We consider an extra dimensional model where the quadratically divergent top loop contribution to the Higgs mass is cancelled by an uncolored heavy ``top quirk" charged under a different SU(3) gauge group. The cancellation is enforced by bulk gauge symmetries. Thus we have an unusual type of little Higgs model which has some quirky signatures. The top partner in this model could be identified at the Large Hadron Collider due to macroscopic strings that connect quirk and anti-quirks. The model can undergo radiative electroweak symmetry breaking and is consistent with precision electroweak measurements.


This study assessed the auscultatory skills of 453 physicians in training and 88 medical students. There were 198 internal medicine and 255 family practice trainees from eight internal medicine and 23 family practice residency programs. Of the 23 family practice residencies, 19 were located in Pennsylvania, and the remaining four were located in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, DC, and New York State. Seven of the eight internal medicine programs were located in Pennsylvania (of these, five were in Philadelphia). The 88 medical students included students in their third and fourth years whose proficiency provided a baseline comparison for the residents' performance. All participants listened to 12 cardiac events directly recorded from patients, which they identified by completing a multiple-choice questionnaire. On average, internal medicine and family practice residents recognized only 20% of all cardiac events; the number of correct identifications improved little with a year of training and was not significantly higher than the number identified by medical students.


The piston effect has been studied for some time by the scientific society, and several mathematical models have already been used to simulate this effect in a compressible fluid. Several cases have already been studied on the subject have been studied, in this work the central objective was to construct a thermodynamic model for a case that had been solved in another way. In this case, the fluid is in a one-dimensional container, where two different cases are studied. The first one with a source generating heat to the center of the container. The second contains a flow of heat entering the vessel through one of the walls. The Generalized Integral Transformation Technique (GITT) was used to solve this thermodynamic model implemented for the problem. The heat transfer analysis, with its contour conditions already mentioned, was solved and shown in figures, where it was possible to compare the temperature distributions at different levels of compressibility. The effect of the piston effect was verified and how it influences the temperature distribution of a fluid. The final result of the study was compared to the article that inspired this one to be realized.


We present a proof-technique for reducing the nondeterminism of abstract agent specifications in a BDI framework by means of refinement. We implement the operational semantics of agent specifications in rewrite systems such that we can automatically check if refinement between (fair) executions of agents holds.


In work research of hematological indicators dynamics and some parameters of external breath of Far East white whale (Delphinapterus leucas Pallas, 1776) under the influence of stresses-factors (catching, transportation) and at adaptation in a delphinarium is conducted. Character of response of white whales on actions of extreme irritant depends on reference values of physiological indicators, specific features and stress-stability.


As reported in the literature, there is a potentially wide spectrum of antiparasitic and antibacterial activity in the chemical group of nitroheterocyclic compounds. The schistosomicide Ambilhar (niridazole) is an example of a single compound exhibiting anthelminthic, antiprotozoal, and antibacterial properties. A description is given of some of these properties, as revealed in laboratory experiments.


Nowadays there are many situations in which men doing mental work with visual material are sub jected to brief loud noises heard at irregular intervals from a source close at hand. The study described in this paper was directed at two questions arising from these working conditions. (1) Does the noise interfere with levels of individual efficiency ? (2) If any such adverse effects are evident, are the men already making the maximum effort to deal with the distracting noise or could they be warned and encouraged to overcome it ? (It is often useful to detect as far as possible any differences between what people will do and what they can do.) Research into the psychological effects of loud noise on human performance has generally been concerned with noise presented over a moderately prolonged period of time?a few minutes, an hour, or even a working day. Smith (1950), however, used bursts of sound lasting from 10 to 50 seconds, given at irregular intervals to a group doing paper tests of matching and form-assembling. The intensity was 100 db., heard through speakers, one on either side of the test room. The subjects' hearing was not tested, but a control group was used. Test results from the experimental group were quantitatively better and qualitatively worse than the controls, but it was concluded that the differences were negligible for practical purposes. A report from the National Defence Research Council (U.S.A.) in 1942 des cribed two experiments to test the hypothesis that sudden and continued loud sounds, such as en countered in battle, might have harmful effects on the accuracy of tracking and range finding. The sounds lasted two to three minutes, intensities ranged from 100 to 130 db. Subjects indicated physiological effects, but test performance did not deteriorate. The present author has not been able to trace any work demonstrating psychological methods of combating the effects of short bursts of sound. The experiment described below was designed primarily to discover whether brief loud noise affected performance in a visual task. It was fol lowed by a further test to investigate whether alert ing and encouraging the operator could assist in combating these effects.


A Quick Response (QR) Code is a two-dimensional barcode that stores characters and can be read by any smartphone camera. The QR code has the capability to encode various data formats and languages; nevertheless, existing black and white QR code offers limited data storage. Even though there exist research on coloured QR Code to increase the storage capacity, requirement for larger data capacity by end user keep increasing. Hence, this thesis proposes a coloured QR Code algorithm which utilizes RGB colour combination to allow a larger data storage. The proposed algorithm integrates the use of compression, multiplexing, and multilayer techniques in encoding and decoding the QR code. Furthermore, it also introduces a partial encoding/decoding algorithm that allows the stored data to be manipulated. The algorithm that includes encoding and decoding processes is based on the red, green, and blue (RGB) colour techniques, which are used to create high capacity coloured QR code. This is realised in the experiments that store American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) characters. The ASCII text characters are used as an input and performance is measured by the number of characters that can be stored in a single black and white QR code version 40 (i.e. the benchmark) and also the coloured QR code. Other experiment metrics include percentage of missing characters, number of produced QR code, and elapsed time to create the QR code. Simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm stores 29 times more characters than the black and white QR code and 9 times more than other coloured QR code. Hence, this shows that the coloured QR Code has the potential of becoming a useful mini-data storage as it does not rely on internet connection.


Continuous catalytic hydrogenation of 2-butyne-1,4-diol (B3D) was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor over 1% Pt/CaCO3 catalyst to give 2-butene-1,4-diol (B2D) and butane-1,4-diol (B1D) without formation of any other side products. In case of continuous hydrogenation, higher selectivity (66%) to B2D could be obtained and the selectivity pattern was completely different from that found in case of batch slurry operation in which B1D selectivity was very much higher (83%) than the B2D selectivity (17%). Another interesting feature was that by varying the contact time, the selectivity to both B2D as well as B1D could be varied over a wide range which is an attractive option to obtain the desired products mix of B1D and B2D, depending on the fluctuation in the market demand. Further, a mathematical model for reactor performance was also developed on the basis of the kinetic data obtained previously in a batch slurry reactor. The predicted values of conversion, selectivity, and rate of hydrogenation were found t...


The aim of the project has been to integrate technology for measuring fibre angle and heartwood content into an equipment that measures both properties during transverse feed in the green sorting. ...


This paper examines the switching properties of IGBTs and other input controlled devices for driving thermionic devices. In particular, attention is drawn to the turn off behaviour under short pulse operation, with a load fault condition. Examination of potential fault conditions when the device is conducting, leads one to the conclusion that switching stress at the gate input, when the output of the device is rapidly switched due to a load fault, can result in relatively high voltages and currents in the gate structure. If not fully analysed and controlled, these conditions could result in sudden unexpected failure, or gradual degradation and subsequent failure of the device, in a time significantly shorter than the expected design life. During turn off, following a load fault, the let-through charge and peak current may also be damaging for both the switching device and the load being driven. The paper presents a test circuit used for the evaluation, some results from those tests, an examination of important parameters for device selection and suggestions for device selection. An important conclusion for pulse applications was that the selection of the devices required great care and one should avoid focusing on the headline parameters of the devices. Some outline computer modelling was also introduced to support the view that the nature of the internal gate resistance required further study.


Interactions between singular causes of deterioration of concrete structures are numerous and can greatly accelerate the overall rate of deterioration. Causes may relate to inadequacies in design and/or construction or may result from agents acting on structures. The paper discusses the need to improve the cost-effectiveness of investigations of structures to determine their condition. This may be achieved by the application of staged investigations where in turn the presence of a problem is identified, the cause or causes of the problem determined and the most appropriate solution to the problem selected. Case studies are presented that demonstrate the benefits of staged approaches to investigations. For the covering abstract see ITRD E106406.


Lunar sulfides and oxides are a significant source of noble and base metals and will be vital for future human colonies' self-sustainability. Sulfide detection (pyrite and troilite) applies to many technological fields and use cases, for example, as a raw material source (available in situ on the Lunar surface) for new solar panel production methods. Ilmenite is the primary iron and titanium ore on the Moon and can provide helium-3 for nuclear fusion and oxygen for rocket fuel. The most important ore minerals have prominent absorption peaks in a narrow far-infrared (FIR) wavelength range of 20–40 μm, much stronger than the spectral features of other common minerals, including significant silicates, sulfates, and carbonates. Our simulations based on the linear mixing of pyrite with the silicates mentioned above indicated that areas containing at least 10%–20% pyrite could be detected from the orbit in the FIR range. MIRORES, Multiplanetary far-IR ORE Spectrometer, proposed here, would operate with a resolution down to <5 m, enabling the detection of areas covered by 2–3 m2 of pyrite (or ilmenite) on a surface of ∼17 m2 from an altitude of 50 km, creating possibilities for detecting large and local smaller orebodies along with their stockworks. The use of the Cassegrain optical system achieves this capability. MIRORES will measure radiation in eight narrow bands (0.3 µm in width) that can include up to five bands centered on the ore mineral absorption bands, for example, 24.3, 24.9, 27.6, 34.2, and 38.8 µm for pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, ilmenite, and troilite, respectively. The instrument size is 32 x 32 x 42 cm, and the mass is <10 kg, which fits the standard microsatellite requirements.


We have introduced a model of two indistinguishable quantum oscillators (IQO) and examined several processes of nuclear excitations in atomic transitions. These processes are: (i) nuclear excitation in an electron transition, (ii) radiationless transitions in muonic atoms. (iii) nuclear excitation in positron electron annihilation, and (iv) inelastic photoelectric effect. Predictions of our IQO model for these processes are in very good agreement with the available experimental data.


This research compares the Ecological Validity of Real Scale Models (RSM) and Computer Generated Models (CGM) as surrogates of a real space in studies of perception. The living area of a low-income housing project in Guatire, Venezuela was modeled in real scale and on a computer walk-through simulator. The real space and the models were evaluated using a the Psychological Impressions Measuring Test (La Scalea, 1991), consisting of a semantic differential formed by eleven pairs of opposing adjectives set on a scale of seven levels, that can be grouped in three factors (dimensional, social and affective). The results tend to indicate that both models are Ecologically Valid, however the general perception of the RSM is more similar to that of the Real Space then the CGM. The dimensional characteristics of the real space were well rendered by both models, with the CGM replicating better the Social dimension. Introduction Advances in electronic design and communication are already reshaping the way architecture is done. The development of more sophisticated and userfriendly Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and of cheaper and more powerful hardware is making computers more and more accessible to architects, planners and designers. These professionals are not only using them as a drafting tool but also as a instrument for visualization. Designers are building digital models of their designs and producing photo-like renderings of spaces that do not exist in the dimensional world. The problem resides in how realistic these Computer Generated Models (CGM) are? Moss et al. [1] considered realism as "the capacity to reproduce as exactly as possible the object of study without actually using it". He considers that realism depends on: The number of elements that are reproduced; The quality of those elements; The similarity of replication; Replication of the situation. Proceedings 6th EFA-Conference • Vienna 1996 • 79 CGM respond well to these considerations, they can be very realistic. But are they capable of reproducing the same impressions on people as a real space? Research has debated about the problems of the mode of representations and its influence on the judgment which is made. Wools [2], Lau [3] and Canter et al. [4] have demonstrated that the perception of a space is influenced by the mode of presentation. CGM are two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional space. Canter [4] considers the three-dimensionality of the stimuli as crucial for its perception. So, can a CGM afford as much as a three-dimensional model? The Laboratorio de Experimentacíon Espacial (LEE) has been concerned with the problem of reality of the models used by architects. More specifically, with there Ecological Validity [5] which is the degree in which laboratory results can be taken as reliable and representative of a real situation. Recent research [6] has focused on the problem of the Ecological Validity of the Real Scale Model (RSM). The results found it to be ecologically valid as a representation of a real space. Objectives and Method of Research This research has two objectives: study the Ecological Validity of a Computer Generated Model and a Real Scale Model in representing a real space; and compare the results of the two models. As means to examine these problems an experiment was carried out using a Real-Scale Model and a Computer Generated Model of a real space. The space (Fig. 1) chosen was the living area of the basic apartment of a low-income housing project in Guatire, Estado Miranda.


Objective:To predict the incidence rate of Tuberculosis in Taizhou and to better understanding of epidemic situation trends so as to provide the scientific basis for reasonable distribution of health resource on Tuberculosis prevention and treatment. Methods:According to the incidence rate of Tuberculosis in Taizhou from 1997 to 2004, we establish GM(1.1) , analyzing and predicting the trend of the incidence rate of Tuberculosis. Results:The prognosticating precision of GM(1.1) (C =0.36, P =1.00) is eligible in ac cordance with the criterion of Grey model prognostication assessment. According to the Grey model, the inci dences rate of Tuberculosis in 2005 is estimate 53.14 per 100,000 population with GM(l .1) . The prognos ticating relative error is 13.84% . Conclusion:The GM(1.1) is appropriate in short - term prediction of the incidence rate of Tuberculosis in Taizhou.


1 n this article, I want to talk about the Québécois writer Fernand Dumont and the portrait that he makes of the intellectuel engagé (or the politically committed intellectual) in his autobiography, titled Récit d'une emigration. First, I will outline a biography of Fernand Dumont, and contextualize his work in Québécois history and literature. Second, I will examine Dumont's mode! of intellectual political involvement in his autobiography, where Dumont recalls his difficultjoumey towards political consciousness as an allegory of Québécois history. In his autobiography, Dumont refuses to speak about his private life. Rather than giving in to introspection, he writes himself into Québécois history. His persona! narrative is interesting because of the way it parallels a collective struggle in Québec. As such, Dumont's autobiography bears persona! witness to a national Québécois solidarity. Third, I will analyze what Fernand Dumont means by "emigration." Dumont explains that the intellectual is a symbolic emigrant, because he needs to somehow break with the very culture and country for which he is fighting, in order to be politically effective. Then, by invoking the importance of memory and solidarity, popular and high culture, childhood and maturity, Dumont attempts to create a mode! for intellectual political involvement in Québec, and elsewhere.


erican Acade TheGerman translation for the word "science" is "Wissenschaft." This is actually a combination the words "wissen" (to know or to understand) and "schaffen" (to create). My supervisor made me aware of this fact, and I do believe that this is a very good illustration of the word "science." We have to create knowledge in order to develop, improve, and reach our ultimate goal of providing the perfect prostheses, orthoses, or assistive devices. But then again, as a practitioner, it may not be always obvious what the virtue is in actively participating in this process. I can comprehend this as I can still remember attending my first international P&O conference duringmy apprenticeship. I have to admit, I hardly understood anything and I was struggling with the terminology and the complexity of the talks. Back then, I could not understand how this could possibly help me in my practice. On the other hand, this was maybe one of the moments which encouraged me to go visit a university with the aim to obtain an engineering degree in rehabilitation science. Today, I visit many conferences, trying to actively participate, either as a speaker or in the discussions during the talks and in between sessions. This is a lot of work, but at the same time it helps me to constantly learn. The P&O field has drastically changed in the last several years with the advancement of new technologies. Those technologies require greater knowledge among the practitioners. We have to assess the function of these new devices. Some of themmay not be the best choice for a certain clientele or an individual patient, whereas others truly lead to an increase of quality of life. But in order to do so, we have to understand the function of the devices. For example, we may have to have a deeper comprehension for biomechanics to evaluate the device. I hope you can see by this point that I am trying to emphasize the importance of lifelong learning. And even more, constant learning will lead to an active participation in the knowledge creation process. This may be even more important for our profession, as you are the ones who provide the technology to the patient. We have knowledge and an understanding of the subject matter which other professionals, such as mechanical or electrical engineers, may not have. Those professions, on the other hand, play a major role in the development of new assistive technologies, and theymight struggle with problems we have already solved. Of course we are participating in this team of different professionals in the development of new technologies and devices. Still, we can always do better, learn and understand more, and create knowledge, and this will lead to new inventions in the P&O field. JPO is a platform and one of the possibilities for each one of us to participate in the knowledge creation process.


With the realities in geological prospecting units under new situation,the reasons of project management conflicts are analyzed,and the necessity of implying process efficiency supervision to solve them is resulted.Then the author presents principles and modern management methods of process efficacy supervision.In the meanwhile,the main contents and specific methods of process efficency supervision for resolving the project management problems in geological prospecting units are proposed.


To the Editor: We read with interest the letter to the editor by Urban et al, and we thank them for their constructive feedback. Indeed, in our article,1 we made an error in terminology by misuse of language in calling the shear wave velocity (SWV), in units of meters per second, tissue stiffness. As Urban et al point out, after reviewing literature, similar errors had been made in scientific articles concerning ARFI, using inappropriate terms such as "liver stiffness (m/s)," "liver elasticity (m/s)," "mean liver stiffness value (m/s)," and "ARFI liver stiffness (m/s)" instead of SWV (m/s), whereas the units are different. We found more than 12 articles with the similar error in referring to the SWV in meters per second by all the preceding terms, for which the units are different.2–18 This "mixture" of terms and units reported in numerous clinically oriented journals was probably used by authors to simplify the understanding in clinical practice, where evaluation of tissue elasticity remains the most important point for the management of patients, especially for the evaluation of liver fibrosis for chronic hepatopathy. As Urban et al explain, stiffness is the rigidity of an object. In the International System of units, stiffness is typically measured in newtons per meter. The Young's modulus is the ratio of shear stress, which has units of pressure, to shear strain, which is dimensionless. The International System unit for the modulus of elasticity (E) is the pascal (or N/m2 or m–1 · kg · s–2). Acoustic radiation force impulse Imaging (Acuson S2000, Virtual Touch tissue quantification; Siemens) involves targeting of an anatomic region to be tested for its elastic properties with a region of interest cursor. Tissue in the region of interest is mechanically excited using shortduration acoustic pulses with a fixed transmit frequency of 2.67 MHz to generate localized displacements in tissue. The displacements result in shear wave propagation away from the region of excitation and are tracked using ultrasonic, correlation-based methods. The maximum displacement is estimated for many ultrasound tracking beams laterally adjacent to the single push beam. By measurement of the time to peak displacement at each lateral location, the shear wave speed of the tissue can be reconstructed. The results are expressed in meters per second.19 The propagation velocity is proportional to the square root of tissue elasticity (e = 3ρv2). By consequence, the shear wave speed measured by ARFI reflects tissue elasticity. That is probably why nomenclature inaccuracies are made in clinical practice. Even if some inaccurate terms were used in our article1 and in the others,2–17 there is no consequence on the clinical conclusions, which remain the most important. Indeed, our article permitted us to demonstrate that SWV measurement by ARFI in liver tumors could not allow the differentiation between benign and malignant tumors. Effectively important variations were observed within each tumor type and within a single tumor. Tumor heterogeneity is an important limit, particularly in large partly hemorrhagic/necrotic or peliotic/congestive tumors. This article has also demonstrated that fibrosis is not the only determinant of liver SWV in background liver tissue. Other factors (eg, portal embolization, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, and cholestasis) can also interfere. Finally, our study provides a better understanding of the correlation between SWV measurement by ARFI and histologic data for both tumor and background liver tissue. However, owing to uniformity, it would probably be better in the future for everyone, from physicians to clinicians, to use the appropriate terminology and the corresponding units for ARFI and also for other noninvasive elastographic methods such as transient elastography (FibroScan).


Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of SRP assisted by the two clinical treatment methods of diode laser or Curcumin Gel applications in comparison with SRP alone.. Materials and Method: This single-blind clinical trial, performed in a split mouth design, was conducted on 10 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. Following a baseline examination at first day which included the assessments of plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and probing depth (PD); patients randomly received either SRP in one quadrant (control group), or SRP combined with Curcumin gel in another quadrant (experimental group). All cases were examined again, assessing PI, GI, and PD at baseline and 90th day. Presence of P. gingivalis was tested by PCR method. Results: In all patients, there was a significant improvement in the in GI and PD for both quadrants treated only with SRP or combination of SRP and Curcumin. However, experimental group presented significantly lower GI (P = 0.0001) and PD (P = 0.009) than the control group at the end of study period. Conclusion: This study revealed that local application of curcumin gel could be considered as an adjunctive treatment with scaling and root planning for chronic periodontitis.


We present our results after the implementation of the protocol for prevention of wound complications following open heart surgery introduced in the Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital "St. Marina", Varna in January 2014, as well as short data from our studies of risk factors for wound infection.Aim: The aim of this paper is introduction of a uniform protocol for assessing preoperative risk, preparing patients for surgery, behavior in the operating room and in the postoperative period to reduce the incidence of postoperative infection of the chest wound and thus enhancing the quality of life of patients, reducing the hospital stay and optimizing the financial costs; identification of risk factors for wound infection and analysis of the epidemiology of postoperative wound infections.Materials and Methods: We conducted studies on potential risk factors responsible for the development of postoperative wound infection of the chest wall in 1354 consecutive patients from January, 2011 to September, 2013 and 505 patients from January, 2014 to December, 2014. Standard descriptive statistics were used.Results: After processing the data and a comparison with a control group we found that the proportion of wound infections before the introduction of the protocol for the prevention of wound complications (cases 2011-2013) is greater than the proportion of wound infections after its introduction.The following can be marked can be marked as significant risk factors for wound infection after cardiac surgery operation in our clinic: diabetes mellitus, BMI> 25, the duration of mechanical pulmonary ventilation in the ICU, chronic congestive heart failure and low albumin levels.Conclusions: Strict compliance with the protocol for the prevention of wound infection leads to a significant reduction in wound complications.The risk factors for wound infection that we find significant within our clinic are comparable to the reported sources in the world.The reduction in body weight and strict glycemic control would reduce the risk of wound complications.


. We study the cone of moving divisors on the moduli space A g of principally polarized abelian varieties. Partly motivated by the generalized Rankin-Cohen bracket, we construct a non-linear holomorphic differential operator that sends Siegel modular forms to Siegel modular forms, and we apply it to produce new modular forms. Our construction recovers the known divisors of minimal moving slope on A g for g ≤ 4, and gives an explicit upper bound for the moving slope of A 5 and a conjectural upper bound for the moving slope of A 6 .


A large-current radiator (LCR) for the radiation of nonsinusoidal electromagnetic (EM) pulses with duration in the nanosecond range was developed. The time variation of the radiated electric field strength resembles one period of a sinusoid with the peak amplitude of the first half cycle being 1.2 times as large as the peak amplitude of the second half cycle. The duration of the first half cycle measured at one half the peak amplitude is 1 ns while the duration of the whole signal is 3.5 ns. The peak amplitude of the electric field strength at a distance of 3 m from the radiator is 56 V/m.


In patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with reperfusion therapy we aimed to evaluate whether pretreatment blood–brain barrier (BBB) leakage is associated with subsequent hemorrhagic transformation (HT).


In control theory, sampling and actuation are generally assumed synchronous and periodic, and a highly deterministic timing of an implementation is assumed [4]. When a control algorithm is executed by a task (or by a set of subtasks) in a multitasking real-time system, those assumptions are not met. This causes control performance degradation and even instability [7]. In addition, the scheduling algorithm may over-constrain the system when trying to fulfil the stringent timing constraints that control theory mandates, resulting in a poor schedulability In this paper, we propose an integrated approach to the design of real-time computer-controlled systems in order to obtain both the best control performance as well as the best system's schedulability. Real-time scheduling algorithms introduce various forms of jitter to each task instance execution. As a consequence, if those tasks are executing traditional control designs (control tasks), the system performance is not as good as expected. On the other hand, by using an adequate control design strategy that takes into account those jitters, the system performance can improve dramatically. In order to fully use these more suitable control design strategies, the scheduling algorithm may have to provide, at some point, valuable information to each control task instance for compensating the current introduced jitters. At the same time these control design strategies will provide new flexible constraints to each control task instance, allowing a better schedulability of the whole set of tasks (control and non control tasks). In this paper we focus on the sampling jitter problem and show that by using this compensation approach, the control performance degradation due to the sampling jitter introduced by real-time scheduling algorithms is eliminated while guaranteeing stability [8].


Purpose: the purpose of the research is a comparative analysis of the formation and development of national innovation systems (NIS) of three developing coun-tries: India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Discussion: аt present, the govern-ment's economic policy pays special attention to developing the national innova-tion system. The experience of developing countries shows that innovations intro-duction in various areas of the economy as a whole has a positive effect on eco-nomic growth and affects the welfare of the state. The paper analyzes the devel-opment of the education and financial systems, research institutes and the indus-trial sector of the three countries within the framework of state development plans, identifies the main directions of state policy and the characteristic features of the NIS. The relevance of the study is associated with the important role of NIS in the socio-economic development of countries, and therefore, the need to analyze posi-tive and negative aspects of the NIS development. Results: a comparative analysis of the national innovation systems of developing countries shows that state innova-tion policy is aimed at intensifying innovation and further economic growth. The study revealed both similar and various aspects of the process of NIS formation.


ABSTRACT COVID-19 trials have relied on symptomatic subjects for judging the effectiveness of vaccine candidates, whereas asy–mptomatic subjects have been suspected as the main driver of the pandemic. An assumption of the same impact on symptomatic and asymptomatic breakthrough infections is shown to be flawed, resulting in an overestimate of the vaccines' true effectiveness. Recent available data provide the first large-scale unbiased data on asymptomatic versus symptomatic infections postvaccination, providing a unique opportunity to reassess the true infection rates after vaccination. By this, the breakthrough of the BNT162b2 vaccine is seen to be 12% rather than 5% for a corrected overall efficiency (symptomatic + asymptomatic) of 88% with the original virus strain in a real-world setting.


In surface reconstruction, the actual surface model generally contains several surface geometrical features. Namely it consists of multi-surface patches. If directly fitting surface with these point cloud data obtained from a laser scanner, the surface model presentation and the surface fitting are hard to do. Even it is difficult to use a simple formula to describe the surface model. In this paper, a method for region segmentation algorithm according to the curvature variation of data points is proposed. The operational principle is to calculate the curvature values to data points on each scanning line. The points with bigger curvature variation are picked up as boundary points. After borderline are determined, point cloud data are divided into several regions. Each region has simple geometrical features, and can be described in simple mathematical model, and then a single surface is reconstructal. This algorithm is simple, and can be easily understood and programmed. Efficiency of surface model reconstruction is enhanced.


T HERE are many problems facing the awakening people of Africa today, but one of the most acute and universal is that of public health. Perhaps more than any other factor, health provides the key to the history of the continent and to the present condition of her people. It may even be safe to say that a solution to Africa's health problems, the current political crisis notwithstanding, is basic to any renascence there. At any rate too little attention has been given to health as a factor in African development, and this paper is, among other things, a call for further research into the matter.


This chapter provides an overview of the protection of the right to education by instruments of international law. The term "instrument" refers to both treaties, which, as international agreements, legally bind states parties thereto, and to soft-law documents, such as resolutions, declarations or standard rules adopted by international bodies, which, although not binding in a legal sense, often bind in a "political" sense. The instruments have been divided into the following nine groups: instruments providing protection against discrimination; instruments on the rights of children; instruments addressing the rights of refugee and stateless persons, of internally displaced persons, and of persons caught up in armed conflict; instruments on the rights of migrant workers; instruments on the rights of disabled persons; instruments on the rights of older persons; instruments on the rights of detained persons; instruments on the rights of minorities; and instruments on the rights of indigenous peoples.Keywords: international legal instruments; protection against discrimination; right to education; rights of children; rights of detained persons; rights of disabled persons; rights of indigenous peoples; rights of migrant workers; rights of minorities; rights of older persons


The utility model discloses a multitone source preamplifier, including host computer, setting front and back panel, the external sound source input socket harmony source follower socket on the host computer, multitone source preamplifier still is equipped with including the built -in sound source of MP3 player, FM radio and does not have the linear source of sound and receive and broadcast the module. The utility model provides a multitone source preamplifier is at inside extra built -in sound source and the no linear source of sound receiving module of having set up of preamplifier on prior art's basis for the sound source kind is abundanter, has satisfied the senior requirement of people to the music.


The present invention provides a food product that can absorb all the nutrients of soybeans, not soy beany flavor, good flavor, can easily eat, and can increase the content of soybeans, from children to adults can eat. The present invention also provides a hollow baked confectionery dough containing soybean flour, starch and starch α obtained.


Cuban Freemasonry from the early nineteenth-century did not consolidate until the seventies, under a colonial slave context. Freemasonry was integrated and then led by social actors who, at the end of the first war of independence (1868 - 1878), in the current autonomous state sought a new political path. Their progressive nature led them to ask questions about, Masonic and secular life, the situation of the marginalized social groups and also to reflect on their integration not only in the area of civil society but also in Freemasonry. The initiation of women and blacks became a concern for those architects of Freemasonry in search of an identity and international recognition. This process is characterized by a desire for social reform and some progressive policies while applying rules that followed the Masonic principles of regularity.


As a nation founded on religious freedom, it is the duty of the United States to recognize those who stand up for these beliefs across the world in solidarity. International persecution of Christians has dramatically increased due to the spread of radical Islam throughout the world, particularly in South Asia. By means of active, violent persecution as well as more passive forms of aggression, daily life for Pakistani Christians is both challenging and dangerous. While there is no easy solution to this issue, it is essential to continue advocating for those facing persecution and punish the oppressors. The American church and the global Christian population must speak out to denounce such practices, not only for safety purposes, but to defend the individual's inalienable right to religious freedoms. CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN PAKISTAN 4 Christian Persecution in Pakistan: An Examination of Life in the Midst of Violence In the effort to ensure human rights, it is essential to view threats to the community on an international scale rather than focusing in too closely on domestic issues. While widely disregarded by most North American media outlets, international religious freedoms have come under great attack in recent years (Newman, 2014). In addition to the Middle East and North Africa, one region that is particularly notorious for violating the public's religious freedoms is South Asia, including the country of Pakistan. Due to the intense violence and subtle forms of discrimination occurring on a daily basis, the international community must rise up to defend Christians suffering from religious persecution in Pakistan ("Pakistan," n.d.). The issue of international religious persecution is not a political issue. Nor is it even a religious issue. It is an issue that strikes at the essence of humanity and must be defended for the sake of all other inalienable freedoms. Overview of Christian Persecution Though there is little attention given to religious persecution in the media, in the United States it appears as if even less attention is focused on Christian persecution (Ibrahim, 2014). Due to an unhealthy combination of indifference and lack of understanding, the American public is in a state of blissful ignorance regarding an issue that should hit close to home for many (Finch, 2013). Instead of ignoring the issues that can no longer be denied, it is important to approach the issue of international Christian persecution both critically and objectively. As a foundationally religious nation, it is essential that the United States defend the rights that it once fought to protect. On January 16, 1786, the Virginia legislature passed Jefferson's Ordinance of Religious Freedom, CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN PAKISTAN 5 which served as a template for the Constitution in its guarantee of religious liberties ("American," n.d.). Religious freedom served as a crucial motivator in the fight for American independence and it would be a travesty to simply ignore what the forefathers died to protect. Therefore, it is the duty of American Christians to speak out against the persecution of its people regardless of their location. Whether it appears in subtler manners such as academic discrimination or more blatant acts such as the destruction of churches, religious persecution can take shape in many forms. Types of Persecution While religious persecution is often thought of in the traditional sense of blatant violence, it can occur in a variety of forms. Though the threat of violence is still quite real, more subversive forms of persecution such as employment discrimination and the suppression of Christian ministries are slowly creeping into various governments, including that of Pakistan. Only by federally allowing for greater religious freedom can these forms of subtle and outright persecution begin to decrease. Discriminatory Persecution Though not the most egregious type of persecution, discriminatory persecution is certainly the most pervasive and widespread form of religious intolerance. By infiltrating government operations, swaying public opinion through the media, and legally denying minorities access to basic needs, extremists gradually push Christians to the outskirts of society. Institutional discrimination. Institutional discrimination is a widespread issue for Christians in Pakistan because it is such a vague, unidentifiable problem that affects many aspects of daily life. Institutional discrimination may be defined as "the adverse CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN PAKISTAN 6 treatment of and impact on members of minority groups due to explicit and implicit rules that regulate behavior," enforced by institutions such as schools or government (Bayer, n.d.). This subtle form of persecution often results in economic or occupational advantages or disadvantages distributed to members of on particular group rather than another (Bayer). A common example of institutional discrimination in Pakistan is the biased treatment of Christians by police forces (Allen, 2013). Though violent attacks on Christians by Islamic radicals are quite common in Pakistan, they often go unregistered and unenforced by security forces and the perpetrators receive no punishment (Allen). Even if the police are not personally prejudiced against Christians, they are often too intimidated by the Islamic extremists and fear for their own lives too much to help the victims and, therefore, idly stand by as the attacks are carried out (Allen). Furthermore, due to fear of retaliation, charges are often not brought against religious extremist attackers. For example, in 2006, twenty Christian Pakistani boys were freed from a group of Islamic extremists who intended to profit from them through human trafficking ("Types," 2014). Despite the great deal of evidence that led authorities to one of the leaders of the group, police decided to cease pursuing the case because they knew him to be the head of an extremist Islam group ("Types"). Unfortunately, this type of occurrence is not uncommon in Pakistan and one's faith is often the true determinant of whether or not they will receive justice regardless of what the law may say. Societal discrimination. Another form of subtle persecution that is causing increased struggles for Pakistani Christians is societal discrimination. In its simplest terms, societal discrimination may be understood as the unofficial prejudice that places minorities into a position of inferiority (Zheng, n.d.). In Pakistan, Christians compose less CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN PAKISTAN 7 than three percent of the general population which translates to them and other nonMuslims being viewed as a lowly status compared to the Muslim population (LaceyBordeaux & Saima, 2013). Unfortunately, this negative attitude towards Christians and other minorities influences the way people think and gradually trickles into various aspects of society such as the media. Therefore, as the media releases prejudiced reports against Christians, which rarely tell the complete truth, it creates an anti-Christian sentiment which leads to a greater number of attacks (Habeeb, 2013). While bias in the media may appear harmless at face value, it creates a vicious cycle that only leads to greater persecution and violence. Societal discrimination also tries to shift the blame away from the guilty party as quickly as possible. For example, when Christians are violently attacked, the media often presents the story in a way that declares their practices of faith as security threats or criminal acts when, in reality, they were doing nothing illegal (Habeeb). By negatively influencing the attitude of a nation, societal discrimination lends a hand toward the already increasing persecution against Christians in Pakistan. Employment discrimination. Employment discrimination is a growing problem that Christian Pakistanis face on a regular basis. Regardless of possible credentials, Christians are often denied jobs based solely on their religion. According to Christian Today, due to employment discrimination, Christians are often forced into low-paying, menial positions such as "being a janitor, a brick-maker, or working in sewage" ("Employment," 2006). Unfortunately, since these jobs are for the lower class, they generally do not provide even basic health amenities, making life in the Christiandominated slums even more difficult (Wooding & Khan, n.d.). Furthermore, for the rare CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN PAKISTAN 8 few that manage to escalate in the rigid social ranks of Pakistan, they are commonly looked down upon by society for their former occupations. They also often face discrimination and harsh criticism within the workplace for both their poor background and their faith ("Employment"). In addition to the societal influences that make employment difficult for Christians in Pakistan, there are also certain government positions that deny Christians through legal ramifications. For example, according the constitution of Pakistan, non-Muslims are no allowed the opportunity to hold governmental positions such as "Speaker of the National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament), Chief of Army Staff, Prime Minister [or] President" ("Employment"). This creates a vicious cycle because those in power only further the mentality of superiority over religious minorities. Unfortunately, employment discrimination through legal means is only a small fraction of the legal persecution that Christians in Pakistan face. Legal discrimination. There are countless forms of legal persecution that affect the everyday lives of Christians in Pakistan. While it may appear as a more subtle form of attack, it can be equally devastating to victims. One of the clearest examples of legal discrimination in Pakistan is the enforcement of blasphemy laws (Habib, 2014). Vigilante Islamic extremists have a reputation of entrapping religious minorities into blasphemy and then bringing legal charges against them, sometimes even to the point o


Full-shell nanowires (a semiconducting core fully wrapped by an epitaxial superconducting shell) have recently been introduced as promising hybrid quantum devices. Despite this, however, their properties when forming a Josephson junction (JJ) have not been elucidated yet. We here fill this void by theoretically studying the physics of JJs based on full-shell nanowires. In the hollow-core limit, where the thickness of the semiconducting layer can be ignored, we demonstrate that the critical supercurrent $I^{c}$ can be tuned by an external magnetic flux $\Phi$. Specifically, $I^{c}(\Phi)$ does not follow the Little-Parks modulation of the superconducting pairing ${\Delta}(\Phi)$, and exhibits steps for realistic values of nanowire radii. The position of the steps can be understood from the underlying symmetries of the orbital transverse channels which contribute to the supercurrent for a given chemical potential.


Shoulder Pain Is One Of The Most Common Complaints Encountered
In Clinical Practice And Frequently Results In Considerable Morbidity. Its
Cause Is Related To Many Different Pathologies And Articular Structures
And Periarticular Soft Tissues May Be Involved. For This Reason, It Is Often
Difficult To Detect And Identify The Site Of Anatomical Alteration With
Clinical Examination Alone.
Many Clinical Diagnostic Tests Have Been Developed For The
Physical Examination Of The Shoulder Girdle But Suffer From Lack Of
Accuracy. Although A Complete History, Physical Examination And
Review Of Plain Radiograph By An Experienced Examiner Were Found To Be
Sufficient For Establishing The Diagnosis And Treatment Plan, Magnetic
Resonance Imaging Still Had A Significant Impact On Clinical Decision
Making A Large Subset Of Patients With Shoulder Pain. Given The Great
Improvement In Resolution Achieved By High-Frequency Ultrasound, It Is
Expected To Serve As An Important Tool For The Accurate Evaluation Of
Painful Shoulder.
Even Before Advanced Imaging (US & MRI) Is Performed, The
Diagnosis Of Rotator Cuff Tear Can Be Suggested At Clinical Examination
(1-4) & With Radiography Of The Shoulder.
Ultrasonography Has Been Established As An Effective Imaging
Method In The Evaluation Of The Rotator Cuff. Specific US Criteria Have
Been Used To Correctly Diagnose Rotator Cuff Tears(5) . These Include
Nonvisualization Of The Rotator Cuff Or Focal Tendon Defect To Indicate A
Full-Thickness Tear, Flattening Of The Bursal Surface To Indicate A Bursal
Side Partial-Thickness Tear, And A Distinct Hypoechoic Or Mixed Hyperand
Hypoechoic Defect At The Articular Surface To Indicate An Articular Side
Partial-Thickness Tendon Tear(6).
Because Of The Difficultly In Diagnosing Some Rotator Cuff Tears
With US, Various Associated Secondary Signs Have Been Described. These
Include Greater Tuberosity Cortical Irregularity (7,8), Fluid Within The
Subacromial-Subdeltoid Bursa , And Joint Effusion(9,10) . The Reported
Usefulness Of Each Of These Signs Is Variable, And The Results Are Often
Conflicting. Relatively Less Is Known About The US Appearance Of
Tendinosis. Tendinosis, Or Tendinopathy, Can Be Defined As Tendon
Degeneration. The Term Tendinosis Is Preferred Over Tendinitis, Because
Eosinophilic, Fibrillar, And Mucoid Degeneration Are Present, And Acute
Inflammation Is Typically Absent.
Bachman et al Demonstrated That Supraspinatus Tendon
Degeneration Might Appear Hypo- Or Hyperechoic At US. Differentiation
From Tendon Tear May Be Difficult, As Both Tendinosis And Tendon Tear
May Appear Hypoechoic And Coexist Within The Same Tendon.
We Discuss The Clinical & US Evaluation Of Rotator Cuff
Pathologies With An Emphasis On US Technique And Interpretation Of US
Findings.


L10-FePt is a promising material for high-density perpendicular magnetic recording media. The authors previously reported that c-axis oriented L10-FePt nanoparticle monolayers can be formed on (200)-oriented polycrystalline template TiN underlayers on SiO2 by using a conventional sputtering method. In this study, TiN nanostructures, such as the degree of (200) orientation, were improved by first depositing a buffer layer, such as amorphous Si onto SiO2, and the grain size could be controlled by adjusting either the deposition temperature or TiN thickness. When FePt nanoparticles were formed on a template TiN underlayer with a buffer layer of amorphous Si, both their degree of c-axis orientation and their magnetic properties were improved; FePt nanoparticles with nominal thickness of 1.4 nm had coercivity of 12.9 kOe in the out-of-plane direction at 300 K.


Changes in lung cancer incidence and mortality in Estonia were studied for 20 years (1968–87). A steady upward trend was observed for men and women. The 1983–87/1968–72 age-standardized incidence rate ratio was 1.22 (95% confidence interval (CD 1.15–1.29) in men and 1.34 (95% CI 1.16–1.54) in women. The corresponding mortality rate ratio was 1.26 (95% CI 1.18–1.34) in men and 1.35 (95% CI 1.16–1.57) in women. The age-specific incidence and mortality rates increased clearly towards the younger birth cohorts. For men and women, the increase was most evident for the age group 45–64 years. In women there was a more rapid increase in incidence and mortality than in men. It may be a result of a substantial increase of tobacco smoking, particularly among women, after the World War II. The high and still rising occurrence of lung cancer is closely related to the high prevalence of smoking; in addition, high tar yields in domestic cigarettes could have been responsible for an elevated lung cancer risk during the past decades. There is no tobacco control programme in Estonia, and existing legislation and regulations do not defend the non-smoking population.


In this paper, an efficient image encryption technique using beta chaotic map, nonsubsampled contourlet transform, and genetic algorithm is proposed. Initially, the nonsubsampled contourlet transform is utilized to decompose the input image into subbands. The beta chaotic map is used to develop pseudo-random key that encrypts the coefficients of subbands. However, it requires certain parameters to encrypt these coefficients. A multiobjective fitness function for genetic algorithm is designed to find the optimal parameter of beta chaotic map. The inverse of nonsubsampled contourlet transform is performed to obtain a ciphered image. The performance of the proposed technique is compared with recently developed well-known meta-heuristic based image encryption techniques. Experimental results reveal that the proposed technique provides better computational speed and high encryption intensity. The comparative analyses show effectiveness of the proposed image encryption technique.


In fluid mechanics, the large pressure fluctuation caused by the rapid change of fluid flow in a closed pipeline is called water hammer. It has huge destructive power for pressurized water pipelines, which often lead to pipeline leakage or even burst. In this paper, through the analysis of the dynamic characteristics of the gas in the pressurized water pipeline, the necessity of setting the air valve is drawn. Then based on the Bentley HAMMER model, combined with the example of the reservoir water pipeline engineering, the water hammer analysis was carried out. Compared with the maximum pressure head before and after adding the air valve, it is reduced from 126.89 m to 62.11 m, a decrease of about 50%. At the same time, the negative pressure in the pipeline under transient conditions is also eliminated. The results show that the air valve used in the pressure water pipeline has a good effect on the prevention of water hammer.


In order to study the galaxy population of galaxy clusters with photometric data one must be able to accurately discriminate between cluster members and non-members. The redMaPPer cluster finding algorithm treats this problem probabilistically. Here, we utilize SDSS and GAMA spectroscopic membership rates to validate the redMaPPer membership probability estimates for clusters with $z\in[0.1,0.3]$. We find small - but correctable - biases, sourced by three different systematics. The first two were expected a priori, namely blue cluster galaxies and correlated structure along the line of sight. The third systematic is new: the redMaPPer template fitting exhibits a non-trivial dependence on photometric noise, which biases the original redMaPPer probabilities when utilizing noisy data. After correcting for these effects, we find exquisite agreement ($\approx 1\%$) between the photometric probability estimates and the spectroscopic membership rates, demonstrating that we can robustly recover cluster membership estimates from photometric data alone. As a byproduct of our analysis we find that on average unavoidable projection effects from correlated structure contribute $\approx 6\%$ of the richness of a redMaPPer galaxy cluster. This work also marks the second public release of the SDSS redMaPPer cluster catalog.


Using the characteristics of a fire scenario as a starting point, the authors illuminated the risks using textile membranes as a building material. The burning away of the membrane and the opening of a natural smoke evacuation was chosen for further studies. Using input from validation experiments the authors simulated these experiments in FDS to explore the agreement. There was uncertainties in finding the correct input data, especially determining the heat of combustion and the width of the pyrolysis range. Results showed that it is possible to use the burn away option in FDS to model the opening up of a hole in textile membranes. However, using textile membrane as a fire safety precaution for natural smoke evacuation is not reasonable. Furthermore the report shows that it is possible to import complex geometries to FDS and use the burn away option as well. However, at the moment it is impossible to accurately simulate complex geometries for fire safety design purposes.


We introduce and begin a systematic study of sublinearly contracting projections. We give two characterizations of Morse quasi-geodesics in an arbitrary geodesic metric space. One is that they are sublinearly contracting; the other is that they have completely superlinear divergence. We give a further characterization of sublinearly contracting projections in terms of projections of geodesic segments.


Photoplethysmography sensor can be used to measure heart rate,oxygen saturation,respiration rate,and so on.Because of the limitation of the detecting location and the sensibility to the movement interference,it is developed for clinical application as usual,but not as home-appliance medical device.Thus,the sensor structure including LED and PD is redesigned to enhance the signal intensity,the detecting location on ear is selected by the comparison experiment,and also the 3-axis acceleration sensor is implemented to acquire the noise source for the adaptive filter which can weaken the movement interference in wallking and running state,and the heart rate can be calculated.After a sequence of activities experiment on human body,using ECG device as reference,the accuracy rate of the heart rate calculation is verified.


Interest in inositol and inositol-containing compounds is not a new phenomenon. Inositol (hexahydroxycyclohexane) was first isolated from muscle in 1850 by Scherer. He coined the name 'inositol" from the Greek inos (muscle). Nine stereoisomers of inositol are theoretically possible but only seven occur naturally, the exceptions being epiand do-inositol. Because myo-inositol is regarded as the major isomer among the inositols, with regard to both distribution and function, particular attention has been devoted to this compound. Although the name myo-inositol is in fact a pleonasm (it is derived from another Greek word for muscle, myo), its use has become generally accepted, and in this paper, myoinositol will be referred to simply as inositol. Inositol is an essential factor for normal cell growth, and a wide range of possible functions have been ascribed to inositol and its derivatives. It is, however, the recent discovery that inositolcontaining compounds play a key role in cellular perception and transduction of extracellular signals that has led to the current intense interest in this particular area of science.


Carbon isotope composition of plant and soil samples of Central Asia steppe rangelands (Buryatia, Mongolia, and Inner Mongolia, China) was studied. 8 I3C values of the investigated plant samples are low, ranging from -25.43 to -27.57%o, that indicates absolute predominance of plants with the C 3-type ofphotosynthesis in these communities. 8 I3C values of the soil organic matter in the upper horizons (0-20 cm) range from -27,867 to -I,24%. Down the soil horizon enrichment by I3C in I-2% is observed. 8 I3C isotopic composition of the investigated soils carbonate layers is presented by lower values (from -I4.53 to -7.85%) in comparison with organic matter. Variations of carbon isotopic composition of carbonates and organic matter are I6,I6-I7,89%, and they differ from the values, given in the literature I,89-3,43%%.


The research of world's historical geography in China currently focus on the discipline problems research,comparative research between China and foreign states,monographic research and compiling the related dictionaries.In addition,several jobs about translation and introduction from the foreign writings have been done.With the adjustment of this discipline,historical geography in China has been classified as a branch of Chinese history.However,we can continue doing some research about the discipline problems,participating the global overall study,doing some historical geography research cross cultural among different states,doing some comparative research between China and foreign states,and doing research under the background of world's historical geography.This article is to put forward a proposal of setting the discipline of world's historical geography as a branch in lever Ⅱ of world history,and enhance the research of China's world historical geography in the field of world geography.We should lay a good foundation for study,do some interdisciplinary research,and expand the research field increasingly.


SYNOPSIS The paper reports a study of the determination of an optimal replacement policy for transport fleet vehicles in the 7/8 ton load carrying capacity. Comments are made about the limitations of the constant economic life approach to replacement decisions. The concept of an Annual Maintenance Cost Limit approach is suggested and used to set replacement decisions for a fleet of 150 similar vehicles.


When modelling quasi-3D groundwater flow in large area, the spatial distributions of unconfined and confined groundwater heads at each node are necessary. However, the heads of unconfined and confined aquifers are sampled at a limited number of sites whereas values at many un-sampled sites usually are necessary for modeling. On the other hand, the observed heads of the confined aquifer in Kofu basin are less than those of the unconfined aquifer. There is need to incorporate the unconfined head data as auxiliary information into the estimation of the confined head in space. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the supporting role of geostatistics-Residual Ordinary Kriging (ROK) and Universal Cokriging (UCK) in estimating the unconfined and confined heads in space from limited measurements in Kofu basin. Monthly field measurements of the unconfined and confined head in February of 1985 were collected and analyzed using ROK, UCK. The results indicate that accurate results can be obtained by using ROK and UCK.


The writing of religious history has changed enormously in Scotland in the last fifty years. Early pioneers of a social history approach to the interaction of religion and society, such as L. J. Saunders in Scottish Democracy 1815–1840: the social and intellectual background (London, 1950), and the work of Stewart Mechie in his collection of essays The Church and Scottish Social development 1780–1870 (London, 1960), joined an early flowering of empirical sociology of religion under John Highet, such as his The Churches in Scotland To-day (Glasgow, 1950). By the early 1970s, the field was being strongly influenced by trends from England and Wales. On the one hand, within ecclesiastical history there was a development of social-history approaches to church and cities, most ably developed by Hugh McLeod, whose Church and Class in the Late Victorian City (London, 1974) established a new benchmark in the field. McLeod is now the doyen of the social history of religion in western Christendom, having over three decades produced an unmatched body of comparative work in monographs and articles (including his Piety and Poverty: Working-class Religion in Berlin, London and New York 1870–1914


A new hydrophobic fluorescent polymer containing carbonylhydrazide recognition units(CM-DCS-PyHy)was synthesized by carboxy methylation of N,N-alkylation chitosan(DCS)with chloroacetic acid in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfonate and then modified by 1-pyrenebutyric acid hydrazide.FTIR,1H NMR,element analysis and UV-vis were used to characterize the polymer.The polymer had better solubility in organic solvents,such as chloroform,alcohol,tetrahydrofuran etc.,than DCS.Fluorescence spectroscopy indicated concentration dependence of fluorescence of the polymer.The π-A isotherm with lecithin indicated that the polymer with suitable concentration could enhance the stability of lipid monolayer.These suggest the potential use of the polymer in membrane simulation and as a biological detector.


PURPOSE
This research investigates what factors affect the degree to which nursing home performance explains variance in residents' change in status of activities of daily living (ADL) after admission.

DESIGN AND METHODS
The database included all residents admitted in 2002 to a 10% random sample of nursing homes in the United States. Longitudinal analyses of outcomes at 3 months after admission test the ability of individual characteristics and nursing home identifiers to explain variance in ADL change for different groups of residents.

RESULTS
As we compared the best and worst providers (top 20% vs bottom 20%, then 10%, then 5%) and we restricted analyses to more homogeneous groups of residents, we found that more of the variance in ADL change was attributable to provider performance. Cognitive function and race also affected the degree to which home performance had an impact on outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS
The results imply that some quality indicators may be most useful in distinguishing between nursing homes that provide the best or the worst care. Futhermore, the degree to which a quality indicator is driven by a nursing home's performance may vary considerably, depending on the characteristics of the consumer. These findings raise questions about the usefulness of performance measures that focus on heterogeneous groups of consumers or entire provider populations. "How much of the variance in a quality indicator does provider performance explain?" is an issue we think has not received the attention it deserves in current discussions of performance-measurement strategies and pay-for-performance models.


This article provides an overview of the four-day scientific conference
Lomonosov Readings, which took place on April 18–21, 2022 at the Faculty of Philology, Moscow State University. Th e report presents a wide range of scientific topics
touched upon by the participants during the plenary as well as 25 breakout sessions.
Th e participants included Professors, Associate Professors, lecturers, and research
staff from all departments of the Faculty. Th ere were reports related to the broad
themes of the work of the Departments in the fi eld of philological sciences, theoretical and methodological aspects of studying and teaching philological disciplines.
Even a short abstracts review gives an opportunity to present the whole range of
research works carried out at the Faculty, and their relevance to the current science
trends. Undoubtedly, the presented works will be interesting and useful for all those
involved in the development of modern trends in philology and in interdisciplinary
research.


Ongoing studies of a two-span bridge in Pueblo, Colorado, are providing information to test the performance of various repair techniques in order to extend the life of existing railroad bridges. Results of the tests on the 101-year old 55.5-foot riveted girder span are typical of an older span with years of corrosion while the 56-year old 65-foot welded girder span are typical of more recent construction. The 65-foot welded girder span developed two significant cracks and data recorded just before the second crack indicated that the corrugated rail resulted in increased dynamic loading. Past studies have indicated that corrugated rail can also produce high dynamic loads that result in increased fatigue damage and that a smooth rail surface free of discontinuities can minimize dynamic loading on the structure.


During the past two decades, the utilization of Active Chilled Beam (ACB) systems as promising air-conditioning systems has becoming increasingly prevalent in Europe, North America and Asia. However, the studies on air distribution of ACB systems are still inadequate. The air distribution has a great impact on thermal comfort. The ununiformity of air distribution will easily lead to turbulent flow which can cause unpleased feeling such as draught in the occupied zone. ACB terminal unit is the source of the air flow entering into the occupied place, which plays a crucial role on the air distribution inside the room. Therefore, it's of great importance to evaluate the air distribution in the vicinity of ACB nozzles. In order to fulfil the gap, air distribution for a two-way discharge ACB terminal unit is investigated in this study. The air velocities around the nozzles under different conditions are tested in a 7.3m*3.3m*2.5m thermal isolated room and simulated by a three dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). After being verified, the CFD model is utilized to examine the effects of nozzle diameter and inlet pressure. From the results of experiments and simulation, it is found out that the air flow is discharged in an asymmetric way from nozzles, which is ascribed to un-uniformity of pressure distribution inside ACB caused by the layout of the duct. Moreover, the un-uniformity is significant when the nozzle diameter is large and the elevation of the inlet pressure would aggravate this ununiformity. Therefore, as we design the ACB systems, high attention on the nozzle diameter should be paid to prevent the un-uniformity air flow when the nozzles and the inlet pressure are large. Eventually, a proper strategy to solve this problem is also proposed and validated by CFD simulation.


to the sources used are to be found in the following areas. Short and long vowels in Japanese. The lack of distinction between these is typical of the linguistic standard of the book, and it is not pedantry to complain of this: pairs of short and long vowels in Japanese are quite distinct from each other in sound, derive from different Chinese characters or Japanese words, and produce completely different meanings. Thus, to represent both types by one vowel is simply confusing and, particularly in a reference work of this kind, makes it hard to take the book very seriously. Romanization. The romanization of Japanese words in this book is largely a confusion of obsolete and obsolescent forms. The author has missed a good opportunity to bring the spelling of words and names in this field up to date by using the main modern system of romanization as found, for example, in Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English dictionary. (The fact that this is the system recommended by the British Standards' Institute may not in itself make it irresistible to the art world, but it is in fact the one now in most general use in the West.) Chinese names, too, appear in forms recognizable only to those who have met them in Japanese sources: it is granted that they arise in this instance in a Japanese context, but it seems hard on Chinese emperors and sages to be referred to only by the Japanese versions of their names. Index of known artists. This needed a thorough overhaul, because confusion abounds. Two examples must suffice: (1) Although the kajkwa variant spellings are listed—without cross-references—in the KWsection in the form K(W)A(except for K(W)ANSAI, who is listed in the KAsection), there are separate entries for KARAKTJ, described by the note ' Ivory. Early-19th century', and K(W)ARAKU 'Ivory. Mid-19th century', when they are almost certainly the same person. (2) Cross-references in the two entries for the name Rakushikan, both written with the same characters, send the reader to Gyuka and Kyusen; there are two entries for the name Gyuka, both with the same characters— the first gives the reciprocal reference ' Rakushikan ', but the other completes the circle involving all five entries by having the reference ' Kyusen '. Briefly, then, this is a curate's egg of a book. Sadly, the less good parts are so widespread that it is difficult to see that anything could be done about them in a future edition and, in the present one, they keep the work well below the authority claimed for it on the dust-jacket by the publishers. For a model of what an illustrated art-catalogue type of book should be, one cannot do better than refer to another recent work of this kind, Keyes and Morishima's The theatrical world of Osaka prints (Philadelphia Museum of Art; London, Lund Humphries), for this is an excellent combination of attractive presentation and careful scholarship.


This paper describes the influence of reservoir compaction and surface subsidence on oil well casing damage, including compression, buckling, shear, and bending failure mechanisms. Casing damage from shear stresses within the overburden is identified as a primary failure mode for many reservoir conditions. This is consistent with several field observations.


Background: Lambs or sheep are considered an excellent animal model for humans owing to advantages related to bone anatomy, formation, biomechanical characteristics; bone strength; and absorption of minerals and vitamins. Moreover, bone healing in many animal species is faster than that in humans, whereas bone healing, turnover, and remodelling in sheep and humans are comparable. In this context, it would be interesting to examine the effects of bioactive components of diet (including Se and carnosic acid) on bone mineralisation and strength, since these are the most important indicators of bone status. This knowledge may be useful in the context of orthopaedic research, recovery after orthopaedic surgeries, and prevention of skeletal diseases in humans.Results: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects partial replacement of rapeseed oil (RO) with fish oil (FO) combined with dietary supplementation of various antioxidants on the characteristics of lamb femur. Thirty male lambs were assigned to five dietary treatments and fed isoproteinous and isoenergetic diets for 35 days. The control diet was enriched with 3.0% RO, while the experimental diets were enriched either only with 2.0% RO and 1.0% FO or additionally with 0.1% carnosic acid, 0.1% carnosic acid and 0.35 ppm Se as selenised yeast, or 0.1% carnosic acid and 0.35 ppm Se as sodium selenite. After 35 days, the lambs were slaughtered, and the femur was dissected from the carcass of each animal and analysed for morphometric properties.Conclusions: The present study indicated that dietary bioactive components may improve bone health by promoting bone mineralisation in lambs. Partial replacement of RO with FO combined with dietary supplementation of carnosic acid and organic Se improved the geometric, densitometric, and biomechanical properties of lamb femur.


One of the challenges in teaching musculoskeletal anatomy is guiding students to an understanding of functional anatomy that is beyond memorizing the origins and insertions of muscles. Students are often more receptive to learning the details of musculoskeletal anatomy if those details are included as part of a practical or applied situation. This presentation will consist of examples of selected patient scenarios that encourage student problem‐solving and rely upon an understanding of anatomy for their solution. The case studies presented will reflect varying levels of complexity and will be coordinated with the session's presention on assessment of the musculoskeletal system. A discussion of methods by which similar patient problems might be constructed will be included.


In this case, Dr. Alvear performs an open right inguinal herniorrhaphy on a 1-year-old male. This was filmed during a surgical mission in Honduras with the World Surgical Foundation.


Many materials have been implemented as photocatalyst and most recently the semiconductors. In top of the semiconductors materials, titanium dioxide which considered one of the most effective photocatalyst for water treatment application. Nevertheless, TiO2 application in water treatment still limited due to the low solar energy used by the system. These limitations are associated to the large band gap energy which limits the solar spectrum that activate the surface and most of the photoexcited electron-hole pairs tend to recombine in TiO2 surface, thus leading to a reduction in the photocatalytic performance. In this paper for the first time, Titanium dioxide was immobilized on laser-microporous silicon wafer type-p. The microporous silicon (MPSi) wafer was prepared by electrochemical etching assisted by laser projection.


This book is the product of a particularly principled politician and an academic economist. It aims to set out a credible social democratic alternative to the current policies shaped by 'economic rationalism' (or 'economic fundamentalism', as Langmore and Quiggin prefer to call it). It takes the full-employment goal seriously, not satisfied with the government's commitment to reducing the unemploy-


Introduction: This study aims to describe the burden of care (BoC) for the management of patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (CLP) by identifying provider burden, characterizing an interaction burden, and calculating an economic burden associated with their health system interactions. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients with nonsyndromic CLP treated at a pediatric tertiary hospital between January 1, 1999, and April 30, 2021. Healthcare utilization data for inpatient and outpatient interactions were extracted. Community outpatient data were obtained from affiliated specialists. Bottom-up microcosting was utilized for hospital costing, the provincial tariff guide for provider reimbursement, and zip code for calculating patient costs. Results: In total, 58 patients identified with CLP had a median of 148.5 healthcare interactions (consults/follow-ups/surgeries) between the ages of 0 and 18 years. Patients had a median of 10.5 surgical procedures, and a median 135.8 outpatient interactions. The most used specialty service was orthodontics, with a median of 71.5 orthodontic interactions per patient. The median cost of care, including direct hospital costs, physician costs, community healthcare costs, and indirect costs, was $73,398. Conclusions: Patients born with nonsyndromic CLP have a very high frequency of healthcare encounters, out of proportion to cost associated with healthcare, suggesting an overall significant BoC.


The crystalline crust that underlies the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in northern Alberta is composed of tectonic domains that accreted to the margin of the Archean Rae province of western Laurentia, ca. 2.1‐1.8 Ga. Previous tectonic models in this region invoke complex plate dynamics, including oppositely verging subduction zones, to explain the assembly of various geologic domains. In this paper, we introduce a new tectonic model that invokes back‐arc extension within the Chinchaga Domain (CD). The basement crust in the CD hosts a vast, mid‐crustal reflection sequence (Winagami Reflection Sequence), previously interpreted as a mafic sill complex that intruded into an atypically wide domain of Paleoproterozoic arc magmatism. The latter has been interpreted to have formed during Paleoproterozoic tectonic assembly through near‐synchronous closure of multiple small oceanic basins and/or magmatism in a plate interior setting. Based on a reinterpretation of regional geophysical data and post‐compressional fabrics observed by re‐examination of drill cores, we propose that observed temporal relationships and present‐day configuration of Paleoproterozoic arcs is better explained by post‐assembly extension of the Chinchaga Domain. The proposed post‐assembly modification is analogous to the recent tectonic evolution of the Basin and Range and can be explained through back‐arc extension linked to slab rollback and/or a proximal coeval transform plate boundary. Our model implies a back‐arc setting for the Winagami sill complex; it also provides a tectonic framework for explaining the origin of an enigmatic low δ18O anomaly (Kimiwan anomaly) and reactivated basement faults associated with recent induced seismicity.


In this paper,the qualitative analysis of human influencing factor in the project construction was made first.And then based on the principal component analysis method,the quantitative analysis model was given.At last the example of a harbor island construction was given,and the result indicates that administration risk and contract risk is the key of the harbor island construction,it must be paid more attention to.


International Relations (IR) as a discipline has failed to adequately globalize to account for the most pressing issues challenging all levels of politics around the world. The theory, the scholars and the scholarship do not reflect the complex and ever-evolving nature of the social make up or the needs of society. This book review assesses this issue and the way these three monographs seek to deal with the ongoing question of Africa's place in the discipline and in the academe more broadly. By analyzing, comparing and contrasting the arguments of these authors this paper will unpack many of the issues facing the continent and its place in scholarship, while


The article reveals the content of the model of the impact of art pedagogy and art therapy technologies on the effectiveness of aesthetic education and artistic and creative development of junior schoolchildren.


A method for off-peak transfer of data, by which user equipment (UE) autonomously shifts a peak load on a base station, is proposed and evaluated. In regard to the proposed method, how UE monitors the load on a base station is a significant problem. To solve this problem, a novel method of passively estimating the resource block (RB) usage rate of a serving cell on the basis of radio conditions measured by UE is presented. The estimated RB usage rate can be regarded as the traffic load on the base station. The effectiveness of the proposed methods for load monitoring and off-peak transfer of data was validated through experiments on commercial LTE networks.


This paper describes major results of combustor envelopment activities conducted under 1 MW industrial engine (Turbo Green 1200) program at Samsung Aerospace. The program was initiated in 1992 partially supported by Korean government. The main application of the industrial engine is a standby duty unit with a future derivative engine considered for a cogeneration unit. During the engine development, various tests of the engine and its components were carried out to confirm the performance target or the engine. This paper concentrates on the component test activities of the combustion section.Copyright © 1997 by ASME


ZnO:Al-GaSe:Cd heterojunctions were obtained by the thermal treatment of Cd-doped GaSe lamellae covered with a Zn nanometric layer containing different Al concentrations. The heterostructures were structurally (XRD) and optically (reflection spectra and dielectric permittivity for 1.5÷5.0 eV) analyzed. 1. Introduction Heterojunctions based on A III B VI stratified semiconductors and their (A III B VI ) oxides, as well as oxide heterojunctions with I-II group metals optically transparent in a wide wavelength region, occupy a special place in the physics of semiconductor devices. The weak cohesion between the packings allows the cleavage of the single crystals as lamellae (parallel planes) having perfect surfaces at the atomic scale. This property, along with low concentration of the surface density of states, classify these materials as ideal objects for the elaboration of a large variety of optoelectronic devices, such as detectors of ionizing radiation, photodiodes, photovoltaic cells, and many other [1-6]. The photosensitivity curve of gallium monoselenide steeply decreases in the blue-violet spectral region regardless of the high structural quality of the surface [7]. A nanometric own oxide layer deposited in-between optical window electrode (In2O3) and the semiconductor results in the increase of the photosensitivity in the green-violet spectral region [8]. Multiple investigations carried out recently unambiguously demonstrate that the physical properties of the structures based on A III B VI stratified semiconductors are mostly determined by the type and characteristics of the optically transparent oxide [9, 10]. Zinc oxide, being polycrystalline, undoped and doped with low Al concentrations is a highly conductive material [7], and it is optically transparent in the visible spectral region [11]. ZnO has a certain amount of properties widely used in various devices (acoustic cells, varistor, gas sensors, etc. [12-17]). Nanocrystalline ZnO layers obtained by various technologies (spray pyrolysis, CBD, pulsed laser deposition, CVD, etc.) have a good adhesion to the surface of semiconductor or dielectric substrates. This fact is widely used in optoelectronic and solar energy conversion devices [15], photodetectors of UV radiation [16] and sources of laser radiation [17]. The characteristics of the devices based on ZnO and ZnO:Al are highly influenced by the properties of semiconductors used as a substrate. This paper presents the investigations on some optical properties of nanometric ZnO doped with aluminium (0.05÷5.0 at %) deposited onto GaSe substrates.


ing the last decade raises to new pertinence the question of the measurement of party strengths. On the national level two diametrically opposed political trends seem to have been in evidence. Twice the Republican presidential candidate has won election, and by impressive pluralities by 6,621,242 votes in 1952, and 9,560,720 in 1956.1 Yet, excepting only a single election (1952), voters have been returning Democratic majorities to both houses of Congress.2 The 1956 election especially pointed up this strange inconsistency in election results: despite President Eisenhower's victory, Democratic candidates outpolled their Republican opponents in contests for seats in the U.S. Senate by 1,378,905 votes, capturing 18 of the 35 posts at stake, and in the U.S. House of Representatives by 2,691,433 votes, winning 234 of the 435 contests. To a considerable extent the afore-mentioned results accrue from President


Purpose:  To investigate the efficacy and safety of mitomycin C (MMC)‐augmented deep sclerectomy with implant (DSCI) in patients with primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG) and exfoliation glaucoma (ExG).


: The present study examined the effects of facial movements on impressions of facial appearance during dynamic smiling. The participants (80 women) rated the 68 women in the videos, posing with a smile, in terms of attractiveness, likability, and beauty on a 5-point scale. The displacements of the sides of both the cheeks and mouth areas in each video were measured using the optical flow method. Five time points were chosen from time series data that had been divided into four equal intervals. T-tests were applied to analyze the differences in displacements and velocities between the higher- and lower-rated-stimulus groups. The results indicate that the magnitudes of the initial displacements and the acceleration of the initial velocities were most important in creating a positive impression of dynamic smiles. The results also show that there are both common and specific relationships between facial movements and impressions of facial appearance.


The effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ekki-Youketsu-Fusei-Zai (EYFZ), on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was investigated in vitro. MTT assay showed that EYFZ could directly stimulate PBL to proliferate without mitogen. In addition, RT-PCR and ELISA revealed that though EYFZ induced the expression of interferon gamma (INF-) mRNA and the production of INF- in culture supernatant, it did not induce the experssion or the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) or interleukin-4 (IL-4). Moreover, we also examined which kind of immunocyte was involved in the INF- production by EYFZ in culture supernatant by inhibition experiment with monoclonal antibodies. It was shown that the EYFZ induced the production of INF- by T cell subsets of CD4  and CD8  cells. Thus, these results suggest that EYFZ has some significant stimulating


This paper uses diffusion modeling to forecast the sales of Plug-in Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles (PH/BEVs) in South Africa. First the potential benefits of PH/BEVs in South Africa are scrutinized. The global PH/BEV market is analyzed along with the goals and enticement policies of the countries that are best positioned for a widespread uptake of PH/BEVs. The supply and demand challenges facing the market for PH/BEVs in South Africa are evaluated with a review of current and proposed public policies. The total sales of PH/BEVs in South Africa are then forecast for the medium and long term using an adapted multiple technology generation Bass model with variable parameters for vehicle purchase price and running cost. Two scenarios are examined involving varying oil prices, electricity prices, government support and PH/BEV technological development. GRNAND016


The present study has as aim verify the relation between Epstein ́s Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI, 2001) and the emotional development questionnaire for adults (CDEA) elaborated by GROP (Group of Investigation in Counselling Psycho Pedagogical of Barcelona University). Both instruments were used as measures to evaluate the Emotional Intelligence, in the search for sustaining formative actions that favour the promotion and the development of emotional skills and consequently, the personal and social well-being of those persons with whom we have occasion to work. It comes both instruments of evaluation, as well as a correlational study depending on the results offered by a sample of university students of the Pedagogy Degree at Barcelona University, which gives place to an interesting discussion concerning the question: Why and so that to use instruments of related measures to Emotional Intelligence?


Introduction: Classically, Gale crater's central sedimentary mound (Aeolis Mons) has been divided into a Lower and Upper formation. Milliken et al. [1] proposed this classification based on geomorphology and spectral data that highlighted the phyllosilicate-tosulfate nature moving up the Lower Mound (LM) to the spectrally bland mega-yardang Upper Mound (UM) that unconformably overlies the LM. Other workers have since completed more detailed geologic, geomorphic, thermophysical, and spectral mapping relying on orbital data since that time (e.g., [2-6]). These materials have been described and subdivided in a variety of ways, but all workers have agreed on the initial interpretation by Milliken et al. that the entirety of the LM is a "single stratigraphic sequence". The change in mineralogy moving up the LM sequence has most often been attributed to a change in global climatological conditions during the "drying out" of Mars, leading to increasing aridity, acidification, and salinity of surface fluids that became enhanced in sulfate [e.g., 1,3-6]. Here, we propose an alternative geologic history and depositional process consistent with the orbital data.


The obtained results of the investigations on the spread of chlamydia in the studied areas indicate the need to improve the system of preventive measures by chlamydia of agricultural animals.


We determine the form of the Wigner functional for several types of quantum free field theories in order to analyze the representation of QFT in phase space, as well as to compare it to other mainstream formulations. We use Jackiw's functional representation of a quantum field state and extrapolate it to the phase space formalism using an extension of Moyal's equation.


Visitor perception is a strong determinant of the success of any tourist destination. But as tourism activities are intangible in many respects the visitor perception cannot be measured properly in many cases. An eco-tourist has many expectations before visiting a destination and in this connection the tourist's expectations have to essentially match with the outcomes and offerings. That is precisely where a study of this nature on visitor satisfaction through understanding the perception is imperative in ecotourism, and a clear gap can be identified in the tourism industry today. The present study is confined to the ecotourism zone of Soochipara Waterfall which falls under the Meppadi Forest Range in Wayanad, Kerala. Soochipara Waterfall is one of the invigorating ecotourism destinations in Kerala visited by hordes of tourists who visit Wayanad. The rock formations at Soochipara are unique for its needle shaped rock also called as Sentinel Rock Formation. Tourists spend considerable amount of time at the destination. The premier eco- destination is currently managed by the Forest Department with the active participation of Vana Samrakshana Samiti (VSS).Paradoxically, there are several bottle necks that Soochipara is facing that will directly affect the visitor satisfaction level. Seasonality is one of the major factors that affect the tourism economy at the eco-destination. Lack of Proper Roads, Parking Lots, Interpretation Centre, Vibrant Ecotourism Activities, Facilities for differently abled tourists, skilled man power, wash rooms and other amenities along with littering and antisocial activities are some of the excruciating problems that are faced by the tourists visiting Soochipara. A Survey on 120 respondents was conducted to find out the visitor perception as regards community-based ecotourism at Soochipara. The present research work attempts to uncover some of the important factors pertaining to the visitor satisfaction level at Soochipara. The findings of the study may be utilised for the long term sustainable improvement of this iconic eco-destination in Wayanad.


For a field K, rational function phi in K(z) of degree at least two, and alpha in P^1(K), we study the polynomials in K[z] whose roots are given by the solutions to phi^n(z) = alpha, where phi^n denotes the nth iterate of phi. When the number of irreducible factors of these polynomials stabilizes as n grows, the pair (phi, alpha) is called eventually stable over K. We conjecture that (phi, alpha) is eventually stable over K when K is any global field and alpha any point not periodic under phi (an additional non-isotriviality hypothesis is necessary in the function field case). We prove the conjecture when K has a discrete valuation for which (1) phi has good reduction and (2) phi acts bijectively on all finite residue extensions. As a corollary, we prove for these maps a conjecture of Sookdeo on the finiteness of S-integral points in backwards orbits. We also give several characterizations of eventual stability in terms of natural finiteness conditions, and survey previous work on the phenomenon.


PEKKA GRONOW studied ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.) and sociology and mass communications at the University of Helsinki. He has worked for several years as producer of popular music programmes at the Finnish Broadcasting Company and also produced a large number of records. He is now head of cultural activities at TSL (Workers' Educational Association of Finland). His main field of study has been the history of the record industry. He has been active in founding and running Suomen aanitearkisto, the Finnish national sound archive.