With the increasing desire of people for being comfortable living, the demand of people for being healthy safety and clear living environment, the recognition of people for sustainable development, the green product, producing and marketing is becoming embedded in people living. The green marketing of real estate is the theory of green marketing using in the real estate.


The touch-down PCR technique was carried out to amplify chTLR3-LRR,which is a suspected recognizable domain of chicken Toll-like receptor 3(chTLR3),from PBLs of chicken.The prokaryotic expression vector of chTLR3-LRR was constructed with the expression condition optimized.The fusion protein was used to immunize mice to prepare polyclonal antibody.The specificity and sensitivity of polyclonal antibody were detected by Western-blot.In result,the chTLR3-LRR gene was 834 bp in accordance with the predicted length and confirmed by nucleotide sequences.The constructed recombinant plasmid pET-chTLR3-LRR could express a 30 ku recombinant protein in accordance with the predicted size,too.The polyclonal antibody could recognize TLR3 protein expressed in chicken embryo fibroblast cells stimulated by IBDV.These results suggested that the selected fragment had good immunogenicity and the polyclonal antibody had good specificity.The successful preparation of the polyclonal antibody will provide important material for further study of chTLR3 function.


The prevalence of widespread poverty and deprivation in Orissa points towards the need for a comprehensive social security that would include judicious mix of promotional measure on the one hand, and preventive and protective measures put together on the other. This article advocates this as the state, based on trends, level and patterns of social security expenditure between 1987-2005, is not only devoting a low proportion of GSDP and total expenditure to social security measures but a very inadequate financing for preventive and protective measures during reform periods which mostly address the contingencies need of working poor as well as of non-working destitute- who have little or no income, being unable to work, because of age, disability or other reasons- and who are supposed to be bypassed by the conventional anti- poverty programmes.


During the last 15 years the human language technology group at KTH has developed tools and resources that may be of interest to the lexicographical community. Several tools have been developed as part of the group's research on Swedish authoring tools: spelling error detection and correction, grammar checking, part-of-speech tagging, lemmatization, compound splitting, and an interactive learning environment called Grim. Most of the tools are open source and may be downloaded from . We have also made several dictionaries available on the web: the Lexin series of dictionaries for 15 languages, the Scandinavian Dictionary, the Tvarsla dictionary collection, the Swedish Hyphenation Dictionary and the two crowdsourced resources The People's Dictionary of Synonyms and The People's English-Swedish Dictionary.


The principal component analysis (PCA) is applied to understand the spatial and temporal variability of monsoonal rainfall in the state Assam in India. The Southwest Monsoon (SWM) rainfall data over 12 widely spread stations located over the state has been analyzed for a period of 60 years for understanding variability. A statistically significant trend and a above/below transition signal has been observed for a few stations and the corresponding principal components (PCs). Coherent regions of Northern and Southern Assam have been identified through PCA to bring out the possible significant signals. It is observed that some of PCs for state-wise and coherent regions have positive or negative trend and significant above/below transition.


The Wigner distribution is used to model the PSF of an aperture mask at different defocus planes. Algorithmic methods of determining an optimal mask pattern for a desired set of impulse responses are investigated.


Abstract : Breast self-examination (BSE) is an alternative to existing breast cancer screening methods for increasing early detection and reducing mortality from this disease. Because BSE has many advantages it has been widely promoted. Despite educational efforts, few women practice BSE proficiently on a monthly basis. Consequently, two important questions are: (1) What factors predict proficient BSE technique? (2) What variables predict frequent BSE practice? A series of studies were conducted focusing on these two concerns. In each, subjects completed a questionnaire and performed a breast examination on breast models withknown tumors. This dissertation reports findings from one of these studies in which predictors of proficient BSE technique and successful tumor detection were identified. The effects of race (black versus white), breast symptomatology history (benign breast problems versus no history of breast problems) and breast examination type (technique proficiency evaluated on a breast model versus on oneself) on BSE performance and attitudes toward BSE were also investigated. Data were obtained from a sample of 66 women visiting a gynecological clinic for routine pelvic examinations or minor symptoms unrelated to the breast. Regression analyses revealed that technique proficiency was the best predictor of tumor detection. Stronger preferences for behavioral involvement in health action as measured by the Health Opinion Survey (Krantz, Baum, and Wideman, 1980), and more frequent BSE practice respectively also contributed significantly to explaining tumor detection. The only predictor of proficient BSE technique was personal confidence about performing BSE. The type of examination anticipated and performed by subjects had no effect on their BSE performance or attitudes toward BSE and breast cancer. Race and breast symptomatology history also had no effect on BSE proficiency, although symptomatic women reported practicing BSE more frequently than asymptomatic women.


In this letter, a novel compact filtering patch antenna with high suppression level is proposed. The fork-shaped feedline and the two half-wavelength strips are used to excite the antenna through magnetic coupling. Due to the quarter-wavelength branch of the feedline, a null below the operation band is introduced. Besides, owing to the introduced two strips, the multipath cancellation will occur at the patch and therefore generate a radiation null above the operation band. Based on the linearly polarized filtering antenna, a circularly polarized two-element filtering array with a wide 3 dB-AR bandwidth is also proposed. Both two works are analyzed, fabricated, and measured. Good agreement is achieved between the simulated and measured results. The proposed linearly polarized filtering patch antenna has a compact size of 0.378 λ0 × 0.378 λ0 × 0.035 λ0, a peak gain of 8.26 dBi, and a frequency suppression level higher than 24.11 dB. The circularly polarized filtering array shows an impedance bandwidth of 11.4% and a wide 3 dB-ARBW totally covering the operation band.


The texts that we give here were all recorded during a trip through northern California in the summer of I927. They are all narratives, but narratives of three quite distinct types. Three of them (the "Pleiades", "How Salmon Was Given to Mankind", and "Bluejay, Medicine-man") are "myths". That is, they are stories of events that are supposed to have taken place on earth in the early days before the arrival of humanity. Such stories are of course familiar to all the people of the tribe, and have been repeated innumerable times. They begin with a special introductory word, "uknii--", which is never found anywhere else, and they show throughout quite a sophisticated literary


Middleware is a layer of the software that connects and manages application components running on distributed hosts. Several types of middleware are reflective middleware, eventbased middleware, object-oriented middleware, and message-oriented middleware. Adaptive middleware is part of reflective middleware, that allows the system's behavior to be altered at run time to better match the system's current operating environment (e.g. whether the system is being debugged or operating in a real-time environment or in a secure environment). Many vendors develop the middleware as distributed software. Sun, IBM, CORBA, Microsoft and Sybase provide its own architecture in many purposes such as in communication, manufactory, medical, and financial application. IBM offered the RFID infrastructure which had adaptive characteristics. It supported multiple RFID reader devices and minimized network overload. In Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) application in particular, middleware is implemented for increasing the system performance in network communication, coordination, reliability, scalability, and heterogeneity. RFID application is used to process data sent to and received from radio frequency identification (RFID) devices such as RFID readers, writers, and printers. Non adaptive system can not modify its behavior in response to change in new situation and disturbances, so by design of adaptive middleware in RFID application, can increase the system's performance; more flexible, robust and can adapt to disturbances. This paper presents the detail study of existing middleware architectures and concludes with essential desirable design characteristics for adaptive middleware in RFID application.


Abstract A change in the backbone substituent from phenyl to butyl group in L-serine-derived ligands provides a simple way to prepare enantiomeric products in diethylzinc addition to aldehydes. A change in the backbone substituent from phenyl ( 4 ) to butyl group ( 10 ) in L -serine-derived ligands provides a simple way to prepare enantiomeric products in diethylzinc addition to aldehydes. Download full-size image


3. METHODOLOGY The below findings are based upon a desk review and content analysis of documentary evidence in the form of evaluations, assessments, project documents, mid-term reviews, public information and advocacy products, research reports and resource documents. The review was restricted to documents published since 2009 as they were considered applicable to the current Global Strategy. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four senior staff based at Sightsavers' offices in the UK, Ghana, India and Bangladesh.


Department of Medicine, King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. firstname.lastname@example.com

We report a case pf pseudomembranous colitis that developed in a patient with tuberculous abdominal lymphadenopathy during treatment with rifampicin. The patient had delayed presentation (3 months) after the start of rifampicin. She had one relapse after 2 months that was successfully treated, and she finished her antituberculosis therapy without any further relapses. Awareness of this serious complication of rifampicin therapy should be encountered.

PMID: 14710291 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Encouraged and permitted by national policies, the development of private kindergartens in China has been rapid. From the beginning of the reform and opening up to now, private kindergartens have accounted for half of the number of kindergartens in China and have become an important part of our education system. It is undeniable that private kindergartens have made outstanding contributions to the development of education in China in terms of improving education supply and service capabilities, but we should also pay attention to various problems in the development of private kindergartens. These problems are hindering the overall progress of China's preschool education, and the public is eager to be properly resolved. However, in order to cope with these problems, we cannot rely on market means. Instead, we must use the "hand of the government" to actively play the relevant role of the government and assume the government's proper functions in order to promote the healthy and sustainable development of private kindergartens.


Root hair (RH) size has vital physiological implications, since it influences the surface area of the root and thus the ability of the plant to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Arabidopsis thaliana ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE 6-LIKE 4 (RSL4), a bHLH transcription factor, controls the expression of hundreds of RH genes and RSL4 expression itself can trigger ectopic RH growth. Recent studies reveal an autocrine mechanism governing plant RH cell growth in which the extracellular peptide RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR 1 (RALF1) and receptor FERONIA (FER) act at a central hub between the cell surface and downstream signaling events. RALF1-FER promotes the phosphorylation of eIF4E1. Then, phosphorylated eIF4E1 further regulates the synthesis of RH proteins, including RSL4, to promote RH growth. High levels of RSL4 exert a negative feedback on RALF1 expression via directly binding to the RALF1 gene promoter, slowing RH growth and determining final RH cell size.


This study documents that the abnormal stock returns are negative before unscheduled executive option awards and positive afterward. The return pattern has intensified over time, suggesting that executives have gradually become more effective at timing awards to their advantage, and possibly explaining why the results in this study differ from those in past studies. Moreover, I document that the predicted returns are abnormally low before the awards and abnormally high afterward. Unless executives possess an extraordinary ability to forecast the future marketwide movements that drive these predicted returns, the results suggest that at least some of the awards are timed retroactively.


Objective To understand the hygienic status of central air conditioning ventilation system in public buildings of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,in order to provide scientific bases for strengthening supervision based on analysis of the detective information.Methods On-site sampling and laboratory detection methods were used to monitor the hygienic status of 155 sets of central air conditioning ventilation system from 5 prefecture-level cities in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.Results 155 sets of central air conditioning were monitored.There were 110 of them up to standard in all monitoring indicators,and the pass rate was 70.97%.The average pass rates for three consecutive years were 72.00%,68.63%and 72.22%,respectively.The exceeded rate of the piping total surface fungi was low in central air conditioning system,and the average pass rate was 98.47%;the pass rates were 96.67%,99.33% and 99.37% in year 2011,2012 and 2013 separately.The average detection rates of Legionella pneumophila in cooling water of central air conditioning system was approximately 12.00%(3 shares detected with Legionella pneumophila from 25 samples) in 2013.Conclusion The hygienic status of central air conditioning ventilation system in public buildings of Ningxia has shown less optimism situation,while the fungal contamination is relatively light.The supervision and hygienic management should be strengthened.


Founded in 1948, The World Conservation Union brings together States, government agencies and a diverse range of non-governmental organizations in a unique world partnership: over 1,000 members in all, spread across some 140 countries. As a Union, IUCN seeks to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. The World Conservation Union builds on the strengths of its members, networks and partners to enhance their capacity and to support global alliances to safeguard natural resources at local, regional and global levels. The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of IUCN's six volunteer commissions with a global membership of 8,000 experts. SSC advises IUCN and its members on the wide range of technical and scientific aspects of species conservation and is dedicated to securing a future for biodiversity. SSC has significant input into the international agreements dealing with biodiversity conservation. The designation of geographical entities in this report, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Cover photo: Male Mallorcan midwife toad, Alytes muletensis, with eggs. As a result of a successful recovery program, this species was downlisted two categories from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable in 2005. The cover of this book is printed on ChorusArt silk, 80# cover, 50% recycled paper (15% post-consumer waste), FSC ™, and Elemental Chlorine Free. The text of this book is printed on Rolland Enviro™100, 70# text, 100% recycled paper (100% post-consumer waste), certified Ecologo, Processed Chlorine Free, FSC-Recycled ™, and manufactured using biogas energy. Extinction is inevitable—more than 99.9% of Earth's species are extinct (Raup 1991). David Raup went on to observe that " Extinction is a difficult research topic. No critical experiment can be performed, and inferences are all too often influenced by preconceptions based on …


Myocardial infarction (MI) is considered as the major cause of death and disability worldwide, and despite considerable advances in diagnosis and treatment, continues to be a major public health problem. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is leukocyte-derived cytokine with effects especially on epithelial cells in various tissues. This study designed to investigate the level of IL-17 and its effect on lipid profile in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction. The study included 50 patients with acute myocardial infarction forty healthy subjects as control group. The levels of IL-17 were significantly elevated in all patients groups ( p < 0.001), total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL were significantly elevated ( p < 0.001) in all patients as well.  There was positive correlation between IL-17 with HDL, while there was negative correlation with total cholesterol and LDL. The results show significant increase in levels of IL-17, in acute myocardial infarction patients. IL-17 positively correlated with HDL and negatively correlated with total cholesterol and LDL, which lead to consider it as cardio protective factor.


Excerpt Advances in antimicrobial therapy have been accompanied by an increased frequency of infections due to micro-organisms which are resistant to commonly utilized antibiotics. Although such re...


Entomophaga maimaiga is one of the best-known gypsy moth pathogens with increasing importance in the biological control aimed at reducing the population of this defoliator. The territory of the Republic of Serbia is a very favorable gypsy moth habitat, and the problems caused by its larvae during the periods of outbreaks are so great that they can lead to forest defoliation and forest health deterioration. In the Republic of Serbia, E. maimaiga was first recorded in 2011 (as a new species in the microflora of Serbia) during the gypsy moth outbreak (2009-2014), which was the last to date. In 2011, numerous dead caterpillars were found on and around trees in oak and beech stands of the Belgrade and Valjevo regions in Serbia. Subsequent laboratory analyses revealed that they contained azygospores and conidia of this fungus. The assisted introduction of E. maimaiga was carried out in Compartments 28 and 30 of the FMU Avala on Mt. Avala in 2011. It led to an epizootic in the following year and stopped the outbreak of the gypsy moth in the area. Since it has been seven years since the outbreak, we tested the viability and infectivity of E. maimaiga azygospores obtained from the soil samples from Avala Mountain where its assisted introduction was carried out. We used larvae from the laboratory gypsy moth population and applied the bioassay method. The results show that azygospores are present in the given soil samples, they are viable and their infectivity is conserved. It can be concluded that in the case of an outbreak of gypsy moth populations in the future, they will exhibit their entomopathogenic effect


At the arrival of knowledge economy, traditional mode, theory, organizational framework for human resources management is unable to meet the development of knowledge economy. The human resources management is faced with impacts and challenges that come from global economy integration, culture pluralism, innovation of management mode, new management theories and methods, and so on. The organizations will develop toward the networked or flattened framework trends. Learning type organization will become the mainstream of organizational form. The collectivism, work subcontract, localization of employment system in transnational corporation will be the development trends in human resources works.


Summary The development of the idea of the chemical element is traced from its early beginnings, and the importance for this development of the Newtonian concept of invariable mass is emphasised. The emergence of the nuclear atom model is outlined, and the discovery of the complex (isotopic) nature of the majority of known chemical elements is described. Nuclear charge (Z) and mass (A) numbers are defined. Previously recognised regularities concerning mass and charge numbers of existing stable species are shown to have exact counterparts in regularities relating to the degree of instability (as measured by the energy of disintegration) of β-active species ("naturally" and "artificially" radioactive species). Naturally occurring a-active species are regarded as the analogues of the stable species for charge numbers greater than 83, and for charge numbers both greater and less than this value the limitation to the number of stable or quasi-stable isotopes of a given element (limitation of A values for a given Z) is established as essentially a question of nuclear stability as against β-emission (positive and negative electron emission). Finally, reasons are given for supposing that the number of possible chemical elements is limited (limitation to Z in the direction of Z increasing) by the susceptibility to spontaneous nuclear fission of species of sufficiently high nuclear charge.


The rise of the discourse of sustainable development has been fraught with conflict. Initial conceptual ambiguities have led to a conflictual understanding of the meaning of sustainable development, and the basis for action that this understanding implies. This thesis employs a Habermasian analytical framework to assess the competing views on the relationship between sustainable development and modernity, with particular emphasis on the promise of postmodernism, as developed in more radical sustainability critiques. This thesis argues that the 'uncritically modern' approach to sustainable development does not offer an adequate means for addressing the challenge of sustainability. However, in following Habermas, this thesis argues that postmodernism does not offer a legitimate alternative. Postmodernisn fails as a basis for a philosophy of praxis and thus is an unsuitable means for addressing the cultural and ecological critiques against the project of modernity, from the viewpoint of sustainable development. As an alternative to postmodernism, this thesis proposes a critical approach to sustainable development rooted in Habermas' concept of communicative rationality. A new theoretical framework for sustainable development is proposed, incorporating a pillar of 'communicative sustainability.' This new theoretical approach is capable of addressing the majority of the critiques arising from the antimodern sustainability theorists, while retaining the core praxiological goal of the sustainable development project. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the practical implications of this theoretical shift, focusing on the radicalization of the public sphere, a shift towards a capabilities approach for development, and the implementation of deliberative structures of governance.


Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid, plays important roles in tumor development through its ability to promote tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion. S1P, synthesized by sphingosine kinase 1 and 2 (SK1 and SK2), can initiate multiple signal events through intracellular and extracellular mechanisms. In human cancer patients, increased levels of S1P and SK1 are correlated with poor prognosis and high incidence of diseases recurrence. How sphingolipid signaling regulates the function of immune cells and inflammation during tumor development remains poorly understood. Our results demonstrate that sphingolipid-induced inflammasome activation and IL-1β production promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis. Interestingly, our data indicate that SK-1/S1P signaling induces inflammasome activation and IL-1 production. We found that in MMTV-PyT transgenic mouse mammary gland tumor model, genetic loss of SphK1 significantly inhibited breast cancer progression and metastasis, accompanied by reduced levels of IL-1β at primary tumors and metastatic sites. Our results further show that SK1 and S1P modulate tumor microenvironments through induction of inflammasome activation and recruitment of myeloid cells. These findings indicate that the cross-talk between the SK1/S1P and inflammasome/IL-1 pathways promotes tumor growth and metastasis.


4D printing is an emerging technology that prints 3D structural smart materials that can respond to external stimuli and change shape over time. 4D printing represents a major manufacturing paradigm shift from single-function static structures to dynamic structures with highly integrated functionalities. Direct printing of dynamic structures can provide great benefits (e.g., design freedom, low material cost) to a wide variety of applications, such as sensors and actuators, and robotics. Soft robotics is a new direction of robotics in which hard and rigid components are replaced by soft and flexible materials to mimic mechanisms that works in living creatures, which are crucial for dealing with uncertain and dynamic tasks. However, little research on direct printing of soft robotics has been reported. Due to the short history of 4D printing, only a few smart materials have been successfully 4D printed, such as shape memory and thermo-responsive polymers, which have relatively small actuation strains (up to ~8%). In order to produce the large motion, dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA), a sheet of elastomer sandwiched between two compliant electrodes and known as artificial muscle for its high elastic energy density and capability of producing large strains (~200%), is chosen as the actuator for soft robotics. Little research on 3D printing silicone DEA soft robotics has been done in the literature. Thus, this thesis is motivated by applying the advantages in 3D printing fabrication methods to develop DEA soft robotics. The ultimate research goal is to demonstrate fully printed DEA soft robots with large actuation. In Chapter 1, the research background of soft robotics and DEAs are introduced, as well as 3D printing technologies. Chapter 2 reports the rules of selecting potentially good silicone candidates and the printing process with printed material characterizations. Chapter 3 studies the effects of pre-strain condition on silicone material properties and the performance of DEA configurations, in order to obtain large actuation strain. In Chapter 4, two facial soft robots are designed to achieve facial expressions as judged by a smiling lip and expanding pupils based on DEA actuation. Conclusions and future developments are given in chapter 5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my thesis advisor, Prof. WenChao Zhou, for his support and guidance throughout my thesis research. It is a great opportunity to participate in the 4D printing project in Dr. Zhou's group. The experience gained during this project is very helpful for my future development. Besides my advisor, I would like to thank the rest of my thesis committee, Prof. Steve Tung and Prof. Adam Huang for their encouragement, insightful comments, and important advising about the independent thinking skill. At last, I would like to deeply thank my family, especially my parents, for their support and encouragement.


The purposes of this study were: (1) determine the levels of dioxins and other toxic compounds in ambient air near the Dow Chemical Midland plant; and (2) determine the levels of dioxin and other chemicals in the Building 703 incinerator exhaust gas, wastewater, and ash, under normal operating conditions. The ambient air study included positive findings of low levels of dioxins at air monitoring sites near the plant fence line and at the site located in the city, ranging up to 0.0004 ug/m/sup 3/ for the less-toxic forms. The study concluded there were no readily observable relationships between the incinerator temperature, pressure, air-pollution control device and flow rates, and the levels of certain dioxins found in the exhaust during the three days of testing. However, there may be a relationship between the levels of dioxin fed into the incinerator and the levels of dioxin discharged.


Submicroscopic representations are important at all educational levels for establishing the students' understanding of chemical concepts at the particulate level. The research aim was to establish the understanding of the states of water and of the process of water freezing at the submicroscopic level across the education vertical. The quantitative research sample was composed of 31 seventh graders of elementary school, 29 students of the first year of gymnasium and 20 students of the Chemistry Study Course at the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana. The measurement instrument of the research was a knowledge test with four authentic problem tasks, which included animations of particle movements. The knowledge test was displayed on the computer screen as screen images. In individual task solving, eye movements were monitored by an eye tracker, and the responses were simultaneously recorded.
The research results show the increase in successful noting of the correct justifications for the choice of a submicroscopic representation across the education vertical only in the case of a solid state of water (primary students 9,7 %, secondary students 13,8 %, and faculty students 55,0 %). The frequency of incorrect understanding of the movement of water particles in the solid state decreased across the education vertical (primary students 51,5 %, secondary students 41,4 %, and faculty students 15,0 %). The misunderstanding of the motion of particles in the liquid (primary students 25,9 %; secondary students 30,9 %) and in the gaseous state of water was present only in primary students and in secondary students (primary students 6,4 %; secondary students 6,8 %). The misunderstanding of the properties of particle movements in the solid state in the task of water freezing increased across the education vertical (9,6 % of primary students, 10,3 % of secondary students, 15,0 % of faculty students). According to the research results, the understanding of 3-D dynamic submicrorepresentations of states of water and its changes of state should be developed in primary and secondary schools.


Using conventional CMOS VLSI technology, a comprehensive neuromime circuit has been implemented based on the discrete model by French and Stein (1970). The circuit occupies under 0.5 mm/sup 2/ of die area, plus a few passive biasing components, and offers continuously variable excitatory and inhibitory sensitivity refractoriness, and operating rate. The implementation provides free and continuous access to waveforms for membrane and threshold potentials. As such, it is amenable to many secondary behavioral characteristics, such as fatigue, postinhibitory rebound, accommodation, and facilitation. In VLSI form, it provides the economy, comprehensiveness, reliability, efficiency and convenience to support larger networks of artificial nerve cells.


INTRODUCTION
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is related to physical and mental barriers. The objective of this work was to evaluate and compare patients' perception of sense of life in cystic fibrosis in different stages of their disease and therapeutic methods.

MATERIAL/METHODS
The study group included 45 patients divided into 3 subgroups: after lung transplantation, waiting for lung transplantation and with cystic fibrosis in stable condition. The evaluation and comparison of patient's perception of sense of life and purpose of life was performed with the Purpose in Life Test.

RESULTS
All patients with CF felt their lives were meaningful and purposeful. However, their pursuits for designated aims depended on the progression of their disease.

CONCLUSIONS
CF with its poor prognosis has a significant impact on patient's hierarchy of respected values and life priorities. High level of acceptance for suicidal behaviours observed in all diagnostic subgroups of patients with CF indicates a need for organized intensified psychological care.


The workpiece of the present invention includes a stop means abutting the workpiece (W) is conveyed in the conveyance stop position of the workpiece (W) is stopped at a predetermined abutting position between the retracted position and allowing the workpiece (W) pass, compared with the unit swing about a first rotation stop position shaft (54) rotatably downstream side in the conveying direction of the workpiece (W), (10) and cause the swing unit (10) the drive unit (30) rotates. The swing unit (10) includes a first rotation about the shaft (54) rotatably swing portion (11) and having the workpiece (W) abutting the workpiece-abutting portion (1221) of the movable portion (12). The movable portion (12) freely rotatably coupled through the second and the first pivot shaft rotation axis (54) parallel to the (112) and the pivot portion (11), so that along with the swing unit (10) from the abutment contact position to the retracted position is rotated, the first rotation axis (54) and the workpiece-abutting portion (1221) of the distance becomes short.


We show that local-global compatibility away from p holds at points on the (p-adic) eigenvariety of a definite unitary group which are étale over weight space. The novelty is we allow non-classical points. More precisely we interpolate the local Langlands correspondence across the eigenvariety by considering the stalks of its defining coherent sheaf. We employ techniques of Scholze from his recent new approach to the local Langlands conjecture.


The necessity of providing alkalizing therapy after re‐establishment of the local circulation was studied in 10 otherwise healthy patients with intermittent claudication. No such necessity was found in providing stable peroperative circulation, normo‐ to slight hypothermia, adequate infusions, and normal acid‐base values prior to arterial clamping.


The retrial procedure is an exception of the adjudged force theory.In essence,the adjudged force prinpicle is an effective judgment's compulsory force to the party and the people court.It reflect the authority and unity of national justice.The exist of the retrial system make possible an again trial to the same case.Therefore,how to deal with the contradiction and find a balance between the retrial system and the adjudged force theory,this difficult problem must be envisaged and solved both by theory and practice.


Due to the better performance of three-dimensional (3-D) braided composite, the new type composites have been obtained rapid development. In this paper, considering wide application of hollow-rectangular-section 3-D braided composite in engineering, the stiffness analysis of the hollow-rectangular-section three-dimensional braided composite made by 2-step method were performed. Then, the mathematical models for optimization of the stiffness of the 3-D braided composite were proposed. The objective functions are the stiffness coefficient of the composite. The design variables are the braiding parameters of the composites and sectional geometrical size of the composite. The results of numeral examples show that the better stiffness characteristic could be obtained by using hybrid optimization algorithm based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), contenting the determinate restriction. The method proposed here is useful for the design and engineering application of the kind of member.


This work studies the resonance excitations of the three-dimensional skyrmions lattice in the finite thickness plate of an isotropic chiral magnet using spin dynamics simulations. We found that the absorption spectra and resonance modes differ from those predicted by the two-dimensional model and the model of the unconfined bulk crystal. The features observed on the spectra can be explained by the formation of chiral standing spin waves, which, contrary to conventional standing spin waves, are characterized by the helical profile of dynamic magnetization of fixed chirality that is defined by the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. In this case, the dynamic susceptibility becomes a function of the plate thickness, which gives rise to an interesting effect that manifests itself in periodical fading of the intensity of corresponding modes and makes excitation of these modes impossible at specific thicknesses.


In recent years, higher education has been increased demand for qualified professionals, due to the expansion of its offer, increasing internalization and implementation of evaluation systems quality even in the context of post-graduation. This has affected the university teaching work as increases the demand for academic productivity. According to Cunha (1998) university professor is experiencing a period of transition paradigm with respect to its practice and professionalism teachers. Spurred by the paradigmatic transition context in teaching university with the Federal University of Pernambuco as a field, This study aimed to understand the social representations of identity teaching to a group of participants of the course professors didactic and pedagogical update for UFPE teachers offered the Continuing Education Center of Teachers of UFPE (NUFOPE). The main question of our study asks "What is the social representation Professor of Identity for the course teacher didacticpedagogic update UFPE?". We adopt the main objective of our study: understand the shared meanings about teaching identity university according to the teachers who have completed the course NUFOPE. As steps to achieve this goal, we set three objectives specific: (1) analyze the profiles of teachers through their curricula lattes. (2) access the central and peripheral elements of the Representations Social identity of the teaching to the teachers of the course NUFOPE; (3) understand the meanings of social representations of teacher identity in the construction of teachers' life projects in question. To reach these goals we adopted the Theory of Social Representations as theoretical and methodological approach, since this study considers the notion of autonomous subject. The results have identified the Social representations of teacher identity to the participating subjects Research is structured around the meanings terms researchers, educators and committed. Such meanings shared are anchored in current teacher profile in society which is the intellectual committed to the formation of citizens and trained professionals to promote technological development parents.


In order to resolve the problem of nonlinearity in nonmagnetic water meter,the method of RBF neural network,which was testified to be better than least squares here,was proposed in this paper. In the aspect of system realization,saving the data of curve fitting in the memory of singlechip and using the way of binary search to get the Instantaneous flow quickly could not only increase the accuracy,but also meet the need of the Real-time in system.


Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) alone can induce oestrus in bitches, but few reports describe oestrous induction by FSH because pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) has been more successful than FSH for oestrus induction. Real-time ultrasonography can show canine ovarian follicle development, but no method can determine or predict ovulation accurately. Moreover, the ovary location and size complicate imaging. Using ultrasonography, we investigated FSH treatment stimulation of canine ovary follicles, with clamping of the ovaries at a subcutaneous site. Bilateral malacotomy of four 5-year-old Beagle bitches (mean weight 10.3 ± 2.0 kg) with normal oestrous cycles was done using a ventral flank abdominal approach with routine techniques and materials. Each ovary that maintained blood circulation from the suspensory ligament was clamped at a subcutaneous site through muscles of the abdomen. After about six months of bilateral malacotomy, four bitches at the anestrous (two bitches) and diestrous (two bitches) stages of the oestrous cycle were given 0.5 Armour units of FSH twice daily for 5 days. Examinations with ovarian ultrasonography with 7.5 MHz sector transducer, vaginal cytology, and serum concentrations of progesterone and oestradiol were performed daily from the day before the start of FSH treatment through 7 days after FSH treatment. After 15 days of ovarian examination, each bitch received the same FSH treatment twice continually at 15-day intervals. No serosanguineous vaginal discharge was observed during the ovarian examination. The concentrations of progesterone (<0.045–9.6 ng mL–1) and oestradiol (<9.7–81.4 pg mL–1) varied through all treatments. Comparison of the concentrations of progesterone (<0.045–7.6 ng mL–1) and oestradiol (<9.7–30.3 pg mL–1) at the start of FSH administration in each trial revealed that elevated concentrations of both progesterone and oestradiol were observed in the first treatment in 3 bitches. Regarding the second and third treatments, no elevation of concentration was found for progesterone or oestradiol. A new follicular growth was observed in 1 animal after the third FSH treatment, but no follicular growth was found for the other animals. No correlation was found between follicular development and the profile of either progesterone or oestradiol. Ultrasonography proved that FSH stimulation alone cannot induce follicular growth by a single treatment, but it might increase the levels of progesterone and oestradiol, which are not correlated with follicular development and oestrous cycles at the start of FSH treatment.


This study was aimed at determining the solubility of two uranium oxides (U 3 O 8 and UO 2 +U metal ) produced by a new enrichment process using laser technology and at understanding some mechanisms involved in the intracellular particle transformation. The solubility of the two compounds is lower when they have been phagocytised by alveolar macrophages than in a medium without cells. The addition of new macrophages during the culture has permitted the solubility of U 3 O 8 to be tested over 14 days in spite of the toxicity of this compound. The biokinetics of uranium after exposure of rats to UO 2 +U metal have confirmed the in vitro results. The electron microscopy study and EELS analysis of alveolar macrophages from rats instilled with both compounds have shown the formation of very thin needles of uranyl phosphate within the lysosomes


The present invention uses an inhibitor of IkB kinase (IKK), inflammatory and immune - provides prevention and treatment methods of the related disease or disorder, also evidenced in vivo, inflammatory and immune - prevention of diseases or disorders associated also it provides effective IKK inhibitors and treatment. The invention further special IKK inhibitors, 4 (2'-aminoethyl) amino-1,8-dimethyl-imidazo (1, 2-a) a compound of quinoxaline and formula (I), their salts, and pharmaceutical compositions also it encompasses things.


In this paper, we propose a novel image classification approach, derived from the kNN classification strategy, that is particularly suited to be used when classifying images described by local features. Our proposal relies on the possibility of performing similarity search between image local features.
 With the use of local features generated over interest points, we revised the single label kNN classification approach to consider similarity between local features of the images in the training set rather than similarity between images, opening up new opportunities to investigate more efficient and effective strategies. We will see that classifying at the level of local features we can exploit global information contained in the training set, which cannot be used when classifying only at the level of entire images, as for instance the effect of local feature cleaning strategies.
 We perform several experiments by testing the proposed approach with different types of image local features in a touristic landmarks recognition task.


This paper proposes a predictable method for mechanical performance of cold rolled ribbed steel bars based on BP network with dividing variable space according to original materials' tensile strength. It builds a sample variable space partitioning model according to the original materials' tensile strength. It also studies the performance prediction of cold rolled ribbed steel bars based on the 4-in & 1-out BP network and the performance prediction of cold rolled ribbed steel bars based on the 4-in & 2-out BP network. The results show that this method can reliably predict the mechanical performance of cold rolled ribbed steel bars, and the predictive effect of the 4-in & 1-out BP network model based on dividing variable space according to original materials' tensile strength is superior to the 4-in & 2-out BP network model.


The on-site production of cell wall degrading enzymes is an important strategy for the development of sustainable bio-refinery processes. This study concerns the optimization of production of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes produced by Trichoderma asperellum. A comparative secretome analysis was performed on T. asperellum growing on PDA agar, wheat bran and duckweed, respectively. T. asperellum proved to be able to produce a wide enzyme profile, including both depolymerization and debranching enzymes, mainly consisting of hemi-cellulases. The secretome analysis showed specific glycoside hydrolase-induction on duckweed compared with growth on wheat bran and PDA, including a GH62 α-L-arabinofuranosidase, a promising candidate enzyme for the degradation of duckweed. The enzyme cocktail from T. asperellum proved capable of degrading pretreated duckweed, obtaining up to 60% of the theoretical glucose yield, making it a potential candidate for on-site enzyme production.


This study examined how social isolation and subjective loneliness impacted subjective well-being across Japan, with the aim of offering policy recommendations. We analyzed data (N = 5,234, age:15-89) obtained through a Japanese population-based national survey conducted in March 2021. First, we found that mean life satisfaction was statistically lowest among the subgroup of respondents who lived alone (approximately 20% of the total), with more pronounced impacts in males. We also found that the frequency of social networking site (SNS) usage was significantly associated with overall life satisfaction, exhibiting a J-curve (three to four times per week was better than everyday usage). The frequency of interaction with others, number of SNS friends, employment/wage satisfaction, family budget/asset satisfaction, subjective health satisfaction, and subjective connectedness were also related to well-being in a dose-dependent manner (Trend P<0.001). Second, our multiple logistic regression model showed that the above relationships were independently and statistically significant (p<0.05). Moreover, a stratified analysis showed that living alone significantly affected these relationships, which suggests that this condition should specifically be addressed in the context of efforts aimed at enhancing subjective well-being. In addition, respondents who lived alone had low subjective connectedness, which also independently influenced well-being, as shown by our multivariate logistic model. In sum, these findings indicate that national well-being enhancement policies should particularly consider social isolation and loneliness, including issues stemming from low social connectedness.


It is important approach to realize information management for commercial enterprise by construction of E-commerce web site.On analysis the business trade flow based on B2B,requirement analysis is discussed in detail and the modeling,design and implementation of system is emphasized.A B2B e-business system of three-layer architecture by EJB component technology is established.


The Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST) is a distributed, retrospective print journal repository program whose members include 102 academic libraries in 17 states in the western United States. About a dozen WEST Archive Holders (so far) have agreed to retain designated titles through the year 2035 at major library storage facilities and at selected campus locations across the region. A smaller number of Archive Builders agreed to proactively consolidate and validate print journal backfiles to create complete runs. WEST performs a sophisticated holdings comparison annually to prioritize titles for archiving based on risk analysis: the degree of risk determines the level of archiving effort applied to that title. WEST archivers disclose archived holdings in OCLC WorldCat and in CRL's PAPR knowledgebase. WEST is funded by member fees and by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to support archiving efforts by Archive Builders (and other program costs).


The directive emission from a bilayered metamaterial surface is numerically and experimentally reported. The LC-resonant metasurface is composed of both a capacitive and an inductive grid constituted by copper strips printed on both sides of a dielectric board. By the incorporation of varactor diodes in the capacitive grid, resonance frequency and phase characteristics of the metamaterial can be tuned. The tunable phase metasurface is used as a partially reflecting surface in a Fabry–Perot resonance cavity. Far field radiation patterns obtained by direct measurements show the reconfigurability of emission frequency while maintaining an enhanced directivity.


Deictics seem a priori a good field for studying how multimodality contributes to the identification of the discourse referent. In particular, all utterances are addressed to someone and this addressing mechanism rests jointly on linguistic markers and non-linguistic indicators, the main one being the gaze. In the corpus of media interactions we study (i.e. the debates occurring between the two ballots of French presidential elections), where the gaze can target both the co-present interactants and the audience, this complex system will be examined in two clearly different types of sequences: first, the openings of the debate, when the moderators are mainly speaking to the TV viewers, and then the moments when one of the candidates mentions the other in his presence.


【Objective】 To study the effects of combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine on life quality(QOL) and carbohydrate metabolism in patients with type-2 diabetes.【Methods】 A total of 118 patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus were randomly divided into combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine group(n =60) and Western medicine group(n =58).In addition to treatment of controlling blood pressure,adjusting blood lipid and having diabetic diet,Western medicine group was given Western medicine only.Combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine group was given both Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.Observation indexes included DSQL scale,fasting plasma glucose(FPG),2 h plasma glucose(2 h PG),glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c).【Results】 After 3 month treatment,the physiological and psychological/spiritual functions of QOL in both groups were improved markedly comparing with pre-treatment ones(P 0.01),while the function of treatment in combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine group was improved,too.And variation of physiological and treatment functions in combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine group in pre-and post-treatment had significant difference comparing with those in Western medicine group(P 0.05).FPG,2 h PG,HbA1c obviously decreased comparing with pre-treatment ones(P 0.01).Variations of observation indexes in combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine group in pre-and post-treatment had a significant decrease comparing with those in Western medicine group(P 0.05).【Conclusion】 The combination treatment of traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine can improve hyperlipidemia status and patient's QOL.


grauaret. XI . 4 (269,4) [Helm 'ad uirgule in mg. add. **gule (fuit «tVaut»»)]. uirgule <j> (with no note): ungule Ai, ? E, a: uirgule II. III . tXI. 15 (277, 22) [Helm 'innouandi (<£, al. m. superscr. ti) parv. ras. supra »»']. All editors print inouanti, which they ascribe to Aldus or Colvius. Helm has overlooked the fact that, besides the small erasure over ua (which we may guess to have been ••), there is in F an erased marginal variant. Inouanti Ai E a: innouandi II . I I I . Probably in(n)ouanti comes from F's margin. I hope that I have killed the doctrine that ' of all the transcripts of F only one is of importance, and that is tf>.' The man who would decipher F needs all the help that he can get.


We have used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate the surface morphology of poly(N‐methylpyrrole) after electropolymerization on indium tin oxide and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces. We have found that the polymer surface became rougher with higher current density or lower solution temperature. In situ observations of the initial stages of electropolymerization revealed that an extremely weak adhesion exists between the polymer and HOPG. As a result, the AFM tip–sample interaction could easily move the polymer, and we have proposed that this can be used for patterning surfaces.


Abstract Cloud altitudes specified from the Infrared Temperature Profile Radiometer on the Nimbus 5 satellite are compared with simultaneous observations by radiosonde and ground-based ranging measurements conducted with the lidar system at CSIRO in Aspendale, Victoria, Australia, during September 1976. The results show that the cloud altitudes deduced by the CO2 channel absorption method are in general agreement with the lidar and radiosonde determinations, regardless of the cloud opacity and amount.


Between February 6 and March 3 1995 a team from the BASICS (Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival) Project were in Senegal to prepare the Country Activities Plan. This involved defining the strategy BASICS is going to follow as a member of the group of USAID-supported cooperating agencies that are providing technical assistance to the Government of Senegal through 1998. The Plan included a description of the relative context of child survival an analysis of health programs and the health system and the program strategy necessary to achieve the objectives of BASICs delivery order. The team used a synthesis of accomplishments from past experiences: results of three studies; participation in the seminar on Actualization of the Child Survival Project; field visits in the target regions of Kaolack Fatick and Louage; and a two-day workshop with Ministry of Health (MOH) from the central regional and district levels. This method allowed the team to identify major problems and their probable causes determine priorities and propose some solutions and possibilities for USAID and BASICS assistance. The Action Plan emphasized the Feeding and Applied Nutrition Service in Senegal (SANAS) and its two programs namely the control of diarrheal diseases (CDD) program and the nutrition program. The team had been authorized to also study three other important aspects of child survival: malaria acute respiratory infections and the expanded vaccine program. Based on plans already developed at different levels of the system various partners participated in a two-day meeting in Dakar to identify major problems and their probable causes determine priorities propose some solutions and organize activities. Meetings were next held with USAID and MOH where the Plan was examined in detail. Six strategic objectives were defined to strengthen national nutrition and CDD programs as well as the central level of four regions which benefit from USAID support (e.g. improve the nutrition of pregnant women).


Abstract : This report describes a computer program that will model the takeoff and landing performance of aircraft. The program is written in Microsoft(TM) FORTRAN for execution on an IBM-compatible personal computer running with DOS 3. 3 or better. Models of lift coefficient, drag coefficient, gross thrust, propulsive drag, and fuel within user-provided subroutines are required. The simulated aircraft can be jet or propeller powered, however, thrust must be passed from the user-provided subroutine. The intent of this handbook is to provide a guide to the programmer and operator of this program as well as to document the equations and assumptions used in the program. This program was adapted from the NASA takeoff and landing program documented in NASA Technical Memorandum X.622,333, (1973). This Air Force version of the program has been made to suit the needs of test and evaluation while the NASA program served as a design tool.


AIM To study the effect of perlolyrine and its analogues (T 1~T 17) on platelet aggregation and experimental thrombosis. METHODS Inhibition rates of platelet aggregation for T 1~T 17 in vitro were determined and inhibition rates of experimental thrombosis for T 2,T 3,T 4,T 5,T 6,T 8,T 11,T 12 and T 14 were measured according to Umetsus method. The results were compared with those of TMP. RESULTS Perlolyrine and its analogues (T 1~T 17) exhibited inhibition of platelet aggregation, and the effects of T 5 and T 6 were more potent than those of TMP. T 2,T 3,T 4,T 5,T 6, T 8,T 11,T 12 and T 14 exhibited antithrombotic effects to a certain degree, and the effects of T 5,T 6, T 11,T 12 and T 14 were more potent than those of TMP. CONCLUSION Perlolyrine and its analogues exhibit inhibition of platelet aggregation and antithrombotic effects, and the effects of T 5 and T 6 are more potent than those of TMP, but the effects of perlolyrine are less than those of TMP.


The aim of this study was to investigate the growth of aerobic bacteria in fresh-cut salad during short-term temperature abuse (temperature for 1, 2, and 3 h) for 72 h and to develop predictive models for the growth of total viable cells (TVC) based on Predictive food microbiology (PFM). The tool that was used, Pathogen Modeling program (PMP 7.0), predicts the growth of Aeromonas hydrophila (broth Culture, aerobic) at pH 5.6, NaCl 2.5%, and sodium nitrite 150 ppm for 72 h. Linear models through linear regression analysis; DMFit program were created based on the results obtained at 5, 10, 20, and for 72 h ( >0.9). Secondary models for the growth rate and lag time, as a function of storage temperature, were developed using the polynomial model. The initial contamination level of fresh-cut salad was 5.6 log CFU/mL of TVC during 72 h storage, and the growth rate of TVC was shown to be 0.020~1.083 CFU/mL/h ( >0.9). Also, the growth tendency of TVC was similar to that of PMP (grow rate: 0.017~0.235 CFU/mL/h; $r^2


The present invention relates to a holographic display having an illumination device, an amplification unit (VE) and a light modulator (SLM), wherein the illumination means comprises at least one light source and a light collimating unit (LCU), light collimating unit (LCU) designed such that its collimating a light source at least, and generates emitted by the source may be specified angular spectrum of light having a plane wave light wave field, as viewed from the direction of light propagation, amplification unit (VE) is provided in the light collimating unit (LCU) of downstream, wherein the amplifying unit (VE) comprises a transmission volume hologram (VH), designed and arranged that the transmission enlarged volume hologram, so that since the transmission interacting light waves with a volume hologram (VH) to achieve distortion extended light wave field , viewed in the direction of light propagation, the light modulator (SLM) arranged upstream or downstream of the distortion amplifying unit (VE) is.


The history of war is divided into five distinct eras starting from the mid 1640s. Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW), though as old as the history of war itself, has acquired a new character with the introduction of new technology that could hardly be conceived before the 1980s. 4GW is an umbrella term used by military thinkers to describe conflicts at the end of the 20th century. It is characterized by a blurring of the lines between war and politics, soldier and civilian, conflict and peace, battlefield and safety. The incident of 9/11, the resultant US response and the counter strategy adopted by the Taliban and other militant groups opened a Pandora's Box for Pakistan and Afghanistan making them the most vulnerable targets of 4GW. The threat posed by militants to Pakistan was so serious that its army had to be called in; the onslaught of the 4GW militants was beyond the capacity of the paramilitary forces to handle. The current and potential threats of 4GW to Pakistan warrant that it must evolve a comprehensive strategy involving the entire nation while taking into account regional and international factors. The main objective of the proposed strategy should be to asphyxiate the promoters/propagators of 4GW against Pakistan.


This paper presents for the first time a simplicial branch and bound algorithm for globally solving a class of nonlinear sum of ratios problem.The algorithm uses Lagrange duality theory to convert the primal nonlinear nonconvex optimization problem into a sequence of linear programming problems,which can be solved very efficiently.Theory analysis and the numerical example show that the proposed algorithm is feasible.


The original calibration of z0 (Gallée et al. 2013) gives satisfactory results for modeled wind speed at D17. This good behavior is not maintained when considering another measurement point located 100 km away (D47). A modification of z0 considerably improves the simulation at D47, but reduces the agreement between modeled and observed wind speed at D17. This suggests that z0 might be varying regionally, and implies that the model may account for a spatial distribution of z0 (because of various feedbacks between aeolian transport of snow and z0) to allow a consistent representation of the aeolian snow mass fluxes. All those modifications, mainly related to the model, will induce a change in the authors list with Charles Amory will be the first author. He has greatly contributed to the review and has made new simulations of the MAR to evaluate the roughness length. Alexandre Trouvilliez will be second author. Our responses are reported hereafter.


The main objective of this work is to treat the different proposed geometrical configurations of a high voltage transformer with a single magnetic shunt instead of that of dual magnetic shunts for industrial microwave generators power supply. This article deals with development of the single-phase high-voltage power supply based on a new model of equivalent column-type magnetic circuit for a special transformer with a single magnetic shunt, which has a special structure and wide applications. This work shows a detailed design and implementation procedure, including the design of the power supply. The sizing and the feasibility study of the equivalent transformer is covered in this article The experimental results are provided in order to validate the model proposed. The electric diagram obtained of this model is tested in nominal mode, using the software EMTP (Electro-Magnetic Transients Program). The electrical operation simulation was consistent with the experiments in the case of conventional power supply.


The production data acquisition and transmission mechanism in intelligent jobshops is a special topic. The data are complex in origin, diverse in types, and distributed with manufacturing resources. In order to efficiently utilize these massive, heterogeneous and multi-source production data, a production big data acquisition and transmission system is proposed. In the data acquisition, to realize a unified and standardized description of the functions for heterogeneous manufacturing resources, the operation process and functional characteristics of jobshop manufacturing resources are studied, and a resource attribute description model is designed. Further, a unified data acquisition system with abstract and hierarchical data interfaces are designed. Meanwhile, in the aspect of data transmission, a Kafka-based manufacturing data transmission system is designed and developed out, which can provide higher throughput and lower delay than traditional ones. Furthermore, the monitoring layer analyzes the data and provides a visual display of real-time status data by the visualization interfaces. Finally, the architecture has been tested in a simulation digital jobshop, The simulation results show that the proposed data acquisition and transmission can improve the scalability of the system, increase data throughput and reduce transmission delay.


Landmark wildlife series like Life on Earth (1979), Planet Earth (2006) and Frozen Planet (2011) are synonymous with the BBC, and are largely seen as unquestioned embodiments of its public service values. Yet the landmark format for wildlife programming was designed from its outset to appeal to international television markets, particularly the US market. This article examines the history and evolution of David Attenborough's landmark series, tracing the development of the landmark format from its roots in the BBC's programming policy of the early 1960s through broader changes in national and international television markets to the development of the global brand BBC Earth. Combining close analysis of landmark wildlife series with ethnographic interviews with BBC Natural History Unit staff and detailed archival research, the article focuses on the role of BBC wildlife documentary in debates about how public service media should be defined and understood. It is concluded that landmark wildlife series have always evinced the tensions between the BBC's public service values and the need for these series to appeal to global television markets.


Treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is known to improve survival in various cancers. The largest impact of the drug has been reported in colorectal cancer [1]. Active metabolites of 5-FU disrupt both DNA and RNA synthesis through a mechanism involving the folate metabolic pathway [2–4]. The overall response rate to 5-FU in advanced colorectal cancer is limited to 10–15%. Although survival is reported to improve after the addition of irinotecan and oxaliplatin to the 5-FU regimen, toxicity increases [5, 6]. Crucially, response to chemotherapeutics, overall survival (OS) and attendant toxicity is associated with large inter-individual variations [7]. Elevated concentrations of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (CH2THF), which are critical for the optimal effect of 5-FU, are dependent on methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), an enzyme that reduces it irreversibly to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. A link between an improved response to 5-FU treatment and two common polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene, associated with reduced enzymatic activity, has been discerned through in vitro experiments. While an increased sensitivity to the drug was observed in colon and breast cancer cell lines transfected with the variant 677T MTHFR cDNA, 19 different cell lines with the 677 C > T and 1298 A > C variants displayed increased folate concentrations and increased 5-FU efficacy, respectively [8, 9]. The MTHFR activity in tissue is presumed to be a major determinant of clinical response but the pharmacogenetic studies on the effect of the two polymorphisms have not always been consistent [10]. A recent study carried out on 117 colorectal cancer patients showed specific linkage of response to FOLFOX therapy with the two MTHFR polymorphisms [11].

We investigated the role of six genetic variants in the MTHFR and 5-methylenetetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase reductase (MTRR) genes on the clinical outcome in 273 colorectal cancer patients who were administered a 5-FU based regimen as first-line post-operative therapy. The patients were treated by an intended curative surgery followed by a 5-FU based adjuvant therapy regimen. The adjuvant therapy consisted of either a Mayo regimen, delivered as a bolus infusion of 5-FU (425 mg m−2) and leucovorin (10 mg m−2) for 5 days every 4 weeks six times or a simplified DeGramond regimen which consisted of a 2 h intravenous (i.v.) infusion of leucovorin (200 mg m−2), then a 5-FU i.v. bolus (400 mg m−2) followed by a 46 h 5-FU continuous i.v. infusion (2400–3000 mg m−2).

The patients were diagnosed between September 2004 and August 2009 in the Czech Republic, a country with one of the highest incidence rates, and belonged to a large cohort being investigated for the effect of genetic variability on the disease. The study design was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic. In this study the outcome variables measured were tumour stage, OS (time from operation till death or censorship) and progression-free survival (PFS, time from operation till progression, death or censorship). The genotyping was carried out using allelic discrimination method and validated by random re-genotyping and direct DNA sequencing. The median survival time of deceased patients was 21 months. Five established prognostic factors (pT, pN and pM, tumour grading and histological type) associated with survival were included as covariates in subsequent Cox regression analyses for assessing the relationship between the polymorphisms and clinical outcome. Patient characteristics like age at diagnosis, duration of therapy, family history and diabetes (self-reported) did not affect OS (probability values higher than 0.13). Out of six polymorphisms investigated, the variant 1298 A > C in MTHFR showed association with PFS. The patients with AC (n = 102) and CC (n = 22) genotypes showed an increased PFS with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.52 (95% CI 0.30–0.89) compared with patients with the AA genotype (n = 93). None of the other investigated variants including the 66 A > G, 524 C > T, 1049 A > G and 1793 C > T polymorphisms in the MTRR and the 677 C > T in the MTHFR gene showed any association.

Clinical studies on genetic variation in the folate metabolism pathway and colorectal cancer survival have mainly focused on patients undergoing treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer and patients who were administered adjuvant therapy before or after surgery. Critically, most of the reported studies were conducted in a small number of patients (less than 150) and very often the treatment regime consisted of 5-FU and additional anti-neoplastic drugs. In addition to treatment homogeneity, this study, together with two earlier investigations, comprises one of the largest patient groups. While the study by Afzal et al. did not find any modulation in survival due to polymorphisms in patients treated with 5-FU; the study by Boige et al. showed a predictive effect due to the MTHFR 1298 A > C polymorphism in patients receiving oxaliplatin following LV5FU2 [2, 6]. Thus, data from our study coupled with those reported earlier, in particular the one by Etienne-Grimaldi et al. augment an argument for the further investigation of the role of variants in genes involved in folate metabolism, MTHFR in particular, on the effect of 5-FU based chemotherapeutics for treatment of colorectal cancer [11]. 5-FU represents an early success in the relentless endeavours directed towards treatment of cancers and has remained a mainstay treatment. Identification of markers for predicting individual response will be another step towards personalized medicine in the genomic era.


The present work has as main objective to analyze the limits mentioned in law no. 13,467/2017 that serve to set the quantum indemnity for extra-financial damages resulting from the labor relations. In the research, it was used a qualitative approach methodi its nature, as for the level, is exploratory, as for procedures it is as exploratory research, and as for data collection, it is bibliographic and documentary. The results obtained reveal that the parameters established by the law no. 13,467/2017, cause direct confrontation with constitutional norms such as the principle of isonomy, and , there is also a limitation in the magistrate's activity. Thus, based on the results, it was concluded that the labor innovations of 2017, brought parameters that are incompatible with the Constitution of 1988, therefore, there is a need for the Judiciary, when setting indemnities arising from labor relations, to use the parameters only as reference and to judge the cases analyzing the damage suffered, its specificities and to comply with the principles of proportionality and reasonableness.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the driving forces moving Sakai to join the new era of social applications by adopting a content‐focused methodology.Design/methodology/approach – The exploration is performed by looking at the way in which the role of content has developed through various phases of the internet, and how educational computing has leveraged those developments. The paper then goes on to relate these developments to the way in which initiatives like OpenSocial are changing the nature of application development and hosting, discussing the impact of the new world of cloud‐aware and cloud‐based applications on the development of Sakai.Findings – Shifting to a modern web development paradigm that includes heavy use of client‐side programming methodologies such as AJAX, a content‐centric architecture, and an implementation of social networking capabilities will increase student satisfaction, while reducing development time and cost for systems like Sakai.Originality/value – The pa...


C and F co-doped Nb2O5photocatalysts were prepared by introducing F-ions to C-doped Nb2O5. The effects of F-ions on the growth and photocatalytic activity of Nb2O5nanocrystals were studied. The synthesized samples were characterized by XRD,SEM,TEM,N2adsorption-desorption,XPS,UV-Vis and photodegradation of RhB. The experimental results indicate that the F-ions can promote the growth of Nb2O5 nanocrystals,especially along the direction of [001]. The results also show that the F-ions are not incorporated into the lattice of Nb2O5by occupying the O atoms,but physically adsorbed on the surface of Nb2O5 nanocrystals. The fluorination over the surface of C-doped Nb2O5can enhance the generation of free ·OH radicals thus accelerate the photocatalytic reaction.


A formulation of the variational bound method is presented which together with some previous work can provide both upper and lower bounds on the phase shifts or equivalent network elements of obstacles located in single and multimode waveguides. As an illustration numerical results are obtained for a rectangular parallel equiped obstacle. The upper and lower bounds on the phase shifts are quite close to one another.


THE young infant has much less respiratory reserve than older children and adults; for example, his resting oxygen consumption, per unit of body weight, is twice that of the adult, 7 ml/kg/min compared with 3-5 ml/kg/min. The diameters of distal airways remain constant from birth until about 5 years of age and only then increase in size (Hogg et al., 1970). Consequently, infants and young children have a high peripheral airways resistance and a greater tendency to airways occlusion than older children. The average newborn infant has about twice the surface for heat loss for each kilogram of tissue compared with the average adult (Cross, 1965). If the infant is placed in a cool environment his metabolism increases to attempt to maintain his body temperature. This increase in metabolism in turn increases his oxygen consumption and minute volume. Nursing an infant in a cool environment places an additional demand on the respiratory system. In an infant already in respiratory distress this could result in respiratory insufficiency. The importance of conserving heat in the care of ill infants is therefore of the utmost importance. In infants, as in adults, the cause of respiratory insufficiency may be decreased respiratory movements or pulmonary complications or a combination of both. For the reasons given above, however, infants will reach a state of respiratory insufficiency more readily than older children.


ABSTRACTEvaluation of changes in antibody orders is a common exclusion in vaccination strategies because of the method ofanalysis. The fact that protection by antibodies produced by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2(Sars-Cov-2) infection both naturally and through vaccines will decrease in less than one year, is a challenge for acountry with a large population like Indonesia to run its vaccination program. The main challenge is whether thevaccination strategy adopted will overcome the vaccine barrier and the race between the rate of vaccination and therate of viral mutation and antibody reduction. In addition to antibodies, the adaptive immune system is also run by Tcells that are included in the cell-mediated immune system (CMI) group. In patients with asymptomatic or mildsymptoms of Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), T and CMI responses are known to appear in some patients who are notknown to have been exposed to Sars-Cov-2 before. This evidence suggests that the adaptive catastrophe for SarsCov-2 has been acquired by ordering memory T cells and may last longer than previously thought. For countries withlarge populations, this will certainly help overcome the limitations of vaccines and the time needed to implement theirvaccination strategies.


In this work, we examine the IO characteristics of two smartphone platforms: Android and Tizen. We compare how the two platforms differ in using the filesystem, using the database, and accessing the storage. We collected the IOs from select seven different apps that are commonly available on both platforms. By analyzing the collected the IOs on both platforms, a dominant fraction of writes are 4 KB synchronous. On Android and Tizen, respectively, 65% and 45% of all write IO counts 4 KB; 47% and 75% of all writes accesses are SQLite related files such as database, rollback journal, WAL (Write Ahead Log), and etc.; 81% and 86% of all IOs are random accesses; and 90% and 52% of all writes counts are synchronous IO mode. According to our IO analysis, Android IO stack is more sophisticated then Tizen one: (i) disables a time updates, (ii) adopts journal asynchronous commit, and (iii) adopts fdatasync( ) in SQLite.


The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between teachers' professional competence in the implementation of descriptive assessment and male primary schoolchildren's academic self-concept and creativity in Islamshahr County. This is a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population included all primary school teachers and students in Islamshahr County. The stepwise cluster sampling method was used to select 225 teachers and 377 students as the sample.The research tools were Teachers' Professional Competence in the Implementation of Descriptive Assessment Inventory, Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSCS). Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and multivariate regression tests were conducted to investigate data pertaining to the research questions. The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between teachers' professional competence in the implementation of descriptive assessment and students' creativity. It was also indicated that general competence was the significant predictor of academic self-concept. Moreover, general competence and goal determination were the significant predictors of students' creativity.


According to the basic meteorological data from 1971 to 2004,the change of annual average temperature and precipitation in Xiamen is analyzed,and the abrupt changes in different years are determined.Meanwhile the types of climate in this city is analyzed.Since 1980s,the annual average temperature has increased by 0.0631 ℃ each year.In this period there were 2 abrupt changes of annual average temperature in 1981 and 1998.The change tendency in annual precipitation is insignificant and random while 2 abrupt changes appeared in 1977 and 1990.In this period the types of climate were warm-damp,warm-dry,cold-damp and colddry.


In the above titled paper (ibid., vol. 55, no. 8, pp. 1938-1941, Aug. 10), some of the error values reported in Table I were incorrect. The corrected errors are reported in the revised Table I presented here.


Mao Jian Rong(2003) proposed hypothesis(based on the theory in the TPB to make improvements,take behavior,target attitude,emotional experience of three variables into the theory of planned behavior model,used to measure the attitude of youth physical activity.) to study the theoretical basis,to further verify the physical activity attitudes and influencing factors and the relationship between physical activity behavior,through the "physical exercise attitude questionnaire","physical exercise behavior questionnaire" on the stratified random survey of college students,using analysis of variance,correlation analysis,regression analysis and path analysis methods such as analysis of data,the results show that: exercisers and non-exercise physical activity in the attitude of the dimensions showed significant differences;gender does not affect the exercise attitude of people in the maintenance of physical exercise degree the result of differences in scores,non-exercise groups as well;physical exercise activities,determine behavioral intention factor is the attitude of key variables;highly emotional experience,or high awareness of the students,not necessarily the exercises.Path analysis shows that behavior,emotional experience,behavior awareness,target attitude,subjective standards of behavior and attitude while indirect effects through the physical act,on the other hand,behavior,target attitude,subjective standard of physical behavior also has a direct prediction the role.


Asthma and bronchopulmonary dysplasia are prevalent diseases characterized by airway constrictor hyperresponsiveness and excessive airway smooth muscle accumulation. It is now well accepted that some alterations in airway wall architecture can increase lumenal narrowing for a given degree of smooth muscle activation. For example, increasing the thickness of the submucosal layer between airway smooth muscle and airway lumen can magnify the airflow obstruction induced by a fixed pro-


This mixed-methods study investigates a dilemma that interorganizational groups formed to develop long-lived capital assets invariably face at the project front end: either invest in flexible design structures that cope economically with change in requirements, this is design to evolve - at risk of the extra costs not paying off if the uncertainties fail to resolve favorably later on, or endorse cheaper but more rigid designs - at risk of higher adaptation costs if the uncertainties materialize in the future. Through an empirical study grounded in the British railway sector, we reveal that groups regularly engage in informal future-proofing discussions to address this dilemma. But faced with tight budgets and timescales as well as differing interests, the groups struggle to achieve consensus over the need for flexible designs. Through lab experiments and taking a flat governance structure as given, we unexpectedly find that an administrative device to facilitate multiparty future-proofing talks has limited impact on the outcomes. Hence, we argue that a collective action problem is central to interorganizational development of flexible capital designs. We conclude by discussing alternative structures to govern the project front end, and how to better exploit the value of flexible designs.


A nonlinear operator equation F ( x ) = 0 , F : H → H, in a Hilbert space is considered. Continuous Newton's-type procedures based on a construction of a dynamical system with the trajectory starting at some initial point x 0 and becoming asymptotically close to a solution of F ( x ) = 0 as t → + ∞ are discussed. Well-posed and ill-posed problems are investigated.


Abstract : The investigation reports on a series of experiments performed with a high current source attached to an existing 10-Mev electron linear accelerator operated under steady-state and stored energy conditions. Design and construction details of the source are depicted and the electron beam characteristics are discussed. Achievement of very heavy beam loading of the accelerator waveguide under steady-state conditions without observable pulse shortening effects is discussed together with the demonstration of short pulses of high current when operating in the stored energy regime. A conclusion encourages the development of more advanced injection systems capable of providing shorter pulse lengths and higher currents so that microwave storage systems may be more fully exploited. (Author)


We appreciate the interest expressed by Hanna et al1 in our recent collaborative work utilising VOC to improve colorectal cancer (CRC) detection.2 Whilst we acknowledge that the findings were from two separate metaanalyses, the scope of our project was to summarise this evidence and to assess the potential utility of VOC in clinical practice. The manuscript serves as an initial step for the collaborative effort in advancing VOC research in general. We sought to highlight areas of potential as well as gaps, for the application of VOC within both the research and clinical field. It is envisaged that forthcoming multicentre studies will attempt to address these concerns (eg RECEDE: NCT04516785, FASt: NCT04146662). The success of CRC population screening relies on striking a balance between test accuracy and colonoscopy capacity. Cubiella et al3 has shown (in the symptomatic cohort) that FIT levels do not vary with stages of CRC. Moreover, Niedermaier et al4 have shown a wide variation of FIT levels within stage 1 tumours in the screening population. Importantly, the performance of FIT in the detection of CRC is highly dependent on the cutoff value applied. VOCs, on the other hand, have been shown to have a good performance in the detection of both early and advanced stages of CRC.5 Moreover, most of the recent VOC analytical methods are based on the detection of "chemical signature" (eg enose) rather than the measurement of the concentration of individual compounds. As such, VOC analysis has the additional benefit of not being affected by thresholds. Widlak et al6 have reported improved detection of CRC using urinary VOCs in a FIT negative symptomatic population (at the threshold of 7 ug/g faeces) in comparison to FIT alone. For this reason, we believe there is a premise for VOC testing in a FIT negative population for the detection of early cancers. Emerging evidence would suggest that the volatolome is cancer specific. Although there are overlaps in specific VOC chemical compounds, the VOC "chemical signature" is often unique to specific types of cancers. Figure 1 illustrates a heatmap (preliminary results) of varying concentrations of key chemicals that separate between hepatocellular cancer and CRC. We remain optimistic that the use of VOC can improve CRC detection both in symptomatic cohorts as well as in screening programmes leading to improved clinical pathways and better utility of limited healthcare resources. We envision that this collaborative initiative in aligning VOC research combined with other biomarkers can transform this field rapidly.


The aim of the study was to clarify the frequency and nature of skin pain sensitivity disorders during chronic insulin therapy.


Conservation tillage management in high clay soils is particularly challenging due to concerns regarding delay in spring planting and slower growth due to cooler soil conditions. The campus tillage studies were established in 2005 and were expanded in 2007 so that each of the three-year rotation crops would be represented in each year. The study consists of three separate experiments, one in sugarbeet the year following corn, one in corn the year following soybean and one in soybean the year following sugarbeet. In addition to tillage concerns, timing of N application was included beginning in 2010 in plots that had sufficient plot number to accommodate a split-plot design (Franzen et al., 2010, 2011).


While online reverse auctions (ORAs) have become a popular tool to conduct business-to-business procurement, academic research and practical guidance are still limited in delineating salient differences to offline procurement, specifically as these pertain to the corporate buyer's goal orientation and preparation process preceding the negotiations. This article focuses on these fundamental dimensions characterizing the strategic sourcing approach, and contrasts their pursuit in ORAs and offline procurement. We consider a multi-item request for quotation (RFQ) and investigate the dimensions of price competitiveness and risk reduction as part of a buyer's goal orientation, and the aspects of information search and extent of analysis as part of the buyer's preparation process. Drawing on tenets from transaction cost economics, complemented with the literature in industrial buyer behavior, we theorize that the goal of price competitiveness is pursued to a greater degree in ORAs, whereas the goal of risk reduc...


Ever since its introduction, Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) has shown very good performances on a number of games, most of which are turn-based zero-sum games. More recently, researchers have also started to expand the application of MCTS to other types of games. This paper proposes a new framework of applying MCTS to the game of simulated car racing. We choose to build the search tree in a discretized game-state space and then determine the action from the selected target game state. This allows us to avoid the need to discretize the action space. In addition, we are able to incorporate some heuristics on driving strategies naturally. The resulting controller shows very competitive performance in the open-source racing game TORCS.


A technology which is for the production of iron concentrate from pyrite cinder containing about 50% Fe in Tonglin was described in this paper. The technology includes magnetising roast in rotary kiln,ball grinding and magnetic separation . An iron concentrate with more than 62% Fe and low P and S can be obtained by above mentioned technology. Recovery of iron is more than 85% and yeild of iron concentrate is more than 60%.


ABSTRACT
 A broad survey of crocodyliform archosaurs and their outgroups was conducted to explore the evolutionary and morphological patterns of the orbitotemporal region, which is a highly apomorphic but poorly understood portion of the head. Data were gathered on the topological similarity and phylogenetic congruence of the epipterygoid, laterosphenoid, and temporal region as a whole, including relevant osteological correlates and such inferred soft tissues as the trigeminal nerves and jaw musculature. Despite the complete suturing of the palatocranial junction, the epipterygoid remained a consistent cranial element throughout crocodyliform evolution, only to be replaced by the topologically analogous, but developmentally neomorphic lateral bridge of the laterosphenoid during the early evolution of eusuchians. These changes led to a unique morphology of the region surrounding the exit of the trigeminal nerve. Mesoeucrocodylian taxa exhibit a diversity of epipterygoid morphologies including waisted (e.g., Araripesuchus), overlapping (e.g., Sarcosuchus), and isolated (e.g., Goniopholis, Leidyosuchus) forms. The isolated form, in which the epipterygoid is uncoupled from the pterygoid and does not to cover the cavum epiptericum laterally, represents a key transition to the extant condition of loss of the epipterygoid. Changes in the epipterygoid coincide with the migration of M. pseudotemporalis superficialis onto the laterosphenoid outside of the dorsotemporal fossa and the topological change in the intermuscular path of the maxillary nerve, both of which are apomorphies found in extant crocodylians. These data reflect a diverse and potentially homoplastic distribution of orbitotemporal morphologies among mesoeucrocodylians and indicate that the epipterygoid was only recently eliminated in crocodyliform evolution.


This paper presents a nonlinear scatter correction method, called piece-wise multiplicative scatter correction (PMSC), that is a further development of the multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) method. Near-infrared diffuse transmittance (NIT) data from meat and meat product samples were used to test the predictive performances of the PMSC and the MSC methods. With the use of PMSC, the prediction errors, expressed as the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), were improved by up to 36% for protein, up to 55% for fat, and up to 37% for water, in comparison to uncorrected data. The corresponding improvements by using PMSC compared to MSC were up to 22%, 24%, and 31% for protein, fat, and water, respectively.


Using a signature / certificate embedded in pre-processing code, to allow the use or re-use of pre-processing code, the need to perform a run or some script part of the operation in the web page content method for removing, server, and system. One or more of the operations can be performed within an executable script in the web page content, the result of operation of which is signed so that it can be used to verify that may be skipped by the browser corresponding operation . Browser to receive the signed preprocessed code using the signature verification process, the browser can determine if it can carry out corresponding it can avoid the execution of a script, or alternative operation in the web page content. The operation was pre-execution, signed the results by the off-line tool can be included in the web page content. Results of operation may be stored sign together with the memory and thus can be reused in the future.


The key to a great educational system is built upon great teachers. In former President Clinton's 1997 State of the Union address, he stated that education would be the number one priority for the next four years, and that a good education begins with first-rate teachers; "To have the best schools, we must have the best teachers" (http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/SOU97). In 2001, President Bush reiterated the necessity of qualified teachers in his address to the Joint Session of Congress; "We've increased funding to train and recruit teachers, because we know a good education starts with a good teacher" (http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/usinfo/sou/2001.htm). Through the No Child Left Behind Act, we promise a qualified teacher in every classroom. However, the definition and preparation of excellent teachers is not clearly defined because there are multiple perspectives of these qualities. This study examines the responses of 626 teachers to a survey (using a Likert-type 5-point scale of Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree) focusing on the attributes of a great teacher they have known. Teachers were asked to respond to the following prompt: Throughout your years of experience, think of a great teacher that you know. What are the characteristics made that teacher great for you? The sample consisted of 626 teachers; 22.6% male and 77.3% female; and 18% rural, 42% suburban, and 40% urban. Using principal components factor analysis, the following seven factors emerged: Instructional Techniques, Personal Attributes, Use of Educational Technology, Social Skills and Warmth, Consistency, Class Format, and Strictness. The results indicated that the top responses were not related to classroom management or knowledge of the content as indicated by the factor Instructional Techniques, but by affective characteristics found in the Personal Attributes factor, such as caring, humorous, flexible, etc (M=4.62). Additional analyses indicated a significant pattern of teachers selecting someone of their own gender and ethnicity as the excellent teacher.


For a multi-extrema search method to be systematic, there are three main difficulties : (a) attraction of the previously found point; Lpar;b) definiteness of the search trajectory between two points ; (c) exhaustiveness of the overall search. In this paper it is shown that these difficulties can be overcome in the following ways : (a) destabilization of the previously found point by transforming it into a saddle point ; (b) force the search trejectory to remain on the invariant analytical line between two points, and (c) stabilization-destabilization alternation of all points found.