Given their crucial role for a society and economy, an essential component of critical infrastructures is the Bad State Estimator (BSE), responsible for detecting malfunctions affecting elements of the physical infrastructure. In the past, the BSE has been conceived to mainly cope with accidental faults, under assumptions characterizing their occurrence. However, evolution of the addressed systems category consisting in pervasiveness of ICT-based control towards increasing smartness, paired with the openness of the operational environment, contributed to expose critical infrastructures to intentional attacks, e.g. exploited through False Data Injection (FDI). In the flow of studies focusing on enhancements of the traditional BSE to account for FDI attacks, this paper proposes a new solution that introduces randomness elements in the diagnosis process, to improve detection abilities and mitigate potentially catastrophic common-mode errors. Differently from existing alternatives, the strength of this new technique is that it does not require any additional components or alternative source of information with respect to the classic BSE. Numerical experiments conducted on two IEEE transmission grid tests, taken as representative use cases, show the applicability and benefits of the new solution.


igh Quality Content ! The Agony in the Garden refers to the events in the life of Jesus between the Last Supper and Jesus' arrest. Jesus' struggle praying and discussing with God, before accepting his sacrifice, before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane also denotes a state of mind - agony. The Agony in the Garden is the first Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary and the Second Station of the Scriptural Way of The Cross. The Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for the sufferings of Jesus during His Agony and Passion. These Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ do not involve a petition for a living or dead beneficiary, but aim to repair the sins against Jesus. Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of 1854, and published by the Holy See in 1898) which also includes prayers as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.


Background :  Barley yellow dwarf in wheat is an important viral disease among wheat cultivating areas of the world. It is gradually progressing as a major threat to wheat crop in Pakistan due to availability of favorable environmental conditions. The use of resistant cultivar is environmentally safest method for disease control so, it is necessary to develop resistant cultivars before epidemic outbreaks. Methods:  The most commonly used wheat variety Inqilab91 was crossed with  BYDV / CYDV resistant variety TC14. F1 generation obtained from the P1 cross was then allowed to self-cross. 61 plants were selected from F2 generation on THE BASIS OF  disease tolerance or susceptibility and only tolerant plants were included for further experiments in the study. The presence of BDV2 among F2 generation was confirmed by sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers in 6 (91, 96, 110, 119, 121 and 131) out of 61 genotypes which were then backcrossed with recurrent parent. Advance analysis regarding the presence of resistance source among the selected F2 generation was carried out using ELISA. Moreover, appearance of symptoms, agronomic values for different parameters, green house and field responses were also kept under consideration to characterize and confirm the presence of BDV2 among plants. Results:  Results indicated that majority of F2 segregating population showed less yellowing, low viral titer and good agronomic values. ELISA value, glasshouse and field analysis showed that seven genotypes (30, 81, 89, 91,101,110 and 121) were resistant, and twenty-four genotypes were found moderately resistant. Tolerance was detected in genotypes 31, 47, 48, 50, 52, 56, 57, 60, 61, 94, 103, 106, 113, 115, 127, 140 and 413. Conclusion:  Wheat lines containing Bdv2 genes showed resistance in both field and glasshouse. These wheat germplasm could be used as a source of resistance in CDRP-NARC for the further development of resistant wheat varieties against  BYDV / CYDV .


1. On the VAL hierarchical clus tering probabilistic models Cluster analysis or classification concerns a set of multivariate methods and techniques for grouping data units (subjects, samples, subsets,…) or variables into clusters of similar elements. When we are dealing with data issued from psychology, education, economy and related areas we are often concerned with the classification of variables, searching for typologies or hierarchic typologies. Moreover in human sciences we frequently have to analyse and classify categorical data, either in an exploratory or in a confirmatory context. Exploratory analysis of such kind of data often has to be with extracting relevant (hidden) knowledge from large questionnaires and surveys, in the form of hierarchical structures, where non–homogenous data sometimes come out. Thus we need to develop and use robust and flexible classification methods and techniques. Furthermore we need to know about the quality or validity of the clustering results. In this paper we refer to hierarchical clustering probabilistic models for the classification of variables, based on the affinity coefficient (e.g. After the general presentation included in the present section we just point out some features and proprieties of the probabilistic cluster approach concerning the measurement of the relationships within a set of categorical variables, which appear to be rather relevant to make students and/or users think about, from our teaching and training experience. The affinity coefficient was earlier introduced in the inferential statistics context by the pioneer work of K. Matusita, started in 1955. The observed data can be represented in a bi-dimensional matrix, where rows describe data units and columns describe categorical variables (generalization to more complex data can be found for instance in Bock and Diday, 2000 and Bacelar-Nicolau, 2002). Empirical clustering models, are usually used to analyse such data, where one has in a first step to choose an appropriate proximity (similarity or dissimilarity) coefficient to measure the relationship between pairs of elements within the data set to classify, in a second step to define an aggregation criterion for merging similar clusters of elements and in a third step to use some way to assess the validity of the clustering results. However taking in account some natural reference hypothesis concerning the data knowledge may allow us to apply more appropriate probabilistic models: in a first step we compute normalized and/or (exactly or asymptotically) standardized similarity coefficients, in a second step we may apply probabilistic similarity coefficients that are measured …


Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of seasonal variation in temperature, irradiation, and soil moisture content on the photosynthetic rates of Opuntia ficus-indica and Stenocereus queretaroensis . The lowest values of positive daily net CO 2 uptake were recorded during the summer rainy season and the highest values during autumn and winter. These optimum values are likely to be the result of a prolonged period of CO 2 assimilation caused by decreased cloudiness, and high rates of nocturnal COassimilation due to moderate day/night air temperatures. In spring, when drought was exacerbated, daily net CO 2 uptake was negative for both O. ficus-indica and S. queretaroensis. Stem photosynthesis allowed both O. ficus-indica and S. queretaroensis to obtain carbon during the fall and winter, when soil water was at its lowest.


The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of two different forms of mental practice, combined with physical practice, upon the acquisition of a swimming skill, the kip. Twenty^-seven female college students enrolled in beginning swimming classes were the subjects in this experi ment. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: Group number one--the physical practice group, Group number two— the guided mental practice group, and Group number three--the non-guided mental practice group. Three AAU rated synchronized officials evaluated each of the subjects on the kip.. The judges scores were combined and the mean score of each subject was used in the one-way anal ysis of variance statistical procedure. The results of the one-way analysis of.variance test produced no significant differences between group number one, group number two, or group number three. Results of this test indicated that the use of either guided mental practice, physical practice, or non-guided mental practice was equally effective in the skill acquisition of the kip. The findings of this study led to the conclusion that for beginning swimmers, the use of guided mental practice as vii viii well as non-guided mental practice, when used in combination with physical practice,can be advantageously used in the acquisition of swimming skills, particularly the kip..


Christmas 2004 and I find myself transplanted from my home in Melbourne, Australia, to the chilly high desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the holidays. Here I find myself, by way of distraction, contemplating the work of American artist Jennyfer Stratman. In a strange way, my own temporary relocation brings with it a greater understanding of Stratman's work. Phoenix-born and Melbourne-based Stratman is a young artist whose life and work have adapted through migration. Her recent work, shown here, follows from earlier interests in botanical and biological forms. Initially using cast body parts and plant forms to translate personal comments about her environment, sexuality, and community, Stratman has developed a visual language that intimately communicates a unique perspective on common human experiences. In recent years, Stratman has brought into her work references to the migrant experience. After moving to Australia in 2001, she established studios in Melbourne and Phoenix, Arizona. The effort of transplanting and maintaining her artistic practice in both countries has been a struggle uniquely depicted in her work. Stratman's struggle in assimilating into her new environment resonates with American and Australian audiences because citizens of both countries are keenly aware of their own migrant histories. And, like a migrating bird, Stratman makes regular journeys from one country to the other, collecting influences and experiences along the way. Stratman has cited the intensely personal expressions of artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Ana Mendieta, and Frida Kahlo as influential in her own development. Certainly, she pours her own potent emotions into depictions of people lost, unable to communicate, or struggling to liberate themselves from earthly burdens. Stratman's main communicative method is empathy. Her figures are dynamically placed in their surroundings, attempting unification where they are blocked, striving for movement or extension where they are


Abstract We compared allometry and variation in the baculum (os penis), mandible, and humerus of the harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus . This species is presumed to have a promiscuous mating system in which choice of mate by females during intromission with different males is likely. The baculum is large and grows throughout life so may be an honest indicator of males» quality (size) or viability (age). We predicted that bacular size would exhibit stronger allometry relative to body size than mandibles or humeri. The baculum is less functionally (mechanically) constrained than mandibles or humeri so we also predicted it would be more variable, though less variable than sexually selected traits which do not function as honest indicators. Our sample ( N =67 seals) represented broad ranges of size and age (0–35 yr) so we compared variation using residuals from allometric regressions of skeletal measurements on body length. Bacular size was isometric to body length until approx 137 cm (when some seals enter puberty) in body length then was highly positively allometric; mandibular and humeral size were negatively allometric to body length throughout growth. Bacula were more variable than mandibles or humeri. Bacular size in large specimens (>137 cm in body length) was related strongly to body length and weakly to age. We interpret bacular size to be an uncheatable honest indicator of male quality and viability. High bacular variation conforms with theoretical predictions of females» asymmetrical choice of mate and choice of extremes, and may reflect corresponding anatomical variation among females. Some bacular variation may also result incidentally from positive allometry coupled with lifelong bacular growth, which can amplify early differences between reproductive and somatic growth, enabled by weak selection on bacular form in relation to function.


Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an efficient depressant for pyrite (FeS2) flotation. However, the depressing mechanism of H2O2 is not fully understood. In this paper, the depressing capacity of H2O2 for pyrite was examined by flotation tests. Results revealed that pyrite flotation could be inhibited by H2O2 at pH 6.4. The pyrite powder in H2O2 solution enhanced the release of O2 from H2O2. However, the O2 concentration in the solution was less than that of H2O2; thus, H2O2 is the major oxidant in the solution. Moreover, density functional theory calculations were performed to study the interactions between H2O2 and hydrated pyrite (100) surface. The H2O2 molecule tended to react with the pyrite surface to generate one S=O bond and an H2O molecule. The possible binding models of O2 molecules on the pyrite (100) surface were also studied for comparison. The O2 dissociation on the pyrite surface was more favorable than the adsorption of O2 as a whole. In addition, the orbital interaction in the S=O bond raised from the reaction of H2O2/O2 with the pyrite surface was also investigated by the density states analysis. These results provide some insights into the oxidizing effect of H2O2 in pyrite flotation.


Small overlap crash covers 48% of all road accidents every year and is being a most common form of accidents. Analysis of different test methods of NHTSA RMDB offset oblique, IIHS small overlap and car-car 25% small overlap is made. A mid-level sedan is chosen for the test of three kinds of offset impact. Through the comparative analysis of car body deformation, body motion state and dummy injury, differences among these tests are figured out. The causes of the differences are put forward: impact velocity, overlap rate and barrier material, etc. In this way, a reference guide is given for the improvement of car crash safety.


This work is devoted to a Generator-Coordinate-Method investigation of the 16B spectrum with an Extended Two-Cluster Model which includes many 15B+n channels. We find that the narrow peak above the 15B+n threshold seen in the experiments of Kalpachieva et al. and of Lecouey et al. can be assigned to a resonance. Several resonances are obtained near the 15B+n threshold, in particular a state which could be a possible candidate for the 16B ground state. Comparison with Shell Model calculations is performed.


The current development situation and production processes of PVC paste resins were introduced,and their development prospects were put forward.It was indicated that the production capacity of domestic PVC paste resins would release in the year 2012,high quality PVC paste resin products should be supplemented by imports,but the supply of common PVC paste resin products would exceed demand.


We present a qualitative analysis of chiral cosmological model (CCM) dynamics with two scalar fields in the spatially flat Friedman–Robertson–Walker Universe. The asymptotic behavior of chiral models is investigated based on the characteristics of the critical points of the selfinteraction potential and zeros of the metric components of the chiral space. The classification of critical points of CCMs is proposed. The role of zeros of the metric components of the chiral space in the asymptotic dynamics is analysed. It is shown that such zeros lead to new critical points of the corresponding dynamical systems. Examples of models with different types of zeros of metric components are represented.


In this paper, we investigate a second-order differential equation model. Multiplicity of solutions for the second-order differential equations with periodic boundary conditions are considered by variational methods and a three-critical-points theorem. To illustrate the main results, an example is given. This kind of problem arises in the study of many neural network, information systems phenomena. The proposed method in this paper can provide better results over other literatures.


It follows from fundamental acoustics that acoustic waves that have been reflected from boundaries or scatterers that are in relative motion in respect to the transmitter/receiver suffer propagation delays and time‐scale dilations. Physical and kinematic parameters of distributed, moving scatterers can be estimated using continuous wavelet transforms. For this reason and for the reason that wavelet transform techniques lead to effective modeling of time and space varying media by wideband spreading and scattering functions, continuous wavelet transforms are natural tools for detection and estimation of wideband acoustic signals that have propagated through complex multipath propagation and scattering channels. Wideband spreading functions and scattering functions can be used in model‐based environmentally adaptive signal processors. In remote sensing, wavelet transforms are effective for identification, parameter estimation, tracking, and systhesis of distributed acoustic scatterers. Other applications of...


The aim of this present paper is to introduce the concepts of Feebly generalized locally closed sets, fg-submaximal spaces and study their basic properties in bitopological spaces.


The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the effect of various levels of wheat straw in self-fed alfalfa rations on productivity of confined ewes. Rations containing up to 60% wheat straw with the balance alfalfa did not adversely affect production when fed during maintenance.


Continued device scaling is resulting in smaller devices that are increasingly vulnerable to errors from various sources, e.g., wear-out and high energy particle strikes. As this reliability threat grows, future shipped hardware will likely fail due to in-the-field hardware faults. A comprehensive reliability solution should detect the fault, diagnose the source of it, and recover the correct execution. Traditional redundancy-based reliability solutions that handle these faults are too expensive for mainstream computing. A promising approach is using software-level symptoms to detect hardware faults. Specifically, the SWAT project [11] has proposed a set of always-on monitors that perform such detections at very low cost. In the rare event of a fault, a more expensive diagnosis mechanism is invoked alongside a checkpoint/replay-based recovery procedure. Previous studies, however, were in the context of single-threaded applications on uniprocessors, and their applicability in multicore systems is unclear. This thesis provides detection and diagnosis mechanisms for hardware faults in multicore systems running multithreaded applications. For detection, we augmented the SWAT symptoms with multicore counterparts. These resulted in a high coverage of 98.8% for permanent faults, with a low 0.8% silent data corruption (SDC) rate. We also show that these symptoms are effective for transient faults. These results demonstrate the applicability of symptom-based detection for faults in multicore systems running multithreaded workloads. Permanent faults require a diagnosis mechanism, unlike transient faults. In multicore systems, a fault in a core may escape to a fault-free core, and the latter may result in a symptom. This makes permanent fault diagnosis a challenge. We propose a novel mechanism that identifies the faulty core, with near-zero performance overhead in the fault-free case. Our diagnosis mechanism replays the execution from each core on two other cores and compares the executions. A mismatch in the executions results in identification of the faulty core. Our results show that the proposed diagnosis technique successfully diagnoses 95.6% of the detected faults. We also show that 96% of those cases


Several papers have dealt with the physiology of germination of pteridophyte spores. Published data show that spores of the majority of fern spores are lightsensitive. They also germinate in a wide range of temperatures, from 1?C (Pteridium aquilinum) to 35?C in the case of Onoclea sensibilis (Miller, 1968). To our knowledge, no research has been published in Brazil on the physiology of ferns, with the exception of the germination of spores of Cyathea delgadii (Marcondes-Ferreira & Felippe, 1984). In this paper a study was made of germination of Trichipteris corcovadensis (Raddi) Copel. This species is a tree fern that occurs in the Serra do Mar area of Southern Brazil (Tryon, 1970), at elevations from 250 to 2100 meters (Barrington, 1978). A study of the spore morphology of several specimens was also carried out. Spore morphology of the species has been studied previously as Trichopteris corcovadensis (Kremp & Kawasaki, 1969; Erdtman & Sorsa, 1971).


Abstract A collocation method for Symm's integral equation on an interval (a first-kind integral equation with logarithmic kernel), in which the basis functions are Chebyshev polynomials multiplied by an appropriate singular function and the collocation points are Chebyshev points, is analysed. The novel feature lies in the analysis, which introduces Sobolev norms that respect the singularity structure of the exact solution at the ends of the interval. The rate of convergence is shown to be faster than any negative power of n, the degree of the polynomial space, if the driving term is smooth.


User system handheld PDA (110) application and handheld applications, software architecture and method / program (10), for implementing a collaborative and real-time meeting the physical remote wireless communications device. Advantageously, the program (10) to provide wireless collaborative meeting without significant changes in handheld applications. Handheld applications to update its internal state to mirror the state of the device other participants. Wireless coordination software for cooperative wireless data communication session bandwidth optimization method using a handheld applications have been adapted for performance and specifications of the handheld devices, the use of smaller packets of information communication, for providing end to end, end to end, and multiport to a common user interface and programmable machine application session, and the software allows the end user of such a conference scheduling activities, share and manage billing.


Much geospatial data is available on the web and in of f-line archives, but it is complex, heterogeneous, and incompatible. Common interfaces are the only way to enable overlays and combinations of complex and essentially different kinds of geographic information to happen automatically over the Internet. The OpenGIS Consortium (OGC) uses the term "Catalog" to describe the set of service interfaces that supports organization, discovery, and access of geospatial information. Catalog services help users or application software to find information located anywhere within a distributed computing environment. This paper presents our experience in a Java approach to build Catalog services guided by the OGC Catalog Services specification, and shows the advantages provided by the use of Java to support Catalog services on the Internet.


Purpose: Laser‐accelerated protons have a great potential for radiation therapy. This work investigates the dependency of the maximum proton energy on the laser pulse duration. The results will demonstrate the relative importance of the laser intensity and energy to the characteristics of laser accelerated protons.Method and Materials: Ti:Sa laser of 30 TW (2J, 30fs, 106 contrast ratio) was focalized on thick aluminum targets (20 microns) to generate polyenergetic proton beams with energies up to 4 MeV. The laser pulse duration was changed by increasing the distance between the two gratings (using a triplet offner compressor configuration) from 30 fs to 1.2 ps. The target thickness was chosen to avoid contrast ratio effect. Protons were detected using a real time detector (combination of Micro Channel Plate + scintillator + Photomultiplier tube). Particle in Cell (PIC) simulations were performed to confirm the experimental results. The laser energy was tuned by decreasing the pumping energy of the third amplifier stage. Results: Both experimental and PIC simulation results show that the maximal proton energy decreases from 4 to 2 MeV with the increasing pulse duration from 30 to 1200 fs. A decrease of a factor 40 on the laser intensity results in a decrease on the proton energy of just a factor of 2. Further experiments with the same pulse duration and variable laser energy show a clear decrease of the maximum proton energy with the laser energy. Conclusion: Our results indicate that under certain experimental conditions the laser pulse energy is a more important factor than the laser peak intensity. Small variations in laser intensity should not affect the proton maximum energy that is crucial to radiation therapy. Both the laser peak intensity and the pulse energy should be optimized to achieve therapeutic proton beams.


Presentation of the Richard Ellis Archive, depicting his life and photographic work. The importance of that personal archive to Maltese national history is enhanced by its almost unique characteristic, that of still being organized in accordance with the original order Richard Ellis imposed. This includes also all the complementary non-photographic documents that were generated by the photographer during his activities. The visual essay intends to present a brief panorama of Richard Ellis photographs and their original finding aids.


The paper deals with the concept of the alternative derivation of homogeneous position transformation matrix [T] from the point of view of vector mechanics of translation and rotation of base frame to body frame. A joint motion property vector {D} is defined. The{D}-vector and its time-derivatives are represented in matrix form. [D]-matrix and its time derivatives are used in deriving homogenous velocity transformation matrix and homogeneous acceleration transformation matrix. Jacobian and its time-derivatives are also derived. The method is found to be consistent with loop-closure-based approach and the results are consistent with the approach based on relative velocity and relative acceleration. The method has also been extended to jerk calculations. This investigation leads to a computationally efficient alternative method for forward kinematic analysis of serial mechanisms.


A review taxonomy of Hirudinidae, Poccilobdella, up to date, 8 speices of the genus are recorded in the world, they are: 1) Poecilobdella javanica (Wahlberg), 1856; 2) Poecilobdella manillensis Lesson, 1842; 3) Poecilobdella granulosa Savigny, 1820; 4) Poecilobdella viridis Moors, 1927; 5) Poecilobdella blanchardi (Moore, 1901); 6) Poecilobdella similes Moore, 1945; 7) Poecilobdella hubeiensis Yang, 1980; 8) Poecilobdella nanjingensis Yang, 1996. 6 species of the Poecilobdella are reported in China. One new species are described from Guangdong and Hainan Province China. The new species resembles Poecilobdella manillensis Lesson, 1842. but differs from the latter as follow.Table 1.Comparison of feature between Poecilobdella guangdongensis sp.nov and Poecilobdella manillensis.BHDFG2,WK11ZQ0,WK30ZQ,WKZQWPoecilobdella guangdongensis sp.novPoecilobdella manillensisStipesDorsum with a markedly center broad stripe of dark-brown; venter without stripe; lateral with four narrow black longatitued stripe, the between the two black, stripe of near to median and near to margins, there are dark dott. Margins with broad orange yellow stripe.Dorsum with a continuous obscure median dosal line of black; venter without stripes; margins with narrow yellow stripe.Colour of lffeDorsum olive or olive black rough; venter black greyDorsum grey green; venter grey or grey-yellowSizeLength 75-95mm, width 9-14mm Length 107-113mm, width 8.0-12.5Teeth number175(170-180)150(140-166)Vaginal stalkShort and roughNoCommon oviductCommon ovidut opening into vaginal caecum at the point of union vaginal caecum and vaginal duct Common oviduct and vaginal duct opening together directly into the female brusa Atrium Distinctly lees than epididymisAbout equaling in size epididymis Ejaculatory bulbVer smallVery largeFurrow on ventral surface of upper lipEight furrowOne median longitudinal furrow


More and more products rushed into international market with the development of global economy.The translation of brand is the key factor for products to occupy the international market.This paper argues that the cultural connotation is important for successful translation,and puts forward some principles and methods for brand translation.


In this forum piece, I explore the potential of listening as a performative act by focusing on the experiences and skills essential to the practice of DJing. I find the field of remix studies a fruitful arena to expand and explore the possibilities of music studies beyond the silos of contemporary musical analysis and scholarship.


This descriptive article discusses the development, delivery, and impact of the "Biography Project". The project is a research and teaching initiative focused on both enhancing the quality of life of older persons, and providing university students across diverse degree programs the opportunity to learn about and engage first-hand with the challenges that confront older adults living in residential aged care. In accounting for the project and its objectives, the article explores the Buddhist values that underpin the project's approach to teaching, and the important role of spirituality in training students to engage older people in telling the stories of their lives.


The elderly population is increasing rapidly in this country as in the whole world. Turkey's elderly population (aged 65 years and over) reached nearly 8 million as of the end of 2020, with the proportion of the elderly population in the total population being 9.5%. Chronic diseases and social and physical problems that occur with increasing age affect the nutritional status of the elderly and reduce their quality of life. *Correspondence Mrs. Gökcen DOĞAN Health Sciences Faculty, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Ankara University, Turkey E-mail: gökcen_iplikci@hotmail.com


Objectives: To characterize the impact of obesity on disease severity in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Design: This was a retrospective cohort study designed to evaluate the association between body mass index and risk of severe disease in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Data were abstracted from the electronic health record. The primary endpoint was a composite of intubation or death. Setting: Two hospitals in Massachusetts (one quaternary referral center and one affiliated community hospital). Patients: Consecutive patients hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 admitted between March 13, 2020, and April 3, 2020. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 305 patients were included in this study. We stratified patients by body mass index category: < 25 kg/m2 (54 patients, 18%), ≥ 25 kg/m2 to < 30 kg/m2 (124 patients, 41%), ≥ 30 kg/m2 to < 35 kg/m2 (58 patients, 19%), and ≥ 35 kg/m2 (69 patients, 23%). In total, 128 patients (42%) had a primary endpoint (119 patients [39%] were intubated and nine died [3%] without intubation). Sixty-five patients (51%) with body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 were intubated or died. Adjusted Cox models demonstrated that body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 was associated with a 2.3-fold increased risk of intubation or death (95% CI, 1.2–4.3) compared with individuals with body mass index less than 25 kg/m2. Diabetes was also independently associated with risk of intubation or death (hazard ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2–2.7). Fifty-six out of 127 patients (44%) with body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 had diabetes, and the combination of both diabetes and body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 was associated with a 4.5-fold increased risk of intubation or death (95% CI, 2.0–10.2) compared with patients without diabetes and body mass index less than 25 kg/m2. Conclusions: Among consecutive patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019, obesity was an independent risk factor for intubation or death.


Let k be a field. Denote by Spc(k)∗ the unstable, pointed motivic homotopy category and by RA 1 ΩGm : Spc(k)∗ → Spc(k)∗ the (A1-derived) Gm-loops functor. For a k-group G, denote by GrG the affine Grassmannian of G. If G is isotropic reductive, we provide a canonical motivic equivalence RA 1 ΩGmG ' GrG. We use this to compute the motive M(RA 1 ΩGmG) ∈ DM(k,Z[1/e]).


Technological and operational issues related to implementing a historical database to support the South Dakota Department of Transportation's current and future pavement management activities are addressed. Representative statewide historical transportation databases are examined for potential direct implementation by South Dakota, and a conceptual client-server relational database design that will provide the required flexibility, extensibility, and functionality is presented. The conceptual design addresses operational and design issues related to data integrity and consistency, provides desk-top microcomputer access to South Dakota's historical highway system information, and provides a basis for future extension to a truly distributed environment that integrates Geographic Information System and mapping databases, as well as highway imaging systems.


Acoustic emission generated during the uniaxial compression of brittle rocks were counted after band-pass filtering. Throughout the whole process from application of load to failure, the count rate monitored through a low pass window was compared statistically with the monitored through a high passs window. The emission rate monitored through a low pas window increases more rapidly than that monitored through a high pass window as rock approaches failure. Two possible explanations for this effect are (1) generation of larger cracks (or coalescence of cracks into larger sizes) and (2) the relative attenuation of higher-frequency wave components. This finding is consistent with past observations, i.e., the relative number of large-amplitude events increases (i.e., a decrease in b value) as rock approaches failure. We suggest that larger cracks tend to generate events with larger amplitudes and containing lower-frequency components. The frequency characteristics of acoustic emissions are used to characterize the microfracturing processes leading to failure. The beginning of a sequence of acoustic emission activity is discussed in relation to the stress-strain curve and the onset of dilatancy. The present observations may be utilized in understanding structural instability of a region where rockbursts or earthquakes can potentially occur. If a sizable microseismicmore » population is observed through sensors placed near the fault, then a potential exists for predicting major earthquakes.« less


Nowadays textile industry has undergone considerable changes because of growing requirements of consumers for more specified and sophisticated products. In the first place came natural fibers, which are characterized by their exceptional ecological properties. Special attention is paid for natural cellulose based fibres. Natural cellulose fibres are recognizable as being from a part of the original plant. Thus the natural cellulose-based peat fibres have now been gradually accepted by textile industry as an alternative to cotton or linen fibres. Peat fibre is constituent of sheathed cotton grass sedge Eriophorum vaginatum growing in bogs and bogy soils. The original vegetation – trees, bushes – gradually perish over the centuries and they become peat. Peat fibres are obtained from the surface of the bog as by-product of energy generation industry because the top layer for energy is not used. The fibres that the peat industry doesn't need can be spun into the yarns, woven or knitted into garments [1,2]. So, the peat fibres are a by-product (a waste product) of the peat harvesting industry and could be successfully used in the textile industry. GOAL of this study to develop knits from the new natural peat fibres and their combination with widely used woollen, cotton and elastomeric Lycra yarns and to investigate an influence of peat fibre nature on main physical properties such as air permeability, static water adsorption and also knits dimensional stability.


Thinning and rupture of a thin film of a power-law fluid on a solid substrate under the balance between destabilizing van der Waals pressure and stabilizing capillary pressure is analysed. In a power-law fluid, viscosity is not constant but is proportional to the deformation rate raised to the $n-1$ power, where $0<n\leqslant 1$ is the power-law exponent ( $n=1$ for a Newtonian fluid). In the first part of the paper, use is made of the slenderness of the film and the lubrication approximation is applied to the equations of motion to derive a spatially one-dimensional nonlinear evolution equation for film thickness. The variation with time remaining until rupture of the film thickness, the lateral length scale, fluid velocity and viscosity is determined analytically and confirmed by numerical simulations for both line rupture and point rupture. The self-similarity of the numerically computed film profiles in the vicinity of the location where the film thickness is a minimum is demonstrated by rescaling of the transient profiles with the scales deduced from theory. It is then shown that, in contrast to films of Newtonian fluids undergoing rupture for which inertia is always negligible, inertia can become important during thinning of films of power-law fluids in certain situations. The critical conditions for which inertia becomes important and the lubrication approximation is no longer valid are determined analytically. In the second part of the paper, thinning and rupture of thin films of power-law fluids in situations when inertia is important are simulated by solving numerically the spatially two-dimensional, transient Cauchy momentum and continuity equations. It is shown that as such films continue to thin, a change of scaling occurs from a regime in which van der Waals, capillary and viscous forces are important to one where the dominant balance of forces is between van der Waals, capillary and inertial forces while viscous force is negligible.


There are several reasons why one would choose not to study leprosy, and therein lies a particular misfortune for approximately 12,000,000 people of the world population who have Hansen's disease. The human leprosy bacillus is a "slow" bacterium with a generation time estimated to be no less than 12 to 13 days even in the logarithmic phase of growth.1 Growth of Mycobacterium leprae is so slow that it is often impossible to establish sources of infection or portals of entry since an average of three to four years may elapse between infection and the first manifestation of disease. The clinical . . .


Cucumissativus peel (CSP), was investigated as a new adsorbent for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solution under several varying conditions such as pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. Maximum metal sorption was found to occur at initial pH 5.0. The adsorption capacity of CSP was found to be 28.25mg/g for initial Pb(II) concentration of 25 mg/l at 25°C. The equilibrium data best fitted to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Batch adsorption models, based on the assumption of the pseudo first-order and pseudo second order mechanism were applied to examine the kinetics of the adsorption. The results showed that kinetic data were followed pseudo second- order model than the pseudo first-order equation. With no loss in the Pb(II) ion removal efficiency, CSP could be regenerated using 1M HNO3 during repeated sorption-desorption cycles and showed recovery of 93.5% for 25mg/l of Pb(II) ion concentration. Comprehensive characterization parameters using FTIR, and SEM were recorded before and after adsorption to explore the number and position of the functional groups available for Pb(II) binding onto adsorbent and changes in surface morphology of the adsorbent.


A developmental model of neural network is presented and evaluated in the game of Checkers. The network is developed using cartesian genetic programs (CGP) as genotypes. Two agents are provided with this network and allowed to co-evolve untill they start playing better. The network that occurs by running theses genetic programs has a highly dynamic morphology in which neurons grow, and die, and neurite branches together with synaptic connections form and change in response to situations encountered on the checkers board. The method has no board evaluation function, no explicit learning rules and no human expertise at playing checkers is used. The results show that, after a number of generations, by playing each other the agents begin to play much better and can easily beat agents that occur in earlier generations. Such learning abilities are encoded at a genetic level rather than at the phenotype level of neural connections.


Abstract: Purpose: This article aims to find out how the independent variable affects the dependent variable. Asset growth, liquidity, and profitability are independent variables; debt policy is the dependent variable. Method: The types and sources of data in this study are quantitative research, with data sources through the Indonesian Stock Exchange web. The data used in this study is the ratio of asset growth, liquidity, and profitability, with the determination of the sample using the porposive sampling method and produces 51 samples of construction and building sub-sector companies. The reason for using the construction and building sub-sector is because the company is overshadowed by a higher debt burden since 2018 plus the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis used in this study is multiple linear regression analysis using the software SPSS 26. Results: The result showed that indicate the asset growth and Profitability, liquidity, and variability all have a substantial negative impact for the policy of debt. Liquidity also has a significant positive impact on debt policy. Limitation: This research was only conducted at used only revolves around the building and construction that in 2018 until 2020, firms from the subsector should be registered on the Indonesia Stock Exchange Contributions: This exploration has contributed to the enrichment of aspects of the management accounting literature, especially in construction and building sub-sector companies. Keywords: 1. Asset Growth 2. Liquidity 3. Profitability and Debt Policy


The available data on well-studied areas of the Turan platform (as an example) are reviewed and analyzed to reveal the role of con-sedimentation and post-sedimentation tectonic movements in formation of dislocations of the sedimentary cover. At the background of the long-term (tens and hundreds of million years) quiet evolution of the territory under study, short-term intervals are distinguished, which duration amounts to the first millions of years (typically manifested in one or two stratigraphic layers); in such time intervals, tectonic movements were dramatically boosted and accompanied by land uplifting, sea regression, erosion of sediments accumulated earlier and manifestation of deformation processes. The paleotectonic reconstructions show that during such 'revolutionary' stages, large tectonic elements occurred along with local uplifts that added to their complexity. In the region under study, the Pre-Jurassic, Pre-Cretaceous (Late Okoma), Pre-Danish and the Pre-Middle Miocene gaps in sedimentation are studied in detail. It is shown that only during the above four periods of sedimentation gaps and accompanying erosion-denudation processes, the regional structures gained from 50 to 80% of their current amplitudes at the bottom of the cover, and the Pre-Danish and Pre-Middle Miocene washout periods were most important. Local uplift also developed impulsively and primarily due to the post-sedimentation movements. Cross-sections of anticlines studied in detail (Figures 1 to 3) are discussed as examples that clearly show the increase of erosional shearing of the sediments accumulated earlier towards domes of uplifts without any con-sedimentation decrease of their thicknesses. During these periods of the geologic history, regardless of their short duration, folded dislocation gained up to 65–90% of their current amplitudes. The periods of activation were separated by long relatively quiescent tectonic periods with the gradually slowing down growth of anticlines to complete cessation. Dislocations in other regions, such as the Azov Sea (Fig. 4), the Dnieper-Donets basin, Donbas, etc. were formed under a similar scenario. Impulsiveness of tectonic processes is well illustrated by events that recently took place at the Taman peninsula. In 2011, the sea bottom uplifted dramatically along the coastal line of the Azov Sea and formed a new land segment (Figures 5 to 8). The vertical movement amplitude amounted to minimum 5 metres. This new structure formation was due to a short-term renewal of growth of the Kamenny Cape. After the short-term activation of tectonic movements, the period of tectonic quiescence is in place, and the majority of the uplift has been destroyed by marine erosion. Impulsiveness of tectonic movements may be caused by the tangential stress that periodically puts an impact on the lithospheric plates. Horizontal tectonic movement and associated stresses can lead to both interplate and intraplate deformations.


Technical grade Warfarin (99.8%) carried in peanut oil was intragastrically adminiFtered
to adult female albino rats (R. norvegicus). Out of five dosages, 1,2,4,8 and 12 mg/kg
b. W., none of the rats succumbed to the first dosage, while other doses killed 25.0,
37.5,75.0 and 100% of the test rats respectively between 4-6 days. Those which did not
succumb within thit p~riod, gJt over tf}! poisonin~ eff~ct gradualy and the LDso and
LD90 values obtained w~re 5.6Z and 10, 11 mg/~g b.w. respectively. Among the survivors,
histopathological examinations conducted at the end of 4th week revealed
haemorrha~es'in orgaqs like liver, ki;i[u y. ovary, heart and adrenals but no significant
changes wer~ cliscernlble in the relative organ weights except for lungs & ovary.
The low L050 value and other r<lsults in1iclted that Warfarin apart from its chronic
toxicity does possess the potential of a single dose toxicant against rodents. With a
concentration of 0.05% in the bait and a restricted baiting period of 3-S days, the
problem of tolerance/r~sistance of rodent population to warfarin could be overcome
and thus warfarin could still be a useful and effective roden ticide in ,he years to come,
if it is judiciously used.


The purpose of this study was to obtain real contact areas, forces, and pressures acting on human dental enamel as a function of the nominal pressure during dental occlusal contact. The described development consisted of three steps: characterization of the surface roughness by 3D contact profilometry test, finite element analysis of micro responses for each pair of main asperities in contact, and homogenization of macro responses using an assumed probability density function. The inelastic deformation of enamel was considered, adjusting the stress-strain relationship of sound enamel to that obtained from instrumented indentation tests conducted with spherical tip. A mechanical part of the static friction coefficient was estimated as the ratio between tangential and normal components of the overall resistive force, resulting in μd = 0.057. Less than 1% of contact pairs reached the yield stress of enamel, indicating that the occlusal contact is essentially elastic. The micro-models indicated an average hardness of 6.25GPa, and the homogenized result for macroscopic interface was around 9GPa. Further refinements of the methodology and verification using experimental data can provide a better understanding of processes related to contact, friction and wear of human tooth enamel.


A disc-visible type disk drive apparatus is disclosed. The disk drive apparatus includes: a main body casing having a first slot provided at a first side surface to load a disc; a protection cover having a first cover provided on the first side surface of the main body casing, wherein the first cover covers a portion of the disc exposed outside the main body casing through the first slot and forms a passage through which the disc passes during loading and unloading; a disc detecting sensor disposed in the first cover which detects the disc; and a disc loading unit disposed in the main body casing and having a loading roller which is driven so as to load the disc if the disc is detected by the disc detecting sensor.


A television system for measuring vessel diameters using two imageintensifier- television chains is described. Measurements were made, using a plastic phantom into which holes of varying sizes had been drilled. These were filled with contrast medium. The ability of the system to detect the vessel edge is concentration-dependent, and dilution of contrast medium will result in greater error in small than in large vessels. There is also an apparent time dependency. Accurate diameter measurements were derived using a half diameter technique based on mathematical relationships between an established base line and the densitometric pulse.


Is an angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor an ACE inhibitor regardless of which of the numerous drug manufacturers, generic or branded, makes and markets the drug? Such a question may seem facile, but the answer is extremely important — for if it is Yes, it would be possible to prescribe


Vortex waves (VW) carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have azimuth localization property based on phase variation. A phased array (PA) with VW generating elements combine the properties of PA and the vortex array (VA) for angular localization of targets. We have also exploited VW Gaussian beam (GB) generating circular array (CA) in addition to the classical Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) type beams. A rigorous theory of OAM is outlined by the multipole expansion of the spherical vector wave functions (SVWF). Range localization using matched filtering based on SVWF azimuthal mode number (topological charge) is proposed. It is shown that this scheme can be also combined with intrapulse phase coding for a better pulse compression. Two dimensional (2D) angular localization method based on multiple topological charge transmit/receive (TX/RX) patterns is described.


Abstract Early March 2021, following its ratification of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA agreement), Nigeria's National Office of Trade launched a consultative process into issues constituting the country's priorities as it prepares to participate in the negotiation of the AfCFTA agreement's protocol on intellectual property rights (IPRs). We contributed a position paper to that process, with a focus on key policy considerations that should form Nigeria's negotiation priorities on IPRs. This article describes some of the most important points of our submission and concludes by stressing that the broad policy focus should be to champion initiatives that promote Nigeria's national interest and, at the same time, recognize and accommodate the ideals of inclusiveness, openness, and collaboration within the context of the AfCFTA. In this regard, the paper recommends that Nigeria should prioritize negotiations in recognition of her strongest economic assets in copyright-related sectors and focus on institutional capacity-building for its patent and technology transfer offices so that Nigeria can effectively take advantage of the relevant Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights flexibilities locally. Nigeria can learn from South Africa in domesticating the appropriate legal framework for benefit sharing and the general protection of traditional knowledge and genetic resources. The Swakopmund Protocol on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore 2010, the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants 2015, and the African Union model law for the protection of the rights of local communities, farmers, breeders, and for the regulation of access to biological resources offer relevant guidance.


In this study a hand held probe has been automated using a motorized stage and LabVIEW based control and acquisition system for in-vitro cervical precancer diagnosis. The stage movement is controlled by two motors for vertical and horizontal movement while a third motor is utilized for changing the polarization state. The data acquisition and storing was thus performed by moving the probe to a specific site, acquiring polarized fluorescence and elastic scattering signals and creating a user friendly graphical user interface(GUI) panel to suit our needs. Another GUI in MATLAB has also been developed for the real time analysis of data captured through the automatic acquisition system. Three windows were created inside the GUI to display calculated intrinsic fluorescence, for statistical analysis and classification. Principal component analysis was applied to extract the features and classification was done by Mahalanobis distance based algorithm. The classification results have been presented of different grades of cervical cancer


A mean-field density-functional model of three-phase equilibrium that has been much studied to illustrate quantitative properties of line tension is recalled here to address a question about the line analogue of the Gibbs adsorption equation. The local term in the model free-energy density is of the form F(ρ1, ρ2; b) where ρ1(r) and ρ2 (r) are two densities varying with location r in any plane perpendicular to the three-phase contact line and b is a single independently variable thermodynamic field (temperature or chemical potential). If what had at one time been thought to be the line analogue of the Gibbs adsorption equation had been correct, then in this model the rate of change dτ/db of the line tension τ with respect to b would have been the same as the limit as R → ∞ of the difference , where the integral is over the interior of the Neumann triangle whose sides are distant R from the chosen location of the contact line, da is the element of area in the integration and Σ is the sum of the three interfacial tensions. We see by explicit numerical calculation that this limiting difference is not dτ/db, thus illustrating that what used to be thought to be the line analogue of the Gibbs adsorption equation is incomplete, as recently surmised.


Techniques are described for Supply Chain Trust as a Service (SCTaaS). SCTaaS may provide trust and reputation scores for supply chain entities using trust management in a blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT). DETAILED DESCRIPTION Traceability and integrity are major challenges for the increasingly complex supply chains of today's world. Although blockchain technology has the potential to address these challenges by providing a tamper-proof audit trail of supply chain events and data associated with a product lifecycle, it does not solve the trust problem associated with the data itself. Reputation systems are an effective approach to solving this trust problem by allowing users to rate each other in online communities. However, current reputation systems are not suited for blockchain based supply chain applications as they are based on limited observations, lack granularity and automation, and have unexplored overhead. Accordingly, described herein are techniques for Supply Chain Trust as a Service (SCTaaS) as a multi-layered trust management framework which uses a consortium blockchain to track interactions among supply chain participants and to dynamically assign trust and reputation scores based on these interactions. This approach is based on the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) deployed on a fog infrastructure for a trust and reputation model provider in a multi-data owner and multi-service provider environment, where there is not necessarily any trust between these parties. DLT is a time-stamped series of immutable data records that can enhance existing supply chains with traceability, provenance techniques, ownership information, and anticounterfeiting measures. In DLT-based supply chains, events such as trade, ownership and location data are hashed and linked to DLT transactions. These transactions are grouped into blocks that are linked together with cryptographic hashes, making them immutable. 2 Manuel-Devadoss: SUPPLY CHAIN TRUST AS A SERVICE USING TRUST MANAGEMENT IN BLOCKCH Published by Technical Disclosure Commons, 2019 2 5888 The significance of the unsolicited confirmation of supply chain events can be realized well in supply chains such as food and drug where there is a need to trace the origin of products or identify a point of fraud. The goal is to prove that a consortium permissioned blockchain can make otherwise siloed supply chain event data available to all authorized participants, thereby making traceability more robust and time efficient. However, the integrity of data is identified as an unsolved problem for DLT based supply chains. Most conventional DLTs are based on the creation and transfer of digital assets. In supply chain applications, DLT provides not only immutability but also a proof that the stored data is correct and trusted. This feature is a result of the integration of creation and transfer of digital values with the distributed consensus mechanisms based on public key cryptography and digital signatures. For example, in Bitcoin DLT, creation and transfer of bitcoins is integrated to the Proof of Work (POW) consensus mechanism. However, for physical commodity and asset trading applications, the hashed data on the DLT represents digital observations of physical events. Although data related to supply chain events is immutable once recorded on a DLT, the DLT cannot ascertain the authenticity of observations provided by supply chain entities. The authenticity and trust of the data becomes questionable, and thus raises the concern of data integrity on the DLT. As described herein, blockchain is an effective technology for managing supply chain traceability, but it alone cannot support the trust and reliability of data regarding the quality of commodities and the trustworthiness of supply chain entities. False data generated by the supply chain entities becomes immutable once recorded on the blockchain platform. One approach to improving the trust and reliability of the data is to use accountability and reward mechanisms to penalize and incentivize dishonest and trustworthy participants, respectively. These mechanisms rely on a trust management system which may be integrated within a supply chain blockchain. Such a system may also benefit from the data generated by Internet of Thing (IoT) sensors (e.g., temperature, location, etc.) which are being increasingly embedded in various stages of the supply chain lifecycle (e.g., farms, manufacturing plants, shipping containers, etc.). However, IoT sensors are also susceptible to faults or malicious attacks and thus cannot be blindly trusted. There are many challenges to devising an effective reputation system in supply chains. One such challenge is the need for a multi-faceted assessment of 3 Defensive Publications Series, Art. 2653 [2019] https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/2653 3 5888 the trustworthiness of the data logged in the DLT which incorporates inputs from IoT sensors, feedback provided by supply chain entities, physical audits, etc. A supply chain participant may trade more than one type of commodity. A participant must be evaluated distinctively for each of these types and so should the individual commodity based on whether its quality was preserved during the product chain. To provide the sanctions and incentives, an automated framework is required which not only provides traceability of supply chain events but also relates each of these events to a trust value of a participant and the quality of commodity. The associated overheads should be minimal and not impact the scalability of the platform. To address these challenges, a multi-layered DLT-based supply chain trust management framework is provided (also referred to as SCTaaS). A DLT based reputation and trust framework for supply chains may operate at both agent and resource level and evaluate the various evaluation metrics such as correctness of predictions and/or performance to determine the quality of commodities, and the trustworthiness of entities based on multiple observations of supply chain events. The system also examines the dynamic behavior of supply chain peers and the kind of threat analysis involved, which usually considers how a reputation model behaves in badmouthing, collusive manipulating of reputation, oscillating behavior, and traitors attacks. Smart contracts may be leveraged for automation of reputation calculation with DLT transactions and sanctions to provide the rewards and accountability for both supply chain participants and quality of product being traded. Based on the output of the smart contracts, supply chain participants and commodities receive reputation scores as a measure of their trustworthiness for a trade event. Supply chain participants are then penalized by revoking their participation in the supply chain or rewarded by obtaining higher published ratings. The data that provides traceability and integrity of supply chain events, product data stating its properties, IoT sensor data, and other supplementary sources of data (such as crypto-anchors) and regulatory endorsements should be recorded in a tamper-proof way. The recorded data should be authentic and represent the true observations of sensor devices, supply chain entities, and other data sources. The DLT satisfies the first requirement with a distributed tamper-proof ledger. The aim of this idea is to address the second requirement by devising mechanisms to establish trust in data at the point of origin and ensure that the 4 Manuel-Devadoss: SUPPLY CHAIN TRUST AS A SERVICE USING TRUST MANAGEMENT IN BLOCKCH Published by Technical Disclosure Commons, 2019 4 5888 data recorded on the DLT is trusted. As supply chains involve multiple entities and product types, the trust should be established at a granular level that takes into account the different product types, entities, and their interactions. Furthermore, the process can be automated by providing real-time traceability. SCTaaS may include a DLT integrated trust and reputation module that evaluates the truthfulness of the supply chain data and calculates reputation scores for commodities and supply chain entities at a granular level. The SCTaaS framework may be organized into six layers (Network, Data, Blockchain, Reputation, Security, and Application) with supporting components. The Network layer enables easy connection to distributed devices ("things") to the network. Those data may be extracted, normalized, and securely moved from those devices to other layers such as Data, Blockchain, and Reputation. The Data layer encompasses supply chain data produced by sensor devices, trade events between entities, and regulatory endorsements. The raw data may be stored in a database at the application layer, while the message digest of the data is sent to the Blockchain layer in the form of transactions. At the Blockchain layer, the transactions are stored on the ledger and processed following a set of access rules defined by the Access Control List (ACL) in the Security layer. The access rules specify who can read or write the data on the ledger. The transactions invoke smart contracts, which generate reputation and trust values for entities and quality ratings for commodities using the reputation and trust module. The smart contracts also emit warning events depending on predefined conditions. The reputation and trust values are stored on the digital profiles of supply chain entities and commodities on the blockchain. Finally, the application layer interacts with the Blockchain layer through queries. The administrators and regulators query about the trust and quality scores of entities and commodities respectively. The quality of commodity is also made available to the consumer when it finishes the product chain. Based on the retrieved scores, they provide rewards and sanctions, which recompense the entities with high scores by publishing their scores, sanction the entities with low scores by revocation fr


This article aims to explain the administration of special services. This article contains the notions of special service administration, types of special services, and the role of the teacher in the administration of special services. This article uses the literature method, this method does not go into the field, this method is done by collecting literature (material materials) sourced from books, journals, and other sources related to the science of administration of special services.Special service administration is to provide special services or a business that is not directly related to the teaching and learning process in the classroom. But specifically given by the school to the students so that they are more optimal in implementing the learning process. The administration of these special services is needed to manage the special services that exist in a school, so that these special services can run properly on a regular basis. This special service is in the form of library, labor, UKS (school health), school cafeteria, religious facilities, dormitories, cooperatives, and transportation.


The large-scale commercial exploitation of northern Natal's coal deposits was initiated by the formation in January 1889 of the Dundee (Natal) Coal Company under the chairmanship of the highly-successful Durban businessman and civic leader, Benjamin Greenacre. For half a century following the arrival of the Voortrekkers in the late 1830s numerous outcrops of coal had been haphazardly exploited for domestic consumption by the white farming community of the region and, from the 1840s, small consignments had been transported for sale as far afield as Pietermaritzburg. Deposits had been found on several properties in the Newcastle vicinity, along the Biggarsberg, near Ladysmith and, in limited quantities, in the Msinga district, on the Mvoti and Thukela rivers, and at Compensation on the coastline north of Durban. 2 By the 1880s Klip River County, in the Newcastle magisterial division, had emerged as that part of Natal with the most obvious mining potential and Dundee,3 where Peter Smith had initiated mining activity on the eastern slope of Talana hill, was already recognised as the Colony's coal capital, being geographically central to the Klip River coalfield in which, prior to the 1930s, most of Natal's coal-mining took place. The full potential of that coalfield could still only be guessed at, and the Colony's rudimentary wagon roads made it impossible to contemplate the transportation of any commodity in bulk except during the dry winter months. Two events facilitated the development of commercial mining operations in the region. In September 1881 Frederick W. North, the British geological expert who had been appointed by Lieutenant-Governor Sir Henry Bulwer to investigate Natal's coal resources, attracted much attention to the region by reporting that Klip River County was endowed with a workable coalfield which was no less than 1350 square miles (3 496,5 square kilometres) in extent and contained 2073 million tons of coal, much of it suitable for generating steam in locomotives. Then, in 1889, the railway from Durban through Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith at last advanced through Glencoe and Newcastle en route towards the Transvaal border. It was not the confirmed potential of the Klip River coalfield which promoted railway construction into the northern reaches of the Colony but the discovery in 1886 of the main Witwatersrand goldreef and a determination to ensure for Natal a reasonable share of the trade bonanza that was expected to ensue from the anticipated development of a major gold-mining industry.


Abstract:  To supply ecosystem services, private landholders incur costs. Knowledge of these costs is critical for the design of conservation‐payment programs. Estimating these costs accurately is difficult because the minimum acceptable payment to a potential supplier is private information. We describe how an auction of payment contracts can be designed to elicit this information during the design phase of a conservation‐payment program. With an estimate of the ecosystem‐service supply curve from a pilot auction, conservation planners can explore the financial, ecological, and socioeconomic consequences of alternative scaled‐up programs. We demonstrate the potential of our approach in Indonesia, where soil erosion on coffee farms generates downstream ecological and economic costs. Bid data from a small‐scale, uniform‐price auction for soil‐conservation contracts allowed estimates of the costs of a scaled‐up program, the gain from integrating biophysical and economic data to target contracts, and the trade‐offs between poverty alleviation and supply of ecosystem services. Our study illustrates an auction‐based approach to revealing private information about the costs of supplying ecosystem services. Such information can improve the design of programs devised to protect and enhance ecosystem services.


It is unclear whether the hierarchy in the economics profession is the result of the agglomeration of excellence or of nepotism. I con-struct the professor-student network for laureates of and candidates for the Nobel Prize in Economics. I study the effect of proximity to previous Nobelists on winning the Nobel Prize. Conditional on being Nobel-worthy, students and grandstudents of Nobel laureates are not significantly more or less likely to win. Professors of Nobel Prize winners, however, are significantly more likely to win. JEL: A14, D85, Z13


Sericulture is an important agro-based industry that involves raising silkworms to produce silk. Due to its favourable climatic and geographical circumstances, India is endowed with mulberry and non-mulberry silk production. The current COVID-19 dilemma has a significant global impact. This has impacted people from all walks of life, causing serious disruptions in all aspects of global economic activity, including the Economic growth of the country. From the standpoint of economic growth and development, the Indian government's statewide lockdown has devastating implications in all sectors of the country. The agro - based sector, like many other sectors in India, has been affected by the global pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc on all aspects of the silk value chain due to disruptions in the demand-supply relationship. There had been major interruptions in the supply of inputs, cocoon and silk costs, raw silk production, and silk items marketing.


Mobile sensors have improved traffic prediction through transportation mode recognition. Researchers are interested in exploring mobile sensor-based recognition methods for transportation modes. The SHL Recognition Challenge is a prominent competition in this field. SHL Challenge 2023 introduced a diverse dataset with GNSS-based and motion sensor data for transportation mode recognition. Our team, "we-can-fly," presents a fine-grained method using a multi-scale fusion approach that incorporates motion sensor and GNSS information. With temporal and topological attention mechanisms, we capture scene characteristics and enhance contextual understanding for transportation mode recognition. On the validation set, our method achieves an impressive 72.39% accuracy and 71.25% F1 score, confirming the effectiveness of our multimodal fusion transportation mode recognition algorithm.


With the increasing car wash businesses in urban areas and cities in Nigeria, there is an increase in the volume of wastewater generated from these carwash sites. These wastewaters contribute to environmental pollution as they often found themselves flowing into the environment without any control or modifications. This study aimed to develop a simple and efficient treatment process for carwash wastewater based on coagulation and flocculation using natural coagulants namely Carica papaya dried seeds and Aluminium sulphate (Al2(SO4)3,18H2O) in addition to a natural filtration system. The carwash wastewater samples were collected from different carwash sites located at Asaba, Delta State Nigeria. The management of the wastewater samples was planned prototype incorporating four phases namely: aeration, coagulation plus flocculation, sedimentation and filtration. The study examined the efficiency of the designed wastewater management and treatment system using different dosage (35, 70, and 140 mg L) of Carica papaya and Aluminium sulphate (Al2(SO4)3,18H2O) respectively in the coagulation plus flocculation phase. The pretreated and post treated car wash wastewaters were analyzed for values of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity (NTU). Values obtained for the post treated car wash wastewaters indicate that the designed treatment system was effective for primary treatment of raw carwash wastewater. The treated carwash wastewaters meet National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) requirements National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). Adoption of this process for waste water treatment is recommended as this would help reduce environmental pollution resulting from carwash wastewaters and save water for reuse in the small scale car washing enterprises in Nigeria .


To explore a calculating method for natural mix gas density, according to the national standards and engineering examples, this paper presents that the major factor affecting the density is the diffences in the composition under reference condition, giving the relative density and its calculating method, and providing man -machine interface realzed by VB program. The result of program operation shows, the calculating result satisfies the requirements of errors of measuring system.


The article proposes corresponding cultivation means according to analyzing the status quo and origin of self-efficacy of college students.The development of self-efficacy of college students is closely related to their study and physical and mental health.It is important task to help them to form positive and healthy viewpoint on self-efficacy for the current management of higher education institutions.


1. A method of operating a vehicle comprising the step of: adjust vehicle operation in response to whether the detected control apparatus traffic stop sign or svetoforom.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: if the detected traffic control is a stop sign device: estimating the current state of the vehicle based on the distance between the vehicle and the intersection associated with the stop sign, the distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle in the vehicle speed and deceleration rate of the vehicle; and determining the vehicle control strategy based on the current state of the vehicle sredstva.3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the control strategy is executed automatically, or recommend to the driver of the vehicle to take action on the basis of upravleniya.4 strategy. A method according to claim 3, wherein the control strategy comprises disabling vehicle engine at the maximum possible duration when the vehicle is approaching an intersection and until the vehicle is stopped on perekrestke.5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the control strategy comprises the selection of energy minimization with the vehicle approaching an intersection and until the vehicle is stopped on perekrestke.6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: if the detected traffic control device is a traffic light: estimating the current state VEHICLE


.. Introduction .. Geologic setting . Volcanism .. Centers of volcanic eruptions .. Masaya .. Apoyeque .. Asososca, Tiscapa, and the Nejapa-Ticomo collapse pits and associated cones .. Talpetas-Miraflores . Chronologie relationship of volcanic deposits . Historical and present volcanic activity in Nicaragua . Possible future volcanic activity .. Physical characteristics of geologic materials .. Loose tephra .. Partly indurated volcanic mudflow and ash-flow deposits .... .. Hard volcanic rock .. Page


Fluorescence spectra of pure biphenyl crystals were measured over a wide temperature range. In contrast to the sharp peaks near 530 nm observed in crystals grown from methyl alcohol solution, a new broad band around 500 nm was found in zone-refined crystals at 5.0 K when the intense exciting laser was employed. From the temperature dependent behavior and the fluorescence decay characters, it is suggested that the new excimer-like band is related to photo-induced structural deformation in biphenyl crystals.


A comparative study on characteristic and erosion behavior of the 4 different high velocity oxy-fuel sprayed WC-10Co-4Cr, Colmonoy-88, Stellite-6 and Ni-Cr coatings on pump impeller stainless steel (SS 410) has been evaluated in the current investigation. First, the various micron layers were characterized by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micro hardness and micro roughness, and after that were subjected to erosion wear testing. Ducom slurry pot test rig with fly ash as erodent was used for erosion wear experiments, and the impact of four process parameters, namely, rotational speed, average particle size, solid concentration and time duration on slurry erosion of SS 410 were investigated. From erosion wear experimentation, it was concluded that the erosion wear highly depends upon the effecting parameters. The erosion resistance of coatings is found to be in following order WC-10Co-4Cr > Colmonoy-88 > Stellite-6 > Ni-Cr. It might be because of the higher hardness of WC-10Co-4Cr coating as compared to other coatings. Further the results show that the erosion wear of WC-10Co-4Cr, Colmonoy-88, Stellite-6 and Ni-Cr coatings was observed maximum at impact angle of 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° respectively.


PURPOSE: A sealing unit is provided to improve an insulation and a corrosion resistance for maintaining an excellent abrasion. CONSTITUTION: A sealing unit includes: a metal contacting unit(12) processed from a super alloy; an adhesive alumina layer(14) formed on the metal material as a part of a combining coating; a dense corrosion resistant ceramic layer(16); and an abrasive ceramic material(18) applied to a certain area of the sealing unit.


The synthesis, characterization, and mesomorphic properties of a new type of heteronuclear compounds 1a–c and a Pd complex 1d derived from benzoxazole as the core group are reported. These compounds were prepared by the ring closure reaction of 4‐alkoxybenzoic acid 4‐[(4‐alkoxy‐2‐hydroxyphenylimino)methyl]phenyl esters 6 in the presence of lead(IV) acetate. All the compounds were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies and elemental analysis. The phase behaviour of these mesogenic compounds was characterized and studied by differential scanning calorimetry and polarizing optical microscopy. All the compounds 1a exhibited nematic (N) and/or smectic C (SmC) phases, as expected for rod‐like molecules; however, the compounds 1b and 1c exhibited crystal phases. For those compounds 1a having shorter carbon chains (n = 1, 3, 4) nematic phases were observed, whereas for compounds having longer carbon chains (n = 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14) smectic C behaviour was also observed at lower temperatures. The greater aspect ratio (l/d) of compounds 1a compared with 1b and 1c was found to be required for the observation of liquid crystallinity. The fluorescent properties of these compounds were also examined. All λmax peaks of the absorption and photoluminescence spectra of compounds 1a–1c occurred at c. 316–322 nm and 371–382 nm, respectively. The quantum yields of some compounds were relatively low, and also slightly solvent‐dependent.


A vent-relief valve performs as a safety-valve assembly for liquid propellant feeding system of space launch vehicle, which relives pressurant propellant tanks during the filling and the flight. At vent mode, valve is opened and closed by driving pneumatic pressure, and at relief mode, valve is automatically operated to set relief pressure. In this study, we have analyzed a basic layout of vent-relief valve which is designed using foreign LVs(Saturn) to satisfy requirements of Korean Space Launch Vehicle. The simulation model of vent-relief valve is designed by using the AMESim code to verify design parameters and evaluate pneumatic behaviors of valve. In this study, we performed dynamic characteristic simulations on design parameters. And we could predict opening/closing time and pressures, operating performances on design parameters. Using this results, we could suggest detail design and boundary conditions of design.


1569Background: Increasing evidence has shown that gut microbiota alterations may play a role in colorectal cancer risk. Diet, particularly fiber intake, may modify gut microbiota composition, whic...


This study examines the practice of accounting profession in other to identify those threats and challenges serving as obstacle to its development in Nigeria. To achieve this, three hypotheses were tested. A simple chi square was used to relate these threats and challenges to the development of accounting profession in Nigeria. The views and perceptions of the major actors in the field of accounting in Nigeria which includes Academic Accountants, Professional Accountants and the Accounting Regulators were sought. Relevant data were collected and analyzed and from the analysis, findings have shown that, accounting profession is actually faced with certain threats and challenges which actually affects its development. The study therefore concludes that these threats and challenges could be an obstacle on the future of accounting profession. It recommends that, while the academics and the professional accountants are called upon to be committed and proactive as they handle their various functions of theory generation, field practices and advancement of accounting knowledge, regulators should consider objectivity and sincerity as they work out rules for the practice of accounting profession.


Torsional Alfven waves are likely excited with bursts in rotating magnetars. These waves are probably propagated through corotating atmospheres toward a vacuum exterior. We have studied the physical effects of the azimuthal wavenumber and the characteristic height of the plasma medium on wave transmission. In this work, explicit calculations were carried out based on the three-layered cylindrical model. We found that the coupling strength between the internal shear and the external Alfven modes is drastically enhanced, when resonance occurs in the corotating plasma cavity. The spatial structure of the electromagnetic fields in the resonance cavity is also investigated when Alfven waves exhibit resonance.


The prediction of protein structures from amino acid sequences is a well-known unsolved scientific problem. In this thesis, a set of computational techniques are developed and synthesized for predicting the secondary structures--the regular, repetitive sub-structures that occur in essentially all proteins. A prediction accuracy of 73% was obtained on a set of test cases by these techniques, which is substantially higher than the best result previously reported--around 65%.
The key ideas leading to this success include: (1) a novel representation of protein structures computed by canonical feature extraction, clustering, and pattern matching techniques; (2) the combination of several approximation methods for solving the input/output mapping problem, which proves to work better than any single method in predicting protein structures; (3) correlation-based inference--sub-structures in a protein influence one another; finding and using the correlations among different parts in a whole system has been crucial in problem solving.
Protein structure prediction is an example of Data Exploration--the activity of extracting information from large data sets and using it to solve new problems in the absence of rich domain knowledge. This work identifies several important issues in Data Exploration: (1) representation--given a large set of "raw data", how do we represent it? (2) information extraction--how can we learn from the data set? (3) inference--with the information extracted and the representation developed, what problem can be solved, and how? These general issues are also discussed in this thesis.


In her introduction the author emphasizes that her book, Operations Without Pain: The Practice and Science of Anaesthesia in Victorian Britain, is 'In no way ... intended to be a linear history of discoveries, techniques, or famous men' (p. 4). It is a pity, therefore, that the title is so misleading, since this book is not a history of 'the practice and science of anaesthesia in Victorian Britain' either. 'Aspects of...' or 'A Consideration of ...' would have been a fairer description. Nor, although it is one in the series entitled 'Science, Technology and Medicine in Modern History', is there a great deal of science or medicine, and technology is hardly mentioned at all. Thus such neglected technological topics as the contribution of the commercial chemists and instrument makers, still of great relevance today, do not feature. Instead, taking Pernick's treatise on the early years of anaesthesia in the United States as an example (1), Dr. Snow has used the history of anaesthesia 'to illuminate three areas of current historical interest: the relationship between medical practice and science; the dynamics which structured patient-doctor relations; and the specialization of medical practice'. She has, also, 'approached the first two issues from a particular historiographical vantage, using a typological model of medicine'. So, essentially, it is an intellectual and social history of the introduction of general anaesthesia and of the response of surgeons and the general public to its early problems, leading up to its secure establishment in medical practice and its gradual acceptance as a specialty, and which is written from the viewpoint of a particular school of social history. As such it invites comparison with Pernick's approach.


The development of the Three-Man (2.2 lb CO2/man-day) Solid Electrolyte CO2 Electrolysis Breadboard consisted of a Phase 1 and 2 effort. The Phase 1 effort constituted fabrication of three electrolysis cell types and performing parametric testing, off-design testing, and cell life testing. The Phase 2 consisted of the preliminary design, incorporation of palladium (Pd) tubes for hydrogen separation from the electrolyzer cathode feed gases, design support testing, final design, fabrication, and performance testing of the breadboard system. The results of performance tests demonstrated that CO2 electrolysis in an oxygen reclamation system for long duration space-based habitats is feasible. Closure of the oxygen system loop, therefore, can be achieved by CO2 electrolysis. In a two step process the metabolic CO2 and H2O vapor are electrolyzed into O2, H2, and CO. The CO can subsequently be disproportionated into carbon and CO2 in a carbon deposition reactor and the CO2 in turn be recycled and electrolyzed for total O2 recovery. The development effort demonstrated electrolyzer system can be designed and built to operate safely and reliably and the incorporation of Pd tubes for hydrogen diffusion can be integrated safely with predictable performance.


Distribution studies disclosed that all major cerebral arteries and cortical arterioles of the cat were invested with fme varicose nerve fibers that contained calcitonin generelated peptide (CGRP)-like immunoreactivity; the trigeminal ganglia likewise contained CGRP immunoreactivity. Sequential immunostaining with antibodies to CGRP and to substance P (SP) revealed identical distributions of these two peptides in trigeminal ganglia and cerebrovascular nerve fibers, suggesting that CGRP and SP are colocalized in these nerves. CGRP completely disappeared from ipsilateral blood vessels after unilateral section of the trigeminal nerve. Exogenous CGRP was a potent relaxant of feline middle cerebral arteries in vitro (maximum relaxation, 10.5 ± 1.5 mN; concentration eliciting half-maximal response, 9.6 ± 1.3 nM). Perivascular microapplication of CGRP to individual cortical arterioles of chloralose-anesthetized cats provoked dose-dependent dilatations (maximum increase in diameter, 38 ± 5%; concentration eliciting half-maximal response, '-3 nM). CGRP was signifiw cantly more potent than SP as a cerebrovascular dilator, both in vitro and in situ. Chronic division of the ipsilateral trigeminal nerve in cats did not modify the magnitude of arteriolar responses to perivascular microapplication of either vasoconstrictor or vasodilator agents, but the duration of vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine (0.1 mM) or alkaline solutions (pH 7.6) was significantly increased. The cerebrovascular trigeminal neuronal system, in which CGRP is the most potent vasoactive constituent, may participate in a reflex or local response to excessive cerebral vasoconstriction that restores normal vascular diameter. Local cerebral blood flow is normally adjusted to meet local demands for energy generation that is almost exclusively met by the oxidative catabolism of glucose. The vasoactive products of cellular metabolism, with perivascular hydrogen ions, potassium ions, and adenosine being the most favored candidates, have long been considered primarily responsible for this dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow (1). Cerebral blood vessels are, however, invested by nerve fibers that contain diverse neurotransmitters [norepinephrine, acetylcholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, peptide histidine isoleucine, neuropeptide Y, substance P (SP) and such]. Although these agents have direct vasomotor effects upon cerebral blood vessels, the explicit function of any of these perivascular neuronal systems in cerebrovascular regulation remains obscure (2, 3). The neuropeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), has recently been identified from structural analysis of the products of calcitonin gene expression. Alternative processing ofRNA transcribed from the calcitonin gene leads to the production, in neuronal tissue, of a 37-amino acid peptide, CGRP (4, 5). CGRP-like immunoreactivity is present in many regions of the central nervous system (most notably the spinal cord, medullary and pontine nuclei, amygdala, and hypothalamus) and in elements of the peripheral nervous system (5). CGRP is a potent dilator of blood vessels in peripheral vascular beds (6, 7). We report the presence and major anatomical source of CGRP-immunoreactive fibers around cerebral blood vessels, the vasomotor effects of CGRP upon the cerebral vasculature, and, most crucially, provide evidence for the physiological significance of these nerve fibers in the cerebral circulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Immunocytochemistry. Trigeminal ganglia and cerebral vessels were dissected from cats, which were sacrificed by exsanguination under pentobarbital anesthesia (30 mg/kg, i.p.). The specimens were immersed in ice-cold phosphatebuffered 2% (vol/vol) formaldehyde solution containing 1.5% picric acid. After 12 hr the specimens were rinsed in a Tyrode's solution containing 10% sucrose at 40C for 48 hr and, after having been frozen on dry ice, sectioned at a thickness of 10-20 ,um in a cryostat at -20°C. These were then immersed in a sucrose-enriched Tyrode's solution for 24-48 hr, briefly rinsed in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, and stretched on chrome/alum subbed glass slides as whole mounts for the immunocytochemical demonstration ofCGRP or SP, using an indirect immunofluorescence method (8). Rabbit CGRP antiserum (code 8427; Milab, Malmo, Sweden) (9) was raised against synthetic rat CGRP (Peninsula, Belmont, CA) and used at a dilution of 1:1280 (cryostat sections) or in a dilution of 1:640 (whole mounts). In immunocytochemistry, the CGRP antiserum does not cross-react with SP (100 Am of synthetic bovine SP per ml of diluted antiserum). The antiserum against SP (code SP-8), a gift from P. Emson, was used in a dilution of 1:80. This SP antiserum, although C-terminally directed, does not cross-react with bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide, with which it shares the two C-terminal amino acids, nor with CGRP (100 jig/ml diluted antiserum). It does, however, cross-react with other tachykinins such as physalaemin, eleidosin, and neurokinin A. The site of the antigen-antibody reaction was revealed by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG in a dilution of 1:20. Control sections were incubated with CGRP and SP antiserum inactivated by the addition of excess antigen (10-100 ,ug synthetic rat CGRP or synthetic bovine SP per ml of diluted antiserum). In a separate study, sections from the trigeminal ganglia were first stained for CGRP, then examined in a fluorescence microscope, and photographed. They were then treated with Abbreviations: CGRP, calcitonin gene-related peptide; SP, substance P; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid. §To whom reprint requests should be addressed at: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, S-221 85 Lund, Sweden. 5731 The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. 5732 Neurobiology: McCulloch et al. acid KMnO4 for 30 sec for removal of antibodies (10), a condition confirmed by application of fluoresceinated antirabbit IgG. The sections were next processed for the immunocytochemical demonstration of SP and again photographed. Alternatively, sections or whole mounts were double-stained for SP (with a monoclonal SP antiserum; Seralab, Oxford, U.K.) and for CGRP. Specimens were first incubated with CGRP antibody, then treated with FITClabeled goat anti-rabbit IgG, and subsequently incubated with SP antibody, using rhodamine (RITC)-labeled goat IgG as second antibody. Specimens were finally photographed in the fluorescence microscope at filter settings for the selective demonstration of FITC and RITC. Vasomotor Responses of Cerebral Arteries in Vitro. Cats were anesthetized with pentobarbital (30 mg/kg, i.p.) and exsanguinated. The brain was rapidly removed and immersed in cold buffer solution; the middle cerebral arteries were dissected free under an operating microscope. Vessel segments (1-2 mm long) were suspended between two L-shaped metal holders in tissue baths for continuous recording of isometric tension (11). Vasomotor Responses ofPial Arterioles in Situ. Experiments were performed on 15 additional cats (2-4 kg) that were anesthetized with a-chloralose. The surgical preparation and technique for measuring pial arteriolar caliber have been previously described (11). The substances under investigation were dissolved in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immediately before use, and the solution pH was adjusted to 7.2 by aeration with 5% C02/95% 02. CSF with pH values of 7.6 and 6.8 were prepared by modifying bicarbonate and chloride concentrations. Peptides were delivered in small (5 1.l) perivascular subarachnoid injections around single pial arterioles to determine the maximum alterations in caliber, which invariably occurred within 1 min after injection. The time to 50% reduction in response amplitude was also assessed. Statistical comparisons were performed by Student's t-test with Bonferroni corrections. The peptides were synthetic SP (Beckman) and rat CGRP (Peninsula). Surgical Lesions of Trigeminal Nerve. In five cats anesthetized with pentobarbital, the trigeminal nerve was unilaterally divided under sterile operating conditions by a neurosurgeon (T.A.K.) using a previously described technique (12). Temporalis muscle was resected to expose the calvarium, and a subtemporal craniectomy was accomplished with a dental drill. Each division of the left trigeminal nerve was surgically sectioned immediately distal to the trigeminal ganglion. Care was taken not to enter the subdural space and to prevent bleeding from the bone and cavernous sinus. In five shamoperated animals the nerve was exposed, but not divided. Post-operative recovery was generally excellent, with all animals eating normally within 48 hr of the procedure. The vasomotor responses of pial arterioles in situ were investigated 10-16 days after surgery. Immediately following the in situ experiments, the animals were sacrificed, and specimens were removed for immunocytochemistry.


This paper investigates the sense of the Aristotelian question "what is the best?" (ti to ariston) in Eudemian Ethics I 8. We intend to lay bare Aristotle's assumptions when approaching that question in I 8, as well as to elucidate what kind of answer it can receive and how it connects with the research that has been conducted in the previous chapters (specially in I 7). We shall argue that in I 8 Aristotle continues the task started in I 7, where he sets out to elucidate a broad conception of happiness that is taken for granted. This broad conception includes the view according to which the end (telos) corresponds to what is best. In I 8, Aristotle aims at clarifying what it means to say of the end that it is that which is "best".