This work investigates the application of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and a number of feature selection methods to Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) based on feature generation schema proposed by Tieu and Viola in 2000. This study largely builds on the work published by Pickering M. and Rüger S., which investigates a number of approaches to CBIR. Experiments are carried out, and the results obtained are compared with the published results. Conclusions drawn from this comparison allow potential areas for future research to be identified. 1 Background We assume that the reader is familiar with the basic concepts of machine learning, such as training and classification. For a general introduction to machine learning with emphasis on the underlying theory, "Machine Learning" [B2] by Tom Mitchell is recommended. "Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques with Java Implementations" [B3] by Witten I. and Frank E. is also recommended, but describes more of the practical aspects of machine learning such as evaluation methods and feature selection. Content Based Image Retrieval is the process in which the user retrieves images of interest from a (usually large) database collection by providing example images to the system of what he/she wants to retrieve. For more information on CBIR "Content based image retrieval at the end of the early years" by Smeulders A., Worring M., Santini S., Gupta A. and Jain. R. (2000) [18] is recommended for an indepth analysis of the field. We also assume that the reader has familiarised oneself with the paper on which this study is based, "Evaluation of Key-frame Based Retrieval Techniques for Video" by Pickering M. and Rüger S. [14]. 1.1 Problem Set Up The user's query consists of images selected visually from some source (called positive), and the retrieval system is asked to find "similar" images from its database of stored images. The definition of similar can be that the retrieved images contain the same type of object(s), or that they generally relate to the same category (Nature, Architecture, Animals). A classifier is built based on the vector representations of positive image examples supplied by the user and negative image examples, which are sampled at random from the system's image database. Negative examples serve the purpose of telling the Alexei Yavlinsky 13/01/03 2 classifier which images the user does not want. The images from that database are then evaluated by the classifier as either belonging to the positive or the negative class of images, and the positive images are returned to the user first. The returned positive images are ranked by the degree of certainty that they are, in fact, positive. This machine-learning problem is unusual in that it has a very low ratio of positive examples to negative ones. In most cases, the user provides between one and six positive images, whilst the system uses about 100 "negative" images picked at random from the database. Such set-up makes it non-trivial to build classifiers that generalise well to unseen data, because there is little information on what features to look for in a positive image, and very disparate information is provided on what constitutes a negative image The size of the database is sufficiently large to minimise risk of picking a false negative example, however. 1.2 Image Representation One of the representations for images [14] is the Tieu and Viola feature space [19]. This is a recent feature generation method that aims to use a very large number of highly selective features to find similarity between images. It is different to previous feature generation methods, which only use colour, and methods that use local edge and texture detection, because it attempts to establish a global arrangement of such features, i.e. the global structure of the image. This feature generation is based on a set of 25 primitive filters, which detect different orientations of edges and primitive patterns. These filters are applied to the red, green and blue channels, producing 75 feature maps (convolutions of different filters with the image). Each of the feature maps is downsampled and fed again to each of the 25 filters, giving 1875 feature maps. This process is repeated once more, and then individual responses in each feature map are summed to give 46875 features for each image. Each feature is a real valued number, such that image has an assigned 46785dimensional real vector. According to [19], this method creates sparse feature vectors for images where only a small percentage of features have a significant value for any given image. In addition to this feature generation schema, [14] evaluate various colour spaces for feature generation, however, these were not included in the experimental part of this work. 1.3 Image Retrieval Methods In [14], three different machine learning algorithms are used to classify and rank images: 1.3.1 Vector Space Model Vector Space Model (VSM) uses the entire feature vector of each image and computes the similarity to the query as a cosine of angle between the feature vector of that image and the sum of the feature vectors of the positive images. Negative Alexei Yavlinsky 13/01/03 3 examples are not required in this case; images in the database are ranked using the positive examples only. The variant used in [14] uses Manhattan distance as a distance measure between two feature vectors. 1.3.2 K Nearest Neighbours An instance of k-Nearest Neighbours (KNN) method also uses Manhattan distance between feature vectors to calculate the similarity of a given image to the positive images provided. The rank value is calculated as the ratio of the sum of distances to positive training images, to the sum of the distances to negative training images. The ranking is obtained as


In the present paper, we investigate the following singular quasilinear elliptic system: S −Δp1s1u=1uα1vβ1,u>0inΩ;u=0,inℝN\Ω,−Δp2s2v=1vα2uβ2,v>0inΩ;v=0,inℝN\Ω, where Ω⊂ℝN is an open‐bounded domain with smooth boundary, s1, s2 ∈ (0, 1),  p1, p2 ∈ (1, + ∞), and α1, α2, β1, β2 are positive constants. We first discuss the nonexistence of positive classical solutions to system (S) . Next, constructing suitable ordered pairs of subsolutions and supersolutions, we apply Schauder's fixed‐point theorem in the associated conical shell and get the existence of a positive weak solutions pair to (S) , turn to be Hölder continuous. Finally, we apply a well‐known Krasnosel'skiı̆'s argument to establish the uniqueness of such positive pair of solutions.


During the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, the intracellular cytoskeleton undergoes severe reorganization which allows epithelial cells to transition into a motile mesenchymal phenotype. Among the different cytoskeletal elements, the intermediate filaments keratin (in epithelial cells) and vimentin (in mesenchymal cells) have been demonstrated to be useful and reliable histological markers. In this study, we assess the potential invasiveness of six human breast carcinoma cell lines and two mouse fibroblasts cells lines through single cell migration assays in confinement. We find that the keratin and vimentin networks behave mechanically the same when cells crawl through narrow channels and that vimentin protein expression does not strongly correlate to single cells invasiveness. Instead, we find that what determines successful migration through confining spaces is the ability of cells to mechanically switch from a substrate-dependent stress fibers based contractility to a substrate-independent cortical contractility, which is not linked to their tumor phenotype.


exposure, photoresist bake, development and reflow. Optolith provides a fast and accurate alternative to experimental evaluation of mask printability and process control. Optolith simulates both projection imaging and proximity printing with large mask-to-resist gap. Optolith is fully interfaced to all commercial IC layout tools conforming to GDSII and CIF formats, as well as to a special proprietary format used by MaskViews. As part of the Athena process simulation framework, Optolith provides seamless integration with diffusion, oxidation, implantation, etching and deposition simulation capabilities. This simulation environment allows the analysis of complex lithography effects in multilayer non-planar structures generated by oxidation, deposition and etching. It also provides unique opportunity to investigate and optimize implantation and etching process steps with real photoresist mask shapes taken into account.


In this paper, we propose a novel re-restoration mechanism based on fuzzy fault set under multi-faults in optical transport networks. This new scheme inherits from our already proposed FFS (fuzzy fault set) based restoration mechanism which is a reasonable trade-off between the recovery success rate and the remaining network risk resources. We mainly consider the link faults in the simulation because link is likely to fail. The survival restoration scheme is divided into two phase: restoration phase and re-restoration phase. The re-restoration phase aims at restoring more DLPs (damaged light paths) by rerouting a small number of already established light paths. The proposed re-restoration mechanism can further improve recovery success rate which has been verified by simulations on the energy efficient multi-domain WSON (wavelength switched optical network) test bed.


The invention provides a method for effectively manufacturing granulation material with uniform particle size, by utilizing a screen to realize the stabile grinding, granulation material (magnetic powder) manufactured through the method, and an electronic element employing the magnetic powder. The method for manufacturing granulation material includes mixing magnetic powder, resin, low-boiling-point solvent and high-boiling-point solvent to manufacture slurry-shaped mixture, heating the slurry-shaped mixture to evaporate the low-boiling-point solvent so as to produce a paste-shaped mixture, smashing and granulizing the paste-shaped mixture to obtains particles and heating the particles to evaporate the high-boiling-point solvent so as to produce the magnetic particles.


The contribution values of environmental factors of species relative densities and aboveground biomass were determined though selecting soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, effective nitrogen and phosphorus, organic matter, soil pH value and soil moisture, as main environment control factors, and using Carex lasiocarpa and Deyeuxia angustifolia in Sanjiang Plain as studied objects, and through analysis of principal component analysis (PCA) and analysis of stepwise multiple regressions. Soil TN, TP, effective N and available P contribution rates in both wetlands could reach about 50%. The principle component 1 in Carex lasiocarpa could explain the species relative density of 88% and the aboveground biomass of 84%. The principle component 1 in Deyeuxia angustifolia could explain that the relative density and the aboveground biomass were 75% and 58% respectively. Wetland nutrient condition decided the plant growth amount. The change of moisture content influenced the plant absorption and the utilization of nutrient.


In this paper we provide an overview of how these changes have affected the coverage of the CRA, the structure of CRA-regulated institutions, and the effectiveness of those institutions in meeting the goals of the CRA. In taking a broad approach, we hope to provide a useful context for the other articles in this volume that offer a more detailed focus on changes in the CRA's implementing regulations and more specific aspects of the CRA's coverage and effectiveness.


Investigates the processes on the surface of the low-carbon steel 3 subjected to special treatment followed by annealing. The experiment provided deeper insight into the character of strain-induced defect flows on the surface of the solid under loading.


244 patients with a provisional diagnosis of juvenile chronic arthritis were investigated for serological presence of «hidden» IgM-rheumatoid-factor with a newly developed ELISA-technique


In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for estimating eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix associated with the graph describing the network topology of a multi-agent system or a wireless sensor network. As recently shown, the average consensus matrix can be written as a product of Laplacian based consensus matrices whose stepsizes are given by the inverse of the nonzero Laplacian eigenvalues. Therefore, by solving the factorization of the average consensus matrix, we can infer the Laplacian eigenvalues. We show how solving such a matrix factorization problem in a distributed way. In particular, we formulate the problem as a constrained consensus problem. The proposed algorithm does not require great resources in both computation and storage. This algorithm can also be viewed as a way for decentralizing the design of finite-time average consensus protocol recently proposed in the literature. Eventually, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by means of simulation results.


1,2-Bis(methylthiomethyl)ferrocene (3) was oxidized by Corynebacterium equi IFO 3730 to give monosulfoxide 4 in two diastereomeric forms with (1S,2R,SS) and (1S,2R,RS) configurations in a ratio of 4:1, while 1,1′-bis(methylthiomethyl)ferrocene (5) was oxidized by Penicillium frequentans IFO 5692 to (R)-monosulfoxide 6 and then preferentially to (R,R)-bissulfoxide 7. Thus, the bacterial monooxygenase generated specific planar chirality in the metallocenic monosulfoxide, and the fungal enzyme formed C2 symmetry in the bissulfoxide.


A piezoelectric quartz crystal coated with TEA was applied to the simultaneous determination of the concentration of sulfur dioxide and relative humidity. According to the different dynamic desorption process of sulfur dioxide and water vapor on the TEA coating, the ANN method was used to analyze the frequency response data of the crystal at different times. The concentrations of sulfur dioxide and relative humidity can be calculated simultaneously. The average relative errors were less than 10.09% for sulfur dioxide and 11.3% for relative humidity.


I analyse five forms of images: electronic, digital, interactive, networked and living, all of which challenge traditional descriptions and expectations. I analyse them from the technical-ontological, phenomenological and cultural perspective to demonstrate different ways in which they discuss and deconstruct the notion of an image. Finally, I try to propose a new context for understanding the discussed forms of new imagery, i.e. the context of post-imagery.


Recent advances in studies on chestnut storage were reviewedThe tactics for overcoming problems in chestnut storage and trends in research on the storage were also discussed


During the past decade the trend in surgery on the mastoid segment of the temporal bone has been toward restoration of function and normal anatomical configuration. The primary preservation of the posterior bony canal wall with aeration of the mastoidectomy cavity has eliminated many of the problems associated with an open cavity. The likelihood of good hearing increases when the support for the posterior and superior portions of the tympanic membrane are preserved; however, there are many patients whose surgery included removal of this bony barrier and exposure of the mastoid segment to the outside. It is for these patients that a means has been sought to eliminate the cavity and reconstruct the hearing mechanism.


Waterborne pathogens such as enteric viruses have been identified as one of the main threats to sources of drinking water and aquatic ecosystem in Canada and around the world. Current methods to address viral contamination of water all present high degrees of efficiency. However, they also pose significant drawbacks such as release of potentially toxic/carcinogenic byproducts into the environment, high operating cost, or large land footprint. Nanofibre polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes functionalized with TiO2 nanoparticles were developed. They were found to have a bacteriophage MS2 log removal value (LRV) of up to 1.2 likely through hydrophobic interactions and/or contact-inactivation with TiO2. Similarly, nanofibrous PVDF membranes functionalized with dodecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (DDBAC) for its positive charge and electrostatic effect were found to have a consistent MS2 LRV of 2.4. These novel membranes could provide a cost effective alternative to other available membrane technologies.


Archaeological testing of two sites in western Comanche County, 41CJ75 and 41CJ76, by the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation (SDHPT) during April 1987 has shown that both sites are shallow, low density, prehistoric campsites. Portions of both sites outside the right-of-way of SH 36 have been impacted by cultivation and site integrity has been lost. Those portions within the right-of-way are located within steep backslopes which made testing difficult. Site 41CJ75 was found to be only 10 cm deep except where the SDHPT had placed recent fill on the site. Site 41CJ76 was located alohg a very steep backslope where excavation of 10 cm levels within a 1 by 1 meter unit was impossible. Tests suggest that the maximum site depth within the right-of-way was 40 cm with the maximum density of prehistoric materials 10 to 20 cm below the original surface. A basal red clay beneath a brownish sand was found to be culturally sterile. Ongoing wind erosion in the recently plowed fields adjacent to the right-of-way has revealed this red clay in the furrows, suggesting that the site has been largely destroyed. Neither site appears to be eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places or for consideration as a State Archaeological Landmark. No further research is recommended for either site. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................... 2 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................... 4 LIST OF TABLES ................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION .................................................. 6 PREVIOUS RESEARCH ............................................. 9 SITE 41CJ75 Introduction ............................................ 11 Testing Procedures ...................................... 13 Conclusions ............................................. 17 SITE 41CJ76 Introduction. ........................................... 19 Testing Procedures ....................... .............. 21 Conclusions ............................................. 26 REFERENCES CITED ............................................. 28


ConsultantConsultant in obstetrics and gynaecology St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, 1967-86 (b Sale, Manchester, 1921; q Manchester 1945; MD, FRCS Ed, FRCOG), died from prostate cancer on 28 March 2005.

Figure 1

Lisle Gadd served in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1946 to 1948 with the Cold-stream Guards in Italy, Palestine, and Greece, reaching the rank of major. After specialist training in Manchester and Liverpool, in 1959 he was appointed consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist for Ashton, Hyde, and Glossop, where he pioneered the clinical use of amniocentesis. In 1967 he left Ashton and was appointed consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, where he developed a first class pregnancy diabetic clinic. He leaves a wife, Veronica; three children; and three grandchildren.


This study was carried out investigate the effect of shading and uniconazole treatment on the growth of Tradescantia fluminensis 'Variegata'. Tradescantia plants were treated with 30mL of uniconazole and then placed under 110,000 , 9,000 or 500 lux in greenhouse. Uniconazole reduced plant height, leaf length and chlorophyll contrast were high, under the low light intensity with uniconazole treatment, the presence of leaf growth was the best, and so the Tradescantia fluminensis 'Variegata' had the highest ornamental value.


Reaction of the reduced pyrrolo [2,1-a] isoquinoline amine (1a) with cyanogen bromide in the presence of methanol gave the medium-ring cyanamide derivative 7,9,10-trimethoxy-2,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydro-1H-3- benzazonine-3-carbonitrile (2a). Analogous products were also obtained from reaction of the reduced 5H-oxazolo[2,3-a] isoquinoline , 2H- benzo [a] quinolizine , 2H,6H-[1,3] oxazino [2,3-a] isoquinoline and [1,4] oxazino [3,4-a] isoquinoline derivatives (1b-e), whereas the reduced 3H-oxazolo[4,3-a] isoquinoline and 5H-oxazolo[2,3-a] isoquinoline derivatives (1f) and (8) gave 1-(2,4-dioxapentyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-2-carbonitrile (5a) and N-[2-(2-benzoyl-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]-N- methylcyanamide (9) respectively, the latter in low yield. The medium-sized heterocyclic derivatives (2f-h) were also obtained from cyanogen -bromide-mediated water solvolysis reactions of (1a), (1c) and (1e). The cyanamides (2a-h), (5a) and (9) have been converted into the respective tertiary amine derivatives (3a- h), (5c) and (11), with concomitant reduction of the carbonyl group in the last case. The crystal and molecular structure of 1,10,11- trimethoxy-3,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-1H-2,6-benzoxazecine-6-carbonitrile (2d) and 1-hydroxy-10,11-dimethoxy-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-2H-3,6- benzoxazecine-6-carbonitrile (2h) have been determined by single- crystal X-ray methods.


The segregation of phosphorus at the metal/scale interface formed upon oxidation of Ni and Ni–20Cr at high temperatures was studied. Auger electron spectroscopy with high spatial resolution was used in combination with thermogravimetric measurements. The chemistry of the interface was related to its microstructure. The effects of oxidation procedure and surface preparation on the composition and microstructure of the interface were considered.

The incorporation of phosphorus in an oxidized state into the NiO scale formed at 700°C and 1000°C was revealed. The oxidation rate at 1000°C is retarded by segregated phosphorus.

The segregation of phosphorus at the metal/scale interface formed upon oxidation of Ni–20Cr alloy at high temperatures was observed for oxidation at low and at atmospheric oxygen pressures. Phosphorus and sulphur segregated at the interface retard the oxidation rate at the initial stage of oxidation at 1000°C and at atmospheric oxygen pressures.


Because the implicit Runge-Kutta method is hard to use, in addition, there is the lack of precision analysis for the implicit Runge-Kutta methods, three classic four-stage implicit Runge-Kutta methods are used to compare their calculation accuracy and the sensitivity of calculation step, these results provided reference for the selection of four-stage implicit Runge-Kutta methods.


A brief overview of the PAVER pavement management system and the capabilities it offers its users is presented. PAVER is designed for use by military installations, cities, and counties. The system capabilities discussed are data storage and retrieval, pavement network definition, pavement condition rating, project prioritization, inspection scheduling, determination of present and future network condition, determination of maintenance and repair needs, performance of economic analysis, and budget planning. (Author)


Test results and information on the current techniques in sea disposal operations were reviewed and considered in establishing design requirements for containers used in sea disposal. In addition, all existing regulations and requirements of the authorities controlling fabrication, handling, transporting, and disposal off radioactive waste containers are cited. Discussions and recommendations on Portland Cement Concrete as a construction material for radioactive waste packaging, fabrication of reinforced concrete structures for packaging radioactive wastes, concrete thickness design, waste placement and compaction, vents, impact, and radioactive waste containers in current use for sea disposal operations are given. (auth)


We report the structure of the (1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2) reconstruction induced by 0.1 monolayer of Ca atoms on the Au(113) surface, using medium-energy ion scattering. Our data show that the (1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2) surface corresponds to a missing-row-type reconstruction. Monte Carlo simulations of the experiment provide a quantitative measurement of the atomic positions at the surface. All the displacements in the surface region are such that the resulting structure smooths out the corrugation inherent in a missing-row reconstruction. We discuss the relation between this reconstruction and the energy balance between competing surface-electronic-charge densities.


The Market of coke at home and abroad is analyzed.The development and industrialization of new advanced coking process is summarized.Some suggestions on China's coking industry are put forward.


An inclined plate type settling device including at least one inclined plate settling module is provided to construct the settling device simply, easily disassemble and assemble the settling device when cleaning and maintaining the settling device, and improve settling efficiency by a plurality of corrugated inclined plates mounted on an inner part of the settling device. In a device for settling sludge contained in raw water through an inclined plate settling module(100), an inclined plate type settling device is characterized in that: the inclined plate settling module includes a plurality of inclined plates(120) on which corrugations are formed to form channels for discharging sludge contained in the raw water in the gravity direction and discharging sludge-removed treated water in the upward direction at the same time, and an inclined plate slide part(110) having the plurality of inclined plates inserted and mounted thereon at a set inclination angle; the inclined plate slide part includes inclined plate inserting grooves into the plurality of inclined plates are inserted at the inclination angle in a state that the inclined plates are spaced from one another in a predetermined distance, and side face parts(115) which form left and right side faces of the inclined plate slide part on which the inclined plate inserting grooves are formed, and in which raw water inflow ports(115a) are formed; each of the plurality of inclined plates includes ridges and valleys to form the corrugations, the inclined plates being mounted on the slide part such that adjacent inclined plates are arranged side by side; and upper curved portions are formed on upper ends of the side face parts in a shape corresponding to a curved shape of the gutters such that gutters(111a) having treated water outlets formed therein are put on the upper curved portions to discharge the treated water discharged in the upward direction through the channels through the treated water outlets. Further, an inserting angle of the inclined plates is 50 to 60°.


This paper examines how notions of purity and cleanliness amongst high, middle and lower castes and classes relate to the private and public environment in a Southern Indian urban neighbourhood. It is argued that waste isexpelled to make various inside spaces - e.g. residences or temples - attractive, so as to invite the benevolence of the deities. According to Kottar informants, the negligence of private cleanliness may have consequences for health and wealth, not because germs attack the body, but because angered deities may punish this "sin" by inflicting disease or poverty. In contrast, polluting the outside is without such divine consequences and is thus found irrelevant. This creates the paradox of meticulously clean private spaces side by side with an appallingly dirty immediate environment. This approach, I contend, is rooted in an orthodox śāstric classification of the material world, which despises bodily waste and organises the universe into graded substances ranging from very purifying matter - if from divine origin -, to extremely defiling material produced in connection with transitional stages between life and death. From this perspective, cleanliness and "purity" are identical. The insignificance of outsides relates to further orthodox dichotomizing concepts, which denote a domesticated inside in contrast with an inhospitable outside, which is considered beyond control.


In order to solve the problems of power point large disturbance caused by fixed step of traditional perturbation observation method, the combination of conductance increment and perturbation observation method applied into the maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic power was investigated. After the analysis of PV cells output model, the relationships of variable step selection judged by incremental conductance was established. A method was presented to solve problem of MPPT fail which may be led by the large change of light intensity, the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system was combined, the logical relationship of variable step size factor and light intensity was established, and an improved algorithm of perturbation and observation method based on incremental conductance was presented. The simulation shows the algorithm can effectively improve the dynamic response speed and steady-state accuracy.


I<idney transplantation is the preferred form of treatment for patients with endstage renal disease. As opposed to dialysis, it offers resolution of uraemia and is associated with better quality of life compared to any other form of treatment. However, kidney transplantation is not a cure and it involves risks. I<idney graft failure represents a pervasive threat for grafted patients and is the greatest risk associated with transplantation. Graft failure entails, for most patients, the necessity to begin dialysis. The present study was aimed at understanding the experience of kidney failure. A qualitative methodology was used in order to describe this experience from the unique perspective of patients. Fifteen participants took part in non-directive interviews. The data were analyzed using Interpretative phenomenological analysis. Following data analysis, patients' reactions ta dialysis were divided into two main categories: intrapsycruc responses and active responses. The category of intrapsychic responses includes the following themes: life disruption, suffering, meaning making, resistancejacceptance, and social comparison. The category of active responses included the themes of preparation to graft 10ss and four themes associated with illness management (managing illness and treatment, daily life, personal relationships, and mental state). These results are discussed using a patient-centered approach within the theoretical framework of psychosocial transition put forward by Parkes. The present study highlights the psychosocial challenges associated with kidney graft failure. In addition, the results of this study demonstrate the importance of taking into account both medical and psychosocial aspects in the treatment of patients with kidney graft failure in order to maximize their adaptation ta their new condition.


In Vietnam, issues of social security were set up early, with almost working in agriculture, Vietnamese usually bear many nature calamityies and disasters. Thus the germs of social security was established very early and they were reminded in the folk-songs such as: "the good leaves protect the worn-out leaves", "You love another people as you love yourself",etc. Those idioms are show you the community of cohesion. It had a part in adjusting the behaviours in the social and oriented to activities which contain the tenors of social security during the start-up phase. Then Government (from the feudal up to now) progressively build up the detailed policies. There are three main activites in the social security system in Vietnam: social insurance, social relief or social assistance programmes, allowances from public funds. The most outstanding in the activities in the social security in Vietnam is social insurance.


For conquering Clive, or Wellesley's mightier name, The wide world echoes to the trump of fame, Yet have there been, who loftier praise have won, Undaunted Schwarz, and saintly Middleton England hath many such; she little knows What to their secret championship she owes; Their prayers, with night and day to Heaven aspire, Bulwark her empire with a wall of fire, And arm the happy earth that gave them birth With power to build the throne of Christ on earth. —Harriet Warner Ellis, Toils and Triumphs; or, Missionary Work in the World's Dark Places


This paper aims to investigate the nature of brand hate, its antecedents and its consequences. The opinion of a consumer for a product is fixated by market research. It primarily depends on how the brand presents it's products to the consumers and secondly on the actual need, want and use of the products by the consumer. The research available on negative evaluations of products and brands is very limited, especially when compared to the research done on positive attitudes. This asymmetry is understandable, particularly in the marketing field: companies and institutions are very much interested in the practical consequences of positive forms of knowledge. They want to know what the consumers are willing to buy. But very little attention to given to the factors that may repel the consumers. While planning a brand campaign, it is very beneficial to have a clear idea about the consumer's attitude towards the brand. It is binary and can either be positive or negative. A positive attitude automatically inclines the consumer towards the products of that brand. But in this particular study we are focusing our attention on the negative attitude of the consumers, which in simple words, is brand hate.


Our mental processing of the visual world is not independent of our physical actions within it. Placing objects near one's hands and interacting with objects using tools can enhance visual perception, bias and prolong the allocation of attention, and distort memory in systematic ways. This suggests that the world within our reach is cognitively different from the world beyond reach. In this review, we examine the evidence supporting this conclusion, focusing on the cognitive and neural mechanisms that underlie these effects, the parameters that may control their emergence, and their potential practical applications.


In this paper, a microstrip line implementation using via transition and its application of multilayer compact ring hybrid coupler are presented. This transition is the sandwich structure with via hole to connect two microstrip lines in different layer. For designing a compact RF/Microwave passive circuit, the microstrip line using via-hole transition is proposed to reduce a size of microwave circuit with long transmission line. For the validation of the microstrip line with via-hole transition, the multilayer ring hybrid coupler is implemented at center frequency of 2 GHz. The measured performances are in good agreement with simulation results and about 50% size reduction compare to conventional ring hybrid coupler.


A novel chitosan magnetic adsorbent was prepared with chemical cross linking and seed swelling method.The adsorption performance of the adsorbent for Hg2+ and UO22+ was investigated.The results show that the diameter of the magnetic adsorbent is 50-80 μm and the mass fraction of ferric oxide is about 16%.Selective separation of Hg2+ and UO22+ is achieved at pH2.5.The adsorption capacity increase with pH increase.The adsorption isotherm data are analyzed by the Langmuir equations as: ceq/Qeq=0.440 5 ceq/Qm+0.584 0(Hg2+,r=0.996 0);ceq/Qeq =0.525 6 ceq/Qm +1.343 4(UO2+2,r=0.990 6).The values of maximum adsorption capacity(Qm) are 2.27 mmol/g for Hg2+ and 1.90 mmol/g for UO22+.The adsorption kinetic data are fitted by the Lagergren equations as: lg(Qeq-Q)= 0.361 2-0.015 5 t(Hg2+,r= 0.982 1);lg(Qeq-Q)=0.302 7-0.011 2 t(UO22+,r = 0.992 5).The values of the adsorption rate constants(kad) are 0.036 min-1 for Hg2+ and 0.026 min-1 for UO2+2.Regeneration of the adsorbent is achieved using 1 mol/L H2SO4 with the desorption efficiency of more than 90%.The reproductive performance of the adsorbent is excellent.


This phenomenological study explored how blue collar workers employed in a north Mississippi manufacturing facility described their reasons for not participating in adult basic education (ABE) when nonparticipation would result in termination. The structure of the ABE classes was designed to reduce the costs and time constraints to participation. A group of 8 respondents constituted the sample from a population of 23 nonparticipating workers and maximal variation sampling was used to increase gender, race, and age diversity within the sample. Three major themes emerged as deterrents to participation: (a) Test of Adult Basic Education and ABE classes were not perceived as relevant, (b) fear of embarrassment, and (c) low self-efficacy (i.e., a self-perceived lack of capability to perform successfully). However, lack of relevancy and fear of embarrassment were found to be used as reasons for nonparticipation when low self-efficacy in learning new material, reading, and math problem solving were present.


31 adolescents aged 13-18 years who requested legal abortions at a center in France were studied during their preliminary interviews and asked to draw pictures of their own bodies. All were single and were students. The majority were the youngest children in the family. 1/3 used withdrawal and none used an effective contraceptive method. They came from varied sociocultural levels and 1/3 were in homes broken by divorce or death of a parent. In 8 cases the pregnancy resulted from the 1st sexual relations. As is common with adolescents, 1/2 did not make the connection between sex and pregnancy and did not anticipate the possibility of becoming pregnant. Only 1/2 were able to furnish drawings of themselves. The multiple physiological, psychological, and anatomic changes of adolescence left the other 1/2 with an insufficient feeling of what they were like to draw pictures of themselves. Few could explain the functioning of the menstrual cycle and 17 were unable to draw the female genital organs. The drawings did not suggest bodies that could become pregnant. There was seldom any sort of connection between the diagrammed organs and seldom a place for implantation of the egg.


Silica Film for Oriented Growth of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Y. Kemmochi, M. Hu, Y. Murakami, M. Ogura, S. Maruyama and T. Okubo* Department of Chemical System Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, email@example.com Vertically oriented single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) would be an ideal field electron emitter that can realize lower threshold voltage and higher electric current than microtips of Si or metals. In this study, we aimed that SWNTs are vertically oriented using mesoporous silica (cubic) film as a guide of SWNTs growth. For this vertical orientation, catalysts for SWNTs must be placed between the mesoporous silica film and the substrate. Three kinds of catalysts loading methods were examined. The first one is the impregnation method; the calcined mesoporous silica film was immersed in the catalytic solution. The second one is the incorporation method; mesoporous silica film was prepared using Fe-doped silica sol solution. The third one is the sputtering method; the mesoporous silica film was coated on cobalt film deposited by sputtering deposition. We concluded that the sputtering method can realize the vertical growth of SWNTs from the bottom of the mesopores.


The cultivation of Cannabis sativa L. for medical uses was legalized in Greece in March of 2018, ending the 90 years ban. The cannabis regulations in Greece attempt to protect the public health and safety by controlling for quality in a reactive manner. The necessary knowledge and know-how for this new crop were acquired by the Laboratory of Agronomy of the Agricultural University of Athens. In this review, the Greek legislation and licensing procedure are briefly presented. The essential relevant steps needed for making a production line are two. The installation permit for the production unit is the first step and then on the investment services sought to establish the conditions under which authorized investment. In the case of greenhouse facility, considering the crop requirements (temperature and photoperiod), the cultivation is suggested for Southern and Central Greece regions. The production process flow is endless during the year, and the duration of the biological cycle is 13-14 weeks. Finally, the required mechanical equipment, human resources, and final products for 1-hectare production with all the necessary conditions to cover GMPs are described.


Based on the crack characteristics of steel deck bridge pavement and theory of fracture mechanics, the stress intensity factor K and J integral was introduced to analyze three-point bending beam test of the epoxy asphalt concrete. Its fracture properties were studied at different temperatures and different ratios of initial crack depth to beam height. The test results indicate that epoxy asphalt concrete presents elastic-plastic fracture property at 5 iae to 25 iae and presents brittle fracture property at -15 iae to 5 iae. According to different fracture properties, the fracture toughness KIC and the critical J integral JIC were obtained. In addition, the effect of initial crack depth on the two parameters was studied, and a double parameter K-J fracture criterion was founded for the epoxy asphalt concrete. The research is useful for anti-cracking design and provides reference for crack repair time study of asphalt concrete pavement.


that women are less likely to receive the same preventive advice as men and that women are still underrepresented in cardiovascular research Risk factors are important for both men and women, but differ their impact was stronger in men and women. Especially in women, the presence of diabetes, hypertension and smoking is associated with a higher risk than in men. Female sex-specific risk factors related to hormonal and reproductive status that affect the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. These risk factors are related to hormonal status, pregnancy, some non-cardiac diseases with a higher prevalence in women and their treatment. Conclusions. To improve the care of women with cardiovascular disease, it is necessary to realize that the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes can be problematic in women due to differences in symptoms. and presenting symptoms. At the same time


The purpose of this article is to identify issues of environmental law, the concept of this law in Ukraine, to consider this issue today and to identify ways to remedy it. The topic is relevant because today it is a problem with the establishment of environmental law in Ukraine. Environmental law has links with the economy and other fields without which the legal system as a whole is impossible.


Purpose
Supply chain management (SCM)-embedded valuable resources, such as capital, raw-materials, products, partners, customers and finished inventories, where the evaluation of environmental texture and flexibilities are needed to perceive sustainability. The present study aims to identify and evaluate the directory of green and agile (G-A) attributes based on decision support framework (DSF) for identifying dominating measures in SCM.

Design/methodology/approach
DSF is developed by exploiting generalized interval valued trapezoidal fuzzy numbers (GIVTFNs). Two technical approaches, i.e. degree of similarity approach (DSA) and distance approach (DA) under the extent boundaries of GIVTFNs, are implicated for data analytics and for recognizing constructive G-A measures based on comparative study for robust decision. A fuzzy-based performance indicator, i.e. fuzzy performance important index (FPII), is presented to enumerate the weak and strong G-A characteristics to manage knowledge risks in allied business environment.

Findings
The modeling is illustrated from the insights of decision-makers for augmenting business value based on cognitive identification of measures, where the best performance score is identified by the "sustainable packaging" under the traits of green supply chain management (GSCM). "The use of Web-based applications" under the traits of agile supply chain management (ASCM) and "Outsourcing flexibility" under traits of ASCM is found as the second and third most significant performance characteristics for business sustainability. Additionally, the "Reutilization (recycling) and reprocessing" under GSCM in manufacturing and "Responsiveness and speed toward customers needs" under ASCM are found difficult in attainment.

Research limitations/implications
The G-A evaluation will assist in attaining performance excellence in day-to-day operations and overall functioning. The outcomes will help executives to plan strategic objectives and attaining success.

Originality/value
To reinforce the capabilities of SCM, wide extent of G-A dimensions are presented, concept of FPII is reported to manage knowledge risks based on identification of strong attributes and two technical approaches, i.e. DSA and DA under GIVTFNs are presented for attaining robust decision and directing managerial decision-making process.


Objectives: To study the reliability of a transcutaneous bilirubinometer
(Bilicheck) to determine bilirubin levels in neonates consulting for jaundice
in a Paediatric Emergency Department (ED), and to evaluate its usefulness as a
screening method. Methods: Prospective observational study realized between
June of 2005 and December of2005
 inneonates consulting at a paediatric emergency
department for jaundice, in whom we realized both transcutaneous and total
serum bilirubin measurements (TcB and TSB). We collected demographic variables,
analytical variables (serum and transcutaneous bilirubin levels), length of
stay in the ED, and need for treatment. Results: 66 children were included aged
2 to 31 days (81% of the sample were 2 to 7 days old). There was a close and
statistically significant correlation between TcB and TSB (r = 0.81, p < 0.001).
The area under the ROC curve was of 0.90, allowing detecting newborns with
jaundice susceptible of treatment with TcB levels ≥ 13 mg/dL (sensitivity 92%,
specificity 63, 5%, a positive predictive value 39% and a negative predictive
value 97%). The number of venous punctures could be reduced in 50%. The medium
stay in the ED was of 2 hours when performing serum measurements. Conclusions: A
linear correlation exists between TcB-TSB. TcB measurement cannot replace that
of TsB, however it could be used as a screening method in an ED to determine which
neonates need confirmation by TsB measurement. The use of transcutaneous
bilirubinometer would reduce both the number of painful interventions in
neonates and the medium length of stay in ED, consequently reducing
iatrogenesis.


Positive electrode, a negative electrode, wherein a positive electrode and a separator disposed between the negative electrode, and a method for producing a molten salt battery comprising a solid electrolyte salt at room temperature, before the battery is assembled, a solid-state electrolyte salt the positive electrode was held in the anode and at least one surface of the separator, then the positive electrode, the negative electrode and a manufacturing method of a molten salt battery, wherein the battery is assembled by accommodating the separator in the battery case is provided.


Modern research surveys emphasize that stator winding fault holds a significant percentage in induction motor failures. In Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) based stator winding fault diagnosis, it has been found to be a challenging task to discriminate inter turn short circuit faults from inter-turn incipient insulation failures providing unbalances in three phase motor currents identical to short circuit faults. This paper proposes an approach to achieve this objective by applying Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) as signal decomposition tool on the faulty phase motor current captured through CRIO-9075 integrated controller and chassis system having 400MHz power PC controller, LX 25 Gate FPGA with NI 9227. Inverse Discrete Wavelet Transform (IDWT) as signal reconstruction tool has been employed to extract relevant frequency band which is sensitive to stator winding faults. Reconstructed or filtered currents under different fault cases containing specific band of frequency signals are then fed to Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) algorithm which has the competency to assess trend of fluctuations present in signals under consideration. Results of DFA in the form of short term fluctuation coefficient (αs) and long term fluctuation coefficient (αl) are found to be capable in discriminating the inter-turn short circuit fault from incipient insulation failure. Proposed method is also capable in detecting the severity levels of two different types of fault cases. Entire analysis reported in this work is based on experimentally obtained motor current signals.


Since I'm not an ecologist, I can hardly tout myself as an expert on sustainability. However, I did want to contribute an appropriate essay for this issue. An article with the less-than-exciting title "Nitrous Oxide in Flux" (Billings, 2008) gave me an idea for an approach. It reports on a study of how, under simulated drought conditions, forest soils sequester more of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide ([N.sub.2]O) than previously thought. Since the mid-18th century, atmospheric levels of this gas have risen 18% due in part to increased use of fossil fuel, crops that capture atmospheric nitrogen, and use of fertilizers. With all these human-driven inputs, anything that reduces the amount of [N.sub.2]O in the atmosphere would seem to be a plus as far as sustainability is concerned. This of course begs the question of what sustainability means, an issue too large and complex for someone like me to tackle. I'll just write from the viewpoint that it would be wonderful to stop further deterioration of the environment, but at the very least we must slow it down. The [N.sub.2]O article interested me for a number of reasons. First, it obviously relates to sustainability. In addition, I always like to be surprised, and in this case, the researchers, too, were surprised by how persistent this [N.sub.2]O sink was under experimentally managed dry conditions thought to mimic those expected in European forests in the face of global warming. Deep within the soil, [N.sub.2]O levels are much higher than at the surface. During drought, soil [N.sub.2]O concentrations near the surface decreased to levels lower than those in the atmosphere, leading to the diffusion of the gas from the atmosphere into the soil. This occurred throughout the forest's growing season, but ended when watering was resumed. This is just one small piece of the puzzle of what will happen with continued global warming, but it suggests that a lot more has to be learned about the soil's role. Appreciating the Soil Still another reason for my interest in this study is that it focused on the soil, an environmental component of supreme importance that just doesn't get the attention it deserves. Every so often, there will be an article in a science journal on how important the soil is to plant life, to ecological stability, to water quality, but the fact remains that "out of sight, out of mind" still rules our views of this underground terrain. And not only is it rather inaccessible, but it's awfully complicated as well. In some ways I see its public relations problems as similar to those of the liver, an organ that is vital to life and performs a host of essential functions, from controlling nutrient levels in the blood to detoxifying chemicals-and it can regenerate itself. But people don't usually think about the liver until it becomes dysfunctional. I contend that this lack of appreciation is due to the fact that the liver is too versatile. It can be considered as part of the digestive system, the circulatory system, and the immune system, and since we tend to look at the body in terms of systems, we fail to appreciate how multitalented the liver is. The same seems to be true of the soil. Because it's composed of ground rock, sand, silt, and clay, geologists study it. Microbiologists are interested in all the bacteria and protista it harbors. Botanists see the soil as an anchor for root systems and the place where plant material gets recycled, while mycologists explore the soil because it's home to so many fungi. Just as the liver belongs to no one system, the soil belongs to no one science and is often treated as a minor area in each. But put all these facets together, and suddenly the soil becomes much more significant, particularly today when we are trying to make sense of what humans are doing to the Earth. An interesting way to approach the soil's many aspects is to look at what Susan Brantley (2008) calls "soil time," the time frames involved in studying different soil components. …


This paper retraces Brazil and Morocco's economic strategies towards Sub-Saharan Africa since the beginning of the century, highlighting the characteristics and evaluating the performance of the instruments used to promote the flows of trade, investment and cooperation between each of the two countries and the Sub-Saharan region. The paper also includes an assessment of these policies, as well as conclusions and recommendations.


Sample of the nano-powdery barium titanate was dissolved in hydrochloric acid and the solution obtained was used for determination of 7 foreign elements(including Mg,Sr,K,Na,Al,Si and Fe) present as their oxides in the sample by ICP-AES.Spectrometric conditions for the determination were tested and optimized to have the upper limit of determination set at 0.1%(mass percentage).Detection limits(3S/b) were found to be(in μg·L-1) 2.0(Al),1.0(Fe),20.0(K),0.2(Mg),4.0(Na),3.0(Si) and 0.5(Sr).Two samples of the barium titanate analyzed for contents of the 7 elements(as oxides),giving values of RSD′s(n=6) ≤2.0%.Four of the 7 elements,i.e.Mg,K,Na and Sr,were determined by the present method and also by the standard methods given in HG/T 3587-1999 in parallel,consistent results were obtained.


This paper explores the system integration testing that is needed to start up a light rail system. Necessity, availability, convenience and recreations are just a few of the reasons that public transportation is needed.


‐ The sliding mode control (SMC) has yet proven its efficiency through several theoretical researches. Indeed, the robotic field is recognized as one of the main SMC portals on practical implementations. The interest of this work consists in testing the SMC robustness and its reliability versus the parameters variation and model uncertainties. In this paper, an algorithm for trajectory tracking task of robot manipulators based on a SMC has been proposed. Then, aiming to deal with the presence of disturbances and parametric modeling uncertainties, the adopted control law has been extended to an adaptive SMC version based integral sliding surface, where the selection of the parameters adaptation law has been detailed. It has been proven that the adaptive control design can stabilize both position and velocity of the system, where the explicit use of the system dynamic model becomes no longer required. Simulation results performed on a SCARA robot manipulator reveal improving control acting clearly denoted by the introduction of the adaptive control design.


The results are described from two manipulators on a peg-in-hole task, which is part of a continued effort to develop models for human performance with remote manipulators. Task difficulty is varied by changing the diameter of the peg to be inserted in a 50 mm diameter hole. An automatic measuring system records the distance between the tool being held by the manipulator and the receptacle into which it is to be inserted. The data from repeated insertions are processed by computer to determine task times, accumulated distances, and trajectories. Experiments with both the MA-11 cable-connected master-slave manipulator common to hot cell work and the MA-23 servo-controlled manipulator (with and without force feedback) are described. Comparison of these results with previous results of the Ames Manipulator shows that force feedback provides a consistent advantage.


To explore the impact of different dividend policies on the market value management of listed companies, the MVM value obtained by reducing the dimensionality of the market value management evaluation index (MVM) system is used as the proxy variable of the market value management, and then the empirical test is carried out by using the propensity score value matching method and the panel regression model. The results show that the implementation of the cash dividend policy does not play a significant role in the market value management level, and the stock dividend policy will have a significant positive impact. Keywords—Dividend Policy; Market Value Management; Stock dividend; Cash dividend


The magnitude of the exchange interaction Jo, defined by ℋexch = −JoSA·SB, between unpaired spins SA and SB in biological molecules is an important parameter in calculating electron-transfer rates. In a previous work, we obtained an approximate value of Jo for the biradical QA•-QB•-, which forms an intermediate state in the photocycle of reaction centers (RCs) of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides (Calvo, R. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 7327). In that work Jo was derived from EPR measurements at 35 and 94 GHz, frequencies at which the EPR spectra are relatively insensitive to Jo. In this work we obtained EPR spectra between 5 and 80 K at 326 GHz, a frequency at which the spectrum is more sensitive to Jo. Consequently, we were able to improve the accuracy of Jo approximately by an order of magnitude. From a global fit with a spin-Hamiltonian of the spectra at five temperatures we obtained a value of Jo/h = (−82 ± 3) MHz. The value of Jo is within the experimental uncertainty of the...


Personal reminder application has become widely used for many people to manage their agendas. The most popular reminder are using the calendar-based application. This method will provide notification should an agenda is coming up. Therefore, the user will have a time to prepare for his needs during the activity. However, this method does not support notificatons if someone are in the place where the agenda is about to take place. This is because the time is not close enough to give an alert. it would be better if the reminder uses a location-based trigger to remind what should be prepared in order to accomplish an upcoming agenda. This research developed a combination of Location-based technology service and GPS to provide a context based agenda. This research will record point of interest of users to be related to files that will be used. This technique implements the concept of context-aware with k-NN query or k-Nearest Neighbor classification algorithm to provide suggested files to users. Experiment results showe that the method is accurate in providing the files needed for an agenda. This research suggest that the use of k-Nearest Neighbor algorithm with k = 7 in the contex-aware technique provides the best result of the K-NN query.


We compare the spectral ratio between measured reflected wavelets and a reference wavelet for the case of thin-layer reflectors to estimate the frequency-dependent dielectric permittivities of the reflectors and their thicknesses. We use a grid-search algorithm to estimate the permittivity model and the thickness that minimizes the misfit between theoretical and measured ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data and the Jonscher law to model the frequency dependence of the effective dielectric permittivity. We test this inversion method on two sets of high-frequency GPR data recorded on metric-scale laboratory models characterized by discontinuities with different thicknesses and different filling materials. When the ratio of the dominant wavelength of the GPR pulse to the thickness of the layer is less than four, the inversion provides satisfactory values for the electric parameters and thickness of the discontinuity. If the ratio is greater than four and the reflection coefficient varies weakly within the considered frequency range, either the thickness or the permittivity must be known to obtain reliable results for the other parameters. Given this limitation, the spectral analysis of a radar reflection provides a reliable characterization of the discontinuities.


The motions of small racing boat are complex and violent. The forces and moments acting on the boat change every instant according to the attitude of the running boat. Simulations of such motions have been tried methodologically in the previous papers. In this report, the authors discuss more complex motions of a racing boat i.e. under the circumstances of steady wind, encountering trailing waves of a preceding boat and the superposed conditions of these wind and waves. The general conclusion is that the small racing boat will not capsise by a single disturbance of wind or wave, however, if the disturbances are superposed the boat will capsise comparatively easily. The safety zone where the racing boat will not capsise is shown.


People can procrastinate, invest too little, and give up too quickly to attain important self-goals. In this talk, Prof Oyserman focuses on identity-based motivation to understand why that might be, focusing on what people infer about the relevance of their future self to their current choices and what people infer from task difficulty. Contextual cues influence interpretations of task difficulty. Oyserman presents evidence that these interpretations are highly malleable—and are, in part, culture-and social identity-bound. Interpretation of difficulty affects students' possible selves and academic performance, as shown in experiments with college students and children in high poverty contexts. Prof Oyserman offers an integrative process model and highlights implications for intervention. photo by sean macentee


This presentation focuses on the calculation for small vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) for an urban application. The fixed-pitch straight - bladed vertical axis wind turbine (SB-VAWT) is one of the simplest types of wind turbine and accepts wind from any angle (no yaw system). This turbine is useful for moderate wind speeds (3 - 6 m/s). A case study is presented based upon the use of well documented symmetrical NACA 0012 turbine blade profile. We describe a solution for VAWT. To perform a linear static analysis in the structure, the commercial finite element analysis code ANSYS is used because of its flexibility for handling information in files written in a more or less free format.


Background People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have higher risk of low bone mineral density (BMD) and fragility fracture than general population. The aim of our retrospective study was to explore if HIV specific Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) Index and its specific components could help identify patients at risk for low BMD.

METHODS
195 HIV-infected patients with DXA scan between 2007 - 2014 were included and DXA scan results were used to classify patients with osteopenia. VACS Index was calculated for all patients using laboratory values closest to the date of DXA scan. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between VACS Index score or individual components of VACS Index with the presence of low BMD after adjusting for confounding variables.

RESULTS
109 (56%) patients were diagnosed with low BMD. VACS Index score was significantly associated with low BMD, with the odds of low BMD increasing 1.21 times for each 10 unit increase in VACS Index score (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03, 1.42; p=0.02). The two groups differed significantly on patient weights, proportion of white patients and Hepatitis C co-infected patients. After adjusting for white race and weight, Hepatitis C coinfection was significantly associated with increased risk of low BMD (OR, 24.4; 95% CI, 7.45-80.16).

CONCLUSION
VACS Index score, previously demonstrated to be a marker of frailty in HIV infected patients; is significantly associated with risk of low BMD and could be used to develop a prediction tool to screen for low BMD in resource limited setting where DXA scans are not easily available.


In this thesis we investigate a sequence of important inverse problems associated with the bio-heat transient flow equation which models the heat transfer within the human body. Given the physical importance of the blood perfusion coefficient that appears in the bio-heat equation, attention is focused on the inverse problems concerning the accurate recovery of this information when exact and noisy measurements are considered in terms of the mass, flux, or temperature, which we sampled over the specific regions of the media under investigation. Five different cases are considered for the retrieval of the perfusion coefficient, namely when this parameter is assumed to be either constant, or dependent on time, space, temperature, or on both space and time. Theanalytica:l and numerical techniques that arc used to investigate the existence and uniqueness of the solution for this inverse coefficient identification are embedded in an extensiveu computational approach for the retrieval of the perfusion coefficient. Boundary integral methods, for the constant and the time-dependent cases, or Crank-Nicolson-type global schemes or local methods based on solutions of the first-kind integral equations, in the space, temperature, or space and time cases, are used in conjunction either with Gaussian mollification or with Tikhonov regularization methods, which arc coupled with optimization techniques. Analytically, a number of uniqueness and existence criteria and structural results are formulated and proved.


Instagram social media, aside from being a communication tool, can also be used as a means of showing the existence of the users. Instagram is a photo and video sharing application, users can also apply digital filters and disseminate to various social media. In the facilities for uploading photos and videos, users can make impression management by selecting and manipulating photos and videos and the captions to be uploaded. The formulation of the problem contained in this study is how the impression management strategy of Instagram social media users on members of Solo Hijabers. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method, while the technique of collecting data uses interviews and observations of the informant's Instagram account. The subjects in this study were four members of the Solo Hijabers community who were actively using Instagram. The results of the study show that the impression management carried out by members of Solo Hijabers on Instagram is using strategy ingratiation, exemplification, supplication and self-promotion.


A monumental Inca building at 410 Calle Hatunrumiyoc, Cusco, Peru ranks among the old Inca capital's best-preserved precontact structures. It is also perhaps its most famous, thanks to a large block set midway along the building's northwestern face, la Piedra de Doce Angulos (the Stone of Twelve Angles). Artists, aesthetes, and travelers continue to muse on the kind of architecture the Stone of the Twelve Angles exemplifies: "rocky petals," mused Pablo Neruda;1 "an enigma in stone," scribbled the young Che Guevara.2 Rendered liquid abstraction in the photography of Martin Chambi, its likeness announced the advent of modernist abstraction in Peru (fig. 1).3 The object is an old standard among cartes de visite sold in


Objective:To compare the efficacy between preoperative and postoperative docetaxel-based adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced gastric cancer(LAGC).Methods:From February 2011 to February 2012,72 patients definitely diagnosed with LAGC were randomized into observational group and control group.Patients in observational group underwent preoperative chemotherapy,while those in control group were subjected to postoperative chemotherapy.Patients in both groups were followed up for 12 months after treatment,and the cycles of chemotherapy,surgical resection rate and pathological remission rate,as well as the incidence of adverse reactions and complications between the two groups were compared.Results:In total,189 cycles of chemotherapy were performed forthe two groups,in which observational group accounted for 62.43%(118/189),and control group accounted for 37.57%(71/189);one cycle chemotherapy administration accounted for 4.24%(5/118) in observational group,which was 22.54%(16/71) in control group,and all differences were statistically significant(both P0.05).The complete response rate was 27.78%(10/36) and partial response rate was 63.89%(23/36) in observational group,which was 8.33%(3/36) and38.89%(14/36) respectively in control group,and the differences were statistically significant(both P0.05).The difference in surgical resection rate and lymph node removal between the two groups showed no statistical significance(both P0.05).The incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower in observational group than that in control group(P0.05),while the incidence of complications and re-operation between the two groups had no statistical significance(both P0.05).Conclusion:Preoperative docetaxel-based adjuvant chemotherapy can significantly improve the therapeutic efficacy for LAGC patients,improve the tolerance of patients to chemotherapy,and reduce adverse reactions.


A ReNeW research thrust on non-axisymmetric plasma shaping could (1) provide the knowledge required to circumvent fundamental constraints of axisymmetric plasmas and (2) exploit strengths of the U.S program to provide world leadership in an area that may be required to go from ITER to a demonstration of fusion power (DEMO). The potential benefits are enormous, but the costs are consistent with the size of the existing U.S. fusion program. No device can be precisely axisymmetric, so knowledge of the effects of non-axisymmetric shaping is required. The issue is the optimal level and type of shaping.


Nonlinear effects in cavities and microresonators attract nowadays considerable attention, mainly because they allow generation of equidistant optical frequency combs [1] that are desirable for a number of applications in diverse areas of science. In proper regime, phases of different comb lines may be synchronized leading to formation of stationary soliton states moving along the microresonator. Such bright microresonator solitons were observed in [2]. Microresonators possess intrinsic losses, hence external pump (forcing) is required to maintain essentially dissipative solitons in such systems. In all previous studies the pump was assumed to be uniformly distributed across microresonator, while in practice it is spatially localized (as well as losses that may be locally enhanced around contact region with external wire providing pump). In this presentation we consider modulational instability and formation of solitons in microresonators with localized pump and losses, that drastically enrich the spectrum of resonances and may lead to coexistence of solitons with different amplitudes in the strong driving limit.


We give a proof of the Thom-Sebastiani type theorem for holonomic filtered $D$-modules satisfying certain good conditions (including Hodge modules) by using algebraic partial microlocalization. By a well-known relation between multiplier ideals and $V$-filtrations of Kashiwara and Malgrange, the argument in the proof implies also a Thom-Sebastiani type theorem for multiplier ideals, which cannot be deduced from a already known proof of the Thom-Sebastiani theorem for mixed Hodge modules (since the latter gives only the information of graded pieces of multiplier ideals). We also sketch a more elementary proof of the Thom-Sebastiani type theorem for multiplier ideals (as communicated to us by M.~Musta\c{t}\v{a}), which seems to be known to specialists, although it does not seem to be stated explicitly in the literature.


The invention provides an electric wheelchair which consists of a chair body; at least one assist device having two driving wheels which are respectively mounted on two ends of a rotary arm of the assist device and have power, the assist device being mounted on one side of the chair body and pivoted to a support leg of the chair body by using a sliding pair; and at least one support device including a manipulator and a driving element, the manipulator being formed by pivoting two rod members on one pivoted shaft, the support device being mounted on the lower side of the chair body by using the driving element. The electric wheelchair of the invention is stable when climbing stair at the control of simple control system, thereby improving the safety greatly, enabling more people in need can have better available assistive devices.


Introduction: In the sections that follow, there will be a progression from a historical perspective, to current methodology, and finally to the newest research at the Energy Information Administration (EIA), in the Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels (CNEAF). This work has primarily been in the electric power surveys arena. Prior to the late 1980s, CNEAF had done no sampling, and apparently no imputation other than to substitute a response by the same establishment for a prior period. The primary function in the electric power area had been to track data for certain key utilities. Sampling began with an attempt to estimate for sales of electricity and associated revenue for the universe of utilities. A stratified random sample, with a certainty stratum for the largest respondents by State, was developed at the national level, for revenue per kilowatthour. Auxiliary data were not used for model-assisted inference. However, a ratio model was applied to State level sales by economic end-use sector. There were no variance calculations made for these State level models. Also, it was decided not to estimate revenue. However, this was a start. By late 1988 the author was involved and developed a comprehensive model-assisted, design-based approach and instituted a common identification system between the monthly sales and revenue sample and the corresponding annual census, so that auxiliary data could be more easily applied with fewer processing problems. By 1990, after a seminar by Nancy Kirkendall and others, Kirkendall, et.al. (1990), the author explored the use of regression modeling, and a number of applications to various CNEAF reported data elements have arisen since. In particular, regression imputation, when feasible, has the advantage over other forms of imputation of having an estimate of accuracy, the variance of the prediction error, readily available. Below are some details regarding developments from 1989 to the present. The author's opinions are his own and not EIA policy unless designated by other documents. An expanded version of this paper has been published in the on-line journal, InterStat (Knaub(2002)).


The life of Sir Thomas More makes us realize how perennial these issues are. More confronted them when King Henry VIII demanded that he accept the Act of Succession, repudiate papal supremacy over the Church of England, and swear loyalty to Henry. In the course of this talk I shall try to make clear that it would be misleading to say More refused to obey a person having lawful authority. However, I will not primarily discuss More's problems. Nor can I, in the brief time available, provide a philosophically satisfactory and detailed discussion of the whole issue. Rather than present a detailed argument on a small aspect of it, I shall provide a thumbnail sketch of a general approach.'


Bagiya et al. (2014) [1] critically evaluated the L-band scintillation forecast method proposed by Sridharan et al. (2012) [2] using the special campaign mode observations from Trivandrum (8.5N, 76.91E, dip latitude 0.5N). To minimize the uncertainties due to moving satellite platform (TEC & S4 observations from GPS satellites), they used fluctuating component of the foF2 from the ground based ionosonde(76.9E) to represent the electron density perturbations and ionospheric scintillation at L1 from the geostationary satellite GSAT-8(75.46E). To correlate the scintillation over the GSAT IPP (ionospheric piercing point) to the forecast perturbations over the ionosonde, the required zonal velocity of the perturbations was estimated using GSAT and GPS scintillation data during one of the close-by GPS passes and taken to represent the particular solar epoch and season. By adopting the above changes, it has been noted that the forecasting capability of L-band scintillation has remarkably improved vindicating the role of perturbations in the evolution of the scintillation. The non-occurrence of scintillations on some occasions is understood in terms of background ionospheric/thermospheric conditions. A threshold upward velocity for the evening F-region as early as 1730-1830 h, has been worked out to be 5 ms for the ESF to get triggered. Since it is known that the electron density perturbations travel eastward and when the integrity of wave train of the perturbations is retained, any particular feature that passes over Trivandrum would have crossed over another location west of Trivandrum at an earlier time dictated only by the zonal velocity. With this, it is fairly reasonable to generate the probable spatial pattern and guess the temporal evolution of L-band scintillation. The prediction on the total duration has been derived on the prevailing good correlation between the total duration of scintillation and the base height of the F-region (h'F) at 1930 LT and this has been explained in terms of the favourable background neutral atmospheric conditions. Following Bagiya et al. (2013)[3], the relation between h'F at 1930 LT and the probable maximum latitudinal extent of the scintillation has enabled specification of the upper limit for the latitude region that is likely to be affected by the scintillation. It is believed that the presented results hold enough potential to generate reliable temporalspatial L-band scintillation forecast maps and provide the necessary alerts to the satellite based air navigation users.


Having a shut-off valve to prevent backflow and malodor sewage, discloses a lid for covering the sewer or culvert. Bearing valve having a weight is assembled to the frame, the portion for preventing the malfunction of the valve is provided, a lid for protecting the bearing of the valve is assembled to the frame. Therefore, sewer or culvert is covered in order to provide a comfortable and hygienic environment. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the inflow of light and a large volume garbage, can be easily cleaned at low cost, it is possible to improve the aesthetics of the drainage grooves and ditches.


INTRODUCTION In India, the extant of cocoon crop loss due to the silkworm diseases is nearly 40% (Sahay et al., 2000). As there are no curative measures in silkworm rearing for the control of silkworm disease, different preventive methods using chemical disinfectants are practiced (Singh et al., 2002, 2005). Thangavelu et al. (1995) used various chemicals as disinfectants for the control of different diseases in tasar silkworm. Bhattacharaya et al. (1995), Datta et al. (1998) and Samson et al., (1998) Patil and Shardamma (1999) used chemicals based body and rearing seat disinfectants like Labex, Sanjeevani, Vijetha, Resham Jyoti for management of diseases in mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori. Phenolic compound (Henga, 1977), Sodium hypochlorite and formalin (Vail et al, 1968) and formalin (Ignoff and Garcia, 1968) against several pathogens. Various disinfectants viz. formalin (Kagawa, 1980), Asiphore (Venkata Reddy et al, 1990), Chlorinated lime and hydrochloric acid (Miyajima, 1979), Chlorine dioxide (Balavenkatasubbaiah et al., 1999) were tested against silkworm pathogens. Baig et al., (1989) formulated a mixture of paraformaldehyde, benzoic acid and lime as a bed disinfectant against Nuclear polyhedrosis of mulberry silkworm. Bansal et al. (1996) tested Asiphore and sodium hypochlorit against virosis in tasar silkworm. T.K.O and Jeevan Suraksha are developed by CTR&TI is only confined to containment of bacteriosis and virosis diseases.


The sub-linear expectation space is a nonlinear expectation space having advantages of modelling the uncertainty of probability and distribution. In the sub-linear expectation space, we use capacity and sub-linear expectation to replace probability and expectation of classical probability theory. In this paper, the method of selecting subsequence is used to prove Marcinkiewicz type strong law of large numbers under sub-linear expectation space. This result is a natural extension of the classical Marcinkiewicz's strong law of large numbers to the case where the expectation is nonadditive. In addition, this paper also gives a theorem about convergence of a random series.


Characterization accuracy of high-Q reactors due to measurement uncertainties is analyzed in this paper. Two broadband techniques based on reflection and transmission type measurements are considered. A differential calculus combined with an equivalent circuit representation of the measurement error are used here to derive simple analytic formulas. It is shown that the accuracy of calibrated VNA is insufficient to obtain accurate loss data. A measurement procedure is proposed that improves the accuracy of loss measurement. A measurement example is given demonstrating the utility of the above approach


In order to improve the quality of products and deal with accidents of crack and split of deformed steel bar,this paper analyzed the process of steel metallurgy systematically.The chemical composition of split of deformed steel bar was analyzed by spectrum analyzer.The histological structure of split of deformed steel bar and type,quantity,size,composition and distribution of nonmetallic inclusions presenting in the split of deformed steel bar was analyzed.The source of nonmetallic inclusions in present process was investigated.The result showed that the crack and split of deformed steel bar was caused by the nonmetallic inclusion which was composed of CaO-SIO2-Al2O3 system caused by both removing oxygen from produce steel and corrosion of refractory.


Abstract Biological populations under stress often face certain extinction unless they adapt toward unfavorable circumstances. In some scenarios such adaptation can assume the form of mutations within the genome of the population (e.g., cancer cells resisting chemotherapy, viruses developing resistance toward a vaccine), while in other scenarios adaptation can be in the form of movement toward some physical location (e.g., spreading of cancer cells to parts of the organism unaffected by treatment, animal populations fleeing polluted areas or areas struck by disaster). Regardless of the particular situation, it is often the case that cells/individuals with different levels of adaptation (which we may group into types) emerge among the cells/individuals of a stressed population. We propose a decomposable multi-type Sevastyanov branching process (possibly with multiple supercritical types) for modeling relevant aspects of the dynamics of such populations. The branching process developed within this paper is a generalization of the decomposable multi-type age-dependent branching process with a single supercritical type considered in Slavtchova-Bojkova and Vitanov. With respect to Slavtchova-Bojkova and Vitanov, we introduce additional, possibly supercritical, types into the interaction scheme between types, further, we incorporate possible dependence of the reproductive capabilities of cells/individuals from their age. We obtain a system of integral equations for the probability generating function of the new process and accordingly expand previous results from Slavtchova-Bojkova and Vitanov concerning probabilities of extinction, number of occurred mutations, waiting time to escape mutant, and immediate risk of escaping extinction. We also provide a general numerical scheme for calculating obtained systems of integral equations.


The novels fabrication process of thick-film lead free piezoelectric ceramics which consists of barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ), borosilicate, terpineol, silver/palladium (Ag/Pd), and alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) substrate. The BaTiO 3 thick-films piezoelectric are prepared by the screen printing process, where the method promising the simplest way to fabricate the piezoelectric devices. However, the homogeneity of the piezoceramic paste is most crucial parts. It requires the good viscosity for the paste inks to reach the mesh. With this goals in mind, we investigated the suitable ratio for the composition of lead-free piezoelectric ceramic. The lead free piezoelectric materials are deposited on the non-electro-active substrate according to the geometry pattern design. Ag/Pd is deposited as the lower electrode onto rigid Al 2 O 3 substrate; this is followed by multiple prints of piezoelectric layers onto the lower electrode. The upper electrode similar to the lower electrode is deposited onto the piezoelectric film. The thick-films containing 50wt.% BaTiO 3 , 10wt.% borosilicate, and 20wt.% terpineol are demonstated the optimal piezoelectric properties with the maximum charge coefficient of 17 pC/N. The configuration of the unimorph lead free piezoelectric ceramic structures are investigated. The piezoelectric charge coefficient, d 33 meter and SEM are used to measure and observe the performance and the film quality respectively. The results show that the thick-film piezoelectric ceramic prepared by the screen printing method have good piezoelectric properties and can be suitable used for non-invasive applications of the sensor devices.


High-resolution differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments have been conducted on large unilamellar vesicles (LUV{close_quote}s) of the phospholipid dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in excess water. The DSC results indicate a phase transition at temperatures corresponding to the gel (L{sub {beta}{sup {prime}}}) to ripple (P{sub {beta}{sup {prime}}}) phase transition seen in multilamellar vesicles of DPPC while the SANS experiments provide direct evidence for the formation of the P{sub {beta}{sup {prime}}} phase in these systems. In addition, it is shown that SANS is an effective technique for extracting structural parameters such as vesicle radius and thickness in LUV model membrane systems. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}


Cleidocranial dysostosis is an uncommon condition characterized by ossification disturbance of the clavicles and skull, oral and dental anomalies, together with hereditary characteristics. It is described in foreign countries where more than 600 cases have been presented, out of which a number of familial occurrences have been reported. However, relatively few familial cases have been reported in Japan.We report here an experience with cleidocranial dysostosis observed in mother and child. A 39-year-old woman visited this hospital complaining of an oppressive pain on the gingiva at the region of|23. An orthopantomogram showed 16 impacted teeth including 5 supernumerary teeth in the jaws. Further examinations revealed incomplete ossification of the cranial sutures, hypoplasia of facial bones, mandibular prognathism, high palatal vault, partial defect of the clavicles, and other findings. From the family history it was found that the second of two sons, a 10-year-old boy, had a delayed dentition of the permanent teeth. Radiographic and physical examinations of him disclosed open fontanel and incomplete ossification of the cranial sutures, delayed eruption of the permanent teeth, total defect of the right clavicle and partial defect of the left one, hypoplastic development of the pelvis, and some other findings.Additionally, discussions on clinical features with a reference to familial occurrences of this condition based on Japanese literature were made and the results are as follows:1) Therewas much variety of such characteristic findings as hypoplasia of the skull and clavicles and oral anomalies between the cases which suggested that many incomplete forms of this condition exist.2) 153 cases of cleidocranial dysostosis were reported in Japan, 50 (32. 7%) of which were cases observed in a parent and child were in 25 families. From considerations of existence of incomplete forms and occurrences in siblings, however, further investigations of the patient's family might disclose more familial occurrences.


Forest and grass ecosystem plays a very important role in converting agricultural lands to forest. This paper makes a preliminary study on grassland and dynamics of nutrient elements about three different forest-grassland pattern around the Sichuan Basin. In order to know about essence of forest and grassland ecosystem and provided theory for forest mixed with grassland.


A constitutive model with a single yield surface has been developed for the behavior of frictional materials, such as clay, sand, concrete, and rock. The model is based on concepts from elasticity and plasticity theories. In addition to Hooke's law for the elastic behavior, the framework for the plastic behavior consists of a failure criterion, a nonassociated flow rule, a yield criterion that describes contours of equal plastic work, and a work‐hardening/softening law. The functions that describe these components are all expressed in terms of stress invariants. The model incorporates eleven parameters for normally consolidated clay that can be determined from simple experiments, such as isotropic compression and consolidated‐undrained triaxial compression tests. A study of the three‐dimensional behavior of remolded, normally consolidated clay has served as a basis for evaluating the capabilities of the model. Overall acceptable predictions are produced for the normally consolidated clay.


Establishing an enduring constitution is a daunting task, particularly outside western Europe and North America. While in some societies, politicians willingly limit their future powers by defining constraints to their actions in a written agreement, in other societies, the challenge is quite the opposite; we observe constant negotiation regarding what the shape of the political system will be. This Article explores the political dynamics responsible for transforming the rules of constitutional reform in a political system. Theory tells us that political actors are willing to create and follow rules because they want to reduce transaction costs and decrease uncertainty about any given outcome. Theoretically, politicians should be willing to abdicate full sovereignty as they consider how long-term planning would promote national stability. Moreover, political actors may fear the permanent effect of unwise decisions. According to Elster, constitutions serve two goals: protecting individual rights, and putting limits on majority decisions in order to avoid certain changes. This is why constitutions explicitly make changes highly difficult, even defining some realms as unconstitutional. In a democratic context, constitutionalism should solve the tension between popular participation (the rule of the majority) and political uncertainty. Theoretically, constitutions protect citizens from "particularism and myopia which can easily result from unchecked popular rule." As


We estimate the observed distribution of chirp masses of compact object binaries for gravitational-wave detectors. The stellar binary evolution is modeled using the StarTrack population synthesis code. The distribution of the predicted "observed" chirp masses varies with the variation of the different parameters describing stellar binary evolution. We estimate the sensitivity of the observed distribution to the variation of these parameters, and we show which of the parameters can be constrained after observing 20, 100, and 500 compact object mergers. As a general feature of all our models, we find that the population of observed binaries is dominated by the double black hole mergers.


Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at X-b and (9.3 GHz) is used as the tool of optimalization of storage of thermally sterilized aminoglycoside anti bio ic – streptomycin. Thermal sterilization at dif ferent conditions was performed according to the norms. Changes in fr ee radicals system of this drug during storage afte r st rilization were detected. Lineshape analysis and microwave sat uration of EPR spectra were done. Free radical conc entrations were determined. Microwave saturation EPR analysis is proposed as useful method to determine the best conditions of storage of sterilized drugs.


Detailed hydodynamic measurements have been obtained for fully cylindrical spout-fluid beds of 1.3 mm, 1.8 mm and 2.5 mm glass beads in a fully cylindrical column of diameter 152 mm using three different types of optical fibre probes. The reallocation of up to 43% of the air to auxiliary air introduced through the conical base caused some decrease in spout voidages, but remarkably little change in spout diameter compared with spouted beds where there was no auxiliary air addition. Auxiliary air led also to some decrease in particle velocities in the spout and to a modest decrease in the net solids circulation rate.


Abstract A general procedure for the analysis of thin, curved gas cavities has been developed by the authors [1,2], valid for cases where the thickness of the cavity is small compared to the shortest wavelength of interest. Also, the analysis of gas pulsations in multi-cylinder compressor manifolds was demonstrated by the authors [3] as a practical application example. In this study, a line impedance method is proposed for the analysis of composite acoustic systems which consist of two different thin gas cavities which share a common line-like boundary. Line impedances are formulated, in analogy to line receptances in structural analysis, from the pressure responses of thin, curved or flat cavities to a line volume flow rate inputs which are distributed harmonically along the interface of the two subsystems. The composite system frequency equation is derived and then solved for the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the combined acoustic system. Several cases including two rectangular boxes joined together, two cylindrical thin cavities joined together and a circular disk box attached to a cylindrical cavity, which represents a model for a refrigeration compressor manifold, are investigated. Certain results obtained from the line impedance method and finite element method calculations are compared and show satisfactory agreement.


The protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) has been a contentious issue for more than 20 years. Industrialized nations have moved to knowledge-based economies, and simultaneously, trade barriers have fallen, making intellectual property (IP) vulnerable. Adding to this vulnerability are conflicting international institutional environments, belief systems, and economic realities. The debate over IPR protection has become a significant global trade issue pitting the net-technology producing "North" against the net-technology consuming "South." With this in mind, there has been much debate about the impact of alternative IPR regimes (tight or loose) on the welfare of Southern economies. Policy makers, in both the South and the North, search for arguments to convince recalcitrant Southern countries to follow the Northern model of strict IPR regimes. The South, faced with a dilemma, searches for arguments to justify looser regimes or convince its populace that tighter regimes are in the best interest of the nation. The objective of this research is to add empirical clarity about the welfare impacts of weak IPR on the firm and host country. To this end, we employ a novel methodological design and unique context. The research design is deductive, in that we use the empirical setting of Pioneer-Argentina, S.A., a seller of bioengineered agricultural seeds, to test the existing theory of weak IPR impacts in a North-South context. Copyright 2006 International Association of Agricultural Economists.


The sudden onset of symptomatic hemorrhoid disease in a 43 year old man heralded infrarenal aortic thrombosis after a minor fall. He developed a classic Leriche Syndrome and required aortic thrombectomy and aorto-bifemoral grafting. The unusual presentation is explained by the collateral circulation and arteriograms demonstrating this point are presented. It was felt that the pres ence of pre-existing sub-occlusive iliac disease predisposed this patient to aortic thrombosis and a successful outcome followed surgical treatment.