It is important to understand cetacean feeding ecology because cetaceans are top predators in the marine ecosystem and play an important role in the food web. Furthermore, interactions between cetacean and fisheries have become a major issue worldwide. Many international fisheries organizations have urged the development of multi-species management systems. It is an important issue in the context of world food security since it is estimated that cetaceans consume three to five times the amount of marine resources harvested for human consumption. In the waters around Japan there is a situation of declining catches in certain fisheries, while at the same time the sampling from the research programme reveals that minke whales are eating at least ten species of fish, including Japanese anchovy, Pacific saury, walleye pollock and other commercially important species. Japan conducted a whale research programme in the northwestern Pacific from 1994 to1999 under Special Permit, as provided for by Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). Since some scientific issues remained outstanding following the 1994-1999 programme, a second phase of the research – a feasibility study for the years 2000 and 2001 – began in July 2000. The priority for this phase of the research is feeding ecology, involving studies on prey consumption by cetaceans, prey preferences of cetaceans, and ecosystem modeling. Significant observations and new findings were made during 2000, the first year of this research programme, concerning the distribution of minke and Bryde's whales and the species and size of the fish, krill and squid they consume. While the results of the previous whale research programme in the northwestern Pacific showed that minke whales feed mainly on Pacific saury during midsummer, the research in 2000 showed that minke whales prey on Japanese anchovy, common squid and walleye pollock, thus re-confirming the notion that minke whales are in competition with fisheries and that its food habits are variable and flexible. Research in 2000 also showed that Bryde's whale distribution areas coincided with the location of skipjack tuna fishing grounds. Since Bryde's whales feed on Japanese anchovy, which is also the prey of skipjack, the results suggest that Bryde's whale and skipjack tuna compete over anchovy as prey. The stomach of each sampled sperm whale contained a great amount of different squid species. The ongoing analysis of the stomach contents, including squid beaks, will contribute to the clarification of the feeding ecology of sperm whales.


STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The Kevloc bonding system is based on the bond of acrylic resin with the metal surface, in contrast to the Silicoater system, which covers the metal surface with a SiOx-C layer. Bonding prevents the occurrence of the marginal gap between the metal and the resin, which causes weaker bond strengths and discoloration.

PURPOSE
This investigation examined the bond strength values achieved by using the Kevloc technique on Ag-Pd and Co-Cr alloys, and compared them with those obtained by the Silicoater technique. After artificial aging, shear testing of the specimens was performed.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A microscope image analyzer measured the thickness of bonding layers to reveal any marginal gap.

RESULTS
No marginal gap was noticed for either technique. The Kevloc technique provided better results than Silicoater regardless of alloy used. Immersion in water (7.64 to 8. 05 MPa) and thermocycling (6.12 to 6.95 MPa) reduced the initial bond strength values (12.52 to 12.94 MPa), but the breakdown occurred between the opaque layers or between the opaque and the resin, thus giving a cohesive type of failure.

CONCLUSION
The dental alloy used did not affect bond strengths and artificial aging caused reduction in bond strengths. The Kevloc bonding system exhibited higher bond strengths than Silicoater, but the marginal gap was not seen for either bonding system.


This paper introduces the developing background, features and gross structure design of the financial comprehensive information analyzing system of Taiyuan Railway Bureau, expounds the main functions of each module of the system, and illustrates the social benefit and economic benefit obtained through carrying out the comprehensive information processing system.


The paper focuses on generating patterns using a single autonomous agent modeled as a unicycle with constant forward speed. The patterns are generated on a plane around multiple points of interest. We call these points as target points. For practical purposes, the target points can represent any buildings of interest, landmarks, etc which need to be monitored continuously. Extending on our previous work on single target, this paper proposes a switching strategy for switching from one target point to another around which the agent traces different patterns. This renders multitudes of different patterns which, along with their aesthetic values, find applications in continuous monitoring, surveillance and so on. The theoretical results obtained in the paper have been validated through simulation results.


3 Abstract: Students' research work is the most effective method of advanced professional quality training in higher education institutions. It develops critical thinking of students to the greatest possible extent, as well as their individual abilities and research skills. It allows one to train self-motivated specialists, develops scientific intuition, in-depth critical thinking, creative approach to the perception and practical application of knowledge to address the organizational, engineering, applied and scientific problems.


On the basis of theoretical calculations confirmed by modeling, the principles of construction of the ultra-wideband radio communication system in the terahertz frequency range on the basis of electronics technology using the harmonic signal as a carrier of information have been substantiated. The analysis of the current state of the problem was made and the task of creating a terahertz telecommunication system of broadband radio access with a gigabit bandwidth in the range of operating frequencies 130–134 GHz was performed. Terahertz frequency range areas that are most suitable for use in radio relay communication lines are selected Physical simulation of ultrahigh-speed shaper based on multi-frequency multistelection of modulated OFDM digital streams has been carried out, bench testing and optimization have been performed to achieve the maximum bandwidth of the channel for transmission of digital stream information in the format of Ethernet to the full channel speed at full duplex up to 1.2 Gbit/with. On the basis of the generalization of the results of theoretical research and experimental work, the analysis of the existing radio relay element base, the design of the main nodes of the receiving and transmitting path of a telecommunication system with a gigabit throughput in the frequency range 130–134 GHz. The scientific novelty of the work consists in generalization and development of the theory of distribution, formation and measurement of terahertz signals, in the development of multifrequency multiplexing method and the formation of modulated OFDM digital streams in the terahertz frequency range and the development of the principles of functional design on the basis of electronics technology using the harmonic signal as a carrier of information in the transceiver tract of telecommunication system with gigabit bandwidth in terahertz frequent range.


Background: Although glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) is mainly localized in the cytosol in cardiomyocytes, mitochondrial GSK-3β has been shown to trigger permeability transition and cell death. In this study, we examined molecular mechanisms of the mitochondrial translocation of GSK-3β. Methods and Results: H9c2 cells were transfected with EGFP-tagged GSK-3β (WT) or kinase-deficient GSK-3β (K85R) and stained with MitoTracker Red. Observation by time-lapse microscopy (Eclipse Ti-E, Nikon) revealed that WT, but not K85R, translocated from the cytosol to mitochondria and induced cell death after exposure to H2O2. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of anti-GSK-3β-immunoprecipitates obtained from H9c2 cell lysates indicated that exposure to H2O2 down-regulated 4 spots and up-regulated 9 spots. LC/MS analysis revealed that one of the up-regulated spots contained voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) 2. Transfection of H9c2 cells with VDAC2-siRNA attenuated mitochondrial translocation of WT in response to H2O2 challenge (% of GSK-3β-positive mitochondria to total mitochondria =36±3% vs. 76±3%, p Conclusion: Kinase activity of GSK-3β and interaction with VDAC2 significantly promote translocation of GSK-3β to mitochondria, contributing to cell death. An N-terminal domain of GSK-3β, possibly as an MTS, mediates its mitochondrial translocation in response to oxidative stress.


Bilingual teaching has a fast development in our country as the higher education internationalization.According to the bilingual teaching practice of computer speciality in Hunan Institute of Humanities,Science and Technology,the effects of various bilingual teaching methods and the existing problems in practice are analyzed,and some positive solutions are given.


Methods are developed for computing numerical solutions along block boundaries, even when there is a discontinuity in the grid lines or slopes. The technique is based on matching derivatives and does not require overlapping and interpolation of solution values at block boundaries. The comparison of block boundary values is implicit and has proven to be stable for both implicit and explicit numerical algorithms. Examples are included for the numerical solution of the Euler equations for compressible flow on grids with both grid line discontinuities and discontinuous slopes at block boundaries.


This paper deals with the nonexistence of global solutions of quasi-linear backward parabolic equations for p-Laplacian operators: ut = −div Dup−2Du + uq−1u, x,t ∈ Ω × (0,∞) with the Dirichlet boundary condition u = 0 on the boundary ∂Ω × (0,∞) and a bounded integrable initial function u(x,0) = u0(x), where Ω is a smoothly bounded domain in ℝN. We also consider this problem in the case of Ω = ℝN. The problem is analyzed using the test function method, developed by E. L. Mitidieri and S. I. Pohozaev [Mitidieri E., Pohozaev S. I. A Priory Estimates and the Absence of Solutions of Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations and Inequalities // Proceedings of the Steklov Institute of Mathematics, 2001. Vol. 234, No 3. 362 p. (in russian).] It is based on deriving a priory estimates for solutions by an algebraic analysis of the integral form of inequalities with an optimal choice of test functions. With the help of this method, we obtain the nonexistence conditions based on the weak formulation of the problem with test functions of the form: φ(x,t) = ±u±(x,t) + eδφR(x,t),for e > 0,δ > 0, where u+ and u− are the positive and negative parts of the solution u of the problem respectively and φR is a standard cut-off function whose support depends on a parameter R > 0.


This paper presents an aerodynamic review for intakes of aero-engines. Classification of different types is introduced for both subsonic and supersonic aircrafts. Important parameters influencing intake performance like pressure recovery and spillage drag are discussed. In addition, crucial performance issues such as the angle of attack, ground vortex, swirl flow, noise propagation and icing are presented. These are critical issues which are carefully considered by airframe rather than engine manufacturers. Intake icing may be extremely dangerous and leads to drastic decrease in air mass flow and consequently aircraft propulsion. Calculation of intake performance is explained. The effect of intake performance on the whole engine performance is highlighted. Numerical analyses for present and previous researches are explained and critical parameters are identified. Finally, a case study resembling the intake of a high bypass ratio turbofan engine (in close similarity to that of GE CF-6 Turbofan Engine) is numerically analysed using the commercial code "ESICFD 2010" is thoroughly described and analysed. This paper is the first of a series of research work that will cover several R & D activities in HBPR and future EBPR turbofan intakes.


In this paper,a lifting-based recursive algorithm(LRA) is proposed for multi-level discrete wavelet transform(DWT) by interleaving calculation of different level DWT.As an example,we propose an architecture for multi-level(9/7) DWT with lifting scheme by using LRA.It is synthesized and implemented for Altera's StratixⅡFPGA EP2S60 and can work under a clock frequency of 80 MHz.Performance analysis and comparison results demonstrate that the proposed architecture have good performance in terms of computing time,hardware utilization,and power consumption.Compared to other architectures,the hardware utilization rate is up to 22% higher.


This article describes the Distinctive Displays caseplay.Acaseplay is a learning technology that combines the problem-solving elements of traditional business cases with the behavioral requirements of experiential role-plays. In the Distinctive Displays caseplay, participants act out a management case by negotiating a merger between two exhibit design companies. Participants are required not only to develop solutions to case problems, but they must also carry out the implementation of the solutions.


Giving rise to a new and exciting research field, observations of the last 13 years established the accelerated expansion of the Universe. This is a strong indication of new physics, either in the form of a new energy component of the Universe – dark energy – or of theories of gravity beyond general relativity. A powerful approach to this problem is the study of complementary cosmological probes in large optical galaxy surveys such as the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We present the expectations for dark energy physics based on the combination of four fundamental probes: galaxy clusters, weak lensing, large scale structure and supernovae. We show that DES data have constraining power to improve current measurements of the dark energy equation-of-state parameter by a factor of 3–5 and to distinguish between general relativity and modified gravity scenarios.


We carried out a detailed analysis of the asymptotic stress and deformation fields at the tip of a mode III crack in a hyperelastic solid described by Gent's model. This model accounts for finite chain extensibility so that the deformation everywhere in the solid, including the crack tip, is bounded. We also present an exact solution for the 'small-scale yielding' problem where the region of large deformation is small compared with specimen dimensions. Our result shows that the crack tip stress field is non-separable. In addition, an infinite number of parameters are needed to completely specify the angular variation of crack tip stress field.


The overall project goal is to design, implement and deploy a Bayesian filtering system used to calculate the suitability of web content in an online community of similar-minded uses. It is in this...


A ride comfort model of automobile was established based on air suspension system,MATLAB optimizing toolbox and characteristics of air spring were used to matching design the stiffness and damping of air suspension system in 7 workingconditions,then computer simulations were carried out and the results were validated under the MATLAB/Simulink environment.The simulation results showed that the optimized air suspension could effectively reduce the vibrations caused by road inputs and apparently improve ride comfort.


The thermal decomposition performances,flameout surface characteristics and condensed combustion products of composite modified double-base propellant(CMDB) containing reactive metals such as aluminum(Al) and magnesium/aluminum(Mg/Al) mechanical alloy were investigated by pressure differential scanning calorimetry(PDSC),scanning electron microscope(SEM),energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS) and quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis(XRD).The effect of Mg/Al mechanical alloy on the combustion mechanism was discussed.The combustion physical model of propellant was established.The results show that the substitution of Mg/Al mechanical alloy in propellant for Al powder makes the burning rate increase,pressure index decrease,combustion efficiency of Al increase,thermal decomposition sensitivity enhance,decomposition enthalpy decrease and the agglomerate of Al disappear.


During a study of foliicolous fungi on Syzygium cordatum in South Africa, several previously undescribed or unreported fungi were collected. Two new species of Anungitea, Anungitea caespitosa and Anungitea syzygii, are described from leaf litter. An additional four new taxa are also described, Chloridium constrictospora, Parasympodiella elongata, and Vermiculariopsiella spiralis from litter, and Podosporium etheldoidgeae from living leaves. Several saprobic fungi are reported for the first time in South Africa. The morphological variation occurring in Conoplea mangenotii is discussed. Key words: foliicolous fungi, Myrtaceae, systematics, Syzygium cordatum.


One of the most important tasks in image understanding is to map visual information into symbolic concepts which describe an input scene. However, the mapping presents the following difficulties: 1) how to resolve the ambiguity in visual information; 2) how to reduce the redundancy of visual information; and 3) how to describe the scene efficiently using symbolic concepts. In this paper, we propose the ICE system, which is a framework of computer vision addressing the above three problems. We show a multilayered model based on the hypercolumn with selective attention mechanism can solve the first two problems. Then we describe how the ICE system is structurally constructed on the basis of the multilayered model.


Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: The purpose of our study was to evaluate and compare the CT features in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic naviculocuneiform coalition Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the CT images of 37 naviculocuneiform coalitions in 26 patients (mean age 30 years). The 26 patients were 12 males and 14 females, with 19 right and 18 left feet, including 11 patients with bilateral coalition. The CT images were analyzed with regard to irregular articular surface, subchondral sclerosis, subchondral cyst, bone spur, joint space distance, loose body and bony fusion. The size of subchondral cyst was measured. The location and extent of joint involvement was also evaluated. CT features were compared between symptomatic and asymptomatic feet. Results: There were 20 feet (54%) in symptomatic group and 17 feet (46%) in asymptomatic group. The mean size of the subchondral cyst was 6.3 mm in the symptomatic group and 2.5 mm in the asymptomatic group (statistically significant). Bone spurs were significantly more common in the symptomatic group (11 of 20 feet) than in the asymptomatic group (2 of 17 feet) (p < 0.01). All 8 feet received operative treatment had subchondral cysts (mean size 6.7 mm) or bone spurs. Irregular articular surfaces were seen in all feet. Subchondral sclerosis, joint space distance, loose body, location and extent of joint involvement did not differ statistically significantly between two groups. Conclusion: Because of a statistically significant overlap of CT features, only large subchondral cysts and bone spurs can be more commonly detected with CT in the symptomatic feet compared to the asymptomatic feet, and may indicate aggressive treatment in patients with naviculocuneiform coalition.


Time-of-flight tomography within the first order Born approximation has an inherent limitation on spatial and contrast resolution. The deviation of the propagation path from a straight line mainly caused by refraction is dependent on the speed of sound distribution. Some examples in published literature simulate cylindrical phantoms lying at the center of rotation. This paper investigates the effect of location, size and speed of sound of the lesion on its reconstruction. Such an analysis necessitates an algorithm capable of tracing rays through media possessing well defined speeds of sound. The algorithm implemented here can trace rays through a medium defined by any arbitrary number of right cylindrical lesions which may even intersect each other or lie completely within each other. It is essentially a 2D shooting algorithm that yields all the points where the ray changes its direction staring from transmitter and reaching receiver. This information is used to calculate the time of flight for each ray. The inversion is carried out under the assumption of straight line propagation. The reconstructions show that two neighboring lesions are merged together to form an elongated dumbbell shaped image for lesion sizes below 5 mm and for speeds of sound above 1530 m/s. The asymmetrical location of the individual lesions results in twisted dumbbell shape. The two lesions become separately visible when the distance between them is larger than the mean of their diameters.


A series of 5-substituted-2,1-benzisoxazoles has been prepared by the reduction and subsequent cyclization of 5-substituted-2-nitrobenzaldehydes. Reactions of 5-piperidino-2,1-benzisoxazole with nitrous acid and of 5-hydroxy-, 5-N,N-dimethylaminoor 5-pyrrolidino-2,1-benzisoxazole with phenyldiazonium ion led to four 4,5-disubstituted-2,1-benzisoxazoles.


Commercial farmers in Chitwan are unaware of optimum spacing and fertilizer dose which limits the performance and yield of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench]. An experiment was conducted to assess the response of okra to different levels of nitrogen 60, 90 and 120kg.ha-1 and 30×30, 45×30 and 60×30cm2 spacing under plastic mulched condition in Bharatpur-16, Chitwan from March to May 2018, using Ramdomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications. A hybrid variety of okra (Venus plus) mostly employed by farmers in Chitwan was used. Data were collected from ten randomly selected plants from the central rows in each plot and growth parameters were analyzed of various yield related parameters taken. The tallest plants were for 120kg.ha-1N and for the 30×30cm2 spacing. Pods from the interaction of 90kg.ha-1N for spaced at 45×30cm2 had the widest, the heaviest and the longest. Pods per plant were greatest for plants receiving 120kg.ha-1N spaced at 60×30cm2. Yield was best and cost:benefit (BC) ratio was most favorable for 90kg.Nha-1 treatment and for plants spaced at 45×30cm2. Overall data indicates that the nitrogen dose of 90kg.ha-1N with a spacing of 45× 30cm2 showed the most effective result statistically and economically.


We would like to present results of an almost two years investigations about the role computer in the process of solving of mathematical problems. In these investigations took part 35 students of the secondary school (generalists) in the age 17–19 years. Each of these students solved following problem: Find all values of the parameter m so that the function f(x) = |mx + 1| − |2x − m| is: a) bounded, b) bounded only from the bottom, c) bounded only from above, first without a computer and next with a special computer program. We would like to show results of these researches.


To improve the pod-picking efficiency of the combine harvester for both peanut seedlings and peanuts, a longitudinal axial flow pod-picking device is designed in this study. The fixation and adjustment modes of the pod-picking rod were determined. The pod-picking roller's rotational speed, the pod-picking roller's diameter, the pod-picking roller, the pod-picking roller's effective rod-picking length, and the screw-feeding stirrer's critical parameters were determined by theoretical calculation. A combined design of quadratic regression orthogonal rotation was achieved by using Box-Behnken design (BBD) response surface optimization analysis in Design-Expert, with the linear speed of the pod-picking roller, the clearance between the concave screen and the pod-picking roller, and the spacing between the pod-picking rods as the testing factors, and the picking rate and the crushing rate as the indicators. The optimized parameters are as follows: a linear speed of the pod-picking roller of 6.8 m/s, a clearance between the concave screen and the pod-picking roller of 28.5 mm, and a spacing between the pod-picking rods of 18.60 mm. The performances of conventional peanut full-feeding pod-picking devices and the proposed peanut root-disk full-feeding longitudinal axial flow pod-picking device were investigated and compared to clarify the pod-picking performance of the proposed peanut root-disk full-feeding longitudinal axial flow pod-picking device under optimized parameters. The results showed that the picking and crushing rates of the proposed peanut root-disk full-feeding longitudinal axial flow pod-picking device under optimized parameters were 98.93 and 1.62%, respectively, both of which were superior to those of conventional peanut full-feeding pod-picking devices. A pod-picking device matching the combine harvester for peanut seedlings and peanuts was processed under optimized parameters. Field tests revealed that the picking and crushing rates of the proposed harvester were 99.07 and 1.58%, respectively, meeting the industry standards. These findings are instrumental in the further improvement of peanut pod-picking devices.


This case report describes a patient with multiple integumental hæmangiomas of two distinct types in association with gastrointestinal hæmangiomas. The intestinal lesions were complicated by bleeding and this required surgical treatment. This patient's combination of hæmangiomas may be a distinct syndrome.


There are many Remote laboratories (RLs) in the world which are created mainly by schools or some organizations. But the trend suggests that in the future all of these laboratories will be merged into large grids which will be administered by Remote Laboratory Management Systems (RLMS). Such systems are composed from many parts which communicate with each other. This communication can be crucial for correct functioning of whole system.
The paper intends to contribute to the standardized solutions in communication schemes of RLMSs. Each part of RLMS is described in terms of communication requirements. The largest volume of data is transmitted through the Internet. The security of this communication channel based on TCP/IP protocol is described in detail. The last part of paper describes the proposal and creation of data communication and diagnostic interface for individual remote experiments included in RLMS.


The invention relates to a glycosyl-contained surface active agent as well as a preparation method and a measuring method thereof. The glycosyl-contained surface active agent has a structural formula shown in the specification and is characterized in poor water solubility and extremely good solubility in a dilute acetic acid solution. The invention mainly adopts the raw materials of long-chain fatty acid and glucose, which are favorable to the promotion of the application of natural products to the preparation of the surface active agent.


The transformation of college campuses related to the growing presence of minority youth and the arrival of second-generation immigrants offers opportunities for exploring the formation of social and cultural boundaries and ethnoracial identities in local multicultural contexts. Absent from many discussions of the merits of multicultural college settings is specification of the interactional processes and cultural transformations that presumably lie at the heart of diversity payoffs. This project focuses on students from four minority groups, three of whom are second-generation immigrants, in a racially diverse university, combining focus groups and in-depth interviews. First, we analyze how the social mixing practices of students congeal into ethnoracial boundaries on campus. We find that two images of multiculturalism ("fragmented pluralism" and "interactive pluralism") play out simultaneously on this campus. Second, we examine the pathways leading to more insular ethnoracial mixing and toward more heterogeneous social mixing, as well as explore the cultural meanings of these practices in student narratives. We also compare the influence of campus context, student agency, and internal and external group pressures on varying degrees of student satisfaction with their achieved social worlds.


Preface This report describes the results of a study in the eld of theoretical computer science. It was written as my \doctoraalscriptie" (Master's thesis) for my study of Computer Science at Leiden University. The graduation tutor from the Department of Computer Science was J. Engelfriet, PhD. This report was written using the L A T E X typesetting software on a computer running Linux and the KDE desktop environment. I would like to thank Joost Engelfriet for his constant advice and his help in conducting this study. My parents have always supported me in many ways. And, last but certainly not least, thanks to Ellen for the title page she designed and for her love and support.


A compact range is a facility used for the measurement of antenna parameters. It offers many advantages over other types of ranges and consequently a lot of effort is being directed towards the improvement of compact range performance. CATR performance can be further improved by using serrations. Serrated edge CATR is used to reduce the diffraction effect. Performance of several serrations viz; triangular, exponential, rectangular, on off triangular and width modulated triangular have been analyzed earlier. The Fresnel field of a plane square aperture reflector employing (a) width modulated exponential and width modulated triangular serrations (b) width and height modulated exponential and width and height modulated triangular serrations is analyzed in this paper. Lesser ripple is observed in quiet zone field in case (a) and case (b) for different values of width modulation factors. By proper selection of width modulation factors very low ripple is observed in quiet zone with case (b) than case (a).


ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to answer the question: Does an innovative audit teaching concept and its application provide the required level of quality and adequacy for its purpose as a teaching resource for use in a higher education setting? To answer this question, data from a teaching resource (the 'International-Learning-Platform-for-Accountancy' as part of the Erasmus+ project ILPA) were analysed. A case study research design is applied to provide empirical evidence on the teaching resource's quality and its application during three specific learning events. We find that: the teaching material fulfils the criteria developed by the main reference education literature, and from the students' perspective the audit teaching resource as applied within a learning event, met their academic needs. This means that the design of this audit teaching resource is in line with existing literature, its instructional recommendations are manageable, and its application fulfils the needs of students.


This paper examines the purpose and motivation factors for the publications of LIS professionals. The study was conducted among 249 LIS professionals working in colleges and universities of Tamil Nadu. It is indicated that majority of the respondents are published in journals, books, etc. to share their knowledge and it is followed by to become subject expert and to get promotion. It is further observed that only very few respondents have published to get royalty for their publications. This study recommends that in general library professional may come forward to develop their reading habit that too on LIS literature. This enable the Publishers and Professional Societies/bodies will publish more books and journals in the field of LIS.


The purpose of this study was to formulate Cefpodoxime Proxetil compression-coated tablets for gastroretentive drug delivery. In this the core tablet is formulated to be retained in the stomach for a period of approximately 12 hrs using different polymer blend. The core tablet has half the amount of the drug and the rest of the drug in the coating layer. This outer layer is so formulated to release its drug content in a period of 15mins so as to achieve the initial burst release and then after 2 hours as the plasma concentration of the drug decreases then the core layer starts releasing its drug content so that the plasma concentration of the drug is maintained in the therapeutic window for the duration of 12 hrs. Thus the dosing interval is increased from 4 hrs to 12hrs. The batches are optimized using the factorial designing. Also the formulation is evaluated for its release profile and compared with the other standard release profiles.


In the present research, the toxicity, antifeedant activity and biological effects of ethanolic leaves extract of four medicinal plants named Eucalyptus rostrata, Dodonea viscosa, Rhyza stricta and Cymbopogon schoenanthus were evaluated on 2nd, 3rd and 4th instar larvae of H. armigera under laboratory condition. The results showed that values of LC50 in mg of different plant extracts in mg/100ml of the larval diet can be arranged in an ascending order as follows: Dodonea 7.23 > Cymbopogon 12.59 > Rhazya 14.52 > Eucalyptus 29.42 mg/100ml diet (the least LC50 is more toxic than the higher one). All the tested extracts had antifeedant and starvation effects against the 2nd, 3rd, 4th instar larvae. D. viscose extract possesses the least antifeedant effect even of their higher toxicity. There was clear relation between the percent of starvation and antifeedant of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th larval instar. All extracts were nearly the same in their effect on the biotic potential; of the insect, and possess latent effect when tested against 2nd instar larvae, the value of LC 50 of the extract was added to the diet, extracts increased larval duration, deformation between pupae and adult stages, moths sterility, increased as decreasing in females egg production. Other effects were noticed, reduction in percentage of pupation and moths emergence. The plant extracts can be arranged ascending according to percentage of their sterility effects as follows: C. schoenanthus < E. rostrata < R. stricta < D. viscose. All extracts cause disruption on the biology and physiology of the insect, and all extract induced percentages of deformation between pupal and moth stages. The ethanolic extract of the plant leaves of the tested plans may be used for control H. armigera in combination with other methods in the integrated program in order to decrease the buildup of the resistance and protect the environment from chemical pollution.


We discuss experimental and computational results of a study investigating the collapse of an initially axisymmetric cylindrical column of granular material within a rotating environment of air or liquids. In industry this type of granular column collapse that is subject to background rotation is encountered, for instance, in the context of the spreading of powders and fertilizers. In comparison to its non-rotating counterpart the physical characteristics of the column collapse in a rotating system are expected to be modified by effects arising from centrifugal forces and Coriolis forces. We compare our new results for the rotating flow to data available in the literature for the collapse of granular columns in non-rotating systems to highlight the differences observed.


We have measured the thermoelectric power of pure iron and two dilute iron-platinum alloys between 10 and 1200°K, and of pure nickel and two dilute iron–nickel alloys between 10 and 300°K. The results strongly suggest that magnon-drag is dominant in iron over a wide temperature range, and constitute the first indication of this mechanism in a ferromagnetic metal.


This paper tries to shed both theoretical and empirical light on movie run-length, focusing on the effects of opportunity cost, the ratio of ticket revenue sharing for the theater and the vertically integrated industrial organization. The theoretical analysis is performed based on a simple profit maximization model taking some practices of Korean movie industry into consideration. The empirical analysis is done with daily screening data of 316 wide-released foreign movies exhibited in multiplex theaters in Seoul and six Metropolitan cities in Korea. Major empirical findings are as follows: the run-length of a current movie has a negative relation with expected opportunity cost measured by the highest number of open screens among the newly released movies, secondly has a positive relation with the difference in revenue sharing ratio for the theaters between the current showing movie and the next movie with the highest ticket sales potential and lastly vertical integrated theaters exhibit the movies distributed by their affiliated distributors longer than the other movies, supporting the argument that industrial organizational forms in terms of vertical integration among distributors and exhibitors matter in run-length decision by exhibitors. These empirical findings are consent with the theoretical predictions.


Covid-19 — Navigating the Uncharted Fauci, Lane, and Redfield comment on the early clinical features and epidemiology of cases reported in Wuhan, China, along with current mortality data, noting th...


The diversification of travel modes and types of travellers that characterizes the 19th century does not put an end to the arts of travel that marked the previous centuries: they diversify in their own way, their supports multiply, specialize and adapt to these new conditions, while focusing, through the guides, on a previously infrequent practice of travel: leisure travel. The emergence of tourism and the joint access of travelogues to literature also contribute, throughout the century, to the evolution of the apodemic genre, of which the present study intends to offer only some features.


The article looks at transnational dynamics in lesbian activism in the Western Balkans, with particular focus on Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, over the last two decades. Based on 30 interviews with activists from local and international feminist, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), and queer organizations, the article discusses the role played by transnational contacts in the development of lesbian activism in the region and the related issues arising within the conflicting relationship between the "East" and the "West," with special attention to trends related to international intervention and cooperation, globalization, and Europeanization.


A very important law has been discovered by Microsoft Excel that A function y = ax2 + bx + c can be satisfied very well with relation between ionization energy of isoelectronic atom ion and atomic number(number charge number).


The purpose of this research is to study the role of leadership, soft competency, and organizational climate on employee performance. This research method uses quantitative descriptive research. This quantitative descriptive research is used to determine the value of independent variables, either one or more variables (independent) without making comparisons, or connecting with other variables. The sample of this study was taken from 82 employee respondents in the company PT. XYZ. Data analysis techniques used in this study are hypotheses and statistical tests, which consist of validity, reliability, classic assessment tests (normality test, multicollinearity test, heteroscedasticity test, multiple linear regression test), and hypothesis testing methods (t test, F test , analysis of the coefficient of determination (R2), analysis of the coefficient of coordination (R)). The results are: (a) There is a positive role in leadership in employee performance; (B) There is a positive role for soft competency in employee performance; (c) There is a positive role for organizational climate in employee performance; (d) The role of leadership, soft competency, and organizational climate has a positive influence on employee performance, which can overcome the variable increase, employee performance is also positive or increased.


advanced democracies, distributive conflicts were argued to have been pacified. Yet, struc-tural change might lead to new economic risks and a re-politization of distributive conflicts. This contribution critically discusses the main findings of the insider-outsider litera-ture as an example of re-politicized distributive conflicts. Although the insider-outsider conflict cannot be considered a cleavage in Mair and Bartolini's understanding, the conflict between labor market insiders and outsiders demonstrates that distributive conflicts still matter for today's politics. Yet, the content of distributive struggles has changed: In advanced societies with their diversified risk structure and sophisticated welfare states distributive conflicts are about specific social and regulatory policies that have different impli-cations for individuals depending on their situation on the labor market.


Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a colorless, highly flammable and toxic gas. It is produced due toindustrial activities including petroleum refineries [...]


In this work, a novel air-flow impacting (AFI) synthetic technique for mechanochemical synthesis of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) was reported for the first time, which is an alternative approach...


In the mutation breeding programme of fodder legumes studies were made on the effect of single and combined treatments of gamma rays and EMS on Vicia sativa var subplicata. Post-irradiation treatment in general, and 30 kR+1% EMS in particular, was the most effective in enhancing the sprouting and reducing the percentage of seeds. EMS treatment was, however, lethal, and percentage of survival of seedlings was the lowest with 1% EMS treatment


To prepare purified primary hamster kidney cell rabies vaccine (PPHKCRV), Sepharose4B,Sephacryl-200HR,Sepharose 6-Fast Flow chromatography were used respectively in this experiment. By checking residual calf serum contents, safety, potency and harvest recovery of purifying rabies vaccine, the methods mentioned above were screened. A purification procedure that was suitable to large scale production of purified primary hamster kidney cell rabies vaccine was established.


Objective: To analyze medium-term results in patients who underwent an open Bristow-Latarjet surgery considering the preoperative ISIS value. Methods: Retrospective study of 33 patients operated on between 2005 and 2012; average age: 33 years (range 21-68), median follow-up: 6 years (range 2-9). Results from Rowe and Constant scores, DASH questionnaire were registered and a subjective assessment of the result by each patient was also used. Results: No recurrence was reported. Mean Rowe score was 74.6 (range 15-100) and mean Constant score was 70 (range 32-98). The DASH questionnaire showed a mean value of 22.9 (range 0-73). Seventy-nine percent of patients were satisfied with the results. The migration of a screw occurred in one patient. There were no complications. Conclusions: We believe that Bristow-Latarjet technique is a reliable option, with few complications and a low recurrence rate to treat chronic shoulder instability as reported in literature. Therefore, we believe that it should be used as primary surgery in some cases and the preoperative ISIS scale is an excellent and simple guide to correctly select the surgical technique for each patient.


We have investigated a highly efficient source of polarization-entangled photons for longdistance free-space communication and other experiments involving significant propagation loss. The source is an evolution of the 'folded sandwich' configuration described in [1]. We have achieved an unprecedented detected pair rate of ∼ 1 million pairs/s per nm per mW of pump power combined with high quantum entanglement quality (fidelity with the ideal Bell state of 98.3% ± 0.4% and violation of CHSH's inequality by more than 85 standard deviations in only 10 seconds for 10μW of pump power).


its holding of Sasanian glyptic. The subject has lately attracted considerable attention, because of the important contribution it can make to the study both of iconography and of lexicography. Soon after the present volume appeared, the Bibliotheque Nationale also issued the first volume of its corresponding catalogue. Here each piece in the New York collection is illustrated with an enlarged photograph, which appears side by side with the main description in the body of the text; and not, as is more usual, grouped upon plates separately at the end. On the whole, this innovation seems to present more drawbacks than advantages. The visual content of the catalogue cannot here be surveyed at a glance. As always, the quality of the reproductions varies. They are made from Vinagel (not from plaster) impressions, and are thus prone to produce troublesome reflections. While a number are good, others are muddy in tone, and there is hardly a single inscription that can be read with confidence from the photo. The editor evidently realized the shortcoming, since he has listed all the inscriptions in a separate section, each with a special hand-copy. In fact, the present work consists effectively of four parallel catalogues. The first, which dictates the numbering of the items, is a listing according to the profile shapes of the stones. This may broadly conform with the chronological sequence. The engraved subjects (' motifs ' in the editor's terminology), are listed and described in a separate sequence, with the accompanying illustrations. There is an index of styles, which groups the collection in four broad categories—' Naturalistic ', ' Conventional ', ' Devolved ' and ' Outline '. Finally, there is the catalogue of inscriptions, which has the advantage of being arranged in order of palaeographic dating.


This study focuses on applying reinforcement learning techniques in real time trading. We first briefly introduce the concept of reinforcement learning, definition of a reward function, and review previous studies as foundations on why reinforcement learning can work, specifically in the setting of financial trading. We demonstrate that it is possible to apply reinforcement learning and output valid and simple profitable trading strategy in a daily setting (one trade a day), and show an example of intraday trading with reinforcement learning. We use a modified Q-learning algorithm in this scenario to optimize trading result. We also interpret the output policy of reinforcement learning, and illustrate that reinforcement learning output is not completely void of economic sense.


Objective To design the effective culture system for expanding the human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(hBMSC) and induce the expanded hBMSC differentiation into hepatocyte-like cells.Methods The human bone marrow mononuclear cells were separated from volunteers' bone marrow by density gradient centrifuge, then cultured in expansion medium supplemented with EGF and PDGF-BB until to 1010 population, and cultured in differentiation medium supplemented with 20 ng/mL HGF, FGF-4 and OSM.The functions of the cells such as synthesis of ALB, AFP, CK18, urine and transfering ammonia were monitored during inducing differentiation periods by RT-PCR, ELISA methods.Results It lasted(22.1 ± 2.2) days for expanding hBMSC to more than 1010population.The morphological and phenotypic characteristics of expanded cells were maintained in an undifferentiated state.From the beginning of culture in differentiation medium, AFP were detected from day 6;ALB from day 9-12, and rose to peak at day 18;urine from day 9;decrease of ammonia were detected from day 12 and constantly positive.Conclusion The hBMSC can expand quickly in the expansion medium supplemented with EGF and PDGF-BB with morphological and phenotypic characteristics of cells maintained till 1010 population.The differentiation medium system supplemented with 20 ng/mL HGF, FGF-4, OSM is effective to induce the expanded hBMSC into hepatocyte-like cells.


Both the current and potential production of Libyan Oil warrant the need for research into government energy policies. The author surveys the historical and geological determinants of oil and gas field development. The impact of the central government and the Libyan National Oil Company on exploration and development is studied closely, providing insight into why some foreign companies have stayed in Libya and why others have joined them. Pricing policies and efforts at furthering downstream integration, in Libya and in Europe, are dealt with in detail. The effect of national development plans on oil policy and the consequences of continued US and UN sanctions are considered in depth. This book is intended for oil company, analysts, consultants, academics, bankers, economists, Middle East Specialists.


Background and Aim: This article aims to analyze liver enzymes in relation to COVID-19 patients by performing a systematic review of articles which describe the changes in liver enzymes in COVID 19. Abnormalities of liver enzymes associated with Covid-19 has been well documented by a number of articles since the start of the pandemic and could be used to monitor the disease progression .hence, this review was done to understand better the effect of covid 19 on liver enzymes. Methods: A systematic review to describe existing literature with regard to liver enzyme changes in SARS CoV-2 disease to understand the pattern of variations in ALT and AST. Articles for Literature review were accessed from the PubMed and other sources.On the day of admission and during hospitalization, LFT was done in COVID-19 patients. Median age 47 years (Inter Quarantile Range 33-61). The age group and cut off values for LFT is based on the Institutional board of the "National Health Commission of China". Result: We reviewed original articles from 15 International Journals related to COVID-19 and liver enzymes and found that the liver enzymes (ALT, AST) are significantly elevated in pre-existing and non-pre-existing liver disorder in COVID-19 patients. In the present study we have analysed 2811 patients (which were described in the reviewed original articles) with both pre and non-pre-existing liver injury. Out of 2811 patients the AST was elevated in 471 patients and ALT was elevated in 530 patients.Among them 2,279 patients are with pre-existing liver disease, where AST elevated in 371(25.53%) and ALT was elevated in 401(23.87%) patients. 532 patients are with non-pre-existing liver disease, where AST elevated in 100 (26.6%) and ALT in 129 (21.7%) patients. Conclusion: Liver enzymes are elevated both in the pre-existing and non-existing liver disease in COVID-19 patients. Although increase in ALT and AST was more noticed in patients with pre-existing liver disease, a significant percentage of patients without any pre-existing liver abnormalities also showed a high transaminase value.


 — Blockchain is an emergent peer-to-peer technology that enables network decentralization and ensures availability by eliminating single points of failures. Furthermore, it provides data immutability by relying on consensus algorithms and protocols among peers to solve the trust concerns. In this article we provide a decentralized Blockchain-based keystore that holds the cryptographic public keys of users. This method eliminates the traditional mechanisms of distributing the public keys using central authorities (Certificate Authority). In a Voice over IP (VoIP) application, a caller can retrieve the public key of the callee from the Blockchain, and ensure the authenticity of the retrieved public key. Thus, the VoIP security complexity and intricacy are simplified on both signaling and media levels. Results of this solution implementation show that the call setup time is slightly affected compared to the existing secure VoIP solutions.


The research is conducted to know the quality of madrasah graduate profile seen from many aspects or variables, namely, "student academic" and "non-academic achievement", and "the perception of consumer (parents and teachers) toward the graduate and profile of input" and the quality of madrasah graduate" such as learning medium, the student and teacher characteristic, and the school management as the supporting factors. the research method used is survey with quantitative approach. the result of the research indicates that generally madrasah graduates are not be able to complete with public school graduates-both academically and non-academically. however, the perception of educational consumer related to students' attitude, participation I religious activities, student creativity, etc. is perceived as good enough. they feel satisfied enough to the madrasah graduate. the school management in madrasah is also good enough but it has not been supported by the infrastructurals input, namely such as physical building condition, library and laboratory, and so forth.


Sir, Prescribing in primary care is currently under pressure and antibiotic prescribing is one area in which concern has been expressed at the use of expensive newer agents.' Respiratory and urinary tract infections are the commonest reasons for prescribing antibiotics for the elderly population and also common causes of referral to hospital.2 Most patients referred with an infection have previously been treated with antibiotics and reasons for referral are commonly the severity of illness or failure to improve on treatment, the latter raising concern about possible resistant bacterial infection. On the basis that an appreciable level of resistant bacterial infection would be reflected in positive blood cultures on admission to hospital, a six month retrospective study was undertaken of patients with infection admitted to the geriatric unit of a district general hospital. Results of blood cultures were examined to ascertain the prevalence of positive blood cultures, and whether the organisms isolated and their sensitivities resulted in a change of antibiotic treatment from that instituted on admission. Over the six month period between January and June in 1992 385 blood cultures were performed on 289 patients (approximately 25% of all admissions for any reason in that period). Blood cultures were performed where infection was suspected and where the patient was considered very unwell. Blood cultures were positive in 38 patients but only in seven were the results thought to be clinically significant by the reporting microbiologist, the rest either being thought contaminants or of uncertain significance. Organisms isolated in these seven patients were Escherichia coli (three), klebsiella (two), proteus (one), and Staphylococcus aureus (one). In three of the seven patients microbiology findings resulted in changes in therapy. The prevalence of clinically significant blood cultures in patients admitted from the community was not high at 2.4%, but compares with that reported in other studies.34The low prevalence may well reflect previous antibacterial therapy received in the community; most of the 289 patients admitted had either received amoxycillin or trimethoprim. The organisms identified in positive blood cultures were in fact more typical of hospital acquired infections.2 It therefore seems that antibiotic treatment of community-acquired infections with standard regimens is appropriate for most chest and urinary infections, at least in this district. Reasons for admission of patients to hospital after being treated for infection appear to have been more related to associated clinical problems in elderly people, as evidenced from the patients' notes, such as dehydration, bronchospasm, hypoxia, heart failure, and difficulty in coping when unwell and living alone, than to resistance of infection to standard antibiotic regimens.5 There does not, therefore, seem to be a major need for more powerful broad-spectrum antibiotics as first-line treatment of communityderived infections in primary care.


This paper presents some of the information from the domestic inquiry carried in 1998 between August and September. The investigation covered six hundred homes in the Southern and Northeasthern regions of Brazil. Its main objective was to evaluate the socio-economic and regional impacts of the Rural Social Security. This system of social security promotes a very important income redistribution among the poor of the rural sector, historically excluded from the social rights. The main results indicate in 1998 a rise of 16% of familiar income in the South and 35% in the Northeast, in comparison with families without access to the social system. The access to the system allows to maintain 85% of the families investigated in the South above the line of poverty based on half a minimum salary per-capita. In homes without access to the social security in the South, the familiar income above the poor line is only 60%. This situation allows a positive evaluation of the system of retirements and alimonies of the rural population. This system focuses on the elderly (men above 60 and women above 55) and allows a restructuring of the rural domestic economy.


a b s t r a c t This article presents a simulation of a model rocket combustor with continuously variable a coustic properties thanks to a variable-length injector tube. Fully compressible Large-Eddy Simulations are conducted using the AVBP code. An original flame stabilization mechanism is uncovered where the recirculation of hot gases in the corner recirculation zone creates a triple flame structure. An unstable operating point is then chosen to investigate the mech- anism of the instability. The simulations are compared to experimental results in terms of frequency and mode structure. Two-dimensional axi-symmetric computations are com- pared to full 3D simulations in order to assess the validity of the axi-symmetry assumption for the prediction of mean and unsteady features of this flow. Despite the inaccuracies in- herent to the 2D description of a turbulent flow, for this configuration and the particular operating point investigated, the axi-symmetric simulation qualitatively reproduces some features of the instability.


This chapter develops the thesis that a developmental perspective is essential to advancing knowledge about criminal trajectories and to gaining a deeper, more nuanced understanding of criminal behavior across the life span. In discussing criminal trajectories, an emphasis is placed on the importance of longitudinal data, person-oriented analyses, developmental processes, a life-span approach, and dynamic transactions between the individual and the environment. Last, the chapter details three premises on which the book is based (a) crime is a product of developmental processes, (b) criminals compose a heterogeneous population, and (c) process models are essential to understand criminal behavior in a developmental context.


Different adjustment methods have been applied to model the core magnetic field over Croatia and Hungary with the use of data of the 2008.5 repeat station network campaign.The methods have been tested on IGRF model data. PA, CPA, and ASHA (𝜃0=20° ; 𝑘𝑚𝑎𝑥=5) methods resulted in similar mean residuals for the fitted models.Because of its physical justification it is suggested that the obtained ASHA model is superior over the polynomial models. The mean residual of the order of 20-30 nT obtained for the case of the adjustments represents the anomalous part of the stations of the joint Croatian-Hungarian network.


This questionnaire-based study investigated the relationship between two aspects of leadership (charismatic leadership and trust in top management) and followers' innovation implementation behavior. Findings from 194 employees working in R&D teams of a multinational automotive company indicated that charismatic leadership and trust in top management were both positively related to innovation implementation behavior, controlling for followers' individual differences, management level, and department affiliation. The findings demonstrate that both relationships were mediated by followers' affective commitment to change. Results implicate the need to more closely bond the concepts of affective commitment to change and innovation implementation behavior and consider their connection in future investigations.


This research concerns the potential of online teaching to prompt university faculty members to reflect on the essence of good teaching, and as a result enhance their pedagogy in both online and face-to-face courses. Ideas of developmental psychologists melded with related concepts from online-learning theorists were used as a theoretical framework for identifying key cognitive steps in the process of rethinking what it means to teach well. In particular, catalysts that can help motivate faculty to rethink teaching were suggested by the views of developmental psychologists Vygotsky, Piaget and Bruner about the social context within which learning takes place, the advantages of learning from and with peers, and the value of cognitive dissonance as an impetus to learning; additional catalysts were suggested by the views of online-learning theorists Dede, Ally, Mayes, Moore and Swann about the ways that innovative technologies and web-based learning affect how people interact. To investigate how, and the degree to which, these potential catalysts actually come into play in online teaching, a phenomenological research study was carried out based on interviews with six experienced university faculty members concerning their experiences designing and teaching online courses, with special emphasis on how their views of good teaching may have changed during that process. The study highlighted catalysts that in most but not all cases helped to bring about the faculty members' re-examination of pedagogical assumptions as they planned and taught online courses and reflected on the experience. The catalysts included the novel online-learning environment, new roles and relationships the participants encountered during the process of teaching online, the unfamiliar course-design process, and new forms of interaction they encountered. As more students take courses online and more faculty members are called upon to teach such courses, institutions of higher education have an opportunity to improve pedagogy both by tapping into teachers' passion for teaching and by making the most of the catalysts illuminated in this study.


We describe a procedure by which JPEG compression may be customized for grayscale images that are to be compressed before they are scaled, halftoned, and printed. Our technique maintains 100% compatibility with the JPEG standard, and is applicable with all scaling and halftoning methods. The JPEG quantization table is designed using frequency-domain characteristics of the scaling and halftoning operations, as well as the frequency sensitivity of the human visual system. In addition, the Huffman tables are optimized for low-rate coding. Compression artifacts are greatly reduced because they are masked by the halftoning patterns, and pushed into frequency bands where the eye is less sensitive. We present experimental results demonstrating that the customized JPEG encoder typically maintains `near visually lossless' image quality at rates below 0.2 bits per pixel (with reference to the final, printed image). In terms of the achieved bit rate, this performance is typically at least 20% better than that of a JPEG encoder using the suggested baseline tables.


In Adam Smith's Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations the term 'rational' occurs only twice. Neither of these uses assigns the property of rationality either to human beings or to economic agents. Despite that, Smith is widely recognised as the founder of modern mainstream economics, a science which is defined by the assumption of the rationality of an economic agent. This paper aims to locate and discuss the notion of rationality which is implied by Smith's work. To achieve that a double-track approach is taken. First, the current paper reconstructs Smith's general view on human nature which was presented mainly in his earlier book The Theory of Moral Sentiments. This is followed by a discussion of Smith's theses on selected mechanisms which drive the economy as presented in The Wealth of Nations.


According to climate condition in the northern Hebei province,it inquires design strategies for new rural energy-saving type residential in this area,and puts forward countermeasures for implementing rural buildings energy conservation,which has provided feasible and practical basis for the sustainable development of rural residential in the northern Hebei province.


A new approach to directly convert a target response spectrum to an equivalent power spectral density (PSD) function is presented that requires no numerical iterations. Following the same approximation scheme used in Monte Carlo simulations, the unknown PSD function is discretized and expressed as the sum of Dirac delta functions. The discretized power components can be obtained by solving a standard least-squares problem. The method was applied to response spectra with steep slopes and sharp turning points. The Monte Carlo simulation results slightly overestimated the zero-period acceleration values. Otherwise, a close match between the target and simulated response spectra was observed. The proposed conversion algorithm is so simple that the method can easily be implemented in existing structural analysis programs as a small subprogram.


The multiplicative censoring model introduced in Vardi [Biometrika 76 (1989) 751--761] is an incomplete data problem whereby two independent samples from the lifetime distribution $G$, $\mathcal{X}_m=(X_1,...,X_m)$ and $\mathcal{Z}_n=(Z_1,...,Z_n)$, are observed subject to a form of coarsening. Specifically, sample $\mathcal{X}_m$ is fully observed while $\mathcal{Y}_n=(Y_1,...,Y_n)$ is observed instead of $\mathcal{Z}_n$, where $Y_i=U_iZ_i$ and $(U_1,...,U_n)$ is an independent sample from the standard uniform distribution. Vardi [Biometrika 76 (1989) 751--761] showed that this model unifies several important statistical problems, such as the deconvolution of an exponential random variable, estimation under a decreasing density constraint and an estimation problem in renewal processes. In this paper, we establish the large-sample properties of kernel density estimators under the multiplicative censoring model. We first construct a strong approximation for the process $\sqrt{k}(\hat{G}-G)$, where $\hat{G}$ is a solution of the nonparametric score equation based on $(\mathcal{X}_m,\mathcal{Y}_n)$, and $k=m+n$ is the total sample size. Using this strong approximation and a result on the global modulus of continuity, we establish conditions for the strong uniform consistency of kernel density estimators. We also make use of this strong approximation to study the weak convergence and integrated squared error properties of these estimators. We conclude by extending our results to the setting of length-biased sampling.


Bedford College has been awarded £7.5million from SEMLEP this month, through funding available from their Local Growth Fund skills capital investment programme.


Corporate mergers and acquisitions ("M&A") represent a common and key strategic growth alternative for business owners in today's business environment. However, opportunities to acquire targets have become increasingly more difficult to come by and win, especially in an increasingly competitive climate with a growing number of strategic and financial buyers seeking to deploy available capital, and with investors applying increasing pressures on companies to accelerate growth.


It is impossible not to be struck by the present sad state of democratic theory. I mean by democratic theory the quest for a social and political order that would give to citizens the greatest possible control of their fate — a formula obviously broad enough to be compatible with a vast variety of institutional experiments. This sad slate is the result of three facts : the demise of past democratic theory, i.e.. liberal theory ; the tragedy of socialist theory, which aimed at unmasking the fallacies and remedying the vices of liberalism ; the current decline of political philosophy. I will briefly examine the first fact below. As for the second, since my purpose in this note is not to review past theories but to try to understand why the dominant one went wrong and to suggest a few starting points for reconstruction, let me say simply that socialist theory seems split between perversion and impotence. There is perversion insofar as its Marxist-Leninist version has led to less, not more democracy, through the establishment not of classless societies, but of dictatorships over classes in the name of future liberation, to a ruthless suppression or denial of political liberties, and to the imposition of formidable sacrifices on individuals (justified by the « construction of socialism ») without their consent And there is impotence insofar as the social-democratic version, which defines socialism as the extension of political democracy to economic concentrations of power, i.e., the application of democratic procedures to all common enterprises, whether economic or political, has seemed incapable of achieving its goal, by contrast with liberal theory which, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, had succeeded in inspiring and mobilizing enough of a coalition of political and social forces to overthrow authoritarian and feudal regimes in a number of countries. (There is therefore an essential difference between the demise of liberal theory and the impotence of social democracy : the former results from developments subsequent to, indeed partly provoked by, the success of liberalism, the latter results from the inability to overcome the trends that have undermined reigning liberalism).


Introduction The objectives of the study reported here were to describe the physical and psychological health of persons with Usher syndrome Type II (USH2) and to explore any differences in terms of gender. Methods The participants were recruited from the Swedish Usher database. In the first step, 122 persons received the questionnaire by mail, and 96 (aged 18–84, with a mean age of 55, 53% of whom were female) agreed to participate. The Health on Equal Terms questionnaire was used, which covered such items as health, living conditions, and social relationships. Results for the participants with USH2 were compared to those of a reference group of 5,738 persons who were drawn from a random sample of the Swedish population retrieved from the Swedish Public Health Institute. The odds ratio (adjusted for gender and age), and its 95% confidence interval were calculated. Results The participants with USH2 reported that their physical and psychological health was significantly poorer than that of the Swedish reference group. They revealed major problems involving headache, fatigue, depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts. For the male participants, the psychological differences were even more marked than those of the male reference group. Discussion The identification of factors associated with physical and psychological health and well-being is important for the design of future rehabilitation strategies for people with USH2. Special focus must be placed on the psychological well-being of men with USH2. Implications for practitioners The management of rehabilitation services for persons with USH2 calls for interdisciplinary teamwork to provide adequate resources to cope with the physical and psychological health issues demonstrated in this study.


The purpose is to seek a programming method which is more efficient than the high level programming languages (HL) that we are using now, and to lessen the software crisis. Many diagram tools have been used to express softwares in some fields. 'Some interactive programming environments can be used to produce program codes automatically. But the final software products are still program codes expressed by HL. They suffer from the defect that the HL codes are poor in readability and makes software maintenance difficult. In this paper we have discussed a method to express programs by diagrams and to recognize the meaning of the diagrams by computers. To express a program by diagrams is direct and imaginable. It is better in readability and maintainability to express a program by diagrams instead of texts. Diagrams will promote the rate of software production. We have partly finished the structured diagram experiment in editor and compiler. A program expressed by diagrams can be translated into C language progrom automatically.


We propose an a‰ne version of the Schwarz map for the hypergeometric di¤erential equation, and study its image when the monodromy group is finite.


Utility distribution networks, sensitive industrial loads and critical commercial operations all suffer from various types of outages and service interruptions which can cost significant financial loss per incident based on process down-time, lost production, idle work forces and other factors. The types of interruptions which are experienced can generally be classified as power quality related problems caused by voltage sags and swells, lightning strikes and other distribution system related disturbances. In many instances, the use of a solid-state transfer switch (SSTS) and/or a distribution level static compensator (D-STATCOM) can be some of the most cost-effective solutions for these types of power quality problems. The SSTS, which essentially consists of a pair of thyristor switch devices, enables seamless transfer of energy from a primary source to an alternate source in order to avoid service interruption upon a deficiency in power quality. The D-STATCOM, which consists of a thyristor-based voltage source inverter, uses advanced power electronics to provide voltage stabilization, flicker suppression, power factor correction, harmonic control and a host of other power quality solutions for both utility and industrial applications.


This study describes and evaluates key bibliometric patterns in the articles published by the former Journal of Education for Librarianship (JEL) during its first 24 volumes of existence from 1960 to 1984. Data from each issue of JEL were collected and analyzed using SPSSx. Since JEL became a refereed journal beginning with volume 12 in 1971, its scholarliness has increased dramatically at least insofar as a quantitative indicator reveals. Before 197 1 Just over half of all articles contained bibliographic citations. Afterwards, this proportion grew steadily, and in the 1980s nine out often articles were referenced. The number of citations per referenced article has also increased steadily, from eight before refereeing to 17 in the 1980s.


The invention discloses a multiple crawler control method, which comprises the following steps: 1, an operation handle sends state trigger signals to a core control board, the core control board processes the received state trigger signals, and a control instruction is outputted to a crawler main control board after processing; 2, after the crawler main control board receives the control instruction, a crawler trolley, a manipulator and a lens are driven to perform corresponding actions; and 3, a length measurement recording control board measures the crawling distance of the crawler in real time, the measured data are fed back to the core control board, and the core control board adjusts the outputted control instruction in real time according to the feedback result. By adopting the above technical scheme, human-computer interaction is friendly by adopting the operation handle. In addition, the control method is delicately designed, control is accurate, and all actions of the crawler are in the monitoring range of the controller.


Mode of existence of the subject system that embodies the socioeconomic system of modern Russia, the rent is due the strategic orientation of the country, dominated institution of state power over the institution of property, as well as the integration system process into the global world economy, the imperatives of inadequate transition to " an economy based on knowledge". Effective interaction typical Russian "space economy" with typical for Western countries' economy of time" assumes a special space-time form of tolerance.


This article describes currently used experimental animal models of type 1 diabetes. The literature data on the pathogenesis of clinical and morphological patterns of the disease and the possibility of extrapolation have been summarized in the review. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of each of the models have been evaluated. Based on the reported results, it can be concluded that preclinical research is essential as fundamental basis for the investigation of type 1 diabetes mellitus.


The article will analyze the work of the colloquiums of novelists, scholars and professors of law schools in Europe and Asia, conducted in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and their impact on the process of studying Roman law in the modern period. It is concluded that colloquiums were an important factor in the development of international cooperation and the international institution of civil society.


Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a cool season crop, but its cultivation extends well beyond its typical adaptation zone. In India alone, about 13.5 million ha of wheat crop (about half of the total acreage) is estimated to be heat stressed (Joshi et al 2007). With the current trends of climate change, the heat stressed wheat production environments around the world are apprehended to increase about three fold by 2050 (Trethowan et al 2005). Wheat represents world's maximum cereal area with over 220 million ha cultivated worldwide which is often heat stressed. Heat stress (HS) can impair wheat growth at any developmental stage and in the future scenarios predict even warmer temperatures (Easterling and Apps 2005).


Ten fungal pathogens isolated from diseased mandarin orange ( Citrus reticulata) fruits during the entire marketing period were Penicillium digitatum, P. italicum, P. chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Alternaria alternata, Absidia corymbifera, Fusarium moniliforme, Rhizopus stolonifer and Lasiodiplodia theobromae. The seasonal disease profile of mandarin orange fruit clearly marked two distinct peak periods of fungal rot spoilage. In the first peak, the major monthly fruit rottage loss was inflicted by green and blue mold rots caused by Penicillium digitatum (1.78-2.44%) and P. italicum (0.73-1.30%). The second peak period of fruit spoilage inflicted by Aspergillus niger was observed during the summer months of May (5.27%) and June (6.05%). The cumulative rottage losses during the entire marketing season were 34.30%. Post-inoculation chemical treatments were ineffective against the major fruit rot pathogens. Pre-inoculation treatments of thiabendazole (0.05%), benomyl (0.05%) and carbendazim (0.05%) were highly effective against green and blue mold rots caused by P. digitatum and P. italicum, respectively followed by salicylic acid (0.05%), sodium metabisulphite (0.5%) and borax (6%) while thiophanate methyl (0.25%) and borax (6%) were most effective against black mold rot caused by Aspergillus niger.


ABSTRACT: This article examines the role played by local councillors in constructing new housing in Scotland during the inter-war period. Rather than view local authorities as simply the objective agency of central government's ambitions to construct council houses, we argue that the self-interest and motivations of councillors have to be recognized as significant factors in this process. It is argued also that the concerns of private landlords were neither ignored nor sacrificed in the rush to build new housing. Rather, given that councils remained dominated by local business men, many of whom were private landlords, councillors acted in ways to protect their own material and class interests. In so doing, they consciously, if implicitly, shaped the social geography of twentieth-century Scotland.


Quantum thermometry exploits the high level of control in coherent devices to offer enhanced precision for temperature estimation. This highlights the need for constructing concrete estimation strategies. Of particular importance is collisional thermometry, where a series of ancillas are sent sequentially to probe the system's temperature. In this paper we put forth a complete framework for analyzing collisional thermometry using Bayesian inference. The approach is easily implementable and experimentally friendly. Moreover, it is guaranteed to always saturate the Cramer-Rao bound in the long-time limit. Subtleties concerning the prior information about the system's temperature are also discussed, and analyzed in terms of a modified Cramer-Rao bound associated to Van Trees and Sch\"utzenberger.


The article deals with the calculation of bedload transport in rivers. To solve this problem, we propose to use the so-called selective methodology. In accordance with this approach rivers were divided into the following groups: large plain, small and middle-size plain and mountain-piedmont, separately dunes transport on the mountain rivers was considered. For each group of bedload transport we selected appropriate dataset of field or laboratory bedload measurements. We collected and analyzed the formulae for bedload calculation (134 formulae). Based on the data available the reliability of the formulas was assessed and recommendations for bedload calculation with an accuracy of 2 times were given for each type of bedload transport. For large lowland rivers formulae by Z.D. Kopaliani and L.D. Kogan and V.P. Uglov were recommended, for small and meddle-sized plain rivers – formulae by B.F. Snischenko-Z.D. Kopaliani and A.N. Butakov, for dunes transport on mountain and piedmont rivers formulae by A.A. Kostyuchenko-Z.D. Kopaliani and V.N. Lazarev-F.M. Chernishov, for nonstructural transport in mountain rivers – formulae by L.G. Gvelesiani, I.I. Levy and G.I. Shamov.


Robot manipulator is an essential motion subsystem component of robotic system for positioning, Orientating object so that robot can perform useful task. The main aim of our work is to handle materials by picking and placing objects from one place to another in a single pick and place robotic arm. This robot can be selfOperational in controlling, stating with simple tasks such as lifting, placing and releasing in a single robotic arm. The main focus of our work is to design two robotic arms for the above mentioned purpose and display status of parent and child on task completion. Robotic arm consists of revolute Joints that allowed angular movement between adjacent joint. Robot manipulators are designed to execute required movements. By using this collaborated mechanism the success rate of pick and place robots are


In recent years, the scale of cultural and creative industries has grown year by year, and the number of employees has increased continuously, creating better economic and social benefits. At the same time, the cultural and creative industries have insufficient stamina for development, and the creative industries have insufficient new development points and breakthrough points. These problems should be paid enough attention. Based on this, on the basis of summarizing and analyzing the development of China's cultural and creative industries, this paper sums up the outstanding problems in the development of cultural and creative industries, analyzes the causes of these problems in depth, and then attempts to propose a feasible path to promote the benign development of cultural and creative industries, with a view to the development of China's cultural and creative industries can be enlightening. The concept of cultural creativity has been launched grandly and forcefully. The practice of cultural and creative industries has surged in the world, and the cultural and creative class has grown up vigorously.


The energy situation of medical building and project profile of this medical hospital was described,and operation and performance of ground source heat pump hot water system was studied,including the chilled water inlet / outlet temperature tests,endothermic efficiency of soil heat exchanger tests,units of energy efficiency tests and so on,and analysis of chilled water inlet/outlet temperature,flow,inlet and outlet water temperature difference or other factors impact on energy consumption situation,reached that the system chilled water flow rate within 4.3~4.8 kg / s as best of the flow section,at this point the soil heat exchanger absorbs heat is more efficient,heat exchange of per pipe length is around 35.5W/m,unit EER value reach 4.0 and above,system EER reach 3.7 and above;finally,on the basis of calculation results,an analysis on energy saving potential and benefit analysis is carried out,and so see that energy efficiency of this system is very impressive.


Approaches to explain processes of institutionalization have stressed the importance of linguistic processes. Bourdieu's theory of practice argued, however, that institutions are also transmitted t...


The study provides empirical evidence on the relationship between inflation and firm capital structure dynamics in Nigeria using firm-level panel data comprising 21 quoted companies over a period of 10 years from 2007 to 2016. Three variants of inflation; core inflation, food inflation and headline inflation, are considered while capital structure is proxied by debt-equity ratio. When the three conventional panel data models; pooled least square, fixed effects and random effects models are estimated and compared, the results show that the random effects model is the most plausible description of the relationship between inflation and firm capital structure. The random effects results show that firm's financial leverage has a negative relationship with both core and food inflation rates but has a positive relationship with headline inflation rate. However, while none of the estimated coefficients is significant statistically, we argue that given the relatively large size of these coefficients, they are significant economically. Therefore, we conclude that Nigerian firms increase the level of their financial leverage in response to an increase in headline inflation rate but reduce it in response to an increase in both core and food inflation rates.


From measurements of the J=1→2 rotational transitions of methyl acetylene and some of its isotopic modifications, the moments of inertia, IB (in the units 10−40 gm cm2), were found for the ground vibrational state: for CH3CCH, 98.1723; for CH3C13CH, 98.2132; for C13H3CCH, 100.9193; for CH3CC13H, 101.1992; for CH3CCD, 107.7234; and for CD3CCD, 124.5806. The centrifugal distortion constants, DJK, in mc/sec. are 0.161, 0.16, 0.16, 0.13, 0.14, and 0.09, respectively. The J=2→3 rotational transition of CH3CCH was also measured, and the distortion constant DJ was found to be 0.005 mc/sec. Four lines of CH3CCH corresponding to the J=1→2 transition and six lines for the J=2→3 transition in the excited vibrational state v10=1 and six lines for the J=2→3 transition in the excited state v9=1 were measured and interpreted according to Nielsen's theory of l‐type doubling in symmetric tops. The calculated structure for the ground vibrational state is: C–H (acetylenic), 1.056A; C≡C, 1.207A; C–C, 1.460A; C–H (methyl), 1....


Every day we aim for a relaxed routine and technology makes it happen through automation. A home automation system is a solution that enables automation of home appliances. Real world entities can be remotely connected with an effective and booming technology, IOT. Internet of Things (IOT) is one of the easiest and the most effective technology that anticipates the idea of remotely associating and observing the realworld objects using Internet. This paper intends to focus on the design and implementation of a cost-effective yet flexible, adjustable and secured home-based automation system using a Smartphone in order to enable the authorized user to control the home appliances in on/off, to regulate the output power, and to set the usage timing which would be based on an Android App. It contains the commands like switching on/off the AC, Fan, Washing machine, etc. Along with this, we use GSM technology which controls the devices by sending a single SMS in the absence of internet connectivity.


This chapter aims to describe the mandatory training program (Internationalized Learning Essentials) offered to the new faculty as part of the internationalization of the curriculum process at four-year colleges in the U.S. The chapter presents survey results regarding faculty perceptions on the training program. The results of this study suggest important implications for research in internationalization by providing further insights regarding faculty training about internationalized education.


Neuralgic amyotrophy is an uncommon disorder characterized by acute onset of severe shoulder and upper arm pain followed by marked upper arm weakness. It is easily confused with other neck and upper extremity abnormalities, such as cervical spondylosis and cervical radiculopathy. The diagnosis is based on histroy, clinical findings, electromyography and excluding other disease. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment is important to avoid unnecessary tests and surgery, and prevent complications, especially adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder. 20-year old female patient presented with a history of severe pain involing left shoulder and upper extremity. 1 month after onset of pain suddenly, she noted weakness of left shouler muscles, especially abduction and flexion. At first visit in our clinic, she felt persistant pain for 4 months in the left shoulder, upper extremity and mild pain in the left lower extremity. She diagnosed with neuralgic amyotrophy with complex regional pain syndrome. Her pain managed with epidural block, sympathetic ganglion block, brachial plexus block, stellate ganglion block, intravenous regional block, intravenous local anesthetic infusion, oral analgesics, and exercise therapy. 5 months after the onset of pain, weakness of her shoulder muscles were fully recovered and 9 weaks after caring in our clinic, she had tolerable pain in her extremities and discharged.


94 A national economic system of bilateral trade and multilateral cooperation must be established in accordance with the current trade practice throughout the world, such as multilateral technical assistance, a multilateral settlement system, multilateral tax treaty, and so on. The necessary market rules and regulations t govern vendors in the free port and fair trade should be improved, and this kind of legal environment is very helpful for expanding turnover. Xinjiang's regional government needs to emphasize the important role of the commercial legal framework and safeguard the interests of both individual international operators and multinational corporations. Xinjiang's regional government must simplify organization and lower the administrative level when dealing with international commercial cooperation, as well as reduce the number of working days required for economic transactions, increase service items, and ensure a good attitude toward promoting economic and technical exchange between China and Central Asia. The Xinjiang autonomous government should create favorable conditions to further international business, offer good services for foreign businessmen, improve service quality in furnishing economic information, provide long-distance transportation of goods, fiduciary loan, and so on. Further, although Xinjiang's transport capacity will improve substantially with the opening of some of the new railways, the region must continuously raise its transport capacity and energy supply in accordance with the market demand of foreign businessmen in order to create a favorable investment environment. Investments must be made in the construction and renovation of commercial ports, roads, and other infrastructure in the backcountry. A comprehensive marketing plan for trade must be drawn up. Last but not least, the Xinjiang government should realize that environmental conditions influence regional cooperation, that environmental protection is a difficult task, and that we are pressed for time. To protect the environment against desertification and pollution, we should reinforce tree and grass planting, tighten up the management of water resource allocation, and bring rivers and lakes under constant control. Diversified financial channels should provide funds for planting trees to enhance desert restoration. Problems of overload grazing and excessive cultivation should be tackled in a comprehensive way.


A common problem in brain imaging is how to most appropriately coregister anatomical and functional data sets into a common space. For surface‐based recordings such as the event related optical signal (EROS), near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), event‐related potentials (ERPs), and magnetoencephalography (MEG), alignment is typically done using either (1) a landmark‐based method involving placement of surface markers that can be detected in both modalities; or (2) surface‐fitting alignment that samples many points on the surface of the head in the functional space and aligns those points to the surface of the anatomical image. Here we compare these two approaches and advocate a combination of the two in order to optimize coregistration of EROS and NIRS data with structural magnetic resonance images (sMRI). Digitized 3D sensor locations obtained with a Polhemus® digitizer can be effectively coregistered with sMRI using fiducial alignment as an initial guess followed by a Marquardt–Levenberg least‐squares rigid‐body transform (df = 6) to match the surfaces. Additional scaling parameters (df = 3) and point‐by‐point surface constraints can also be employed to further improve fitting. These alignment procedures place the lower‐bound residual error at 1.3 ± 0.1 mm (μ ± s) and the upper‐bound target registration error at 4.4 ± 0.6 mm (μ ± s). The dependence of such errors on scalp segmentation, number of registration points, and initial guess is also investigated. By optimizing alignment techniques, anatomical localization of surface recordings can be improved in individual subjects. Hum Brain Mapp, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


As the textile fabric recommendation system used by enterprises cannot recommend fabric selection to customers automatically, a selection program based on collaborative filtering technology needs to be developed. As the functional data of textile fabrics are numerous and complex, it is necessary to consider the effectiveness of the system. Thus, the program is developed as follows. The star rating of customer information on fabric patterns is used to establish a customer enterprise evaluation matrix using the customer's individual as a reference and calculate the similarity between customers. Subsequently, the K pieces of information with the highest similarity degree are selected to approach the nearest neighbor of the customer using the information similarity degree. Then, the specific selection value of a certain fabric pattern information is calculated by the nearest neighbor with the weighted average, and the fabric pattern information with the highest value is selected in the evaluation. Finally, information with high sparsity is automatically eliminated from the filtered information set and applied to fabric management to reduce information sparsity. The test results show that the K value plays a significant role in the specific product promotion effect. When the K value is 120, the accuracy rates of product recall are 18.2 and 23.4% respectively, showing satisfactory product promotion effects. At the same time, in the questionnaire survey, 83% of customers are satisfied with the system, which shows significant improvement in efficiency. The proposed system meets the requirements of the overall application of modern textile fabrics.


We study the possibility of collision of a δ-wave with a stationary δ′-wave in a model ruled by equation f (t)u t+[u2−β(x−γ(t))u]x = 0, where f, β and γ are given real functions and u = u(x, t) is the state variable. We adopt a solution concept which is a consistent extension of the classical solution concept. This concept is defined in the setting of a distributional product, which is not constructed by approximation processes. By a convenient choice of f, β and γ, we are able to distinguish three distinct dynamics for that collision, to which correspond phenomena of solitonic behaviour, scattering, and merging. Also, as a particular case, taking f = 2 and β = 0 we prove that the referred collision is impossible to arise in the setting of the inviscid Burgers equation. To show how this framework can be applied to other physical models, we included several results already obtained.


No relevant history of Queen Elizabeth I, in any medium, can now claim accuracy without mention of Blanche Herbert, Lady Troy, and her niece Blanche Parry. Lady Troy provided a stable childhood for Elizabeth I and Edward VI. Blanche Parry was the constant companion and confidante of Elizabeth for fifty-six years and her position at the centre of the court was recognised. Blanche Parry's close connection to Lord Burghley and Sir Robert Cecil was a key factor in cementing and facilitating their relationship with the Queen. This paper brings forward new discoveries from Blanche's Bacton epitaph on the monument she commissioned, from the contemporary pronunciation of Elizabeth's name, to the process of the Queen's visual transformation to Gloriana. Further, Blanche's probable role in facilitating, through finance, the publication of the Welsh Bible, and hence the preservation of the Welsh language, is now clear. These researches led to the discovery of an unrecorded 'Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I' in the United States and to the identification of the priceless Bacton Altar Cloth as the only known surviving material from the Queen's 1,900 dresses.