical Lecturers; Dr J. Matthews Duncan (on Diseases of Women). Assistant Physicians?Drs Claud Muirhead and Brakenridge. Pathologist, Dr John Wyllie. Surgeons?Mr Lister, Professor of Clinical Surgery; Professor Spence; Dr P. H. Watson; Mr Annandale; and Mr Joseph Bell. Assistant Surgeons, Dr John Duncan and Mr Chiene. Consulting Surgeons, Dr Dunsmure and Dr Gillespie. Ophthalmic Surgeons, Mr Walker and Dr Argyll Robertson. Dental Surgeon, Dr John Smith. Convalescent House, Corstorphine. Visiting Medical Officer, Mr Chiene.


Community-based arts have had a clear influence on public arts and culture policies in countries such as Australia, United Kingdom and the United States and yet the word 'community' tends to be used in such policy discourses in shallow and ambiguous ways. This article notes that the very idea of community has divided western scholars for over a century, with recurring suggestions that industrialization, urbanization and/or globalization have made it largely irrelevant. However, some have noted that the search for community is both ancient and enduring and that the idea of community has perennial symbolic importance. Against predictions that attachment to community would fade away it has been noted that the desire for belonging to community has gathered force in a world of increasing global flows. New communication technologies enable most people in the world to belong to a greater array of real and virtual communities. While virtual communities will often have specific membership criteria, problems emerge when particular people or groups of people feel excluded from participation in local or place-based communities because such exclusions can have devastating consequences in a world of great flux and uncertainty. Gerard Delanty has explained that communities only come into existence in the contemporary world to the extent that they are 'wilfully constructed'. This article argues that community-based arts have a significant role to play in the creation and projection of communities. It argues that we should engage with the complexities embedded in the word community rather than turn to alternative terminology, such as 'social capital'. However, the word community needs to be used thoughtfully and carefully rather then loosely and divisively.


Aggregates, varying in alkali reactivity, were used for making mortar bars and concrete prisms, employing the same Portland cement. Measurement of length changes of the specimens was carried out under various storage conditions and for different lengths of time. Scanning electron microscopy of the specimens and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis of the products formed in them has shown that alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) products develop first and much faster than 'secondary' ettringite (mat-form, filling cracks) associated with some deteriorated steam-cured concrete elements. The expansion and cracking due to AAR was more rapid and extensive at higher temperature (80°C) than at lower temperature (40°C). Mat-forms of ettringite developed only after prolonged storage of the specimens in a fogroom, and the amount was larger in the specimens initially treated at 80°C, mainly because more AAR expansion and cracking occurred at the higher temperature, but also because the higher initial temperature caused large...


Bioactive dietary components may considerably influence intestinal health and resistance to enteric disease. Proanthocyanidins (PAC) are dietary polyphenols with putative health-promoting activity that have been increasingly studied for their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, whether dietary PAC can regulate type-2 immune function and inflammation at mucosal surfaces remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether diets supplemented with purified PAC modulated pulmonary and intestinal mucosal immune responses during infection with the helminth parasite Ascaris suum in pigs. A. suum infection induced a type 2-biased immune response in lung and intestinal tissues, characterized by pulmonary granulocytosis, increased Th2/Th1 T cell ratios in tracheal-bronchial lymph nodes, intestinal eosinophilia, and modulation of genes involved in mucosal barrier function and immunity. We observed that PAC had only minor effects on pulmonary immune responses, regardless of concurrent A. suum infection. However, RNA-sequencing of intestinal tissues revealed that dietary PAC significantly enhanced transcriptional responses related to immune function, antioxidant responses, and cellular stress activity, both in uninfected and A. suum-infected animals. A. suum infection and dietary PAC both induced distinct changes in gut microbiota composition, primarily in the jejunum and colon, respectively. Notably, PAC substantially increased Limosilactobacillus reuteri abundance in the colon of both naïve and A. suum-infected animals. Thus, dietary PAC may have distinct beneficial effects on intestinal health during infection with mucosal pathogens, whilst having limited activity to modulate naturally-induced type-2 pulmonary inflammation. Our results shed further light on the mechanisms underlying the health-promoting properties of PAC-rich foods, and may aid in the design of novel dietary supplements to regulate mucosal inflammatory responses in the gastrointestinal tract.


Mr Tasman Oiko Orere tells the stories of his stepparents. His stepmother Naitameri Oiago Orere, was a laundry girl during the War. His stepfather Oiko Stanley Orere was initially recruited as a carrier but then became a member of the Pacific Infantry Battalion.


Taking study on ice slush of Jinan section in Yellow River for example,the flood period of ice slush was tested and analyzed by geo-electricity testing.Two important conclusions were summarized as follows: Firstly,the high-frequency of electrical sounding curve is apparent quantitative relationship with the ice water flow.The value of high-frequency section higher and the content of ice in river bigger,the value of apparent resistivity will bigger,on the contrary,the ice water flow will less.Therefore,the real time variation of the ice water flow in river can be reflected with the difference between high-frequency curve and low-frequency curve.Secondly,whether there is slush in river or not,the curvature of high-frequency and low-frequency sections are similar in the same contour.The results indicate that the high-frequency of electrical sounding curve and low-frequency characters can be used as the early-warning recognition indexes of Yellow River ice slush.


Recent research with respect to the nano-mineralogy and -geochemistry of karst bauxites from Greece [1] is reviewed herein, while new insights into significant trace elements (including As, V, HFSE and REE) and the origin of these deposits are also presented [2]. The study of Fe-depleted (high grade) bauxite samples in microscale by SEM-EDS/WDS and Synchrotron Radiation (SR) measurements ( μ -XRF & μ -XAFS) showed the presence of a Fe 3+ -Cr 3+ AlOOH (diaspore), while the study in nanoscale by TEM-EDS & EELS revealed the existence of Fe 3+ oxide nanominerals and TiO 2 polymorph mineral nanoparticles [1]. It is argued that this Fe-Cr-diaspore (Fe 3+ -Cr 3+ -AlOOH) concerns a low-T authigenic phase, which was formed during diagenesis together with TiO 2 mineral micro- & nano-particles. The latter phases remain rather stable during epigenesis related to iron mobility and the formation of Fe nanominerals. The observed Fe nanominerals may be associated to epigenetic processes. It is also implied that younger karstification/weathering processes had minimal effect to Ti and Fe mineral nanoparticles and nanominerals [1]. New μ -XRF and μ -XAFS investigations of Fe-rich (low grade) samples revealed that As 5+ is associated to Fe-Cr-Ti


The non-volatile memory system according to an embodiment of the invention the non-volatile memory device including a physical storage area; And a is configured including a memory controller that manages a physical storage area to the base 1 and the second logical area, and the memory controller to receive the logical block address range and a command corresponding to a portion of the first logical region from the host, the host in from the data, logical block address, and write receiving a command to and is configured to perform updates to the second logical area, updated when, if a received logical block address is included in the logical block address range, the memory controller is writing command in response to the redirection data to the second logical block address to be written to the logical receiving area to the logical page number of the second logical area.


at variance with one another. Creighton lays stress on the fact that the first epidemic in Barbadoes followed a parching drought. For Colin2 says drought is " most favourable for the development of the miasms of yellow fever." Hirsch,3 in his exhaustive summary, says epidemics have been observed to begin and to terminate with rain. To this Berenger-Feraud i adds, that at the endemic centres of the disease the annual explosion is deferred when the


The present study was designed to contribute to our understanding of the factors that take part in the development transformation of the optic vesicle into the optic cup. The expansion and formation of this structure are dependent upon factors such as cellular proliferation, the space or zone occupied by the growing optic cup, and environmental influences. Our investigation in the chick embryo analyzes the relationship between retinal thickness and ventricular mitotic density. This relationship is shown in the study as PEI (proliferation‐expansion index). That index varies in the superior, medial and inferior regions of the retina when the zones of the same stage are compared, as well as in the comparisons of values between the 13–14 stage and the 17–18 stage. These differences indicate a different behavior of the cells constituting the retinal regions. Also discussed is the influence of the retinal fissure on the morphological changes observed during optic cup development.


Importance: Given the high mortality and cost of health care, especially in isolation settings, the idea of using nebulized hydrogen peroxide may play a very significant role in inactivation of coronavirus, thus reducing the infectivity period leading to reduced requirement of isolation and improving morbidity and mortality in people suffering with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-2019). Aim and objective: Objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of nebulized hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in reducing the viral load and disease severity of patients suffering with COVID-19. Design: Double-blinded randomized control trial. HOPE in COVID-19 study. Setting: Tertiary care COVID hospital (single center). Participants: Moderate sick COVID-19-positive patients were included in the study after they qualified the inclusion criteria. Intervention: Patients were nebulized using 1 mL of ozonized 3% H2O2 after diluting with 4 mL of normal saline three times a day for 5 days. The control group was nebulized with normal saline only. Main outcome: Outcome was assessed for reduction in oxygen requirement (number of days on oxygen), symptoms resolution (dyspnea, cough, and fever), and number of days it took to be RT-PCR negative for COVID-19. Results: The early data from trial showed promising trends toward a better outcome. The study showed that in the case group who were nebulized with hydrogen peroxide resulted in better outcome in terms of parameters assessed in the study and the differences from the control group were statistically significant (p ≤0.001, CI 95%). Outcome in the form of mortality (odds ratio 0.29, 95% CI 0.02–3.14, p = 0.31, z = 1.007) was statistically insignificant. The number needed to treat for our study was 10.


The environmental protection archive is historic record of environmental situation,and it is carrier of environmental protection result and scientific technology information.Facing serious situation of environmental protection tasks,the environmental protection departments should fully play information potentials of environmental protection archive and transform work style,providing active,high levels and advance services.The environmental protection archives should provide scientific basis to handle sudden environmental pollution events for governments.


19534 Background: Although the use of complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) is widespread among patients with chronic diseases including cancer, little is known about CAM use in terminal cancer patients. Methods: This study included 4,042 families of cancer patients who died at 17 hospitals in Korea between January and December 2004. We conducted with telephone survey to decedents' families. The response rate was 41.1%. The questionnaire included whether cancer patients had used CAM during last one year before death, type of modality, motivation for use, attitudes to CAM, and consultation with doctors. Results: CAM use of cancer patients was reported by 36.3% (604 of 1,662) and the average rate of CAM cost was 32% of total medical costs during one year before patient's death. CAM use was more likely to death at hospitals (adjusted Odds Ratio: 1.35, 95% Confidential Interval: 1.15–1.58), residence in rural (aOR:1.26, 95%CI:1.08–1.47), need consultations about care (aOR:1.65, 95%CI:1.30–2.09) and reli...


The motion of a four-blade axisymmetric vane with fixed point is considered in the constant flow of medium. The vane contains an axisymmetric cavity filled by viscous filling. We assumed that aerodynamic forces have an effect to rotor blades only. The filling interacts with walls of cavity by normal pressure and tangential friction force. We assumed that the tangential friction can be described by resultant couple, moment of which depends linearly on the difference between the angular velocity of body and the fluid vorticity vector. Components of vorticity vector satisfy the modified Helmholtz equations. The mathematical model of motion of mechanical system in question is constructed. Stability of the permanent rotation of vane in medium flow is studied. We consider the stability conditions for of the equilibrium of the symmetry axis. We compared these conditions with stability conditions for autorotation of a body without filling. One can observe the opposition between external aerodynamic load and internal friction.


A biocompatible and functional interface can improve medical applications of bioelectronic. Here, 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) and 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were used to modify the surface of silicon nanowire (NW) -MOSFETs. AFM and electrical pH sensing verified which monolayer was capable of performing better electrical signal for subsequent immobilization of biomolecule. APTMS-SAM modified NW-MOSFETs showed more uniform modification on NW-MOSFETs and better electrical response to pH sensing. Biomolecule, such as antibody against prostate-specific antigen (anti-PSA), immobilized on APTMS-SAM modified NW-MOSFETs also successfully sensed those corresponding antigens in electrical measurement system. It elucidated that the suitable surface modification would profoundly affect the sensing response and sensitivity.


This investigation is dedicated to clarifying of physiological mechanisms of labor activity in subjects of a different gender and age with the purpose of a theoretical background of rational usage of human residual performance and rehabilitation of his health. When analyzing the tightness of the relationships, there is a stronger relationship between the residual performance and the calendar age than the rate of functional aging and calendar age. The study of concomitant influencing factors throughout life has been shown that the presence of labor or family migration within the region, within and between states; as well as indicators of the length of service, year, age, and reasons for retirement do not have reliable correlation with the rate of aging. Reliable correlation associations were found with continued retirement at the time of the study; with the year of termination of work; and the size of the total income of the examined individuals -associations in comparison with the relationship with the calendar age have a weaker connection with the rate of aging. With indicators of the class of tension and severity, type of work, class of intensity, class for differentiation of labor according to the ILO classification. Muscle strength and endurance in the women have expressed age dynamics. The muscle strength of the women is significantly slashed at 30-35 of years, and the muscle endurance remains stable up to 55-year's age. For the men the dynamics of the muscle strength and endurance have no obvious age trend, and mostly depend from lifestyle, physical and labor activity. In functionally young subjects the working physical work capacity is 15-20% higher, compared to an average level, observed when the functional and calendar ages coincide. The age-related decline the physical working capacity in the older workers is decelerated owing to the selection of those who are functionally young and the elimination of those who age prematurely. The physiological capabilities that determine 47.54% of the actual performance of people aged 60 -89 years are reliably due to accelerated aging. Studies have shown high information content of using the indicator of residual performance in people over 60 years of age. A study of residual performance in people over 60 years of age showed that close to 57% of elderly people and 96.7% of senile people need ergonomic innovations in work and life to increase physical independence from outside help and compensate for age-related decline of working capacity.


The search for possible effects of parity violations in the electromagnetic sector has achieved great accuracy with the latest cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations. The sensitivity of current and future experiments is such that the need to understand the interaction of parity violations with several competing effects is now crucial in order to improve current constraining power. It also allows to not only put constraints on the most generic features of parity violations but also for distinguishing between several production mechanisms, if any effect is ever observed. The results here reported were presented at the Cosmic Polarization Rotation workshop held in Florence on 7–8 September 2015.


The view of this study is from the quantitative research method among current competition, operating pressure, coping strategy and development vision, that is different from the descriptive research by the past qualitative research method. Two hundred and eighteen effective surveys were received from the current teachers of the division of industrial special needs of the vocational senior high schools in Taiwan. The data is analyzed by factor analysis, reliability analysis, using the LISREL model to measure the relationship amongst the constructs. The results show that the current competition has positive influence on coping strategy and development vision. The operating pressure has negative influence on coping strategy and development vision. The mediating effects of coping strategy towards the understanding of current competition, operating pressure can positively influence on development vision. The results indicate that the executives of vocational senior high schools are facing competition in the current situation and the operating pressure, through the mediating effect of coping strategies to improve the organization's development vision, in order to solve the problems faced by the organization and to prevent new competition. This study suggests that principals should continue to pursue further studies in order to cultivate the ability of the professional and strategic leadership, to cope with the current competition and the operating pressure, and lead teachers and students toward the advanced development vision in their efforts.


Speech-based information is usually communicated to users in a sequential manner, but users are capable of obtaining information from multiple voices concurrently. This fact implies that the sequential approach is possibly under-utilizing human perception capabilities to some extent and restricting users to perform optimally in an immersive environment. This paper reports on an experiment that aimed to test different speech-based designs for concurrent information communication. Two audio streams from two types of content were played concurrently to 34 users, in both a continuous or intermittent form, with the manipulation of a variety of spatial configurations (i.e. Diotic, Diotic-Monotic, and Dichotic). In total, 12 concurrent speech-based design configurations were tested with each user. The results showed that the concurrent speech-based information designs involving intermittent form and the spatial difference in information streams produce comprehensibility equal to the level achieved in sequential information communication.


The article reviews the evolution of enterprise clusters theory from external economic theory?agglomeration economic theory?territorial production complex and growth pole theory to new industry spacial theory and new contest economic theory.It analyzes and evaluates the innovation and clusters theory abroad and consideres that the theory before 1980s' focuses on the explanation of different general type;in 1980s',the theory focuses on the performances of internatoinal economic in specific area;but after that time,the focus is on importance of economic network and the more focus is on the social relation such as network and the relation between organization.


Simulating astrophysical phenomena in laboratory experiments has made considerable progress with the advent of high-power lasers and z-pinch pulsed power devices. In that field of research, scaled-down laboratory jets relevant to Herbig-Haro objects capability has been demonstrated. Recently, it has been shown on the Z-pinch MAGPIE ( 2MA, 250 ns) installation of Imperial College that unique experimental techniques to study both the jet formation, using radial arrays, and its propagation, using conical arrays, are now available [1]. CEA GRAMAT Z-pinch pulsed power facilities are among the biggest in Europe. SPHINX machine [2] is a 8MA, 1.2 μs driver and OEDIPE is a 800 kA, 1.4 μs driver. SPHINX was built and is used to produce k-shell radiation sources using wire arrays or Gas Puff z-pinch loads for radiation effects studies [3]. A unique characteristics of CEA GRAMAT devices, which makes them ideal for laboratory astrophysics experiments, is their relatively long current rise-time. It is expected to gain experimental access to jets of lengths of up to 10-20 cm ( factor of ten or more compared to other pulsed-power facilities and 100 compared to laser produced jets), giving the opportunity to follow the dynamics, and development of instabilities, well into the non-linear regime. We present preliminary experiments of radial and conical wire array loads on both SPHINX and OEDIPE. Pulsed-power devices are described as well as diagnostics setup. Results shown are very encouraging as the capability of having scaled-down, related laboratory system in such details opens up the exciting prospect to gain a deep understanding of these flows complementary to astronomical observations.


Purdue University Calumet (PUC) was planning to install a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) on the roof of Student Union and Library (SUL) building, an academic building on campus, for teaching and research purposes. While several potential sites have been identified as feasible, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and Virtual Reality (VR) visualization technology have been coupled to assist in assessing the optimal location for sitting the wind turbine. 3-D wind fields were constructed which take into account the neighboring building effects to the flow fields. Wind speeds, turbulent intensity, and aesthetic look are some of the factors used to make the final decision. After the installation, estimated power generation was calculated based on the wind turbine power output curve and statistical analysis of measured wind data.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Great achievements have been made in recycling economy in Henan Province,but there are many problems which cannot be ignored.So the guidance on recycling economy must be strengthened;the relevant law systems should be improved;perfecting flexible and effective economic policies and constructing technologically supporting systems are also imperative;and the long-term mechanism on recycling economy development should be formed.


Heather Fowler's debut collection, Suspended Heart—surreal, colorful—surprises immediately. Fowler synthesizes the message of her collection in the dedication: "For all the beautiful women, inside and out, who have struggled for life in the name of love. My best, most healing magic to you always." In these stories, men are those who hurt women, despite the woman's best efforts to be beautiful and true to capture/keep him. The message: men will hurt a woman, even if she is the epitome of what he wants. The female might overcome through adaptation. The title story is first, offering "a girl" who doesn't realize her heart has fallen out of her chest at the jewelry counter in the mall. Her happiness exceeds her loss, and she describes, "What a calm life I now have! Oh, how strange! Some say there's a beating heart on the other side of the mall that tells fortunes for loves, but I simply do not care! It's good to be free of romantic concerns. I do not need a lover! This is the best period of my entire life. I am so happy alone." The delicate tone and exclamation points blur the distinction between hurt and humor. Could it be sarcasm, or does the author want readers to know a life of emotional self-sufficiency? The emphasis is on the last two sentences, where the girl tries exceedingly to communicate that she is happy solo. But she doesn't convince, and the result serves as a warning to the women in the stories after the girl's: love hurts, and it will find you. In "Bloom in Any Season," a woman whose body grows plant life changes with the seasons: "Then winter came, and my flowers died. I tried to prolong their life, whispering to my skin, 'Please. Please...' But they would not stay. The arm and leg vines persisted, but across my body, brown brambles, the texture of branches, a wood like rasp, proliferated. 'You are too hard. You scratch now,' he would say...." When she flourishes, literally, the man seeks her attention, but in harsh seasons, he abandons his flower, so she experiences the broken heart every year. She tries to learn, to change, but the idea is that when women become difficult, different, they are cast aside for something sweeter. The theme is familiar—we experience it in Bridget Jones's Diary (1998) quite noticeably—but Fowler makes no sweet promises. While Helen Fielding guarantees a better boyfriend, Fowler makes her character deal alone, crushing as it may be. In a more futuristic story, a human man who cares for a beautiful female robot powers her down just before he dies so that she may not seek another (male) caretaker. He dies happy knowing "we had found joy in the other's company, and that, like an old human couple might have, Siola and I died in close succession.... But more importantly I could feel, in the instant I passed from this dark place, that, in lieu of me, for her, there'd be no other." Much like the crushed flowers, the dying man destroys the beautiful robot's chance at a future, knowing that her primary function is to seek a caretaker. Despite understanding Siola is mechanical, the man's final lines are narcissistic, with dramatic pauses that emphasize each word's weight.


The computer is widely accepted in the trade of indoor design in recent years, and becomes the indispensable tool in the designers' daily work. Designer perfects his creative thought in the mutual creation, and the big and powerful model building of utilization computer reaches to romance merit ability and lively expresses the creation intention, links up with customer, gets information, strengthens cooperation of design through quick, stable computer network.


This book presents detailed information regarding cleft lip and cleft palate which are the most common serious congenital anomalies affecting the orofacial region. Attention has been given from basic to advance and complex surgical procedures encountered during the treatment of cleft lip and palate. Key Features. Complete point wise coverage of the topic starting from embryology to the surgical management. Illustrations, coloured photographs, boxes and tables are profusely used throughout the text to make the relevant clinical situations self-explanatory. Pictographic approach for the explanation of the surgical procedures provides an edge over the conventional method of learning. Provide guidelines on safe and sound operative techniques. Easy language to understand. All clinical material from reputed references.


Considering the real shape of nuclei in phase transformation processes, we modified Cahn's volume fraction formulae of the phase transformation with grain boundary nucleation and interface-controlled growth. When the input experimental data are nucleation and growth rates of phase transformations, there are great differences between the results calculated by the traditional formulae and those calculated by the modified formulae. If the input experimental data are in-situ observations of volume fraction in the phase transformation processes, the differences between them will be minor and mainly due to the fitting-errors. In any case, the differences of the grain sizes given by two models are huge, which will greatly influence the understanding for the rheological structures in subduction zones.


Several-nanometer-size mechanical oscillators, or nanoresonators, may complement electronic and optical technologies in future terahertz devices, but they can be useful only if they can be made to ...


How useful are bio-developmental approaches for understanding how cognitive capabilities are acquired? One bio-developmental hypothesis is that human cognition unfolds with maturation as a massive collection of adaptive cognitive "capabilities" expressing pre-structured genetic programs. But the seeming plasticity of human cognition argues against simple formulations of innately-specified anatomical & functional processing system composed of specialized computational modules. One alternative is an architecture using domain-specific predispositions and general learning mechanisms to construct modules from interactions. This lets them emerge and unfold in a self- organized fashion as part of developmental experience. The result is a more dynamic, complex cognitive architecture explaining such things as the drive for sensorimotor control in infants, which is combines the generation of exploratory movements constrained by the interaction of ability and environment followed by the selection and maintenance of adaptive movement patterns (Schlesinger et al. 2000). Such findings are consistent with a view that ontogenetic processes are co-important (and co-dependent) with gene- based evolutionary processes for behavior and cognition.


A you sure we can do this?" was the echoing voice in the room when I presented my Business Plan to the India Leadership in my fi rst year of leading the team. My plan proposed that we double the size of a particular account by going after very high value global business. However, it would mean that we might lose our stronghold over some India businesses, a few that we had held for a couple of decades.


This paper examines the effects of employment protection legislation (EPL) reforms on employment outcomes in Croatia, testing the available theoretical predictions of partial labour market reforms from the literature. With a push from the EU accession, the reforms liberalised employment protection provisions for both temporary (2013) and permanent (2014) contracts at the end of the six-year long recession thus presenting a distinctive case for policy evaluation. Using Labour Force Survey (LFS) data in the period 2007-2017 and applying the event study method in combination with probit regressions, the main results suggest that EPL reforms from 2013 and 2014 induced a rise in temporary employment, while the effects on overall employment are clearly visible only in the case of the second reform. Moreover, probit regression estimations show that specific groups of the population - females, youths, foreigners, the low-skilled and singles from rural areas - have a higher probability of ending up with temporary contracts, suggesting there is a segmentation on the Croatian labour market.


The invitation to participate in the Kansas Law Review Symposium was welcome, as it provided some motivation for finally setting down in writing my thoughts about some interesting recent developments. Much of my work has been centered on the intersection between law and bioethics. In the latter field, there has been a growing reconsideration of the role of bioethics and bioethicists in the debate over universal coverage. An examination of this development can help inform broader discussions about access to health care in the United States.


In Chnese, the double\|syllable word composed of two summarized morphemes can be called symmetry word. This paper attempts to analyse the special usage of the symmetry without keeping the original meanings of the morphemes in the classic novel \%Shuihu\%. Besides the usage of partial meaning and the symmetry words expressing metrology, the meanings of many symmetry words have been evolved from original meanings of morphemes, including being extended, reduced, conveyed, abstracted(virtualized)and epitomized. At the end of the paper, the author explores the special arrangements of words related to symmetry words.


Financial support of publishing scientific projects by Russian Fund of Fundamental Researches was considered. The numbers of applications and grants and percentage probability of support of projects on different fields of knowledge were analyzed.


Human serum was applied to formalinized parasites (RH strain) which had been spotted on glass slides. Peroxidase-labelled rabbit antihuman gammaglobulin and then a diamino-benzidine-H2O2 solution were added separately. The brown color of the parasites, resulting from the enzyme-substrate reaction, was observed with a light microscope. Results of the immunoperoxidase test were compared with those of the methylene blue dye and indirect hemagglutination tests with excellent agreement of titers being obtained with the dye test.


Machine Learning (ML) is a sub-domain of Artificial Intelligence, and it focuses on the statistical methods to analyse data. Analysis of data can help in understanding the hidden patterns. As the internet is growing, one can expect a plethora of data getting generated. Almost every field, be it medicine, education, businesses across the world, stock exchange, agriculture etc., all are contributing to this data generation. Research is going on unprecedentedly on data collected for useful insights. Mental Health is one of the fields where ML is being used for understanding the patients' behavior, symptoms, effectiveness of the treatments used and helps the medical practitioners in decision making. The presented study aims to showcase the overview of the machine learning technologies used in health care majorly concerned to mental health and depression along with their pitfalls and future directions. The presented analysis laid a foundation for future work in the domain of mental health and depression analysis using machine learning techniques. The study focuses mainly on analyzing how innovation and health could be inter-related. The challenge is to find such techniques that minimize the incorrect outcomes by the machine learning models and help the medical practitioners to take timely decisions.


The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) thin film with spin valve (SV) structure of Ta (2 nm)/Ir20Mn80(10 nm)/Co90Fe10(3 nm)/Cu (2.2 nm)/Co84Fe10B4(10 nm)/Ta (5 nm)] fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering method with a magnetoresistance (MR) of 6% was used in this work. Green synthesis of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) using Moringa Oleifera (MO) leaf extract have been successfully conducted using the coprecipitation method. Fe3O4 MNPs demonstrated the inverse cubic spinel structure with the average crystallite size of 13.8 nm and decreased to 11.8 nm for Fe3O4/PEG. Fe3O4, as a magnetic label, integrated with a Wheatstone bridge-GMR sensor provides access to GMR-based biosensors. The induced-field increase leads the signal (ΔV) to increase with increasing nanoparticle concentration. It was discovered that a sensor can distinguish different types of magnetic labels. The sensitivity for Fe3O4 and MO-green synthesized Fe3O4 magnetic label was 0.04 and 0.1 mV/g/L, respectively. The GMR sensor performed the highest sensitivity on the MO-green synthesized Fe3O4 label. Thus, the SV thin film as a sensor and the green-synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a superior magnetic label are an excellent combination for biosensor application.


Introduction Transperineal template prostate biopsy (TTPB) is reported to have higher cancer detection and lower complication rate compared to transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy (TRUSPB). However, there is no report of the same patient's experience with both types of biopsy. To compare the patient reported experience in the same cohort of patients who underwent both TRUSPB and TTPB, using validated questionnaires. Material and methods We retrospectively utilised the Patient Reported Outcome Methods (PROM) tool validated for TRUSPB and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire to collect longitudinal data at follow-up in the same cohort of patients who underwent both TTPB and TRUSPB between January 2015 and February 2016. RESULTS Out of 44 TTPB performed during the period, 35 patients had undergone both TRUSPB and TTPB. Patient reported pain post biopsy was significantly higher with TRUSPB (86% vs. 61%; p = 0.01). Post-biopsy urinary retention rates were significantly higher in the TTPB group (16.7% vs. 5.7%; p = 0.05, t test). Furthermore, the incidence of patient reported sexual dysfunction rates based on the IIEF-5 was significantly higher in the TTPB group (p = 0.001, t test). Conclusions Although overall TTPB was better tolerated in this cohort of patients with lower risk of health care contact, patients reported higher incidence of urinary retention and sexual dysfunction after TTPB compared to TRUSPB. Thus, patients should be adequately informed about potential risks with each biopsy as they may have significant impact on quality of life.


Trees in the urban roadside present a safety risk. While the crash rate with trees as compared to all vehicular accidents in the United States is about two percent, tree related accidents have a higher injury and fatality rate. This article presents two perspectives on the urban trees and transportation safety situation. First, two studies are described that establish the positive values that the driving public has for roadside trees in cities. Forested roadsides are judged to be high in visual quality. Such aesthetic responses are indicative of deeper, more significant psychological responses by drivers. Roadside nature is associated with driving stress reduction, and trees contribute to positive place perceptions. The second purpose of this article is to offer solutions for improved safety in forested transportation corridors. "Clear zone" requirements in the U.S. may be in conflict with public values, and an emerging policy of Context Sensitive Solutions urges transportation design that acknowledges community context and values. Based on prior publications, transportation design standards are presented that can reduce tree crash risk yet maintain opportunities to conserve and plant trees in the roadside. In this way communities can enjoy the beauty and extensive benefits of the urban forest, while experiencing safer driving environments.


Social networks have become an important source of information from which we can extract valuable indicators that can be used in many fields such as marketing, statistics, and advertising among others. To this end, many research works in the literature offer users some tools that can help them take advantage of this mine of information. Community detection is one of these tools and aims to detect a set of entities that share some features within a social network. We have taken part in this effort, and we proposed an approach mainly based on pattern recognition techniques. The novelty of this approach is that we do not directly tackle the social networks to find these communities. We rather proceeded in two stages; first, we detected community cores through a special type of self-organizing map called the Growing Hierarchical Self-Organizing Map (GHSOM). In the second stage, the agglomerations resulting from GHSOM were grouped to retrieve the final communities. The quality of the final partition would be under the control of an evaluation function that is maximized through genetic algorithms. Our system was tested on real and artificial databases, and the obtained results are really encouraging.


The method of studying for interaction between the past man activities and soil and water loss appearing in Holocene is discussed and practiced. The information of the past soil and water loss could be gotten from the sediment of river, lake or the bottom of slope according to the measure methods that used in Quaternary. In some degree, that the number of pollen is decreasing or vanished, the susceptibility is increasing, the elements or compounds transferring difficulty accumulate, or granularity is increasing in the sediment, may suggest that the soil and water loss occurred in the past time. The archaeological site of Hongshan culture is abroad but sparse, and the deposit of culture layer is thin, that may be caused by the past soil and water loss during that time in terms of pollen analysis in the sediment of Daling river in the north of Liaoning province.


Using the EXOplanet Transit Interpretation Code (EXOTIC), we reduced 52 sets of images of WASP-104 b, a Hot Jupiter-class exoplanet orbiting WASP-104, in order to obtain an updated mid-transit time (ephemeris) and orbital period for the planet. We performed this reduction on images taken with a 6-inch telescope of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard&Smithsonian MicroObservatory. Of the reduced light curves, 13 were of sufficient accuracy to be used in updating the ephemerides for WASP-104 b, meeting or exceeding the three-sigma standard for determining a significant detection. Our final mid-transit value was 2457805.170208 +/- 0.000036 BJD_TBD and the final period value was 1.75540644 +/- 0.00000016 days. The true significance of our results is in their derivation from image sets gathered over time by a small, ground-based telescope as part of the Exoplanet Watch citizen science initiative, and their competitive results to an ephemeris generated from data gathered by the TESS telescope. We use these results to further show how such techniques can be employed by amateur astronomers and citizen scientists to maximize the efficacy of larger telescopes by reducing the use of expensive observation time. The work done in the paper was accomplished as part of the first fully online Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) for astronomy majors in the only online Bachelor of Science program in Astronomical and Planetary Sciences.