In order to strengthen the surface of machine parts and investigate behavior of their materials exposed to highly dense energy fluxes an electron gun has been developed, which produces the pulsed beams of electrons with the energy up to 300 keV and the current up to 250 A at the pulse width of 100–200 µs. Electrons are extracted into the accelerating gap from the hollow cathode glow discharge plasma through a flat or a spherical grid. The flat grid produces 16-cm-diameter beams with the density of transported per one pulse energy not exceeding 15 J·cm −2 , which is not enough even for the surface hardening. The spherical grid enables compression of the beams and regulation of the energy density from 15 J·cm −2 up to 15 kJ·cm −2 , thus allowing hardening, pulsed melting of the machine part surface with the further high-speed recrystallization as well as an explosive ablation of the surface layer.


The present invention discloses a microfluidic chip detection system for multi-parameter characterization of a single cell, the system mainly comprises a microfluidic chip, the optical detecting module, an electrical impedance detection module and a processor, wherein the microfluidic chip three aligned substrate bonded sequentially, with two symmetrical focusing conveyance passage and the outlet flow channel upper flow channel layer, is formed in the two cross conveyor structure focusing confluence flow path and the outlet flow passage, and down an electrode layer disposed opposite the substrate, forming an electrode structure, two outlet flow paths of the pair of electrode structures are provided. The system of the present invention can be realized simultaneously a plurality of parameters characterizing a single cell, to improve the accuracy and sensitivity of detection of cells, and without sheath liquid, no complicated pre-immune markers, low cost, easy operation, high-throughput and integration oriented, high degree of automation, the detection system of the present invention can be widely used cell cycle, cell differentiation, the pharmaceutical art screening and early diagnosis and treatment of disease.


Objective To explore the different CT signs of 30 cases with ethmoidal-lamina papyracea introcession fracture and 30 cases with normal introcession.Methods The multi-slice spiral CT signs of ethmoidal-lamina papyracea introcession fracture and normal introcession were analyzed retrospectively.Results The direct signs of ethmoidal-lamina papyracea introcession fracture were osseous succession discontinuance of orbital wall,separation staggered of broken ends of fractured bone,ingression of curvature,coarse of contour and merging with indirect signs of thickening of adducens oculi,pneumatosis of inside concha of eye,hydrops and hematocele of antrum ethmoid.The signs of introcession in normal introcession showed different degree of introcession and the surface was smooth and glossy,but the indirect signs that mentioned in ethmoidal-lamina papyracea introcession were not shown.Conclusion The direct signs of ethmoidal-lamina papyracea introcession fracture were osseous succession discontinuance of orbital wall,separation staggered of broken ends of fractured bone,ingression of curvature and coarse of contour,and both the direct signs and indirect signs were important for clinical diagnosis.


Nineteen ninety-eight has been a transition year for Engineering, as we have moved from our traditional focus on thrust areas to a more focused approach with research centers. These five new centers of excellence collectively comprise Engineering's Science and Technology program. This publication summarizes our formative year under this new structure. Let me start by talking about the differences between a thrust area and a research center. The thrust area is more informal, combining an important technology with programmatic priorities. In contrast, a research center is directly linked to an Engineering core technology. It is the purer model, for it is more enduring yet has the scope to be able to adapt quickly to evolving programmatic priorities. To put it another way, the mission of a thrust area was often to grow the programs in conjunction with a technology, whereas the task of a research center is to vigorously grow our core technologies. By cultivating each core technology, we in turn enable long-term growth of new programs.


This paper addresses the weak instruments problem in linear instrumental variable models from a Bayesian perspective. The new approach has two components. First, a novel predictor-dependent shrinkage prior is developed for the many instruments setting. The prior is constructed based on a factor model decomposition of the matrix of observed instruments, allowing many instruments to be incorporated into the analysis in a robust way.
Second, the new prior is implemented via an importance sampling scheme, which utilizes posterior Monte Carlo samples from a first-stage Bayesian regression analysis. This modular computation makes sensitivity analyses straightforward.
Two simulation studies are provided to demonstrate the advantages of the new method. As an empirical illustration, the new method is used to estimate a key parameter in macro-economic models: the elasticity of inter-temporal substitution. The empirical analysis produces substantive conclusions in line with previous studies, but certain inconsistencies of earlier analyses are resolved.


The grain production prediction accuracy is an important problem.There is some nonlinear relation between the grain yield and its influencing factors,and the traditional grain production forecast method cannot capture the nonlinear rule,which causes low prediction accuracy.In order to improve the accuracy of predicting grain production,RBF neural network is introduced into the grain production of the prediction process.This method adopts RBF neural network to grain yield prediction model by using the nonlinear fixed order by determining the order number of data sample reconstruction,and builds a multiple input and single output of grain production samples.Then genetic algorithm is used to optimized the RBF neural network model parameters,and the optimal food production forecast model is established.Simulation experiments are carried out with the Chinese grain production.The results show that compared with ARIMA model,sliding average model and support vector machine prediction model,the prediction accuracy of RBF neural network model is higher than the other model and the speed is faster.The method provides a new way for the grain production prediction.


The aim of land resource evaluation is to evaluate quality of every land unit according to vegetative productive potential of the land unit to inventory the quanlity, quantity and distribution of land resource and to determine the best way of use and management. It needs mult-types of data called factors which can be easily integrated with GIS. This paper discribes the procedures of map digitalizing, factor selecting and model designing using Huangyan Land Resource Information System (HLRIS) which is based on the


. The pressure made by the marketplace motivates a constant necessity in improving the products and services provided by software organizations. In this context, software process improvement has become a common approach. So, it is necessary to define adequate software process improvement strategies, applying best practices and knowledge related to critical success factors acquired in order to succeed. This work proposes the use of benchmarking activities in software process improvement initiatives, from the point of view of the software process improvement consulting organizations, as an approach to guarantee the success of these initiatives.


Most of the currently known fungal laccases show their maximum activity under acidic environmental conditions. It is known that a decrease in the activity of a typical laccase at neutral or alkaline pH values is the result of an increase in the binding of the hydroxide anion to the T2/T3 copper center, which prevents the transfer of an electron from the T1 Cu to the trinuclear copper center. However, evolutionary pressure has resolved the existing limitations in the catalytic mechanism of laccase, allowing such enzymes to be functionally active under neutral/alkaline pH conditions, thereby giving fungi an advantage for their survival. Combined molecular and biochemical studies, homological modeling, calculation of the electrostatic potential on the Connolly surface at pH 5.0 and 7.0, and structural analysis of the novel alkaliphilic laccase of Myrothecium roridum VKM F‐3565 and alkaliphilic and acidophilic fungal laccases with a known structure allowed a new intramolecular channel near the one of the catalytic aspartate residues at T2‐copper atom to be found. The amino acid residues of alkaliphilic laccases forming this channel can presumably serve as proton donors for catalytic aspartates under neutral conditions, thus ensuring proper functioning. For the first time for ascomycetous laccases, the production of new trimeric products of phenylpropanoid condensation under neutral conditions has been shown, which could have a potential for use in pharmacology.


The burial of organic carbon in lake sediments plays an important role in the terrestrial carbon cycle. Clarifying the current status of carbon burial in the lakes of Central Asia is of great significance for the application of carbon balance assessments. With the analysis of the total organic carbon and nitrogen and the carbon isotope and organic carbon burial rate in the core sediment of the North Aral Sea, the status and influencing factors of organic carbon burial over the past 70 years can be revealed. The results showed that the main source of organic carbon was predominantly from lacustrine aquatic plants. However, the contribution of terrigenous organic carbon increased from the 1950s to the 1960s. The burial rate of organic carbon in North Aral Sea sediments was consistent with the overall change in the regional temperature. The burial rate of organic carbon showed an upward trend as a whole with an average of 28.78 g·m−2·a−1. Since 2010, the burial rate of organic carbon has stood at the highest level in nearly 70 years, with an average of 55.66 g·m−2·a−1. The protection of a lake by human beings can not only significantly improve the lake's aquatic ecosystem but also help to increase the burial rate of the lake's organic carbon.


OBJECTIVE To study clinical characteristics of pathogenic bacteria,drug resistance and prognosis of the patients with secondary infections after severe cerebral stroke,so as to accumulate clinical experience.METHODS A total of 181 patients with secondary infections after severe cerebral stroke were studied as observation group.The bacterial species,drug susceptibility testing results,and the prognosis were observed in the observation group.RESULTS Of 181 patients with secondary infections after severe stoke,there were 146 cases of pulmonary infections,19 cases of urinary tract infections,and 16 cases others;a total of 183 strains of pathogens were isolated,including 55(30.5%) strains of fungi,39(21.3%) strains of Klebsiella,and 32(17.5%)strains of Escherichia coli;the drug susceptibility rate of Klebsiella to imipenem was 97.4%,the drug susceptibility rate of E.coli to imipenem was 100.0%;the difference in the incidence of nosocomial infections in the patients with various hospital stay was statistically significant(P0.05);17 cases died in this group.CONCLUSION The secondary infection is common in the patients with severe cerebral stoke,it is necessary to perform strict aseptic operation during the clinical treatment and nursing and carry out bacterial culture and detection of drug resistance,which has great significance in guiding the reasonable use of antibiotics.


Recently, aluminum-ion batteries have been receiving growing attention based on their low cost, good safety, and excellent capacity. In this work, the coral-like TeO2 microwires synthesized by two-...


Low frequency seismic events observed on volcanoes such as Soufriere hills, Montserrat may offer key indications about the state of a volcanic system. To obtain a better understanding of the source of these events and of the physical processes that take place within a volcano it is necessary to understand the conditions of magma a depth. This can be achieved through conduit flow modelling (Collier & Neuberg, 2006). 2-D compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved through a Finite Element approach, for differing initial water and crystal contents, magma temperatures, chamber overpressures and geometric shapes of conduit. In the fully interdependent modelled system each of these variables has an effect on the magma density, viscosity, gas content, and also the pressure within the flow. These variables in turn affect the magma ascent velocity and the overall eruption dynamics of an active system.


The trauma experience was the creative mental setting ancient Chinese writers and it exerted direct and positive influence on them.Discussing the formation and mechanism of the trauma experience,we must draw attention to the factors of psychology and also should not ignore the important influence of social and ethical ideas.It is just the latter that makes the theory of writing books with efforts in ancient China and the theory of depressed emblem of the West have different cultural meaning.It also reflects the obvious national characterisitcs.


Adsorption and Dissociation of H2O on the (001) Surface of Uranium Mononitride: Energetics and Mechanism from First-Principles Investigation Tao Bo,ab Jian-Hui Lan,a Yu-Juan Zhang,c Yao-Lin Zhao,b Chao-Hui He,b Zhi-Fang Chai,a Wei-Qun Shi*a a Laboratory of Nuclear Energy Chemistry and Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China b School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China c School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China


The article shows how global development concepts are appropriated by women's organisations in Senegal and how their meaning is negotiated with respect to local discourses and practices. It is based on a case study of an NGO campaign for a reform of the national family law, focussing on the concepts of women's rights and gender equality. The tense relationship between Western dominated development discourses and the official politics of women's advancement, as represented by the secular state on the one side, and the norms of local Muslim society on the other, reflect the complex dynamics of glocalisation. Focussing on the strategies of women's organisations on the local level, the aspect of agency is highlighted, questioning thereby the widespread stereotype of the 'vulnerability' of women within Muslim society.


Abstract This paper presents a neural network (NN)-based non-linear dynamic modelling approach for a twin rotor multiple input, multiple output system (TRMS), in terms of its two-degrees-of-freedom dynamics. The TRMS is a highly non-linear system with significant cross-coupling between its horizontal and vertical axes. It is perceived as an aerodynamic test rig, representing the control challenges of modern air vehicles. Accurate dynamic modelling is a prerequisite to address such challenges satisfactorily. A feedforward NN has been trained using the Powell—Beale version of conjugate gradient and scaled conjugate gradient learning algorithms. The data for training comprises sine and square waves with various frequencies and amplitudes, pseudo random binary sequence (PRBS), and composite PRBS signals with different amplitudes. The trained NN-based models have been tested with a set of data that are different from those used for training purposes. For more validation, the power spectral density of the model is compared with that of the real TRMS and also the correlation validations of the test results are presented in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed model. The results show that the developed model can adequately represent the highly non-linear features of the system and can be used for sophisticated controller development.


Ecological niche modelling is an important method for predicting the range of a species or genus. In this paper we examine a particularly challenging case of niche modelling where:  the number of samples is small (in our case, 12, not including "background" datapoints);  samples are taken not from an individual species, but from a group of related species within a genus (in our case, Vietnamese frogs from species within the L. applebyi group of the genus Leptolalax); and  the predicted distribution is required to generalise to other species within the group, which are not part of the training dataset (because we hope to identify regions where undiscovered species may be found). Of necessity, such modelling will be imprecise, and dependent on the choice of training samples. However, even an approximate predicted distribution will support conservation efforts and guide the search for additional specimens (including those of undiscovered species within the group). Figure 1 maps the samples used in our study, while Figure 2 illustrates our experimental process. Figure 3 shows some of the frog species used. We conducted niche modelling using the Generalised Linear Model (GLM), Maxent, Random Forest, Domain, and Bioclim methods. Our experiments showed that, for the small training datasets used in our study, GLM outperformed the other methods used. With appropriate parameters, the predicted distribution produced by GLM always included at least half the independent test samples. Similar performance was obtained with GLM even when the size of the training dataset was reduced to just four samples (plus "background" datapoints). Figure 1. The 24 Leptolalax samples used in our study, marked on the map of central Vietnam. Map colouring indicates annual precipitation in mm, which is one of the 19 bioclimatic variables used. Figure 2. Our experimental process. The 24 Leptolalax samples are partitioned into a training dataset and an independent test dataset, which is used to assess the performance of the modelling process. Figure 3. Some of the frogs in the study (L to R): L. melicus, Lineage 3, L. bidoupensis (photos: J. Rowley).


The article analyzes the issues of legal regulation of fire safety in forests. The main problems and indicators of the record number of forest fires in Russia are identified: imperfection of the regulatory and legal regulation of fire safety of forests; inconsistent system of state management of the forest complex; lack of an orderly model structure of specialized institutions in forests and fire extinguishing at the level of Russian subjects, taking into account the peculiarities of the regions; others. The article also reveals the positions of Russian scientists regarding the protection of state forest resources, etc. Responsibility for illegal actions that may lead to forest fires is being considered. The list of necessary components of a technical nature for fighting forest fires has been determined. Proposals have been made to level out the identified problems in order to reduce forest fires and preserve forest resources in our state.


A Practical Guide to Understanding and Managing Deliberate Firesetters
Rebekah Doley, Geoffrey Dickens, Theresa Gannon. 'I strongly recommend this
excellent book as it showcases the current thinking and theorizing regarding
adult deliberate firesetters. ... MD, MPH, Professor of Psychiatry, University of
Massachusetts Medical School The Psychology of Arson A practical guide to
understanding and.


Abstract : This is the second biennial interim report for the study titled The Effect of a Monocular Helmet-Mounted Display on Aircrew Health: A Cohort Study of Apache AH Mk 1 Pilots. The principal aim of this occupational health study is to determine if the use of the monocular Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System (IHADSS) helmet-mounted display (HMD) in the British Army's Apache AH Mk 1 attack helicopter has any long-term effect on visual performance. Additional information concerning other unique problems of the Apache AH Mk 1 aircrew is elicited as a secondary objective. This study is a collaborative effort between the British Army and the U.S. Army and is conducted under the auspices of The Technical Cooperative Program (TTCP), Subgroup U, Technical Panel 7 (Human Factors in the Aviation Environment). The current report presents the longitudinal data analysis for the approximate 5-year period January 2000 to December 2004. Visual performance data are examined for within- and between-subject differences for seven exposed (AH Mk 1) and 23 control subjects with a minimum of 3 years of measured data.


In this paper, the adaptive synchronization of a fractional-order complex T system with a random parameter is analyzed. Firstly, the Laguerre polynomial approximation method is applied to investigate the fractional-order system with a random parameter which obeys an exponential distribution. Based on this method, the stochastic system is reduced into the equivalent deterministic one. The improved Adams-Bashforth-Moulton algorithm with the predictor-correctors scheme is used to solve the approximately deterministic system numerically. Based on the stability theory of fractional-order systems, the synchronization for the deterministic system with unknown parameters is realized by designing appropriate synchronization controllers and estimation law for uncertain parameters. Numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed scheme.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


The existence of dark matter as evidenced by numerous indirect observations is one of the most important indications that there must be physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. This article reviews the concepts of direct detection of dark matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in ultra-sensitive detectors located in underground laboratories, discusses the expected signatures, detector concepts, and how the stringent low-background requirements are achieved. Finally, it summarizes the current status of the field and provides an outlook on the years to come.


The USC Department of Computer Science is in its second year of operating its BS in Computer Science (Games) and MS in Computer Science (Game Development) degree programs. We have developed an interesting educational architecture inside of that degree program that allows the students to become strong game developers, strong computer scientists, strong programmers, strong systems developers, and facile with working in cross-disciplinary, collaborative groups. We believe that educating students in this fashion strengthens our department's ability to do cutting edge research in computer science as well as provide great graduates for the game industry. In this paper, we share our lessons learned, some detail on our courses and processes, as well as detail on our impact on recruitment and retention for the Computer Science undergraduate degree program.


We report measurements of absorption and anisotropy coefficients of the fat emulsion Intralipid-10%. An addingabsorber method is used for measurement of absorption and anisotropy coefficients of the Intralipid-10%. Using the diffusion theory which has been extended to include anisotropy scat geometry, we found that the standard deviations of multiple measurements for√μα/D are less than 0.6% and the residuals between the measured data and the fits have rms values of 0.1%, where μα is the absorbing coefficient of the solution in our experiment and D is the diffusion coefficient of the medium. The values of the standard deviations and the residuals demonstrate the high precision of the measurements.


The concept of surface hardening of structural steels is proposed on the basis of the structural theory of strength and the Charpy principle at the macro-and microgeometric levels for the purposeful formation of a structure that can effectively resist wear and fatigue. An intellectual approach to the rational choice of technological combinations capable of maximally realizing the dislocation, substructural, grain-boundary, solid solution and dispersion mechanisms of steel hardening, which makes it possible to create optimal structures on the surface of tribo-interface elements, is described. As an example of such an approach, the surface laser alloying of structural steels with nitride-forming elements with subsequent nitriding was investigated; an increase in surface hardness, strength, wear resistance by 15 times and fatigue strength by 1.5 times compared with the initial parameters of steels was shown.


A dc gas-discharge display panel with LaB6 thin-film cathodes is proposed for data information systems. A thin-film, having a crystallographic orientation of [100], was formed on a Ni thick-film using the electron-beam evaporation technique. The low work function of the crystallographic orientation provided a low operating voltage. The normal cathode fall potential for the thin-film cathode in a Ne+Ar (0.4%) gas discharge was approximately 80 V, about 1/2 that of the commonly used Ni thick-film cathode. The display panel consisted of two glass plates: cathodes were formed on one plate (substrate) and anodes on the other. The cathodes and anodes were perpendicular to each other, and were separated by barriers formed in parallel between the anodes. Low voltage, high luminance, high luminous efficiency and stable operation were attained without the use of Hg.


Aiming at the diversified functional requirements of the present passenger information system for mass transit vehicles,this paper analyzes the different projects of passenger information system,and puts forward an idea of system integration design.System integration design makes passenger information system structure simpler and more modular,and can solve simultaneously the problems of passenger equipment installation and wiring on mass transit vehicles.


Candida parapsilosis an opportunistic pathogen, exist as a human commensal. It is the second most common cause of nosocomial candidemia and is showing increased resistance to the existing drugs. It is postulated that increased resistance is due to active ER stress response pathway. In this report, we have characterized the key molecule of this pathway HAC1 and found that it is expressed in ER stress conditions. It is susceptible to UPR stress inducer, suggesting perhaps it is functional in this organism. Since the UPR pathway is responsible for fungal pathogenesis we envision further characterization will suggest methods for immunotherapy.


We study degradation mechanism in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under 100 ns long rectangular current pulses applied on the drain contact. Devices were dc characterized after consecutive current stresses. We observed a sudden increase of source and drain resistances after the stress of 1.65 A. We used a backside transient interferometric mapping technique to localize the current path in the device during stresses. We revealed a current filamentation during stresses and dark spots formation in the position corresponding to filaments occurrence. We assume electron injection into the device buffer layer and an electromigration on contacts.


The United States is experiencing a large growth in the solar sector. The U.S. solar power capacity has grown from 0.34 Gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to an estimated 97.2 GW today. However, some states have had difficulty installing large scale solar farms due to concerns regarding geographic location, political climate, or economic factors. Kentucky (KY) is one of the states which is below the national average for solar energy production. However, KY contains a wealth of potential for these types of farms with decent solar irradiation levels and large tracts of unused land for solar farms. For the study, this paper selects three representative areas of KY by using PVWatts and topographical maps which can theoretically produce enough electricity so that KY can meet or exceed the national generation percentage average (2.3% or 2.06 TWh annually in KY's case). The study analyzes the economic feasibility of solar photovoltaic systems (PV) farms in terms of Cumulative Cash Flow ($) and Payback Time (Year) by using the Cost of Renewable Energy Spreadsheet Tool (CREST). Furthermore, this paper estimates the Average/Median/High output power (kWh) annually for the scenario among three areas in Kentucky, Smithland, Hickman, and Falls of Rough. In this theoretical scenario, an average 2.27 TWh would be generated annually which exceeds the national generation percentage average. Furthermore, by the sixth year, the cumulative cash flow would exceed the breakeven point, proving the feasibility of these solar farms. The annual average power generation estimates for the areas of Smithland, Hickman, and Falls of Rough are 0.3741 TWh, 1.1628 TWh, and 0.731 TWh respectively. The average profit per MWh estimates for the areas of Smithland, Hickman, and Falls of Rough are $11,130.12/MWh, $10,742.46/MWh, and $11,392.01/MWh respectively. According to CREST, the final cumulative cash flow, after the 25-year life span of the panels, would be approximately $624,566,720.


Common reasons for implementing automated vision inspection system has been discussed by previous researchers. Many advantages when compared to automated vision inspection of human visual inspection. Automated vision inspection system can work tirelessly, and has accuracy and consistent quality control. Vision inspection system can detect defects that are hard to find by the human visual. Without tools and can operate faster than the human visual. This research will use the software as mach3 CNC control system controls the computer, as the driving bipolar stepper motors, and motor driver IC that is used as a controller L297 and L298 stepper motors. Measuring instruments that are used for data retrieval using calipers. Testing is done by measuring the displacement of the desk and then compare the measured values with values that ruled on the computer simulation of translational motion as far as    1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm, and 6 cm. From the testing that has been done on each axis movement values obtained average error as follows: on the x-axis value obtained the largest average error was 3%. Then the z axis has an average value of the largest error is 8.4%. Value of the compensation amount given step is 2 times the amount of an ideal step. Keywords: Software Mach3 CNC,  Driver L297 &  L298, Stepper Motor - bipolar.


Composites are replacing the conventional and non-conventional alloys and materials. They are used to enhance the material properties & performance efficiency. Also to design materials with combination of desired properties. Nano composites are the developed version in use. Nano means a Greek prefix of "one billionth". Its basic unit of measure is nanometer (nm) or 10^−9 m. This is a science more than technology. It is also called as Nano Science. Various properties, processes and the applications of Nanocomposites are discussed in brief. The main trends in the structural composite field are related to the reduction of the cost which cannot only be related to the improvement in the manufacturing technology, but needs integration between design, material, process, tooling, quality assurance, and manufacturing. Moreover, the high-tech industry, such as telecommunication, where specific functional properties are the principal requirements, will take advantages by the composite approach in the next future. The control of the filler size, shape and surface chemical nature has a fundamental role in the development of materials that can be utilized to develop devices, sensors and actuators based on the tailoring of functional properties such as optical, chemical and physical, magneto-elastic etc. Finally, a future technological challenge will be the development of a new class of smart composite materials whose elasto-dynamic response can be adapted in real time in order to significantly enhance the performance of structural and mechanical systems under a diverse range of operating conditions.


Current research on Parkinson's disease is aimed at the goal of determining the underlying cause of this terrible disease and of developing adequate treatment strategies to deal with it. This volume focuses on models that mirror the progression of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (iron, MPTP, 6-hydroxydopamine, "TaClo", etc.) while other topics are the evaluation of oxidative stress, calcium, excitotoxicity, nitric oxide, or nerve growth factors as possible pathophysiological candidates or causal parameters. Further topics are the interplay between exogenous and endogenous toxins, the potential of brain imaging by PET, MRI and SPECT, as well as promising therapeutic drug strategies. This volume represents a comprehensive survey of the state of the art for neurologists, biochemists, neuropharmacologists and toxicologists.


Modelling and optimisation of sand-casting process have been widely studied in casting research. The present study was developed to compare the four types of mathematical model and find the best model used in the optimised process. The four types of mathematical model discussed in this paper were multiple linear regression model, full factorial model, fractional factorial model and response surface methodology model. The best model will used for the optimized process using soft computing technique. The input parameters of these models were silica sand, bentonite, water and coal dust. Meanwhile, permeability was the model output. The four types of mathematical model produced were statistically validated to test for model adequacy by using ANOVA and coefficient of determination. Each model was finally, validated by using mean square error (MSE) and root square error (RMSE). The research findings proved that respond surface methodology model was the best model as compared the other models, which was significant with p-values of less than 0.05. The model also produced the smallest MSE.


KinlaySLeitchJWNeilA. Cardiac event recorders yield more diagnoses and are more cost-effective than 48-hour Holter monitoring in patients with palpitations. A controlled clinical trial. Ann Intern Med. 1996 Jan 1;124:16–20.


Distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) systems have stringent constraints on timeliness and other properties whose assurance is crucial to correct system behavior. Our previous research has shown that detailed models of essential middleware mechanisms can be developed, composed, and for constrained examples verified tractably, using state of the art timed automata model checkers. However, to apply model checking to a wider range of real-time systems, particularly those involving more general forms of preemptive concurrency, new techniques are needed to address decidability and tractability concerns. This paper makes three contributions to research on formal verification and validation of DRE systems. First, it describes how bounded fair scheduling policies introduce a quasi-cyclic structure in the state space of multi-threaded real-time systems. Second, it shows that bounds on the divergence of threads' execution can be determined for that quasi-cyclic structure, which then can be exploited to reduce the complexity of model checking. Third, it presents a case study involving progress-based fair scheduling of multi-threaded processing pipelines, with which the approach is evaluated. Notes: Research at Washington University was supported in part by NSF awards CCF-0615341 (EHS) and Type of Report: Other Department of Computer Science & Engineering Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 St. Louis, MO 63130 ph: (314) 935-6160 Scheduling Induced Bounds and the Verification of Preemptive Real-Time Systems ∗ Terry Tidwell and Christopher Gill CSE Department, Washington University St. Louis, MO, USA {ttidwell,email@example.com Venkita Subramonian AT&T Labs, Inc. Florham Park, NJ, USA firstname.lastname@example.com


Although the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment is named as an explicit goal in the MDGs, this goal is neither integrated into all the MDGs nor is it embedded in an explicit human rights perspective. This paper argues that the eradication of gender inequality and the promotion of women empowerment through gender mainstreaming are the most important tools in promoting and achieving the MDGs. It emphasizes the centrality of a women's human rights approach to the MDGs and shows the direct link that exists between the MDGs, gender equality and women empowerment, and that the MDGs should be evaluated in terms of women's human rights.


Actinomycosis is a great masquerader and remains one of the most common misdiagnosed or missed diagnoses. We share our experience of a 45-year-old woman who presented with lower abdominal pain and vaginal discharge for 6 months and 1 month, respectively. Although an intrauterine device (copper T) had been inserted 4 years previously, presently she was unsure of its presence. A 6 ¥ 7-cm mass with restricted mobility was palpable in the right fornix. The thread of copper T could not be visualized. The serum cancer antigen (CA)-125 value was 57.7 U/mL (normal range <35 U/mL). Her cervical smear was unremarkable. The ultrasonogram showed a hypoechoic right adnexal mass measuring 86 ¥ 71 ¥ 44 mm. The left adnexa were unremarkable. Despite broad-spectrum combination antibiotic cover for a week, neither her symptoms nor the mass regressed. Exploratory laparotomy revealed frozen pelvis with dense adhesions between the uterus, bilateral adnexae and bowel loops. The right ovary was enlarged, edematous and adherent to adjacent structures. A sub-total hysterectomy with right adnexectomy and adhesiolysis was performed. Microscopy revealed florid xanthogranulomatous inflammatory response with the presence of actinomycotic colonies seen as granules with radiating filaments at the periphery bordered by neutrophils (Fig. 1). The adjacent fallopian tube was also involved by the inflammatory reaction. Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative and granulomatous infection caused by Actinomyces israelii, a gram-positive, non-spore-forming anaerobic to microaerophilic organism. Pelvic actinomycosis accounts for 3% of all infections. Ovarian involvement is distinctly uncommon. Use of an intrauterine device is a known predisposing factor to pelvic actinomycosis. The symptoms of pelvic actinomycosis are vaginal discharge, abdominal pain, mass, menstrual disturbances, fever and weight loss. Most cases are interpreted as tumor; CA-125 may be elevated, inducing an erroneous and often unwarranted surgical treatment, as happened in our case. The clinical presentations that should prompt consideration of this unique infection include chronicity, progression across tissue boundaries and mass effects mimicking malignancy. The diagnosis of actinomycosis is difficult to establish preoperatively. The confirmatory test remains culture; however it is often unsuccessful because of the oxygensensitive, fastidious nature of the organism. Histopathology and gram stain are often more sensitive, especially if the patient has received antibiotics. Indeed, most cases are identified accidentally by histology in pathologic specimens. The real challenge is to suspect actinomycosis in intrauterine-device-using women with adnexal masses so that it may be diagnosed in the least invasive fashion.


While still perceived as the black sheep of Latin American countries, notorious as the home of Pablo Escobar and a vicious illegal drug industry, Colombia's modern reality differs greatly from the stereotype, as the national Government revamps and tweaks the mining code to attract more foreign investment.


The housing sector is responsible for more than 50% of global resource extraction, about 50% of world energy consumption, 1/3 of water consumption and furthermore generates about 1/3 of all produced waste. A new, circular approach is needed to enable better decision-making on the selection of innovative architectural solutions for all phases of a building's life cycle. The current building sector's business model must be redesigned to include the application of new and improved methods, solutions and innovative services, and advance a positive transition from a linear economy to a circular economy. We will present the circular interventions carried out on a centenary building located in Vienna in the framework of the HOUSEFUL project. HOUSEFUL is an EU-funded initiative with the objective to develop and demonstrate integrated circular services, focusing on the optimal management of resources throughout the life cycle of new or existing buildings. The demonstration will include technologies to circulate all process flows while reducing the overall energy demand. These technologies will be offered as integrated services to produce treated rain and wastewater for internal reuse, the generation of renewable energy from biogas, compost production combined with urban gardening and for the use of nutrients in a greenhouse. The design of more efficient processes, such as green walls, innovative conservatories, building-integrated solar thermal and photovoltaic panels will improve building energy efficiency. All process flows will be intensely monitored to ensure safety and collect data for further replication cases. The solutions will also include the use of sustainable and upcycled materials and the implementation will be based on the principles of reversibility and de-constructability. The final services of the building will be elaborated in co-creation workshops with a multitude of stakeholders. Additional service-oriented modelling facilitates replication for the transition to the circular housing sector.


In this article the existing approaches to the innovative project portfolio management are systematized as well as the possibility of their implementation to industrial clusters is determined. Innovative project management requires creation of a new model that is effective in the conditions of high project complexity and uncertainty of the external environment. The article offers an analysis of creative-reflective model of project management, which allows making the management process more flexible and adaptive.


This research was conducted to determine the effect of layer diets supplemented with fructo- oligosaccharides (FOS) on commercial egg ratio, daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg weight and mortality in layer hens. In trial, a total of 40.000 27-week-old Lohmann LSLX layers were used. The first group was given normal diets to the laying hens in the first henhouse (control group: 20,000 hens), and it was also given diets added 0.10% FOS to the laying hens in the second henhouse (trial group: 20,000 hens). The experiment lasted for 52 days of which the first 12 days were planned as pre-experimental period while the remaining period served as research purpose. While the commercial egg ratio was increased, daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and damaged egg rates were numerically reduced. It was found that the egg weights were similar in both groups. Moreover, the group of FOS-containing feed increased the live weight at the end of the experiment. It was determined that the layer diets supplemented with fructo-oligosaccharides increased the commercial egg ratio and decreased the damage on egg rates, daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio. Therefore, a more extensive research should be conducted on the effect of different rates of FOS upon the performance in layer hens.


More than a million foreigners reportedly reside in South Korea now, with unskilled migrant workers accounting for a majority. Although the country's reliance on imported foreign labor is likely to continue unabated, the country prides itself as an ethnically homogenous society and insists on an almost zero-immigration policy. However, this paper shows that Korean society is rapidly becoming an ethnically diverse society and that this process is inevitable and irreversible. In support of this argument, the paper examines various social factors that are contributing to the making of a multiethnic Korea, including the continuing influx of migrant workers, rapid aging of the population, low fertility rate, and a shortage of brides. The paper also discusses many cultural and social implications of the increasing ethnic diversity in Korea, including the relevance of multiculturalism as a policy.


Electron transfer properties of the haem (FeIII/FeII) redox center, in human haemoglobin molecules, were investigated, in vitro, on glass/tin-doped indium oxide electrodes. The total surface concentration of electrochemically active haemoglobin molecules corres-ponded to a single protein monolayer. In addition, anodic and cathodic peak currents changed in direct proportion with the scan rate, sugges-ting a surface-controlled electrode process.


Development of dairy farm business in Indonesia resulted accumulation of waste like as manure. Mainly, the innovation in husbandry by-product has been done, like biogas, compost, and even the utilization of cow feses on construction field as mortar ingredient. Subject for this experiment are 60 dairy cow farmers from Malang District, Karangploso. Which that groups divide into two experiment group and one control group. The experiment groups were given a treatment which is an education by-television with interactive dialogue (Experiment group II) or without interactive dialogue (Experiment group I) about making mortar from cow feses and the control group were not given any treatment. Tool for measuring the group are a question slip like a questionnaire, which are given before and after the treatment. Results of the ANOVA analysis showed a significant difference to the level of knowledge of the experimental group II (p 0.05).


From the Publisher:
Max Boisot divides his time between the new Judge Institute of Management at Cambridge, ESADE management school in Barcelona, and various consultancy projects around the world. His lectures to company executives on the cyber-space have gained cult status. This book provides a complete theory of cybernetics, information and organization.


Crimes which are commited against the environment, mainly against forest stands, are still actual and, in dead, in last decades with increasing tendency. It is appropriate that a forensic expert the field of study, which authorities active in criminal proceedings entered report, was familiar with the basic procedures that make the police in detecting, examining and investigating crimes forest damage according to § 295 of the Criminal Code. Criminal files submitted must contain the relevant facts which form the basis for preparing an expert report. Klíčová slova: poškození lesa, trestný čin, odhalování zločinu, dokumentace, soudní znalectví


The invention relates to a file system for security and protection video monitoring equipment. The file system for the security and protection video monitoring equipment comprises a data structure and an operation mechanism, and is characterized in that the data structure is statically stored on a storage medium through certain arrangement and is dynamically stored in a memory so as to support the operation mechanism of the file system; the data structure comprises file system parameters, a conflict cluster number list, a directory entry list, an index entry list and a data area; the operation mechanism comprises a runtime mechanism, a lower layer buffer mechanism, an upper layer operation mechanism and an adaptation mechanism. The file system for the security and protection video monitoring equipment is specially designed for streaming media data storage on the security and protection video monitoring equipment. According to characteristics of the streaming media data, special parameter items are replaced or expanded on the data structure, parameter items such as channels, time, file types and image quality are extracted so as to improve upper layer operation efficiency, and the file system for the security and protection video monitoring equipment is more convenient to use and high in use ratio.


A method of atmospheric radiation correction based on NOAA satellite image information is presented.The atmosphere hydraulic pressure and the emissivity of the boundary of sea and land are chosen.Then it is corrected by using this method.Because the atmospheric radiation informations of the image are taken at same time and under same condition,this method is prescriptive.Simultaneously,several atmosphere patterns are selected by using atmosphere MODTRAN radiation transmission model program,the different retrieval algorithms are contrasted by presuming the standard atmosphere from America in 1976 as the standard.The fact that derived from study of the boundary of sea and land bear out that the correction method has evident effects and simple operation.


Imagine paying up-front and handing over the full design of something as personal as your family home. It sounds crazy but there was a time and place where this was a reality.


A couple of weeks ago there was a very interesting long essay in the Guardian about the (now historical) Chinese one-child policy. It was not complimentary.


The invention discloses a display terminal. The display terminal comprises an induction ball arranged in the interior of the display terminal, a conduction ball, a controller and a protection device arranged at the frame of the display terminal. Multiple conduction columns are uniformly distributed on the inner wall of the induction ball. A first end of each conduction column is connected with the inner wall of the induction ball. The conduction columns are provided with pressure sensors and face towards a second end of the induction ball and are located on the outer wall of a ball body having the same center as the induction ball. The conduction ball is arranged in the ball body and freely rolls in the ball body. The pressure sensors are used for acquiring pressure value borne by the conduction columns. The controller is used for starting the protection device to prevent a display of the display terminal from touching the ground when pressure value detected by the pressure sensors is within the pre-set range. The invention further discloses a fall prevention method. The display terminal is prevented from dropping down and service lifetime of the display terminal is prolonged.


Thin foil cells have properties which can be of great use on some space missions planned in the future. Areas of array technology are discussed where thin cell performance must be proved-out, to provide a working specification which can be used for realistic missions. Some future trends in thin cell development are included. The intent of the paper is to encourage array designers to increase effort on evaluating thin cells to confirm their applicability to specific missions. 9 refs.


Due to their educational purpose, impact on users and quality of education, school buildings are vital institutions in the community, and their adequate maintenance should be mandatory. Studies conducted around the world point to specific inadequacies that occur in the school maintenance segment, however studies that examine the entire maintenance management process in detail are rare. With such studies, it is possible to observe all components of maintenance and its management in the observed buildings, it is possible to get a detailed insight into the present inadequacies and problems, and give the best possible answer to them. Observing the territory of the Republic of Croatia, it was noticed that there are no adequate databases on school building maintenance. Given all the above, this paper aims to establish a methodological framework and analyze the entire maintenance management process in Croatian schools to detect potential inadequacies, reveal problems, and identify areas for action to improve maintenance performance and carry out maintenance more efficiently. The current maintenance management process of elementary school buildings in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Republic of Croatia, was examined based on the developed methodological framework. Data on the management process were collected through a questionnaire survey among school principals. The questionnaire was compiled based on an extensive literature review. Maintenance performance through management functions was investigated, namely: maintenance planning, maintenance organization, maintenance directing, and maintenance controlling. Important management factors within each of the mentioned functions were observed. The data analysis revealed specific inadequacies and problems in the maintenance process, and it was shown that maintenance management is not entirely effective. Recommendations were given to improve the current situation. In this way, it is possible to quickly and easily examine the entire management process and identify measures that need to be introduced in schools to improve their business in the maintenance segment. The developed methodological framework can be applied to schools from other areas as well as to other types of buildings.


One of the current digitalization trends is focusing on studying customer experience. At present, when managing personnel, it is necessary to analyse and correctly plan the employee's path in the company - "Employee Experience". Properly thought out work environment and business processes, focused not only on clients but also on employees, create a good psychological climate. This, in turn, helps the employee to efficiently solve tasks, get business results, show and be focused on developing their talents. The synergy of design thinking, process transformation and continuous improvement approaches will help to change the organization's culture, create partnerships between staff and management to ensure the success of the changes. The stages of the process transformation, after the completion of which a cycle of continuous improvement of business processes that underwent transformation begins, have been presented in the article. It has been noted, that design thinking techniques can be used for the development and reengineering of not only products (in the usual sense, as a product or service), but also in principle, technology of activity as such (processes). An example of embedding design thinking methods in the process transformation has been given: HMW, Customer Journey Map, The World Caf6, Current-Future-Barriers, Matrices of positive and negative experience. To demonstrate the incorporation of design thinking methods, one of the most capacious stages of the process transformation was chosen - process design. The presented example of the application of design thinking methods for designing business processes can be detailed after clarifying the features of a particular proj ect, supplemented by other design thinking methods, as well as techniques from the arsenal of continuous improvement and process transformation.


A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) is defined as a self-configuring ad-hoc network of many autonomous nodes, which are often mobile devices. MANET have wide applications in communication. Routing is a process which discovers the best available path from source to target node also maintains the route. Performance of MANET is evaluated by considering various Quality of services parameters like Packet Delivery Ratio, Routing overhead, Average end-to-end Delay, Jitter and Packet Loss under different network circumstances like speed of mobility. In MANET, there are various issues such as loss of packets problem owing to transmission fault, broken links, and no route to the destination. This paper compares the different routing protocol of MANET, i.e. AODV, DSDV, OLSR and DSR.


In patients with hypertension and other diseases treated with thiazide derivatives for hypotensive and diuretic purposes, we observed decreased glucose tolerances in comparison with those before treatment. When thiazide diuretics were withdrawn, glucose tolerances were found to recover rapidly to normal. Oral tolbutamide test in these cases showed the blood sugar response curves between those in normal persons and in diabetics, suggesting disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism due to insulin deficiency. (pp. 277-,-280)


The article documents the contents of Thomas Pynchon's essay "Hallowe'en? Over Already?," positing that the approach Pynchon takes to discussing the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, a tour of which Pynchon describes provides an approach for writing a biography of Pynchon.


BACKGROUND
Children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD) pose a challenge to the education system, and to speech and language therapists who support them, as a result of their language needs and associated educational and social-behavioural difficulties. The development of inclusion raises questions regarding appropriate provision, whether the tradition of language units or full inclusion into mainstream schools.

AIMS
To gather the views of speech and language therapy service managers in England and Wales regarding approaches to service delivery, terminology and decision-making for educational provision, and the use of direct and indirect (consultancy) models of intervention.

METHOD AND PROCEDURES
The study reports on a national survey of speech and language therapy (SLT) services in England and Wales (129 respondents, 72.1% response rate) and interviews with 39 SLT service managers.

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
Provision varied by age group with support to children in the mainstream common from pre-school to the end of Key Stage 2 (up to 11 years), and to those in designated specialist provision, common at Key Stages 1/2 (ages 5-11 years), but less prevalent at Key Stages 3/4 (11-16 years). Decision-making regarding provision was influenced by the lack of common terminology, with SSLD and specific language impairment (SLI) the most common, and criteria, including the use of the discrepancy model for defining SSLD. Practice was influenced by the difficulties in distinguishing children with SSLD from those with autistic spectrum disorder, and difficulties translating policies into practice.

CONCLUSIONS
The implications of the study are discussed with reference to SLT practice, including consultancy models, and the increasingly prevalent policy in local education authorities of inclusion of children with special educational needs.


We have developed and demonstrated two types of energy harvesters based on piezoelectricity and triboelectricity for multiple energy harvesting applications. The structural and electrical properties of P(VDF-TrFE) were investigated by XRD, FTIR, oscilloscope, and low-noise current preamplifier. Type 1 device generated the voltage, current, and power of 2 V, 6.5 $\mu \mathrm{A}$, and 6.5 $\mu \mathrm{W}$, respectively, when subjected to air flow. Additionally, hybrid energy harvester (type 2) generated voltage, current, and power of 1 V, 4 $\mu \mathrm{A}$, and 4 $\mu \mathrm{W}$, respectively, from piezoelectricity, and voltage, current, and power of 3.5 V, 6.5 $\mu \mathrm{A}$, and 22.75 $\mu \mathrm{W}$, respectively, from triboelectricity, under mechanical force of 15 N with 1 Hz.


The contents of 11 metal elements(Al,Co,Cr,Cu,Fe,Mg,Mn,Ni,Sn,V and Zn) of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey in different growth stages(20,40,60,80,100,120d) were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry(ICP-OES).The contents of metal elements (Fe,Al,Mg,Mn,Zn) are rich,trace elements(Co,Cr,V) are low.The contents of Al and Cr were the highest in 120d,contents of Cu,Mg,Mn and Ni reached the highest in 40d(10.13,1786.19,60.96, 5.82μg/g,respectively),contents of Co,Fe,Sn,V and Zn reached the highest in 100d(0.31,380.73, 8.49,0.72,50.98μg/g,respectively).


We present the findings from a qualitative study examining the marital perceptions of 9 wives of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data were from a semistructured in-depth focus group interview. Findings reveal how the lives of these women largely revolved around their husbands illness. The wives faced constant tension between being drawn into a fusion with their husbands and the struggle to maintain their independence. In addition, the wives identified positive aspects of the marital relationship that granted them strength for current and future coping. Implications for practice are included.


To investigate the influence of television viewing on the attentive awareness and actual prosocial behaviour of elementary school children, a causal analysis of data from a two-wave panel survey administered to 487 children in the fourth grade and again in the fifth grade was conducted. Measures of viewers' attentive awareness included contextual factors such as depictions of reward and punishment, perceived reasons for behaviour and the amount of contact with televised prosocial scenes. The influence of contextual factors relative to viewer empathy was also investigated. The results reveal that simply viewing large quantities of prosocial behaviour scenes does not encourage prosocial behaviour. However, prosocial depictions influence the behaviour of children with attentive awareness of rewards after behaviour and those who attribute reasons for behaviour in accordance with their own developmental levels, suggesting that such contextual information does not uniformly influence viewers, but is adjusted through empathy.


Boilers in power stations have the characteristics of large time constant,large pure time delay and strong disturbances.A model was proposed based on least squares method(LSM) and correlation coefficient identification approach,and a cascade controller was constructed with feedforward for main-steam temperature.Stair-like generalized predictive control was used in the outer-loop of the controller and PID control was used in the inner-loop.The supervisory shell for the controller was designed and used to increase its running-time.Application shows good quality of the advanced control system.


The degradation of porous low-k materials, like SiOCH, under plasma processing continues to be a problem in the next generation of integrated-circuit fabrication. Due to the exposure of the film to many species during plasma treatment, such as photons, ions, radicals, etc, it is difficult to identify the mechanisms responsible for plasma-induced damage. Using a vacuum beam apparatus with a calibrated Xe vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) lamp, we show that 147 nm VUV photons and molecular O2 alone can damage these low-k materials. Using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, we show that VUV/O2 exposure causes a loss of methylated species, resulting in a hydrophilic, SiOx-like layer that is susceptible to H2O absorption, leading to an increased dielectric constant. The effect of VUV radiation on chemical modification of porous SiOCH films in the vacuum beam apparatus and in Ar and O2 plasma exposure was found to be a significant contributor to dielectric damage. Measurements of dielectric constant change using a mercury probe are consistent with chemical modification inferred from FTIR analysis. Furthermore, the extent of chemical modification appears to be limited by the penetration depth of the VUV photons, which is dependent on wavelength of radiation. The creation of a SiOx-like layer near the surface of the material, which grows deeper as more methyl is extracted, introduces a dynamic change of VUV absorption throughout the material over time. As a result, the rate of methyl loss is continuously changing during the exposure. We present a model that attempts to capture this dynamic behaviour and compare the model predictions to experimental data through a fitting parameter that represents the effective photo-induced methyl removal. While this model accurately simulates the methyl loss through VUV exposure by the Xe lamp and Ar plasma, the methyl loss from VUV photons in O2 plasma are only accurately depicted at longer exposure times. We conclude that other species, such as oxygen radicals or ions, may play a major role in chemical modification at short times near the surface of the material, while VUV photons contribute to the majority of the damage in the bulk.


There are numerous personal accounts and positive programme evaluations of the rehabilitative and transformative power of painting, poetry, football, running, educational attainment and peer mentoring – all of which can be classified as 'positive' and 'strengths-based' activities and interventions – in numerous different prisons in numerous different countries. Almost all prisons have programmes of education and programmes that can be classified as promoting a rehabilitative culture. Some of these are even evaluated externally to assess whether and to what extent they can be said to 'work'. However, little of this evaluation attempts to examine the sustainability or capacity-building of this work. Based on our discussion of three strengths-based programmes in the United Kingdom (UK) adult prison establishment, some clues emerge about what could arise as a two-tiered approach to the evaluation of strengths-based projects, based on proximal effectiveness and longitudinal impact on culture and practice. The paper concludes with an overview of common metrics of strengths-based innovations and programmes which may lead to increased credibility and investment in times of austerity.


Since Sildenafil became available in Japan five years ago, 208 outpatients with Erectile
Dysfunction(ED)have consulted the Ogura Shinryosho Clinic in Tokushima City, Japan.
On August 31st 1999, an article in the Tokushima Newspaper warned readers of the possible
side effects of Sildenafil including heart attacks. After the publication of this article, the
number of patients in this clinic dropped by 80%. The mean age of the patients in this
study was 57.2 with a distribution between 29 and 84. The morbidity period of ED is 35
months, and it is described as decreasing logarithmically ; only 22 outpatients in this study
experienced symptoms occurring over six years. Several patients in this study experienced
past medical problems including Diabetes Mellitus(18.3%), heart disease(14.5%), and
benign prostatic hyperplasia(12.4%). Pigmentary retinal degeneration(PRD)is classified
as one of Sildenafil's contraindications. Although no patients experienced PRD in this
study, over 50 male patients in the prefecture of Tokushima have been diagnosed with PRD.
It should be noted that there are possible complications associated with taking Sildenafil
before the onset of PRD and Usher Syndrome.


The growing need for Internet friendly streaming protocols prompted us to develop IFTP (Internet Friendly Transport Protocol). IFTP is a protocol with an inherent rate-based flow control mechanism designed to emulate TCP's window-based flow control mechanism. To improve the performance of IFTP on lossy links, we developed a variant, IFTP-W, which specifies an error-sensitive section. Bit errors not occurring in this section are ignored. In this paper we present the performance of IFTP-W with varying errorsensitive section lengths on networks with varying link qualities. The results indicate the increase of IFTP-W's performance as the error-sensitive section length is decreased. This paper also describes the object oriented discrete event networking simulator we wrote in C# to evaluate the performance of our design.


The present invention relates to the use of deactivatable biocides in cooling an aqueous industrial process requiring heat dissipation. The present invention comprises the steps of adding a deactivatable biocides in cooling water, and when prior to or discarding discards the cooling water, irreversibly inactivate the deactivatable biocides comprising the step, to a method of inhibiting the growth and reproduction of microorganisms in the cooling water.


This course serves as a guide to the considerable potential of layered surface models that are available in many commercial products. The key advantage of using such layered materials over traditional shading language constructs is that the end result is highly physically plausible because it simulates real materials more precisely. However, this does not mean that these models cannot be used for artistic purposes. Using simple layered surface models, we demonstrate how a surprisingly large number of interesting and important surface types can be efficiently represented. We also show how handy such an approach is for the end-user, whose main concern is the ease with which one can describe object appearance based only on a few intuitive parameters. We first discuss layered surface models in general and the constraints of modeling object appearance in a physically plausible fashion by explaining basic material properties. We then demonstrate the techniques that are used to analyze such materials, both for high quality offline rendering as well as in a realtime setting. We then give examples of the surface types that can be described in this way and demonstrate how we create them in our company.


The amount of the dowry and process causes of conflict in Bugis and Padang Pariaman traditional marriages and what values can be exchanged. This type of research is qualitative using a field research approach and historical and analysed using N-Vivo R1, ten informants involved. informants are representatives to answer the formulation of the problem. Based on the results of research, especially in the Bugis-Makassar community, disagreements will cause negative things such as marriages can be cancelled, debts, elopement, pregnancy out of wedlock and suicide, while in the Padang Pariaman community where the tradition of the woman giving some money to the man-men, and the men will do a manjalang event to change the dowry and the amount is more. The conclusion of the research in this process is that the potential for conflict that occur will be greater, due to differences in social status and the need for meaning of economic values.


In 1991, Lamken et al. [7] introduced the notion of class‐uniformly resolvable designs, CURDs. These are resolvable pairwise balanced designs PBD(v, K, λ) in which given any two resolution classes C and C', for each k ∈ K the number of blocks of size k in C is equal to the number of blocks of size k in C'. Danzinger and Stevens showed that if a CURD has v points, then v ≤ (3p3)2 and v ≤  (p2)2 where pi denotes the number of blocks of size i for i = 2, 3. They then constructed an infinite class of extremal CURDs with v = (3p3)2 when p3 is odd and an infinite class with v = (p2)2 when p2 ≡ 2 (mod 6). In this note, we construct two new infinite families of extremal CURDs, when v = (3p3)2 for all p3 ≥ 1 and when v = (p2)2 with p2 ≡ 0 (mod 3) except possibly when p2 = 12. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 213–220, 2008


Abstract Stress corrosion testing of a vanadium modification of 4340 alloy was conducted using precracked specimens in a cantilever beam apparatus. Plastic zones at the crack tip were determined using optical interference measurements, and the effect of these plastic zones on the fracture paths was demonstrated. Crack propagation rates were measured for steels of varying yield strengths (140–205 ksi). Electron fractographs and photomicrographs associated with the fracture through plastic zone are presented. Crack propagation rates were shown to vary inversely with the yield strength of the steel with the overall failure time being related to both the propagation rate and the fracture toughness of the material.


We dedicate this issue of Agriprobe to the youth of South Africa, since they are our future. The Western Cape Provincial Strategic Goal 1 'Create opportunities for growth and jobs', and the Provincial Strategic Goal 2 'Improve education outcomes and opportunities for youth development', focus on the development and job creation for our youth. The department is therefore passionate about youth development and committed to transform and increase our agricultural professionals through our youth development opportunities.


Photolithographic exposure system to be used on the photoresist on the substrate includes a light modulation system, a photo-mask, the projection exposure optical system, and liquid dispensing systems having one or more targets (對象) pattern. An optical projection exposure system is positioned to project the image of the one toward the image plane or more of the target pattern. Solution dispensing system positions the solution between the optical projection exposure system and the substrate on the photoresist. Solution at a wavelength of between about 180 and 300 ㎚ ㎚, has a high refractive index and absorbance of 0.8 or less per milliliter of water than the refractive index value. Absorbance, transmittance pattern exposure, a photoresist, a refractive index, a solution, a substrate.


ABSTRACT This paper explores the views and attitudes of a small group of teachers concerning the early years outdoor teaching and learning environment. Further their responses are compared to an online survey of teachers examining their attitudes to the early years outdoor environment. This extends the current knowledge as to the drivers for teachers' professed actions when working in the early years outdoor environment, and specifically the extent to which the teachers' own experiences of outdoors influences their professed behaviours in their role when working outside with children. At the heart of this discussion is the concern that only those teachers who have had good experiences of outdoor play themselves may go on to provide good outdoor experiences for young children.


In these times of despair when a nano-sized organism, the SARS-CoV-2, has rendered the human race helpless, made the global health status decline, and drowned the world economy, a ray of hope comes from another nano-sized particle, the exosome The potential of mesenchymal stem cells has already been established in COVID-19;however, cell-based therapy has its risks We thereby propose cell-free therapy using stem cells-derived exosomes to fight against COVID-19, as they can be a game-changer owing to their immunomodulatory nature, which combats the cytokine storm characterizing this disease, and their practical efficiency, which will realistically aid large access to therapy worldwide


Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) dual crop coefficient (FAO-2Kc) is one of the widely used formulation to estimate soil evaporation (E) due to its operationality and simplicity. The FAO-2Kc method could explicitly distinguish the contribution of E and plant transpiration, separately. However, systematic and random uncertainty in E observations still exist. In this vein, this paper attempts to improve FAO-2Kc evapotranspiration estimates through assimilating SMAP-based disaggregated soil moisture (SM) into FAO-2Kc E component via the soil evaporation coefficient. Sequential data assimilation methods (Kalman filter) was used for this purpose, where E is strongly linked to SM especially under arid atmospheric conditions where energy is not the limited factor. The proposed approach is applied over a semi-arid site in central Morocco. Results revealed that the assimilation approach provides better results in term of evapotranspiration by decreasing the root mean square error from 0.98 mm/day to 0.75 mm/day compared to the standard FAO-2Kc.


The article is an attempt to interpret the formation of new standards of use of the forms of address in regulated spheres of communication. Regulated communication is considered as communication restricted by the rules of an organization or a socio-political institute, as well as the rules and standards of speech etiquette and corporate ethics adopted by an organization. It is noted that in modern linguistics there are no typically occurring the conservative and restrictive perception of standards. A new view on the nature of the standard is being formed: the standard must be as close to the communicative situation as possible. The trends in the formation of the standards are identified on the basis of the observation over modern word usage, the analysis of metalinguistic reflection of the native speakers and the surveys of preferable choices of form of address in a particular communicative situation. To conclude it is stressed that the new standards of functioning of the forms of address need further theoretical understanding of this problem, analysis and recommendations for the use of new forms.


Surface tension is a basic thermophysical property, especially with respect to heat transfer through a heat exchanging surface with bubbles of fluid drops on it. The surface tension data of HFCs and HCFCs, which are considered as refrigerant alternatives, are necessary for design of air conditioner and refrigeration equipment. Based on the corresponding-states treatment and the renormalizationgroup theory, a new prediction method of surface tension for HFCs and HCFCs is developed and compared with literatures' methods. Present correlation can represent the experimental results accurately in a wide temperature range and which accuracy can meet the requirements of engineering applications.


Turbomachines, specifically centrifugal pumps, are rotodynamic machines and their use is to pump liquids. In this paper, the design of the rotor of these centrifugal pumps is developed for laminar and incompressible fluids in two dimensions using the method of finite element and topology optimization method based on gradient. A code in MATLAB has been developed for the solution of Navier Stokes equations using the finite element method (FEM) and the method of moving asymptotes (MMA) for the minimization of a bi-objective function (energy dissipation and vorticity). The topology result obtained in the minimization of this bi-objective function (wd = 0.8 and wr = 0.2), corresponds to the standard geometry of the rotors of centrifugal pumps in traditional working conditions. The performance obtained in this minimization was 5.94 [Watts] with a fraction volume in the whole domain of 0.248. In conclusion, mathematical optimization tools can help engineering designers to obtain non-intuitive designs and improve their results.


In this paper, the buckling of carbon nanotubes, modeled as nonlocal one dimensional continua within the framework of Euler–Bernoulli beams, is considered. Both a stress gradient and a strain gradient approach are considered and a variational approach is adopted to obtain the variationally consistent boundary conditions. The dependence of the buckling load on the nonlocal parameter has been determined using the boundary conditions obtained from the variational analysis. Results indicate significant dependence of nonlocal parameter on buckling load for particular types of boundary conditions. These findings are important in mechanical design considerations of devices that use carbon nanotubes.


This article proposes a critical reading of J. Toner's book on popular culture in Ancient Rome. Scholars and researchers on Roman history have long neglected this subject, because the relevant sources are scarce and scattered. That is why Toner choses to deal with it in the long-term (1st century BC to 5th century AD), and in a vast area stretching from Scotland to the Nile. He seeks to spot and analyse a set of practices and interests common to a certain part of Roman society ("the people"), which could have shaped a "popular" culture of its own. However, it seems to us that the final result suffers not only from a partial – not to say wrong – use of the sources, but also from insufficiently mastered concepts, and the absence of diachronic perspective.


Ad hoc networks were first introduced to provide "instant" communications where an infrastructure did not exist, for example battlefield, search and rescue etc. Some of these applications have now become very sophisticated and complex, involving thousands of nodes with various degrees of mobility. The much broader scope poses now a host of new problems from design to evaluation and implementation. The first "challenge" we address is routing scalability in the face of mobility. We present several solutions, some of which actually exploit mobility itself, eg "group" mobility. Then, we move to scalable transport. We show the challenge of maintaining many TCP flows in large ad hoc networks, mobile as well as stationary, and outline preliminary solution proposals. Finally, we must verify that the proposed solutions work in a large-scale testbed. We introduce WHYNET, the NSF funded wireless testbed at UCLA. WHYNET uses an innovative hybrid emulation scheme to scale realistic testability to thousands of nodes.


In today's world of particle physics, theories have become more and more abstract and complex; we are asked to believe that space has 26 dimensions and that concepts such as particle spin have nothing to do with a particle actually spinning on an axis but refer to properties of certain equations governing those particles' behavior. It is the purpose of this paper to propose a scheme for computing the electron g-factor based on a classical model of the electron due to H Aspden. This scheme is a straightforward one and only elementary notions will be used.


The present invention dual relates to a floor under-floor heating system, and the threads on the body outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape formed support bolt formed side support been projected in the bottom of the outside of the body, is coupled with screws to the supporting bolt in the center in the radial direction interval the four grooves are formed is supported on the supporting member and the supporting bolt and the shock-absorbing member supported consisting of air dustproof cushion is supported at the lower side, support rail and the support rail connecting the support buffer member each of the plurality of additional corners have the support with the mortar-filled case of a rectangular shape which rests respectively on the buffer member, the top of the mortar-filled casing is provided with additional filling to pouring the cement mortar and the lower part heat insulating material is bonded, the mortar-filled casing and the support rail the upper is provided with a pipe, the filling unit and the Tube, and is characterized by placing a wet the finishing mortar layer to integrate said mortar filling the case with a structure during the construction. According to the invention, while maintaining the thickness of the floor slab to the standard thickness of the impact weight It has the effect of reducing to a minimum the spread of negative impact sound or light.


The article approaches the concepts of ethics and management of ethics in teaching institutions, as a part of public institutions. The research methodology uses instruments such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, after a broad study of the professional literature in this area of interest. This paper represents a first stage for a future research regarding the way that ethics is implemented in teaching institutions from Romania.


Multidisciplinary by necessity, interstellar studies attack a seemingly intractable problem from numerous angles, many of which were on display at the Princeton conference. The past year has seen work that firms up our knowledge of the nearest interstellar target, the triple star system Alpha Centauri. Learning that the Centauri A and B stars may well support terrestrial style worlds, we push ahead into an era of breakthrough investigations in exoplanet detection and imaging. The treatment of the Centauri developments illustrates the changes that online capabilities bring to research, offering new venues and providing for vigorous debate via preprint archives, weblogs and self‐archiving by researchers. These tools also hone our skills at presenting the public case for interstellar research to a lay audience often indifferent to both space‐related activities and the possibility of long‐term planning. We must continue to press the case for vigorous exploration and use these new online capabilities to re‐ene...


Deleanu, Frei and Hilton have developed the notion of generalized Adams completion in a categorical context. In this note, it is shown that given an algebra, its exterior algebra is isomorphic to the Adams completion of the algebra with respect to a chosen set of morphisms in a suitable category.


Paper includes the material about the content of iodine in the human body, participation of iodine in the formation of thyroid hormones, the role of thyroid hormone in the human body, daily allowance of iodine for children, adults and pregnant women. The article contains the information about Nizhny Novgorod regions, in which the content of iodine in the soil and the water slight, areas with relatively reduced concentrations of iodine and areas where the concentration of iodine is close to normal.


This paper presents an efficient algorithm to compute the force and torque exerted by the Solar Radiation Pressure on a generic spacecraft. Operational methods used so far either oversimplify the problem, thus computing only a rough approximation of the total effect, or disregard the geometrical structure of the spacecraft yielding slow performances. The current approach aims at taking advantage of all the geometrical information available from the beginning in order to reduce the number of computations to be performed. The problem is provided with geometrical structure by means of Binary Space Partitioning based on the mechanical units of the spacecraft. This structure is fully generic and allows obtaining a visibility ordering of the scene for any possible configuration at computational cost linear in the number of units. The shadows are then computed by means of a polygon Boolean operations algorithm in order to maximize performance. The obtained algorithm requires a much smaller processing time than the existing operational software used for previous missions like Venus Express or Rosetta.


With the large scale and multi-function of the warehouse of the tobacco distribution center, its energy consumption is very huge, and the energy saving potential is significant. As one of the main power system of tobacco distribution center, lighting system is still controlled by manual mode, which cannot meet the development needs of the current intelligent and energy-saving warehouse. Therefore, it is urgent to develop an intelligent and efficient lighting control system for tobacco distribution center warehouse. In this paper, based on the industrial controller PCC and automation project software Studio Automation, with a tobacco distribution center as an example, the intelligent warehouse lighting control system is developed. Through the hardware selection and software design, the control of the lighting system is realized. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the design.


Abstract Data on the fertility of teachers in grant earning schools in England and Wales were collected in 1955 as part of a general survey into the social characteristics of teachers. The survey was financed by the Nuffield Foundation with a contribution from the Population Investigation Committee. A subsequent article will discuss some possible determinants of fertility and in particular the interrelationship between social mobility and fertility. The present note describes changes in cohort fertility of teachers since 1915 and compares average family size with that of other sections of the population. The average number of children per married male teacher declined from 1.81 for the pre-1920 cohort to 1.47 for 1930–34. Segmental data after 1935 indicate a rise to approximately 2 children per family. Comparison with the Family Census suggests that the number of children of teachers is between 10% and 20% below that of all professions combined when the age at marriage of the wife is taken into account.


Objective
To provide objective evidences for early screening of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis function in diabetic patients, the relationship between HPA axis function and diabetes mellitus was systematically reviewed.

Methods
PubMed, Ovid, Embase, Web of science Databases were retrieved from articles reporting the relationship between HPA axis function and diabetes mellitus. Meta-analysis were carried out by Stata 12.0 software for heterogeneity test and data merged among articles for the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results
Our meta-analysis showed the following results: Compared with control group, the basal plasma cortisol level in total diabetes group, T1DM group, T2DM group, diabetes patients(with or without chronic complications)combined with hypertension was significantly higher. Compared with control group, postdexamethasone cortisol level was markedly higher in diabetes group. There was no significant difference in 24 h urinary free cortisol(24h UFC)and ACTH levels between diabetes group and control group. Our qualitative evaluation shows the following results: the differences of awaking salivary cortisol and cortisol awakening response(CAR)between the two groups were inconsistent among all included studies. Most studies showed that CAR was lower in diabetic patients.

Conclusion
The present analysis has demonstrated that HPA axis dysfunction exists along with diabetes mellitus, and diabetic comorbidity may further worsen the HPA axis dysfunction. (Chin J Endocrinol Metab, 2016, 32: 668-673)

Key words:
Diabetes mellitus; Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Cortisol; 24 h urinary cortisol; Cortisol awakening response


The ground-state potential curve for the beryllium dimer is calculated using different methods. In the most accurate calculation a minimum of 0.9 kcal/mole is found at a distance of 4.9 a.u. Corrections for deficiencies in the basis set lead to a predicted well depth of 2.0 kcal/mole. Three classes of methods have been used—MCSCF, CI, and MBPT methods—and calculations were performed with two different basis sets. The largest basis set has 7s, 3p, and 2d contracted Gaussian functions where the 2d functions were optimized in the molecule. Nearly complete CI calculations with this basis set recovers 97% of the valence correlation energy. The main conclusion from the calculations with the different methods and basis sets is that it is necessary to compute practically all the valence shell correlation energy in order to obtain a reliable, qualitatively correct, potential curve for Be2. The best illustration of this point is that large MCSCF calculations with 1832 configurations, obtained from a complete distribution of 4 electrons in 20 orbitals, give qualitatively wrong potential curves. This is particularly remarkable since 98.8% of the valence correlation energy obtainable with the basis set is recovered.


A small vertical axis wind turbine with wind speed self-adapting was designed. The diameter and height of the turbine were both 0.7m. It featured that the blades were composed of movable and fixed blades, and the opening and closing of the movable blades realized the wind speed self-adapting. Aerodynamic performance of this new kind turbine was tested in a simple wind tunnel. Then the self-starting and power coefficient of the turbine were studied. The turbine with load could reliably self-start and operate stably even when the wind velocity was only 3.6 m/s. When the wind velocity was 8 m/s and the load torque was 0.1Nm, the movable blades no longer opened and the wind turbine realized the conversion from drag mode to lift mode. With the increase of wind speed, the maximum power coefficient of the turbine also improves gradually. Under 8 m/s wind speed, the maximum power coefficient of the turbine reaches to 12.26%. The experimental results showed that the new turbine not only improved the self-starting ability of the lift-style turbine, but also had a higher power coefficient in low tip speed ratio.


ITIS A COMMONPLACE of studies of the seventeenth-century Stuart court to lament what is regarded as the catastrophe of the dispersal of King Charles I's art collection following the King's execution and the subsequent Commonwealth sale that took place between 1649 and 1652.1 Restoration writers heaped opprobrium upon the sale, including William Aglionby, who argued in his Painting Illustrated in Three Dialogues (1685) that (had not the bloody-principled zealots, who are enemies to all the innocent pleasures of life, under the pretext of a reformed sanctity, destroyed both the best of kings, and the noblest of courts, we might to this day have seen these arts flourish amongst US'.2 Subsequent eighteenth -century connoisseurs developed such sentiments, castigating the Commonwealth for destroying what they regarded as the first flowering of sensibility among the polite arts in England. Horace Walpole was not alone in claiming that throughout history (the mob have vented their hatred to tyrants on the pomp of tyranny. The magnificence the people have envied, they grow to detest, and mistaking consequences for causes, the first objects of their fury are the palaces of their masters ... This was the case in the contests between Charles and his parliament'.3 For Walpole, Charles was the great connoisseur in advance of his times, destroyed by an iconoclastic Parliament that was representative of the uncultured mob. Claude Phillips' account of The Picture Gallery of Charles I, published in 1896, expanded on Walpole's outrage by attacking what he regarded as the sale's dispersal of national treasures. The loss of (the spoils which were with such fatal improvidence handed over to the royal and private dilettanti of Europe after the closing tragedy of the King's trial and execution' was, according to Philips, incalculable. He argued that eighteenth-century Georgian additions to the royal collection could not (console us for the loss of what the ill-fated King had accumulated, with a passionate enthusiasm that was sustained, if his contemporaries are to be believed, by the keenest and most intelligent connoisseurship'.4


The characteristics of the Willgerodt-Kindler rearrangement reaction were reviewes. Then,the recent advances on the application of the reaction in the synthesis of thioamides and carboxylic acids in particular were introduced. Finally a summary and perspective of the reaction was presented.


Pubertal uterine bleeding occupies an important place in the structure of gynecological pathology since, in the years, it can lead to persistent and irreversible changes in the process of formation of the reproductive system.The purpose of the work is to investigate the effectiveness of non-hormonal therapy in the treatment of uterine bleeding in adolescent girls against the background of concomitant thyroid pathology.Material and methods. Thirty adolescent girls with pubertal uterine bleeding were examined and treated against the background of concomitant thyroid pathology, which were treated in the gynecological department of the city clinical maternity hospital No. 1 in Chernivtsi. All examined patients also underwent a comprehensive examination to determine the level of hormones in the blood serum and to determine individual indicators of hemostasis.Results. It was established that the complex therapy used in adolescent girls suffering from pubertal uterine bleeding against the background of thyroid pathology is effective, as indicated by the positive feedback mechanism, namely the release of follicle-stimulating hormone in response to an increase in the level of estradiol in peripheral blood.Conclusion. The comprehensive treatment technique developed and used by us in adolescent girls with uterine bleeding with concomitant thyroid pathology contributes to the gradual normalization of the level of sex and thyroid hormones in the blood serum, shortens the treatment period in the hospital, and helps to normalize the overall hormonal profile of the examined girls with concomitant thyroid pathology.


This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To cited: Tanrıverdi C, Balcı Ö. Results of Conjunctival Autograft Transplantation Combined with Amniotic Membrane Transplantation Surgery in Recurrent Pterygium Cases. Acta Med. Alanya 2021;5(1):24-29. doi:10.30565/medalanya.812065 *Coresponding Author: Cafer Tanrıverdi. Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul Medipol University,


: Typography portrait is a portrait is a portrait made up of words. The face of a person has different shades and distinct features. In order to make a typography portrait the distinct shades and features need to be clearly extracted. Existing systems focus only on the different shades of the face. They fill the face with word clouds without any regard for the distinct features of a face. This project will consider not only the shades of a face but also the features of a person's face. The extraction of facial features will be done first and then text filling will be done accordingly. This project intends to create an application that will create a typography portrait having a much better visual appeal than the present systems. information, especially the orientation of the edges. In the matching stage, we calculate the possibility for a face at the current image position using this model. The detection capabilities of the presented algorithm are evaluated on a large database. This process optimizes the algorithm and increases the processing efficiency. The approach is to partition an image based on abrupt changes in intensity, such as edges in an image and partitioning image into regions that are similar according to a set of predefined criteria. Segmenting and extracting facial details is a tricky task and requires higher accuracy.