The concept of predictive analysis plays complex information retrieval and categorization systems are needed to process queries, filter, and store, and organize huge amount of data, which are mainly composed of texts. As soon as datasets becomes large, most information combines with algorithms that might not perform well. Moreover, prediction is important in today's industrial purposes since that could reduce the issues of heavy asset loss towards the organization. The purpose of prediction is necessary in every field since it could help us to stop the cause of occurring the error before any vulnerable activities could happen. Predictive maintenance is a method that consumes the direct monitoring of mechanical condition of plant equipment to decide the actual mean time to malfunction for each preferred machine. The authors try to estimate the fault that could occur in the machines and decide the time that could cause a critical situation. This prediction should be done effectively, and for this purpose, they have stepped into the concept of machine learning.


I am pleased to have the opportunity to comment on "Effects of Change Interventions: What Kind of Evidence Do We Really Have?" This article is a very important contribution to an issue crucial for the change and development arena. I hope this article, plus the related commentaries included in this issue of JABS, will encourage further conversation about the necessity to both rigorously evaluate organizational change interventions and deepen the field's knowledge regarding the types and quality of evidence needed for valid assessment, theory building, and theory testing. Some time ago I wrote,


Subject of this final thesis is determining intensity of high – temperature corrosion of steel in heat treatment furnace. Preliminary experiment was performed to find which parameters and their values were influential to appearance of high – temperature corrosion. Intensity was then measured with a method that follows the rate of loss of weight. The experiment confirmed temperature interval and time span in which highest intensity of corrosion occurred that was suitable for measuring. End results were applied to the main experiment. Prior to the main experiment, loss of carbon through diffusion was calculated in order to find a mathematical model of the process because of the assumption that diffusion happens before corrosion. Plan of the main experiment was given by software Design Expert. After completion, obtained results were analysed with the software which gave a mathematical model that describes intensity of high – temperature corrosion.


Nio 0.65 Zn 0.35 Fe 2 O 4 , with high density and fine grain size, is a desirable composition for applications of high frequency switching power supplies. This composition has been studied under different sintering conditions. Observed changes in density, grain size and microstructure in these ferrites have been correlated to the volatilization of zinc from the samples at elevated sintering temperatures. Densification and grain growth are observed to be Arrhenius controlled rate processes with activation energies of 63.9 and 64.4 Kcal/mole respectively.


The aim of this note is to give an explicit formula for the number of subgroups of finite nonmetacyclic 2-groups having no elementary abelian subgroup of order 8.


Let $V = \sum\nolimits_{i = 1}^n {Z / (k_i + 1)},0\leqq k_1 \leqq k_2 \leqq \cdots \leqq k_n \leqq \infty $, be the set of discrete lattice points in a torus. Let $e_i $ be the unit vector along the ith axis, $i = 1,2, \cdots ,n,$ and let ${\operatorname{Bdry}}(A) = \{ x \in V| {x \notin A,x - e_i \in A\,\,{\text{for some}}\,i} \} $. In this paper we obtain extremal configurations that minimize the number of boundary points among sets of given size in V. We show further that the result obtained implies the generalized Macaulay theorem of Clements and Lindstrom and the well-known Kruskal–Katona theorem.


A 43-year-old female patient was given IV infusions of reduced glutathione for injection (1.2 g, added in 100 ml of 5% glucose injection), polyenephosphatidylcholine (697.5 mg, added in 250 ml of 5% glucose injection), and compound glycyrrhizin for injection (120 mg, added in 250 ml of 5% glucose injection) once daily for liver injury. After 20 minutes of the first infusion of compound glycyrrhizin for injection (the injection volume was about 50 ml), the patient developed skin rash, palpitations, dyspnea, drenching sweats, abdominal pain, and dysphoria. Meanwhile her heart rate was 126 beats/min and blood pressure was 85/45 mmHg. In consideration of anaphylactic shock caused by compound glycyrrhizin, the drug was immediately stopped and IV injections of dexamethasone, promethazine hydrochloride, and calcium gluconate were given. Then the patient′s symptoms relieved. Except for polyenephosphatidylcholine, the compound glycyrrhizin for injection and reduced glutathione for injection were discontinued the next day and IV infusion of acetylcysteine (8 g, added in 250 ml of 10% glucose injection) once daily and oral bicyclol tablets 50 mg thrice daily were given. The patient did not developed anaphylaxis again. Seven days later, the patient′s fatigue induced by liver injury obviously improved.

Key words:
Anaphylaxis; Shock; Compound glycyrrhizin


State space models are greatly favored by scientific researchers on account of particular superiority. Aiming at the minimized error criterion and using the matrix differential theory, the paper represented a global optimal state space model-identifying algorithm for stochastic state space model. This is a new identifying algorithm that integrates system parameters identification, structural identification and state estimation. In this method, hypothesis state space model is disturbed by the measuring noise and process noise. First, state space vector x is identified according to error criterion J(Es TEs). Then, system parameters matrix A, B, C and D is identified by criterion function J(Ei TEi). Results of mathematical simulation proved that this identifying method is characterized as simple calculation and higher identifying precision.


A 43-year-old male patient with multicentric reticulohistiocytosis associated with lung affected is reported. The clinical manifestations were characterized by widespread cutaneous papules and nodules, destructive arthritis and numerous nodules in the lung. Biopsy specimen taken from skin lesions and lung nodules revealed a widespread infiltration of histiocytes and multinucleate giant cells exhibiting ground-glass eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells were CD68 positive, whereas S-100, AE1/AE3 and HHF35 were negative.


The research is on the effects of animation on teaching, and the idea and process of linking the animation in the form of modules to MCAI which is based on Integrableware design or just embedding it in MCAI.A comparison is made of different kinds of OLE technologies which are the key technologies in the process.One of the OLE technologies is ameliorated with the aim of simplifying OLE process so that teachers who have little professional knowledge about computers can also make the MCAI which includes the high quality animation.


A wireless node with beam-switching and beam-sweeping features for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is proposed. A readily available VirtualSense wireless node which makes use of 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 wireless transceivers, as well as active cylindrical slot frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) are employed. The active FSS is made up of twelve columns with four hybrid slots each, dividing the cylinder by 30o. The dimension of the cylinder is calculated to enclose the node with a folded dipole antenna in the center, so that compactness can be maintained. By changing the configuration of the active PIN diodes, omnidirectional and swept directional signal transceiving of nodes can be switched agilely. The work can make communication in nodes controllable depending on the demands of application, and bring flexibility and compatibility in WSNs.


We report a technique for transferring large areas of the CVD-grown, few-layer MoS2 from the original substrate to another arbitrary substrate and onto holey substrates, in order to obtain free-standing structures. The method consists of a polymer- and residue-free, surface-tension-assisted wet transfer, in which we take advantage of the hydrophobic properties of the MoS2. The methods yields better quality transferred layers, with fewer cracks and defects, and less contamination than the widely used PMMA-mediated transfer and allows fabrication of few-layer, fee-standing structures with diameters up to 100 micro-m. We report thermal conductivity measurements by means of contactless Raman thermometry on the so-fabricated samples. The measurements revealed a strong reduction in the in-plane thermal conductivity down to 0.5 W/mK. The results are explained using finite elements method simulations for a polycrystalline film.


The demand for high quality aesthetic restorations continues to increase with the passage of time, which are develop and refine techniques and materials satisfying aesthetic requirements, resistance, biocompatibility and marginal adaptation. The present study aims to compare the marginal adaptation of zirconia copings made with two techniques: computer-assisted pantograph and CAD / CAM, performing an experimental study in vitro in 24 duplicates of an upper premolar prepared for full crown, 12 copings will be machined by CAD / CAM and 12 pantografia system. All copings are analyzed by pictures with an image analyzer with measurements observed in the esteromicroscopio, measuring the marginal discrepancy compared between the two techniques elaboration. The results indicate no significant differences in the adaptation of the vestibular faces, palatal and distal, however it was observed differences in the graphical analysis of averages mesial, where it was found that the copings fabricated with CAD / CAM technique were adapted more on his dies than the manufactured with the pantograph system. The use of both the CAD / CAM system and the pantograph system, is feasible for clinical use because mismatches marginal are within the range of 120 microns in 1989 proposed by Holmes.


How efficacious are central political actors in building local institutions that help to rationalize the nation-state? In an earlier article, we showed that policies emanating from the Parisian state fueled construction of French secondary schools, spurred local demand for education, and reinforced class distinctions following the Third Republic (1870). Primary school enrollments, however, rose long before the fragile central state gained prominent institutional strength. Wefind that spending by local village councils, rather than central government action or changing economic demands, was consistently associated with the spread of primary schooling. The emerging strength of heretofore fragile states may be rooted more in their capacity to capture, rather than to create, local institutions and to mediate competing local demands, thereby advancing central-state formation. The French state is held high to exemplify central political agencies that exercise strength and relative autonomy illustrated by its capacity to mediate local demands and build formal institutions. Historically these institutions, such as mass schooling, built the necessary consciousness and economic linkages that served to integrate the nation-state. Was is not the village school that turned "peasants into Frenchmen" (Weber 1976)? Until recently, studies of the central state's involvement in constructing schools focused either on Napoleon's regime or on the formal policies of the Third Republic (Prost 1968; Thabault 1971). Along this line, we demonstrated earlier the discrete state policy effects on secondary school expansion following the Third Republic, operating well into the twentieth century (Gamier, Hage & Fuller 1989). Yet the Parisian state is * We are indebted to Chip Melvin for his fine computing assistance. William Cohen, Indiana University, generously shared his unpublished historical material on French towns. Richard Rubinson provided thoughtful comments on earlier drafts. Financial supportfor this project has comefrom the National Science Foundation and University of Marylandm An earlier version was presented at the 1990 meeting of the American Sociological Association, Washington D.C. Address correspondence to Bruce Fuller, School of Education, Appian Way, Cambridge, MA


This research discusses image compression using lossly technique with JPEG Algorithm method. With this technique image file become smaller by eliminating some information from a input stream. The result indicate obtained compression ratio value very high, because some it's bit of information eliminated although it's not change perception to the original picture. Degrading memory capacities is 71,8% from it's original image.This research using MATLAB software, it's use very easy with insert the original image and the result will be created as according to desire.


Polypropylene spunbond, spunbond/meltblown/spunbond, and spunlace fabrics of 35 and 50 g/m2 weight are tested for barrier properties against microorganisms and liquid or body fluids to estimate their suitability for surgical gowns. The fabrics are also treated with different levels of antibacterial and fluorochemical finishes in a single bath using pad-dry-cure method. Liquid barrier properties of samples are analyzed by water impact penetration, hydrostatic pressure test, and blood repellency test. Parallel streak method is used to measure the antibacterial activity on the fabric samples with Staphylococcus aureus. The fabric samples are also analyzed for air permeability and stiffness. It is observed that spunbond/meltblown/spunbond fabric of 35 and 50 g/m2 weight offer sufficient liquid barrier properties for level 2 protection as per the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation barrier protection classification. Spunlace and spunbond fabrics of 35 and 50 g/m2 weight offer only level 1 protection. Spunbond/meltblown/spunbond fabrics are poorest in terms of comfort, because of their higher stiffness and lower air permeability values; spunlace fabric offers the highest air permeability and lowest stiffness force. Spunbond/meltblown/spunbond fabric samples with 4% and 7% fluorochemical finish and 1.5% antibacterial finish can provide level 4 protection. Spunbond fabrics require 4% and spunbond/meltblown/spunbond fabrics require 1% fluorochemical finish to achieve level 2 protection.


AbstractThis article poses the existence of an educational-workstrain as one of the common features in young people'sexperience, based on focus group re...


MR Fingerprinting (MRF)‐based Arterial‐Spin‐Labeling (ASL) has the potential to measure multiple parameters such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), bolus arrival time (BAT), and tissue T1 in a single scan. However, the previous reports have only demonstrated a proof‐of‐principle of the technique but have not examined the performance of the sequence in the context of key imaging parameters. Furthermore, there has not been a study to directly compare the technique to clinically used perfusion method of dynamic‐susceptibility‐contrast (DSC) MRI. The present report consists of two studies. In the first study (N = 8), we examined the dependence of MRF‐ASL sequence on TR time pattern. Ten different TR patterns with a range of temporal characteristics were examined by both simulations and experiments. The results revealed that there was a significance dependence of the sequence performance on TR pattern (p < 0.001), although there was not a single pattern that provided dramatically improvements. Among the TR patterns tested, a sinusoidal pattern with a period of 125 TRs provided an overall best estimation in terms of spatial consistency. These experimental observations were consistent with those of numerical simulations. In the second study (N = 8), we compared MRF‐ASL results with those of DSC MRI. It was found that MRF‐ASL and DSC MRI provided highly comparable maps of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and bolus‐arrival‐time (BAT), with spatial correlation coefficients of 0.79 and 0.91, respectively. However, in terms of quantitative values, BAT obtained with MRF‐ASL was considerably lower than that from DSC (p < 0.001), presumably because of the differences in tracer characteristics in terms of diffusible versus intravascular tracers. Test–retest assessment of MRF‐ASL MRI revealed that the spatial correlations of parametric maps were 0.997, 0.962, 0.746 and 0.863 for B1+, T1, CBF, and BAT, respectively. MRF‐ASL is a promising technique for assessing multiple perfusion parameters simultaneously without contrast agent.


This paper represents a continuation of our effort to develop robust composite systems based on thermoplastics reinforced with pregenerated thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP) microfibrils of higher melting point than that of the matrix. The focus of this paper is on the use of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/ poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) matrix system, which presents a greater challenge than when using polypropylene (PP) because of its higher melting point and processing temperature. Compared with PP, the PET/PBT matrix has a higher modulus and strength and leads to higher mechanical properties of the composites when reinforced with the same TLCP. In particular, it was observed that using the PET/ PBT matrix in place of a PP lead to a 100% increase of tensile strength and a 50% increase of tensile modulus. Furthermore, PET/PBT/TLCP composites showed better thermal mechanical behavior compared to the PP/TLCP counterpart because of the higher melting point of this matrix. The PBT, which has melting point about 30°C lower than that of PET, was used in injection molding step to dilute the concentrate (48 wt% TLCP) PET/TLCP composite pellets to levels of 30 and 20 wt%. With the PBT added, the injection molding process could be operated at a temperature lower than that required to injection mold pure PET to produce a microcomposite with higher mechanical properties. In addition, the surface roughness of the PET/PBT/ TLCP composites as measured by an atomic force microscope was significantly less than that of glass-reinforced PBT.


This paper discusses a series of items related to the altarpieces painted in Genoa by the Italian artist Bernabe de Modena, and now held in the Museum of the Cathedral of Murcia. The activity of the Italian painter and his relation with the family of Prince Don Juan Manuel were already known, but certain aspects of his work for Murcia remained to be elucidated: among those, the possibility of determining the nature and signification of the figures of the donors placed in the lowest reredos. The analysis of them and the hypothesis of considering them as allegorical representations (in which it rules such values as the pride of a lineage and the lofty nature of the patron -accompanied by his daughter, the Queen of Castile Dona Juana Manuel-) serve as a frame to value the principies and ideas of representation of individuals, in the context of their age.


The authors propose a class of dense regular hierarchical interconnection topologies called D-trees. These topologies are denser than interconnection networks such as the ring and the n-dimensional Boolean hypercube and compare favorably with other proposed interconnection schemes, such as the star graph and the pancake graph. In addition, the class of topologies proposed is more flexible in that both the degree and the diameter can be varied in the construction of the required topology. These topologies are also incrementally scalable in the number of nodes that can be connected. Expressions are derived for the number of nodes that can be connected in this manner and the corresponding diameters of such topologies. They are also compared with the Boolean hypercube and the star graph.<<ETX>>


We are developing a low noise high power ultra-stable diode pumped Er-Yb co-doped phosphate glass laser. Erbium doped phosphate glass permits high co-doping with ytterbium ions that strongly absorb at 976 nm and efficiently transfer their energy to the active erbium material. This drastically decreases the absorption length at the 976 nm pump wavelength and thus the overall size of the laser. Aside from the advantage for packaging a short cavity length results in a large longitudinal mode-spacing (>40 GHz), which allows for single longitudinal mode operation in the 1530-1565 nm C-band for telecommunication by inserting a tunable low-finesse etalon in the laser cavity. In addition, due to the energy transfer between the co-dopant and the active material, the laser shows a strongly reduced sensitivity to fluctuations in pump power. The strong peak in the RIN spectrum at the relaxation oscillation frequency (0.1-1 MHz) due to cavity-loss perturbations can be drastically reduced with a non-linear absorbing material inside the laser cavity. Using this approach for an optimized laser cavity design we have achieved -160 dB/Hz RIN at 1 MHz for 35 mW output. Above 100 MHz the RIN becomes shot noise limited (-168 dB/Hz @ 20mA photocurrent). The laser has excellent long-term frequency stability when locked to our wavelength locker (<250 kHz). Furthermore, the laser has been shown to have a narrow intrinsic linewidth (~10 Hz) that we are working towards by means of intra-cavity phase modulation.


Under some conditions, electoral politics may undermine democratization, even when the elections themselves adequately meet the usual standards. To illustrate this point, the article examines the dynamics of gubernatorial elections held in the 89 regions that comprise the Russian Federation during the first term of President Vladimir Putin. The analysis considers whether pressure from the federal executive and strategic changes in election timing influenced the results of these elections. The study contends that Putin's experience with gubernatorial elections led him to question their value and, ultimately, to eliminate them. Meanwhile, several of Russia's governors sent clear signals that they did not value free and fair elections. Since governors presiding over Russia's poorest regions were also the ones most likely to be insulated from public accountability, voters saw little value in defending the institution of gubernatorial elections. This helps explain the lack of public outcry following Putin's decision.


Experience and exploring the linear AC and DC actuators confirm the necessity of the computation of forces distribution as the step preceding their optimal design. This paper expresses an approach to computations of different forces of low‐voltage linear actuators acting on both mechanical and/or electrical parts. The computations are based on magnetic coenergy concept associated with virtual work method and simulated by step displacement of the armature from the total open through total closed position. The magnetic coenergy is numerically computed through the flux‐linkage approach, where the magnetic field distribution is obtained by applying the finite element method in 3D‐domain.


This paper introduces the perioperative nursing of 47 patients undergoing intraperitoneal parastomal hernia repair. After the surgery,two cases suffered from incision infection and two cases with subcutaneous hydrops. Three patients suffered from chronic pain or foreign bodies sensation,which disappeared at 3-6 months later. No recurrence occurred at 6-24 months after the surgery. It is suggested that the key points of perioperative nursing were careful preoperative symptom care and bow-el preparation,as well as postoperative observation and correct discharge instruction.


New photometry of Pluto was obtained to resolve the longstanding ambiguity in the synodic period of Pluto. Measurements obtained at Kitt Peak National Observatory on four consecutive nights in April 1973 show that the shorter period of 1d1819 is spurious and confirm the 6d3867 i 0.0003 period found by Hardie (1964). The times of mean light crossing on the rising branch yield an improved synodic period of 6d3874 i 0.0002 based on 20 years of observations. Key words: Pluto - photometry - rotational period


Denote by o>(n) and Q(n) the number of distinct prime factors of n and the total number of prime factors of n, respectively. Given any positive integer a, we prove that a 2 I2(n)/eu(fl) = x + x J a,/(log log x)f + 0(x/(\og log x)«+1), 2StlSl i=l where oi = 2j> ^lp(p~ ') and a" tne other a?'s are computable con- stants. This improves a previous result of R. L. Duncan. Denote by co(«) and 0(«) the number of distinct prime factors of« and the total number of prime factors of «, respectively. R. L. Duncan (3) proved that 2 i?(n)/w(«) = x + 0(x/log log x). 2Sitai


This paper examines current account (CA) dynamics, its relationship with the degree of capital mobility and the state of integration of the Bangladesh capital market with the global capital market. For the period 1976-2012, findings of AR (1) process shows a rigid CA position along with its slow adjustment and its inflexibility against real shocks, lower degree of capital mobility and a slow progress of capital market integration with the rest of the world. Compared to the period of fixed exchange rate regime, lesser degree of rigidity has been observed during the flexible exchange rate period suggesting a smooth and flexible current account position; but shows an increased degree of rigidity and capital immobility for the overall time period under consideration. These findings reveal some important policy implications in respects of current and capital account liberalization, deregulation of domestic markets and removing entry barriers on the part of Bangladesh to boost up FDI and remittance inflows


This study "Comparative analyses of the online portals vs the traditional channels which influence the purchase decision of a buyer in the fenestration industry" aims to analyse how likely are customers to choose online portals vs the offline portals to purchase fenestration products (doors and windows). The researcher has examined the degree of knowledge the consumers have regarding the fenestration products being sold online. The researcher also explored the application of digital customer experience, online consumer behaviour and the role of social media in the decision making of a consumer. A quantitative approach was used to conduct this research. An online questionnaire was taken from different cities of India and rich data was collected. The data collected suggested that majority of the respondents were unaware of fenestration products being sold online. Moreover, majority of respondents were hesitant on purchasing fenestration products from an online platform.

The findings suggest that respondents were likely to use offline channels to purchase fenestration products as it demands a physical touch and feel. Also, the study suggests that architects are an important influencer in the decision making of a consumer. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that an offline channel with an online presence can be a viable solution for enhancing the market share of a company selling fenestration products.


The purpose of this study was to compare teaching evaluations from individuals and peers (N=27) enrolled in an elementary music methods class to determine overall teaching effectiveness for 8 teaching sessions at an elementary school, grades K – 2. Several questions were posed: What was the relationship between peer and self-evaluation ratings of overall teaching effectiveness? Did perceptions of teaching effectiveness improve during the 8 lessons? Which teaching behavior had the most improvement according to self and peer evaluations? Students were divided into 8 groups and assigned a specific intact K, 1st or 2nd grade class. Each group was given specific musical objectives to achieve at the end of the 8-week assignment. After each teaching episode, individuals evaluated themselves and their peers. Agreement or disagreements with eight statements were included on the evaluation form concerning specific teaching behaviors: clear instructions, eye contact, children participation, teacher enjoyment, objectives met, classroom control, students on task, and improvement from previous teaching. Analysis revealed peers evaluated individual teaching higher than self. Teaching improvement was rated the highest (3.72 on a 4 point scale) on lesson 7 but lesson 8 was higher (3.67) than the first time this statement was evaluated (3.4). Results also found that eye contact was rated as the best teacher behavior and "students on task" was rated the lowest. Guiding students to become excellent educators is a goal of university teacher training instructors. Students normally have opportunities to teach one another and observe teachers in the field, but many times they are not able to have field teaching experience before student teaching. Providing this experience is invaluable and lends itself to self and peer evaluations of teaching. Instructor feedback is valuable to the process as well, but working with children in their environment gives future teachers an opportunity to practice their newly learned teaching skills. Teacher training classes are normally instructor led, with specific feedback given to individual student's teaching episodes during the class. Students are familiar with this structure, as the teacher is perceived to be experienced and knowledgeable with the subject. Occasionally peers also evaluate the teaching experiences. University instructors will ask students to self evaluate their teaching as well in order to help them become more independent as they progress. Several studies have addressed relationships among peer, self, and instructor evaluations (Bergee, 1993, 1997; Colwell, 1995; Freed-Garrod, 1999; Napoles, 2008). Bergee (1993, 1997) found that faculty and peer evaluations had a high correlation. Experts rated participants lower while peer and self-evaluations alternated between the top and middle ranks (Colwell, 1995). Teacher and peers rated elementary students lower than the students (Freed-Garrod, 1999). Napoles (2008) found that peer ratings were consistently the lowest in comparison to self and teacher evaluations. 1 Texas Christian University, 2800 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA. 32 International Journal of Music and Performing Arts, Vol. 4(2), December 2016 Peer evaluation has been used in musical venues. Bergee and Cecconi-Roberts (2002) compared peer evaluations with instructor evaluations in a university setting and found peer evaluations were higher. Napoles (2008) however, found that peer ratings for teaching episodes were consistently the lowest in comparison to self and teacher evaluations. Self-evaluation has been used in several studies to include students in the assessment process rather than relying solely on teacher feedback. Teacher training studies have compared self-evaluation to teacher evaluations (Moore, 1976, Napoles, 2008; Prickett, 1987; Rosenthal, 1985; Sims, 1985, Yarbrough, 1987). Results revealed students rate themselves higher than experts. In addition the same outcomes were found to be accurate for university music students (Madsen, Standley, & Cassidy, 1989), music therapy students (Greenfield, 1978), preservice elementary education majors (Colwell, 1995), applied university performers (Bergee, 1993, 1997; Bergee & Cecconi-Roberts, 2002 and beginning university conductors (Byo, 1990). The opposite was maintained by Kostka (1997) in that university keyboard students self-assessed lower than teacher assessment. Bergee and Cecconi-Roberts, (2002), Bergee (1997), Colwell (1995), Lethco (1999), Barry (1997) and Napoles (2008) examined all three types of evaluation: self, peer and instructor/expert. No strong tendency appeared. The purpose of this study is to compare teaching evaluations from individuals and peers enrolled in an elementary music methods class to determine overall teaching effectiveness for 8 teaching sessions at an elementary school, grades K – 2. Specific research questions include the following: 1. What was the relationship between peer and self-evaluation ratings of overall teaching effectiveness? 2. Did perceptions of teaching effectiveness improve during the 8 lessons? 3. Which teaching behavior had the most improvement according to self and peer evaluations? Method Participants Participants were 27 undergraduate music education majors enrolled in an elementary music methods class. This is the last music education class taken before student teaching. Students consisted of instrumental and vocal majors. This class was the third in a series of music education methods classes.


Root scratching inoculation method was used to identify 36 accessions of banana germplasm for their seedling resistance to fusarium wilt.Of the 36 accessions 13 were found moderately resistant,22 susceptible and 1 highly susceptible.


This paper describes a dialog system allowing a human user and a personal assistant agent to communicate through natural language. The Assistant uses explicit task representation and knowledge representation to achieve an intelligent dialog. The dialog architecture is independent from the knowledge or task representation and includes different models: dialog models, task models, user models and domain models. The paper describes how the dialog manager uses the models to conduct the dialog and how the approach is related to other approaches in the same domain. The system has been implemented in a collaborative environment in order to personalize services and to improve interaction.


Fatigue assessment method based on smooth bar fatigue curve and elastic total stress amplitude has been provided by ASME Pressure Vessel Code since 1960s. This method is still widely used today while also facing some controversy on the aspects of safety and adaption in recent years. However, this method has been improved signif icantly in new ASME Ⅷ-2 issued in 2007. This paper intended to present introduction and dissection on controversy and latest development of this method.


ABSTRACT
The procedure presented here is for iridodialysis repair using an elegant, cost-effective and quick technique using 6-0 polypropylene sutures, low-temperature electrocautery, and a 27-gauge needle. Previously, all methods required performing a conjunctival peritomy to expose bare sclera, then typically intricate movements and knot tying. Described here is a method combining the sewing machine technique and a modified Yamane scleral fixation technique to treat iridodialysis that requires no knots, peritomies or specialized equipment.


Affect influences speech, not only in the words we choose, but in the way we say them. This paper reviews the research on vocal correlates in the expression of affect and examines the ability of currently available major text-to-speech (TTS) systems to synthesize expressive speech for an emotional robot guide. Speech features discussed include pitch, duration, loudness, spectral structure, and voice quality. TTS systems are examined as to their ability to control the features needed for synthesizing expressive speech: pitch, duration, loudness, and voice quality. The OpenMARY system is recommended since it provides the highest amount of control over speech production as well as the ability to work with a sophisticated intonation model. OpenMARY is being actively developed, is supported on our current Linux platform, and provides timing information for talking heads such as our current robot face.


Summary.

Thermoelastic stresses are capable of producing significant lithospheric deflection. A systematic approach to modelling this effect is presented, in which the lithosphere is presumed to behave as a thin, elastic (or viscoelastic) plate on a fluid substrate, and lateral variations in basal heat flow induce both vertical buoyant loads and thermoelastic bending moments. The amount of uplift or subsidence produced by a given heat source depends on a number of factors, including the strength, duration and lateral extent of the thermal anomaly, and the thickness, density, rigidity and viscosity of the plate.

The mechanical response of the plate is characterized by two distinct length scales (one for shearing, the other for bending) and the deformation produced depends critically on the scaled width of the heat source. The plate acts as a low pass spatial filter in response to thermal loads, but has a narrow band pass filter response to applied moments. The temporal response to an abrupt change in basal temperature or heat flow also depends on the ratio of the thermal diffusion time for the plate versus the viscoelastic relaxation time of the material.

A rapid, localized increase in basal heat flow will initially produce a central depression and a peripheral uplift. Thus, while it is often assumed that the main depositional phase in platform basins is associated with the cooling and contraction of the lithosphere following an earlier thermal doming event, it is shown that, if conditions are right, a basin may also form in direct response to the initial heating event. Either way, subsequent thermal equilibration and viscous stress relaxation will tend to modify the initial deflection profile.


• According to the trend data from the last four cycles of the Transition Home Survey (THS), in 2003/04 total annual admissions of women and children declined 7% over the previous survey cycle and have decreased 11% since 1997/98. However, these declines are due largely to drops in the annual admission of children to shelters, which decreased 12% from 2001/02, and 21% from 1997/98. Annual admissions for women declined 3% over 2001/02 and 3% over 1997/98, as well.


Male centralism and the awareness of "The City Being Besieged" have run through the creation of the novel by Qian Zhong -shu, which is closely related to the then time and, meanwhile, unconsciously reveals the psychological male centralism of the male writer. This has almost been common to all the creations of Chinese male writers in the past century.


The invention discloses a mobile detection method which comprises the steps of: at a set first moment, obtaining a first monitoring image shot by a camera and calculating a first mobile angle of a holder by a business server; at a set second moment, obtaining a second monitoring image shot by the camera, calculating a second mobile angle of the holder; and comparing public images in the first monitoring image and the second monitoring image are consistent according to the first mobile angle and the second mobile angle, and if not, triggering mobile detection alarm. The invention also discloses a corresponding system and a business server. By adopting the scheme disclosed by the invention, the mobile detection when the camera is in a moving state is realized, and the accuracy of the mobile detection alarm is greatly ensured.


Due to the growing demand for bottled mineral waters, a study was undertaken to determine the quality of fourteen different brands of still and sparkling bottled waters. Objective testing showed a wide variance in taste as waters have different tastes and individual preferences are the rule. By analytical means, the mineral content of most of the tested waters met U.S.E.P.A. standards; however, some samples had unacceptable levels of sulfate, hardness, and other constituents. Cost comparisons show a wide variation in price, with all the tested waters many times more than normally available tap waters.


The history of the censorship of publications in Canada is, for the most part, a hidden history. Apart from relatively rare criminal prosecutions, and in contrast to the regulation of film, video, radio and television by provincial and federal administrative bodies, there has been little in the way of visible, public regulation of publications. This paper begins the process of shedding some light on a few of the institutional mechanisms through which censorship of publications has been carried out in Canadian history. Another is to argue that the topic of censorship is best conceptualized broadly, as the exercise of power in relation to the creation or dissemination of knowledge. We should evaluate the exercise of power in relation to publications by asking who is exercising power, over what expressive materials, according to what criteria and procedures, for what purposes, and in whose interests. When we do, the problems with how the regulation of publications has been carried out in Canada become apparent. Power over publications has been exercised by persons with questionable authority, training or expertise, according to procedures that are largely hidden and unaccountable, by deploying criteria that are vague and indeterminate if specified at all, usually for the purpose of forestalling perceived challenges to the existing moral or political order. Ironically, these weaknesses are largely a product of the difficulties in liberal democratic theory and practice of regulating the content of publications openly. Where political pressure is exerted towards suppression, concerns about censorship, and a lack of consensus about its appropriate mechanisms and forms, have led the state away from criminalization, and, ironically, towards less visible, less accountable forms of regulation. The result is that too many Canadians have been either uninformed or complacent: so long as the exercise of power over publications has been invisible, there has been nothing to worry about.


With the background of the mechanism design of the present e-Auction and of multi-object auction, the paper offers such a design of a special sequential second-price sealed-bid auction of 2 differentiated objects, which is steadily transferring the auctioneers' private information into common knowledge step by step.,analyzing and comparing the bidders' preferred bidding and the auctioneers' expectant revenue, focuses on the problem of "whether the auctioneer's private information is the same as that bidder's which is beneficial to its owners, and then draws the funny conclusion concerned such as the design of auction mechanism or the choice of information strategies, and then puts forward the related suggestions as well.


In very crowded areas, a large number of LTE users contained in a single cell will try to access services at the same time causing high load on the Base Station (BS). Some users may be blocked from getting their requested services due to this high load. Using a two-hop relay architecture will help reduce the load from the BS and enhance the capacity of the system. A clustering approach must be used to configure the nodes in such two layer topology. In this paper, clustering of nodes is done based on the Basic Sequential Algorithmic Scheme (BSAS) along with proper frequency allocation and power control in order to avoid excessive interference. The implemented scheme is compared with the case of no relay architecture in terms of capacity enhancement.


This articles compares the most common techniques for prenatal diagnosis, amniocentesis and chorionic-villus sampling, with pre-implantation genetic diagnostics (PGD) with respect to the underlying indications, methodological aspects and safety. A major new indication for PGD in assisted reproduction is aneuploidy testing, which aims at transferring euploid embryos and increasing the pregnancy rate. The importance of adequate genetic counselling prior to PGD is stressed.


Antitrust originated in popular resistance to 17th century Royal Grants and 19th century economic power. This article contends that much of the guiding force of today's antitrust policy stems from these early sentiments, applied to thoroughly different legal and economic circumstances. Specifically, 'monopolists' constrained by antitrust law are very different today from their historical counterparts, sharing a name but little else. Modern antitrust, with its focus on price-theoretic micro-models, treats all bearers of market power alike - despite markets being narrowly defined and economic and political effects differing greatly among them. Antitrust, as practiced today, infringes upon rights to property and freedom of contract and 'gets away with it' simply by defining those constrained as 'monopolists.' This article challenges the underlying assumptions that monopolists as such deserve no protection and that by mere virtue of their monopolistic status can be constrained whenever it is in society's (or consumers') interest to do so. Monopolists' potential claims are assessed, as well as counter-arguments to such claims, within the framework of Rawls' theory of justice and his 'veil of ignorance' thought experiment. These allow for going beyond current biases to examine what a just society would demand of its economic actors, and when justice demands protection of those limited by today's antitrust policy.


In continuation of our research interest in bis-pyridyl-bis-amide-based multifunctional coordination polymer (CPs) materials, we report here six ZnII/CdII CPs, [Cd(L)(5-NIP)(H2O)]·H2O (CP1), [Cd(L)(2,5-TPD)]·DMA (CP2), [Cd(L)(2,5-TPD)]·2H2O (CP3), [Zn(L)(2,5-TPD)]·2H2O (CP4), [Zn(L)(1,3-BDC)]·H2O (CP5) and [Zn2(L)(5-AIP)2]·2H2O (CP6) constructed from L and various aromatic polycarboxyates co-ligands and their polypyrrole (PPy)-functionalized composite materials (L = N,N′-bis(pyridine-3-yl)-4,4′-oxybis(benzoic) dicarboxamide, 5-H2NIP = 5-nitroisophthalic acid, 2,5-H2TPD = 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid, 1,3-H2BDC = 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid, 5-H2AIP = 5-aminoisophthalic acid). The title complexes were solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, IR spectra, UV-vis diffuse-reflectance spectra (DRS), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermal gravimetric analyses (TG). Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that CP1–CP6 display 2D architectures with versatile coordination features. The PPy-functionalized CP1–CP6 composite materials (named as PPy/CPn (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)) were fabricated by the combination of micro-sized CPs particles and PPy via a facile in situ chemical oxidation polymerization process under the initiation of ammonium persulfate (APS). The fluorescent properties of the title complexes have been investigated. In particular, the photocatalytic activities of the micro-sized particles of CP1–CP6 and their PPy-functionalized composite materials have also been investigated. These PPy-functionalized composite materials show superior photocatalytic activities for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation.


Aims—To evaluate the incidence and outcome of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), FAB M6 (erythroleukaemia). Methods—A demographic study in the Northern Health Region of England between 1983 and 1999. Results—Thirty three cases were diagnosed and registered prospectively. The overall incidence was 0.077 cases/100 000/year. There was a pronounced rise in incidence in patients aged 56 years or more: 6.6 times higher than that in younger patients. Overall survival was poor; median survival was 11 months for those aged less than 56 years, and three months for patients aged 56 years and above (p = 0.045). Acquired karyotypic abnormalities were found in 17 of 27 patients where analysis was attempted. When classified according to the criteria of the Medical Research Council AML trials, karyotype predicted survival, with a median overall survival of 14 months for those with "standard risk" cytogenetic results and two months for "poor risk" results (p = 0.005). Conclusion—This study demonstrates a worse survival for patients with erythroleukaemia than that reported in some published trials of selected patients.


The air transfer efficiency is becoming a crucial process in many technologies such as activated sludge aeration or design of optimum dissolved air flotation (DAF) technologies. Mathematical model offer a suitable tool for the study of air transfer efficiency. However, the models that have been used traditionally offer some limitations. This paper presents a new mathematical model built using computational fluid dynamics techniques in order to study the air transfer efficiency taking into consideration fluid dynamics. The capability of the model to study mass transfer has been analysed with a theoretical case study which shows the potential of the mathematical model.


The utility model discloses an intelligent PDU system. The intelligent PDU system comprises an intelligent PDU; the intelligent PDU comprises a shell; a main control board, a power source board, a branch control board and a WEB server are arranged in the shell; the shell is provided with a plurality of power source sockets, Ethernet interfaces and a serial interface; the power source sockets are connected with the branch control board through data lines; the serial interface, the Ethernet interfaces, the power source board, the branch control board and a sensor fixed in the shell are connected with the main control board through data lines; and an LCD touch screen is connected with the main control board through a data line. The intelligent PDU system can monitor states such as temperature, current and humidity in real time. The intelligent PDU system can be connected with a plurality of PDUs, so that centralized control processing can be carried out. The intelligent PDU system has a remote communication function, and can wirelessly transmit information; and the intelligent PDU system also has an abnormity alarm function.


The aqueous extract of garlic (Allium sativum L.) was prepared from homogenate of fresh garlic bulbs blended with an equal weight of water. This mixture was then sterilized by filtration. The antibacterial effects of garlic extract on Vibrio parahaemolyticus was studied by using heart infusion broth containing 3% NaCl (Hl broth) and two kinds of fish meat homogenate. We found that garlic extract had a strong growth inhibitory activity against V. parahaemolyticus in both the Hl broth and fish meat homogenate.When Hl broth containing 2.5% garlic extract was used as the growth media, no bacterial growth of V. parahaemolyticus was observed during one day's incubation. The addition of 5% garlic extract to horse mackerel meat homogenate caused a 93% decrease in the 105 inocula of tested bacteria. In the bonito meat homogenate, 5% garlic extract only slightly inhibited growth while 10% garlic extract resulted in an 85% decrease in the 104 inocula of tested bacteria. Experiments using autoclaved raw fish meat of the above-mentioned two species gave almost the same results.The antibacterial activity of garlic extract was stable on storage at 4°C for 5 days, but decreased on storage at 25°C for 2 days.


Disaster relief management is essential for various types of disasters such as terrorist attacks, hazardous materials, hurricanes and flash floods. Planning for disaster relief is important in rescuing victims with the involvement of many agencies and the public in managing the event. This is due to poor coordination, late assistance and uneven distribution of vehicles, food, and medical assistants. Time and cost are very important in disaster relief. The need for a proper disaster relief plan to overcome these issues is crucial. This paper presents a two tier solutions to relieve flood victims focuses on the evacuation. The first tier is to complete the task of vehicles assignment at the inundated area. Then, the routing of vehicles from inundated areas to relief centres. A discrete particle swarm optimization were employed and tested reflecting the fitness functions identified from each tier. The findings show that the two- tier solution provides good results for the evacuation plan.


A species of aerobic, Gram positive, coryneform bacteria assigned to the phylum Actinobacteria. T his species is catalase positive, slightly acid fast, nonmotile and contains lipoparabinomannan like lipoglycans in the cell wall. G. bronchialis is an opportunistic pathogen, causing infection at medical device implantation sites and wound sites in surgical patients. Qeios · Definition, February 7, 2020


Abstract The effect of bath temperature and bath composition on the thickness, grain size and surfaceroughness of the galvanized coating of hot-dipped galvanized sheet steel has been examined. Laboratory tests were carried out on steel sheet 0.475–0.853 mm thick, using bath temperatures of 450,465, and 480°C, and bath compositions of Zn with 0–0.5% Al and 0–0.2% Pb. An increase in sheet thickness resulted in a decrease in cooling rate and coating thickness, and an increase in grain size of the coating. The average surface roughness R a increased with increasing sheet thickness; the slope ∆a decreased and the wavelength λa increased. Increasing the bath temperature increased the cooling rate and surface roughness, but had little effect on the coating thickness or grain size. For the tests in which the bath composition was changed, maintaining a bath temperature of 465°C, the coating thickness was largest for 0% Al and relatively constant for the higher Al levels at all Pb levels. The grain size was small a...


There are many violations committed by illegal online lenders that are troubling the public, and are detrimental to the state because the state does not receive tax payments. The purpose of this study is to analyze and describe the accountability for criminal acts of illegal loan lenders who commit crimes in the form of Peer-to-peer lending to the community and to find out what precautions are being taken so that illegal lenders do not roam in Indonesia which results in the suffering of the Indonesian people. This research method uses a normative research type with the specifications of this research using normative juridical. Source of data in this study using secondary data. Data analysis in this study used descriptive qualitative method. The results of this study indicate that many perpetrators of illegal online loan providers commit violations of Indonesian government regulations, including Law Number 14 of 2008 on Public Information Disclosure Article 85 of the Population Administration Act, in addition to Article 17 letter (h), the Law Number 11 of 2008 Concerning Information and Information and Electronic Transactions Article 26 Paragraph (1) and (2), Article 51 paragraph (1) Jo Article 35 paragraph (1), Article 45 Paragraph (3), Article 45 B, KHUP (Kitab Criminal Law Act) in article 378 of the Criminal Code, Article 368 of the Criminal Code. So, the responsibility of the perpetrators of illegal online loan providers is to get sanctions for closing the company, imprisonment, as well as paying fines and providing compensation. Chairman of the OJK Board of Commissioners Wimboh Santoso said that his party had so far implemented various policies to eradicate illegal loans through the Investment Alert Task Force (SWI).


The energy levels and wave functions of ground electronic configurations of 104 atoms of the Periodic table were calculated using the Hartree-Fock method with the local approximations of exchange potential. Influence of six exchange-correlation potentials on the formation of electronic states was investigated to optimize a zero approach choice. The results allowed constructing a base of atomic spectral data of the energy levels, wave functions, electron densities and quadrupole moments of atoms. Calculation results for the atoms of second period (Li - Ne) and the first transition row (Sc - Zn) of Periodic table are given.


We report a detailed study of magnetic and transport properties in perovskite manganites Nd0.55Sr0.45Mn1−xGaxO3 (0.00⩽x⩽0.20). The Ga substitution induces the B-site disorder together with a distinct suppression of the metal-insulator transition and ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition. Due to an appearance of inhomogeneous magnetic clusters, the Griffiths-like phase is observed in 0.08⩽x⩽0.10 compounds. Meanwhile, with the increase of Ga concentration, the carriers self-trap into magnetic polarons. Because the oxygen sublattice distortion causes the variation of the phonon density of state, an additional Raman vibrative mode appears in the system.


Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in research productivity between doctoral degree holders from European and North American universities, and doctoral degree holders from Peru.

Theoretical framework: Internationalization of higher education has become a phenomenon of great relevance in recent years (Romani et al., 2021), allowing an increasing number of doctoral researchers to study in foreign countries. However, little evidence has been generated in Latin America.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses an explanatory approach based on data mining that analyze data from 863 researchers from 24 public and private universities in Perú, according to the two categories of productivity (high and low) defined by the National Scientific Research Agency.

Findings: The results show that of all the factors analyzed, the country of doctoral study is the most important variable in predicting the scientific productivity of researchers. This situation is confirmed when analyzing the number of publications made by researchers according to their category, where a clear tendency in favor of researchers who studied abroad can be seen.

Research, Practical & Social implications: The results suggest that international academics are more likely to publish in top-tier journals. Also, the results may be applicable to other countries, but more studies are going to be necessary.

Originality/Value: The results of this investigation are relevant, because studies about the academic internationalization effects on scientific productivity are scarce and no previous studies about this topic have been conducted in Latin America.


Wood is a complex biomaterial useful for various applications. Wood can also be used to shield radiation from nuclear sources. In the present study, the radiation effects on various wood materials of medicinal plants collected from Nallamala forest in Andhra Pradesh, India was investigated. Gamma radiation shielding characteristics such as linear attenuation coefficient, mass attenuation coefficient, half- value thickness and relaxation length of ten different types of wood materials were measured for gamma energies 511, 662, 1173, 1275 and 1332 keV from 22Na, 137Cs and 60Co radioactive sources . Measurements were performed using a gamma spectrometer consisting of NaI (Tl) scintillation detector coupled to an 8K PC based Nuclear MCA with a good geometry set up. Classification of wood and their medicinal uses also studied. Analysis of results showed an appreciable evidence of radiation attenuation, attenuation coefficient decreasing with increase of gamma en-ergy and significant variation for different species.


One of the defining features of economic globalization is the tying together of the fates of people in the economic North and South in new and complex ways. Interest in ethical certification of product sourcing and processing emerged in the middle of the 20th century in responses by the North to the plight of the desperately poor in the South. Fairtrade is an ethical certification initiative that seeks to embed trading partnerships based on dialogue, transparency and respect and strives for greater equity in the terms of international trade. The Fair Trade model advances the view that engagement with mainstream markets is an effective way of assisting development such that dominant views of capitalism are contested and ultimately changed from within existing market structures. This symposium contributes to the 2013 theme of the AOM by seeking to share scholarly work that focuses on advancing theory and knowledge about the origins, processes and impacts of ethical certification of agricultural farming prac...


This paper looks at the case of so-called neutral roots in Uyghur (Turkic: China), whose idiosyncratic behavior with respect to the backness harmony system has been analyzed as stemming from a covert vowel contrast. Based on considerations of the structural properties of the language and the results of an experimental study, we suggest that an analysis based on lexical exceptionality is more parsimonious than the traditional analysis, unifying the treatment of neutral roots with other cases of exceptionality in the harmony system and accounting for a relationship between the patterning of roots and their frequency. We close by discussing implications for covert contrast analyses in general.


La Guerre sainte: La formation de l'idde de croisade dans l'Occident cheretien. By Jean Flori. (Paris: Aubier. 2001. Pp. 406. FF 159.) The title of this most most important and challenging book announces Professor Flori's purpose of demonstrating that the emergence of the idea of crusade as proclaimed by Pope Urban II at Clermont in 1095 must be understood in the light of the gradual development in the Christian West of the concept and practice of holy war. Its origins must be traced back to the Christian Roman Empire of Constantine and his successors and to how early medieval people understood the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo. It underwent a remarkable development in the tenth and eleventh centuries before becoming the principal determinant of Crusading ideas. In so arguing, Flori is concerned to renew, though not without some criticisms, the emphasis upon the centrality of holy war that Carl Erdmann set in his masterly monograph Die Entstehung des Kreuzzugsgedankens (1935). In Flori's view, much recent inquiry has unduly played down the character of the crusade as holy war in favor of such aspects of it as pilgrimage and especially as armed pilgrimage: holy war is a fundamental dimension of the crusade which is nowadays too much neglected. Flori therefore offers a comprehensive study of holy war in the West up to the beginning of the twelfth century and of the First Crusade as standing in the direct line of its long evolution, whatever other characteristics it may also have possessed. In his positive purpose of reasserting the cardinal importance of the idea of holy war in the formation of the crusade and consequently the long and many-- faceted maturing of this idea, Flori is, in my opinion, successful. This is in no small measure the result of his penetrating and comprehensively informed discussion of the idea of holy war over the centuries. It is worth drawing attention to two subjects in particular of which Flori's treatments are highly original and entirely convincing. The first is Augustine's teaching about the just war. Flori rightly dismisses the widely canvassed view that Augustine elaborated a doctrine of the just war which in course of time evolved into holy war and the crusade as a reversal of the true development. Augustine's scattered remarks about the just war were far from constituting a clear and coherent theory of it which was known and received before the crusade; only from the thirteenth century onwards was such a theory elaborated, partly in the light of the crusade. …


Several questions about the story of Gen 2-3 remain unresolved in current scholarship. For instance, the implications and manifold consequences of the transgression act - the consumption of the forbidden fruit - are much debated. Interpreters generally agree that the story is connected to several "J" / "non-P" narratives of the primeval history. Besides the use of the tetragrammaton as the designation for God, a common characteristic of these stories is the strong opposition between Yhwh as a harsh deity on one hand and disobedient and transgressing humankind on the other.
This paper reconsiders several open questions as well as the aforementioned consensus. The analysis of important motifs in Gen 2-3 leads to the conclusion that this story differs in theologically important ways from the postulated "J"-narrative in Genesis. This indicates that it was not composed as an integral part of that narrative. There are, in Gen 2-3, ideological features and linguistic elements typical of the "J" stratum, but they are all found in the sections that present Yhwh God's investigation and punishment of the couple (3,8-19.24). Since these verses are in tension with or even contradict their immediate context, it should be assigned to a redactional ("J") layer.
According to this analysis, the transgression in Gen 2-3 should not be considered a sin. Rather, it is an important step in human evolution towards a self-conscious and autonomous being. The plot has a structure similar to some episodes in ancient Near Eastern myths. 'Initiation' functions as a central theme.
Finally, the article discusses the literary milieu of the story. Because of several linguistic and thematic similarities with Gen 1, with P-texts in general, and with the book of Ezekiel, the relationship of Gen 2-3 to these literary entities needs to be reconsidered.


Avisit to the King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) brings a wider knowledge of the inner workings of this international airport. It is the primary airport serving Durban and the surrounding areas and is located at LA Mercy, approximately 35 km north of the city centre of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.King Shaka International Airport opened in May 2010 - it was voted the top regional airport for Africa in the Skytrax World Airport Awards in 2015 for the fifth year running, and was second only to Mauritius in the 2014 Airports Council International (ACI) as the best airport in the Middle East/Africa category. It was also rated by ACI as the best airport in Africa with five million passengers in 2015 and is placed 26th in the Skytrax Top 100 airports. King Shaka International Airport's retail facilities range from foodand beverage outlets to speciality stores, clothing stores, bookstores and convenience stores. There is also a bank, foreign currency exchange facilities, a post office, children's entertainment facilities and duty-free shopping facilities. The airport now includes a new Sasol service station that has been constructed at the airport creating convenience for airport users.


Professional training has long been the target for evaluation. However, most evaluation of training is confined to simple end-of-course data collection and superficial analysis. We argue that evaluations that rely heavily on end-of-course data collection can provide useful findings if they are well designed. This involves thinking clearly about the variables that are to be measured, translating them into measures, and 'making sense' of the findings within a framework set by the phenomenon under review. A course that presented training in evaluation to graduate students and participants in New Zealand was chosen as a case to exemplify the application of these design principles.


In this article,we study the influence of ST and IT, by different proportion surfactant mixed systems,which are composed of anionic surfactant AES with nonionic surfactant OP-10 or TX.The result indicate,when the mixed proportions of the AES and OP-10 system and the AES and TX system are 8:2and 6:4,the synergism are the best,and the ST and IT can reduce to the minimμm levers.Compare the two system,the AES and TX system have the lower ST and IT than the AES and OP-10 system.


The present invention is 5- (2 - {[6- (2,2-difluoro-2-on-phenylethoxy) hexyl] amino} -1- (R) - hydroxyethyl) -8-hydroxyquinoline -2 (1 The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition, method and method of producing polymorphic crystal form as described above using the same in the treatment of respiratory diseases associated with β2 adrenergic receptor activity comprising the polymorphic crystal forms.


Telluric acid ammonium phosphate (TAAP) having the chemical formula Te(OH)6 • 2NH4H2PO 4 • (NH4)2HPO4 undergoes the phase transition at 321 K changing its symmetry from the centrosymmetric class 2/m to the polar class m [1]. Currently most of what is known about the TAAP crystals relates to dielectric properties, little is known about their domain kinetics. The static domain structure has been observed by the etching technique [2]. This method simultaneously reveals the dislocations and other lattice imperfections. The first switching current measurement of ferroelectric polarization reversal in TAAP has been reported in Ref. [3]. Here we communicate the peculiarities of the domain structure dynamics in the TAAP crystals at room temperature.


Users often arrange items on a table-top with total disregard for the natural axis of the table itself. One often finds it more comfortable to tilt personal writing or working space to a comfortable viewing angle. We present examples of rendering issues faced by interfaces which allow rotation, and explore potential flaws in their implementation.


Porous carbon materials with a synergistically large specific surface area (SBET) and an adjustable structure are urgently needed to meet the demands of high-performance supercapacitors (SCs) and o...


Shape-specific points are special data points invariant to translation, scaling, and rotation. The radius weighted mean (RWM) and the system center are two examples of shape-specific points. These points feature in contour registration, color quantization, and the detection of rotationally symmetric shape orientations. This study uses shape-specific points to cluster nonlinearly separable data into two classes. To bisect nonlinearly separable data, input data are transformed into a higher dimensional space, called the feature space, within which transformed data are linearly separable. The proposed methods then use hyperplanes normal to the line connecting the RWM and the center in the feature space to bisect the transformed data. This produces two nonlinearly separable classes in the original space. With the help of kernel functions, all the computations are accomplished in the original data space. The proposed methods are applicable to data of any dimension. Compared to traditional methods, such as the global kernel k-means, the proposed methods do not require cluster initialization or iterative procedures to obtain clustering results. Experiments show that the proposed methods have better clustering results than the global kernel k-means.


A better understanding of moyamoya disease (MMD), such as natural clinical course, surgical outcomes and research, has been obtained. This review article focuses on an giving an update for adult MMD in the Korean population. In this paper, we mainly discuss the results of our domestic investigations including meta-analysis, and related subjects from other countries.


An accurate determination of the hydrological characteristics of porous media, such as the values of the porosity and effective porosity, are essential. This is very important in order to understand the transport processes of infiltration and the movement of water and contaminants in the porous media. In this study, we carried out a laboratory soil column experiment in order to estimate the porosity and effective porosity of standard sand samples, using a dielectric method termed the Frequency Domain Reflectometry with Vector Network Analyzer (FDR-V). The FDR-V device uses high frequency microwaves, ranging from 0.1 to 3㎓, to measure the complex dielectric constants of the sample. From the measured complex dielectric constant, the two parameters of the soil samples were then derived, using a proposed dielectric mixing model and tracer concentration model. The effective porosity of the soil sample is measured at 0.311 with the FDR-V dielectric method and 0.345 by the soil tracer column test. Comparing this with the calculated porosities of the soil sample, the ratio of effective porosity is approximately 78% for the dielectric method, and approximately 86% for the tracer concentration method. These different values can be explained to be within the measurement range with regards to the measurement volume for the soil column.


Knowledge of the dynamic performance of pumps is essential for the prediction of transient behavior and instabilities in hydraulic systems; the necessary information is in the form of a transfer function which relates the instantaneous or fluctuating pressure and mass flow rate at inlet to the same quantities in the discharge from the pump. The presence of cavitation within the pump can have a major effect on this transfer function since dynamical changes in the volume of cavitation contribute to the difference in the instantaneous inlet and discharge mass flow rates. The present paper utilizes results from free streamline cascade theory to evaluate the elements in the transfer function for a cavitating inducer and shows that the numerical results are consistent with the characteristics observed in some dynamic tests on rocket engine turbopumps.


In this study, it has been measured the Compton Profile of the Nitrogen gas at different pressures by using a Compton Profile Spectrometer with an annular Am-241 radioactive source, which emits 59.537 keV photons. The inelastic scattered -rays from gas molecules in a gas chamber have been measured using a HPGe detector connected to the a Tennelec 244 Amplifier and MAESTRO MCA Software. The gas pressure had been set by using a manometer before the measurements. The data have been corrected for all environmental scattering effects, i.e. scattering from gas chamber's walls, collimators, and etc. Then, the Compton Profile of Nitrogen gases at five different pressures have been determined using a Matlab Code. We found that the Compton Profiles changes with increasing pressures.


Aim: To explore early monitoring index of occupational lung cancer. Methods: Serum levels of MDA,total SOD (T-SOD) and SA of 55 coke oven workers(exposure group) and 40 controls (unexposure group) were determined. Results: Compared with that of unexposure group, the serum levels of MDA and SA of exposure group were significantly higher(P0.001), and the T-SOD levels were significantly lower(P0.001). There were no significant differences in the above parameters between different ages and different working ages in exposure group(P0.05). Conclusion: Coal tar pitch can result in obvious biomembrane damage of the exposed workers. Indexes such as MDA,T-SOD and SA can be used to alarm occupational lung cancer at early stage.


Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is widely used popular Indian medicinal plant which belongs to the family of Zingiberaceae. Indian turmeric is preferred due to its high Curcumin content as compared to other countries. Curcuminis small molecular weight polyphenolic compound and lipophillic in nature. This active constituent of turmeric is isolated from curcuma longa and it provides colour to turmeric. Curcumin has various medicinal properties and shows Antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anticancer activities. It has been observed that the chemical composition of most of the herbs changes with geographical region which may be due to climatic conditions and biochemical variations. The present work deals with phytochemical investigation of the turmeric rhizomes obtained from Bhandara District and determination of its curcumin content. Curcumin was isolated from turmeric rhizomes using reported method. The isolated curcumin was characterised by UV, FTIR and TLC methods. The curcumin content of turmeric rhizomes obtained from Bhandara District was determined and compared with other samples collected from different geographical regions. It was concluded that turmeric rhizomes obtained from Bhandara region has highest curcumin content as compare to other regions in Maharashtra (India).


With the increase of the complexity of the user application system and the network environment, the security threats are also increasing. As Microsoft.NET framework's constituent, ASP.NET makes the construction of secure Web applications easier. This paper, mainly discusses the security problems for Web applications based on ASP.NET technology. The paper introduces the design of a network security system for an application system based on B/S framework of ASP.NET platform, analyzes the security mechanism of the 3-tier network architecture of ASP.NET, and presents the technologies to achieve the system security by methods of identity validation, access control, data encryption, and access database by storage procedures.


Let (E, r) be a convergence vector space, M a subspace of E, and p a linear functional on M continuous in the induced convergence structure. Sufflcient and sometimes necessary conditions are given that (1) (p has a continuous linear extension to the T-adherence M of M; (2) p has a continuous linear extension to E; (3) M is T-closed; (4) every T-closed convex subset of E is a(E, E')-closed. Several examples are included illustrating the extent and limitations of the theory presented. Introduction. Through introduction of an appropriate notion of local convexity, necessary and sufficient conditions are given in order that a subspace M of a convergence vector space (c.v.s.) (E, r) (H. R. Fischer, Limesrdume, Math. Ann. 137 (1959), 269-303) have the Hahn-Banach Property (H.B.P.), namely: Every continuous linear functional p on M has a continuous linear extension to E. This yields an extension of the Hahn-Banach Theorem to a class of c.v.s. satisfying a local convexity condition. Conditions are given insuring that the r-closed and weakly closed subsets of E coincide and, in a c.v.s. where this is the case, that a subspace will have the H.B.P. Prerequisite to this last result is the determination of when every continuous linear functional, p, on M has a continuous linear extension to M, the r-adherence of M. The notion of a nearly closed subspace M of (E, r) is introduced, and it is shown that for nearly closed subspaces, one can always extend p on M continuously to M and that M is r-closed. Subsequently, it is demonstrated that in a strict convergence inductive limit of Frechet spaces, M is nearly closed if and only if every such p on M extends continuously to M if and only if M is r-closed. The final section consists of examples illustrating the extent and limitations of the theory presented. In particular, we (1) provide an example of a locally convex convergence space with a closed subspace which does not have the H.B.P.; (2) provide a characterization of those subspaces M of a strict inductive limit of metrizable spaces in which every continuous linear functional on M has a continuous linear extension to M; and thus (3) characterize those subspaces of a Received by the editors May 15, 1972 and, in revised form, February 14, 1973. AMS (MOS) subject classifications (1970). Primary 46A99. Copyright X 1974, American Mathematical Society


Attributed networks are ubiquitous and form a critical component of modern information infrastructure, where additional node attributes complement the raw network structure in knowledge discovery. Recently, detecting anomalous nodes on attributed networks has attracted an increasing amount of research attention, with broad applications in various high-impact domains, such as cybersecurity, fi-nance, and healthcare. Most of the existing attempts, however, tackle the problem with shallow learning mechanisms by ego-network or community analysis, or through subspace selection. Undoubtedly, these models cannot fully address the computational challenges on attributed networks. For example, they often suffer from the network sparsity and data nonlinearity issues, and fail to capture the complex interactions between different information modalities, thus negatively impact the performance of anomaly detection. To tackle the aforementioned problems, in this paper, we study the anomaly detection problem on attributed networks by developing a novel deep model. In particular, our proposed deep model: (1) explicitly models the topological structure and nodal attributes seamlessly for node embedding learning with the prevalent graph convolutional network (GCN); and (2) is customized to address the anomaly detection problem by virtue of deep autoencoder that leverages the learned embeddings to reconstruct the original data. The synergy between GCN and autoencoder enables us to spot anomalies by measuring the reconstruction errors of nodes from both the structure and the attribute perspectives. Extensive experiments on real-world attributed network datasets demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed algorithm.


Crosslinked acrylate resin were prepared by the radical polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (ADE400) with 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile in the presence of cobalt (II) chloride at 100°C for 48 h. Metallization behavior of the CoCl2-containing acrylate resin by reduction with aqueous sodium tetrahydroborate solution at 25°C was investigated by means of infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis. As a result, the surface of the crosslinked acrylate resin was successfully metallized by the reduction, and the cobalt layer generated at the side of a polypropylene plate used in the preparation of film was thicker and smoother than the air side. Most of the chlorine ion in the film passed in the reduction solution. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 3864–3868, 2004


Mass abundances of hydrothermal alteration product minerals at the Roosevelt Hot Springs thermal area have been calculated using whole rock chemistry and mineral analyses. These computations together with appropriate formulation of the alteration chemical reactions have been used to estimate total enthalpy produced per unit volume of altered rock. Enthalpy of alteration varies widely depending on the model assumed for sulfate production per unit volume of altered rock. Enthalpy of alteration varies widely depending on the model assumed for sulfate production and the intensity of alteration. Maximum enthalpy production for the most altered rock ranges from 2450 to 7070 J/cm/sup 3/, depending on whether none or all of the sulfate required to produce alunite is derived from H/sub 2/S oxidation. The mean enthalpies in the lower 30 m of two drill holes 60 and 66 m deep are 345 and 105 J/cm/sup 3/. Approximate age and depth-of-alteration constraints suggest heat flow due to alteration may be as low as 4 mW/m/sup 2/ or as great as 852 mW/m/sup 2/ depending on alteration intensity and sulfur oxidation. Even though chemical reactions could account for a substantial fraction of measured heat flow, comparison of measured temperatures with temperature calculations indicates an insignificantmore » contribution of alteration reactions to present-day heat flow. The present thermal gradient is explained in terms of convective circulation with a mass flux of water of 1.3 x 10/sup -6/ kg/m/sup 2/ s estimated from alteration mineral abundance.« less


This work focuses on the Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Broadcast Channel (BC) assuming imperfect Channel State Information (CSI) is assumed at the transmitter side. For such a scenario, we propose to balance the average Mean Square Error (MSE) for all the users under generalized power constraints using an Alternating Optimization (AO) approach. For given receive filters, we find the precoders in the BC via a dual formulation in the Multiple Access Channel (MAC). Strong duality holds between the primal and the dual problem. We solve the latter by means of a projected gradient algorithm. After convergence, the solution for the original MSE balancing formulation is obtained.


Typical Weather data is an essential factor for predicting building performance. As the thermal simulation programmes become more complicated, more accurate and specific weather data is needed. In this paper, various types of typical weather data sets including the Sandia TMYs, NREL TMY2, Pissimanis TMYs, IWEC, ISO TRY and CIBSE TRY were reviewed. Typical Weather data have been generated, using ten different methods(namely maximum, minimum and mean air temperature and relative humidity, maximum and mean wind speed and daily global radiation, daily direct radiation) from hourly meteorological data measured in Seoul, covering the period 1991 to 2010. Results of the comparison show that the most appropriate method for generating weather data depends on the selection process and climatic elements rather than weighting factor. In other words, the weighing factor is not the only element that determines a suitable weather data. Therefore, The weighting factor and calculation process, meteorological element are considered to reflect geographical characteristics of local and applied climatic elements.


We describe our recent pulsed laser annealing studies on small samples of bulk niobium. We compare the effects of annealing over a range of single pulse energy density, and in three gas environments: air, nitrogen, and argon. Our Nd:YAG laser allows annealing studies with 266 nm UV light, and with 532 nm green light. We examine the sample surface for structural changes by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and by MicroXAM (a surface mapping microscope).


In this notebook paper, we summarize our results in the framework of TRECVID 2006 competition. In particular, we have produced results for the Shot Boundary detection task for which we will describe the submitted runs and analyze their performance. The applied methodology relies on spatial segmentation and a similarity measure based on Earth Mover's Distance that produces signatures for a given spatio-temporal support. We have used alternative signatures for abrupt cuts and gradual transitions.


In this paper we introduce various notions of continuous fuzzy proper functions by using the existing notions of fuzzy closure and fuzzy interior operators like Rτ -closure, Rτ -interior, etc., and present all possible relations among these types of continuities. Next, we introduce the concepts of α-quasi-coincidence, qα r -pre-neighborhood, qα r -pre-closure and qα r pre-continuous function in smooth fuzzy topological spaces and investigate the equivalent conditions of qα r pre-continuity.


A paddy field is a wetland area which always muddy and constantly flooded by irrigation. This land possesses impermeable layers, hence the irrigation water quality ought to be maintained, to prevent changes in its properties, as well as the paddy field features. Furthermore, wetland pollution by the palm oil mill wastewater PT BSS was experienced in June 2018, characterized by a lowered quality of water in the fields of Manggopoh Village, Agam District, West Sumatra. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to determine the effect of PT BSS palm oil mill wastewater on the quality of paddy fields, using a survey method to obtain samples through random sampling techniques. This research was conducted downstream, based on the direction of flow along the irrigation channel as well as on the uncontaminated fields upstream.  Furthermore, a ring and ground drill was used in the collection process, and analysis for physical and chemical properties was conducted in the Soil laboratory of the faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University. Subsequently, the evaluation involved averaging the soil data, followed by a comparison with the criterion level of damage, and ANOVA was used to estimate the difference between sample point locations, at a significance level of 0.05%. The results obtained indicate the absence of any changes in soil properties, in contrast with the water characteristics that can cause damage because the paddy soil is in a saturated state. Thus, wastewater is unable to permeate the soil matrix. Hence, it does not change the properties, since the values obtained passed the threshold criteria for soil.


In this article, we discuss a kind of compound boundary value problem for metaanalytic functions. By using elimination method and symmetric extension, the expression of solution and the condition of solvability for the above problem are obtained explicitly, which generalizes the existing result for analytic functions.


The invention provides a building outer surface wind pressure measurement method. The method includes the steps that a rigid model is manufactured and pressure measurement points are set; a wind tunnel test is conducted on the rigid model in a single round, so that a point wind pressure coefficient independent peak value reserving sequence and a face average wind pressure coefficient independent peak value reserving sequence are acquired; maximum likelihood estimation is conducted on point scale parameters and point position parameters of the point wind pressure coefficient independent peak value reserving sequence and face scale parameters and face position parameters of the face average wind pressure coefficient independent peak value reserving sequence, so that the maximum design value and the minimum design value of point wind pressure coefficients and the maximum design value and the minimum design value of face average wind pressure coefficients are determined, wherein the point scale parameters, the point position parameters, the face scale parameters and the face position parameters submit to extreme value distribution; the most disadvantageous maximum design value and the most disadvantageous minimum design value of the point wind pressure coefficients and the most disadvantageous maximum design value and the most disadvantageous minimum design value of the face average wind pressure coefficients are determined; the wind pressure of the outer surface of a building is determined. The method has the advantages of being low in cost, high in safety and capable of being widely applied to the field of buildings.


Map shows late nineteenth century Gulf of Mexico coast detail. Includes notes, tables, and color key to buoys. Depths shown by soundings. Scale [ca. 1:80,000].


The anaerobic stabilization of wastewater sludges is a reliable and efficient process that has and will continue to be widely used in many of the medium sized water renovation installations. A sizable portion of the capital and operating costs of such plants are associated with the digesters as are numerous operational problems. These costs and problems can be reduced by careful design and operation based on an understanding of the process and the exploration of the process to its limit. The concentration, organic loading, and detention time limits are outlined herein.


A morphing trailing-edge (TE) wing is an important morphing mode in aircraft design. In order to explore the static aeroelastic characteristics of a morphing TE wing, an efficient and feasible method for static aeroelastic analysis has been developed in this paper. A geometrically exact vortex lattice method (VLM) is applied to calculate the aerodynamic forces. Firstly, a typical model of a morphing TE wing is chosen and built which has an active morphing trailing edge driven by a piezoelectric patch. Then, the paper carries out the static aeroelastic analysis of the morphing TE wing and corresponding simulations were carried out. Finally, the analysis results are compared with those of a traditional wing with a rigid trailing edge using the traditional linearized VLM. The results indicate that the geometrically exact VLM can better describe the aerodynamic nonlinearity of a morphing TE wing in consideration of geometrical deformation in aeroelastic analysis. Moreover, out of consideration of the angle of attack, the deflection angle of the trailing edge, among others, the wing system does not show divergence but bifurcation. Consequently, the aeroelastic analysis method proposed in this paper is more applicable to the analysis and design of a morphing TE wing.


A simplified method is used to simplify the calculation of wind and rain pressures based on the equivalent basic wind speed and equivalent ground roughness coefficient. The first step is to calculate the sum of wind and rain pressures, and then equivalent basic wind speed and equivalent ground roughness coefficient can be obtained through the formulae of wind pressure and wind profile, at last the results of equivalent basic wind speed and equivalent ground roughness coefficient are fitted to obtain the fitting formulae. Response analysis of a transmission tower is performed with the consideration of wind and rain loads which are generated based on the simplified method and the integral formula respectively. It's validated that the proposed simplified method is feasible and can satisfy the accuracy requirement of practical engineering by comparing the results. The simplified method of calculating rain pressure can simplify the process which is very easy to apply rain pressure to structural design.


This work addresses the design of robust controllers for the neuromuscular blockade (NMB) level of patients subject to general anesthesia. The approach followed relies on the design of pole-placement controllers using input-output models and polynomial techniques. Robust performance is imposed in the NMB control design in order to perform appropriate responses on the model database. Robust stability is required in the design for the controller to be able to tackle the uncertainty present in these biomedical systems. Clinical results with the resulting controller are presented.


In this paper, we propose fixed point results through the notion of a measure of noncompactness and give a generalization of a Darbo's fixed point theorem. We also prove some new tripled fixed point results via a measure of noncompactness for a more general class of functions. Our results generalize and extend some comparable results in the literature. Further, we apply the obtained fixed point theorems to prove the existence of solutions for a general system of non-linear functional integral equations. In the end, an example is given to illustrate the validity of our results. Acknowledgements. This project was supported by Theoretical and Computational Science (TaCS) Center under Computational and Applied Science for Smart Innovation Cluster (CLASSIC), Faculty of Science, KMUTT. Habib ur Rehman was supported by the Petchra Pra Jom Klao Doctoral Scholarship Academic for Ph.D. Program at KMUTT. Moreover, this research work was financially supported by King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi through the KMUTT 55 Anniversary Commemorative Fund. The third author would also like to express his gratitude to the Center of Excellence in Economics Chiang Mai University for partial support.


CD38 is a multifunctional protein involving in a number of signalling pathways. Given that the lack of CD38 is considered as a dedifferentiation marker of lymphocytes and other cells, we hypothesized that CD38 and its signalling pathway may participate in the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of podocytes and thereby regulates the integrity of glomerular structure and function. Western blot analysis and RT‐PCR demonstrated that renal tissue CD38 expression was lacking in CD38−/− mice or substantially reduced in renal CD38 shRNA‐transfected WT (CD38‐shRNA) mice compared to CD38+/+ littermates. Confocal fluorescent microscopy demonstrated the reduced expression of epithelial markers (P‐Cadherin, ZO‐1 and podocin) and increased expression of mesenchymal markers (FSP‐1, α‐SMA and desmin) in the glomeruli of CD38−/− and CD38‐shRNA mice compared to CD38+/+ mice. Morphological examinations showed profound injury in the glomeruli of CD38−/− or CD38‐shRNA mice compared to CD38+/+ mice. This enhanced glomerular injury in CD38−/− or CD38‐shRNA mice was accompanied by increased albuminuria and proteinuria. DOCA/high salt treatment further decreased the expression of epithelial markers and increased the abundance of mesenchymal markers, which were accompanied by more increased glomerular damage index and mean arterial pressure in CD38−/− and CD38‐shRNA mice than CD38+/+ mice. In vitro studies showed that inhibition of CD38 enhances the EMT in podocytes. In conclusion, our observations reveal that the normal expression of CD38 importantly contributes to the differentiation and function of podocytes and the defect of this gene expression may be a critical mechanism inducing EMT and consequently resulting in glomerular injury and sclerosis.


I came to Halle in 2013 from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock on the premise that my pursuit of the comparative historical regional demography of Europe and beyond would enrich the department's major agenda of exploring Eurasian unity and variation. One of two crucial assets that I brought with me was my in statu nascendi Habilitation monograph. The project was started in Rostock, but it was completed, formally defended with a veniam legendi and, finally, published in 2015 during my stay in Halle. "Rethinking East Central Europe: Family Systems and Co-residence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth" (Szołtysek 2015a)1 reexamines, with the help of a substantial database, the way in which the family-research pioneers formulated European regional pattern differences, how they and later scholars used the proposed regionalization models, and how the initial formulations now appear in light of this project's findings from household listings and other archival population sources from eighteenth century Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine. The gravamen of this massive project was that, at the turn of the nineteenth century, there was no such single territory as ''eastern Europe". The general view of the European continent that was being consolidated as empirical research on European families unfolded during the 1970s was already on the wrong track with paradigms that used terms such as "dual Europe," employed the "dividing line" metaphor, and speculated about the existence of an "undifferentiated Slavic eastern Europe". My second asset was the Mosaic Project, which I built jointly with colleagues at the MPIDR in Rostock for the purpose of recovering and analyzing surviving census and census-like records from historic western Eurasia and beyond. Since its beginning in 2011, the project has established itself as one of the most important players in the ongoing Big Data revolution in historical demography. It currently covers 123 regions of western Eurasia with almost a million individual records spanning the 15 to the early 20 centuries which can be used to develop a wide range of comparable demographic indicators. The project has been successfully communicated to the research community through publications (e.g. Szołtysek and Gruber 2016) and conference presentations (e.g., at the "Big Questions, Big Data" workshop held at the International Institute for Social History in Amsterdam, in 2015).